Today our podcast features Dr. David Fraze, the director of student ministries at The Hills Church of Christ in Richland hills,TX. Dr. Fraze discusses how they are incorporating sticky faith concepts into their programming.
NEXT EPISODE: Dr. Lee Camp will talk about his new book, Who is My Enemy? : Questions Christian Must Face about Islam and Themselves and what this has to do with youth ministry.
Last week at Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention, Reggie Joiner got me thinking about this idea that I wanted to tease out a bit more. There are two distinct ways of looking at the outcome of our youth ministries:
One is “How much faith do our students have when they graduate?” The way many of our ministries measure this generally looks like this:
Now don’t hear me saying there things are unimportant. What I am saying is that these things are not accurate measuring sticks for the success or failure of our youth ministry, parenting or church.
Unfortunately what happens with many of our students as some of the best research shows is that these measuring sticks for faithing only breed contempt and stress in our young people.
The other way to is to ask, “What do our students have their faith in when they graduate?” Here are just a few of the ways that this might be measured:
What might a student who has their faith in the right thing look like? Chime in in the comments…
Colossians 3:17 is one of my life verses. Its one of those verses that I try to live my life by. It is one of those verses that have camped out in my heart and I can’t seem to let it go. Paul teaches, “And Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:16).
As you can see this is one of the “Life is Good” verses. It describes a life that is really dialed in to the fact that Life is Good. I used to think that Col 3:17 was all about the little things. I used to teach that it was about brushing your teeth and taking out the trash. While Paul probably includes those daily mundane tasks in those activities, I think it is a much deeper passage than that. What Paul is really doing here is defining a lifestyle. He is cross-referencing his passage where he describes us as ambassadors of Christ. When one is truly in tune with the fact that God is the Creator and Sustainer of Life, Jesus is the Savior of All, and the Spirit is the Comforter of all our grief, one can do everything in the name of the Lord and do it with thanksgiving. That is an amazing lifestyle that God offers for all of us. It frees us from the tyranny of worry, grief, anger, jealousy, envy, hatred, etc. We no longer are slaves to those forces when we understand God is on control.
Paul is prescribing that we do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord. Yes it is the teeth brushing and the garbage taking, but it is also facing the plummeting GPA, the girlfriend who just broke up with you, the extra stress that your after school job is giving you, your SAT scores that can’t get you in to the school you want, the checkbook balance that reads red, it is that pinging noise coming from the engine compartment of the ailing mini-van, it’s the recently emptied cubicle next to you wondering if yours is next. It’s the late payment slips, struggling marriage, a torn relationship with your teen. But one living Colossians 3:17 looks at those things not as problems, but as God’s crazy, inexplicable, unintelligible at times, provision. Yes provision.
Colossians 3:17 is all about “Life is Good” living. It is realizing that while not everything is great, or easy, or fun, or without pain or problems, the overarching umbrella that God covers our lives with is GOOD. Yes there are struggles, but god is still GOOD. Yes there is pain, but God is still GOOD. No that may not help you right this very moment, but the more you are able to live out Colossians 3:17, the better life will be. The higher your lows will become. So take today and meditate on Colossians 3:17. Here are a few different translations to help you:
The Message
Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
New Living Translation
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Amplified Bible
And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
Today we launch our regular Podcast where we feature youth ministry leaders from all over the country talking about relevant issues related to youth ministry. Our first episode is from Dr. Kara Powell, the director of the Fuller Youth Institute. She discusses her ground breaking research from “Sticky Faith.”
NEXT EPISODE: Dr. David Fraze discusses how to implement “Sticky Faith” into your youth program.
Join us for the Lipscomb University
Youth Ministry Intern Recruiting Event.
Now is the time to register! Student sign-ups begin soon. As you register, an interview sheet will be available in our office. Register now so your sign-up sheet will be available from the moment the rush to sign up begins.
Date: December 6thTime: First interview begins at 1:30 p.m. The event will last until 4:30 p.m.Where: Hall of Fame Room immediately following Youth Ministry luncheon with Steve Davidson
CLICK HERE to register your church.
Then a YOUTH MINISTRY INTERNSHIP may be for you.
I want you to consider serving this next summer being a youth ministry intern for a local church. This is a GREAT way to spend your summer and make a difference in the kingdom of God.
