DIRT Blog

When I'm asked "Why do journals?" (because it's the hardest thing to pull-off in youth ministry), my response is that if you don't then I guarantee no one will ever benefit.  BUT, if you do, then some will "get it" and grow spiritually because you introduced them to spending a daily quiet time with God!  

What Happened Wednesday night is Another Great Reason...
So we started the new "Spiritual Journey" 4 week journals in January. On the following Wednesday night I began our first review allowing students to freely talk and ask questions about the journals. I did not know what to expect but was thrilled to see how many were already engaged!

A Very Interesting Question...
As we discussed the journals, one student asked, "Do we have to do the testimony pages in the back?" She went on to express that she accepted Christ at a very early age and could not even remember it. Then she asked if her salvation "...could simply be a growing process that she would fully realize one day?"  Wow, do you see what the journals have accomplished? This student may have never questioned her salvation had she not see that testimony template outlining the different parts of a person's testimony!

A Powerful Teaching Opportunity!
My response to her was that she had asked a very important question that we should address so everyone could better understand how we are saved. The next Sunday morning I did address her question using this outline - click to download PDF. The outline walks through the five parts of the testimony template which will allow me to share with our students how a person is saved according to God's Word.

I am sharing this with you (both the story and outline), to encourage you to promote the "55 Plan" (5 minutes in the Word & 5 minutes in prayer every day) as one of your highest discipling priorities. Remember if you don't, no one benefits - Guaranteed!  The journals are simply a tool that helps students to stay focused on a daily quiet time with God. By the way we have just redesigned them better than ever with some cool new features (click here to see how they look). Let me know if you need to order new ones. If you have old unused journals I will swap them out for new ones!

Keep Loving Students for His Name's Sake!

Want a good starter for teaching on guarding your heart? Here it is...

Proverbs 4:23  “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (NAS)

So I am in the third week of a teaching series on temptation...
Week 1: Hebrews 4:15 Jesus knows how we feel struggling with temptation.
Week 2: Matthew 4:1-11 We're tempted like Jesus, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Week 3: Proverbs 4:20-27 Even a monkey knows you have to guard the gates!

The Illustration: “The Three Wise Monkeys”
The source (picture above) that popularized this pictorial proverb is a 17th century carving over a door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. Together they embody the proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". The three monkeys are:

1. Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil.
2. Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil
.
3. Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.


Did you know there was a fourth Monkey?
Sometimes there is a fourth monkey depicted with the three others; the last one, Shizaru, symbolizes the principle of "do no evil". He may be shown crossing his arms.

Now here is the illustration's Proverb...
It is vitally important to guard our spiritually heart. This is the holy place of who we are. It is the sacred enclosure where we commune with Jesus, the living water, from which "flow the springs of life.” Such an important spiritual wellspring must be guarded from any filth that might contaminate this precious fountain!

In this Proverb passage, chapter 4:20-27, you can find four gates mentioned that have a great impact on our heart and soul. They are the "Ears" what are you hearing? (v.20), "Eyes" what are you seeing? (v.21,25), "Lips" what are you speaking? (v.24), and "Path" what are you doing? (v.26-27). How about that? Just like the Monkeys. Have fun with this one. I plan to this Sunday!

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!

HOW DO YOU REACH THE PARENTS?
That is a tough question. Your ministry is primarily to students but the fact is, it's also an open door into the lives of the entire family, especially the parents. Do you have students whose parents are "Unchurched", "Pre-Christian", "Unsaved" or just plain "Lost"? However you want to describe it, we all know students who attend the youth group alone, love the Lord, love the church experience, but have to return home to a very lonely spiritual life.

YOUR MINISTRY CAN REACH PARENTS
After all, you are probably the only one that has such an open door. You share with those parents something very special... their teenager. Because you are important in that student's life, you now have the parents within your realm of influence, so why not take advantage of that door while it is open to you.

PARENT'S APPRECIATION NIGHT
This is a great way to reach out to all your parents, and especially to those who would never come to church otherwise.  Think about it, everyone wants to be appreciated. So why not have a special event to recognize the parents of your students. Plan a night so special that they cannot not resist attending! Start by sending them a nice invitation (hand addressed, assuring they will open it). In that invitation be sure to mention that you will honor them with a gift, then go anywhere and purchase $5 gift cards for every parent that attends. Yes, ministry cost money! See how creative you can make the gift while keeping within your budget.

Properly planned, this night can also be a great help to you in accomplishing ministry responsibilities like having a Q & A for parents, handing out current schedules and updating permission forms and medical information. I have always used yearly medical and behavioral forms in my ministry, requiring they be notarized and resubmitted around September of each year. The need for notarizing the forms becomes another incentive to get parents to attend on this special night. You let them know that a Notary will be on hand to accomplish this task. Most parents will be compelled to come because of the convenience of an otherwise time consuming chore of finding a Notary.

PLAN THIS TWICE EACH YEAR
March is good because it leads into summer. School will soon be out and parents are looking for ways to keep their students active and busy while they are working each day. So, in March you want to share all your summer plans. I believe many youth pastor/directors miss a great opportunity to grow their ministry by thinking summer should be ramped down instead of up. Take advantage of summer. This is when the students are searching for things to do!

August is also a great time because this leads into a new school year and a new church year. This is the perfect time to draw everyone back in and set the agenda for the coming year. I like to call this the "End of the Summer Party". It's a good opportunity to cast your ministry vision to the parents and provide the schedule for the new year.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Well you can make it whatever you want. Whatever feels right for your world, but remember that you must genuinely love on the parents and appreciate them. Everyone is looking for love and appreciation! With all said, here is a short list of things you can incorporate...

- OPEN MIC talent - Most parents can't resist seeing their student preform on stage.
- DOOR PRIZES - This is a great way to gather information from the parents by providing a registration card to win "Valuable Prizes!"
- PARENT APPRECIATION - Anything from a gift card to a computer generated certificate works. Be creative.
- FOOD - The way to a man's Parent's heart is through their stomach.
- CHRIST - Be sure to present the Gospel in an interesting way. This might be your only opportunity to introduce Christ.

HAVE FUN!
I have conducted many parent appreciation mights and every one was awesome and fun for all. The bottom line is be creative, make it fun, and leave them wanting more by not keeping them too long! Save the refreshments for last which allows some to slip out while others can stay as long as they like.

Now I have one request.  When you do your first "Parent's Appreciation Night" I want to hear all about it. I know you will come up with some great ideas that I can share with others. After all, the D.I.R.T. CREW is your ministry and I want your fingerprints all over 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!