Sticky Faith

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS:

Beginning June 3^rd @ 7 p.m. all parents and grand-parents are invited to the study “Sticky Faith.” The focus of this study is to develop faith that sticks in the lives of your children. THIS IS FOR PARENTS WITH CHILDREN ALL AGES, FROM THOSE WHO PLAN ON BEING PARENTS TO PARENTS WITH SENIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL This is a five week study. If you have vacation planned one week, attend the others.

The book is optional, so if you don’t have time to read another book, you will still fit in just fine! Hope to see you there!!

SUMMER SURGE!

Don’t miss out on Summer Surge. This is a 4-day, 3-night retreat at Crossings camp in Bagdad, KY. This is going to be a great time of hanging out, having fun, and studying God’s word. Here are the facts:

Date: August 2-5

Where: Crossings @ Cedarmore

Cost: Total cost is $130. Includes facilities, food, and t-shirt. A $20 deposit is due now.

***This is the first student ministry trip that upcoming 7th graders are invited to, so you don’t want to miss out!

Click here for the website for Crossings camp.

Sticky Faith Article

Bringing Healing Through Sticky Faith

POSTED BY KARA POWELL ON MAY 07 2012

Last week I had the chance to share about Sticky Faith at the Orange Conference hosted by Reggie Joiner and the great team at reThink.  While I thoroughly enjoy sharing about Sticky Faith, I enjoy hearing folks’ stories almost as much.

One youth leader came to me while I was at the Fuller booth to tell me about how Sticky Faith had brought great healing to her.  At her previous church, senior adults were highly critical of her and her husband, who was the youth pastor.  One day when she showed up a few minutes late for church (due to juggling the needs of their own family), a senior adult was standing at the front door, wagging her finger at her.  Other senior adults went out of their way to complain about her husband to everyone, including the senior pastor.

When she and her husband left that church, she felt deeply wounded by older adults.

Until they came to their new church.

At their new church, seniors are at the front of the line to help out.  They are making the effort to get to know students’ names, are investing in the youth ministry, and couldn’t be more supportive of the youth ministry.

As this youth leader told me, “Isn’t it good of God to use Sticky Faith to restore my hope in senior adults?”

As you read this, there might be a generational grouping that you realize you have a hard time relating to.  It could be preschoolers, teenagers, college students, middle-aged adults, or senior adults.  Maybe it’s time to ask yourself a few questions:

1.Which age group is hardest for me to relate to?

2.Why is that is?  Was there something that has happened that makes me hesistant to relate to them, or is it merely lack of exposure?

3.In the spirit of Sticky Faith, what can I do this month to get to know one member of that age group?

As I walked away from the youth leader at Orange, I was so encouraged by the way Sticky Faith isn’t just about transforming young people – it’s about transforming us as adults too.

Kara Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Dare to Disciplines

When the squirrels come to Jesus…

Our ninth-grade boys are affectionately known as “The Squirrels.”

The nickname captures their unceasing chatter and fast-twitch restlessness. So you can imagine the mix of excitement and fear that gripped me when every last one of them signed up for Winter Retreat. The weekend ended up a wild mix of sleeplessness, laughter, a few we-don’t-do-that conversations and some wonderful “aha” moments.

Near the end, Evan approached me and said he wanted to be a follower of Jesus. We celebrated and prayed, I encouraged him, and we agreed to meet soon to talk about next steps. He wasn’t 10 feet away when the thought hit me with a thud:

Next steps?!

Specifically, what next steps could I give this new believer so that he might know Jesus more? He was about to return to the routinized frenzy of school, sports, friends, and family. At most he could spend two hours per week at church stuff. Saying “read your Bible” or “pray” felt too simplistic and broad, and I also didn’t want to give him a laundry list of “don’ts.” But lest I do him a disservice, I had to give him something.

I was rescued from my inertia by another student, a senior, who wanted to ask me about some things he’d been thinking about. The conversation turned to prayer, and he marveled aloud how God had been so faithful over the previous year, and how he had seen this through his journal entries.

And there was my answer for Evan: spiritual disciplines.

What are spiritual disciplines, and how can they be used in youth ministry?

Mythbusting Part I: Disciplines are Fringe & New Age-y

When I first heard the term “spiritual disciplines,” I was suspicious. They sounded like a Johnny-come-lately experiential fad that was cheekily attempting to replace tried-and-true practices like prayer and small groups.

