Online with God

When I picture a Christian having their quiet time I think of a person at their kitchen table, drinking coffee, reading his family bible, writing in a journal, and finishing in prayer.  That is an awesome picture, but that might not be for everyone.  I believe that its a great biblical discipline to read your bible, journal and pray everyday, but there are many tools and changes that can help you.

Not a morning person?  Read your bible on a break at work, lunch, on the treadmill, or at night.

Trouble journaling – Use Evernote or another app on your phone to keep your thoughts together.

I just started using an online quiet time here.  It has been so good to have everything online and in order.  I never forget prayer request because they roll over to the next day.

Another feature I like is writing down when a pray has been answered.  I was surprised how many times I see God move in my life.

Use your phone for everything?  One of the best apps in the world is free and helps with quiet times.

Enjoy good preaching.  Listen to some of the best on iTunes right now.

Use the Kindle store on Amazon and find some amazing Christian books for $2.99 or less.

Our culture and technology is vastly different than 10 years ago.  We are blessed with many new things that can help you grow as a believer in Christ.  It could be that using technology or making a small change could radically change your daily quiet time.

Is their a website, app, technology, that you use to help in this area?

 

Monday Morning Mind Dump

Clayton King sharing a big secret for success!

8 qualities in a youth leader from Doug Fields

Pete Wilson giving some thoughts on guest speaker etiquette

3 lessons learned from getting fired by Michael Hyatt

Ed Young giving some refreshing advice on sharing record numbers

Seth Godin giving things learned from earthquake experience – here.

7 iconic patents of Steve Jobs

Stats Freak by Pete Wilson

Set-up online payment app for youth ministries

FEMA introduces Android app in time for Hurricane Irene

Mentoring from Steve Jobs

29 ways to stay creative

How to be insanely good in front of any audience – Steve Jobs again!

Financial Friday: Outrageous Kid Parties

With a newborn, Jen and I are spending a lot of time at home watching TV.  Most of Jennifer’s favorite shows are on HGTV or TLC.  One night while watching something on TLC the show Outrageous Kid Parties was next.  Just seeing the previews made me realize this was going to be one amazing show. Basically parents spending $30, 000 or more on their kid’s preschool graduation party or birthday party.

As we watched parents spend $550 on a fortune teller, $1200 on swords men to perform, and a $2500 cake all for their kids party, I thought that is one of the most inappropriate things I’ve ever seen.  Then I thought, they could have had just as good a time without spending that amount of money.

As a youth pastor, I do events a few times a year.  Here are some tips that I think translate to a kid’s party.

– Time and money – which do you have more of?  If you have the cash to hire a party planner, rent out Medieval Times, and get Ace of Cakes to do the birthday cake, then that will save you time.  However, if you are like most people that throw parties, you’d rather spend a little more time and save the cash.  Take an afternoon a few months before the party and dream about the possibilities.  I plan most major events a year in advance.  The earlier you get started the more options you have.

– Google – If your kid is into Spiderman, google a phrase like “cool spiderman parties”.  The web is full of ideas and resources for your party.

– Pizza, cookouts, ice cream, and sandwiches will always be the 4 cheapest food items you can do for alot of people.  Consider a $5.50 Little Casesar’s pizza will feed 4-5 kids. Think about doing ice cream sundaes and a birthday cake only.   If you want to do something healthier consider a smoothie party.

– Do It yourself.  One outrageous party had a $600 maze to get into the party.  It wasn’t anything spectacular and the materials probably cost less than $150.  If a family member had done that it would have saved hundreds of dollars for them.

– $1 stores are a wonderful thing.  They have many odd things in them, but I’ve never been in one that didn’t have quite a bit of party stuff.  You might find some cheap ideas there.

– Old school games – Minute to Win It has a ton of game ideas that aren’t going to break your budget.

– Inflatables – If this is for personal use, you could probably buy a non commercial use ‘bounce house’ at Sam’s as cheap as you can rent one from a local company.  Remember that the local guy has insurance on his bounce house and if anyone is injured, that will make a huge financial difference.

– You and your spouse need to be comfortable with the party budget.  Every time on the show the dad is totally against the party and the mom spends way more money than she had planned.  I’m not having fun at my event, if I’m worried about the budget.

-Age appropriate is your friend with kids.  The older the child, the more expensive the party will be.

– Don’t compare or compete with other parents.  Everyone wants their kid to have the best, but envy can really drive up the price of a party.

– Everyone wants ‘wow factor’ and I am a big fan of making memories.  The problem is whatever you do for this child today will have to be topped at the next party.

– The number of people you expect for an event changes your options.  For example, if you are expecting a 100 people, it might make financial sense to buy vs. rent something.  Also, most group minimums at fun places at 10-15.  You can save a lot of money by talking to the group sales office.

