DIRT Blog

Matthew (my teen son) and I have decided we need an International Word Consortium. The world has been communicating long enough to realize some words just do not fit where they are being used. We need to do some word swapping here and there to clean things up a bit.

We decided to start by swapping "Pygmy" for "Papaya". Think about it, "Pygmy" does not sound very nice when referring to people. But "Papaya" now that's a great sounding word that rolls sweetly off the tongue. "We are taking the Gospel to the Papayas" sound so much nicer than, "We're taking the Gospel to the Pygmies." On the other hand, "Pygmy" is the perfect name for a fruit. "Get your pygmy fruit, low in calories and high in anitoxidents!" No offence there at all.

So ask yourself, what words in your vocabulary need to be swapped when you are talking about students in your youth group? Maybe you say he's a "troublemaker" when a better word might be "energetic". Full of energy to do something, so give him something to do before he gets in trouble doing something! Maybe you call her a "flirt" when a better term might be "outgoing". Put her in charge of your social networking and watch the youth group grow.

Make this down: However you see them greatly impacts reality because you are an influencer to those around you. If you want to go deeper read this from last October - "Students Need the Bar High".

I just got home from our NCHS freshman football game (they won 20-7). Ever watch football at the freshman level? They fumble, throw interceptions, miss tackles and get lots of penalties. It is not very pretty....

Youth Ministry will not be pretty if you are doing it right. Instead of being managers (managing to make everything work out right), youth leaders should be coaches. The coach is confined to the sidelines and the players are expected to be on the field making the plays. A lot of youth leaders get it backward. They make themselves the stars and expect all the players to watch the game from the bleachers. Try that at your next football game and see who wins.

Coach, put the players in the game! Let the students lead everything. Let them make the plays. Put your ministry in their hands. Yes it will be ugly -- for a while -- but soon your freshmen get better and move to junior varsity and then to varsity. They get better and better! So give them the reins and the reps so they can become star players. You stand on the sidelines coaching and watch what happens. A lot of your players will develop into champions!

(Note: This article is from the July newsletter for Jason's House. Chuck Carver is the director of Jason's House, a community youth ministry that is making an impact in the world. He is also a member of the DIRT Crew board of directors...)

Three weeks ago we started meeting on Friday evenings in the Trenton City Park for a time of accountability. This was suggested by one of our college students and it has turned out to be a great time for us to get together in small groups and ask some tough questions of each other. The following are the questions we ask each other each Friday night.

1. Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions?
2. Have you been exposed to sexually alluring materials or allowed your mind to entertain inappropriate sexual thoughts about another this week?
3. Have you lacked integrity in your financial dealings or coveted something that does not belong to you?
4. Have you been honoring, understanding, and generous in your important relationships this week?
5. Have you damaged another person by your words, either behind their back or face to face?
6. Have you given in to an addictive behavior this past week? Explain.
7. Have you continued to remain angry toward another?
8. Have you secretly wished for another’s misfortune?
9. (Your personalized accountability question)?
10. Did you finish the reading and hear from God? What are you going to do about it?
11. Have you been completely honest with me?

The reading is a book of the bible that the small group had agreed to read during the week. By getting together each week and asking these questions helps us all to stay on track during the week for we know we must answer truthfully on Friday evening.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus,
chuck carver (chuck daddy)
Jason's House, Trenton GA

Eating Manna? Again?
One of the things we know about the Children of Israel is they got tired of eating manna and they started whining and complaining about it being "Boring" to eat the same old thing every day. Does that sound like some students you know?

Of course Manna is symbolic of God's Word. I want to quote from page 55 of the Warren Wiersbe commentary...

"Their real problem was that they still had the old appetite and needed to learn to enjoy the new food God had for them...
...Feeding on the manna is also a picture of your daily appropriation of Christ through the Word of God. Just as your food becomes a part of your very being, so the Word strengthens your inner person when you read it, meditate on it and obey it. Just as the Jews could not live on yesterday's manna (if they kept it, the next morning it would stink and be filled with worms), so we cannot live on yesterday's spiritual diet. Begin each day with the Lord, and He will give you what you need for facing the burdens and battle fields ahead."

Here are my thoughts...

1. We can expect "children" to grumble and complain but we know if they do not have a daily diet of the "Manna" from Heaven they will not survive the wilderness of the world.

2. When they complained to Moses, he did not respond by giving up or giving in because he knew they must eat or they would die. When they came to Moses with complaints, Moses went to God in prayer.

3. People often ask me, "When is the best time to get in the Word?" Well in this story they went out to gather the manna early in the morning. If they waited it would melt away. Likewise if we do not take advantage of first thing in the morning, our opportunity could melt away in the heat of our daily pressures and cares of life.

3. Spiritual food is essential for spiritual growth. The manna is God's Word. Not someone's opinion about God's Word. Only by getting students to eating the Word will we see them blossom on the Vine of Christ (John 15).

