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Defining Moments Jan 30

In early December I was able to take a handful of friends that we at Student Life are blessed to serve with each year over to the Philippines to see what I consider one of the best ministries that any of us can be involved in, Compassion International.  It has changed my life and family and we love that we get to read what Jesus talked about and be involved in what he would have us do with our life. Ed & Stephanie Newton were two that we were able to spend this special time with. He shared some thoughts below. – J. Roger Davis

It has been said that defining moments that forever shape an individual for a lifetime consist of the people you meet, what is selected to be memorized and places you go. As a high school student my encounter with Jesus Christ forever changed the trajectory of my life. Therefore, causing me to desire to treasure His word in my heart.  However, the paradox of 1st century Christianity and my life of service in the American local church has caused me to question at times the impact of the gospel in my sphere of influence.

Then God divinely interrupts your life and presents an opportunity to see the awakening of God that is happening in the world. Compassion International has been dear to my family’s heart for it was the organization that served as a catalyst to eventually adopt our fourth child Lawson from Ethiopia, Africa.  So, to be able to go to the Philippines where my wife’s family is originally from and to possibly see the children we currently sponsor was the opportunity of a lifetime. The trip consisted of worship leaders and other communicators who have been selected to see with their own eyes how Compassion International strengthens the local church within 26 countries by resourcing them to holistically minister to children and their families.

We traveled by planes, buses, vans, canoe & ferries to remote villages with living conditions unbearable for most, all to meet the most precious families that are being impacted by the local church through Compassion. Sitting in a sponsored child’s home and seeing families of 4-8 people, sharing a space of most of our closets, gripped my soul. One family had on a display a can of Spam as a centerpiece item because they were saving it for their special Christmas dinner. Another community we visited was a graveyard taken over by squatters who eventually created a community that has become permanent. Children playing on top of gravestones and many using the concrete of mausoleums as a solid structure to build & eat on top of. This experience was gripping to say the least! However, the appearance and smell of death in this graveyard of homes served as a stark contrast to the life that Christ has provided by conquering death.

The churches we visited that were supported by the ministry of Compassion International and the child sponsorship program, has brought hope in the midst of pain. Children receiving education, health care, intensive Bible training and most of all, children with their families coming to know Christ as Savior has fueled an Acts 2 awakening.  Communities of people are being transformed and the Gospel is flourishing in the midst of severe poverty. It challenges severely the American church and its impotency of effectiveness in the overflow of great resources. However, my conclusion has brought me to see myself as the problem.

The difference between the churches I have seen flourishing over the past days and most churches that I preach at is the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh, that I would walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that these heroes of faith walk in: the difference is prayer and fasting!  Needless to say, I have been challenged!

Stephanie (my wife) and I were able to meet Ann who is a child that our family has sponsored the past two years by choosing not to exchange gifts with the adults on her side of the family, but instead pooling the amount they would spend on each other to support her yearly. To sit in her home, meet her mother, sister and 2 brothers was truly inexpressible. The words of this mother still are engraved on my heart. She said, “it is because of Compassion International that I became a Christian.” She and her family are being loved on by the local church and currently are involved in weekly Bible study. I couldn’t help but to look Ann in the eyes, who is 7, and say that we plan to walk with her for years to come through Compassion. This brought such joy to her family because it removes the stress of a family to pay for school, meals and medical care.

Shortly before leaving the Philippines, we met our other sponsored child, Jetro. He is 9 years old and Compassion flew him and his father to meet us. Jetro and his dad had never been on a plane, been in a mall, ridden an escalator, eaten pizza or swam in a pool. Though we did not speak the same language, laughter is universal. We laughed, ate, swam and exchanged a lot of hugs. It was difficult to say good-bye, but once more we were able to look a dad in the face of hardship and adversity and tell him that we will walk with his son in the years to come to see him get his education.

The simple “twitter” statement that motivates us to do all we can is simply “Blessed people, Bless People!” My wife and I have been afforded the chance of a lifetime to see what many never see, walk where many never walk and my synopsis…Jesus is alive, on His throne and His church is advancing!   People like Ann and Jetro are in the family of God, trusting His word on a daily basis for provision and anticipating the coming reality of Christ’s return!  The joy of Jesus supersedes their life of hardship with one impressionable reality: Jesus will make all things new! I have never longed for heaven more than this trip! Oppression, injustice, and poverty: Jesus come quickly, but meanwhile God please use us to be incarnational reality of your truth on this earth!

