Them's Good Odds

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

This quote is from my favorite philosopher, Blaise Pascal.

Not only was Mr. Pascal a philosopher, he was a mathematician. He saw his faith as not only something that connected with him on a personal level, but also on a logical level. This "logical" explanation is summed up in the above quote, also known as "Pascal's Wager."

It's very logical. If we could boil down faith to a bet, then belief has the most benefit. If we believe and ultimately there is nothing to believe in, then we've lost nothing. If we don't believe, and we end up facing God, then we've lost it all.
Pascal (and I agree) believed that the benefits of living a life focused on Christ, regardless of His existence, greatly outweighed the consequences of not living such a life.

The logic is pretty indisputable.

So why is it so hard to win people over to Christ?

Honestly, I think that many of us aren't willing to take the risk to reach out. Fear, anxiety, acceptance...all these things contribute to us not sharing this logic with friends, family, and acquaintances. Ministry is a gamble and the stakes are pretty high.

As I look forward to this coming year, I see all the risks involved. But also with those risks are opportunities. Sure there is anxiety and nervousness, but pushing past that I'm filled with anticipation as to what God will do.

It is that thought that has always motivated me in youth ministry. Working with teenagers is risky business. It's easy to get discouraged. It's easy to begin thinking, "is this really worth it?"

The wager still makes sense though. It IS worth it, every day. In the past nine years God has shown me that on more than one occasion. And as Kelly and I look to this coming year and look at stepping down as Youth Directors, I know we can both look back and say that with much conviction.

How about you? Are you willing to roll the dice this coming year? Are you willing to go all in with your faith and allowing it to take you places you've never thought possible? As 2011 begins, I hope and pray that you are willing to take some risks. There are plenty of opportunities, and I'm not only talking about serving the students involved in our programs.

I challenge you to find that one place where you can put some risk into your life concerning your faith. It's a pretty sure bet that you'll be better for it.

Making the right choices

I'm entering into a new phase of my life.

For the longest time, I've had what I like to call "Career ADHD." My resume is voluminous to say the least. I have had a hard time really finding what it is I want to be when I grow up.

And now, here I am at 33 years old and I once again am making preparations to continue on my merry-go-round of experiences. I'm going back to school.

I've been feeling the pushing and prodding for some time now, and this past fall I finally made the decision to take the plunge and enter graduate school. I will be returning to my alma mater, Slippery Rock University, and will study special education.

The past few months have been an education all in itself for me as I have investigated all that I need to do to enter back into the student world. I've had to reteach myself about financial aid, teacher certification, and taking tests.

One of the requirements for acceptance into the Special Ed. program is taking the Miller Analogies Test.

I have not taken a standardized test since I took my SATs when I was junior in high school. I defintely felt ill prepared for this exam and began to hit the interwebs in search of sample tests and strategies.

Luckily, this test is a multiple choice test, but the questions are pretty hard. It all deals with analogies and being able to know your vocabulary and how things are related. The framers of this test are tricky too, they start off easy and as the test goes on, it gets progressively harder. Many times, answers are so close that you really have no clear choice.

This is when the strategies come into play.

The trick is to narrow down your choices. Each question has four multiple choice answers. Usually you can eliminate two choices right away. That leaves two possible answers and a 50% chance is better than a 25% chance.

The logic is undeniable, but sometimes it just doesn't feel right.

Teenagers live in this world everyday. They have choices to make. The have decisions and sometimes they need to determine the logic and differentiate that from the emotions. It's hard.

It requires us to make that connection between the logic and the emotion and to feel comfortable in that decision. We try to do that in youth ministry and sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

How can we give these teenagers more success? We need to apply the strategy and give them better odds. We need to help them eliminate some of those choices that they could make, by giving them Jesus. We need to invest some energy and time into them, and show them how to make the connection between heart and mind.

Will they always make the right choice? No. But 50% is better than 25%...

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,
and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--
he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

Empty Threats and Broken Promises

I have some dreams in this life.

1. I want to own my own daycare.
It's just always something that I've wanted to do. I want the challenge of entrepeneurship. I want to create something amazing. I want to make a difference in our community.

2. I want to write a song.
Again, I'm motivated by the chance to create something. It will have to be an acoustic piece. I think I could do the lyrics, it's just the whole melody, chord progression, rhythm thing. I don't know...I'll figure it out.

3. I want to start a metal band and name it Nicodemus.
I've just always loved that name and metal is just straight up awesome.

4. I want to write a parenting book and title it Empty Threats and Broken Promises.


In dealing with children these many years and now being a parent for the past eleven, I think I have something to say about this subject and this title is the best.

It encapsulates a lot of how parenting is done.

Don't do this. Don't do that or...

...or what? So many parents lack the intestinal fortitude to follow through. They want the quick and easy way out.

Unfortunately, parenting is about making the hard choices. I'm not saying that I'm perfect at this either. I make my share of empty threats, but through the years, I've learned to say less and follow through with more.

Boundaries are important. Our ability to set limits and to stand firm by them dictate a lot of our discipline of our children. Working with juvenile delinquents has taught me that.

They youth that I work with test those limits on a daily basis. They want to know where the line is and when staff is consistent, the youth react positively. They feel secure and they feel safe in the environment and the structure allows them to succeed greatly.

I'm not saying that we become prison guards with our kids, but what I am saying is that by providing structure, by providing consistent boundaries of behavior we give our children the best opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Soften the boundaries and chaos could ensue.

So next time you draw a line in the sand, make sure that you are ready to defend it at all costs.

Rebellion at Sam's Club

Today, I was faced with a harsh and bitter truth.

It is something that I have known about myself for many years, but for some reason it became even more clear today.

I'm pretty rebellious.

I've always had problems with rules and norms. I like to push the envelope, to test limits. I'm always looking for other ways around the challenges that are presented to me.

My wife, Kelly can attest to that. I have a hard time following rules and procedure.

Today was a perfect example. Kelly and I got up early this morning and dropped the kids off at school and headed to Sam's Club, as well as other places. We stopped at Sam's first, knowing that they opened early, but when we got there, these early hours only apply to "plus members" and buisiness'.

Oh well, I thought. We have other things to do. We can wait until 10:00am to get in the door.

And we did until about 9:45.

We pulled into the parking lot and started to walk in the doors. Surely, they would let us in a few minutes early. It's Thursday morning for goodness sake. There's barely any cars in the parking lot.

