Stepping Stone

Earlier today I had a conversation with our church secretary about her son graduating, families moving away, and new students joining the youth ministry program. During the conversation I mentioned off hand that I was in the ministry of constant turn over. Every year a number of students move into the ministry, and at the same time, other students transition out due to moving or graduation. Youth ministry is almost always in a state of transition or change. It would come to no one's surprise that this is true; This is not a giant revelation or an earth shattering phenomenom, simply a fact of youth ministry. It is this reality that got me thinking about the nature of youth ministry and christianity in general.

Recently on a youth mission trip I led to Oklahoma I had the privilege and blessing of meeting several great people involved in life changing ministries. Some were hard working people learning to move on after a disaster, others worked for non-profits, and still others were old youth ministers that had "moved up" into the senior pastor position for the church. But the one I want to focus on, and the one that stood out to me the most, is Roger. Roger had been in youth ministry for thirty years. Thirty years. And what's more is he has been at the same church for all thirty of those years. I was humbled and honored to sit down and listen to stories of wisdom and experience from a man who had spent his whole life sharing the love of Christ with teens. It was simply mind blowing for me to think about how Roger had been doing youth ministry over ten times longer than me. What was even more astounding for me to think about was how kids in Roger's youth group had grown up, got married, and their kids were now in Roger's group. I could only imagine the special relationship that would form in these families as both parent and kid shared the same youth minister. Not even including the rough transition his church is going through, Roger is a testament to faith and perseverance in ministry. He serves as an example of what ministry can be. But more than that he got me thinking about what it means to follow Jesus. 

I think people like Roger should be the standard for youth ministry, not the exception. I love to hear about someone who has faithfully served in youth ministry for many years when so many churches and/or positions out there seem to have high turnover rates. People like Roger are in youth ministry for life because that is where God has called them to be. Many times I hear of youth ministers who use their positions as starting points, where their ultimate goal is to become a preacher. I have nothing against people who want to be preachers, or youth ministers who become preachers. Many of my good friends and mentors have done just that. What I don't like is the view that youth ministry is a stepping stone for bigger and better ministries. I believe youth ministry is a stepping stone, but for those we minister to, not the minister themselves. Let me explain. 

Youth ministries are in constant flux. Kids move in and kids move out. This is a reality of the job. As youth minister I am constantly involved in the lives of kids who will move on, who will leave. My job is not to get them to stay, my job is to help them move on to the next chapter or phase of life. Whether they are a part of the ministry for 6 years or 6 weeks, my goal is always to point to God, to help others move towards Him wherever they go next.  I think this is true of all areas of ministry, but more than that, I think this is true of the Christian life in general. Christ calls us to be last, to put others before ourselves. I think this means being a stepping stone. Not letting people walk all over you, but letting people use you to get closer to God. Not leveraging your power or status to boost yourself farther up the ladder, but to propel others farther down the path. The object and purpose of our lives should be helping others step into who and what they were made to be.

Youth ministry needs to be about the long haul. Its more than providing teens or a church with stability. Its about demonstrating what it means to follow Jesus, Its about about being a stepping stone. Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch

Be Thou My Vision

If you didn't notice, it rained a lot last week. Perhaps you didn't think that the amount of rain was that significant, but coming from a San Antonio resident (a place where rain is more of a fairy tale than reality), it was a lot of rain. Also coming from someone who drove in it, there was a lot of rain. There is no way to experience rain quite like driving in it.

That being said, I hate driving in the rain. There are other things I dislike more, but driving in the rain is near the top. The only thing that makes it worse is driving in the rain at night. Both of these qualifications were met last weekend as I traveled home. You can imagine my joy. As you may or may not realize driving at night limits visibility, and when you add rain to darkness, your already limited visibility decreases even more. When your dealing with several thousand pound death machines all moving at high speeds around each other, visibility becomes vitally important. So windshield wipers were invented. An ingenious idea that helps clear your windshield of water to help you see. Of course visibility is not perfect, but it is better than having no windshield wipers.

The catch is, they kinda have to work to be effective. Mine were not working. Now they were moving correctly, but the wiper part was not really wiping. Instead of clearing my windshield of excess water, mine just smeared it around more, which was less than helpful in a construction zone with narrow uneven lanes.

It occurred to me that windshield wipers are not things I routinely check. Because it does not always rain. Out of sight out of mind. Most of the time I can see clearly. But every now and again a storm rolls along and obstructs my vision. Now obviously the wipers don't stop, eliminate, or get rid of the storm, they just help my vision in the storm. A few days ago I was asked this question by a man I respect and trust:

"What is your vision for ________ ?"

