Marathon Youth Ministry

Eugene, you couldn't be more right whether taking ...

2010-08-24T20:50:26.246-04:00

Eugene, you couldn't be more right whether taking a walk, going hiking, swimming, it's a great stress reliever.

Great post! Another "basic" ingredient is being p...

2010-08-24T15:52:37.429-04:00

Great post! Another "basic" ingredient is being physically active (aka exercising) most days of the week. But you probably know that already. With our busy lives, it's easy to forget all of the above and get lost in the details. It's good to be reminded every now and then...

Matthew is going to be so jealous when he hears th...

2010-08-17T09:29:46.794-04:00

Matthew is going to be so jealous when he hears that you got to go to this! He loves Chik-Fil-A.

I definitely agree about the clean bathrooms. If the bathrooms are dirty, who knows what they're doing in the parts of the restaurant they don't let you see, like the kitchen?

Great post and great suggestions! Kathleen

2010-08-08T14:17:29.959-04:00

Great post and great suggestions! Kathleen

Good post! Really like your suggestions. The mai...

2010-07-28T20:48:43.261-04:00

Good post! Really like your suggestions. The main thing I did when I was a youth pastor was point out how I saw "their story" unfolding by helping them see the cool things God was doing or seeing how they were changing.

Making mix tapes from songs on the radio, going ro...

2010-07-22T13:41:01.107-04:00

Making mix tapes from songs on the radio, going roller blading, and keeping a "note" journal with a friend (writing notes back and forth in the journal during school. :)

cool article great from begining to end

2010-07-22T10:01:16.117-04:00

cool article great from begining to end

Appreciate the feedback, had to re watch the messa...

2010-07-21T13:15:29.710-04:00

Appreciate the feedback, had to re watch the message with my pastor, it was intimidating but overall he was pleased and gave great feedback...argh such a humble experience.

Good thoughts (I have to deal with the whole "get ...

2010-07-21T13:08:33.496-04:00

Good thoughts (I have to deal with the whole "get over how good looking I am" thing too!). I'd suggest making room for Looooonnngg pauses in your message. It can be surprising, after an important point, to just stop and give the brain a chance to process what you have said. Of course, eye contact is a must. In fact, I'd suggest that even if you use a text, you should know what you are going to say so well that if the text was lost, you could still deliver your message. Peace, Brian

Great speech this weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed i...

2010-07-19T19:47:44.032-04:00

Great speech this weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you.

Good stuff, Chris.

2010-07-15T09:25:58.005-04:00

Good stuff, Chris.

My vote is run - even if it's early (to beat the h...

2010-07-06T07:47:52.001-04:00

My vote is run - even if it's early (to beat the heat) or shorter (because of time constraints). My guess is that you feel better when you do. Great reading list, by the way, I really liked Switch.

Sometimes the things you think students will like ...

2010-07-02T09:01:18.681-04:00

Sometimes the things you think students will like (including my self being a student) will be the complete opposite of what they really like. Though it may not be what student leaders aim for, you sometimes have to "grasp" the students attention with the things they do like and focus it on the things they stray from.

For me it's hard not to respond to that question w...

2010-07-01T11:42:15.909-04:00

For me it's hard not to respond to that question without feeling some sort of guilt of either not having enough students or bragging about having too many. I feel another one that I use to buy into and maybe should of mentioned is the more I work, the more fruit I produce. I think that's why many of us ministers get burnt out.

All of these are excellent. I've learned not to re...

2010-07-01T11:19:22.886-04:00

All of these are excellent. I've learned not to respond to questions like "How many kids are in your youth group," to make sure my ministry is led by older adults as well as young adults, and to realize that "activity" isn't necessarily the same as ministry.

I agree mission work is another tool, when it come...

2010-06-03T11:58:31.960-04:00

I agree mission work is another tool, when it comes to mission work I freeze at the amount of options out there for teens, I also set high expectations and think that one service opportunity has to be better than the rest. To avoid this I need to put these opportunities on the calendar and work towards them...in other words be more proactive and less reactive.

Having been on the receiving end of selfless love ...

2010-06-03T11:35:30.172-04:00

Having been on the receiving end of selfless love on our recent pilgrimage to Lourdes, I was in awe at the power of God's love that is clear through faith in action. Our youth are still finding themselves and are bombarded by the pressures of their peers & our culture t see where they fit in. It takes a long time to cultivate the ability to give of oneself selflessly. Perhaps mission work may be another tool that allows kids to step out of their world, even if only briefly, to see the impact that they can have. Experience breeds reflection, confidence, and greater zeal to accomplish good!

Love the idea of writing and meeting outside....

2010-04-22T09:41:23.617-04:00

Love the idea of writing and meeting outside....

Congratulations!! Hope everyone is doing well and...

2010-03-20T22:54:46.038-04:00

Congratulations!! Hope everyone is doing well and grabbing some sleep when you can :-)

The Mercers

Katy said Sami did a great job tonight. Can't wait...

2010-03-18T21:02:47.916-04:00

Katy said Sami did a great job tonight. Can't wait to see little MJ...

The Strachan's are here with a "stand alone pump" ...

2010-03-14T21:57:06.054-04:00

The Strachan's are here with a "stand alone pump" if there is a next time. We had 6-7" in a newly finished basement and it came in handy.

Love your posts! All the best!
Prayers,
Cindy and family

Love it my friend! Keep on keepin on! Miss ya! Got...

2010-03-12T00:10:15.335-05:00

Love it my friend! Keep on keepin on! Miss ya! Gotta catch some pinstripes this summer!
Kev

Wow, I love that dream. I'm going to dream it and...

2010-03-09T17:57:07.137-05:00

Wow, I love that dream. I'm going to dream it and pray on it and one day ....

Really good, simple, practical advice that is many...

2010-03-08T22:25:16.736-05:00

Really good, simple, practical advice that is many times overlooked! Good post, man.

Thanks God that he doesn't require us to lead only...

2010-01-07T10:56:26.220-05:00

Thanks God that he doesn't require us to lead only on our own strength. He does provide us with more as he see us making an effort to follow Him. Being a leader comes one step at time, born from faith. Being a leader is not for wimps, remember what Pope John Paul II said "be not afraid". It requires a strength that challenges you to make judgments based on God truth and to experience challenges so you can grow in the truth.