The Dean's List

YMtoday.com: Youth Ministry Resources & News

2010-08-18T13:26:00.002-02:30

YMtoday.com: Youth Ministry Resources & News

Why Churches Should Adopt Public Schools

Could it be that ministry to our schools is the youth ministry tipping point that we have hoped for? School ministry and youth ministry should be synonymous terms that manifests itself in serving, leading and blessing our teachers and students. Since all youth attend school should it surprise us that school ministry must be a priority? Let's get BACK TO SCHOOL!

Word Up!

2010-02-13T19:58:00.004-03:30

"I have a word from the Lord"...sound familiar? In our quest to have a prophetic and confident voice in declaring the things of God...here are some random thoughts that might help us in truly having a word....

THOT #1. "...in the beginning was the Word…the Word became flesh a dwelt among us…and we have seen His glory!" Jesus is the all-sufficient WORD (John 1:14) yet I sometimes fear in our quest for more we treat him as somewhat deficient.

THOT #2. I was doing a Sunday morning children’s ministry program a few weeks ago….now that’s a scary thought in itself…and a simple but profound truth struck me. The lesson that day reminded us that God has given us two ears and one mouth…i.e. we should be listening twice as much as speaking. Why is it that we hear much on having a WORD but less on LISTENING. Could it be God would have us be better listeners than speakers? Why do we hear more about HAVING A WORD than we do about HEARING A WORD? Would we engage our culture in more effective ways if we listened more and spoke less? Would we be more pleasing to the SPIRIT if we had EARS TO HEAR what HE is saying (Rev. 3:3)?

THOT #3. Does God speak though us? YES! Does God give us gifts of utterance? YES! But He also gives the gifts of wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8). It’s also interesting wisdom comes before the utterance gifts in the passage…I’m just sayin’….but maybe there is a significant truth there. A movement of people who had an intense desire for wisdom…first…what would that look like?

THOT #4. Do we need more WORDS? More of the presence of God? Most definitely! Let’s just temper our desires with a firm grasp on the sufficiency of Christ, a spirit that is eager to listen and a heart that cries for wisdom…imagine the WORDS coming out of that environment!

WORD!

True or False?

2010-01-23T15:28:00.004-03:30

...Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important. (C.S. Lewis)

Unfortunately it seems most people live in the realm of a moderately important Christian faith. This spiritual "no fly zone" neither affirms the veracity of the Christian faith and neither does it demonstrate the virtues of Christian faith. We must learn to live and lead from the grounds of an infinitely important belief system. The implications on our lives and leadership is indeed profound.

Are You A Believable Leader?

2010-01-18T17:38:00.001-03:30

“Hope without a strategy doesn’t generate leadership. Leadership comes when your hope and your optimism are matched with a concrete vision of the future and a way to get there. People won’t follow you if they don’t believe you can get to where you’re going. Managers are the cynical ones. Managers are pessimists because they’ve seen it before and they believe they’ve already done it as well as it can be done. Leaders, on the other hand, have hope. Without it, there is no future to work for.” (Seth Godin in "Tribes")

Seth has some great thoughts on leadership. So there are some questions that come to mind:

Is our leadership beleivable and hope-filled?
Is our vision compelling and concrete enough for people to commit their time, energy and devotion to?
Are we dispensers of hope or pessimism?

This world desperately needs believable leaders!

THE BIGGEST LOSER (turned winner!)

2010-01-10T23:48:00.004-03:30

The Biggest Loser is a television show broadcast in many countries focused on overweight contestants attempting to lose weight to fight for a cash prize. There are different variations of the Biggest Loser around the world but the contestants always have the same goal: to lose the highest percentage of weight (or most weight) to become the Biggest Loser. I guess “The Biggest Loser” has become a Big Winner!