ON Tuesday, December 6th, Lipscomb University’s College of Bible & Ministry is hosting a Summer Youth Ministry Intern Fair where you can where you can interview with over 15 different churches from all over the Southeast. These internships come with a weekly salary (Usually around $300-$500/week) and include housing and expenses. There are a number of internships for both males and females.
WHAT DO DO NOW?
1. Let Dr. Surdacki Know Send a quick e-mail so I have you on my radar. (surdackiwf@lipscomb.edu)
1. PRAY ABOUT IT: Don‘t think this is for you? I challenge you to pray about it first… God might change your mind.
2. Get a resume together: Go to the Career Development Center and let them help you put together a resume between NOW and the end of the T-giving break.
3. TELL A FRIEND: You probably have a friend who might want to do something like this too…please forward this e-mail to them NOW.
4. RSVP on the Facebook Event Page: Go to http://goo.gl/R1qCT This way you’ll get the most up to date info.
5. SIGN UP FOR INTERVIEW SLOTS: AFTER the T-giving break, go by Career Development Center and sign up for the churches you want to interview with.
Summer Intern Fair
Tuesday December 6th
1:30-4:30pm
Hall of Fame Room Allen Arena
Several years back I had a really interesting conversation with a mom in my youth group. She came up to me and said, “I am so tired of my daughter getting woken up in the middle of the night with her friend’s texting her.”
I replied, “Why don’t you have her charge her phone downstairs in the kitchen?”
“But it’s her alarm clock.” She said.
I thought, “If only there was some magical device you could purchase that would make a noise at a predetermined time of day . . . “
What does it do to the soul to have ourselves connected to our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, year after year?
According to Time Magazine Online, ”35% of Android and iPhone owners in the U.S. fire up mobile apps before getting out of bed, according to a survey by Ericsson ConsumerLab.” Maybe this points to the fact that we are overconnected? Do you feel like you and your students are TOO connected? Is there a time when you or your teens is not able to be reached by the outside world? Didn’t Jesus have to get away from everyone just so he could listen to his Father?
We haven’t set up barriers that tell technology to keep out. This is “Me” Time or “We” Time. I remember only having a landline in our home and having dinner together as a family, whenever the phone rang during dinner, mom would proclaim, “Let it ring! This is family time.” Which begs the question: Do we even still have a time like this when we just let it ring? Do we have family time?
What if your family had a no cell phone zone? For your fmaily it might be the dinner table, or the living room when you are all watching TV together. For some of you it might be the bedroom. Have the entire family charge their phones far away from their bedrooms so they can sleep without being interrupted. Might this become a solitary place like Jesus often needed in order to refocus.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16
Over and over we see time when Jesus gets away from the frenetic pace of life so He can just LISTEN. Is it possible that our cell phones actually keep us from LISTENING? Might the Verizon mantra, “Can you hear me now?” have been a prophetic voice warning us that these shiny little devices would actually KEEP us from listening to God’s voice?
What other places might be Cell Free Zones for you? Church? Restaurants? Movie Theaters? Friends homes?
What I mean is that you might still have your phone on you at these places, but you might actually turn them OFF so that you aren’t unnecessarily interrupted when you are at these places. Simply power it back up when you are leaving and resume your connection to the rest of the world.
So I challenge you to find ONE PLACE that will be a Cell Free Zone in your world this week.
I am excited to talk about a program Lipscomb University’s Hazelip School of Theology is starting to help train and equip the youth minister, youth volunteer, youth deacon, parent of teen, and all else who love the next generation of Christian. We have developed a Graduate Certificate in Student Ministry that educates students with the most cutting edge research on adolescence as well as equips them with the practical tools to address their own contexts effectively.
The first class is only $500 for 3 hours of graduate credit. If you are part of another Masters Program and need three hours of elective or ministry credit, you should check it out. CLICK HERE for more info.