More from Wiersbe...
"God's Word is food for the inner person. It is Milk (1 Pet. 2:2), bread (Matt. 4:4), meat (1 Cor. 3:1-2; Heb. 5:11-14) and honey (Ps. 119:103). Feeding on the Word should bring joy to our hearts (Jer. 15:16), and we should desire spiritual food more than physical food (Job 23:12; Luke 10:38-42)."

Jesus said "Feed My Sheep". Just as we provide place settings for dinner at the family table - plate, spoon, fork, knife, glass and a napkins; the journals are the place settings for enjoying a daily helping of manna.

When I was a boy mom would make me eat veggies (YUCK!). I would complain and she would tell me, "You would like them if you would just eat them. You have to acquire the taste." I did not believer her for a minute. If it were up to me I would have had a steady diet of ice cream and peanut butter on ritz crackers and wash it all down with Coca-Cola.

Today I love veggies! I can't imagine not having some on the table... Today I love Manna! I can't imagine not feasting on the Word of God every day. Keep doing what you are doing Moses (insert your name here)... Keep feeding my sheep!

Have you ever heard of the “Pygmalion Effect”?
I must credit my pastor for the inspiration behind today’s thought. Several weeks ago in a sermon he mentioned a term that has not crossed my mind since I was a student, “Pygmalion”.

Plenty of research and books are available on the subject and I will not do it justice here, but with a broad stroke, I just need to make a point about how we impact students.  The Pygmalion effect basically refers to situations in which some students perform better than other students simply because they are expected to do so.

In one notable study, teachers were given information that certain students were brighter than others. The purpose of the experiment was to support the hypothesis that students can be influenced by the expectations of their teachers.

The study showed that if teachers were led to expect better performance from some children, then those children did indeed show marked improvement. In some cases, the improvement was about twice that shown by other children in the same class. The improvement was not because of a particular curriculum, but was in fact attributed to the expectation of the teacher.

I have had the privilege of observing youth ministries of all shapes, sizes and cultures. Every time I have found a productive and vibrant group of students, it is inevitable that the leader(s) of the group(s) have a high level of expectation for their students. They believe in them and in their potential for great things (as did Christ for His Disciples).

Unfortunately, what I see most often, are youth leaders who do not believe their students would ever want to share their faith, or have a love for God’s Word, or want to “love their neighbor” by serving them. It breaks my heart to see such low expectations put before one of the most dynamic generations of students to ever live!

Why Youth Leaders Have Low Expectations
Whenever I have questioned leaders with low expectations, if the truth is revealed, they do not want to live by such high standards themselves. I have yet to experience a group of students unwilling to respond to a “Love God, Love People, Share the Gospel” challenge, but I have met many leaders who have literally argued against it.

Jesus’ theme throughout His ministry was to “Love God, Love People, Share the Gospel”. We call it the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Why should we expect less of our students than Christ expects of them? I want to challenge you, weather using the D.I.R.T. Crew identity or your own design, create an expectation of discipleship in the hearts of your students. They will clear the bar no matter how high you place it!

I just want to say, "THANK YOU!" for the many sacrifices you make to minister to students. Sacrifices of your time, your money and your sanity (smile). I know first hand that the labor often goes without notice or appreciation. Your countless hours surrendered to (and surrounded by) students. The late nights and all nights on hard bunks in some far away place. Always giving, always pouring yourself out. You are awesome!

Knowing the sacrifices you make for students, be sure you are investing in the best practices. Be sure you are maximizing your investment. Over the past decade I have had the privilege of observing many youth ministries. Sadly, I often see many working hard, sacrificing, investing but without a good return. Youth budgets are strained and youth leaders are taxed while heads are scratched because the work and the money does not equate to lives changed. When it's all said and done, students are still leaving their faith on the church house steps (why?).

The common denominator I see in almost all high investment/low yield student ministries there is a misconception that we must entertain students. The mistake of thinking we must have the "WOW" factor to get them committed to God. Big events (WOW), big days (WOW), big camps with big names and big budgets (WOW, WOW, WOW)!  All that "WOW" and now let's be honest. Look at your students and tell me, do they display a consistent growth in their faith? Do they desire the things of God? Can they share their faith with passion? Are they making a difference in their realm of influence?

Building youth ministry on entertainment is a recipe for long term failure. Entertainment is like a sugar high that tastes very good but wears off quickly. Entertainment also demands an escalating value. In other words, it must keep getting better to maintain interest. and it produces a very low yield in spiritual growth of students. Now here is the clincher; you will never out-entertain the world. The world's entertainment is more powerful and impacting. Anything you do cannot compete. Have you ever been disappointed when a student found something better to do then come to your "Event"?

I like Romans 12:2 that tells us to not conform to the world but be transformed... So why not transform your student ministry! Don't compete with the world. Instead, give students what the world can't offer. Offer your students the journey of a lifetime as disciples of Jesus Christ! Stop entertaining students and start engaging them. Offer them the adventure of changing the world! The secret formula? "Love God, Love People, Share Christ! It's a philosophy that is God honoring, easy to implement, cost effective, rewarding and will have a lasting impact!