Surge in Review 3/28/12

As you can tell from the video...last night's game was Red Rover...and it was a knock out!!!!

Check out this video on our new small group called "Energize"...

You can sign up for "Energize" on the Glass Doors in the CYM Student Ministry Center.

We worshipped to the SURGE Worship Band singing/playing "Our God", "Mighty to Save", "Revelation Song", and "Lead Me To the Cross".

We focused in on the city of Philippi on "The Journey" last night.  We mainly talked about how Paul and Silas reacted to the suffering that they had to endure.  Read through Acts 16 and check out their response. We also talked about how we sometimes have to connect Scripture together.  For instance this church that was started in Acts 16 is the same church that Paul wrote a letter to later on in his life.  We find this letter in our Bible and it is known as the book of Philippians.  This is a letter that Paul writes to the church in the town where tells perhaps he suffered the greatest.  He writes,  "⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

The Genesee Reflection #6

One of the interests that Henri Nouwen picked up in the monastery was listening to the sounds of birds.  So on Tuesday, August 13th, 1974 Nouwen writes:

    "This morning Father John explained to me that the killdeer is a bird that fools you by simulating injury to pull your attention away from her eggs which she lays openly on a sandy place.  Beautiful Neurosis as weapon!  How often I have asked pity for a very unreal problem in order to pull people's attention away from what I didn't want them to see."

I believe the work of a pastor often figuratively "lays openly on a sandy place."  Our work is often displayed for all to see.  We love to show off the work of our nest as long as it is full or growing.  There are times when pastors use excuses to draw one's attention away from the nest.  What happens when a church/youth group stops growing?  What happens when there are fewer and fewer people meeting together?  What happens when addition is by transfer instead of conversion?  What happens when it appears that souls are no longer being saved?  What happens when you feel as though you are only discipling believers?  What happens when it appears you are no longer connecting the Gospel to the unbelievers?

I like to use the excuse of poor finances...that is a good distracter.  I also like to use the excuse of not enough volunteers...that is a good distracter.  I like to use the excuse that I may be a bit old to connect with students...that is a good distracter.

In his book, "Surprising Insights from the Unchurched", Thom S. Rainer talks about the reasoning behind getting unchurched folks in the door of the church and keeping them there.  It is true that a family member has the greatest influence in getting their unchurched family in the doors.  But it is also true that 90% of those unchurched folks who went from being unchurched to churched that were polled stated that the pastor/preaching was critical in their choice to join the church.  So when I interpret this in youth ministry I believe that 90% of those students who do stay, will stay because of what I do or do not do.  It has been engraved in my brain by John Maxwell that everything rises and falls on leadership.  We don't have any problem getting students in the doors for their first time...We do however have issues with students wanting to return...(don't look in my nest right now)...

I am not saying it is me...we just don't have the finances to keep up...

The Genesee Reflection #5

Friday, July 26th, 1974

     "Often a thought led to a prayer and a prayer to a letter and a letter to a real feeling of peace and warmth.  A few times, after having dropped a small pile of letters in the mailbox, I had a deep sense of joy, or reconciliation, of friendship.  When I was able to express gratitude to those who had given much, sorrow to those whom I had offended, recognition to those I had forgotten, or sympathy to those who are in grief, my heart seemed to grow and a weight fell from me.  These letters seemed to restore the part of me wounded by past resentment and take away the obstacles that prevented me from bringing my history into my present prayer.
     But there also is another side.  Perhaps part of my letter writing shows that I do not want to be forgotten here, that I hope that there still are people 'out there' who think of me..."


I do not write many letters.  I do however, type a ton of emails.  This is the avenue that is my preferred method to communicate with, educate, train, encourage, motivate, and thank those who are nearest to me and the ministry God has called me to.  Email is instant...in Nouwen's day, letters were not so much.  I often wonder what happens to the emails I send.  Do those I care deeply about in my ministry actually take the time to read them?  My beautiful bride is usually the first (and most of the time only) one to respond to some of my most meaningful, thought out, heart felt emails that, at times, will go to ten to fifteen people.  Sometimes I wonder if the content of those emails were so terrible or daunting that they weren't even worth a reply to.  Is there a better way to consistently communicate with, educate, train, encourage, motivate, and thank those who are nearest to me in the ministry God has called me to?

Nouwen continues...

    "Meanwhile, it remains remarkable how little is said and written about letter writing as an important form of ministry.  A good letter can change the day for someone in pain, can chase away feelings of resentment, can create a smile and bring joy to the heart.  After all, a good part of the New Testament consists of letters, and some of the most profound insights are written down in letters between people who are attracted to each other by a deep personal affection.  Letter writing is a very important art, especially for those who want to bring the good news."

