by | October 28, 2011

(Contest) WAIT: Halloween Prop Edition

Another “What Am I Thinking”  (WAIT) contest has begun. This one is a creative scary inappropriate unique prop a guy in North Carolina created that ended up being a bad idea as 9-1-1 was called a few times as a result.

So, rather than it being a real-life bad idea, I thought we could redeem it and make a contest of it…

If you have a thought or caption that can go with this one, let’s hear it!

I’ll give props to those who come up with some clever captions and pick a winner on Halloween. The winner receives a handful of Aaby-leftover Candy (and we get good stuff).

Happy Caption-ing!

Grace,
Brian

******** In the Running *******

Looking for John’s dear.
She was last seen jogging.
If you’ve seen John’s dear.
Please call … … …. asap.
Thank you. ~ Jan A.

Looks like more overtime for my husband! ~ Lori (NOTE: Her husband is in law enforcement)

Unfortunately, no one was around to hand John a screwdriver or a bandage….maybe the mailman would come soon… ~Chris Cummings

Bright side? At least the bag attachment was on. ~Ron Larson

With a rebel yell, he cried “Mower, mower, mower!” ~Lori

“I accidentally laid under my lawn mower.” ~Taylor Murray (so stupid, but so funny!)

“Hey Ciscoe, in a situation like this should I bag or mulch?” ~Ron Larson

How to know she’s really not that into you: a John Deere Dear John. ~unowho

Daily Gazette — Husband lays down for nap after mowing the grass. Wife last seen running away from the scene. ~ J Web

See, Brian . . . we TOLD you that David couldn’t handle mowing the lawn. Now go be a good big brother and get him out of there. ~the wifey

************* The Winner **************

Gotta say that pretty much every comment could have been in the running, these were hilarious! Loved a couple of Ron Larson’s and almost gave it to him with either of his contenders, but honestly, the one that continues to make me laugh the most, is the 80′s flashback and creative use of Billy Idol’s song. Good job Lori, you get two handfuls of candy!

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by | October 25, 2011

Would This Really Happen?

Picture this:

After much prayer a dedicated, Jesus-loving family decided to move overseas to become missionaries with the hopes of sharing the gospel with any and all in this foreign land. They moved to their new community, invested in new furniture and prepared their living room for the folk they planned to be there. Missionary-man rented space in an office for dedicated times of prayer and study of the Word. While mom home-schooled the children, dad  commuted to the office where he studied evangelism and met with the three or four young missionaries he was brought in to train. The office space was conveniently located near the city center where thousands would gather daily to eat lunch in the city-park. 

Though their house was open for dinner every Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the three or four younger missionaries were the only ones to show up. Months passed. The missionaries grew close to one another and really began to understand the theological basis for evangelism and discipleship. Most Thursdays their prayer time was interrupted by the loud noises coming from the kids and families at the nearby “park nights” sponsored by the government. 

The Obvious Questions:

Why didn’t the missionaries eat lunch with the people gathered near the office?

Why didn’t the missionaries participate in the park-nights?

Why did they call themselves missionaries?

The Unfortunate Reality:

The above story looks/feels too much like what may be happening in the youth ministry realm. Many Youth Pastors/Leaders (and churches, to be quite honest) have gotten away from the most obvious mission field that is in our own backyard–The campus!

I published a post a couple weeks ago about the areas of ministry I believe many in student ministries have gotten away from. Just a few days later I flew to Kansas City to attend a Campus Alliance gathering of about 45 Youth Ministry leaders (presidents of youth ministry orgs/denominations) to tackle the subject of reaching the 67,000+ U.S. campuses (middle school/high school) with the gospel. This was a rich time of prayer, partnership and planning.

It will be worth nothing if we don’t do anything about it!

Part of the Solution, Not Just Naming the Problem:

Many have rallied around the books and movements that name and blame the church (and youth ministries) for our shortcomings/problems, but rather than just naming them, I want to see us take action to change the blame-game and get back on the actual field! This is what I am committed to. This is what Youthmark is committed to. Are you (and your ministry) going to commit yourself to sharing the ONE hope we have?

I am committing Youthmark to this alliance with other ministries who are committed to reaching the campuses of America with the good news of Jesus. We are committed to not just “living” it, but loving the people on these campuses enough to share (with Word and actions) about Jesus and his plan of redemption.

