Author: Adam McLane

  • Thankful

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    Thankful.

    That’s just about the only word that can describe my heart right now. The last week at NYWC left me completely spent both physically and mentally– but I sit here now with my spirit soaring.

    Feet aching, eyes leaky, and thankful.

    Back in December I had this silly belief that YS’s best days were still ahead.

    It came out of my mouth all the time. It came out of my mouth because it was what my heart was telling me.

    Obviously, the people at YouthWorks who had just hired me to stay with Youth Specialties loved it when I said that… But for those who have been around YS for a while– that thought was almost offensive. People just politely smiled when I said it. You see, our history and the things in the past have been so great, that to even set the expectation that things could be better than the past seemed like I wasn’t honoring our past.

    That’s just not true. My feeling was that the best way to honor what we’d done over the past 40 years was try to work hard to resonate with what we’ve always done well while taking everything else to a whole new level. I felt like it would be dishonoring to play it safe in 2010 and it would honor the past best if we looked at every tiny detail as an opportunity to innovate.

    Fortunately for me, Tic and everyone else felt the same way. And we set off on this crazy idea of not just getting through our first year with new ownership, but using this as a reset point.

    Even though in 2009 we had laid our heart out and finished feeling trampled, damaged, and hurt… we would learn what we could from that and lay our heart down again. Maybe we were masochistic? But we just had this crazy desire to keep trying.

    9 months later– all that was left was to see if all of that crazy idealism could become a reality. Walking into last week I kept telling people, “I’ve got this feeling God has an amazing story to tell and I can’t wait to see what it is.”

    All weekend long people asked me how the weekend was going. Then they proceeded to tell me all sorts of nice things about the weekend. All I could do was smile. Everything just felt right. The venue, the set-up, the affirmations flowing from the pours of the staff, the way the stage looked… everything.

    You won’t get this grin off of my face for a few more days.

    Over and over again Tic told us he wanted everything to be done in such a way where people who program for a living could just relax and know our team had everything handled. Hearing nice things tells us that people were shutting off their programming minds and just enjoying themselves. Phew.

    For us, the evaluation process is just beginning. But based on what we heard and saw on site– I feel really good about San Diego. (We are all perfectionist, so of course we’ll tear it all apart and fix all sorts of minutia before Nashville.)

    I was never more proud to work for YS than I was over the last 7 days.

    The level of difficulty was exceptionally high. We had to navigate a new relationship with YouthWorks while at the same time trying to create an amazing Youth Specialties event at a time when youth workers desperately needed it. And some how it all came together. I know it’s not good to talk about pride in the Christian world… but I’m very proud of what we did this weekend together.

    I’m not trying to say this was the best NYWC ever. Nor am I saying that this was YS’s shining moment in history. But I am saying that this weekend was a step towards better days to come.

    Call me crazy. Call me stupid. Call me whatever name you want. But each day I have to wake up and believe that our best days are in front of us.

  • What Would Judas Do? Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and You

    The youth ministry world is wrestling through the ramifications of what Christian Smith coined as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

    What is MTD?

    After interviewing 3,000 teenagers, the authors found that many young people believed in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions:

    1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
    2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
    3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
    4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
    5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

    Link

    Since the original study came out about five years ago, youth workers have been scratching their heads, more research has been done, many books/articles have been written, and essentially we are all just trying to figure out both how we got to this point and how we can rebuild our ministries in ways that combat this.

    As a simplest– I have often wondered if MTD in our students may be related to MTD in their youth pastor? In other words, are we even willing to consider that our own relationship with Jesus  (or lack thereof) may be leading students to follow our lead into MTD?

    As I look in the mirror I am left to ask myself and my fellow youth workers some difficult questions.

    • Is youth ministry my vocation or is it my calling? (The latter isn’t an independent evaluation)
    • Am I still passionate about my relationship with Jesus?
    • Do I still love and chose to be faithful the Bride of Jesus? (His church, all of it.)
    • Are my actions reflective of my first love? (personalize Revelation 2:1-6)
    • Am I setting expectations in my teaching that are realistic for my students walk with Jesus? (Am I teaching Scripture in a way that is approachable and personal?)
    • Do I consider myself a manager of a program or a minister of the Gospel?
    • Do I still have the passion for lost teenagers that I had when I dedicated my life to this cause in 1993?