We approach the "Sam's Club Greeter/Nazi" and show her our ID and she informs us that we will have to wait ten minutes before we can enter.

I kept my cool, but I was really upset on the inside. I kept asking "why can't I?"
What's ten minutes in a barely busy store? What about the slowly growing group of people behind me. What about customer service?

I guess we're all a little rebellious at heart. We want things our way, in our timing, and much like a spoiled child, when we don't get our way, we tend to get a little belligerent.

What a parallel to our lives as believers. God's much like the gatekeeper at Sam's Club. He's constantly telling us just wait. The time will be right soon. Have some peace as you wait for me to open the doors.

I survived. (She actually relented and started letting people in five minutes early!) In the end, we got what we needed and were happily on our way. Maybe I'll remember that next time "the rules" seem to be interfering in my life.

Putting the "Fun" in Fundamental

Yesterday was a very good day to be introspective. It was election day.

I, like many other United States citizens, enjoy the freedoms that we have been blessed with. I am free to worship how I would like to worship. I am free to make choices for me and my family. I am free to hold opinions of my own. I even have the freedom to express these opinions in a variety of ways.

For the most part, our form of government works. It might be messy at times, but at the end of the day, I love the whole process of the "Great Debate."

What's funny is how I've changed in the years that I have been actively involved in the process.

I used to be pretty fundamental. Things were black and white. Right and wrong. Smart and stupid. I was a Republican through and through, right down to the red tie I would wear in high school on election days.

I looked at Democrats in disgust. How could they believe what they believed? How can they support these certain issues? What a bunch of crazies.

I look back at that "Jason" and realize that he was a little more "mental" than "fun." Not to say that I am totally "blue," but I think I can understand opposing views a little more than I could in my younger years.

I've learned, many times the hard way, that this world is full of gray. That there is actually more than one way to approach problems and each approach has its pros and cons. I've learned that right and wrong can sometimes mean correct and more correct. I've also learned that at times, I'm forced to choose more against one canidate than really for another. I now identify myself as a conservative thinker, instead of a Republican. I find things from both side of the fence that I can agree upon.

As the years slip by, I find myself shifting more and more to the middle of the political spectrum. I've found that as I shed more of the "mental," I can actually have a little more "fun."

Is this what getting older does to people? Does it soften us? Does it give us the perspective to finally say that I don't have all answers? I can only say that for me it has, and it has energized me more than ever to be active.

I voted and will continue to do so as long as I am able and have that responsibility. Our system might have its flaws, but it's worth it.

I think Winston Churchill said it best: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. "

NaNoWriMoBlog

I think every once in a while we all need to shake things up. We need to challenge ourselves and stretch ourselves to places that we haven't been before. This is me trying to stretch me.

For those of you who do not know this month is National Novel Writing Month. (If you're interested as to what that is all about check it out here: NaNoWriMo.

I'm going to attempt to challenge myself, not to write a 50,000 word novel, but to blog every day of November.

It should be a fun little experiment and I'm interested to see just where it will take me. My mind is definitely stream of consciousness sometimes so hold on and enjoy the ride...

For those of you who are in the know, I am closing out a chapter of my life this coming month-well at least taking the first steps in that process. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. (More on this change later this month) It has also begun to dominate my thoughts as of late.

The truth is that we all have seasons of our lives. For Kelly and I, we have gone through so many seasons together. We navigated the high school years together, journeyed through the college years, whisked through the baby years, and now find ourselves settling into the child-rearing years.

This autumn marks 17 years of us doing life together. Through it all I'm glad that I've had her to walk with me down this road. I look forward to the next "season" that God has in store for us. As scary and unknown the path ahead looks, I'm thankful that I can hold her hand as we walk.

As I begin this journey, this verse comes to mind:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11: 1(NKJV)

Do you look at the future with hope? I truly think that Paul is saying this to us. Faith and Hope go hand in hand. When we step out in faith, we can be hopeful. I just need to keep reminding myself of that...

The Lightbright finally put to good use!

My daughter asked me the other evening who is my favorite band. After a little bit of deliberation I answered "David Crowder." (When I say a little bit, I really mean microseconds...)

I absolutely love David Crowder.

If I have the opportunity to see him live, I always take advantage of it. I could literally go to one of his concerts every day of the week and twice on Sundays. No question.

His music engages me like nothing else. Just wanted to share this with you because I am geek who is impressed with creative things and who loves David Crowder.

Patching Holes

Just this past weekend the teenagers that I minister to went to work patching some holes in the fellowship hall of our church. I have to be honest. I'm impressed with the result. It looks good and I was happy to see how they worked together and each and every one of them had a hand in it.

One of them measured, a few of them took turns cutting. Others climbed the ladders while someone else manned the screw gun to fasten the boards to the wall. Even one of them helped in the clean up.

In the middle of the project we stopped and ate and I led a quick devotion based on Micah 6:8----

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

It's a great piece of scripture and has a lot to say about how we need to live our lives as believers. I hope that you can be encouraged as well by this passage.

It really provides a filter as to our responsibility in this world.

First, we need to act justly. I like to say that we need to "act in justice" or "provide justice." Now I'm not talking some crazy social justice agenda, but we need to be champions for those who are not as fortunate as we are. Justice is definied as "fairness."

In a world where often times fairness is lacking, we have the opportunity as Believers to provide it to the people and the situations that we encounter. What kind of impact could we have as Christ Followers if we can break the stereotype of the judgemental, right wing, fundamental Christian with our "fair" actions? I believe that we could do much more in the task of bringing people towards Christ instead of away from Him.

Secondly, we need to love mercy. Like always, extending Grace to all is central to everything we do. How can we not when Grace is poured out on us so freely. I don't deserve the blessings and even the life that I have. Mercy has been given to me, from God, through Christ. How can I deny my fellow man that gift.

Bottom line: I can't.

We all have a tremendous obligation to extend mercy and grace to a very hurt world. Like the holes in the wall, we need to be there to help make the world around us look a little better. It will take some work. It will take some time. We even might have to push the boundaries of our faith and get up on the ladder and do things that we haven't done before. I'm willing to get my hands a little dirty. Are you?

Lastly, walk humbly. We need to live this life serving others, but not boasting about it. If we boast at all, the credit needs to be focused on Christ.