The question blew me away, caught me off-guard, and I stammered like an idiot. I wasn't really sure how to answer, because I wasn't really sure what my vision was. Most of the time I don't think about my vision, because the weather is fair so to speak. I can move through life without having to worry about it, because things are going well, moving along without a hitch. But then storms come your way, and if your vision is not clear, you can become quite destructive. Now maybe you won't crash, but your journey will definitely be more difficult, slow going, and frustrating. And with poor vision you don't just put yourself in jeopardy, but those around you as well. If you can't see where you are going you are not going to get there.

I'm calling for a wiper check so to speak. I think it's time we stop and ask ourselves the question: "What is my vision?" What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish? What and where is God calling you to go or do? What paths are you going to take to get there? What is your vision? Doing a wiper check, taking time to evaluate, define, or establish vision won't make problems go away, but it will help when your life gets dark, or you run into a storm, or both happen at the same time

When problems arise, when the circumstances are less than pleasant, having a clear vision keeps you on track; helps keep you focused on where you are going and what you are doing. Obstructed vision will derail anyone, and could easily be prevented. You may think you're fine, but would't it be better to know you are. It's time for a wiper check. It's time to ask hard questions, and maybe make some tough decisions and even changes. In the long run you'll be glad you did. Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch

The Test Drive

No search for a new vehicle would be complete without it. There is just something about it that draws us in. The quest for the perfect car, the right fit. You have to drive it so you know when it feels right. We press on through all obstacles in search of the perfect opportunity; where everything meets up in the best possible way. I have had my fair share of test drives recently, and with them my fair share of adventures and stories. I encountered plenty of interesting people on this journey, but the following story takes the cake. This story only further proves my life could be the subject for a sitcom. Anyone interested in either purchasing the rights to my life stories, or partnering with me in writing this show, contact me. Here is the story:

After work one evening I drove to the other side of town to a dealership in order to look at vehicle. I had studied up on the vehicle for a few days, and after finding one for a decent price in the category I was interested in, I headed south to what would hopefully be the car of my dreams. The place was an absolute zoo. I guess it was go look at a car day, which besides being the worst name for a holiday ever, was just my luck. There was not a salesman or representative to spare to show me around or get me into the car I came to see. So I decided to scout out the lot myself. After wandering around for 15 minutes, I had not found the car I came looking for and was just about to leave, when I heard an "Excuse me Sir!" call out behind me. I turned to see an older gentleman heading my way. His tussled grey hair and disorganized stack of papers told me right away he would be no help, but I knew I would never find car without help, so I took the bait. After introducing himself as Mark I informed the man of the make, model, color, mileage, VIN and stock numbers, and every know relative of the car I was looking for and waited for him to introduce us. After several minutes or rummaging and murmuring through his paper work it is determined that the vehicle I came to see is not on the lot, but in fact on a different lot. Mark went inside to check and make sure the other lot had the car, and after 20 more minutes of waiting alone outside, I decided I would go check out the other lot by myself. Thanks to my smart phone I found the lot just around the corner. When questioned why I was there (obviously they had visitors often...) I told them I came from the other lot and they put two and two together. They told me I was free to look at the car, but the keys were missing which meant one thing: more waiting. After they found the keys they turned on the car, but I was told I had to wait some more until Mark the "salesman" from the first lot made his way over. So me and the running car waited patiently in the heat of the evening. When Mark finally arrived, we were off. As I started to ask Mark questions about the car he was unable to answer, I decided to steer the conversation toward a subject he would know: himself. At the very least it would avoid awkward silences. He had already proven to be an interesting character, so the conversation had a lot of promise. Plus I told Mark I really just wanted to see how the car drove. We had only gone two blocks, when I noticed that the gas light was on with full force, signalling to me that the drive should soon come to an end. But not to Mark. He instructed me to turn onto the highway and "open her up." So I did. About 1.5 miles later, and almost immediately after Mark said "I probably should have brought the gas card..." the car started chugging and promptly ran out of gas. As Mark tried to find the number to call the dealership, I pushed the car to the side of the road and figured out our location. When Mark finally got a hold of someone to let them know we ran out of gas and were stuck on the side of the road I realized a few things: 1) This had not turned out how I planned 2) I did not want this car 3) the only option now was to wait  (again) and 4) might as well keep talking to Mark. So Mark and I continued our conversation and I found out everything there was to know about him. We exchanged thoughts on life perspectives and why things happen, and before long (45 minutes) we received just enough gas to make it back to the car lot.