    Let us look at ourselves with sober judgment and search our hearts; making adjustments and repentance a necessary part of that self-appraisal.

    As I minister to students it is always my heart that they pick up my faith.

    My fear is that in too many cases they are picking up a faith that is vastly different than the faith we want them to pick up.

  • 4 Things to Do With a Legit Opportunity

    Let’s face it, success is about being opportunistic.

    Here’s my simple outlook on opportunities. I’m thankful that I’ve made more right steps than wrong ones so far. But having the right outlook on the various ideas I’m presented with makes a huge difference.

    1. Pause to ask questions, hard ones. If you don’t ask how something will help you no one else will.
    2. Think about how you want to tie it in. You know what they say… if you don’t have a defined target you’ll miss it every time.
    3. Be audaciously bold. Wimps need not be opportunist. Go after things, with gusto!
    4. Go. Sitting on the sidelines will never get you anywhere. Nor will being shy or nervous about failure. Jump first, ask for forgiveness later.

  • Asking Nerds Fun Questions

    Makes me wonder about how we make complex things about theology or life in the church interesting to non-theologians and non-churchgoers.

  • Drink the Kool Aid

    Drink the kool aid – verb, slang term – 1. the action of wholeheartedly buying into the vision of a religious organization, even to a fault. 2. a crude reference to the tragedy of People’s Temple massacre as lead by Jim Jones.

    Last night, Kristen and I watched Undercover Boss, and we giggled that people were really proud to work for Choice Hotels. Now, I actually like their hotels because I like to travel on the cheap. But it was hard to imagine making that company my life’s work. It’s one thing to drink the kool aid for a hotel chain. But it’s another to drink it for a church.

    Let’s face it. Every good organization has some kool aid drinking going on.  Those people have their own language, their own culture, and their own traditions. People inside the organization don’t even see it. But visitors come in as outsiders and walk around wide-eyed, not getting it.

    People drunk on kool aid can be peculiar to be around… but there’s fewer things finer in the world than being happily under the influence of kool aid! I used to get weirded out by this phenomenon… but now I see it a lot differently. I actually think it is kind of beautiful.

    As I talk to folks who work at churches and other Christian organizations I see two distinct types of people:

    1. People who drank deep of the organizations kool aid and are purveyors of it themselves.
    2. People who are too skeptical of all organizations to ever drink the kool aid, therefore wander churches aimlessly looking for the right place to worship or work.

    With these two types of people I guess I have have two different types of advice

    For those drunk on kool aid:

    • Enjoy it! Be happy in Jesus where you are!
    • Every once and a while, come up from your intoxication to make sure your life is balanced (doing stuff outside of your church) and that what your church is up to lines up with the priorities of the Bible.

    For those skeptics afraid to drink deep of kool aid’s fount:

    • It’s crazy to think about, but the early church was full of kool aid drinkers. (Acts 2:15) Sometimes you (really, I mean “we” since I struggle with this) need to stop being über critical and just drink the kool aid to find what you are looking for.
    • Your (and by you, I include myself) inability to drink the kool aid at any religious organization reveals something about your own heart. It’s not that there is something wrong with “them,” it may just be that there is something wrong with you.

    In short: Stay thirsty, my friends.

  • San Diego State Aztecs taking the field

    Some differences in the pre-game stuff worked out between game 1 & game 2. (Minor) The group of students who welcomed Monty the Aztec with his spear went over to the student section then made their way to the 50 yard line. Also, they changed the timing of when the alumni came out to stab the field.

    It doesn’t show here because San Diego people arrive late. But the stadium ended up 2/3rds full. 45,000 people watched them light up Utah State 41-7. If it weren’t for a muffed punt in the 3rd quarter it would have been their second straight home shutout.

