July 2, 2008
So this week my dad was coming to Atlanta for the weekend and I reasonably could manage to leave things in hands of the local intern, while escorting Georgia intern back home so he could see his family.
Of course, I managed to get sick. About 30 miles from my brother’s house it started to happen and I was almost ready to turn around. Instead, I slept nearly 20 hours on Saturday, felt a little better on Sunday and then got violently ill on Monday night before finally making a run for home yesterday. It really stunk that when I try and finally carve out some family time, I get stuck in bed. Pray that the rest of the family manages not to get sick.
(Also, I managed a run to Ikea with my brother for some stuff he needed and managed to run into someone from my previous life of event running. When I looked and felt like a sweaty, drunken hobo. So I am sure the rumor mill is running full speed.)
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June 27, 2008
I like your way of doing Vacation Bible School better. Some day maybe I can come back.
Love,
Jason
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June 26, 2008
So this week, I am having a BaMM experience. I coined the phrase this morning on my way to work because I wanted to give it a term and then spend some time next week unpacking it with the summer interns. So what is a BaMM? BaMM stands for Bare Minimum Ministry. You know, the kind of thing that is being done with the absolutely bare minimum of work, effort, planning, prayer and it shows. Here are some ways to ensure you have a BaMM experience.
1. When recruiting, take any warm body you can find. Spend zero time and effort in trying to match passions, gifts and skill sets for the task you have before you. Basically, if someone walks up, plug them in a random spot and be done.
2. Spend zero time in equipping the warm bodies to fulfill their roles. This step may seem like the same thing as step one but it isn’t. Sometimes you can get away with the warm body recruiting method for a short term event if you are helping people to understand what you want out of them once they are in that role.
3. Make sure that you don’t spend any time coaching during the course of the event. Basically, throw everyone involved to the wolves and hope things work out.
4. Use the phrase “We have always done it this way” as much as you can. In my experience, most BaMMs are events that churches have been doing for years and years and years, without much effort being involved in evaluating and tweaking the events.
5. Don’t encourage anyone. The stunning reality is that sometimes the warm body approach yields you someone who is actually doing a good job in their role. Make sure you don’t encourage that person in any way whatsoever.
6. Let the other warm bodies pull down the people that are trying. Often times, in a BaMM, you need to make sure that people are pulling down and hindering anyone who is succeeding. Let snide comments happen and make sure they are in ear shot of the people of care.
7. Don’t talk about what could happen if an event goes well. Leave people to aimlessly wonder the “Who, What, Where, Why, and Hows” of an event. If you want an experience to be life changing for a certain group of people, don’t communicate it. If you want the tone and message of the event to be a certain way, leave it to chance.
These steps are ways to make sure you have a BaMM experience. Any other thoughts out there?
(Yes, I am being a smart aleck on the approach to this piece. Being burned out does this to you…)
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June 24, 2008
I am just getting back from youth choir tour. It has been a long, long couple of weeks. It is a difficult event because there isn’t a clear line of command on it, and it sometimes makes for a great deal of tension. However, God moved in a powerful way one night and has changed our group I hope. But with that, there are always some issues.
For example, God moved and suddenly I am begging and pleading for spots for our summer mission trip. I thought I was asking in faith to move us from 12 people last year to 24 this year. I am up to 33 already I think. I hope we can get some spots.
Students shared on Sunday morning and, while everything they said is true, it has managed to touch some delicate feelings of adults. Of course, the same adults aren’t talking to the students or myself directly, but you hear the grumblings.
So here is what I want to talk about in the comments. What can you do to sustain the momentum you gain when God moves? (For the record, this kind of thing has never happened in this youth ministry before…)
Here are some of my ideas in the coming days and weeks:
1. Writing a personal letter to every student who went. I want to talk about some of the very specific things I see with them all.
2. Including with that personal letter a general devotion about Joshua, who sees the promised land but has to go back. I hope it is encouraging to them when real life smacks them in the mouth.
3. Starting my long thought about Guys Bible Study where we just read through and discuss the Gospels together. Hoping I can get 4-5 guys who will commit to it.
4. Being intentional in following up with students on decisions. I want to make sure that the necessary resources get in their hands as soon as possible.
5. Bring the “A game” at our next few large events, especially our Fall Retreat coming in November. I have no idea how the money will work out but I am seeking for God to make a way for us to bring in a speaker and maybe some more.
6. Maybe most importantly, praying.
What kind of ideas do you all have for capturing momentum?