But they aren’t that. In the first place, spiritual disciplines are not new; they are ancient. The Church has been blessed by them for centuries. Further, they are not so fringe; in fact, saying the Lord’s prayer, the ACTS prayer (a praying framework of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) or listening to worshipful music could all be considered spiritual disciplines. So could some other things I had already deemed orthodox, like journaling.

Disciplines Defined

So if spiritual disciplines aren’t new, what are they? Quite simply, spiritual disciplines are practices, exercises, and habits that create space for an encounter between God and us. Author and pastor Adele Ahlberg Calhoun explains that the disciplines arose to meet peoples’ desire to know God more. They do not satisfy the longings of our souls by themselves, but rather prime us for the Spirit who does satisfy. 1

When my wife was in college, she found herself in a sorority house full of fun, intelligent girls but no sisters in Christ. Until she met one. And they committed to deepen their relationship. How? Coffee dates. Movie nights. Studying together. Walks around campus when the weather was good. Within weeks they were closer, and within months they had a bond that would extend beyond commencement.

And while they bonded over coffee and movies, it wasn’t the coffee and movies that bonded them. Coffee and movies merely provided the time and space for intimacy to occur.

Spiritual disciplines are like that. They are venues for us to be intimate with the Spirit, and for the Spirit to do its work in our lives. There are lots of different disciplines, many of which I’ve listed some at the end of this article. One of my favorite spiritual disciplines is focused, meditative reading of the Bible. I also have been greatly blessed by listening prayer, the prayer of examen, and fasting. In the time since I’ve started practicing a broader range of disciplines, I’ve grown closer to Jesus.

Some folks identify just a few disciplines, others upwards of 30. A number of people have categorized spiritual disciplines in a way that makes them easier to understand and approach. Dallas Willard offers a framework that has been helpful to me. He identifies disciplines into two major categories: Disciplines of Engagement and Disciplines of Abstinence. 2

Disciplines of Engagement are practices we add into our lives for the sake of spiritual formation.Disciplines of Abstinence involve making changes to things we probably do already in order to create space for spiritual encounter. For instance, we might engage in Bible study or a prayer exercise, and schedule regular times where we abstain from interacting with others, or some expendable part of our regular routine. The list below is partially adapted from Willard’s work:

Some Disciplines of Abstinence

+ Solitude. Purposely abstaining from interaction with other people for a period of time.

+ Silence. Closing off our souls from “sounds,” whether those sounds are noise, music, or words.

+ Fasting. Giving up the pleasures of food, or a certain kind of food for a period of time.

+ Simplicity. Abstaining from using money or goods at our disposal to merely gratify our desires.

Some Disciplines of Engagement

+ Listening Prayer. Spending time in prayer with our hearts and ears open, without much speaking on our part.

+ Prayer of Examen. Deliberately and prayerfully retracing our day/week and paying attention to our “highs” and “lows,” and inviting God into them. This ancient practice was pursued in earnest by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits (and namesake of my high school). 3

+ Meditative Reading. Focusing on a short passage of Scripture and reading it several times prayerfully (sometimes this is also called lectio divina).

Mythbusting Part II: Disciplines are diagnostic tools

So does that mean I can gauge my spiritual health by the frequency and quality of spiritual disciplines? No, of course not. Just as the health of my wife’s friendship isn’t defined by coffee dates, and that of our marriage isn’t defined by chores or Tiffany jewelry, spiritual disciplines are not necessarily indicative of spiritual health.

As we encourage students like Evan toward spiritual disciplines, we must help them distinguish between their relationship with Jesus and the ways they invest in that relationship.

The Fruit of Disciplines

Why encourage students to practice spiritual disciplines?

For starters, it helps them move from “religion about Jesus” to “relationship with Jesus.” The intimacy that students experience from practicing spiritual disciplines can lead to a living, authentic relationship of love, trust, and obedience in God. No longer will they simply memorize Scripture or repeat prayer requests; instead they will begin to love the Bible, love prayer, and most importantly love the God who first loved them.

When times get tough

The intimacy students experience with God, and takeaways like greater familiarity with the Bible and the ability to communicate honestly with Jesus, can better equip them for difficult seasons. Not long ago, I heard a pastor share with his community about a sudden grave illness that had stricken his family. Despite the thick, depleting fog of shock, sadness, anger and confusion that so often accompanies these seasons, he found the Bible passages he’d recently memorized randomly percolating to the service. He had communed with God on a deep, intimate, personal level through the discipline of Scripture memorization, and it helped him cling to truth in the midst of a chorus of tempting lies.