What party tips do you have?

The Mind of a College Freshman

This new class of college freshman was born in 1993.  I’m just 32, but that makes me feel old.  The only things I remember about 93 was Shaq was a rookie and Joe Carter won the WS with a homerun.

Every year since 1998, Beloit College in Wisconsin has done a list called ‘The Mindset List”.  This list tries to help old people like us understand the world of those born in 1993. In fact, it started out to help professors stop using dated references. Some of it is funny, some is sad, and some is surprising.  I think its a good read for those working with college students and young adults.  Here is this year’s mindset list:

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015

Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, Arthur Ashe and the Commodore 64 have always been dead.

Their classmates could include Taylor Momsen, Angus Jones, Howard Stern’s daughter Ashley, and the Dilley Sextuplets.

1. There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2. Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents.
3. States and Velcro parents have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.
4. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5. There have always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
6. They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7. As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8. Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9. “Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
10. American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
11. More Americans have always traveled to Latin America than to Europe.
12. Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you’re talking about LeBron James.
14. All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15. O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16. Women have never been too old to have children.
17. Japan has always been importing rice.
18. Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
19. We have never asked, and they have never had to tell.
20. Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
21. They’ve always gone to school with Mohammed and Jesus.
22. John Wayne Bobbitt has always slept with one eye open.
23. There has never been an official Communist Party in Russia.
24. “Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25. Video games have always had ratings.
26. Chicken soup has always been soul food.
27. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always been available on TV.
28. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
29. Arnold Palmer has always been a drink.
30. Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
31. Women have always been kissing women on television.
32. Their older siblings have told them about the days when Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were Mouseketeers.
33. Faux Christmas trees have always outsold real ones.
34. They’ve always been able to dismiss boring old ideas with “been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt.”
35. The bloody conflict between the government and a religious cult has always made Waco sound a little whacko.
36. Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over.
37. Music has always been available via free downloads.
38. Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy.
39. Moderate amounts of red wine and baby aspirin have always been thought good for the heart.
40. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop.
41. The United States has always been shedding fur.
42. Electric cars have always been humming in relative silence on the road.
43. No longer known for just gambling and quickie divorces, Nevada has always been one of the fastest growing states in the Union.
44. They’re the first generation to grow up hearing about the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
45. They pressured their parents to take them to Taco Bell or Burger King to get free pogs.
46. Russian courts have always had juries.
47. No state has ever failed to observe Martin Luther King Day.
48. While they’ve been playing outside, their parents have always worried about nasty new bugs borne by birds and mosquitoes.
49. Public schools have always made space available for advertising.
50. Some of them have been inspired to actually cook by watching the Food Channel.
51. Fidel Castro’s daughter and granddaughter have always lived in the United States.
52. Their parents have always been able to create a will and other legal documents online.
53. Charter schools have always been an alternative.
54. They’ve grown up with George Stephanopoulos as the Dick Clark of political analysts.
55. New kids have always been known as NKOTB.
56. They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57. They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
58. Their parents sort of remember Woolworths as this store that used to be downtown.
59. Kim Jong-il has always been bluffing, but the West has always had to take him seriously.
60. Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.
61. Major League Baseball has never had fewer than three divisions and never lacked a wild card entry in the playoffs.
62. Nurses have always been in short supply.
63. They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
64. Altar girls have never been a big deal.
65. When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
66. It seems the United States has always been looking for an acceptable means of capital execution.
67. Folks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have always been able to energize with Pepsi Cola.
68. Andy Warhol is a museum in Pittsburgh.
69. They’ve grown up hearing about suspiciously vanishing frogs.
70. They’ve always had the privilege of talking with a chatterbot.
71. Refugees and prisoners have always been housed by the U.S. government at Guantanamo.
72. Women have always been Venusians; men, Martians.
73. McDonalds coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle.
74. “PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.
75. The New York Times and the Boston Globe have never been rival newspapers.

Copyright© 2011 Beloit College
Mindset List is a registered trademark

What do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?

32 Things in 32 years

Today is my birthday.  No that yummy looking iphone birthday cake above isn’t mine, but a great idea.

I am 32 years old.  Someone told me yesterday that it is hard to believe that I am still this young.  Hard to believe, but true.  Instead of a normal post, I’m writing 32 random thoughts and things about me.  Here you go:

1.  Pappadeaux’s is my favorite restaurant that I never get to go to.

2.  Diet Mtn Dew, ibuprofen, and honey nut cheerios should be in a new parent survival kit marked take this in the morning after staying up late.