Politics can help us with some temporary changes in law and standards. Government may help the homeless for a short time. Humanitarian aid may give short-time sustainability to thousands in need after a disaster… but Christians should give long term, even eternal relief through the gospel. The gospel lived out brings physical, emotional and spiritual solution.

Youthmark is committed to what we call Mission51. Though we are short term mission sending organization, our heart beat is for training for the 51 weeks beyond the one-week venture. Where is Mission51?

Campus. Club. Community. Church.

Youth Leaders and organizations, the mission field is the campus! It is in our back yard. There are over 67,000+ of these centers around the country and you are the shepherd for those who can and should be the best missionaries in the United States! We should gather, we should train and we better release our missionaries (students) to this HUGE mission field. But they need to know they aren’t going alone! May they go with prayer, may they go prepared and may they go partnered!

I am honored to be a partner with Campus Alliance!

Grace,

Brian

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Filed under Gospel Conversations, Mission51, Random/Rant, Student Ministry Stuff (SMS), Youthmark Stuff

by | October 20, 2011

From Concept to Community

As I sat in the Fireside Cafe for dinner with my family and several new friends this last Monday I found myself smiling and reflecting…

In late March I had a conversation with a friend involved in an upstart Bible School. “Adelphia” was a concept that he and others had been hoping would become reality in either the fall of 2011 or 2012. During this coffee conversation Eric let me know that they had made the decision to “go for it’ and attempt to start in 2011. Over the next few days and a few conversations I was invited to play a part.

Over the next two weeks the DNA would form a logo and marketing campaign began. A commercial needed to be written and produced and recruitment of students began. Decisions were made on a minimum number needed to begin, who would be in charge of different aspects and what the curriculum would be.

From the get-go it was bathed in prayer. My prayer all along was that Adelphia would be a place where students could come and IMMEDIATELY live out the stuff they were learning. My hope was to avoid the mantra of “get away for a year (or 4) so that you can learn the stuff you can use after you’re done.”

We’re just completing our second week at Adelphia. The teaching has been phenomenal (new teacher and subject each week, creating 22 “intensives”). The students are already jumping into church leadership roles in local children, youth and worship ministries. I had eight students go with me for Youthmark’s LIFT event in Portland last Sunday and it was plainly evident that the community was already tight! We even have a basketball team participating in the culture of Maple Valley through a city-league.

I am thrilled to have an advisory role with the school. I get to lead the cohort program and participate in leading the the in-house times on Monday mornings. We’re currently going through a process of discernment as the students each decide on a mission opportunity for their last two weeks of the Adelphia program year. It truly is an exciting time!

In March it was a concept. Today it is a community, seeking to impact the culture for Christ!

Grace,
Brian

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by | October 11, 2011

What We’ve Gotten Away From…

I’ve been involved with in Youth Ministry for just about 20 years now. Though there have been many tweaks and occasional shifts away from the norm, the typical youth ministry program has included some form of  hang time, game time, worship time and teaching (“talk”) time. These four elements are about a predictable as my desire for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!

Our youth ministry forefathers formed something that we’ve had a hard time re-inventing (and to be honest, may not be the primary area in need of an overhaul). I believe the real change in youth ministry doesn’t have anything to do with re-envisioning our mid-week programming, but an examination of some key things I believe youth pastors/leaders have gotten away from in the greater landscape of student ministry.