What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever been a part of? There’s something about seeing the big picture. Being attached to something bigger than ourselves gives us vision, hope, and energy. Attaching ourselves to the big picture of who God is and what God is doing will safeguard us against small vision, small thinking, small attitudes and small people. The key for us is to stay focused on that thing than we are and it will propel you to the next level personally, spiritually, or corporately.

Eph. 1:19 I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. 22 And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.

Now that’s big!

Peace Out!

2009-12-27T13:39:00.002-03:30

Is it just me or is peace a commodity that the world has bailed on? Ongoing war, political unrest, terrorist threats have unfortunately become all too common in our vernacular. Even this week another foiled terror attack on an airliner has reminded us that we live in a very fragile world. It seems the closest term to peace the world can come up with is security. I find it interesting that the quest for world peace has been replaced by the second best ideal, global security. In fact, Google “global security” and you’ll get over 80 million hits versus 42 million hits for “world peace”. I know we can’t read too much into Google hits but it’s interesting nonetheless.

In the midst of the Christmas season we often hear the Isaiah 9 passage: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

A “Prince of Peace” in the 21st century? This name given to Christ is much more than seasonal poetry. Christ came to give us…

PEACE VERTICALLY – a peace with God through Christ who has become our very peace through his death on the cross.
PEACE HORIZONTALLY – a peace in our relationships with each other. Christ came to not only restore a relationship to himself but to reconcile and restore our relationships to one other.
PEACE ULTIMATELY – one day the Prince of Peace will return to rule and reign as King of all Kings and of this peaceful kingdom there will be no end!

Our role in the meantime is to live in that peace and to extend that peace. Matthew 5:9 (KJV) 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peace out!

How to Lose the Wow!

2009-12-21T20:20:00.005-03:30

It's the most wonderful time of the year right? Well, for many it’s just another celebration, another event, another party.

"So we have this holiday that celebrates celebrating. The problem with this is that there isn't enough gasoline to keep the engine going. Over and over again I hear people talk about the acute loneliness they feel at Christmas, and about how they somehow "can't get into Christmas this year." When the celebrating has lost its reason, it becomes empty, meaningless, and incredibly boring. Something similar, while far more subtle, has happened to Christians. We continue to do the forms of celebrating. We sing the hymns, we repeat the creeds, we say the prayers; but the malaise has set in. We've lost the joy of it all because we've forgotten that what we believe is true—really true!" (Steve Brown in Follow the Wind)

These words struck home to me in a profound way. We have become experts in celebrating celebrations but they do indeed leave us without enough gas to keep our engines going. It's reminiscent of Paul's words to young Timothy in describing a people who have "a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). This Christmas let's not be guilty of enjoying forms and rituals. Let's dig deep into the great truths and mysteries of the event we call the incarnation. It is true...really true!

How to Keep the Wow!

2009-12-15T13:14:00.004-03:30

“A virgin giving birth would be a miracle but a virgin giving birth to the Son of God...now that’s incredulous!” Erwin McManus

If there’s an example of “familiarity breeding contempt”, it certainly can apply to the Christmas story. Many of us have grown up year after year reading, rehearsing, and reciting it. By the time early December’s seasonal festivities begin, our onset of nostalgic emotion is often swept quickly under the rug of busy schedules and endless shopping lists. To say that the wonder of the Christmas message gets lost in the commercialism of our culture is perhaps the understatement of the year. But there is a miraculous Christmas story that supersedes all the “fluff” that we have added. The story is indeed miraculous:

*A virgin conceives and gives birth to none other than God himself.

*Multiple angelic announcements to rival any Christmas e-card.

*A well-timed GPS star points the Wisemen in the right direction.

*A heavenly ensemble makes a debut appearance that may have even made the top iTunes downloads.

This whole story is a story of miracles. It’s a story of amazing grace that should cause our jaws to drop, our eyes to swell, and our hearts to be strangely warmed once again.