I work with juvenile deliquents full time outside of ministry. Every day, each youth must show evidence of a "target area" that is assigned to them. My favorite is initiative. One particular youth with this target area decided to let it be known that he was going above and beyond the requirements of a specific task.

I gently criticized him and explained that "taking initiative" is doing what needs to be done AND not drawing attention to it.

I'm amazed at how many churches and organizations try to toot their own horns when it comes to serving people and doing good. If the motivation is to draw attention, aren't we really missing the point?

The Church is a great abuser of this mentality. We do things. We get involved in things just to make ourselves a name. Of course, we couch this in the idea of drawing people to the church so that we can present the Gospel.

Shouldn't we let the Holy Spirit convict hearts? Shouldn't we do good for the sake of doing good? We need to walk humbly and let God do the tooting.

Imagine what would be accomplished if we could all live our lives through that lens. The results would be incredible.

Afterwards, I was at the church alone, doing some last minute checks on the lights and such and I just stood in the gym and looked at where those holes used to be and the patches that are there now.

It kind of all came together in that one moment.

Here is a group of teenagers living that out. Yes, they made the holes, but here they were actively doing their part in the repair.

We as The Church have made some huge holes in the world. We've hurt people. We've made messes. We've broken things, but are we going back to repair the damage?

We all have a part to play in patching up the holes we've all made. The best way to do that: Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.

Made Perfectly Imperfect

Sometimes Youth Ministry is frustrating and sometimes it's amazing.

I think God really does has a sense of humor. He really does know when to push my buttons and also gives me some reprieve right when I need it. One night at our Youth Fellowship was one of those nights.

I've grown reminiscent lately. I'm working on close to ten years of part time youth ministry and I find myself looking back upon some of the more relevant events that have occurred in this past decade.

Looking back on that particular night I really didn't want to go to Youth Group and I wasn't particularly jazzed about my lesson, but like we all do I sucked it up and trudged on.

Things were going pretty good, I was on auto pilot and during the lesson I really went into auto pilot. We got talking about the Roman Road, specifically Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." This is one of those "youth ministry talk" standards. One of those talks that you could give in your sleep.

Mentally, I was asleep, but God always has a great way to wake us up.

I remember going on about how we are in desperate need of Love from the Savior. How we are all sinners, we've all failed, and no matter how hard we try we will never be able to earn our Salvation. It was at this point that one of the kids said something that will always stay with me...

Youth: "So, Jason, you're saying that we are made to sin?"

Me: "Well, not exactly, but God did create us. He did give us the ability to have desires and we inherited "Sin" from Adam and Eve.

Youth: "Ok, so God could've just created us without the capacity to sin. He could have, like, turned that off, right?"

Me: "Well, yeah, He could have..." (I'm not too sure on how to respond here)

Youth: "So, God made us Perfectly Imperfect. He knew we would sin and that we would need His Grace. He gave us a desire for Him because He didn't take away our desire to sin..."

At this point, I have no Idea what to say. All the other kids are shaking their heads, understanding his point. God made us Perfectly Imperfect. We are created with a desire to know Him because of our Imperfectness....That's deep.

I know I need to keep thinking about that, and to this day it still jars me. At the same time it makes me thankful for the time I have to spend with these kids. Now I go to church in anticipation for another such moment.

I know it will come, right when I need it the most.

Growing Up Asian

I've lived in Grove City my entire life. Whenever I interview for a job I always have this cute line I give when I'm telling the interviewer about myself.

I love Grove City. It's a great place to raise kids. Good School. Good People. I was born in Grove City, grew up in Grove City, and will probably die in Grove City.

I'm also half Filipino. For those of you who are of the um....more homogeneous persuasion or maybe you're just more Caucasian than anything else...growing up Asian in small western Pennsylvanian town is definitely a very interesting experience.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I really have no qualms about being self depreciating about my ethnicity. I've never taken myself too seriously and most times I will beat people to the punch in poking fun at my "differentness." That's not too say that sometimes the stereotypes stung a little.

I remember one fellow classmate that continued to call me "Gook." I have a high tolerance for ignorance and just general stupidity, but that word has always sat very wrong with me. This teen decided to make it his high school hobby to taunt me with this moniker.

As providence would have it, he ended up in my gym class one blessed school year.

Now, I was by no means a star athlete in high school, but I was blessed with enough coordination to compete in most sports. My "racist foe" was not. (We'll dub him "RF" from this point on.)

It was glorious.

Every Wednesday and Friday, I could compete against the RF.

First it was "Marty Ruley's School of Self Defense." That year I had the opportunity to bring RF to the floor two times. He was even wearing his Asic's Wrestling Shoes.

Second, it was tag football and of course I lined up opposite to RF. I was on him like white on rice and was even able to get a few cheap shots in. Ruley didn't seem to really want to throw a flag. (It being yellow and all, I'm sure Ruley was just being sensitive to my ethnicity.)

There was basketball, where I fouled the crap out of him every game. Volleyball, where I was able to serve it right into his head and the hits just kept coming all year long. Amazingly things never escalated to fisticuffs, but words were definitely exchanged in the gym and in the locker room.

Ironically, much like the Vietnam War, this "Gook" had combated the enemy and broke his resolve. He gave up and the taunts and the racial epitaphs ended. Score for this Asian!

Though it was a personal victory, the Asian community in Grove City still suffers. Here's my personal top ten list of what it's like growing up Asian:

1. Everyone thinks you should be good at math and science.
2. The assumption is that your dad is a Doctor.
3. You will be Chinese, no matter what kind of Asian you really are.
4. In every group project you will be the "recorder."
5. You will know EVERY version of the "Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees" rhyme.
6. The only sport you should really be good at is Tennis. (Thank You Michael Chang)
7. The only instrument you should play in band is the trumpet.
8. You squint when you talk.
9. You should be related to Data or Short Round.
10. If your parents aren't doctors, then that is what you should be going to college for.

So, next time you see your favorite Asian, give him an extra pat on the back. He's had a rough time of it...

Girl Games

I love my wife. For really. I do.

She's a great woman. She's everything that I'm not. Organized. Aware. Focused. She's a hard working woman who has the really hard job of keeping her crazy, flighty, and ADHD husband in line and going.

We have been dating for half of our lives. Doing life together, growing up together, and having fun every step of the way.