Times of loss, pain, betrayal, disappointment, and loneliness are simply part of the human experience, and certainly high school. The intimacy that comes with practicing spiritual disciplines can help students trust Jesus to comfort and carry them during these times.

Each one teach one

Another benefit of teaching students spiritual disciplines is that they can teach other people, especially other students. Imagine if students were able not only to invite their friends to church or direct them to Bible websites, but also help them learn to do things like pray, listen, recognize God’s presence, and be still.

60% of the time, it works every time.

That line from Paul Rudd’s character in the film Anchorman helps me to remember that discipleship is not an exact science. Some students may go all-in right away. Other students might take much longer to try even the smallest of first steps. And that’s okay. Let’s be faithful in engaging the Spirit ourselves, and faithful in encouraging students toward the same.

Evan is not yet much of a journal-writer, but we’ve had a few good follow-up conversations about Bible verses I’ve asked him to check out. I’ve started writing down his prayer requests, and I’m looking forward to revisiting them with him soon. Baby steps are still steps!

When I’m tempted toward frustration with the pace, I envision Evan a year out of high school, wherever he may be, with a little bit of free time, and wondering what God has for him in this new season. That moment is crucial. If, in that moment, Evan feels equipped to channel his questions for God through practicing listening prayer, reading scripture, or some other discipline, then he has a pretty good chance for a faith that doesn’t just survive after high school, but thrives.

Action Points

• Evaluate the use of disciplines in your own life. Pick a new discipline or two and schedule – literally schedule in your calendar – some times in the next week or so to try them out. If you already do one or more of them, keep a journal to track the experience more intentionally for a couple of weeks.

• Run some experiments! Invite a couple of students to try new disciplines for a season. These could be student leader-types, or just students you know would be open to something new. You may also want to have some volunteers take part as well. Give them resources, check in with them during the experiment, and debrief after.
• Think about incorporating more disciplines into your next retreat/trip experience. The prayer ofexamen is a great journaling framework. Surprising, prolonged times of solitude and silence work well with students; on the winter retreat I mentioned earlier, I had our high school students spend 90 minutes in silence, and without exception students said it was the main highlight of the weekend.

Article written by: Jesse Oakes

http://stickyfaith.org/articles/dare-to-disciplines

Hunger Games Review

So last night, I went with a student pastor friend of mine to go see the movie Hunger Games. I know that the movie has been out for quite some time, and many of my students have seen the movie multiple times.So instead of writing my own review, I’m going to post a review written by Walt Mueller, a very well respected author who has dedicated his life to studying youth culture.

The Hunger Games. . . The Movie. . .

By Walt Mueller

Saw the movie yesterday. . . with my buddy Marv Penner. . . in a Dallas theater. . . that was surprisingly empty. It was energizing to be with Marv and talk about the book, then watch the movie, then talk about our impressions. I’m fully aware from my discussions with others that my commentary is limited due to the fact that I have yet to see the big Hunger Games picture. I’ve only read the first book. I don’t know the rest of the story. . . which I’m sure will make a huge difference in my understanding and thoughts. But here’s what I was thinking as we walked out of the theater. . .First, I’m getting the connect. Teenagers want to feel strong, validated, hopeful, powerful, empowered, meaningful, important, and significant. They are idealistic. They want to be difference-makers. They long for relationships and love. Blatant oppression and injustice are things from which they want to break free. Katniss Everdeen embodies all those qualities, characteristics, yearnings, and more. She’s “putting it to the man.” She is rising above the heartache and brokenness that has filled the short years of her young life. No wonder she and her story are connecting.

Second, this really is a story that stirs up imagery and thoughts about Hitler’s rise to totalitarian power and the propagandizing control of the Third Reich. District 12 looks like a concentration camp and its young are paraded, controlled and postured like the targets of Hitler’s insane schemes. But while I believe that The Hunger Games can serve as a reminder for a new generation to “never forget,” I fear that the proper reaction against unjust totalitarianism could easily morph into a reaction against the life-giving and redeeming freedom that comes in being a slave to Christ.

And third, I’m not sure I’m seeing the feminist agenda that some critics see in The Hunger Games. Yes, Katniss Everdeen is a strong and bright young woman. Her circumstances have made her strong and determined. She has been strengthened while exercising body/mind and developing skills in order to survive. Just because a story portrays a young lady as strong one should not automatically assume that all males are being depicted as weak or that gender roles are being redefined. At this point, I think this is an unfair criticism.

