Here’s a highlight video from Paul’s first soccer game. If you look closely you’ll see him doing some sweet karate moves. 4 year olds playing soccer closely resembles rugby at times with a big pile of kids tackling one another and then someone emerging with the ball to score. Good times for everyone.
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Small Groups Videos from Cary Christian
All I want to say about these videos is, well done! The team at Cary Christian did a fantastic job on these. Blog buddy Gerrard Fess is a staff member over there and he did a good job of keeping this project under his hat.
There are two more below, one with a 24 theme and one mocking erectile disorder medication.
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paying for youth group
there is an interesting little discussion going on in the ymx forums that centers around the general thought… would students come to youth group more diligently if they paid for it the way that parents pay for other things like dance, club sports, or even school sports.
my initial reaction is… parents do pay for the churches youth ministry. not sending their kids is really poor stewardship of Gods resources.
but here is a more interesting thought:
what if youth pastors got paid on commission?
maybe then youth pastors would be motivated to focus on reaching more than keeping?
after all, if it fair to ask parents to pay… wouldn’t it seem logical to make their pay dependent on the results?
of course, this is all hypothetical now isn’t it?
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Free book from Group Publishing
For those who like free things… and who doesn’t. Group Publishing is giving away their book, Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministry, for free.
This seems to be a great resource for anyone working with students. I would have added "hurting students" but I think the reality is that all students are hurting on some level.
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No Light Force tonight
I will readily admit that it does feel a little weird. Tonight, there is no Light Force. Not by accident… but on purpose.
Starting next week there will be 3 in-home small groups for teaching and reaching students here in Romeo. That means that the Light Force room… in use for 30+ years… will lie vacant tonight. I won’t be preparing a talk. I won’t be scurrying to find a game. I won’t be asking Jason "what are your songs for tonight?" at 6:00 PM.
Why the change?
We want to be more effective and more strategic.But…
I’m not saying "youth group" is bad. In fact, it’s really all I know. All we’re saying is that we need to try something else to become more effective.5%
That’s the percentage of Romeo Community School students currently involved in a youth ministry in Romeo. And by being really honest, that 5% (at least speaking for my own church) isn’t doing a fantastic job of evangelism/discipleship… and my hypothesis is that it’s more method-based than anything.Please pray for our 3 seed groups.
They’ll kick off next week. -
What about those who have never heard?
I’ve actually had a couple conversations with new believers and Christians alike about this question. Certainly, it’s a tough thing to think "Is God fair to punish people to hell who never heard about Jesus?"
So, here is a paper I wrote back in my undergrad days. I actually do think it’s good enough and complete enough to say… this is my position on the matter. Enjoy!
The Fairness of the Creator by Adam McLane
Romans 1: 18-20:
“The wrath of God is
being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human
beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known
about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since
the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and
divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that people are with excuse.”Perhaps the hardest lesson to be learned in all of Calvinist theology is that a person whom never hears of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is still responsible to God for not responding to it. The long-stretching arms of Christ’s love for humanity seem nullified by the stern message of God’s wrath. The purpose of this dialogue revolves around answering the question, “Is it fair for God to condemn those people who have never heard or understood the gospel?” No question can be as relevant to our society, no question cuts more straight to the heart of Christianity. Is Christ the only way to salvation? Can man plead ignorance or indifference? Is there hope for those who have never heard?
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Journalism… what’s wrong?
A member of my small group is a journalism major and asked Kristen and I the following question. (She doesn’t know that I am part of a site that publishes stuff)
Q: Why should people go into journalism, why is it a good major?
A: I think journalism needs more people with integrity. People who embrace the ideals of journalism and stand up for truth.Q: If journalism were to go to the doctor, what would the doctor say is wrong with journalism?
A: Your writing for an audience and advertising dollars and not for the sake of journalism.Of course, another thought is that the face of journalism itself is changing. Gone are the days when a tiny group of people (by percentage) dictated the news stories out there. With blogs, newsvine.com, digg.com, and the burgeoning power of social networking and other stuff labeled "Web 2.0" the face of journalism is much different than it was just a couple years ago. Check out wikipedia’s page on journalism and you will see that the definition of journalism itself is morphing. What a fascinating time we live in!
Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts. That phrase seems hopelessly dead.
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Stuck?
If your life isn’t moving, maybe you’re not moving the right way. This is a clever little ad that’s been floating around the internet for quite a while… it is truly profound.
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Remembering September 11th
As each year passes it seems a little further in the rear view mirror. But for this generation, for me and my family, September 11th 2001 was the day that changed our world more than any other. View a slideshow from the New York Times
The operative phrase is "We will not forget."
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Saturday tunes: Monday edition
I really did mean to do this on Saturday, but I forgot. So here goes… here are the next 10 tunes travelling down the narrow pipeline from my laptop into the void between my ears. No cheating, ratings include.- American Idiot (Green Day) *****
- Great is the Lord (Starfield) *****
- Foreverandever (DCB) ****
- Light Live (Hillsong United) ****
- Somebody’s Watching (Toby McKeehan) ****
- Yellow (Cold Play) ****
- Holiday (Green Day) *****
- Can’t Save Your Soul (Jake Smith) *****
- Beyond Measure (Jeremy Camp) ***
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day) *****
Seems either iTunes is going through a punky Green Day phase… it may be random but I’m calling for a conspiracy. If you haven’t check out Jake Smith yet, he’s worth a gander.
