FACEBOOK NATION

OK, so if you are not a FACEBOOK kind of person, you are going to feel a bit antiquated in the world of adolescents. Since I saw this coming many years back (ok, so Walt Mueller told me about it), I joined Facebook just to see what others were doing. It felt like I was graduating from MySpace with the tassle turned to a whole new world openning up.

Confession, The fastest way to reach me is still on my mobile phone (24/7 except for a 1hr. work-out & 2 min. shower), next is by texting me, next an email and finally Facebook. I would catogorize myself as a cultural user - ie: dont really need it, like it but could do without it. Usefull, yes, worth the upkeep - not so much. But hey, if you want to be culturally relevant and teach others who work with students to at least give the apperarenc of relevancy, you gotta be on Facebook - at least until twitter becomes a household name. So, for now we are a Facebook nation with a Twitter curiosity. I would not mind having one less thing to learn in our every changing culture of technology

We are ministering to: The Most Connected, Yet most alone Generation in history. How is that the case when they seem to be connected to everything and everyone? Because students today are connected electronically rather than being connected relationally.

A bit of Facebook trivia to make you feel relevant!

Facebook, formerly The Facebook, is a free-access social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. The website's name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of a campus community that some Universities and prep schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff as a way to get to know other people on campus.

Mark Zucherberg founded Facebook while he was a student at Harvard University. Website membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges and Stanford Univeristy. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 175 million active users worldwide.

It is estimated that 13 percent of Facebook customers access the site using their phones.

Facebook already has applications on devices such as Apple's iPhone and the BlackBerry, which let users post updates and send messages to their friends. The company is working with phone makers to tie Facebook more closely to mobile devices, allowing users to merge their phone contacts with their Facebook friends.

Who knows one day, we may not even have Deacon's Meetings, we might just Facebook our thoughts on the Wall!

Barna.org Challenges us with Stats

What expectations do teens have about attending church?

45% Worship or make a connection with God.
42% Better understand what I believe
34% Spend time with friends
34% Get encouraged or inspired
30% Volunteer to help others.

What do teens learn from their experiences in church? (top four answers)

65% Moral and ethical standards
62% Relationships
55% Faith traditions
50% Personal evangelism

Prayer . . . Essential

"A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God." - Leonard Ravenhill

My oldest son is part of a prayer group of men. I thought I would share with you an adapted version of his encouragement to them, to me and now to you.

John Piper reminds us about a pressing and essential ingredient to life in his book: Let the Nations Be Glad.

"Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. What have millions of Christians done? We have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no watching, no vigilance. No strategic planning. Just easy peace and prosperity. And what did we do with our war-time walkie-talkie (prayer line to God)? We tried to rig it up as an intercom in our houses and cabins and boats and cars - not to call in firepower for conflict with a mortal enemy but to ask for more comforts in the den."

As we go through out our day, I encourage you apply the urgency and persistence of prayer that Piper stresses. I pray that you will continue in and out of a perpetual state of prayer - whether at work, the gym, driving, or in the comfort of our home. But let me remind you as I remind myself - let's try to commit at least 10 minutes of prayer time alone to God (minimal). I'm talking about alone in our room or home with no one else around just you and the Lord. Consider praying out loud even (it keeps me from being side tracked). We must realize how desperately in need of Him we are and we can't afford to go without prayer. We simply cant afford and don't have time to leave out prayer!

In Ephesians 6:17-18 Paul makes the connection between the life of war and the work of prayer. "Take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." Notice how it says in 17 - "take the sword of the spirit.... praying"! So how does verse 17 say we are to wield the Word? - By prayer!

Just pointing out the obvious connection between war-time and the work of prayer. Have a great day on the battlefield boys! My prayer time will be at 10:00am sharp. How bout you?!

A prayer from A.W. Tozer in "The pursuit of God":
"Lord teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, "Speak, for thy servant heareth." Let me hear the speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of the earth die away and the only sound will be music of Thy speaking voice. Amen!"