And finally, I was amazed at the way the radical violence in the story was softened in ways that dulled what could have been especially gory and gratuitous. Once you see the film you’ll know what I’m talking about.

This is a film and a story that our kids are consuming like the hungry Tributes consume their valuable and little morsels of food. They will watch it, chew on it, process it, and digest it with or without us. The latter option offers us a great opportunity to talk about the bigger story – God’s story – and the things that really matter.

http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2012/03/hunger-games-movie.html

A Gospel that Transforms

In recent Christian literature, there has been an increase in books written concerning the gospel of Christ. It seems that every other month there is a new release coming to Christian bookstores that are trying to convey to believers everywhere that we must return to the pure gospel of Jesus. This is a great thing; I believe that God is transforming lives and hearts around the country and the world with a call to return to the heart of the gospel of Jesus. I look forward to see how these writers can spread the Good News while equipping other church leaders to simply lead with the gospel as the foundation of their ministry.

At Sand Spring (the church I serve) our student ministry is studying the book of Galatians, in which Paul is repeatedly reminding the Galatians that the law has been fulfilled in the coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus. At times, when I read through Galatians I feel like Paul is screaming, “CHURCH, YOU DON’T GET IT!!!!” Paul says that there is a Way in which we now have complete access to the God of the universe. We now have the complete gospel. It is finished.

So as a student pastor, I desire for students to take in the full gospel of Jesus. Yes, there is no doubt that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died with the wrath of God on his shoulders paying my penalty, then defeated death by his resurrection. My desire is that the students I minister to would have a genuine relationship with Christ. Because, if the students that I interact with on a weekly basis accept the complete gospel of Christ, there is absolutely no way that their lives will not be transformed into the likeness of Christ. However, the more and more that I study and interact with youth culture, it seems that RARE are the teenagers who have truly put their faith in Christ. It seems that we have many, many teenagers who have walked down an aisle, even been baptized who truly believe they are a follower of Christ, but are no closer to being a follower of Christ than the strongest atheist. Students everywhere are falling into a trap of being confident in their salvation, where there is no life transformation.

There is no doubt what the gospel of Jesus Christ does in those who have truly committed to faithful living in it: IT TRANSFORMS! 2 Corinthians is clear about this. Those who have truly put their faith in Christ will be “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (ESV)

My fear is that students everywhere are misled as to what biblical salvation is and misunderstand the completeness of the gospel of Christ. Here is another thought: IT’S NOT JUST TEENAGERS WHO ARE MISLED. I’m afraid that many members of our churches are just as trapped into confusion of salvation as our teenagers are.

So what’s the solution? Simply put, complete dependence on the spirit of the Lord to transform lives through the Great News of Christ! Discipleship, articulation of the gospel, and the love of Christ all are apart of the solution. The Spirit of God must be depended on by pastors and church leaders. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM.”(2 Corinthians 3:17, Emphasis added)

So this is a challenge to myself and all in ministry. True salvation is faith in the only gospel that transforms. I recognize this is a short article and aspect of what I have written could be fleshed out much more, this is just a brief thought.

By His Grace,

Noah

Spring Break Announcements

1. Monday morning we are meeting at the church @ 10:30 to update the youth room and then getting some lunch in Frankfort. You will need no more than $10 for food. If you need to be picked up or dropped off, we can make it happen, just let me know. We will be done around 3 p.m.

2. Tomorrow night, everyone is welcome to come hang out at my house and watch the UK game. You can come hang at 8 p.m. if you need a ride home after the game, we can make it happen, no big deal. If you need directions, just let me know. Food will be provided.

3. Wednesday night, meet at the church @ 6 for Dairy Queen! No money required.

Hope to see all that are in town!!! As always, your friends are totally welcome to come

Biblical Faith

Article

Wednesday Night Announcement 3/21/12

Solid Article on Biblical Youth Ministry

Is youth ministry biblical?

January 13, 2012 by Troy Temple

This is still the most frequent question that I am presented with everywhere I speak. Not every inquisition is antagonistic towards the discipline of local church youth ministry. However, every time the question is raised, I can’t help but become defensive. I’ve surrendered my life to equip leaders for the mission of reaching adolescents and their families with the Gospel of Christ and in pursuit of making disciples of every young person whose life has been rearranged by the saving work of Christ. So when the validity of youth ministry is challenged, my gut response is to come out swinging.