    Highlights of the game:

    • Vincent Brown scored two touchdowns. His first was 65 yards after breaking some ankles with a move when he caught the ball. His second was pure speed, an 82 yarder where he caught the ball across the middle in stride and never looked back.
    • The defense stuffed Utah State. Clearly, the defense had tapes of the Oklahoma game and out-schemed the Aggies.
    • The crowd was buzzing in the first 20 minutes of the game. They ran the ball at will, scored at will, and had their way with Utah States swiss cheese defense. Dropping 21 points on them in the first quarter sealed the deal before 50% of the fans even came out of the parking lot.
    • The Aztecs have a lot of weapons on offense. A solid QB, three legit RBs, two standout WRs, and an emerging TE.
    • My 9 year old daughter was “kind of” into the game. Yesterday, she learned how you get a first down. And the Aztecs running all over the field made it fun to watch for her. In the third quarter she looked at me and said, “There’s no way the Aztecs can lose, we have 5 times the yards and we have way too many points for the amount of time left.

    Non-game highlight of the week:

    45,000+ plus people came to the stadium for the 35th annual Sky Show. The fireworks were great and all… but the highlight was the 75 fireball that finished it off… and the fact that it lit the field on fire while the crowd roared on!

  • What a difference a year makes

    A year ago I was packing for NYWC and trying to convince myself that everything was going to be OK. I knew the facts but had to convince myself that they didn’t matter. With the pressure to perform numerically stronger than ever we watched in horror as the economy collapsed. Earlier in the year we’d let go about half of our staff. And preparations for convention just had a heavy, matter-of-fact feel to it. It was anything but fun. I listened to happy music all the time in an attempt to jack myself up.

    I put on a happy face, I did my best to encourage folks, and riding the Amtrak to LA I had a feeling like the week could go either way. If I ignored the black cloud we’d be OK. But if I acknowledged it the whole thing would spin out of control.

    What a stark contrast to the lead-up to NYWC this year!

    First off, we’re not in the same place or under the same pressure as we were a year ago.

    Second, Tic is back. He’s solid gold.

    Third, it feels like we are taking less risk, in some ways, in the big room sessions. Last year, we had no idea what was happening on our stage!

    Third, our creativity was unleashed on the program side… so I’m confident about what we’re delivering.

    Fourth, the folks joining us from YouthWorks are so excited– it’s like they’ve been shot out of a cannon.

    Fifth, we’re at home. It feels so good going into convention knowing that I’m like 10 miles from my house. Kristen and the kids plan on coming down and saying hello.

    Sixth, I love the theme. I love walking into this in full knowledge that people are going to be ripping off our theme for years to come.

    Seventh, I get to have normal conversations with youth ministry friends. The last two cities of 2009 felt a lot like a funeral wake. Phew, all of that is gone.

    The last line of the video above… when I saw it in the script… I knew it was true for people doing ministry. But a little piece of me knew it was a line for me and about YS.

    We’re right where we’re supposed to be. And it’s amazing.

  • UPDATE: Praying for Walt Mueller

    Back on August 6th, I asked blog readers to join me in prayer for Walt Mueller. While preparing for a bike ride to raise money for CPYU, he was involved in a nasty spill which left him with a whole myriad of serious injuries.

    To the glory of God many of those prayers have been answered!

    Thank you for petitioning the Father on Walt’s behalf.

    From time to time we’ve exchanged notes or I’ve heard the latest from his longtime friend and my co-worker, Tic. As you’d expect, recovery for such injuries takes a while. Today I asked him how it was going, here was his response.

