Tag: the youth cartel

  • Early Bird Deadline for The Summit

    Early Bird Deadline for The Summit

    Just a quick reminder to my friends in youth ministry… today is the deadline to register for The Summit for as little as $129.

    [button link=”http://theyouthcartel.com/event/the-summit-2014/” color=”silver”]REGISTER HERE[/button]

    [hr]

    In related Cartel news…

    We’re sending 3 brand new books to the printer tomorrow. (Good Lord, willing) We’ve got a pre-release deal going on all of them. Plus, if you order from us you’ll get them like 2 weeks before they start shipping via Amazon.

    1. A Woman in Youth Ministry by Gina Abbas
    2. Teaching Teenagers in a Post-Christian World by Jake Kircher
    3. One Body by Sam Halverson

    That’s in addition to two new digital products, which will also release on August 15th:

    1. Hypotherables by Jake Bouma & Erik Ullested
    2. THINK Volume 1: Culture by Jake Kircher

    Not to be forgotten, tomorrow we release our 6th edition of Viva… Viva: I AM

  • The Year of the Book

    My new book: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Social Media

    2012 will be remembered around the McLane house as, the year of the book. 

    First, I partnered with Jon to write Good News in the Neighborhood which came out in May. Then I partnered with Marko to write A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Social Media which arrived yesterday.

    If those two projects were bookend, starting a publishing line for The Youth Cartel was sandwiched in the middle.

    From the very beginning, Marko and I talked about doing some stuff in publishing. But we didn’t necessarily see that as starting our own line of digital and physical products. We were more thinking we’d work with other publishers, helping shape a Cartel voice into a wide variety of publishing efforts. (Actually, something we do quite a bit of.) It wasn’t until last Winter that we decided to include publishing our own products as part of our publishing plan. I’ll be the first to admit that when we decided to go forward with publishing some of our own stuff I had no idea what I’d agreed to. 

    (more…)

  • FREE RESOURCE: YouTube You Can Use

    Each week I produce a free resource called, YouTube You Can Use. The concept is simple. I take a viral video from YouTube and write a small discussion starter and/or devotional based on the content.

    Currently, more than 1100 people around the world receive it each Monday. They use in their youth groups, in small groups, and as sermon illustrations. I’ve even heard from a number of parents who use it as a family devotional.

    You can subscribe to the email list here and get it in your inbox each Monday. Also, the full archives, currently 56 of them, are available on our website. (free registration required)

    Below is the latest edition.

    (more…)

  • 10 Things I’m Excited About for The Summit

    The Summit: A chat with some of the presenters from The Youth Cartel on Vimeo.

    With just over 100 days until The Summit, I thought I’d share 10 things I’m excited about.

    1. The theme. After the insanity of the past 3-4 years, the idea of linking arms– taking a big, deep breath, and looking at where we are at and where we need to go. Gosh, that’s so needed.
    2. Awakening dreams. Each of us in youth ministry went into this thing with some dreams. To have 2 days to intentionally awaken them, spurring them into action? Bring it on.
    3. An incredible line-up of presenters.There’s depth in this line-up. We have a wide variety of leaders from a wide array of background… it’s broad in that aspect but really, really specific in its aim to elevate youth ministry.
    4. A fresh schedule and approach. Yes, the main sessions are very much TED-like. There will be 5-6 presenters, a couple surprises, and a theme. But I also love that we’re creating feedback space when you can go and connect with presenters. No one is zipping in and out. Our presenters are coming to help you become a better leader.
    5. It’s in a church! I think events like this belong in churches. Plus, Josh and the kind folks at Fellowship are a blast.
    6. It’s cheap. $129 for groups and $149 for 1-2 people… when you compare that to any other event… it’s a great value for what you’re getting. Plus, it’s just 2 days… so you can do 1 night in a hotel instead of 3-4.
    7. Really fun partners. Oh baby, our partners are making The Summit even more fun for everyone. We’ve got some great giveaways and surprises coming.
    8. Marko & Adam unleashed. Over the past year I’ve heard over and over again how cool our partnership looks. Well, come to The Summit and you’ll see it on full display.
    9. My favorite people. We’re a small business and Marko and I are very involved in every aspect of The Summit. Each time someone buys a tickets we’re like… “OH YES! ____ is coming!” I know that sounds cheesy, but the room is going to be full of really cool people.
    10. It’s new. I mean, I like new. Don’t you?

    How can you help? Here’s 2 things we really need at this stage in the game.

    1. Register now. I know the deadline for the early bird rate isn’t for another month… but if you are coming it helps us the most if you buy your ticket now.
    2. Help us promote it. Our biggest weakness is our size. We know this is a great event. But we just don’t have a big marketing budget. (This is directly related to our price, by the way!)

  • I see your faith in action

    A year ago I stood on the edge of a giant cliff. And jumped.

    No regrets. No turning back. Hit the play button on Tom Petty’s Free Falling.