I have been fortunate to present a body of work I have called, “What is Technology Doing to Our Souls?” to all sorts of parents around the nation this past year and a half. It has been a rich and rewarding experience to partner with parents and help them navigate through this vast sea of choices, boundaries, and wisdom that is required to know what is the best course for my son or daughter? Over the next few posts, I want to share a few of those nuggets that we talk about during these events to give you a taste of what this is about. If you think you’d like to have me speak to your church, school, parents, teens, elders, scout troop, coffee clutch, ladies class, mime troupe, etc. I’d love to partner with you. E-mail me for more info: walter.surdacki@lipscomb.edu
If there is one thing that I would say to parents regarding technology and your family, it would be, “Do you practice any kind of tech Sabbath?” Here is what I mean, ”Do you have a time each day when you aren’t accessible via cell phone, text message, e-mail, etc.?” I believe that if we find ourselves constantly connected 24 hours a day 7 days a week, we run the risk of developing a God-complex that fools us into thinking that the world can’t run without us. Do you intentionally power down these devices so that the temptation to check your e-mail is gone. Do you power off so that you won’t get distracted by the buzz of a text message while trying to have dinner together as a family?
How about looking at this not as a form of denial, but as a chance at freedom? What if you had an hour each day where you didn’t have to worry about these things? What if in that hour you were able to be fully present with your son or daughter? What if EVERYONE in your family powered down so that when you were together, you were really TOGETHER! Can you imagine that kind of freedom?
CONFESSION: I know that when I am with my kids and I feel that buzz of a text message in my pocket, I instantly become 50% LESS available to them mentally. In my mind I am wondering, “Who texted me? What do they need? I am important!” and I am instantly transported mentally away from my daughters and to a nether region of text-a-topia where the world is allegedly more interesting.
But that is a lie. A false story that I have bought into.
So do this today…don’t start with an hour…just try 15 minutes or 30 minutes and ease into this discipline. Because that is what it is…a discipline. We have immersed ourselves into technology so much that it is going to take initiative, discipline, courage, willpower, and wisdom just to find the power button on those shiny little devices that hold so much power over us.
Baby steps . . . one at a time . . . you can do this . . .
Community is the fertile soil in which we can experience grace.
Confession time: I have far too often in my ministry leant too far on the side of truth. What I mean is that I have really wanted to get to the depth of ministry, faith, study and worship and felt little inclination to focus too much on the community side. I have a fear that I have far too little time with students that I want to cram all the important things in in the few hours I get with them a week. I think that if we spent 15 minutes just, “hanging out” that we are wasting time. But that isn’t true.
Community is the fertile soil in which we can experience grace.
If there is no community, then our students don’t feel that safe haven. . . That refuge. . .That sanctuary. . . Where they can be themselves. A place where they feel like they don’t have to put on a façade to impress or fit in with others. Without this culture of community and safety, then the message of the gospel falls on deaf ears. Belonging precedes grace.
Look at Jesus. Jesus offered belonging far before he expected them to behave in certain ways. I believe this is to fertilize the soil of community and belonging so that those He encounters can truly experience the grace and love and mercy He offers.
We have to remember that one of the main tasks of adolescence is to find a place of belonging. To know where they fit in. This is one of the markers of adulthood. In other words, as an adult I know I don’t have to act a certain way in order for people to get to like me.
So I look to the ten to fifteen minutes we spend before youth group “hanging out” and “wasting time” as an integral part of our programming.
But there is a warning we have to heed, for the opposite is also true. Bad community is toxic soil that that can kill a student’s opportunity to experience grace.
I imagine a junior high girl trying to find a peer to just give her the time of day before a youth group class. Ten minutes of getting ignored feels like an hour to her. By the time her class starts, she will spend the remainder of class doubting herself, wondering what is wrong with her, questioning her worth instead of experiencing God’s grace that is being proclaimed. Furthermore, she may also actually DOUBT that God’s grace with worth ANYTHING if she hasn’t experienced community in those ten minutes before class. Therefore, we must have a corps of volunteers who are vigilant to look out and make sure EVERY student is being draw into community. If we simply rely on her peers, chance are, they will fail her. Therefore we MUST have an army of other adults who have the sensitivity to reach out as well as be available to students. These adults must be drawn from a variety of backgrounds, age groups, genders, socio-economic demographics, skin colors, etc. in order for every student to have a few options to go to. In other words, lets not just draw from the twenty something hipsters in our churches. We need spiritual moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents as well as big brothers and big sisters who will till the soil of community and create a fertile garden for grace to grow.
