counseling and youth ministry

counseling is a big part of ministry, not that you expect to be a professional counselor, but it seems that people with confusing issues come to you for advice. now counseling is not telling people what you think, because sometimes you truly want to tell people that they are retarded and must have been dropped on their head to think the way they do. what you have to give options for them to choose and pray they choose the right one. sometimes you even have to tell them what the outcome will be if they choose the bad options. I can remember the first year in ministry this girl came to me with her boyfriend and she was rather big (well I mean she was huge) and he was not the sharpest tool in the shed. it was a wednesday night and just 30 minutes before youth service started. they proceeded to tell me they were having sex and I said you gotta be kiddin me, how? ya stupid question, but who walks up to you and says they are sleeping together right before you preach. I never looked at them two the same again, but i did have to go over their options…stay together and have more sex and get pregnant or break up just be friends…well lets say they chose to stay together and control themselves…until the next time they wanted to meet with me. the life lesson for ministers is this…never counsel people before you preach. from that day on when someone says they want to talk to me its always after service. the other lesson learned is be careful how you respond to shocking news…there is so much drama in ministering to people-don’t be shocked!

wednesday night wrap up…

last night was an amazing night…we had a full house and I had to set down some guidelines for worship right up front. last week i took an i phone from a kid and since it was the first week of school, we got the usual distracted crowd that was a fight uphill to breakthrough. last week the breakthrough came in the end, this week it came in worship. God was truly in the place, but it wasn’t absent of drama. i had to talk to a kid that was kicked out at the beginning of summer for stealing a purse. yes, he came back. the service went smooth other than one kid running and another kid crying cause he wanted to go home, I preached a 3rd part of being fearless. shadrach, meshach and abednego would not bow when the band played…i wonder what the music would have been like today…we took a crack at and out came fall out boy, timbaland, kanye and even some carrie underwood “before he cheats” memorable night around the altars.

I got the privilege of riding home with about 20 of our students that come in on our bus ministry and stop off at the krispy kreme and eat a few hot ones! nice!
God is truly up to something this fall…every fall…the same time of year its truly a battle with the enemy and this year is like no other! I know the enemy is after our joy, when I wake and take the kids to school and some joker gets into my car and jacks my new portable GPS…the devil is gonna pay for that!

tuesday morning…

a late night monday night with a leaders meeting and a fiasco with some kids on the property that were caught stealing stuff. needless to say i was tired this morning, but i made it on time with my boys. I walked jake to class and saw al on his way…jake is so full of energy he runs around sharpening all his pencils. i left and found a small bottle of water in the trunk of my car, well i had my seat down and jake likes to crawl through the hole and out of the tunk. I had a great morning taking them to class. life is too short to get stressed over all the junk to not enjoy the moment. nobody can take that moment away…it will last all day. take a moment and spend it with God, he’s been following you around picking stuff up and setting stuff in place that we never notice. its the moment with God that lasts all day.

not just another sunday…

sunday…august 26 not any ordinary day…its a day of ministry. 3 services where the glory came and fell in the place. our pastor preached an amazing message about the h that has been left out many times… the H of holiness, the h of the holy ghost, the h of humility, the h of an awareness of hell and the h of an awareness of heaven. it was no ordinary sunday, God truly walked into that place and turned it upside down. the schedule was thrown out in the middle of worship, you see it was a set up for the word that pastor brought to us. challenging passionate and real- thats what marked this sunday.

sunday night i met with student leaders and a fresh crop of kids came in…they looked ready and willing to get involved in the work of the ministry. probably the most frustrating thing is when you call a meeting and people say they will be there and then don’t show. It really makes you feel good. well tonight was not different a portion missed the meeting even though they received a call. the new group of students is a cross section of the youth church and will make a great addition. in youth ministry you need leaders to adequately do the work of the ministry and touch the lives that attend…otherwise you spin your wheels and lose your mind covering all the details that need attention. train em, equip em and give them the job and vision to run with and watch it grow!

this year is shaping up well for crave!

birthday parties…

today was the day of birthday parities. i started out my day in lakeland at a conference heard a great message from tommy barnett and went to a class taught by rusty raley on what a sinner sees…great session that was passionately taught and prepared for by rusty. after rusty taught i had the privilege to speak to a group on bringing out the new in youth ministry. I had a great time. right after that the birthday parties began. I got a text from my wife telling me she was on her way home…our 5 year old was invited to one of his buddies birthday parties and he had a great time. I pulled into my driveway around 3 after driving for 2 hours and drinkin a starbucks in the middle…and my house was full of family celebrating my nephew colins b-day. he’s now 4. he had a blast and it was some good family time. once this party was over we went over to a friends house…ronnie woods turned 27…he’s still a kid at heart. happy birthday ronnie! his house was full of people and lots of love. about 8:30 we rolled out to go home…i unpacked ironed my boys pants and sat around watching my team the dolphins do well in preseason. the day is over…I ate a lot of cake today! no worries i will sweat it all off in the parking lot tomorrow!

the multiplication annointing

pastor tommy barnett spoke tonight and it messed me up. I truly want the multiplication anointing he proclaimed. 1500 jammed the altars wanted the anointing of multiplication. God was in the place. excerpts from 2 of his message….

4 steps to change:
1. revelation
2. confrontation
3. transformation
4. manifestation

during the confrontation stage…don’t get your eyes on the process keep your eyes on the promise!

its the process that prepares you for the promise!

God is looking for permanent change in our lives not just temporary relief.

eagles go thru a molting process when their tail feathers fall out and whistle when they dive for prey… the process starts with this and evolves to the point that an eagle will lose its appetite for food…some eagles do not make it thru the molting process. all of its feathers fall off and many are plucked out to go thru the molting process. during this time the eagle loses all strength and walks around on the ground. eagles that have been thru the molting process and made it have been seen diving towards these eagles dropping bits of meat to them to eat.

it is during the molting process that the eagle could resort to living like a vulture and eat dead things rather than hunt for live prey. the eagle that goes thru the molting process goes thru a complete renewal and the end is better than the beginning. renewal brings about a stronger and faster eagle that can soar higher. the process is what brings you to the next dimension.

how do you keep from quitting:
1. you have to burn every bridge behind you
2. don’t tell anyone you wanna quit
3. do not expose yourself to people that you dont want to be like
4. lock yourself in so you cannot quit

great men are just ordinary men that would not quit.

youth ministry and creativity…

today was an incredible day…I spoke at an all church ministries convention to a group of hungry youth leaders. you could just sense in the room the desire for something fresh and new. in order to bring out something new in ministry you have to bring it out of your storehouse. the storehouse is where all the treasure is. “we have this treasure in clay jars…” the treasure is inside of us, and if we want new exciting and fresh things to be brought out of ministry, then you have to have a fresh encounter with God. if you don’t got it you can’t bring it. well here is a short recap of the class.

why aren’t you bringing out something new?
a. you are comfortable with what you have.
b. you are afraid of failing
c. a lack of confidence in your creativity!
d. a lack of prayer and planning!

in order to bring out something new…
a. you gotta do something new!
b. you gotta evaluate and elevate what you are presently doing!
c. you need a vision- write it down!
d. don’t be afraid to fail!
e. take a risk – step out in faith!
f. speak life into what you are doing right now!

what an amazing session…you could just see the wheels of creativity turning in the hearts of leaders