    My jump involved leaving a life of the bi-weekly paychecks behind and launching McLane Creative & The Youth Cartel. It wasn’t a faith step in that resolution or self-correction kind of way. It was a big old leap of faith with no parachute and carrying along a wife & 3 kids.

    But I’m not alone. I actually have a front row seat to a few friends who are taking similar leaps. It’s exciting and important for the Kingdom that faithful people line-up in faith and jump.

    Here’s a few of them whom I want to affirm today.

    I see you:

    • Marnie Nair & City Heights Prep –  Our community has a significant problem that Marnie is setting out to address. City Heights, the San Diego community we live in, exports most of its teenagers every day for school. This communicates a powerful message that in order to be successful you need to leave City Heights. City Heights Prep is a brand new college prep middle/high school launching this Fall. I’m pretty pumped about it.
    • Jeremy Lee, Parentministry.net, Parentzilla.com, and UthMin.net – Jeremy is a life-long youth worker working on a big dream. He’s made a huge investment in developing unique and useful content for parents and youth workers. I’ve walked with Jeremy through the web development end of this project and gotten the chance to see all of the premium content. Gosh, it’s really good stuff. In a world of free he’s gambled that you’ll be willing to pay for the best stuff and the community that forms around it. I like it, this is actually where most internet stuff is headed.
    • Phil Cunningham & Steps of Justice – How many people do you know that put their family in an RV to go on tour for a year. I know one and his name is Phil. It’s one thing to say you care about social justice and praying for change. But to walk away from everything you’ve known, sell it all, and go on tour to raise awareness? That’s not a step of faith, it’s holding your breath and jumping.
    • Ryan McRae & Geek in Afghanistan – Earlier this year Ryan, approaching 40, decided he needed to take a step of faith. So he quit his job at a university and moved to Afghanistan to take a defense contractor job. We’re not talking about locked away in a cushy base in Dubai. We’re talking about going to places where things blow up and people are killed every day. He’s blogging his journey and using the experience to reboot into his next stage of life. Totally love it.
    • The Summit – OK, so this one is tied to me. But for Marko and I it’s a big huge leap for our little, bitty company. We couldn’t be more excited about how the program is developing, how partnerships are forming, and all that stuff. At the same time, we’ve got no guarantees that it’ll work. (The biggest thing you can do to support this effort is to buy a ticket. Heck, gift a ticket to a youth worker who needs to be there if you can’t come!)

    What about you? How can you affirm people in your life taking big leaps of faith? 

    photo credit: Simon Hooks via Flickr (Creative Commons)

  • The Open Manifesto

    There aren’t many places in the church where all ideas have the same opportunity to be presented. Everything is editorialized, shaped, and packaged. Every idea is filtered through a lens.

    We think something is wrong with that. Deep in our souls we know the solutions to the problems we face today are already out there, waiting to be discovered.

    Open is just that. Open. The Youth Cartel sets the table, plays host, and invites anyone and  everyone who has an idea to the table for a day where we all have equal value for our ideas. Whether you are a big dog with 20,000 people writing down your every word, a college student with some crazy ideas, or somewhere in between, the table is open–we will give you your shot and equal time to share your idea.

    Now that doesn’t mean you will automatically be appreciated or celebrated. It’s an open table and you have the chance to play with the big boys. There will be winners and there will be less-than-winners. Just like everyone has the same shot, everyone undergoes the same scrutiny. The point isn’t that everyone will be equally received, the point is that anyone can have the platform.

    No one gets paid to present at Open. Why? That wouldn’t be fair, would it? Those making presentations submit a proposal and chances are good that if they’ve got something to say that’s on topic, they will get a shot. Their only compensation is the chance to present their ideas, and free entry to the day.

    So what does it cost? We’ve kept it as simple as possible. Tickets start at $25 for the day. If we sell out early then that’s it. But as we get closer to the day, tickets will naturally get a little more expensive.

    True to the premise of Open, we aren’t out to make a lot of money. We are splitting any proceeds for the day equally with a local organizer and a local ministry recipient. We think that’s fair, and we will be 100% open about the money so you know who has made what.

    From top to bottom we want Open to be a different type of event. We set the table, invite all, and provide a day where the best stuff filters to the top. Why? Because we trust you. We are in this together. We care deeply about impacting the Kingdom and we know you do too. And we know that low control, high trust openness is the way to get there.

    Join us.

    Being your ideas, bring your voice, and let’s dream.

    Backstory

    This is the driving document for Open Seattle, a new youth ministry event we just announced today. This is the first of what I hope will become a movement of Open events which gather all over to collaborate, celebrate, and innovate within our beloved tribe of youth ministry. The plan is to do two more as an alpha test, one in the Northeast and one in Western Europe. (Hosting info)

    A fun story about this manifesto is that I wrote it about 6 months ago. I kind of woke up with this from a dream. It was one of those things that dragged me out of bed and I typed it as fast I could. For weeks I had been thinking about Open, I’d had conversations with about a dozen people about it, but I couldn’t put the whole thing into words until that morning. It’s crazy how creativity works. Sometimes you have to dig to find it and other times it attacks you and you just try to keep up.