The Genesee Reflection #4

Yesterday, I talked about how I always wanted to be different...to be special.  I also mentioned that I always wanted to be faster, stronger, wiser, smarter.  Well to be honest, I was never tops in any of these categories and that is the case even today.  In elementary school, I was one of the top 5 picked to play kickball, but never the first.  I was smart enough to be tested for the "Wings" program (I don't remember what it was called back in the day), but I wasn't smart enough to pass the test.  I had an older/bigger brother who was always faster and stronger than me.  When I transitioned into Jr. High, all the other boys grew up...(I did not until my sophomore year in High School if you know what I mean).  I was almost always the smallest and slowest in High School.  So even though I strived to be faster, stronger, wiser, smarter...well, I seldom reached the heights of others.  Which brings us to the Genesee Reflection for today.  From Sunday, July 28th, 1974, Henri Nouwen writes:

"What do you do when you are always comparing yourself with other people?  What do you do when you always feel that the people you talk to, hear of, or read about are more intelligent, more skillful, more attractive, more gentle, more generous, more practical, or more contemplative than you are?  What do you do when you can't get away from measuring yourself against others, always feeling that they are the real people while you are a nobody or even less than that?"

One line from a recent Jeff Manion sermon keeps scrolling through my head...he says, "What if what makes us great is not one single act of greatness?  What if greatness is doing a bunch of good things over and over and over again?"  He goes on to talk about how people sometimes give up on doing good things because they are waiting for that one really great thing to come along.  What if I was designed to be good...not great?  Could I live with that?  Well I have been, and I believe I will continue to do good things over and over and over again until God calls me to do something else.  But, is my good...good enough?

The Genesee Reflection #3

"I have always had the strange desire to be different than other people.  I probably do not differ in this desire from other people.  Thinking about this desire and how it has functioned in my life, I am more and more aware of the way my life-style became part of our contemporary desire for 'stardom.'  I wanted to say, write or do something 'different' or 'special' that would be noticed and talked about."

On Saturday, July 13th, 1974, Henri Nouwen wrote these words.  On Thursday, March 15th, 2012, I read these words and realized he could have written these words about me.  I have never wanted to be status quo...Even from my earliest memories I wanted to be faster, stronger, wiser, and smarter.

I remember when I was around 6 or 7 years old, my family was in our backyard playing baseball.  My dad always had a huge maroon glove that he got when he played softball in a church league.  Some how, (I can't  remember if we were playing catch or if he was pitching to my brother) I was on the opposite end of our fenced in backyard when the ball rolled to me.  I picked it up, locked my focus on the huge maroon glove, and fired...It went exactly to the place my dad held the glove.  He didn't have to move it an inch.  I still remember the reaction by my parents.  They were in amazement.  There were smiles on their faces.  They verbally told me how amazing that was and that I had a really special ability.  I was different.

I know this reaction affected me greatly in a positive way...However, it seems that ever since, no matter what I do, I strive for this same reaction from everyone after everything I do.  If I don't get this type of reaction then I feel what I did was just merely average...normal...not worth a response.  Getting praised is addicting.  Living for the glory of God instead of the glory of people is very difficult for me.  I know I am special and unique in God's eyes...I also know that a life must live to completion before the chance of hearing from Him, "Well done, good and faithful servant".  Sometimes the wait is brutal...

The Genesee Reflection #2

On page 84 Henri Nouwen talks about his realization of "how limited, imperfect, and weak my understanding of love has been."

Then he goes on to quote 1st Corinthians 13:4-5 "But love is 'always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful.'"

This has hit me like a ton of bricks...I too am realizing the weakness of how I implement and carry out love.  Sometimes when I read through Scripture I take inventory of my life.  When I hit some instructional verses I usually say in my head something like..."I've got that, I've got that, I need to work on that, I'm good on that, I've got that"...but in just these short verses about love...I can't truly say that I have control or a grasp on any of them.

I am often impatient, typically kind to everyone but there are occasions where I'm not so kind to my lovely wife, I can honestly say that somedays I am extremely jealous of people (like now I'm jealous of those folks who have this love thing figured out!), sometimes I boast...which often can lead to a conceited spirit, once again...I can be very rude and selfish towards my wife,  I've been taking offense lately at just about everything whether it is constructive criticism or complaints, Ok...I don't think I am currently resentful of anything...except what I just listed about my failure in the love department...

These again are some things that I hope to meditate on and pray through during my time away...

