Happy New Question?

Happy New Year!

My goal is to post one blog per day for all of 2010. Since I have only a teen-number of blogs to my name, it might not be attainable (as in A in SMART goals...I'll touch on that another day).

My lingering curiosity about blogging is how to be personally engaging without being totally self-absorbed. I can tell you all about my life or ministry -- the number of times in a day I deal with self-doubt or marvel at the grace of God in Jesus -- but even transparency can turn into selfishness.

My thought is by ending each post with a question, then I can truly demonstrate my genuine desire to interact on God's truth in all our lives. So what do you think?

P.S. Did I really start every paragraph with "my"?

459 Days Later

It has been 459 days.

459 days since I last blogged. It has been quite a road. I intended to mention around the end of December 2008 that I moved to part-time effective January 1, 2009. But being part-time...well...I had only so many hours that I could give to the YM department, so it seemed wise to let it go.

And let this blog go I did.

To all three of you still reading 459 days later I want to say, "Thank you!" Thank you for praying. Thank you for cheering on. Thank you for saying that encouraging youth leaders that share Jesus with teenagers is worth it.

The good news -- I will be returning to full-time on January 1, 2010. The Lord has provided. Jen and I are really grateful.

The bad news -- I have time to blog again. Your anti-donations can be sent to the number at the bottom of your screen. Call now!

Stop! In The Name of Love

It was a crisp, fall morning. The leaves were inching toward the change from green to auburn. As I turned the corner in my 1990 Buick, I found myself pulling up behind a school bus. The morning route was under way and I would get to follow for awhile.

The school bus was at a stop to pick up a reluctant student. The lights were flashing. The stop sign extended. The teenager stepped on and the bus took off down the road.

Two parts surprised me:
+ The warning lights stayed on.
+ The stop sign stayed extended.

"Maybe the next stop is just down the block," I thought. The bus gained speed down the street, past a new road, and continued on. Lights flashing. Stop sign slicing through the breeze.

My route led me to turn from trailing this interesting sight, so I glanced to take one last look. No change. Every vehicle this bus driver would meet for the next few blocks would force others to respond to a moving, flashing, stop sign.

As I readjusted my vision to the road, the thought came, "Do teenagers see me that way?"

Ouch.

Am I a moving, loud signal of STOP to the youth I minister to? Stop talking while the youth leader is talking. Stop being quiet during the Bible study discussion. Stop doing the "bad" things. Stop spending time with the "wrong" crowd. Stop...stop...STOP!

This blog is not about discipline. That has its place and needs to be a well-handled area in a healthy youth ministry, for the sake of the teens and the honor of the Lord.

This blog is about loving Jesus and loving teenagers. It's the great commandment (Matt. 22) and the great commission (Matt. 28). This blog is about communicating truth about sin with a tear of pain, and grace with a tear of hope. Because we know the reality of both.

A potential volunteer visiting a youth group was met at the door afterwards by the youth director. He asked her, "Tell me about your experience tonight." She looked him in the eyes and said, "I fell in love."

A little startled, he asked, "With who?"

"With ALL of them," came the reply.

How do you show Jesus' love to teens?

5Ws and How: Parts III-VI

This "Catch Up" blog is brought to you by Heinz...

In the midst of summer vacation, (why do those words go together again?!?), I have stopped in some of the following exciting American cities:

* Ames, IA
* Blue Springs, MO

* Belle Plain, KS

* Caddo, OK
* Galveston, TX - the beach is beautiful
* Joplin, MO

* Rowena, SD

* Fairmont, MN

...but before I can blog on all that good stuff. I'm helplessly behind again. I loathe leaving items unfinished, so here is my "catch up" on the series I started earlier:

5Ws...Part III
WHERE Is The Best Place To Stay In Cataract, Wisconsin?
Yes, you will have your choice of 13 luxury hotels in this lovely community, but do not fall for them. The only 5-Star place "Life, Liberty & the Pursuit" endorses is the Unverzagt Bed & Breakfast. We had a blast staying with Pastor Jonathan and Hope and fam.

What were the totals again? 4 Adults and 14 Children...no, 15 Kids. It didn't seem like that many. It was great to share with the Christ Is Lord Church family. I love that your name reflects your approach to understanding Jesus.

Your choice in youth directors...well, we can visit more about that later. What am I to say? Daniel's one of my best friends.

5Ws...Part IV
WHEN To Start Looking For A Youth Director?

Today.

I suppose I should expand on that. Over the first 12 months in the position, I notice that numbers of students in a certain age group often push a congregation to make the leap to pursue a youth director. That's understandable. I am just wondering since the majority of the 33 million American teenagers are NOT connected to a local Bible-believing, Jesus-preaching church, when will that number push us to do something?

5Ws...Part V

WHO To Visit When You Travel To The Ukraine?
In my office this spring, I had Pastor Tomasz Chmiel (EEMN Missionary to Ukraine) and Pastor Alexander Gross (German Lutheran Church in Ukraine). It was an tremendous time to share about what the Lord is doing in today's teens in different parts of the globe. Tomasz and his wife Miriam have recently returned to eastern Europe after being in Mpls. Here's their website -- http://www.chmiels.com/.

5Ws...Part VI
WHAT To Do When An Infant About To Be Baptized Spits Up?
It was my pleasure to baptize the third child of a couple that I knew in Fergus. I had been asked to baptize child #1 and child #2 during our years there, so when the request came for child #3, we were ready to go. The private ceremony was warm and informal. After reading the powerful Scriptures about our sin nature and Jesus' promise, the child promptly deposited some liquid on mom. Burp rag in place, neither mom nor child were marked by it. I turned to those assembled and said, "In some ways, that response is so appropriate. We are guilty of our sin. It is right there -- mess and all. By God's Word, we need Jesus to clean us up. It is all of Him!" With that the child received the grace promised through being grafted into Christ.