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June 12, 2008
One of the things that I wanted to write about and solicit ideas about is the idea of how do you maintain visibility of the the youth ministry within a congregation. Often times, youth ministry can get relegated to far corners of the church and then the congregation loses sight of what is happening in the youth ministry. One of the dangers of that fact is that God could be doing great things in the context of your youth ministry but you need to help everyone realize it.
So how do you go about it? I am certainly no expert, as my last church job ended in large part because of this very issue, but I am trying to learn from my mistakes.
Here are some things that I am currently doing:
1. I take every chance I get to be in front of adults. I have pinch hit in Sunday School classes, spoken to UMW circles and any other opportunities I can get. And while I am there, I make sure I lift up the things happening in the youth ministry, trying to use stories and specific examples from the lives of students, not numbers. (If you use a student by specific name, make sure you have their permission.)
2. Try and find some peak opportunities to help the congregation see what God is doing. In two Sundays, the youth choir, fresh off their summer tour, will lead the worship service at our church. It is my hope that during that service, we will hear from students about the way they saw God at work through the tour. For us, we will spend a massive amount of money on this one event and I want to make sure people understand what the investment in it has brought. (This service leading is a new endeavor for us as a church.)
3. Use the church newsletter to communicate to the whole congregation, not youth and parents. If you are on your game, you are already communicating to parents and youth well independently of the church newsletter. Use the church newsletter to highlight events, communicate the “whys” of what you are doing as a youth ministry and, lastly, give the space to students to share following events and meaningful things that have happened in their lives.
4. Do it well. When you have the chance, bring your A game. Nothing is worse than a massively poorly run event, service or meeting. If you are asking for the opportunity to have adults’ ears and eyes, make sure you do it well, do it efficiently and leave them wanting to hear more about the youth ministry and what God is doing there.
5. Mine prayer partners. Your church has all kinds of people who pray and would love to lift you up. Slowly build up that group and get them on your side for praying. It doesn’t have to be formal, but it can become that. But know that the prayers of those saints matters.
6. Make sure the people who are thankful for what you are doing are communicating that. When I resigned my last position, one of the key things that happened is that the folks who were happy about the youth ministry realized that being quietly content didn’t work. You need people who are aware of what is happening, of what is going to happen and who are being your advocate. Trust these people, communicate well with them and thank them when they carry your load to places you won’t get invited to.
Any other ideas out there? Like I said, it is a growth area for me, so I could use some ideas and thoughts from how you are doing it and what works well!
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June 12, 2008
So, I am looking at some significant bus time in the coming week, so I am looking for podcast, etc. suggestions to load on the ipod. So, c’mon, give it- What is some of the best stuff you are listening to currently? Or watching for video podcasts?
Thanks! And you can watch what all I am up to from June 14-22 at the website for the youth group I work with: www.bethlehemyouth.net!
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June 7, 2008
On a given month of summer movies, you can count on a week like this one: a week where people try to sneak a movie under the radar after a slew of
“bigger” summer blockbusters. We have had several of the biggies drop
and this week’s review is for the animated film Kung-Fu Panda.
The basic premise of the movie is a basic straightforward one: a big
bad guy is coming and the area is to crown a “Dragon Warrior” to fight
him. Instead of choosing one of the amazingly well trained kung-fu
fighters, a fat Panda is chosen. From there, it moves on.
Here are some things that are amazingly fun about this movie. Jack
Black is the lead voice and does a fantastic job. There are a ton of
other voices that I didn’t really recognize at the time of the movie.
On the whole, Black and Dustin Hoffman stand out the best voice
actors.
The animation is amazing at points and is really stunning to look at.
The Oriental vibe of the movie is great and is well played.
Teachable moments: This movie has several points I would point to:
1. The main characters weakness becomes his strength in a battle.
This fits well into the idea that our weaknesses is a place where God
shows his strength. I could definitely use it in that way.
2. Mistakes come back to haunt the Dustin Hoffman character in a way
that I’d like to play with in a talk.
On the whole, a fantastic animated movie and a good movie overall. It
isn’t this year’s Ratatouille, which made my top 10 list but it is a
good movie.
Next week: A huge challenge for me as I am packing for choir tour next
Friday and there are two worthy movie to review. For sure, for you,
the loyal readers, I will make it to The Incredible Hulk, and I will
try to make it to The Happening, or as I call it “M. Night
Shalmalyan’s Come Back Movie.”
