Lies are all around us. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but lots of people try to sell us lies everyday. Lies that sex sells, lies that all guys want are girls that are rail thin and blonde, lies that you can only function in business and life on a Windows computer. I know terrible lies all around us. But we take for granted that being of the way, the truth and life that the father of lies can’t impact the church or our student ministries and we are dead wrong.

I stumbled across Michael’s blog one day through the website PlantersBlog.com asking for youth ministers to read and review his new book, 10 Lies of Student Ministry. Now I’m a sucker for free stuff, especially ministry books. So I took the challenge and here I am reviewing a book that is one of those you can quickly work through and read once a year.

Michael wrote a great book that I personally think could be a great counterpart to be read-along side of Purpose Driven Youth Ministry for new student ministers or college students. I think he does a good job of debunking lies and myths of student ministry that sometimes trap us or that we allow ourselves to get caught up in trying to impress our friends, peers and senior ministers. But lets face some facts: youth groups don’t grow churches, guys in larger ministries are trying to figure out ways to make their groups smaller, if we are trying to build a large group of teens we are only stroking our own ego.

In 10 Lies, Michael hits on lies like “Its all about relationships”, “Students are the future of the church”, “The primary job of the student pastor is to reach students”, “We must be family friendly”, and “A growing ministry is a health ministry” to name a few of my favorites. The truth and passion that comes out of this book to me was one of the greatest values of this book. Michael works through some tough lies that most of us have faced in some form or fashion. We have all strived to have large ministries and listened to all the latest fads that have worked to grow other ministries so that must work in ours. This book is filled with good research, life experience and illustrations from today (which some say might not be a good thing for the longevity of the book) and what I think are some great quotes that will stick with you. Sometimes in these types of ministry books you get the principle but not some of the basic how to or questions to think about.
Now don’t get me wrong I’m not talking about details of he pulled of different programs of events but things like how to make the most of relationships with students, ideas for what only the church can offer and ways to build relationships with parents but not build a ministry that suits them, just to name a few.

Some exerts-
“Relationships in and of themselves are not the goal.”

“Were not there to be their friends or to just develop relationships with. God has placed us in their in their lives to be leaders and guides.”

“When you cram your calendar full of events, you burn out your leaders, you burn out your students and you burn out yourself.”

“And the whole times I was articulating my major points, my students were sitting there wondering why God didn’t answer their prayers, why they feel guilty all the time, and why they can’t get a date.”

“Your primary call is not to help students get along with their parents, but to lead them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

10 Lies in my mind is a great reminder book peppered with truth about what are job is really about and fresh thinking about the lies that hold us back from doing ministry that glorifies God and build disciples not just fills seats.

We are having a good conversation on Scott Harris’ blog about baptism. Scott and I could go back and forth being ministers and all but one of the ladies that goes to The Rock Church, the church Scott has launched (I totally dig the logo), joined the conversation about her struggles with infant/ child baptism that was a part of her up bringing in the Catholic church and now having children. Check out the comments and join if you’d like.

I have been processing a few blog posts one by Michael over at Oak Leak and one by Guy Kawasaki about writing and blogging and a conversation with Chris. I want to increase the quality of my postings not only for you my friends and readers but also to make myself work harder and writing better and taking more time to think and marinate and let my posts come out of that.

I have a book to review on here in the next couple of days and and some sun burn to get over from a long day of fishing or what we like to call a beautiful days on the water where you drop a line 60ft to 100ft down and stand there.

Holy Cow are we in for one of the most powerful resources to come on the market ever, The Bible Experience. It is an audio bible done in a dramatic way. I’m was not into dramatic readings of the bible before today but after watching the Behind The Scenes Video today that all changed. With an all-star cast including Denzel Washington & Blair Underwood to name just two of the amazing cast members in this project a truly amazing experience is going to knock on the door of millions of hearts. Forget boring audio bibles with monotone readers this is done with passion and heart and will be definitely something you will want to get and tell as many people as possible about.

(ht: marko)

We were able to go see some of our friends in Savannah and catch a minor league ball game. We stopped by Islands, the church I served with in Savannah and saw all the great things they are doing with their building to make it more usable and suitable to minister to larger groups of children. Had breakfast with some friends and headed back to Ormond to start setting up for Easter.