But, instead of arguing the issue, let’s look at the Bible and discover what it tells us in regards to adolescents and the Gospel mission. The HomeWord Center for Youth & Family, (Jim Burns, founder and president) responded to this question and their response offers a great perspective.

Youth groups are not in the Bible. But, keep in mind that just because something is not specifically commanded or found in the Bible does not make them anti-Biblical or inappropriate. Give it some thought. You can probably come up of lots of examples of how churches – their activities, groupings, things they use – aren’t specifically spelled out in the Bible – but are helpful in fulfilling Biblical mandates and principles.

Youth ministry is a legitimate, needed area of ministry for the church. The church is mandated Biblically to motivate and care for the spiritual growth of all people (see Colossians 1:28). The church is also commanded to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus Christ and to teach everyone to obey His commandments (seeMatthew 28:41). Adolescents are people included in these mandates. The Bible doesn’t envision that adolescents function apart from the intergenerational nature of the church. Believers, young and old, are all a part of the One Body of Christ and are necessary for its proper function (see 1 Corinthians 12). Yet, because of the cultural distinctiveness and legitimacy of adolescence as a unique time of life, a specialization of ministry to youth is in no way theologically forbidden. Consider a foreign mission analogy as an example: English speaking missionaries spend months – to years – getting to know foreign language and culture – so they can communicate the gospel in a way that foreign peoples will understand. They do not try to speak in English with people who don’t understand English. Similarly, youth culture is very much a separate sub-set of culture. It makes good missional and pastoral sense (see 1 Corinthians 9) to recognize and minister to the specific spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and educational needs of adolescents.

Still, it must be said that there is no doubt that parents, not youth ministries, have the primary responsibility for raising kids (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Youth ministries should serve as partners with parents in equipping and caring for young people. (Note that while the practical direction of Deut. 6 is to parents – the address is given to “Hear, O Israel” – which also implies the support of the spiritual community.)

Churches and youth ministries, during our lifetime, have not always done a great job in supporting parents – and have at times have actually served to keep families apart and have not helped parents interact with their teenagers. Today, however, there is a fresh sense of the importance of family in the church and many youth ministries are helping to partner with families and parents in some very positive ways.

Having served as a youth pastor, it would not surprise me at all that a student would come and share a problem that he/she
had not previously shared with his/her parents. In the situation you noted about a pregnant girl in the youth group, a wise
youth pastor should handle the situation with respect and care. A youth pastor ought to help the girl to see the need to speak
with her parents about the issue – and would provide her with the support she needs to do so. The wise parent should
consider the youth pastor as a resource and partner to provide the entire family with needed support during a difficult time. (Original response can be found here.)

Does the Bible recognize or address the spiritual needs of young people? Consider Joseph, Gideon, David, Josiah, the disciples, and even Jesus in his early years. While every record of these biblical examples does not prescribe local church youth ministry, they do reveal patterns, to be mimicked, of how we should relate to and nurture the spiritual growth of young people.

In addition, we cannot ignore the biblical mandate to evangelize and disciple. Since the inception of the public schools in the early 20th century, we have been living among a new human called an adolescent. Adolescence has defined a culture of young people that includes systems of stylized beliefs, behavior, language, and customs unique to young people.  But, I would assert that adolescence is not a destination. It is a time of transition and growth into adulthood. Don’t ignore the reality that of those who come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the majority continue to do so at a young age. Culturally, the church must be intentional in reaching young people cross-culturally during these responsive years. Youth ministry is missional!

But the most recent concern in the church has been the observable disconnect between young people and their parents. As mentioned in the HomeWord response above, I hold that there is a dual responsibility in the spiritual growth and education of our children (refer back to Deuteronomy 6). Pastoral leaders should become a trusted resource for parents in the areas of youth culture and adolescents struggles while not co-opting parental roles and authority. Youth ministry leaders have to consistently direct young people back to their parents for guidance, advice, and help in every situation possible. Church leaders must seek to equip parents in their divine role. In a similar fashion, parents should consistently encourage their children to learn from wise, spiritual adults in the church. This is the New Testament model of discipleship with the older more mature saint teaching the younger.

The last thing that I want to add is that Jesus set the tone for how the church is to connect with young people and children. Jesus quickly corrected his disciples and instructed them to clear the way and let children come to him. He also said that if an adult wants to come to him, they must become a child. (see Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:15)

Youth ministry is biblical because it carries out the ministry of the Gospel to reach the lost and teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded us.

 

http://troytemple.net/2012/01/13/is-youth-ministry-biblical/