    Overall, feeling and moving better. In fact, if you saw me you might not know that anything happened other than the fact that moving and getting up and down is difficult and sometimes slow due to ongoing soreness and stiffness. I’ve got a couple of bones that are displaced and will remain that way, but that’s ok. They say my body will adapt. Pain is dissipating. Ribs and shoulder are sore. My physical therapist says my shoulder has full mobility. Only thing is, that’s when she moves it, not me. I had to laugh today when she had me laying on a table and handed me a cane with a five pound ankle weight hanging on it. . . and then asked me to bench press it 20 times! 5 pounds! It’s all heading in the right direction though. I’m praying the following: 1) that pain and soreness would all disappear, for good, 2) that my back, which started hurting a week ago, would heal. Again, this is all due to the trauma and changes in my body, that my back is now compensating for, 3) that my ability to sleep would return. Getting comfortable in bed is hard 4) that the damaged nerves would repair themselves and I would regain feeling in the spots that got hammered when I hit the concrete. It’s been 8 weeks today. . . I am grateful to God that I wasn’t hurt worse and that He has made the body to heal in some amazing ways. This time 8 weeks ago I was happy to be alive.

    4 ways you can pray for Walt’s continued recovery.

    1. Healing of his body.
    2. Healing of his mind.
    3. Pray for his family.
    4. Pray for CPYU.

    Lastly– the whole reason Walt was training was to help raise some money for some big technology needs at his ministry. If you’d like to learn more about how to help CPYU financially, check out this link.

  • I like Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream

    Currently, Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream is top 10 on iTunes. It’s huge. And I am not ashamed to admit that when it pops up on my iTunes I listen to it 3-4 times in a row.

    While I’m sure most youth workers groan when they hear this song… I take a totally different perspective.

    I want this to be my students dream, too.

    Well, not exactly— since the video leaves a lot to the imagination. Here’s what I mean by “I want this to be my students dream, too.”

    • I want my students to have a fun, audacious, spontaneous, and exciting sex life. (Until they get married- “Pre-sex lives.”)
    • I want them to fall in love and be happy with that person for a long time. I want their love life to be fun, like a teenage dream.
    • I want them to fall in love early in life. I want them to grow up (meaning, take full responsibility for themselves) and get married ASAP. I believe we’re creating a self-fulfilling prophesy that they aren’t ready when they are.

    Perhaps the reason this song speaks to so many people is because we tell people to wait too long for this type of relationship? Perhaps there was no room in our lives at 18 or 19 years old for a no-regrets love affair? Perhaps our parents scared us out of teenage dreams with statistics about divorce and telling us we needed to go to college first?

    But this dream, I believe, is quite similar to God’s desire for us. The Bible is clear about sex before marriage. But it is equally clear about early marriage.

    I just know when I watch this video I think about my relationship with Kristen. We were almost 19 when we met. We took lots of walks on the beach. (aka- free dates) Outside of the motel line– that video was us! Our parents both told us we were too young and we ignored them. (Just like they ignored their parents warnings!)

    When we got married at 21 we fulfilled the dreams of this video and it was great. (Though, Kristen grew up baptist so skin tight jeans were out of the question.)

    My prayer for youth ministry is that we are crazy enough to tell our students and their helicopter parents that they need to have teenage dreams for themselves. I pray that we become culture creators and truth tellers in such a way that gives our society a wake-up call. Teenage Dreams isn’t shameful. We would not exist as a people if it weren’t for generations of teenage dreamers. We don’t need to shame teenagers from their sexuality, we need to teach them appropriate ways to embrace it.

  • Strategic Excuses

    Strategic excuses – The excuse you come up with that makes some strategic sense, but you really want to do because it’s awesome.

    Examples:
    – A speaking gig in Hawaii, Vail, or the Florida Keys rolls in. Hey, those kids need Jesus, too.
    – My church won’t give me time away for continued education, so I’m going to time a pregnancy so that I can attend a conference on my maternity leave.
    – We host an annual youth group end-of-year bash, so I need to put in a deck and buy a massive grill. The hot tub is really for building community.
    – I want my kids to have their friends over all-the -time, so we built a 3 story tree house. Sure, we bought my next door neighbors house for the tree and leveled their home, but we got a good deal and now my kids don’t have to go anywhere.

    There’s nothing wrong with a strategic excuse. (Well, OK… Maybe some are a smudge selfish) In fact, I think 90% of the people who complain about the strategic excuses their friends have– do so because they haven’t figured out how to make it happen.