What started out as the perfect opportunity to get a good reliable car, turned into something else entirely. I don't really remember what I said that afternoon, but Mark called me the following day, not about the car, but to thank me for the conversation we had. Apparently it was the perfect opportunity, just not in the way I originally thought. This reminds me of a similar story.

In the sixteenth chapter of the book of Acts we see Paul and Silas out doing their thing: preaching the gospel and takin' names. They went to Philippi and met a woman who instantly responded to the gospel. It would seem that this place was the perfect opportunity to live out what God was calling them to. It so happened that also while they were there they ran across a slave-girl possessed by a demon. Apparently this girl followed them around for a couple of days and became rather annoying. Having had enough of demon girl, Paul exercises the demon in the name of Jesus and prepared to go back to business as usual. But wouldn't you know it, the owner of the slave was not very happy about all of that and had Paul and Silas thrown in prison. How do they respond? They just start singing and praying. Now the passage doesn't say this, but I imagine (based on a story in chapter 12 about Peter) that both the jailbirds and the Christians in the town were praying for their safe and quick release. I mean they had come to the town to preach the gospel after all. In the middle of the night the un-explainable happened. There was a massive earthquake that broke open all the cells and released all the restraints. Hallelujah! An answer to prayer! Here was the opportunity of a life time! They could run for the hills and escape their imprisonment! And everyone did...except Paul and Silas. The perfect opportunity arises, what anyone would have wanted, but they don't leave--they stay. God had other plans. God used the moment to introduce Jesus to the jailer and his family. So in fact it was the perfect opportunity, and was even in line with the spread-the-gospel plan, it just looked different than anyone expected.

I wonder how many times I miss the opportunities God places in front of me because I am too busy looking for them. Its hard to accept that my idea of the perfect opportunity and God's idea may not the same. Maybe  it takes an earthquake or running out of gas with a stranger to make us realize it. The next time you are in the middle of the "perfect opportunity" stop and ask God if it really is. You might just stumble into something better

Trash Collectors & Firefighters

It has come to my attention that my role as youth minister takes on many forms. Some of these forms are glamorous and some are not. Some forms are fun and others not so much. Still other forms come easily to me and some others I have to work on. But this is not a post about what it looks like to be a youth minister or pastor. This is a reflection on what two of those roles say about Christian culture. The two roles are trash collector and firefighter.

The first role of trash collector, more commonly referred to as garbageman, is exactly what you think it is: one who collects or picks up or takes care of trash. As a nation we produce over 250 million tons of garbage (solid waste) each year. Don't worry I haven't been talking to Al Gore, this isn't a save the environment type of post. Just by examining the world for a week, you would probably agree that we throw a lot of stuff away. When something breaks, or gets old, or whatever we throw it out and get a new one. After awhile all that trash starts to pile up. Before long it will start to smell, and we expect someone to take care of it. And someone does, well at least for all our physical trash. But working in ministry, and even before that, I have noticed that people carry around a lot of junk. Broken relationships, disappointment, anxiety, fears, just a lot of hurt. Going through life we pick stuff up, some good, but a lot of bad. I find that most of the time we don't know what to do with all the hurt. There isn't a white bag to put it in, and guys in trucks don't come to take it away. So we carry it, and it piles up, and it starts to smell, until we can't take it anymore, until we are crushed by the weight. So I find that I play the role of garbageman, helping people get rid of the inner-garbage in their lives. I have talked to plenty of people who carry around lots of pain, you wonder how they even walk around. I can't really get rid of the junk, but I can help direct people to the cross where all that trash is abolished by the power of Jesus.

The other role is fireman. Now I realize fireman is not politically correct, but I don't really care. Not really sure how many fires take place across america, or the world, each year but I'm gonna guess that it's a lot. Fires are serious business. Over four thousand people die in house fires every year. Fires may start out small but they spread and grow quickly, often in unpredictable ways. So we send in brave men and women to rescue people from danger and stop the danger from hurting others. But a lot of times there are other fires in our lives that don't get put out. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but when you work or interact with people there is bound to be friction at some point. Disagreements, differing opinions, misunderstandings, what have you they all create friction. According to Bear Grylls you can use friction to create fire, and friction surely creates fires in relationships with people. Like real fires, if they don't get put out, they will destroy relationships, or at the very least leave them severely hurt and/or disfigured. When unchecked people's anger can grow out of control and people get hurt, bridges get burned. So I play the role of firefighter, putting out fires before people hurt others, or themselves.