Learn more about getting involved at www.studentlife.com/compassion

Ed Newton is the child of two deaf parents and became a believer in high school in Florida. Later attending Clearwater Christian College, Mid-American Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div) and Trinity Theological Seminary where he received his Doctorate of Ministry in Pulpit Communication and Expository Preaching. Ed currently serves on the staff of Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett, TN and travels the country as a Bible Communicator. He and his wife, (College Sweetheart) Stephanie, and their four children, London, Lola, Liv, and Lawson reside in Lakeland, TN.

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Dispatches from the First Year: You Can Do It Jan 25

Today I had some coffee with a parent of some of the students in the youth ministry. (Quick rabbit trail: this is my third post for this blog and the third time I’ve incorporated the fact if you were to cut me I’d bleed coffee.  I think I may have a problem…Nah!  If drinking coffee is wrong then go ahead and give me an F in life.)  Anyway, so during this trip to the coffee house with this parent he asked me a question I’m sure every youth minister who’s ever existed has been asked at some point.

“Jeff, why are you still single?”

Oh wait, that’s for another post.  Ignore that.  Here’s the right one,

“Jeff, don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and I can usually tolerate other people’s kids, but why on earth would you voluntarily devote your time to working with teenagers?”

That is an excellent question.  Anyone who has ever spent any time around teenagers or remembers what they were like when they were teenagers usually is left perplexed when considering why people would willingly subject themselves to being around that hormone-fueled, overly emotional state of randomized chaos.  For me the answer is simple (in concept, not in the amount of words I’m going to use to describe it).

Throughout my teenage years I had convinced myself that the time between about the age of 12 through your early 20s was kind of a blow off period of your life that really didn’t matter at all.  I viewed it as something like a staging area everyone was forced to wait in before you could go out into the real world and make any sort of meaningful impact in life.  With that in mind I reasoned that this decade or so of living was supposed to be spent doing whatever I could to fight off boredom, possibly learn a few things here and there to get ready for “real life,” and for heaven’s sake try not to make too many stupid mistakes that I won’t have to pay for somewhere down the road.  When I was asked something like what am I doing with my life during my teens I would typically think to myself, “What possible difference can make in the world?”

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of listening Dr. Johnny Derouen speak, you would have walked away thinking 2 things, 1) no one on the planet can talk as fast as that man and it’s impossible to have that much energy & 2) I learned more in one hour about youth ministry than I ever have before.  One of the things he enjoys teaching people is the reality that not only do young people have the capacity to impact the world, but they have been doing it throughout the ages.  Several things from the Braille system for the blind, the calculator, the method least squares, geometry, and so on were developed by teenagers.  Even Marvel Comics was created by Stan Lee at the age of seventeen (and we continue to thank you to this day Mr. Lee).

The reason I’ve decided to devote my life to working with teenagers is to combat the notion that I bought into what I was teenager – that we’re too young to make a difference.  The capacity, the intelligence, the know-how, the fortitude to change the world rests in those goofy, awkward young people and I believe they all too often get overlooked or silenced.  I hope to make it my mission in life to challenge them to be greater.  Lord willing I will be used as a vessel that equips teenagers to impact their homes, schools, communities and the world.

Jeff is a 31 year-old seminarian (read: no free time), serving at Inglewood Baptist in Grand Prairie, Texas.  A renaissance man, Jeff received his AS in HVAC Technology from OSU, then went on to DBU for a B.A.S. in Christian Ministries.  He’s now attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, pursuing a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling.  He warns us not to look for any sort of theme in that educational resume.

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Dispatches from the First Year: Making All Things New Jan 23

For a week, from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day, I spent time with my family in Pennsylvania.  It was a great week to connect with my mom and dad, three sisters, two brother-in-laws, and two adorable nephews. Knowing since Thanksgiving that I was going to spend a week with my family around Christmas time I had been convicted with spending one night in prayer with the family. God is moving in my family and I believed that we needed to lift up those callings He has placed in our lives together as a family.

