Meth

I read this today…”If you are the youth minister of 30 students, three of your students have probably been offered meth before and one student may have actually tried it. And if the average teenager who has tried meth did so by age 12, then it is not just an issue affecting youth groups but children’s ministries as well.”I try to stay up on culture, I read mtv.com everyday. I even buy new jeans every couple years so students think I am cool on Wednesday nights, but this stuff always catches me off guard.You can read the post on churchrelevance.com or the original CBS News report here.

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Job Description of a youth pastor

When people find out that I do youth ministry full time, they always ask me what I do to fill 40 hours a week. (I plan in an upcoming post to outline a normal week for me, but stay tuned for that)

Anyway, when they question me this makes me think think two things.

1) 40 Hours? Try 50-70:)
2) I wish they could follow me for a week.

Here is what tomorrow will look like

8:30-Meet with those leading Middle Hour Celebration to make sure testimonies, music, and service run smoothly.
8:45-Attend First worship service
10:00-Middle Hour Celebration service in which I will lead music and interview Operation Barnabas students.
11:15-Lead a meeting for HSM small group leaders
12:30-Hang, hook up, install stage lighting in new youth room while trying to eat lunch
2:00-Praise band practice for Wednesday night…hopefully the lights are hung or coming to a close by than
5:00-7:00-Prayer meal for our student ministry with the inner circle

That is why pastors take a day “off” during the week, because Sunday is a workday.

Wednesday Night Recap

thought I would do a recap like you will see Kurt do after most Sundays.

Attendance: Below Average
Lesson Topic: Reel Life:Looking at life through the movies-Week 4, Reel Working
Fun Factor: Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average-I dropped the ball
Music: Below Average-We had some tuning issues, etc.
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 17 minutes
Student Response: Above Average…many signed up to work in our children’s ministry

This was the first Wednesday of the year that I was genuinely mad at myself. Much will change over the next week in how I prepare. Still getting used to a shift in what a night looks like and all it entails with technology, etc.

New Look

Oh snap, it looks like someone has done some 5th grade level graphic design and  made themself a banner for the top of their blog.  Eventually I will get this blog all the way I want and make a good banner, but for now what you see if all you get.

The Bachelor

Long time followers of my blog know that my wife watches the bachelor like she needs it to get into heaven. Long time followers of my blog will also know that I like to tease her and mock the show and its subculture.As tradition would have I am sitting here blogging while she asks why I am not watching.So far the dumbest line a girl has said to the guy is “they told me you would be hot but I didn’t think I would need a fire extinguisher.” Are you kidding me? How is this on TV. Here we go for another season, bring it on ABC!

Back to my roots

Saturday night me and some other crazy HSM people went to watch our man Gunther Beam race at Columbus Speedway in the Value City 150. Gunther was doing awesome until someone hit him and spun him out and wrecked his engine. The good news is that we still had fun because we all dressed up like hicks. I even grew some new facial hair. Here is a pic!

OUTWARD FOCUS

One thing I want and pray for HSM @ Grace Church is that we will be outward focused. I have had this modeled to me and believe that evangelism has to drive the church. For us to accomplish anything in Christ we have to look outside ourselves and when you do that you are serving and reaching people.

It is so exciting to me that I see our group taking steps. We have had tons of new visitors thus far in the school year, we are developing a healthy group image in our area and high school, and People are sharing their faith.

1) Last night a couple of our guys led a guy to the Lord who has come for the last two weeks. We got him a bible and his small group leader is already setting the pace to make sure he is discipled and followed up on.

2) A girl recently shared a story that her and a friend went and sat with a new girl over lunch who had been sitting alone for the first two weeks of school and have continued to do so getting to know her better.

3) Two other guys in our group have been sharing with a friend who is struggling with mutilation and I really think God is gonna do something big.

You ever feel like you are right on the edge of something big? I can’t wait to see God use our students to draw people to himself and glorfiy His name.

The “New” Platinum

I was talking to Brandon yesterday and as it often does our conversation turned to music. We talked about how we think the RIAA shold change their certification for gold, platinum, and diamond album sales. The reason being that illegal downloading and file sharing has so crippled the music industry to the point where album sales are like not even half of what they used to be and it is getting worse by the year and the month.

Think about this, no cd has sold more than 10 million since Usher’s Confessions in 2004. Remembers just 6-7 years ago when anything that said Britney or N sync/Backstreet Boys could go diamond. Even people who were successful could sell 3-4 million as an afterthought.

Now the two biggest people in music/entertainment Justin Timberlake and Kanye West have to push 5 singles to get to three million. The only albums that have hit 6 million in the last 3 years are huge albums. you have Nickelback, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, and Carrie Underwood. Those are albums that dominated culture and would have sold 12 million easily just 8 years ago.

I suggest that all certifcations be cut by at least 25%. A gold record would sell like 350,000 and Platinum would be 750,000 Diamond would have to be 6 million because that seems to be the magical stopping point for everyone. Maybe I am crazy but since the landscape has changed in baseball with more success and people started talking about moving the home run fence back, I thought I should bring this up too.

Entertainment update

Because I consider it my job to tell the world. Jay-Z is coming out with his second album in a year.
Oh and in case you live in a cave or don’t have electricity and haven’t heard about the Kanye/50 Cent battle, the results are in.

Holy cow!

I had a rough morning.  I was just down.  Sometimes in ministry it is weird to stop and think about everything.  I was putting to much weight on what I do and decisions I make and Me, Myself and I. I just read this and I am so pumped right now. I had goosebumps throught the whole passage. Do yourself a favor and go read it.