As Christian leaders, I wonder does this fading Christmas wonder happen more frequently than we’d care to admit? Are we still amazed with the opportunity we have been afforded to serve Christ in the ministries God has called us to? Are we still lost in wonder as we lead worship events, deliver His timeless Word, and minister to His bride? Are we moved with every answered prayer, every ministry miracle, and every changed life? The same desensitization that happens at Christmas can happen in the context of Christian ministry. Too many times we’re dragging ourselves out to the next ministry with little expectation and low-level dreams. So how to we keep the wow?

1. Slow down and spend some quiet moments in reflection and meditation on His great story that we get to share.

2. See every ministry engagement as an opportunity for the miraculous.

3. See yourself as you truly are...a sinner saved by an indescribable and incomprehensible gift of grace. Do these things and the WOW will be in your NOW!

We have much to celebrate at the end of 2009, but our greatest celebrations will be not of our successes but of His story. Let’s peel away the layers of the onion of our lives to get back to the core of this Season. Oh, and if we find that peeling that onion brings some tears...embrace them...tears may be a sign that we have indeed rediscovered the wow!

A Coincidence in Missions

2009-12-03T22:31:00.005-03:30

Ola! I just returned from a great week in the Dominican Republic. No it wasn’t a holiday…although I think I could use one just about now. I participated in a short term mission’s trip with seven other Newfoundlanders exploring one aspect of international missions: child sponsorship. Like most of you, I like to know where our monies are being invested and if the directed funds are truly directed to the recipients that we intend. We’ve all seen too many misuses of funds in the past whether in the spending scandals in our own government or in the boardrooms of corporate America. These unfortunate events naturally raise our skeptiscm antennas. I’ve seen child sponsorship in action in the past both here and abroad and so this trip wasn’t an eye-opener as much as a reassurance. The bottom line for me: child sponsorship works. It changes lives. God is uses sponsors and sponsoring agencies to change the world one child at a time. The best way, though, to describe my impressions would be through one amazing incident that capped off my week in the Caribbean. On a Thursday morning we took the familiar and semi-comfortable small 20 seat tour bus to yet another ministry location known as a “project”. Once we arrived were warmly greeted by the leaders and pastor in their native espanol. These warm introductions were followed by some sincere but feeble attempts to reply our new found language. Soon the joyful sounds of children with their singing, recitations and laughter, filled the air. After a brief time our tour began with a class of children singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart” in Spanish followed by our own Canadian quartet’s English version of the same song (interestingly enough, this quartet quickly turned into a trio when one of our songsters bailed to “take photos”…I’m not bitter). We represented Canada well! Ok, we represented. On to more classrooms and visits with dozens of children studying, coloring, and singing. But then our role turned into waiters and waitresses as we had the immense privilege of serving these little Dominican children a simple but significant luch. We were told that this particular project had an unusually high number of Canadian sponsors so when the opportunity was afforded I scanned the record book that included pages and pages of sponsor names, numbers, and country information. Around page 3 I started to weary of the repetitive data when out of nowhere a name leaped off the page…a name that I knew but surely was a name that belonged to someone else in the great white north. So that curiosity didn’t kill the cat (namely me), I decided to send a text message back home in order to “rule out” this possibility. The response to my text however, verified my assumptions were anything but correct. This was indeed the sponsor child of a friend from my home city. What an amazing coincidence right! We just happened to be in this little girl’s project, on this day particular day. I just happened to come across a familiar name in a very big record book. I just happened to be able to verify her Canadian sponsor in a matter of minutes. Over 40 000 Dominican children are sponsored though this missions agency and I happened to come across the one girl that was connected to a friend in my home city. Amazing coincidence right! Hardly! In these moments God quickly but clearly reminded me that he is concerned about EVERY person on this planet. No one is too small or too great, too young or too old, too poor or too rich…He loves us all. Through the generosity of my friend’s family back home we were able to purchase a care package of groceries and goodies and present this little girl with a small token of some Canadian love before we travelled back home. Hopefully our words of encouragement and this little gift left a lasting reminder to her family that there is a God that loves and cares for them in ways beyond our level of human comprehension. He’d even send some Newfoundlanders into a little local church to stumble upon a name and into a series of events to do so. Sponsorship works. There are real children and families that need our support and love. On this trip we observed church after church reaching child after child with the reality of the Gospel. I have seen few greater missions’ investments that yield any greater spiritual returns in a life, a home and a community. For God so loved the world…now that’s no coincidence! Dios de bendiga!