Fingertip Porn

Recently the expert culture watcher, Walt Mueller was conducting a Q&A session with parents. One of the parents from the audience asked Walt what he felt was the single most impacting cultural change that those who live with and serve youth should be most concerned about. His answer is no surprise but a sober reminder to us all. He said: "As a husband, father of two girls and two boys, and a youth culture-watcher, I would have to say that one of the cultural changes that concerns me the most is the growing volume, pervasiveness and accessibility of online pornography. It's shaping how an entire generation is thinking about themselves, about others and about the wonderful God-given gift of their sexuality. And to be honest, where I think it's leading our kids is very, very frightening."
I know that I do not have to remind you that our culture is indeed shaping those we love and serve more and more towards a self absorbed, pleasure seeking, self excusing, egocentric group of whinners. I know you know and I know that you know I know you know and I know that you know that I know you know I know.
But more and more we see students AND parents who want something for nothing and then complain when it requires some effort on their part. We don't want to EARN it, we would rather just HAVE it.
We blame the system, the govt., the "man" (whoever the "man" is) and then wonder why our students seem to abort responsibility and perseverance.
I offer TWO insights for practicum:
1. Teach students to take pride in and personal responsibility for all they do, see, hear and participate in.
2. Teach students that the truth of Christ and His teachings are absolute, irreversable, binding and full of grace.

Small Effort, Big Difference

At some point all of us have been annoyed by a persistent little pest.

I am not talking about the overprotective, high maintenance parent that likes to bend your ear before and after every ministry event. I am talking about Genus Anopheles, the most common mosquito found in North America. These little blood suckers are normally not a problem due to our indoor work life, insect repellents and outdoor spray control programs. But have you ever been in a dark room, eyelids in the resting position, drifting peacefully off to sleep when suddenly you hear it. A buzz, then more buzzing, closer and closer until your position is compromised. At that moment you know unless you deal with this little problem, your chance for a peaceful night's rest is wishful thinking.

The truth is, every youth leader feels small and insignificant at some point. When your moment comes or returns, remember that even a small effort can make a big difference.

So, write that encouraging note, send that personal email, prepare that lesson, stop by the game on your way home, show up at the pep rally and keep on praying . . . because in God's economy small is relative. Small persistent investments in His hands can produce huge dividends.

May God supply you with the confidence found in II Corinthians 9:10 "Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; "

The Superman Syndrone

No, I am not talking about your Intern staff or the effect your last successful ministry event had on your psyche. I am referring to the invisible shield that surrounds the adolescent with regards to his/her perceived consequences for actions.
Like a private tattoo engraved just below the surface, there is a marking on the chest of every adolescent, a symbol and reflection of developmental stage and attitude. Although it arrives at different times, rest assured that between ages 14-17 nearly 100% have been imprinted.

Just beneath his shirt/her blouse there is a giant "S" tattooed. Superman and Wonderwoman are alive and well. In fact, it is the primary reason why teens don't "get" it when they are given advice, guidance or warnings. They consequences are for someone else, anyone else, and someone other than them, but not them. He/she is the exception, the ONE to whom the law of gravity and the law of action and reaction (Newton's Third Law of Motion) does not apply.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object. The direction of the force on the first object is opposite to the direction of the force on the second object. Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.
Students tend to develop this natural sense of "that won’t happen to me" mentality when it comes to a variety of risky behaviors (sex, stealing, lying, speeding, reputation, etc.)

What can be done about this Superman Syndrome? The bad news is that it can not be prevented entirely. It can not be removed entirely and it should never be discounted. The good news is that it can be channeled, shaped and reduced to an appropriate level for healthy processing and adjusting during the developmental stages toward adulthood.
Which, by the way are:
1. Infancy (birth -age 2)
2. Early Childhood (3 - 8 yrs)
3. Later childhood (9 -12)
4. Adolescence (13 - 18).
5. Adulthood - 18 and over

Three tips to ministering to the Superman and Wonderwomen of your ministry.
1. Remember they are in process and not camping out. They are on a journey and the youth group is not the destination.
2. DOING - shapes future behavior more than hearing & seeing - hands down, always, bank it, shoot it, count it.
3. You can’t shape them all (not even half, not even a third) you must train volunteers to take up the same mantle relational ministry as you.

Can't stop it, Can't move it

Ever heard this question? What happens when an unstoppable force or object collides with an immovable object?
The standard answer and the one I was always told is that the end result of this scenario would be Total Destruction. But recently I discovered that this is not the case. A physics professor explained it this way: The nature of the immovable object is that it can't be moved, and the nature of the unstoppable object is that it can't be stopped. So, if by chance the unstoppable and the unmovable should meet, their collision would form a new object possessing the nature of both entities.
The nature of the new entity will be both immovable and unstoppable and the two objects would no longer exist, but rather is molecularlly transformed into the newly created entity. This cuased me to consider this: When God's unconditional, absolute love collides with His unmovable law of sin and death, the result is the destruction of the old self and out of it - a New Creation, a new entity is born. '
So let the collision begin . . .