As the week progressed it became evident that the prayer night may not happen, due to the chaotic schedule we had jammed into one week. I was growing anxious to pray together but I also felt as if it wasn’t a priority for everyone. Luckily, on New Year’s Eve a few hours before the ball dropped I asked the family if we could pray together. All eight of us congregated into the living room (my two nephews had already been put to bed). We went around the room and had each family express where God is moving in their hearts, lifting up their joys and concerns and then we would lay hands on those in that family and prayed. We were at this for over two hours. In those two hours of prayer I felt as if God was in our presence. He was convicting the hearts of my family, calling us to move, and asking that we trust Him.  It was a powerful, emotional and growing experience for the entire family.

After we prayed over the last person we had 20 minutes until the ball dropped. It was a mad rush to get party hats on, sparkling grape juice ready, and find the right channel. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1….HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I am 23 years old and this will most likely be the most memorable New Years of my life.

Looking back on this experience I am compelled to believe that this is how we as youth leaders need to be with our youth. I believe God has HUGE things for this generation of our middle school and high school students. We need to come together and be praying for their generation, their schools, the temptations they face, the areas where they excel and be praying that God is in the midst of our students.

Samantha is a 22 year-old newbie, serving 200 students at the North Raleigh United Methodist Church in North Carolina.  She will graduate in May 2012 from Asbury University, with a degree in Communications and an emphasis in Leadership.  She is blessed with an amazing family that includes two great parents, three sisters, two brothers-in-law, and two nephews.

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Announcing 2013 Conference! Jan 17

We are thrilled to let you in on more details related to the return of Student Life Conferences in the spring of 2013.  As many of you know, we offered the spring conferences as a resource to churches for 14 years (1996-2009) and have been on a bit of a break.  But starting with January 25/26, 2013 these weekend experiences in the Word will be back. Our goal is for the weekend to be gospel-centered and powerfully proclaim the life that is found only in Jesus Christ through service & humility.  Life-change does not come through some man-made experience, but rather through the Spirit working in us and through our interaction through Scripture.  That will be the fuel at the heart of everything we do.  Whether through corporate worship, prayer, or other thought-provoking elements, our goal is the same: helping teenagers know Christ through His Word. I would encourage you to check out the website for all the details but here is a quick run down.

BE LAST – love this thought and we will focus on numerous passages throughout scripture that call us to live lives of humility and service, but we simply could not get away from the second part of Mark 9:35, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” The struggle for each of us to live a life about and for Jesus the Christ in a world that seems to be all about us is in fact that, a struggle.  But the struggle is a part of the process toward living a life holy and expectable before God.

We have invited some of our friends that we think are some of the best Biblical communicators and worship leaders around.  We are confident that each of them will lead students well in each of the cities and we are pleased to offer each of them at every weekend event.  If you don’t know them here is a bit more about them:

JD Greear

J.D. Greear will be speaking on Friday night of each Student Life Conference. He brings great energy and experience to the stage and we believe he is one of the voices in the Church that not only your students should sit under, but also you should know. He currently pastors The Summit Church, a rapidly growing church of 6,000 in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area (top 20 fastest growing churches in America according to Outreach Magazine.) J.D. is committed to the local church and to church planting, having undertaken the goal of planting 1,000 churches in the next 40 years. Currently, they have 12 plants around the world.

J.D. completed his PhD work in Christian and Islamic theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.  He has authored a number of publications, including most recently “Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary” (B&H Publishing). He lives in NC with his wife Veronica and four kids, Kharis, Alethia, Ryah and Adon.

web - www.jdgreear.com

twitter – @jdgreear

Jeremy Kingsley

We have known Jeremy for years and have always respected and admired his love for the Word and passion to connect students to it. He will be leading each Saturday morning session at the conferences. He has a great ability to connect with students in a way that keeps their attention, and he honors that by preaching God’s Word and nothing else. His messages are filled with calls for students to be people of service, humility and action. Originally from Wisconsin, he received all-conference honors for basketball in high school, but politely refused college basketball scholarship interests in order to pursue his God-given dream of ministry and evangelism. That meant a bachelor’s degree in Bible and biblical teaching from Columbia International University in South Carolina. He also earned a master’s degree in teaching.