The illustrious Adkins’ thoughts:
Story/Plot
The plot was very likable - it recounts the story of a noodle making Panda who “falls” into the role of the kung fu hero he has always dreamed of becoming. However, the hilarity and the moral of the movie reveals itself in the Panda’s (Po) unbelief in his ability while the answer literally stares him in the face. The presentation is very solid and very entertaining. And, thankfully, as most of the movies labeled “children’s” movies or are obviously geared towards children, the humor was at such a level that adults will find themselves laughing all the way through, as well. In fact, there was more than one scene during which I was laughing while the majority of the children in the theater were quiet - and not because of what some might call “cleverly disguised adult humor.
Acting
It was CGI, which makes this call a bit tougher, but I thought Jack Black was perfect for the voice of Po. Surprisingly, too, the cast was chock full of top shelf talent including David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and even Jackie Chan. A large part of acting, though, is facial features and other such visual cues, and this movie did a fantastic job of recreating what would best work for said cues in each character very well. The translation was not lost, and because of that, the humor and the drama was never lost.
Sequences We Loved
Tai Lung’s escape from the prison was awesome, as was the final showdown between Tai Lung and Po. Ah, who am I kidding: every fight scene was eye-catching and dynamic. You will not find a moment in this movie where you are not pleasantly visually stimulated.
Teachable Moments
Well, the practically beat one moral into you that goes a little something like this: “In order to be great, you must allow yourself to be you.” Or something like that. When I was watching the Tai Lung prison escape, I couldnt help but equate it to our struggle with sin. It just seemed like no matter what kind of warning we are given and no matter what kind of safeguards we think will serve their purpose, we are never fully prepared for what is coming after us. There is a tiny glimmer of a Prodigal Son moment when Po first returns home to his father after leaving him and the noodle biz behind in favor of kung fu, too. Pride surfaces over and over again, as well. The prison escape, the Furious Five’s encounter with Tai Lung right after his escape, the creation of Tai Lung, himself…every instance, every battle, it seemed, was based in pride - and blind pride, at that. And downfalls were aplenty!
Final Thoughts
I’m not going to lie - I caught a lot of flack for choosing to see this movie from friends and family. And to be honest, I assumed it would be decent, but not exactly noteworthy. However, my opinion is this: Kung Fu Panda is well worth the admission to the theater, and I, personally, will view it again at a later date (probably not in the theater unless the lady wishes to see it…I was speaking more specifically about renting or possibly purchasing). Sit down to it, and KFP will surprise you with its creativity, humor, lessons and story. Fun for the whole family.
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June 2, 2008
Today is one of those days where I have to be in like 4 places at once. And it is completely not my fault. It stinks when you get edicts from on high that want you to be in two places at once. I mean, do they want me to be magical?
Things lately have been going. Having the two summer interns has let me play Catch-Up more than anything else and now we are at the point of them taking over some leadership roles for upcoming things, like the youth choir tour. I am excited about that and the opportunity it has for us.
We have been having discipline issues again lately. Nothing frustrates me more than students who should know better being completely disrespectful. Every time we run into this issue, it makes me think about dust and sandals and moving on. I have a letter to parents about behavior during Sunday morning worship that I am waiting to get feedback from other staff people on before sending out.
We had a fruitful Youth Leadership Team meeting. I dropped some major change ideas out and we will see if students can keep their confidences. There are just a couple places where we need to make some major changes and I am not sure how much longer I am willing to wait.
Well, not much else going on. Praying for folks on their various trips and summer camps and events. Been working up my talks for Dallas, GA River of Life and I am starting to get pretty stoked about that. It should be a great opportunity. And then I am wrapping up my summer at Pyro II in Minnesota again, which I am extremely thankful for. I had such a great time last year and I am looking forward to being able to share with those folks again. Summer is definitely busy but also definitely worth it!
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June 1, 2008
This week, Adkins and I decided that we wouldn’t succumb to the pressure to see Sex and the City and write about it. I am pretty sure that someone fornicates and shoes are purchased. Do you need to know more? Because I sure don’t!
Instead, we are opting to share with you our list of Movies I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen list. These films aren’t necessarily the greatest movies of all time or movies that we would put in our Top Ten. However, they are movies we believe that you should see if you haven’t. My list is first followed by Adkins and his list.
1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some of the things that are going to be on my list are movies that aren’t recent, so there is a degree to which some of you younger folks may get a pass. But, seriously? This trilogy is recent, worth all the hype and is an amazing, compelling story. If you haven’t seen these, carve out a weekend and see them all.