It's been challenging at times. We've had our fair share of craziness, but I'm thankful for how our marriage has grown and improved through each tribulation. The good has extremely outweighed the bad and if I could do it all over again, I would.

BUT...

Being a husband is tough. God has made us extremely different from the opposite gender. We process things differently and communicate differently. Men most times operate in the "black and white" while women thrive in the "grays."

I like to call this particular quality "Girl Gaming."

Instead of asking us to rub your shoulders, you make comments about how much your shoulders hurt. Instead of asking us to help clean up after dinner, you talk about what kind of a crazy day that you have had. All the while, expecting us husbands to pick up on these subtle hints. Then you get upset when we don't meet those expectations.

Ladies. Guess what. Stop "Girl Gaming" us! Honestly, it has taken my wife and I almost 14 years to finally get to the point where I'm beginning to understand this. Let me emphasize, BEGINNING to understand. I am in no way a professional in this area at all, nor do I play one on TV.

It's such a delicate dance and it takes a delicate, listening ear and a lot of patience to get through these girl games. Sometimes I wish that women came with subtitle translations. It would make our lives so much easier.


In many ways though, that's exactly how God communicates with us sometimes. God works in the subtleties.

There is that great passage that I continue to go back to throughout my life. Elijah has just brought down fire from Heaven in his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. God shows His power greatly through Elijah. Afterwards, Elijah flees. Jezebel wants his head and he goes on the lam. The Lord comes to speak to Elijah and comes not in the great wind, not in the earthquake, and not in the fire. Instead, He comes in a gentle whisper.

Listening to the Lord speak in our lives takes a delicate, listening ear and a lot of patience. Like women, God doesn't come with subtitles, even though it would make things that much easier.

God is in the Gray. And like my marriage, it's taken me a long time to realize this. I have to be listening well when both my wife and God is talking to me. When we do this our, relationships are so much more rewarding.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think Kelly's subtitles just said that I need to come cuddle on the couch with her.

Thoughts inspired from a "weak throw from left"

For those of you who don't know, I am a huge Pirates fan.

I've loved the Buccos nearly all my life.

I think it all started when I was around six years old and I began collecting baseball cards. Every week I would try and earn enough allowance to buy a pack or two of baseball cards. I remember collecting them and sorting them into teams and picking out my favorites. I remember the Pirates deck of cards that I had with John Candelaria, Kent Tekulve, and Tony Pena just to name a few. I especially was fond of John Candelaria.

My mother is Filipino and we would take a monthly trip down to the Strip District in Pittsburgh and go shopping at a few Filipino markets. On one of these trips I remember walking down the aisle of Sanbok, which was one of the best Filipino shops on Penn Avenue and coming across the towering presence of John Candelaria. I recognized him immediately and froze and stared in wonder.

Luckily my mom was with me and she started speaking with John Candelaria's wife, who was Filipino. They struck up a conversation in rapid fire Tagalog (a major Filipino dialect) and the next thing I knew John Candelaria bent down and shook my hand.

He looked at my Pirates hat and smiled and said "Good choice in teams...Nice to meet you." Finally shaken out of my daze I told him it was nice to meet him as well and that I had his baseball card at home. He patted me on my seven year old head and said, "Well, keep rooting for us." My mom and his wife ended their conversation and we all said our goodbyes and I've been a Pirates fan every since.

Most of that time has been in frustration though, as they have managed to have a losing record in the each of the past 18 seasons. Once again, as this baseball season comes to a close, I'm haunted by the memory of a "weak throw from left."



I'm also thankful.

Seasons end and ultimately begin over again. Like Roger Hornsby, "I stare out the window and wait for spring to come." And it does. Last year becomes a memory and the slate is wiped clean again. Hope is restored.

Everyday I am amazed at how this idea resonates in ALL aspects of life. In our relationships. In our professions. In our Spiritual walks. Seasons of our lives end. Our past mistakes, missteps, and deeds are wiped clean. Hope is restored.

My hope in Christ: That Grace continues to flow abundantly.
My hope in the Pirates: More wins than losses...

Reverse Trick or Treat!!

Here's my submission for the Compassion365's Halloween podcast on 10/31. Podcasting for Compassion is a daily podcast dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Compassion International. You can check them out and subscribe to their feed at
http://compassion.socialgivingpodcast.com .
The challenge is to write a 100 word story that infuses the theme of compassion with Halloween. At first I thought this would be cake, but as I started to write, I realized just how quickly 100 words can be thrown down.

These 100 words actually took me longer to write than some of my papers from college! I hope you enjoy and are inspired to participate. If you would like to submit a 100 word story of compassion and Halloween, you can email your writing to compassion365 {at} gmail {dot} com.

This story is dedicated to the Compassion Child that our youth ministry sponsors, Nsengiyaremye Sylvain from Rwanda.

Leaves rustled as Chloe and Corban shuffled past. Costumed children abounded in the neighborhood, going house to house gathering sweet confections, but the duo paid no attention. Behind them they lugged a large Radio Flier filled with plastic bags. They pulled this cart up to the only house not festooned with decorations and lifted it onto the porch and rang the doorbell. A boy answered, hobbling on crutches, the spinabifida hindering his mobility, his eyes wide as he spied the cart heaped with treats. Everyone on the street seemed to stop and stare as the two gleefully exclaimed: “Reverse Trick or Treat!”

You can sponsor a child through Compassion International: www.compassion.com

Crosswords and Soduko

I've become addicted. No, it's not smoking or drinking or even some other vice.

It's crosswords.

Strange, but I've come to enjoy solving crosswords. There's a satisfaction in finally coming up with that missing word that totally unlocks the crossword. It's also helped to expand my lexicon. Where else could I have learned words like: Alee, Aria, Roc, Melee, and Obi. There are more, but you get the idea.

One day I was feeling a little over confident and decided to tackle the the daily Soduko puzzle. For those of you that don't know, Soduko deals with numbers. I thought, hey if I can do a crossword I can figure this thing out.

Let's just say that I was proven wrong and pretty quickly. 30 mins into it and I was ready to snap my pencil in half and burn that paper. I've never really liked numbers and my hatred was definitely amplified with that experience.

I've come to learn that youth ministry is very much like my dealings with puzzles. There's a sense of accomplishment when we find that one little thing that "unlocks" a student. I relish those "Aha" moments when their eyes light up with understanding and awareness. On the other hand, I have also found that when I try something new it can fail miserably. When kids don't seem to be getting it or aren't consistent, I find myself wanting to break something!

