Storytelling is a powerful tool for ministry that is underutilized today.

God is the master creator of our lives who is telling a beautiful story.  The ministry that God is doing in our midst is worth communicating in a way that compels a response of life transformation towards Jesus.

Please check out the presentation I gave at the Drive-Thru Training Conference.

In working with staff and volunteers, I have come to realize how important intentional leadership is necessary.  These are the 3 things that I try to do at every event, camp, and weekend service for my team.

1. Encourage: be your team’s biggest fan.  Motivate and create energy by lifting people up higher than when they showed for your event.  Make them feel better about themselves just for being there.  This attitude will then be passed to your students, creating an environment of encouragement.
2. Affirm: whenever you see something done in the way that matches your ministry’s vision, take 10 seconds to affirm that person.  Affirm the leader engaging the student sitting alone, the leader welcoming by the door, the person who gave a great announcement or led a game well, affirm your guest speakers, or the student leader who included a new student into their group of friends.  Affirming an action that reflects your vision will guarantee it will be done again.
3. Coach: when someone is not quite operating in the way you had hoped, take a minute to course-correct with a simple coaching moment.  The key to this is to still keep it positive.  This is not a time to reprimand or take out months of frustration on a leader.  You cannot change a leader overnight, instead, give consistent feedback that gradually develops the people on your team.

I have been thinking about lot lately about what I am good at.  I am not trying to create a list of things that I can do, or what I like to do, but what I am truly gifted at.  I believe that all of us want to grow, learn, succeed, become better at what we do, accomplish, and be the person that God intended us to be.

But how am I cultivating that?

A good portion of my life is wasted on things unnecessary and dreaming of schemes larger than I am able to grasp.  I want to be one of those people who know who they are and, maybe more importantly, know who they are not.

I watched this video a while back and a single stood out to me.  It was created by Patagonia, an outdoor outfitter and overall activist for ecology and simplicity.

“To be a citizen of the earth is to put one’s brief life to the use of one’s dearest gifts.”

The obvious question is “what are my dearest gifts?”  Dearest is such a brilliant choice of words as well, I love that our gifts are dear to us and that some of them are more emotional than others.  Life was intended to be simple.  Busy with the right stuff.  Complex in the things that you were created to be.

Let us not chase after fasle ambition, selfish desires, or delusions of grandeur.  Lets be who we are.  Lets love in a way that is surprising, be generous in a way that is compelling, and forgive in a way that brings us back to a posture of wonder.

Sometimes knowing what not to do is the greatest learning of all.

A team of all-star high school students put together a charity event at Mariners last night that was absolutely incredible.  It was their dream, their vision. 15 organizations, 5 bands, 4 food trucks, 400 people, hundreds of canned foods, and a wealth of awareness.

It may be my proudest moments as a pastor…seeing those students so passionate about our world and desperate to make a difference.  This is what every youth pastor hopes for; students who get it and go after it…without you! (I had zero responsibilities and wasn’t needed a single time!)

Here are some photos I snapped last night.

Camp is a critical part of the year for a youth ministry.  Here are some lessons that I learned from being at winter camp this past weekend.

• Volunteers make the best pastors. We brought 15 volunteers to spend time with students, and that 1-to-5 ratio makes all the difference in a student’s life.  Our volunteers played hard, slept a little, and personally invested in their kids.
• Take cabin time seriously.  I was amazed at the depth of conversation in my 8th grade cabin.  If you take it serious, they will too.  Model the kind of honesty and thinking that you would like to see.
• Pack extra socks. My feet were wet and cold the entire weekend (which explains the severe cold I am experiencing right now).  We had crazy rain the first day and a foot of snow the second.  Warm, dry socks would have changed my life.
• Go easy on the camp food. Seconds is typically not a good idea.  By Sunday night I saw 3 people puke in the cafeteria…
• Parents love social networking too. We posted photos and videos on our facebook page from our iPhones throughout the weekend.  Our parents got to see what their kids were doing, comment, and interact with us.  The best part was that no student knew it was happening.  The parents were involved and always in the loop.
• Thank You cards are necessary.  When you come home print out the camp photo, add some simple text, hand write a note to each volunteer, and drop them in the mail.  Honoring your volunteers often goes unnoticed, but it shows you love them and could not do this without them.

Loved being with 1500 people today who are impacting our communities! Thanks to all who showed up to the Effective Volunteer Leadership session. I was encouraged by your vulnerability, your creativity, and sense of humor.

Go be the community you want your students to have!

Effective Volunteer Teams_TYC

It’s not a coincidence that from the windows of the courtroom you can see the county jail.  My recent civil imprisonment has taught me several lessons that I wish to share with you today.

A good chair is a wise investment. I have spent 59 hours in a jury seat thus far and the chairs are surprisingly comfortable.  Excellent cushion, swivel, and lean-back capabilities make all the difference.

Misery really does love company. The bond created between people suffering together is unique and powerful.  I know things about these people that I don’t even know about my coworkers.  A painful shared experience is just as beneficial as a positive one.

Turkey sandwiches are king. I have eaten my way through the menu here and turkey takes the cake.  If you are looking to spice up this traditional favorite, try the hot Turkey and Cranberry.

Being around non-believers is good for my soul. I have had some of the most profound and challenging conversations with my fellow jury members.  It has reminded me how much I love talking about God to people from different faiths and backgrounds.

I hate eating alone. Especially when surrounded by lawyers meeting with clients discussing divorce settlements and child custody.  The dining room at the court house really is a sad place.

I love my job. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by talented people who desire to serve God.  I also love a job that allows me to get out of my chair whenever I want.

In the end, I cannot believe that I was selected for a trial, especially one that will span over a month of my life.  So here’s to lengthy appeals, frustrating objections and a fresh reminder of how much I love junior high ministry.  5 more days to go.

The story of the church should be a human voice that inspires and educates.  I recently read a chapter from Patagonia’s Let My People Go Surfing that created a conversation within my staff.

Patagonia is a company that prides itself on being passionate about the natural world, a love for human-powered sports, respect for adventure, and clothes that do nothing to hinder the lifestyle of it’s shoppers.  They also believe that their customers are people who don’t shop for entertainment, are not looking to junk up their life, or be the target of aggressive advertising (Sadly, I find myself deeply compelled to wear their clothes so that people will think that I am deep, simple, and refusing to buy into consumerism.  Their brilliant marketing has worked.).  This is Patagonia’s story.

What does it mean to tell the story of the church?

Most people outside the church would describe the Church as being a judgmental group that destroys all fun in the world and creates a standard of living designed for us to fail.  But we are people who believe the church is a living, breathing community bonded together by trying to follow Jesus.

The junior high world consists of trying to be cool, spending money on items that will make them look cool, and talking like people who they think are cool.  How does the church fit into that lifestyle?

We inspire and educate.  Following Jesus is about loving your neighbor, serving the broken, and being loved by God even though we don’t deserve it.  The story of the church is one of brokenness and redemption, exile and return.  Junior high students need to find their story and how it is fully connected and intertwined with God’s story.  That is the church.