I hope one day we can live without these metaphorical garbage men and firefighters. I think these roles reflect some things about how we live our lives as Christians. I believe they are enabling us to live less than we were created for.  Lets think about why we need garbage collectors. Obviously we have garbage that needs to be taken care of. But why do we have garbage? We go through life picking up or buying stuff we don't really need with little thought to who will take care of it when we throw it out. Or we just throw things out that could still be of use. We just consume for the sake of it. For whatever reason we are dissatisfied with what we have, and try to replace it with something we will just end up throwing out as well. This attitude transfers directly into our Christian walk. We all get involved with things we shouldn't or pick up habits that are less than beneficial with little thought to the filth it creates in our lives, let alone what to do with it when we finally realize the burden or smell. The problem isn't with what we have, but with us. And what about fires? Granted not every fire is caused by man in the same way garbage is, but a lot are. And when they are, the cause is underestimating or neglecting the danger or power fire has. Is it any different in our relationships? Underestimating or neglecting feelings or people's anger causes things to escalate out of control.

Really it is just a selfish way to live. Doing whatever we want just counting on someone else to take care of the mess, or rescue us if things get out of control. It's selfish and does more damage than good. Both trash collectors and firefighters allow us to just react to problems instead of being proactive and stop them from even happening. What if we took a look at what we had before we start looking for meaning or fulfillment in more things or other places. What if we took more responsibility for how we live and interact with others? What would it look like to take on a recycle type mindset in our christian walk? Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch.

The Best Part Of Waking Up

Just in case this is not common knowledge, I used to work in a coffee shop. I learned a lot over my 2.5 years of working there, but still don't know that much about coffee. I did however learn more about people and how most of them believe they need coffee to survive. Much the same way a car runs on gasoline, the college students who came in were just trying to keep going. Whether it was early in the morning or late into the night, coffee provided the sustenance needed to function. And it is not just college kids, I have noticed that older adults have the same dependence on the bean based beverage, many of them unable "to be myself" or "act decent/civil" without ingesting at least one cup. The addiction runs deep.

Don't get me wrong, I am no tea-drinking King George loyalist. I drink coffee just like any true red blooded American. I take it black and drink it summer or winter rain or shine. I only drink tea iced and sweet like normal people. I find myself buying into this idea that without coffee, I can't make it. Drinking it when I wake up, and sometimes at night to stay awake. I find myself believing that i need the caffeine to function, because doesn't everyone? I can stay up as late as needed/I want to with help from coffee, and still get up early with the help of coffee. I can even eat food that makes me feel sluggish, because after all I have coffee.

Then I get a good night's sleep. I wake up feeling ready to tackle the day, and skip the cup of coffee. I feel alert and productive and go the whole day without drinking the coffee; a feat I previously thought impossible. I begin to wonder why I even drink coffee, and I slowly start to realize that coffee is a crutch. I can treat my body however I want--deprive myself of sleep, eat junk that does not provide me energy, work too much--because if I feel tired I can just drink some coffee. I can also be irresponsible--procrastinate work to the point I have to stay up all night doing it, or wake up super early to do it--because who needs sleep when I have coffee. Coffee is an excuse to live however I want with seemingly no real consequences.

I wonder if that is how I approach other things in my life. I wonder if I treat church like that? Do I just live however I want to, because after all I go to church on Sunday, that makes me a Christian, I'm on the "good" list. Do I treat Jesus like that? Do I live however I want to because, in the end, Jesus will just forgive me?

Paul asks a similar situation in the book of Romans. He writes in Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

It seems to me, that Jesus isn't a fall back, or a safety net. Just like with coffee, I can't just do whatever I want and not expect consequences. I have to take care of my body if I want to get the most out of it. Jesus' forgiveness is not an excuse to do whatever makes me feel good, or get my way; it is a gateway into a new way of life, a better more fulfilling way of life.

This is not a post to get you stop drinking coffee. This is just a musing of a modern-day sasquatch

The Cloud

Technology never ceases to amaze me. Microsoft and Apple both have some version of "cloud" software or computing that enables you to fetch, share, and work on files from any of your devices from anywhere. I don't really know how it works, but my understanding is that if there was a file I had on my computer at the office that I needed when I was at home, I wouldn't have to drive up there to get it. and vice versa. Its new, its fresh, its exciting. Basically this cloud concept is changing the way we use computers.