I wonder if sometimes God feels that same about us. I wonder if He does a touchdown dance everytime one of us finally "gets it." I wonder if He clenches His fists when we really screw it up.

I don't know, but what I do know is that God keeps trying. He doesn't give up and He uses everything He can to try and unlock our hearts and minds.

This coming school year, our youth group will be looking at those different ways that God has been trying to reach us, more specifically how He has used certain objects to teach us about Him. We'll look at rocks, clay, water, sand and how all of these objects are used in the Bible to help us understand who God is and what He's all about.

Please join me in praying for these students and also for our leaders. Pray that hopefully these lessons will hit home and be that one thing that unlocks some puzzling things in these teenagers lives. Also, pray that my only frustrations will be with my attempts at Soduko and not with my dealings with youth ministry.

In the meantime, does anyone know a four-letter word that means Lummox?

Turkey Splash!!

I've always said that a big part of Youth Ministry is making memories. When I think about my youth group experiences a few very vivid images flash across my inner eye. First off I think about when I was a teenager in youth group. Many times camping was the highlight of our summer experiences and that meant sleeping in a tent with my fellow guy youth groupers. Of course we didn't go to sleep right away and one of things we did was play "steamroller."

I guess that "play" is the wrong word-it was more of an event. My friend (let's keep his identity secret: we'll call him J. Coyer...) would scream "STEAMROLLER" and promptly roll over us all. Many grunts and groans could be heard throughout the night.

I'll always remember the lock-ins, in which we would play volleyball and basketball into the wee morning hours. I'll remember trips to Creation Music Festival and all night bowling. And I'll always remember that Grace is "an undeserved gift."

A few weeks ago, an event that I (and I'm sure the teenagers) will always remember occured. While traveling on the interstate I hit a turkey trying to cross the road. (insert cheesy joke here) As you can see from the picture above, it made quite the impact on my windshield. Luckily I was still able to drive the van and with the help of some creative engineering we were able to make it home safely too. Looking back on it, many "youth ministry" truths come out of that memory.

1. Be Proactive, don't just React: The whole turkey incident was something that I could see coming. I saw it cross the road, juke to the right and then back to the left and start running. My plan, in seeing this behavior, was to promptly line it up and run it over since I really didn't feel safe trying to turn out of the way. What I didn't plan on was it trying to fly---right into my windshield.

I had planned as much as I could and when things didn't go well, I rolled with it. We actually drove down the road for a few hundred feet and then I began to slow down and pull off. The teenagers in the car afterwards were very surprised at how calm I was and how cautiously I slowed down and pulled off the road.

When it comes to youth ministry we definitely need to be in that same mindset. We have to plan and be ready for every possibility and when things don't go how we expect we need to roll with it and just move on-cautiously and slowly. It's good to just pull over every once in awhile and inspect the damage...

2. Sometimes you just need to keep going: When I hit that turkey, I had no idea how hard it would be to find a replacement windshield. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, had it in the entire city of Erie, PA. I had really no choice. I was going to have to drive it home. So, after some creative engineering with the help of some friends we made the best of it and away we went. It was amazing how God provided. We missed all the major rain on the way home and the cracks in the windshield were all in the right place, that I had almost a perfect line of sight. We just kept going and the journey was safe.

Again, working in youth ministry is like that. Things happen and we just need to push through and trust in the Lord. It's amazing what happens when we do that. Those little bumps in the road and frustrations don't need to stop us from doing our work and reaching out to teens.

3. The Bigger the Turkey, the bigger the crater: That turkey was rather large and when it hit, it made quite the impact crater on my windshield. In youth ministry, the same holds true. The bigger the turkey/problem the bigger the dent that it can have in our ministry. It's important to handle the little things before they become big things.

If we don't take care of that little problem that Billy has with Suzie, it can become an even larger problem. When things get big they get hard to fix and the damage will be costly. Working with teenagers, sometimes we have to minimize the damage. I'd rather deal with a chip on my windshield, than a turkey sized crater in front of me.

I'm thankful for memories and the work that my Church Family has afforded me the privilege to do. Thank you for your support. Thank you for giving these teens memories that will always stick with them as they continue to grow in their faith.

Thoughts on being a father...

This is a repost from an old blog of mine. As you can tell this was awhile ago, but I still love being a father just the same. With our oldest turing 11 this week, I'm feeling kinda reminiscent...

I’m the father of three wonderful (sometimes frustrating) kids. 7, 5, 3, that’s their ages, odd numbers for sometimes odd kids. I love the little things about being a father. Everyday I come home from work to smiling kids. My youngest is always there to give me a hug as I walk through the door. The other older ones always stop and say "HI Dad!" and then go about their business (hey, they’re busy) I LOVE that.

Right now, we’re potty-training our 3 year. (OK, maybe its more like the Bataan Death March, since we’ve been at it since LAST September.) This potty training has a very unique component to it. At night, just before I go to sleep I take her to the bathroom. I stalk into her room and pick her out of bed and carry her off to the potty. It’s actually one of my favorite times of the day. When I pick her up she is still 95% asleep so she wraps her arms tightly around my neck and her legs tightly around my stomach and nuzzles her head in the crook of my neck. I LOVE that.

She’s so close and so fragile and totally my responsibility and the very best thing is that she fits perfectly in that position with my body. It’s like we were made for each other.

Its like that with all of our kids. Its those late night, grabbing them out of the car seat, still asleep, times that you realize it. You realize that this parenthood stuff is special, feels good, and is so humbling. You realize that you don’t ever want to lose that feeling of closeness that you have with your children at THAT moment.

Our Heavenly Father wants to have that same kind of relationship with us. He wants to be that close. He wants to be there, to carry us into our beds, tuck us in and kiss us on the foreheads. He desires that kind of relationship with us, His children. He wants us to stop what we’re doing, if only for a brief second, and say "HI Dad!"

Galatians 4:6,7 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.

Everything Turns to Nothing

Sometimes I really struggle. I struggle to keep it all together. I struggle in my faith. I struggle with balancing being a husband, a father, a youth director, a good employee. Point is: I struggle.