I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to come and set up on the beach for the community Sun Rise service at 4AM. We arrived about 6:15AM and were blown away by the amount of people on the beach at that hour of the morning. It was great, people from different church in Ormond Beach, people from the hotel coming out on to their balconies and the pool deck gathering together to fellowship and worship our risen Savior. Worshiping in song on the beach is really cool and during the message we turned toward the water and watched the sun come up over the horizon, we all took communion together at stations and then 21 people were baptized at the end of the service. We estimate that over 500 people were there. Truly amazing.

We then transitioned back to the school to hold our two gatherings and had a lot of new people and because a lot of our normal people went to the sun rise service and not to either of the gatherings we felt low but actually had a good attendance.

We did something with all of our family. Just wish it would have been all together and not go see one, one come to see us, go see another. Made for a long day.

We are headed back to Savannah for the day. We haven’t been back since we left in September. We miss our friends and the city. We going to watch a Sand Gnats game tonight, Dawn worked for them while we lived there and we have great friends on staff. Hope you guys have a great Easter.

Were are having a Professional Bass Fisher coming speak at church and then for a community event we are hosting in May. I have been pretty busy over the last couple of days finishing up the design of the publicity cards we are going to have to pass out and use and invites. Let me know what you think.

Click on the image for larger view.

I have been thinking about missional living a lot lately. But it strikes me that we communicate very little to our people that they to can live a missional life. We as a church may have missional aspects, or in small groups or in our case mychurches are encouraged to be missional and think of others not just their group and to get up off their butts and do something. But do we encourage our people to be missional in their everyday lives?

We have a female cop that is a great servant at our church and she mentors a few teenage girls that have been in trouble with the law and during their prayer time one mentioned that she hoped her government check came soon so she could buy a few sanitary products. It sparked in my friend’s mind to ask around a church and among her friends to help these girls out with the little things they desperately needed. All of our people come in to contact with people in need or are passionate about something and with a little encouragement from us ministers and church leaders maybe they will use each day with the thoughts of doing something tangible not just sending money (which isn’t inherently bad, but more can be done) to help those in need around them. As a church meeting in a school, we have since day one thought of ways to help the school in different ways throughout the school year. We have some people in the church that help mentor student at the school in a school program, we have paid for teacher appreciation lunches and today Robbie and I raised a floor 6 inches in a large storage shed that they store P.E. equipment in but that frequently floods and ruins the stuff stored in there. It cost the church a whole $250 but the principle, teachers and support staff walked by and saw two non-county workers working in the shed and whether they support what we are doing or not they appreciate what we have done and see God’s glory because we let our lights shine and sweat a little.

I wish I read on a more consistent basis. I know the value of reading and that I can’t grow as a leader if I’m not continuing to learn and expand my mind with new thoughts and reminders. I think that I don’t read consistently because I read to many blogs. I think I need balance.

Anyways I’m really digging a book by Michael Lukaszewski called 10 Lies of Student Ministry, I’m hopping to finish it by the end of the week and write a review to be posted here on my blog. I also snagged Jason Boyett’s new book Pocket Guide To Adulthood and its such an easy read, short essays on life topics. I really like it and great book to leave on your bookshelf at home to keep handy and just flip through every now and again. And I’m looking forward to starting a book called Church Marketing 101. I don’t think that it is anything like what you are thinking. It’s endorsed by the guy from Church Marketing Sucks

I have been stewing on this for about a week and I think it is finally ready to come out. I don’t like titles, not titles that refer to what you do like CEO of Apple or Youth Minister of Media and Children’s Pastor but when people refer to people with the titles Pastor or my ultimate favorite, Reverend. One time I have been referred to as Reverend and the got it wrong the wrote the Rev. Ken Boles (I am finding that no one gets my name right). I have been noticing a lot lately or maybe it is finally irritating me enough now to make me think about more when so and so refers to another minister or co-worker and Pastor Such and Such. Why? Why do we feel the need to prefix their name? Is it power? Ego? Something I’m missing? Do you something for free when you refer to them that way like base ball tickets, or money, a vacation? I just don’t get it.

I really think it has to with power and ego. We want people to think we are important and maybe they will refer to us that way the next time. I have never liked titles. I don’t like the association it brings with my name and the countless negative experiences people have had with other guys called by the same title. To me its like the whole Catholic thing with saints. Saint Michael, Saint Mary, the Saint of safe travel or the one that will sell your house. People see these people as the real saints and don’t think the passages about saints in the bible refer them. The same goes for the title Pastor. How can we convince God’s people that they are all ministers if all the real ministers get the spiffy title.