He has authored four books including “Be Last: Descending To Greatness” (Tyndale) and the recently released “Getting Up When Life Knocks You Down” (Bethany House) Jeremy and his wife, Dawn, live in Columbia, SC, with their sons, Jaden and Dylan.

web - www.jeremykingsley.com

twitter – @Jeremy_kingsley

Ed Newton

There are few people we would be as thrilled about having in front of your students for our Saturday afternoon sessions as Ed Newton. In each of our interactions with him over the years, we have seen him deliver “passion with content” while he seeks to inspire people of all ages to be passionate, dedicated followers of Christ. He is the child of two deaf parents and became a believer in high school in Florida. He later attended Clearwater Christian College, Mid-American Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div) and Trinity Theological Seminary where he received his Doctorate of Ministry in Pulpit Communication and Expository Preaching.

Ed currently serves on the staff of Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett, TN and travels the country as a Bible Communicator full-time. In addition, he recently joined the teaching team from Student Leadership University (SLU).  He and his wife, (and College Sweetheart) Stephanie, and their four children, London, Lola, Liv, and Lawson reside in Lakeland, TN.

web - www.ednewton.tv

twitter – @ed_newton

Aaron Keyes

At the heart of Aaron is a desire to restore the Word of God to the foundation of corporate worship, and to see a shift in the next generation of worship leaders (who lead songs) to becoming more biblically empowered worship pastors (who lead people). This passion shows up on stage regardless of the audience he leads into knowing and experiencing God more fully, biblically, and joyfully. After working with and knowing him for many years we are pleased to offer his leadership to your students throughout the weekend.

Aaron’s band travels internationally, leading worship and coaching worship leaders as the Lord gives opportunity. Aaron works with Kingsway Music from the United Kingdom, but is also dedicated to the local church where he as served as the worship pastor for over 8 years at Grace Fellowship outside of Atlanta, GA. In Atlanta, Aaron leads often with the guys from Unhindered and they did a record in 2010 together, “Grace Midtown: Songs For the City” He and his wife Megan have four boys, Cooper, Judah, Nyle and Linen.

Web - www.aaronkeyes.com

Twitter – @aaronkeyes

Unhindered

Every once in a while, you come across a group of people who refuse to let things stay the way they are. Fueled by a passion for what they believe, they cannot sit by and watch culture consistently walk down the wrong path — they are mobilized to action. Without these people, society would never change. Enter Unhindered, a Christian worship band cased out of Atlanta, GA. More than just a group of musicians playing together, Unhindered is a community that is dedicated to tirelessly laboring to lead people to God. Led by front men Ben Smith and Patrick Barrett, Unhindered’s unique ability to engage worshippers across age as well as cultural barriers has brought the group in front of churches and conferences nationwide. The band has led numerous events from small crowds to over 10,000 in the United States and Canada. For three years they led all of the weekend conferences with Acquire The Fire and have been a constant at Student Life events each year.

With a passionate heart for engaging students in worship, the band focuses time declaring that not only does God want to be involved in students’ lives while they are at church, but He also desires to play a huge part in their every day activities and decisions. “The same God that you sing to now, in church,” says Pat, “wants to play a part in every decision you make tomorrow at school, with your friends, at your job, wherever you are, in everything that you do.”

Unhindered consists of Ben Smith (Keyboards/Vocals), Patrick Barrett (Guitars/Vocals), Christian Paschall (Drums/Programming), J.R. Collins (Bass/BGV), and Ashley Dasher (Guitars).

Web - www.unhinderedworship.com

Twitter – @unhindered

New in 2013 we will also have a host with us in each city. We are thrilled to have A.C. Sanford back with us to interact with your students as the host of each of the Student Life Conferences. A.C. works, worships, lives and plays in Los Angeles, CA, with his wife Katie. After serving for three years in creative direction at First Baptist Church of Orlando and graduating from the theater conservatory at UCF, he served with Student Life for three summers on the AT2AP crew. “Seeing people come to know Jesus and live for Him passionately is why I do what I do.” says A.C. “I love to bring an element of fun and energy to any student event I’m a part of because, ultimately, Jesus is exciting!” In L.A., he attends Reality Church of Los Angeles and acts in film, television, commercials and live theater.

We also love the word collaboration and at each of these events we love having some of our friends join us as ministry partners.  We love who they are and what they do and are glad that they are willing to link up with Student Life as we join in what we desire to be a great Kingdom advancement endeavor.  Knowing each of these relationships we know their heart is in the right place.  You can find out more about Compassion International, Student Leadership University (SLU), Student Life'>Servant Life, Samford University, First Priority, Mobilizing Students, Water of Life, Impact 360, Bite Back and Elite Multimedia through the links on the main site.  We would like to also give a big thanks to each of them for their part in bringing the conferences back.