Living in the BEYOND!

2009-10-12T22:59:00.003-02:30

Hello all!

I trust you’ve gotten a chance to rest up, catch your breath, spend some time with friends and family and also to reflect on all that God has done this weekend. You all have been amazing and I can’t say enough how much I am honored to be a part of this great YC family that God has assembled and is using to build His Kingdom in this province.

So what has God really done this past weekend?…here’s some real-time excerpts (some the Preston forwarded me):

• I just wanted to write and tell you that your messages you preached in YC really did something for me. When I seen my parents on Sunday night they said they seen a difference in me, and I know it was because of what you preached to me! I found it really easy to understand because you compare your to a teen and you put yourself in teens shoes. I just felt an awesome presence in the Stadium the full weekend. It was my first time there, and I never decided until 2 days before YC I wanted to go and now I don’t regret one minute of it because I got to hear you. You and the bands and JESUS changed my life forever, In the way I worship, In the way I Live every day, And in the way I act before others. Thank you soooo much for coming to YC Newfoundland 2009 It was my first one and it was awesome. My new theme song for my life is... I Will Go-Starfield. I was always a Christian but this weekend drawed me some much closer to God.

• you made me believe in myself and I thank you

• I'm thanking you for opening up my eyes to what God can do. My sister invited me to YC and when I got there and started worshiping, I didn't feel anything and I thought, "That's it. God has abandoned me. I've sinned far too much for him to come back." Then you spoke...I swear, your speech has made me realize that God would never abandon his children no matter what their story is, what they've been through, etc. After that I was worshiping with my hands in the air and crying and then I did feel something. That whole weekend after your speech opened up my eyes, all I did was thank God for coming back to me….

• …I completely closed the door to what I was sure that God had called me to do. I've never been able to let that go. I gave up on my relationship with Christ. I came home, and ended up saying some pretty hurtful things to my senior pastor. I was a mess, for almost 2 years. The other night when you spoke about forgiveness, and everyone was getting up out of their seats to go and make up with someone, I looked over at my senior pastor. I knew in my heart that I needed to apologize to him. I love my pastor so much, and I let my hurt and frustration about my own mistake, get in the way of our relationship. I wanted to go and fix things, but even then as I sat and looked over at him, the devil was working in me. He was telling me things like, you shouldn't do it. You'll be embarrassed. It won’t make a difference anyway. But I had a moment of strength this time, and got out of my seat and went over to him. And as I hugged into him, cried, and apologized I heard these three words. I forgive you.

• Just want to say a huge thank you for all you've done in making YC an amazing event. Both (my sons) have had a life changing renewal in their walk with God. They're sharing with us and said this was the best year yet.

• this weekend at YC was soo amazing and from your messages 4 of my friends gave their hearts to the lord

These are just some of the dozens of reports that have come through in the last 24 hours. Amazing feedback! Amazing God!

As the emotion and adrenaline of the weekend dissipates sometimes so can our positivity and perspective on what God has done. It’s easy to look back and see flaws and fumbles, mistakes and miscues, critics and criticism…trust me…I know. But I also know that as I choose to be disciplined in my perspective God reminds me of His faithfulness and rekindles a fire inside to keep pressing on for the high calling of God in Christ.

Psalms 118:23-24 (MSG) This is God's work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it! This is the very day God acted— let's celebrate and be festive!