Next time, I'll move on to something actually from summer.
I can't remember...is it 'catsup' or 'ketchup'?

5Ws and How - Part Two

Why was the "Amazing Race Across Astoria" really amazing?

Jason Norlien and I traveled to Astoria, Oregon the last weekend in April for an excellent youth rally. Our friends at Bethany Free Lutheran put us up for the time there staying with the world-famous Editor of the Lutheran Ambassador, Pastor Craig Johnson.

Having a couple hours to visit in Craig's sports-red Madza as we traversed the Washington and Oregon roads along the Columbia River, I thought I would press him for some information.








Holt: "So what's it like being so powerful?"

Johnson: "What do you mean?"

Holt: "Hello!! The Editor of the Lutheran Ambassador?"

Johnson: "What are you talking about?"

Holt: "Pastor Johnson, are you denying that you are involved with that wonderful magazine of the AFLC?"

Johnson: "I have been instructed not to talk to the press. No comment."








Hmmm...peculiar. Pastor Craig gladly visited about every other subject under the sun, but not the Lutheran Ambassador. I will have to plumb that topic in a later blog.



Friday night was relaxed and enjoyable as students and youth groups traveled to the church for the kickoff. Laughter. Snacks. Games. Mocking the guest speaker. Apparently pictures you place on Facebook are public!

Saturday morning was dedicated to sessions. I did my thing. The students were gracious. Pastor Luke Long did a great session on applying the theme. Then came Saturday afternoon: "The Amazing Race Across Astoria".

The intro was straightforward and clear. We were to be placed in teams with driver's that knew the community. All directions (left, right, stop and buy a Wild Cherry Pepsi) were to be delivered by the team. The driver would go straight without team instructions. Each stop would provide a new clue/location to go to.

Soon after being divided up, we were off. Up and down streets. Around the corner. Back and forth. Back and forth. And for our team, back and forth at least one more time. Why? Since stopping to ask directions from the local gas station employee led to wrong info.

Finally, we came to the last location on end of the pier. The van stopped a few hundred yards away and the whole team had to cross the finish line on foot. Some teams ran. I walked as one of our team members wasn't coming down the pier. Too much back and forth created a car-sickness situation came the report. We finally met the judge and designer at the end.

"Congratulations. You're 4th."

Fourth out of six teams. Yes, Jason N's team was first. (Do you want to rub it in again, Norlien?) But our team had a blast, as did the other teams. Even if the race didn't go well, each team had a great story about their adventures.

As I listened to the tales being told, I thought about what struck me as the most amazing part of the "Amazing Race Across Astoria". The judge and designer of the race was a senior high student. My new friend struck me as the modest type so I won't share his name here -- all of us who were there know him -- but the who isn't my reason for blogging.

Many churches and youth groups when a BIG event comes leaves the planning and implementation to the adults. They're responsible. They'll get it done.

As we are concerned about developing maturing, servant-leaders, who will follow Jesus, are there settings that we can allow for them to lead? Can't the local congregation be a great place for a teenage believer to stretch his or her wings to pray, to plan, and to lead?

Will it be polished? Not always. Will there be bumps in students leading? Yes. Will it be worth it? We will see in a generation as these teens continue to live what they are being taught now. More than knowledge, let us give students experiences, skills, and attitudes that reflect a lifestyle and lifetime of following Jesus.

When the race was over, I asked Pastor Craig about the gas station that our team stopped at to get directions. It seemed odd that the store worker didn't know where a location was in his town. It was less than a mile from the spot we were trying to get to. Didn't that seem strange to him as well?

"No comment," came the reply.

I'm sensing a trend.

5Ws and How - Part One

How Do You Get Through A Meeting When Your Head Is About To Explode?

Step 1 - Recognize with your friends at the beginning that you are not feeling well.

Step 2 - Refrain from descriptions of how the headache is or how the stomach pains pinch, since that only seems to make them stronger, and breathing becomes much more difficult.

Step 3 - When asked a question, reply with a question.
For example,
Q: "Jason, what is happening with ________?"
A: "Didn't we table __________ until August 2011?"

Step 4 - When you find your mind wandering from the topic at hand, try to focus.
My thoughts bounce through everything under the sun ("Why are White Castle burgers so greasy and yet so yummy?"..."Does the quadradic equation really work every single time?"..."Why was it that Tears for Fears really didn't end up ruling the world in the 1980s?" ) , which results in a sort of stream-of-consciousness which makes it difficult to focus.

Step 5 - At least during long discussions.

Step 6 - This likely should come earlier in the list (like #1 maybe?!?), but pray.

Step 7 - A lot.

Step 8 - Sleep.

Step 9 - Ask forgiveness for sleeping.

Step 10 - Leave...before you fall asleep again.

April, May & More

Here is my catchy starting sentence...In the upcoming weeks, I will be blogging on all the great activities from April (and part of May!) that I missed writing on as they unfolded.

Yep, behind the times once again.

Dear Reader, during May you will find:
+ how to get through a meeting when your head feels it is about to explode
+ why the "Amazing Race Across Astoria" really was amazing
+ where the best place to stay is in Cataract, Wisconsin
+ when to start looking for a youth director
+ who to visit when you travel to the Ukraine
+ what to do when an infant is about to be baptized and he/she spits up all over mom/dad's shirt

I can already tell you are wondering about the last one.

Patience, my friend...patience.

Which based on my blogging speed means that early 2009 I will get to that one. Ok - skip the patience and comment on this blog, so I am reminded to keep writing!

Jason