July was such a demanding month with a lot of things going on, and in the midst of that busyness, my struggles seem amplified. Sometimes I just wish that I had a pause button for my life so I could stop and catch a breather. There was definitely times where I said: "OK God. When is enough, enough?"

Tonight, God finally decided to give me the answer.

Like many times, He seems to always speak to me through music. The song is "Next to You" by Jay Michael. (You should really check him out--HERE! ) To give you an better understanding, here's the chorus:

Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing when I'm next to You.

Simple words, but powerful meaning. And it all hit home tonight.

Yesterday, we met a couple who is following God's calling in their lives to be counselor parents at a residential placement facility. They are uprooting their lives, their kids, their pets, and leaving well established ministries on the other side of the state. Their story is wrought full of how God has moved mightily and quickly to make this all happen. I'm blessed that Kelly and I have found ourselves part of that story.

Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing when I'm next to You.

Today, we had an awesome worship service and I was able to talk to one of our youth who I haven't seen most of the summer. She's working at a Bible camp and she shared just how great of an experience it has been for her and how she has grown in her faith because of that. I left feeling pretty blessed that once again, God has used me in part of that story.

Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing when I'm next to You.

Tonight, three students, two from the youth ministry, and one that just showed up tonight for the concert put some of their struggles at the foot of the cross and either rededicated or committed their lives to Christ. In speaking to these students, I'm amazed at the struggles that they are going through. Teenagers have it rough. Even more rough than we realize at times. I'm thankful that God has given me the opportunity to work with these kids and share and encourage them through these struggles. I'm blessed for the part God has for me in their stories.

Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing, Everything turns to nothing when I'm next to You.

Sitting here, reflecting on it all those words keep repeating themselves. That chorus keeps replaying in my head. My struggles aren't struggles at all. When I put them next to God, they aren't anything. In fact, these very struggles are what has prepared me for a lot of these things that I've dealt with and will begin to deal with. When I put them into a context like that, they really aren't struggles at all. They are part of my story and I hope that it can be an encouragement to someone elses' story...

What's Your Excuse?

Having recently returned from our mission trip from Fayette County, West Virginia and having sweated the past week away at Vacation Bible School, I finally have some time to take a breath and collect my thoughts.

First of all, let me say that I am very proud of the small group of students and adults who traveled to West Virginia and served the community and families who are in desperate need. While down there, I learned that the average income is Eight-Thousand dollars per year. That amazes me and appalls me all at that same time. I'm blessed with a steady job and a cozy home and all the other "extras" that I'm able to afford for my family. Yet, just four hours away are other families just scraping by on a fraction of what I make in a year. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to hopefully make a difference in these people's lives. I am certain that our mission team served well and displayed Christ's love through their actions.

But that's not the only reason I'm proud of them. Here was a group of teenagers willing to sacrifice a week of their summer to get up early, work in the hot sun all day, sleep on the floor of a classroom, sacrifice their cell phones, computers, and televisions, and not complain once, and to actually say to me--"I can't wait until I go on my next one."

Let's not forget our two adults who went along too. Amy and Clint should be recognized as well. They sacrificed a week's vacation to do the same thing, probably working harder during their week of vacation than what they would be working at their regular jobs.

To say that I'm grateful would be true. To say that I'm impressed would be even closer to the truth.

I'm even more impressed when I stop and consider that most of our group turned around and spent their evenings this past week at the church serving as volunteers at this year's VBS. Can you say "motivated by God's Love to make a difference in the world for Jesus?"

At the risk of making some people mad, I'm going to ask this question: What's your excuse?

Believe you me, I've heard a lot of them throughout the years as youth director here, and not only from students. "I only get one week of vacation a year." "I not very handy." "I'm too old." and the classic "I've never done anything like that before." To all of these excuses I only have one response: What's one week out of your year, what's one week of stretching yourself, what's one week of serving God and TRULY being HIS hands to someone in need?

We all have to make sacrifices, but when was your last sacrifice to God? I'm not sure when our next mission trip will be, but I hope that more and more of you will be willing to come join us. I hope that you will come and witness firsthand what a small group of teenagers can accomplish and what they are willing to sacrifice for the Lord.

What's your excuse?

Youth Ministry Lessons from West Virginia

I just recently returned from a week of work camping in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. I was able to witness all the cliches that go along with that as well. Cars on blocks, lots of dogs running around, and even a miniature horse tied up in a yard being used as a lawn mower of sorts.

Personally, I love West Virginia. I love the mountains and the rivers and I love the accents of the people you meet from West Virginia. It was a great setting to spend a week with a small group of students, working side by side at various work sites. The week was full of hard work, but also full of "youth ministry" opportunities that I'd like to take some time to reflect upon, maybe even some with a southern twang...

Teenagers will always, not just sometimes surprise you. I'm always humbled and awed by what a group of teenagers can accomplish during a week away. When I say accomplish, I don't neccessarily mean just in the physical sense. Students say the most insightful things about faith, about life, and about most anything when we get the chance to pull them away from cell phones and their normal routine.

My group surprised me in their work ethic. Everyday at lunch, they were the first to finish up and start working again. While the rest of the "adults" were still relaxing and watching the clock, my boys went back to work.

As far as spoken insight. Here's the nugget from one of my group who is heading to college at the end of the summer. " I'm going to treat college like prison. I'm choosing my friends carefully, not trusting anyone, rarely making eye contact, and definitely not dropping my soap..." Unorthodox, but good advice nonetheless.

Reinforced also this past week was the fact that teenagers value authenticity. Every evening their was a program time. This included a time to share from the teenagers about how they had seen God work throughout the day, praise and worship, and also a main speaker. Our main speaker was a great guy, but he definitely tried too hard at times. He tried to be cool around the teenagers and the reaction from my group was not positive.

I truly believe that teenagers have a very highly attuned "B.S. meter." They can see a fake a mile away. I've learned through the years that I really only have to be myself. They would rather be with an adult who is a little dorky and not afraid to be themselves than one who is trying to act like a teenager. Relationships have to be authentic to be deep. Teenagers know this all too well.

Lastly, (and here comes the twang!) when you hear the banjos--row harder. Deliverence is a great film on so many levels, but if one piece of advice can be applied to youth ministry from that movie, it is that nugget. When things get weird or hard, we have to keep going no matter what.