Schedules, venues, registration information, pricing, financial information, FAQ’s, volunteer opportunities as well as additional information are all available on the web.  In addition, we will have more theme stuff and some video elements available in late Spring 2013.  We hope to see you again soon.

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Discipling Girls Jan 16

Fashion icons.  Top 20 music playlists. Shopping, shopping and more shopping. Peer pressure.  Crushes. Social statuses.  Romance. Pushing the limits. Tears. Attention seekers.  Boys.  Money. Prom Queens. Emotions.

Sound familiar?  Even though my teenage years have come and gone, I remember how much those words meant to me.  And from what I recall, those words reign true in the life of any adolescent girl to this day.  This stage is awkward, and this stage is warped. The mind and heart of a girl can be a whirlwind of feelings and unpredictable passions- and most likely unsure of any dose of reality in some cases.  You see, in the heart of every girl there is this need.  And this need is to be loved, cherished, doted on, and to be told that they are beautiful.  This need is implanted deep within the heart of every girl, both young and old, and can consume a life in order to be fulfilled.

Today’s culture and media influence plays a titanic role into satisfying this ravenous desire of our female students.  Recently, the Twilight Saga’s newest movie, Breaking Dawn has captured the minds and hearts of countless young women everywhere, unknowingly conceiving false notions of true romance. As stated in Kent Woodyard’s recent blog, You Can’t Marry a Hot Vampire,

“In the same way that pornography creates false expectations for physical intimacy, Twilight creates false expectations for relational intimacy. It tells girls it is not unreasonable for them to expect to be hotly pursued by the two most desirable guys they know. It tells them their relationships should be defined by all-consuming passion from Day One.  And it tells them their future boyfriends/husbands need not necessarily be “human,” but rather anthropomorphized checklists of masculine ideals.”

Well said, Kent.

Church, what are we saying to this message? Youth ministries, what are we doing to counteract this culture?  How are we reaching these girls, and how do we know elements like today’s media are not ruining their understanding of what love actually is?

This deep desire in the heart of not only every girl, but also every human, is the desire to be forever loved, eternally cherished, and completely fulfilled by our faithful Father.  Money will not satisfy. Popularity will not satisfy. People will not satisfy.  For Hebrews 13:4-6 says,

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?’”

Our Lord is forever; He will never leave, and our girls need to be told this.  Our girls need to know that their Savior will not flee, leaving them feeling let down or empty.  The presence women volunteers have in our student ministries is crucial.  In order for the discipleship process as described in Titus to occur, elder women need to walk through life with our girls.

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2: 3-5)

Growing up in the church myself, I was beyond blessed to have women who would pour into my life. Those relationships challenged me and held me accountable when I was pressured to let my emotions get the best of me.  It’s sometimes difficult to be a man (which MOST youth ministers are, although not all) and have to understand the needs of a teenage girl that’s not your daughter.  If you find yourself struggling with ministering to young women, here are a few hints:

First of all, having a college-aged or older female on your staff is priceless.  Young girls love to hear stories from people who have survived being a teenager, and it will be a blessing to anyone who steps up to minister.  Just being available to text or chat over coffee one-on-one is an invaluable extension of your ministry that men aren’t able to do.

Secondly, incorporate the girls into your ministry.  There is lots of value in girls-only/guys-only Bible studies, but it’s also great when the guys and girls can get together to learn and discuss ideas.

Third, parents are a huge resource.  Ask them about their daughter.  How is she doing?  What does she need, in their opinion, to grow spiritually?  Is there any specific way you can pray for her?

Fourth, enlist the seniors department.  I’m not talking about the ones about to graduate.  I’m talking about the 65+ crowd that meets in the creepy upstairs wing of your church.  Start an “Adopt-a-Young-Lady” program and pair teenage girls with an older mentor.  Encourage them to meet once a month.  The wisdom of an elder is absolutely priceless in the life of a teenage girl.

Angela Revell is a Ministry Event Coordinator at Student Life, where she works to make sure youth ministers have an excellent camp experience.  Originally from Florida, Angela has a soft spot in her heart for former Florida Gator, Tim Tebow.  She loves music, girls ministry, and discipleship, and gets to live out her love of all three of those things at her church, Shades Mountain Baptist Church.