  1. We’ve Gotten Away From The Campus. Most youth pastors haven’t even attempted to get on the public (or private) school campus. I hear them say “the campus is closed” yet they haven’t once made an effort with the administration of the said “closed” campus. I am telling you, I have NEVER been turned down by the admin to be a volunteer on campus. Be smart, don’t look at your time on campus as a time to proselytize, rather as a time to serve the school, the teachers, the administration and to build relationship with anyone God brings you in contact with. Just being present (even just an hour a week) will pay large dividends and build major trust! It will bring a whole new ownership when attending games, musicals, concerts and award banquets.
  2. We’ve Gotten Away From Evangelism. A “discipleship-first” model is honestly the safe choice. Parents are quite happy that you’re providing a “safe” place for their child(ren) to participate in ministry. Service-based trips where we work with our hands building, cleaning, painting and serving meals are now called “mission trips.” I am a big proponent of service, it often creates an entry point into spiritual conversation, but I believe we’ve gotten away from sharing the gospel with our WORDS! I think youth missions can/should include evangelism opportunities because it is an extension of what we’re doing at home as well (what we call “Mission51″ at Youthmark). I believe youth leaders (and parents) have allowed youth ministry to turn away from evangelism because we’re typically not involved with it in our own peer-community. It’s hard to teach what we’re not doing. What if evangelism and discipleship were not mutually exclusive? What if youth leaders, pastors and parents began to model discipleship that included evangelism first?
  3. We’ve Gotten Away From The Gospel! This may sound a lot like the last, but I believe student ministry as a whole has gotten away from sharing the gospel and settled for a “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”-message. The gospel is good news, in order to have good news, there must be bad news as well. This “bad news” is HORRIBLE news. Without Jesus there is no hope. No hope is hell (bad news)! Many of our programs talk about the bible, Jesus, prayer and accountability without talking about the “why” we need these things. A failure to share about the wonderful grace of God actually leads our followers down the path of works-righteousness. Students begin to “work” on the practices of faith without actually having grace-based faith.
I want to be part of a solution, not just point out what I see as some of the problems. So, I have a few suggestions for myself and other youth leaders (or pastors).
  • Start with prayer: pray for your own heart response and examine whether or or not these things are true of you and your ministry. Ask God for a peer-level harvest field for you to work in (so many youth leaders don’t even have non-Christian friends). Pray and ask for prayer. I believe your prayer will lead you to care and then your care will lead you to share!
  • Make contact today: Get up, drive to the local middle school or high school or make an appointment with the administration and simply ask the question “how can I serve this school… how can I help?” Don’t abuse the privilege to be there, keep the campus options available to other Christians by being a smart missionary if given the opportunity to serve the school. Your present on campus (or campuses) will lead you to opportunities to experience the harvest field.
  • Share the gospel in youth group! Don’t assume that even your core-students know and understand that gospel. Be clear in your presentation of the gospel. Always include the need for salvation (because of sin), Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection. As you share this more and more not only will it permeate your other conversations, but as more for your group place their trust in Christ, it’ll permeate their conversations outside of your group!
May your hang time, game time, worship time and message time  be an extension of everything that is taking place outside of your program! I’m ready to see us get back to some of the things we may have moved away from.
Grace,
Brian

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Filed under Faith Foundations/Bible Study, Gospel Conversations, Mission51, Random/Rant, Student Ministry Stuff (SMS)

by | October 6, 2011

Conferences, Connections, Churches and Chapels…

Like any good Pastor I am sticking with a single letter theme for this post. The last week of my life has been bombarded by Christians of every kind, here is a quick review of my Thursday to Thursday and all the different C’s I was able to experience.

Conference: I attended the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) by Youth Specialties in San Diego. I would guesstimate that I have been to 10 different NYWC’s in my life and this one was certainly one of the best. A few of the things that stood out to me and what made it so sweet from my perspective:

  • Lower cost: More “teams” participated because YS made it more affordable.
  • Diverse, but less “controversial” speakers: All who spoke appeared humble and weren’t looking to just push the envelope but actually deliver a message that would equip, encourage and spur on those who are working with youth.
  • Friendship: I was personally blessed by growing deeper in conversation with many across the nation that I can call “friend.” I appreciated spending time with the likes of Eric, Lars, Mark, Jeremy, Sean, Tim, Mindi, Jeff (two of them), Jim, Len, EJ, Ryan and several others that I am certainly forgetting right now.
  • Partnerships: It is really fun to dream together as to “what can be” when people with a kingdom mindset gather. I look forward to seeing how Youthmark may partner with others who are passionate about seeing lost people trust in Christ!

Connections: Alon Banks (Youthmark and National Network) and I drove north on Sunday evening to meet with Hope Partners International on Sunday Night and Monday  (all day). We are so excited about what HPI is doing and enjoyed talking through the next steps of our partnership with them. It will be amazing to see what God does as prayers are lifted, financial constraints are shattered and the harvest workers are unleashed on some impoverished areas!

I was blessed to have Elisabeth fly down to SoCal on Monday and spend Tuesday and Wednesday with her talking to Spire Resources (our publisher) about several projects! I am so proud of my wife and love partnering with her on some new endeavors!

Church: On Tuesday I was able to meet with a large church in Southern California and do a brief consult about some student ministry visioning! It was a great meeting! I firmly believe this church “gets it” and doesn’t want to entertain students, but wants to see their students equipped to reach out with the gospel!