     

  • Good News curriculum video shoot

    Yesterday, Jon and I spent the vast majority of our day shooting the 6 fictional stories that go along with each lesson in our forthcoming Good News in the Neighborhood curriculum.

    Seeing some of the big picture pieces come together in this project has been amazing. Doing the video segments actually brought new life into the project. With the deadline looming and the reality that there’s almost no chance we’ll be done by our self-assigned deadline of Monday, this project needed some fresh air breathed into it.

    It’s funny how an idea takes a life of its own. In this case, a series of jotted in my notebook over time became several popular blog posts. And in those posts there were several comments saying, “Yeah, but how do I teach that to high school students?” It was the association of the blog posts and the comments of readers which spurred the idea to turn it into a curriculum.

    Truth be told, I’d never have attempted this project without Jon. He brings a depth and breadth of experience to it which takes it from my blog posts to something anyone can try with their group. I’m thankful for his friendship and collaboration.

    And now back to work. Acting as co-author, editor, art director, marketing director, video editor, and every other task on this project is insanity!

  • It’s Here! Good News in the Neighborhood Curriculum

    Big news!

    Jon Huckins and I have been working on this curriculum for youth groups and young adults for several months. I’m excited to tell you that it’ll be out on April 2nd, 2012. Woohoo!

    If you buy it before it comes out… you’ll get it on April 2nd AND you’ll save $15. Here’s the link to buy it now.

    Here’s the description:

    This 6-week series will deep dive your students into the practical realities of a radical life with Jesus. Built around six core postures of community life, students will examine Scripture, gain an understanding of their role in their community, and be challenged by a series of simple experiments they can try. More than a series which teaches your students about being Good News in their community– Good News in the Neighborhood offers practical application based on the life of Jesus and the 1st century Church. Our hope is that your students begin to see how God has called them to become good news in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods.

    Curriculum Outline

    Week 1: Listening (Experiment: Ethnography/Observation)

    Week 2: Submerge (Experiment: Participating)

    Week 3: Inviting (Experiment: Two-fold inviting)

    Week 4: Contending (Experiment: Standing up for our neighbors)

    Week 5: Imagine (Experiment: New eyes)

    Week 6: Entrusting (Experiment: Commissioning)

    What do  you think? Like it? Hate it? Gonna try it? 

  • Ignore Your Limitations (YouTube You Can Use Sample)

    For the past six months I’ve written a free, weekly resource for adults who minister to teenagers called, YouTube You Can Use. It’s exactly what it is called. All I do is take a popular, short YouTube video and write some prompts designed to make it easy for you to have a Bible-based discussion with students.

    How do I use it? That’s for you to decide. I’ve heard from people who use it as a crowd breaker at youth group. I’ve heard from teachers who use it in the classroom as a discussion starter. I’ve heard from parents who use it as a weekly devotional with their kids. And I’ve heard from some folks who post it as a discussion starter on their Facebook. Be creative and use it however you want!

    See below for a sample of this week’s edition.

    Like it? You can subscribe to receive it each Monday here. (I mentioned this was free, right? It’s free!)

    Topic:
    Big Dreams

    Bible:
    Genesis 37:1-11

    Discussion Starter:
    Josh’s story isn’t about what he can’t do because of his accident. Instead he’s made his story about what he can accomplish after the accident.

    Genesis 37 tells the story of a famous dreamer, Joseph. He was the 11th born of 12 kids. And yet he dared to dream that one day he’d become important. All throughout his life his wild dreams lead him into and out of trouble until one day, his dreams lead him to become the second most powerful person in all of Egypt.

    Like Josh, Joseph’s story wasn’t defined by what he couldn’t become. What would happen if your dreams were bigger than your limitations?

    3 Questions:

    1. Would you rather do a flip on snow skis or a bike?
    2. What are some limitations you have in your life?
    3. Which is scarier? Failure or failure to try?

    Chew on this:
    Why do you think God wants us to try so hard to achieve our dreams?

  • #MSMC12

    I’m really excited to be a part of this years Middle School Ministry Campference.

    What the heck is a campference? It’s a little word we made up at The Youth Cartel to describe a gathering of like-minded people at a camp. In this case, it’s unique because it’s specifically designed for adults who minister to middle school students. Half camp, half conference. I know… it’s tricky.

    We moved this bad boy south. Last year, I was pretty new to The Youth Cartel when the first one happened. In fact, I didn’t even go. But I was in charge of following-up with people who had told us earlier in the year they were interested. Over and over again I heard from people who wanted to come but our location was just too dang far from where they live. Fortunately, we were able to move a couple hundred miles south. That gets us within a 6 hour drive of places like Nashville, St. Louis, Cleveland, Chicago… and really close to cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Louisville. In short, that will mean it is a lot easier for a lot more people to come.

    Why should you think about going? Um, I’m going to be there. Enough said.