3.  As a teen, I hated church lock-ins.  Mine are totally different than the ones that I experienced as a teenager.

4.  I only watch ESPN, football, and reality TV shows.

5.  My hair started turning gray when i was 12 years old.

6.  The greatest stress reliever in my life is working out at a gym.

7.  I’ve been a huge Broadway fan since 9th grade.  Saw Phantom on Broadway in NYC my 9th grade year and loved it.

8.  I know a lot about running.  Marathons, half marathon, 10K, running gear, treadmills, you name it.

9.  I’d love to know enough about NYC, DC, and Disney World to be a tour guide when I’m old.

10.  My junior year of college I lost 100lbs.  I found alot of it again 😦

11.  When I’m homesick I like to eat at Waffle House and listen to old country music.

12.  I keep almost all of my thank you notes that I’ve received in ministry.

13.  NBA basketball is a great live event.

14.  Jose Canseco was my favorite baseball player as a kid.

15.  I wish we had Fall type weather everyday.

16.  I can’t ride a bicycle.

17.  I can’t swim either.

18.  Going to the movies by myself doesn’t bother me.

19.  The first job that I wanted as a kid was to be a stand-up comedian.

20.  I got accepted Jesus during a poker game at a church winter retreat in North Carolina.

21.  The restaurant I miss in TN – Krystals.  Stop laughing.

22.  I watch every Tennessee Football game that I can.  Sometimes twice.

23.  One of the most exciting things ever is my fantasy football draft.

24.  I’ve not lived in Sevierville for over 10 years.

25.  When I moved to Memphis, TN I knew nobody in that part of the state.

26.  I hate surprises.

27.  I’m not a fan of desserts, but a huge fan of appetizers.

28.  I’m neither a morning or night person.  Depends on the season of life as to what I prefer.

29.  Being a husband and dad would have been the top 2 things on my bucket list as a young adult.

30.  Changing a dirty diaper isn’t that bad.

31.  I miss good, clean, funny movies.

32.  My primary spiritual gifts are administration and exhortation.

Monday Morning Mash-Up

Here are some of the stories and websites that I’ve been reading lately:

STORY conference – a conference for the creative class.  Also one amazing website.

Shark Weak – Fellowship church bringing in Soul Surfer Bethany Hamilton.  Love the get sharkified part of the site.

Elephant Room DVDs – Every minister and church leader should watch these discussions.

Jon Acuff’s take on dealing with criticism –here

Billy Hybel’s response to Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, canceling on a church leadership conference because of an internet petition – here

5 Qualities to look for in a mentor – here

How long it took Google + to reach 10 million users – here

24 hour rule that most everyone should have – here

Paper that can be planted after using – here

New interesting TV show – Take The Money and Run

FBC Woodstock’s alternative to DNOW’s and Retreats

Do you have a NOT to do list – here

Are you under a lot of pressure, from yourself? – here

Some tech stuff you should know about from Matt Lawson

Financial Friday – Save Money on Graphic Design

Graphic design use to be buying a youth ministry clip art book, copying a page, and taping it to the flyer that you designed on your desktop computer.  If you are still doing this, please stop!

Largely because of the internet and Apple computers, graphic design has become much easier, better, and more important than ever in youth ministry.  Most people want their newsletters, websites, brochures, and t-shirts to look the best as possible.  I think graphic design really matters with everyone, but especially teenagers.

Graphic design can be extremely expensive.  Many student pastors invest in a Mac Book Pro with Photoshop, but that cost thousands of dollars and several hours to learn. The truth is that the average youth worker cannot afford the money or time to have good graphic design for fliers and shirts.

Here are a few resources to make it work within your ministry budget:

Thelogocreator.com – This website offers logo creating software that is easy to use and less than $50.  I have used this for years to make logos for events. This software is cheap and easy enough for any youth worker, parent, or pastor.

Original Design Memphis – I have used this designer for 2 years now.  He does an incredible job for a good price.  You may not be able to do custom designs for every event, but anyone can choose those events that need a little extra design help.   I highly recommend Original Design Memphis.  You can contact them at originaldesignmemphis.blogspot.com.

Motcloth.com – I’ve used Men of the Cloth for a few shirts and water bottles.  If you are looking for a crazy tshirt design they are the place to go.  MOT does an excellent job at graphic design.

What graphic design companies do you use?

Love Your Enemies

At our middle school Crazy Love Bible study on Sunday night, I talked with our small group about loving their enemies.  I remember having a lot of enemies in middle school.  I’m pretty sure if you are as unathletic as I was in middle school, you are going to have enemies.  Everyone with a dodgeball was my enemy!

This study got me thinking – is their a harder teaching to practice than loving your enemy?  From the kid that is a new believer to the senior adult that has followed Jesus for 50 years – it seems that this is tough for all ages.

Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Is their a tougher teaching to follow in the Bible than love your enemies?  Think about this:

–  You should have enemies – Luke 6:26  (Basically if everyone likes you, then you aren’t following God’s word)

–  You should know who your enemies are.

– You should pray for those that are causing you pain.

– If we just love those that love us, then we are on the same level as those that don’t know Jesus.

–  To ‘love my enemies’ in this way means that I would need to do something so they know that I care for them.

This isn’t something natural or easy for anyone, but it is important.  How can we make loving our enemies a spiritual discipline?

– Pray for your enemies everyday.  Pray for their families, the situation, their job, their ministry, etc.

– See loving your enemy as a spiritual discipline.  Just like prayer, bible reading, sharing your faith, tithing, – it is a critical part of the believer’s life.

-Be intentional – Loving people your enemies isn’t a natural thing that you just do.  Think about how you can show them love.

–  Practice the Matthew 18 principle by going to them and seeing if you can repair the relationship.

– Realize that loving your enemies doesn’t mean that they will become your friend.  Jesus never says that your love will bring them over to your side.

Risk Taking Broncos from Idaho

There is a small state school in Idaho that is the talk of the college football world this time of year.  How did that happen?  What can we learn from that?

– In 1986 Boise State needed to put in a new turf for their stadium.  The athletic director thought that if the school was going to spend $750,000 that the new turf shouldn’t be like every other school.  He decided to install a blue turf.  They became the first BCS school to have a non-green field.

– A few years ago, Boise State made a decision to play many of their games on Thursday night.  Why?  Almost every school played on the weekend.  A school like Boise would never beat out the major college football programs for TV time.  On Thursday night, they don’t have to.  They are almost guaranteed national TV time on one of the ESPN networks.  This gave Boise and their ‘Smurf Turf’ a national audience.

– Beat big time BCS teams like Oklahoma on the national stage.  How?  By doing 2 incredibly risky plays to win the game.  The ‘Statue of Liberty’ play at the end of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl is considered one of the greatest plays and upsets of all time.

– Play big time BCS programs on the east coast.  Last year the Broncos beat Virginia Tech in DC.  This year they play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Georgia Dome.  The national coverage for these games will be HUGE.

Taking a risk can be a disaster, but so can playing it safe.  Think of all the programs that didn’t take a risk and achieved just mediocrity.  The athletic director and coach probably still got fired. I would say that playing it safe might be the most dangerous thing that some of those administrators and coaches are doing.

Ministry Impact-

Give yourself permission to think outside of the box.  What could you do that no one else is doing?

Take a risk.  Don’t do something stupid, do something creative!

Harry Potter and Understanding the Bible

First, this isn’t about being pro or con Harry Potter.  I’m simply making using Potter to help understand teen literacy.

Most student pastors and teachers would argue that teenagers are biblically illiterate.  This means that despite thousands of resources – teens just aren’t reading and learning the word of God.

The answer that I hear the most often for this issue is that the Bible is too hard for a teenager to understand. The problem that I have with that answer is it is wrong for MOST teenagers.

Think about this:  Teenagers consume more information than any generation before because of the internet.  Most teens are taking classes in high school that are beyond what I took in the 1990’s.  Think about the required reading that many middle and high schools have.  How do so many of them have good grades in classes that are way beyond our discipleship class?

But let’s consider this generation’s literary phenom – Harry Potter.
3, 407 pages UK version of Potter (all 7 books)
4, 100 pages US version of Potter (all 7 books)
1, 200 pages in the average Bible

Now this isn’t a perfect comparison because of font size and amount of words, but consider this possibility – a person could read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation 3 times for every one time you read all 7 Harry Potter books!

450 million: total sales volume of the Harry Potter book series
$15 billion:  The value of the Harry Potter brand (movies, products, books)

This isn’t because grandma is reading Potter.  It is primarily fueled by older kids-young adults.

Google ‘Harry Potter Dictionary’ or ‘understanding Harry Potter’ and their are tons of websites to help readers and viewers understand what is going on in the story.  These exist because HP is incredibly difficult to follow and understand.

Think about these words – horcruxes, muggles, deathly hallows, Hogwarts, etc.  Compare those to understanding the most difficult words you’ve heard in the Bible.  Which is more difficult?

My point – if you can understand Harry Potter you can understand anything in the Bible.  Honestly, if you can understand most Hollywood movie franchises you can understand the Bible.  I picked Potter because it is primarily a book series that is read by tweens and teens.

To a student that says they don’t understand, I would challenge them to invest the time into studying God’s word.  Get a NIV translation of the Bible with some study notes.  Have conversations with your parents, pastor, or youth pastor about what you are struggling with understanding.  I promise you these things will help you or your teenager understand the Bible.