David had it right. Let’s be festive and celebrate! Let’s REMEMBER and RECHARGE!

Let’s be leaders that CHOOSE to live in the in the BEYOND.

We were made for more!

Let’s live in it!

For this generation!

REJOICE: It's Friday...and Sunday's Comin'!

2009-10-09T22:57:00.002-02:30

Morning saints!

Ok I totally stole that line :) It’s FRIDAY the start of YC…UNBELIEVABLE!

Reading this morning 1 Samuel 30:21-25 (NLT)

21 Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. 22 But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” 23 But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. 24 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” 25 From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.

David is just back from the rescue mission and reclaims his family from the enemy after he soundly defeats them. On the way back he meets up with 200 men who hadn’t joined in the fight… See David’s attitude…he greeted them joyfully. CHALLENGE #1: Today lets be leaders marked by JOY! Let’s greet everyone we meet with PURE JOY. Let’s that be the first impression people have of YC today!

But the story goes on…some complainers arise in the church…now that’s a first …they felt the men who didn’t enter the battle shouldn’t be recipients of any grace. See David’s response…”Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us…we share and share alike!” CHALLENGE #2: My final challenge to us all today is let’s not be petty or play into pettiness…like David let’s make GRACE THE NEW LAW! There’ll be lots of mistakes, frustrations, and little things to annoy us all but THIS DAY let’s allow “love to cover a multitude of sins!”.

I love you all. You are the best. PERIOD!

TODAY LET’S REJOICE IN THE VICTORY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WON!

For this generation…and ones yet to come.

Weep! It's Thursday!

2009-10-08T22:55:00.003-02:30

Good morning!

1 more day…and I’ve been thinking of weeping! Don’t get me wrong…not because I’m slipping into a depression or because Bruce is hard to work with (although that may be true :)…the reality is all good leaders weep.

I just finished reading 1 Samuel 30 and John 11. Both David and Jesus… great leaders! David is weeping over his captured family, Jesus is weeping over the premature death of his friend.

John 11: 35…2 familiar words…”Jesus wept”…profound!

Do we weep over the things that break God’s heart. Maybe a key motivator in us doing this event for 10 years and BEYOND is brokenness…brokenness for a generation that has been given a premature death sentence. YC must be about setting captives free and seeing young people brought from death to life. Let’s be broken for a broken generation but let’s also be bold for we have the antidote. Andre’ Crouch song rings in my ears today…Jesus IS the answer!

Be blessed as you prepare, travel, and join us in Gander.

For this generation!

It's Wednesday Morning - 2 days before YC!

2009-10-07T22:53:00.001-02:30

Morning everyone,

Bruce and I are onsite in Gander…ice surface is covered, glass is down, production is rolling in any moment…it’s about to unfold once again!

Here’s my blog thoughts for today…

John 9:14-41

Here’s the story: Jesus has just healed a blind man by spitting in the dirt, creating mud, giving the guy a facial…and he SEES…to no surprise the religious community are ticked. They attempt to engage a man who has just been given sight in a deep theological debate but he will have nothing of it. I love the response of this now former blind guy…25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

Well being here today in Gander and thinking about the last 10 years…we’ve seen lots of:

• Controversy

• Complaints

• Challenges

But this I do know…the blind see!

• Literally, those who were blind spiritual have been given spiritual sight….hundreds of salvations through this movement God has created.

• Our blindness has been lifted as we’ve seen incredible opportunities in our communities to be salt and light whether through a local food bank or building fresh relationships with people we normally would never rub shoulders with.

• We have been first hand witnesses to the world being changed…children sponsored, a YC house built and resourced in Malawi, a massive outreach last summer, and now…Teen Challenge…

All I know is that I was blind but now I see…that’s why I can start this process all over again…and I hope you’re ready and amped to join me.

The blind man said this in v.31 ”We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.”

God is ready to hear us...if we worship and do His will…AMAZING!

Thy Kingdom Come!