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Your Passion, Their Passion: Dispatches from the First Year Jan 11

There have been a lot of circumstances during my first year in youth ministry that have caused me to think back on what it was like to be a student in the youth group. I often reflect on what truths I learned from the youth pastor (since I’m now serving in that role) and what caused me to learn those specific truths. After doing some quick math, I discovered that between all the Wednesday night talks, Sunday School lessons, summer camps, and retreats that I went to in high school, I heard over 500 talks just in those 4 years.

Out of the hundreds and hundreds of lessons that were put before me in high school, I only remember the specifics of a few of them. Before you get discouraged (as I was) about that, hear me out; I did learn a lot from the messages and lessons each week, but I learned the most from simply doing life with my youth pastor. Whether we were running an errand together, eating dinner with his family, or going to visit another student, I learned the most through those everyday tasks because it was through those tasks that I saw his greatest passion. Everything that he did, from preaching a sermon to changing a diaper, was colored by what he was most passionate about: the Gospel of Christ.

Reflecting on these things has taught me an important lesson: the greatest influence on the students I lead is not my teaching; the greatest influence on the students I lead is what I am most passionate about. I’ve never had an original thought in my life; this idea was first sparked in my mind by a lecture given by D.A. Carson in which he said,

If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel…Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.

I pray that my greatest passion will forever be the gospel. We see this played out in the life of the Apostle Paul when he writes things like, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts  20:24) and “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). If we expect our students to going to grow to live more like the Savior then our hearts, as leaders, must treasure the Savior. Let’s, by the grace of God, know the gospel, love the gospel, preach the gospel, share the gospel, pray the gospel, and talk about the gospel all because we are most passionate about the gospel.

Cam is a 23 year old first-time youth minister, making it happen at LaGrange Baptist Church in LaGrange, KY, with a group of about fifty students.  He graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, and is currently working towards his M.Div in Pastoral Studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He has been married for a little over a year to Kerry-Lyn, and they live in Louisville.

You can comment directly to Cam via Twitter at @cam_potts, or with #slblog.  And, as always, leave a comment here!

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Serving as a Student Staffer Jan 9

Having the opportunity to be a student staffer for Student Life is a one of a kind, authentic, totally stellar crazy awesome experience! All throughout the week I got to lead Rec games, sell stylish Student Life apparel, work backstage moving props and setting up microphones.  I even got to mingle with the band!  It is practically impossible not to have a smile on your face the entire week, even while you sleep, which won’t be that often, simply because you won’t want to.  After years of being a camper, seeing Student Life from a different perspective was absolutely incredible.  As a staffer, you take on a role that is very specific and important to the production of camp.  It is one of the most rewarding experiences because everyone around you is so passionate about what they are doing, and you see the results of your work in a marvelous way.  One of the neatest things that I benefitted from camp is building friendships with the college staff. We became great buddies throughout the week, chatting about the weather, or playing ultimate frisbee.  They encouraged us so much in every aspect of camp, whether it was setting up a game, or challenging us in our walk with God.  Every morning before we started the day our entire staff would meet and have a Bible study, I loved this part of the day because everyone got psyched about a new day of camp and what it might bring!  The emphasis put on prayer during camp made all the difference in the world.  As a team, we set up and ran the camp, but the real leader was Christ.  The most profound difference between a staffer and a camper is that, in a way you get to watch and see all that God is doing in the lives of students, and how His spirit takes control of the camp in such an amazing way. This to me, is what makes this experience so unfailing and amazing.

I absolutely loved every minute of student staffing for Student Life so much that I am going to apply for a position this upcoming summer.  I grew so much as a leader, as teammate, and as a follower of Christ during this week of camp.  There is nothing that can replace it.  It’s just legit.

Macy Myrick goes to school at Oklahoma State University, and thinks Student Life is one of the greatest things since sliced bread.  She loves Jesus with all her heart. Playing guitar, playing sports, and going on adventures are her main sources of entertainment.

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Dispatches from the First Year Jan 4

Back in September, we started a blog series called “Dispatches from the First Year.”  We’re following four new youth ministers as they try to figure out how to follow Jesus on the path He’s laid out for them.  We hope you’ll join us every Wednesday to hear from Cameron, Samantha, Jeff, and Chad.  Take a look at some of the most popular entries they wrote during the fall semester, and pray for them as they navigate the spring!