2. Braveheart. I think it may be the best movie ever made. So I am always stunned when some people haven’t seen it. Plus, it crosses genres. It has a sappy love story, awesome battles, good comedy and a stellar ending that I get choked up by 3-4 every time I see it. A great movie you must see!
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is the first and the best of the Indiana Jones saga. When you consider when it was made, it is even more remarkable. A great movie from start to finish.
4. Die Hard. You know how in all cop movies how the main character is both a seriously tough guy and a comedian? Yeah, this movie started all that. (It is also Top 3 in my favorite Christmas movie list.)
5. Sandlot. Okay, file this one in the “Jason is a youth director” category but it is a great story of friendship and evokes that feeling that anything is possible. I love it and it saddens me that some people haven’t seen it and it saddens me more that they made sequels.
6. Big Trouble in Little China. Action/Adventure? Check. Weirdo special effects? Check. Great lead actor? Check. Run endlessly on HBO during my youth? Check. A fantastic film that I truly love.
7. Star Wars: A New Hope. If you haven’t seen this, then your parents don’t really love you. Oh, they may say they do, but they are keeping you from a fantastic movie that shouldn’t be diminished by the recent unpleasantness of the prequels.
8. Tommy Boy. Yes, it isn’t a top ten movie of all time. Yes, there are probably even some movies that are funnier than this one/. But it is Chris Farley and David Spade at their finest, giving and taking jabs as good as anyone. I quote no movies as much as I quote this one and it is because it is hilarious.
9. American History X. In the adults only category. There are some movies that leave you with a nice happy feeling inside. This movie isn’t one of them. But it will challenge you, move you and make you think long and hard about the idea of transformation. It isn’t perfect, but it is worth watching. Note: It has some seriously strong, graphic violence in places but, in my opinion, that is a part of this story.
10. Karate Kid. A random film for this list but it is a fantastic movie. Great story, great characters and “feel good” summer hit. Too many younger people haven’t seen this based on a less than stellar sequels that Disney overplays. You should see it.
Other movies that almost made the list: (Okay, I am cheating but here are some more: Ghostbusters, Forrest Gump, Remember the Titans, Rudy, Goonies, Real Genuis, Top Gun, Stand By Me and Naked Gun/Airplane.)
Challenge to our readers: what are some films you would put on your similar list?
And now Adkins’s list:
1) The Matrix - I hope you take the red pill and the agents get you.
2) Jaws - This movie single handedly planted a psychological seed that left a generation (and arguably more) asking “Is if safe to get into the water?”
3) Finding Nemo - This movie caused a fish naming revolution! Every young kid was naming their fish Nemo after this one. Every clown fish at the local aquarium: Nemo.
4) The Boondock Saints - Admittedly, I am most shocked when a college student has not seen this movie. Its a bit fringe, but as far as directing goes, this one is one of the most artistic movies I can think of. Another home of one of my favorite scenes of all time, too. Plus: Exploding cat.
5) Star Wars: A New Hope - Honestly, any of the original trilogy, or episodes IV-VI. And, yes, I have encountered such people. Your surprise is my reason for this movie’s appearance on my list. FYI: Second highest grossing film of all time (IV).
6) Jurrasic Park - Its okay if you havent seen the second one, and kudos to those of you who didnt waste your time on the third one. But the first one…shame on you.
7) X-Men - No way, dude. Fix it. They arent the best movies around, but its kinda unbelievable if you havent seen any of them.
Lord of the Rings - Geek or not, you should have seen one or all of these by now.
9) Forrest Gump - Your box of chocolates is missing a few pieces if you haven’t seen this one.
10) Dumb and Dumber - One of the funniest movies of all time. Wow. You haven’t seen it? Where have you been?
I posted this disclaimer as well:
Disclaimer: This is NOT necessarily to be taken as Jason’s or my top ten favorite movies and are listed in no particular order.
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May 25, 2008
Alright, I am not done ranting.
One of the aspects that keeps coming up over and over again is the crystal skulls, what they ultimately represent and how contrived some people think it is. Here is my point: to a pluralistic, non-Christian person, there is nothing different between the ark of the covenant or the holy grail and crystal skulls. I hear people holding the movie in bad terms because the skulls seem so improbable. If you don’t live in what Flannery O’Conner calls the “Christ-haunted landscape” then the two things I mentioned don’t have significant meaning. So quick: what it the big deal in Temple of Doom? You likely can’t tell me but you are investing in the biblical narrative and attaching more meaning to it than a “normal” person would.
Closing shot: The great Matt McGill agrees with me.
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