Youth ministry if full of disappointment, frustrations, and broken hearts. Luckily, it's also full of a lot of joys as well. Those "banjos" will begin playing from time to time, but we need to remember that just up the river is a better place. I've seen so many youth workers give into those negatives and end up being tied to a tree.

What have I learned? Just keep rowing. Don't wallow in those bad happenstances. Embrace the positives and push through those times when things seem bleak.

I'm definitely tired after that long, hard week spent in West Virginia, but I'm also renewed by the Wild and Wonderfulness of it all as well. Between the strumming of the banjos, I'm glad that God can whisper some truths that we all can pick up on.

Shanking the Shot...

Youth ministry is like playing golf-its hard!! You’ve got to hit that little white dimpled ball, with this little, skinny club, into this little white cup, surrounded by sand traps, water hazards, and rolling hills….and if you’re like me, nine out of ten times the ball doesn’t go where you want it to go.

Youth ministry is the same. You’ve got only a few hours a week with students, dealing with their very short attention spans to hopefully speak a little bit of truth into their lives. And again, nine times out of ten I blow that opportunity.

BUT

There’s always that one “shot” that lands on the green, that one fifty foot putt that we sink, and that one talk that we give that we see a glimmer of recognition in the eyes of a student that keeps us coming back for more.

Though, those nine out of ten failures can definitely be a drag on us mentally and spiritually…

Today, I’d like to share with you some “Truths” that will hopefully help you push through those frustrations that we all encounter in youth ministry and encourage you to keep anticipating those positive breakthroughs.

1. Take care of yourself spiritually.

Those of us who work or volunteer in Youth Ministry are the greatest abusers of spiritual well being. We go nonstop from one event to another to one meeting to another, to one phone call to another. Slow down!! Read some scripture that you will NOT be teaching on later, go on a retreat just for YOU, spend some time alone with God. We’re definitely not the energizer bunny, we can not keep going and going and going…

2. Dwell on the positives

Let’s face it, Youth Ministry is full of messes sometimes. Kids are inconsistent, they don’t commit, families question your skills as a youth worker, even your senior pastor might not quite support you in everything that you do. It’s easy to get bogged down with the negatives, but we must break that cycle. The positives WILL come and when they do we need to celebrate them and party like its 1999 all over again!

3. Give yourself permission to say “NO!”

Who knew that two little letters could hold so much meaning and power? Many of us are “people pleasers.” We want people to like us and we want to be everything to everyone. When we do that, we just leave ourselves open to getting to spread thin and eventually burn out. God wants us to be effective in our ministries and He wants us to be healthy. Practice it, say it, let it become your montra. and when the REALLY important things come along, you’ll have the time and energy to do them well and with enthusiasm. Also, you give yourself the time to spend time at home with your spouse or family or both. We need to stop hurting the ones we love the most, we need to give ourselves permission to say NO!!

The good and the bad, frustrations will come, but because we know they will we can prepare. I’m hoping and praying that you are taking care of yourself, focusing on the postives, and saying “no” a little more often and saying YES to being a healthy youth worker.

I Feel Old!!!

I feel old. Really old. I was painfully reminded of that fact just a few weeks ago at the Grove City High School Baccaleaurate service. I was asked to be a greeter outside of the sanctuary before the service began. At first I was encouraged as I greeted students and families. I had watched a lot of these students grow up and mature and now I was amazed to see them as young adults starting their post high school lives.

Then it happened.

Kelly and I were talking in the entryway and someone came up to us and asked us which one of our kids was graduating.

All of those happy feelings went away. Was I really looking that old that someone might say that? Could I have finally gotten to the point where I no longer look young? I was crushed.

Honestly though I've been feeling that way for awhile. Youth Ministry is supposedly a "young" profession. Taking students to retreats and conferences I see it. These "giddy" twenty somethings are prancing around with their stylish hair and in vogue clothes. They know all the latest music and know what kids are watching. They seem "cool" and I have to admit I'm jealous.

Then I remember that youth ministry is a calling and I'm exactly where God wants me to be. God has put me exactly where he wants me to be. Luckily, I've always had no hair by choice. I like my blue jeans and polo shirts and the last time I listened to the radio all I could think about how much better those songs sounded the first time around by their original artists. Truly, these things aren't important and I've learned throughout these years that teenagers really only care about one thing: Presence.

Students just want someone to be there. Someone to accept them for who they are. Someone that they can count on to talk to when things seem impossible. I've been blessed with being able to be there throughout these past years and I've come to realize that 95% of my job is just that--being there.

My question this month is will you join me? Will you just be there for a student. All it takes is an open heart and a listening ear. You have no idea the impact of just being present. If you are willing, just come speak with me and together we'll find ways for you to be present in the lives of these students.

Charades

At the beginning of most YF meeting times, as we are waiting for everyone to arrive, we play a game called “Reverse Charades.” This is how it works: A post-it note with a name written on it is stuck to the forehead of one of the kids or adults in attendance. The name usually represents a person, famous or not, or even a character in a book or movie. It is then the job of the person wearing the note to guess who they are by asking everyone else questions. The catch is that the “audience” can only answer Yes or No. It’s a good game. It gets the teenagers interacting and I think it helps them to think about asking questions. Lately, I’ve been thinking about that game and how it really can apply to life in general.

We all have a need to know who we are. Teenagers especially have that need. They are in that time when they are just wading in the waters of forming their character and who they will become. They are questioning and many times they don’t get a specific answer, just an obscure “Yes” or “No.” It’s a hard time and sometimes as adults and as Believers we don’t make it any easier for them. We can’t give them pat answers to their questions. We can’t always give them those “Sunday School” answers and think we are truly fixing the problem. We have to reach out in love. We have to serve. We have to minister.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to do just that with a group of teenagers who definitely need those answers. We minister to a very unique group. Kids from all backgrounds, economic levels, and even students with families who don’t support their faith. It’s a challenge most days for sure. It’s a challenge that I hope that you will join us in taking on. Here are some ways that you can help:

1. Pray, Pray, Pray! These students need your prayers. They need God to open up their hearts and their minds to His leading in their lives. They are definitely searching, let’s use some prayer to help push them in the right direction.

2. Talk, Talk, Talk! I know many of the teenagers that are involved in our programs aren’t regular attenders, but they do show up every once in awhile. Say Hi, shake their hand, ask them a question. Teenagers are very wary of such interactions and you might get some weird looks, but don’t be put off. They need that. They need to know someone is actually acknowledging them. A couple of words goes a long way.