If only we had something as interesting when it comes to our faith. Maybe we do

This week my attention has been turned to Hebrews chapter 11--mainly because I told my students to look at that chapter this week, and what kind of youth minister (let alone human being) would I be if I did not spend some time there myself. Hebrews chapter 11 is the infamous "Faith Hall of Fame" chapter. The chapter starts with a simple definition of faith, and then gives that definition more depth by listing example after example of people throughout the Bible who lived that definition out. The chapter is made more powerful by statements like the following:

These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, 

but never received the tangible fulfillment of God’s promises

The whole list of people is honored for being real examples of "walking by faith," and not one of them saw the fulfillment of God's promises here on earth. For each person mentioned and referenced on the list faith was more than something they had, it was who they were. The chapter ends by telling us that God has something greater planned than seeing the fulfillment of the promises in our lifetimes, we get to become a part of something greater, connected to these faith giants. The Message translation puts it like this 

"God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours."

This idea continues into the next chapter. The writer urges his readers to press on, to continue to run the race, to make our way towards Jesus each and every day. The writer says we can do this despite obstacles that stand in our way because of the "great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on. In our efforts to align our lives with Jesus', we have a whole cloud of witnesses at our fingertips. 


God planned for us to be connected, and through Jesus, we are. What if this connection to the faith giants of old was like the cloud computing we have access to today. That wherever we are, whatever we are going through, whether good times or bad, we could draw upon the faith and strength of those who have come before us, especially Jesus the "author and perfecter" of our faith. My question is, who else is in your cloud? Who else is in this network of faith whose strong example strengthens you? Who in your life can you call on?  Who else spurs you on? I firmly believe that our cloud should continue to grow. But I also believe that we need to keep another question in mind: whose cloud are you in? Who draws upon your example of faith? Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch

Decelerated Reader

You never know who you're going to see when you go back to your hometown. Recently at a garage sale I ran into one of my old teachers from seventh grade. Apart from thinking that this was probably the last individual on earth I expected to see, I was also reminded of something else:

After seventh grade I stopped reading.

I did not stop reading all together. I still read billboards, subtitles on TV, menus at restaurants, or any other normal printed things we read every day. But I'm not talking about those things, I'm talking about books.Up until seventh grade I loved to read, and always had a book going. I loved feeding my ravenous imagination with new thoughts, and characters, and adventures. But that all stopped in seventh grade.

No one held a gun to my head, I didn't go blind, and my school didn't start burning books. I decided that I hated books and never wanted to read one again. I continued to "read" for school assignments, but even that was questionable at best and excruciatingly painful. I simply wanted nothing to do with books ever again. But how could something that had been so central to my life, be cast aside so flippantly?

Well it was not a spur of the moment decision. It all goes back to that teacher in seventh grade and a horrible program called Accelerated Reader (AR). I'm sure AR started out with good intentions: get kids interested and excited about reading books. For kids like me it was a great excuse to read things I liked and get prizes for doing it. But in seventh grade, this fell apart. My whole life I was in the advanced classes in school. But when I got to seventh grade they tried to split us up in just one course, Reading, and mix us in with other kids. Maybe they thought we would help motivate the other kids to learn, I don't know. All I do know is that it was a horrible experiment. It was not an even split. Three of us were removed from our place in the advanced class and were dumped in what could be best described as a remedial Reading class. This experience made me hate reading. It was awful. I still have nightmares...

My decision was not without consequences. I guess somehow I justified my actions by thinking I would prove something, or displace those who had "wronged" me. In truth I ended up only hurting myself. The biggest consequence was learning to take short-cuts; to get by without putting in all the effort I should. CliffsNotes can seem like your best friend. At first this may seem really impressive considering some of the papers I received "As" on in college over books I didn't read. But you can't take short cuts on everything in life. Like relationships, or even Koine Greek. You put in "C" level effort, you get "C" level results. You can only get by on luck, or charm, or raw talent for so long. Faking it often ends up in a masquerade of a life. When I think back on all the things that I learned or the things that really matter, the only ones I remember are the ones I put forth effort on.

I guess I thought I deserved more, that I was entitled to something better. And when it was not given to me the way I expected, I walked away. I left it behind. I know I was only in 7th grade, but it was still pretty childish. I wonder if I still act this way at times. I wonder about this false sense of entitlement. I wonder if my relationships with others fall into this pattern. I wonder if I view my relationship with God like this sometimes. Do I feel entitled to receive his grace, forgiveness, or blessing? And when it doesn't turn out the way I want, do I turn my back and try to find fulfillment on my own or through short-cuts? Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch