Elephant Room and Our Ministry

Last week was one of the busiest in recent memory. We had several semester kick off gatherings and team trainings including CPR training and the very important Darkness to Light Child Abuse Awareness training. With all that was going on, my favorite part of the week came Wednesday when our core team got together for the day and attended a satellite viewing of The Elephant Room. 


The Elephant Room is a gathering in the Chicago are of several influential pastors from across the country each with differing views on the church. The idea is to distill out the common ground that connects us while respecting the views that challenge us. The day had nothing to do with youth ministry and everything to do with theology. It was really refreshing. I'm a big believer in the fact that as we sharpen our theological beliefs the ministry which we lead (youth, children, arts, whatever) reaps some excellent rewards. Here's a few...

• We're reminded that it's all about Jesus. Not the latest and greatest gathering tool, or small group curriculum but it's all about Jesus.
• It feeds and challenges our own souls. Those in ministry pour out plenty. To avoid burn out we need to be sure we're being poured into also. 
• It challenges us to examine how we are "rightly handling the word of truth."  (2 Tim 2:15) 

Faith

Here's the graphic from our last series at Impact. We titled it FAITH?

Question

John Wesley's Small Group Questions:
    
6. Did the Bible live in me today?

     Cultivating a Life for God (Church Smart Resources 1999)

Flute from the Street

"Parents... If your kids don't learn flute in school they are going to pick it up on the street."

Props to @ylstash 

Resource For Families: What Bible Do I Buy My Teenager?

This time of the year we begin our Confirmation process. For those outside of the Anglican context here's a link to help better put that in context. With this season beginning another question normally comes up? What Bible should I get my teenager?

I love this question because it means first that parents value God's word enough to want it in the hands of their children and second it means that they are not just picking up the first Bible they see on a bookstore shelf.

So how do you go about choosing a good Bible for a student? Here's some helpful tips...

• "Teen Bibles"? are not normally as attractive as they sound. Thanks to Christian publishing you can find Bibles geared towards every make, model, gender, age, race, and flavor or human. Yes they might have some interesting sidebars but the truth is your student isn't going to be a teen forever. Point being buy the Bible not the marketing.
• Study Bible Vs. Portability: Study Bibles are great with footnotes, references, concordances etc. however they are large and in charge. Small ones are fine but you sacrifice a lot of helpful information. If you want your student to have it with them everywhere don't get a study bible. I will say that with all the apps, and quality websites available scripture is more available then ever before  in human history. I'd go with the study bible. 
• Translations? Niv, ESV, KJV, NKJV, LMNOP? I can go on. They're all the same Bible right? Well yes. Without getting into geeky greeky points about how the Bible has been translated I'd make it simple. What translation does your home church use? Nothing is more confusing to a young person when things are worded differently. 

If you are part of our ministry I'd encourage you to get your student an ESV Study Bible and a good set of high lighters.  I'd also encourage you to write in the cover a list of your favorite scriptures and a little note of encouragement. Your 13 year old boy probably won't tear up at this gift but it'll become dear to them as they grow in their faith.

Impact's Back This Sunday!

Quesiton

John Wesley's Small Group Questions:
 
 5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

     Cultivating a Life for God (Church Smart Resources 1999)

DaveLibbon.com Will Not Blackout

To ease fears DaveLibbon.com will not be blacked out over to SOPA/PIPA.  Please don't riot.

Resources for Families : Dinner and the Cell Phone

The older your students are the more likely their phones have become a distraction. I'm 30 and yes my phone is a distraction. Props to my friend Meg for the find on this great idea. It'll need some tweaking to be used in a family context but I think cleaning up dinner would be a good motivator. Enjoy...

The Phone Stack

We usually take a pretty hard line against phones at dinner, but a new trick just popped up that gives us hope for the future.
It’s called a phone stack, and it’s a buzzing, flashing reminder of every phone-etiquette rule the world seems to have forgotten.
It works like this: as you arrive, each person places their phone faced down in the center of the table. (If you’re feeling theatrical, you can go for a stack like this one, but it’s not required.) As the meal goes on, you’ll hear various texts and emails arriving… and you’ll do absolutely nothing. You’ll face temptation—maybe even a few involuntary reaches toward the middle of the table—but you’ll be bound by the single, all-important rule of the phone stack.
Whoever picks up their phone is footing the bill.
It’s a brilliant piece of social engineering, masquerading as a bar game. It takes the phone out of the pocket—where you can sneak a glance and hope nobody notices—and places it in the center of attention at all times. Suddenly, picking up your phone is the big deal you always secretly knew it was. And more importantly, it comes with consequences.
But if, after the third ring, you decide your call is more important than your lunch tab, we’re sure your friends won’t object.

Article from  http://www.getkempt.com/the-code/the-phone-stack.php