Chapels: On Wednesday afternoon I took a quick flight over to Phoenix to speak on Thursday at Scottsdale Christian Academy. SCA is our first Christian School partnership for Youthmark. This is the second time I have spoken for this school (I spoke at a retreat with them in August). I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and look forward to seeing Scottsdale transformed through these students and staff!

My 5th C I’d like to add is the word CRAZY. Now that I have returned, I immediately turn around and speak three times at MissionsFest Seattle this weekend and end the weekend by welcoming in the initial Adelphia Bible School Class! I’ll be speaking twice at orientation on Sunday! Great stuff, but a crazy schedule!

It is so good to be back with my family, though it was just a week (my longest trip in a long-long time) it felt like way longer! So good to love on my family! Speaking of family, I have to conclude this post, Will and I have an appointment to wrestle!

Grace,

Brian

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Filed under Aaby Family, Mission51, Student Ministry Stuff (SMS), Travel, Youthmark Stuff

by | September 27, 2011

15 Minutes Can Save . . .

I love the commercial with the Gecko reaching into his wallet for his credit card to pay for a meal…

How about the Cavemen? Classic as commercials. Horrible as a TV show.

Regardless of Geico’s crazy ad themes, the tagline that they drive is their call for you to make a call… “15 minutes can save you 15%”.

This morning I took a few minutes to catch up on some youth ministry blogs. I read this one from my friend, Greg Stier. Greg used the State Farm Insurance “Like A Good Neighbor” tagline to call Christians to not just be good neighbors, but to be great neighbors. To do so he suggests that Christians:

  1. Get out of your castle (house)
  2. Pray for your neighbors
  3. Start a neighborhood spiritual discussion group
If you have not read this yet, go read it now. This is not a call just to those involved in student ministries. It’s a call to ALL Christians. I applaud Greg’s humility and response to the Spirit’s conviction in his own life. Here’s a guy with a national platform calling himself and others to engage the lost in the front yard, not just the big stage.
It got me thinking about the number of spiritual conversations I’ve had lately and the correlation with the above-name Geico Insurance company tagline, “15 minutes can save . . .”
Don’t read that as a trite, “15 minutes will save someone.” Though I firmly believe the Holy Spirit can work in that way if He chooses, my play on this commercial tagline is to encourage Christians to see that 15 minutes of investment could open up a myriad of doors into the lives of others and perhaps the front doors to spiritual conversations about God’s saving love.
  • What if you and your kids took 15 minutes to grab your rakes and wheelbarrow when you saw your neighbors attacking their leaves?
  • Could you swing by your neighbor-kids soccer game and cheer with mom and dad for the last 15 minutes of their son or daughters game?
  • As we approach the holidays, how about doubling a few recipes and take 15 minutes to deliver Thanksgiving pies, cookies or cupcakes to your neighbors with a “This Thanksgiving our family is thankful for you” cards?
Of course there are scores of other ideas we can come up with that would only take about 15 minutes. These 15 minutes could go a long way toward opening up conversations where you get to share the amazing story of God’s grace in your life. Three things you can do behind closed doors to be prepared for those 15 minutes beyond your front door.
  1. Consistently Pray for people and opportunities (not just for your neighbors, but anywhere and anyone).
  2. Constantly Practice sharing your story and the gospel, even as a family so when the time comes, you’re ready to give an answer for the hope you have (learn to share the gospel conversationally).
  3. Courageously Participate when God opens the door for spiritual conversation.
15 minutes can save. Let’s be prepared to not just be used for 15 minutes, but to be used by God for our lifetime to bring the message of His love to everyone!
Grace,
Brian

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Filed under Aaby Family, Gospel Conversations, Home and Ministry, Mission51

by | September 21, 2011

LIFT- Concert :: Worship :: Training in PDX!

Ahhh yeah! It was highly successful in the greater Seattle area, so why not give it a go in Portland? Spread the word for this great one-evening training event that includes great worship and a kickin’ concert with Everfound! LIFT is back!

If you went to the Seattle event, be sure to pass the word on to anyone from Centralia (North) to Eugene (South). We’d love to see Christ LIFTed in Portland with groups from all around! Mission51 is the key, we want people sharing the gospel not just on the one-week mission, but the 51 weeks beyond the week long experience.

Check out the Facebook event page and get others invited to the Sunday, October 16, 6pm LIFT event!

Grace,
Brian

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Filed under Adelphia Bible School, Gospel Conversations, Mission51, Travel, Youthmark Stuff