3. Help, Help, Help! Maybe you have limited time or even limited experience with teenagers, but think about using some of that time constructively. I’ve shared with you 40 Assets in the past few months and I will begin to speak more actively about it, but take a look at that list. Where can you fit in? What Asset can you provide one of these students? Even if you only have 15 minutes a week to sacrifice, ask me how you can put it to good use in the life of a teenager.

If we can do these three things, hopefully we can help tell them what is exactly on that post-it note and not leave them continuing to question.

Professional Distance

Lately, I’ve been challenged on many different levels. Maybe it’s just all the reading I have been doing.

For those of you who don’t know me, I read a lot. I listen to many audiobooks and generally I read two or three books at a time. Just recently I’ve read through The Shack, a very controversial work of “Christian Fiction.” I’ve also been reading through and digesting a book named A New Kind of Youth Ministry. Both of these books have been very thought provoking in many ways and many times I have experienced both negative and positive reactions.

The Shack was an easy read and made me think about my faith and who I am, especially after I had read the author’s personal story and motivation behind the book–whew. I know there is some discussion on the “theological ramifications” of this book, but I wonder how relevant those really could be. At the heart of the book is an amazing description of Grace. The kind of Grace that we don’t deserve, earn, or even understand at times. Am I concerned that the Trinity is portrayed in such human terms? That the Father is actually a plump, African-American, the Holy Spirit a small Asian woman, and well I guess Jesus is portrayed pretty much how I would expect Him. Honestly, I’m not. I think that this is significant as well. As a Church, as a group of believers, we have lost touch with that aspect of God-that He will and does find ways to relate himself to us. We have lost touch of Jesus being fully human AND fully God. We find it disturbing to picture Jesus messing around with the disciples, being a man who might have smashed his thumb while working at his trade, or even having to get up everyday and do the routine things that we do everyday.

Maybe we like that “Professional Distance” that we create between ourselves and Jesus. I’ve been challenged to rethink that part of my faith. If I want to be like Jesus, then I also need to realize that Jesus was once like me-minus the sin.

Add into that the other book that I’ve been digesting for some time–A New Kind of Youth Ministry, by Chris Folmsbee. This book takes a look at Youth Ministry through the eyes of the “emergent church.” I’m not too sure where I stand with the emergent movement. I see some very positive things about it, and generally I like the challenge it brings to the traditional church and how we are doing things. We all need our constructs shaken up at times and I think the emergent movement is doing that. I also see some negative. The traditions of the church have their place and they can be tools that we can effectively use in each of our youth ministry contexts. I can’t just flippantly toss those aside as I work in my church. I believe that Folmsbee does that at times. His ideas would work in a vacuum, but in a practical sense they would fail miserably. Again, I believe there is a Professional Distance that exists. In this case it is between ideology and practicality. Maybe we were made to not operate on the extremes. Our sweet spot must be in the middle, where the focus is totally on what should be the center of our lives and our ministries–Jesus.

A Rant...

Ok, so I thought that I really wouldn’t be using my blog for this, but maybe now is the time. I’ve really tried to stay away from personal rants and the like on here. I dunno, maybe I just think that no one really cares what I have to say. It’s a new year, I have this blog, and I really need to use it-so here goes.

Why can’t parents be parents? Sometimes I wonder why I’ve been called into youth ministry. I ask myself and God: “Why? What are you trying to teach me through all of this?”

I think that I’ve finally come across one of the answers. If anything, my time in youth ministry has taught me how to be a parent of teenagers. Unfortunately, most of my examples have been negative, but I have learned from these all the same.

I am amazed on a weekly basis just how much parents are not in tune to what their teenagers are actually doing on those “wonderful blessings” called cell phones, computers, myspace, facebook…the list can just go on.

Parent’s are just woefully unaware of, #1 how to use these media and most importantly #2 how to monitor their teens behavior with such media. Maybe its not their ignorance of the actual workings of these social instruments, maybe its just their unwillingness to be a parent. To actually say “NO.” To actually take the time and energy to see just what types of things their children are doing on these things.

In over seven years of youth ministry, I’ve had to try and communicate one thing over and over again, and I don’t think that people are listening. A youth pastor/teacher/pastor/principal/doctor, etc is not a substitute for a parent. There is no substitute for a parent-none, zip, zilch. Parent’s have the biggest chunk of time actually in the presence of these teenagers. They have the God given authority and responsibility to step up and take their children by the horns and to help steer them in the right direction.

Parent’s need to be involved in their teenagers lives. They need to be asking those questions, they need to be confronting their children about right and wrong and-Heaven forbid-actually be willing to discipline.

I love teenagers. I love their enthusiasm, I love their energy, but I hate how those energies are being directed into the wrong avenues.

Can I blame the kids? Sure. They hold some responsibility. They need to see their actions as the world sees their actions. They need to think about how they actually look. They need to remember that they are being evaluated by a non-believing world every day. They need to realize that character and integrity are things that are valued in this world.

Can I blame parents? Absolutely. They hold incredible responsibility. They need to assert themselves as the best mentor and the best teacher and the best picture of Jesus that their teenagers might ever see.

My dream. That someday that youth ministry in the church is second priority to the real youth ministry in the home.

Parents, please be parents. Teenagers, please think about who you are and what you stand for before you act. Youth Pastors, please don’t try and be surrogate parents….

When do you give it up?

I’ve been thinking that lately. When do you give it up. I mean, no matter what the “it” is, how do you decide?

Recently, I’ve really been contemplating when it is that I will not continue in youth ministry in the position I am in. As youth pastors, do we have a shelf life? Is there a good time to step away from the lead position?

I’ve always had in my mind that I would be doing this for ten years. I’m coming up to eight years this year.

Do I still feel called? Yes. Do I still care for students? Yes. Is my heart still in it? Yes.

I guess the debate becomes, do I leave while all of those answers are “yes.” I believe that I should. I do not want to leave a ministry that is unhealthy for someone else to fix. I want to be able to pass on the torch brightly lit.

I don’t think that many of us plan with the end in mind. It’s something that I’m beginning to do. What decisions am I making now, that will affect the next youth pastor? We all need to be asking those questions. I don’t believe that we do that enough.

It’s scary to think of any position, any job without yourself. But to ensure long term health, we need to get over our fears.