See you on Wednesdays!

Point A to Point Crazy by Jeff Hastings
How to Ruin Your Youth Group by Cameron Potts
Faith as an Old Spice Commercial by Chad Nelson
Testament to God’s Will by Samantha Locke

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Lessons from Steve Jobs Dec 6

i’m just being honest here, but i can’t remember the last time i read a book as long as Steve Job’s biography. Once i started reading it, i honestly couldn’t put it down.  Maybe it’s because i’ve been an Apple fan ever since i bought my first iPod, but more than anything, it was fascinating to read about a guy as creative as Jobs and how he impacted technology.
i also found myself thinking about how we do youth ministry and whether or not we could learn from the life of Jobs.  Youth ministry is, after all, full of iGeeks and iFans.
So here are a few lessons i walked away with:
1. If you life your life as a jerk, people will remember you as a jerk, even if you produce amazing things.
Steve Jobs may have invented some amazing stuff, but he had the reputation of being a jerk to a lot of people along the way.  Lesson: Just because i’m right doesn’t give me an excuse to be short or mean with people.  Jesus commanding us to love one another still applies during a really busy season of life.  We need to be nice to frustrating volunteers, aggravating students, pesky parents, staff that don’t understand youth ministry, and especially our families who loveus.
2.  ”People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
i wonder how this applies to ministry. Jobs never asked the consumer what they wanted, but had a philosophy at Apple to create and show consumers what they need, even if they’re not aware of it.  i can’t help but think that there are some ministries, lessons and decisions that we may have to make that match up to this philosophy.  The idea of someone not being aware of their need for Jesus really matches up.
3.  iMostEveryThing works great because it fits into Apple’s core values and is a part of the end to end control they maintain.
i’m still trying to get my head around this one, but it does cause me to want to be sure that the programs, curriculum, and events i’m connecting with match up to our student ministry’s core values.  The more we turn over our students to others, the more we’re allowing someone else to determine the direction of what they are being taught.  No worries, we’re still going to Student Life Camp!
4.  Figure out what you do well and do it.
Although it took him a while, Jobs figured out that he was best at being a designer and innovator, so he focused on that more than anything.  He then surrounded himself with people who complemented(and could tolerate) his talent.  God has gifted each one of us in a way that helps us serve in youth ministry.  Be careful not to use this though as a reason not to do other things well.  Example: Even though you may be an amazing communicator/teacher, you still need to work hard at administration.
5. If you use a lowercase i instead of a capital I, especially when writing an article for the Student Life blog, you automatically score higher points on the cool-o-meter (or the nerd-o-meter).
At least in your own mind.

Chris Trent loves working with middle school students.  He believes that like so many young people in the Bible, God wants to use middle school students for big things… not just some day, but now.  He lives in Marietta, Georgia where he is the middle school pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. Chris and his wife, Wendy have been married for 17 years and have two great kids.  You can find him online: www.ChrisTrent.net and on twitter: @christrent

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Pray Up! Nov 29

God teaches us about our relationship with him all over the place and all the time.  Lately, God has taught me (and still is) about the importance of prayer in ministry.  I know this may seem like a huge “duh,” but I wonder how many of us youth workers actually take the time to pray through things.

For instance, I am a driven individual who loves to dream, cast vision, and plan the future.  While there is nothing inherently wrong about these traits, I find that I often do these things entirely on my own.  What I mean is that I make plans and ask God to bless them.  Although it is far slower, I am realizing that in order to have a God-sized vision and plan for youth ministry, I must pray for God to reveal his vision for his ministry that he is using me in.  Prayer reminds me that God is in charge of me and ‘my’ ministry.

As E.M Bounds once said, “Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God’s saints have been held.”  Remind yourself that your ministries effectiveness is marked by your persistence in prayer.  God can open any door, opportunity, and work his plan through your plans.  So pray up and pray without ceasing.

Andrew Hayes youth pastor in Sterling, CO and he has lived and worked all over the place–California, Montana, North Carolina, and Tennessee. He is a graduate of Bryan College in Youth Ministry and is working towards his M.Div. at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Julie love all things outdoors–but most importantly, they love Jesus and students!!

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