The Genesee Diary

In May and June of this year, I will be taking my first Sabbatical.  In preparation for my time away my friend Neil hooked me up with a really cool book.  It is called The Genesee Diary by Henri J.M. Nouwen. It is written about a time in 1974 when the author who was a Catholic Priest and Professor, decided to "enlist" at a Trappist monastery for seven months.  During this time, Henri Nouwen journalized his thoughts daily and then later compiled them into this book.  So far, I feel like some of the issues that he struggled with are some of the exact issues that I am dealing with.  For instance, one paragraph from the introduction states:

When I took a closer look at this I realized that I was caught in a web of strange paradoxes.  While complaining about too many demands, I felt uneasy when none were made.  While speaking about the burden of letter writing, an empty mailbox made me sad.  While fretting about tiring lecture tours, I felt disappointed when there were no invitations.  While speaking nostalgically about an empty desk, I feared the day on which that would come true.  In short:  while desiring to be alone, I was frightened of being left alone.  The more I became aware of these paradoxes, the more I started to see how much I had indeed fallen in love with my own compulsions and illusions, and how much I needed to step back and wonder, "Is there a quiet stream underneath the fluctuating affirmations and rejections of my little world?  Is there a still point where my life is anchored and from which I can reach out with hope and courage and confidence?"


PreSabbatical Lesson 1: On my Sabbatical, I'll be looking for that quiet stream where I can spend uninterrupted time with my Creator and it is possible that during this time, the Creator, will bring a renewal of hope, courage, and confidence.  

SURGE In Review: 3/14/2012

Check out this Vid for a glimpse at our aWeSoMe game from last night!

The Worship Set for last night contained "Song of Hope", "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Never Once", and "Lead me to the Cross".

Last night we continued "The Journey" by finishing our discussion about the Challenges of Ministry.  You can check out the first 3 challenges by reading last week's blog by clicking here.

4. Intensional Mentoring.  After digging into the first few verses of Acts 16 we quickly recognize Paul's passion for "Intentional Mentoring".  This a huge challenge for all Christ Followers.  Who mentored you along your path?  Who are you mentoring?  Who are you bringing with you on your journey?  We dug into 2 Timothy 4:9-12 and discovered just how much of an impact Paul had on people.  17 years after the events in Acts 16, Paul writes this letter to Timothy.  Can you count how many people Paul had mentored over the years in just these 4 verses?

After Paul and Silas pick up Timothy, they quickly discover that they don't know where they are supposed to be going.  Below is a video of their path but you can read for yourself about the trouble they had about their next destination in Acts 16.

5. In ministry there will be times of "Directional Confusion".  We must remember to continue to seek God's guidance and there is probably a reason that He doesn't show us the right destination immediately.  We also need to remember to "honor the mileage" as Paul, Silas, and Timothy would have walked to all of these destinations just to be redirected by the Holy Spirit when they got there.  We are talking about a ton of time before there was clear direction from God.

For a Review here are the Ministry Challenges:

1. Long Commitment
2. Intense Disagreements
3. Hard Miles
4. Intensional Mentoring
5. Directional Confusion

SURGE In Review: 3/7/2012

GAME:

Tug of War was the game for last night...There were not really any wars...but the team of Katie and Donya took out the Saldaña sisters... 

Worship:

The CYMSURGE worship Band led the students in "Forever", "One Desire", "How Great is Our God", and "You Never Let Go".

Last night we hit the mid-way point in "The Journey".  The focus for last night was preparing our students for meaningful ministry.  Here are the highlights that we learned from the end of Acts 15 and the very beginning of Acts 16 about ministry.

1. In Ministry, Long impact will require Long Commitment (Acts 15:36) - Paul and Baranabas had spent 2 years on the first journey and were talking about taking it again...The longer we commit to a certain ministry...the deeper the impact we will make...for instance in youth ministry we only have around 7 years with each students at the maximum...some churches throw in a different youth leader/youth worker every single year or quarter and sometimes this pattern results is minimal depth, minimal relationships, and minimal impact.

2. Sometimes in ministry there will be intense disagreements (Acts 15:37-40) - We just need to remember that when we disagree it needs to be done respectfully as I believe this disagreement was between Paul and Barnabas.  I believe they still deeply respected each other after the disagreement...There isn't any evidence in Scripture that shows us any negative conversations by Paul about this conversation with Barnabas (and believe me...he had plenty of opportunities).  When we disagree on direction we need to remember to not destroy each other's character.  

3. Sometimes in ministry there will be hard miles (Acts 15:41 and 16:1) - There are only 2 verses here that talk about Paul and Silas's trip from Antioch to Derbe and Lystra...but again we need to honor the mileage and terrain and realize this is a 300-400 mile trek all on foot through a mountainous country side.  In ministry, we will see  some hard miles...some fun miles...more hard miles...we need to remember as Christ followers doing ministry that for how far we've come on our Journey that there probably are still some hard miles ahead of us if we are on the path that Jesus has called us to.

To be continued...next week!