Category Random/Rant

Get In The Game

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

As we approached the church for a youth leader lunch I remember being greeted by a guy who seemed somewhat familiar, maybe I’d seen him at some other regional gathering? He pointed us in the right direction and I thought it was nice that either the organization or the church was nice enough to send out a greeter to make sure we all knew where we were going.

After about 30 minutes of sharing lunch with my Seattle-area youth leading friends the greeter from outside popped up and introduced himself as Greg Stier, the President of Dare2Share (the organization hosting the lunch and training).

Flash forward about seven or eight years and I’ll tell you that the greeter/speaker Greg Stier I remember from that day is the same Greg today; furthermore the organization he leads, operates with the same humility he demonstrates by being the door-greeter at their training events.

I was in Florida all of this last week, I had several meetings with other organizations and was scouting for a few mission trips Youthmark has coming this spring and summer. Knowing that I was going to be in town I decided to double up and check out the Gameday tour for Dare2Share. Arrangements were made for me to not only attend but to serve behind the scenes for D2S. From set-up to tear-down, I’ll have you know that the team of employees, talent, speakers and volunteers were there for one-reason: to serve teens, leaders and one another so that the gospel is heard, taught, trained and sent!

Something we introduced last year through Youthmark, called “Speed Witnessing” was adopted by D2S as “Speed Training” for this years tour. And though I was excited to see this, I can tell you any “proud” moment I had for that was morphed by the pride I felt for the body of Christ serving together to put on a training conference that was so rich in content, so practical in application and 100% focused on Jesus and the good news he gives by grace alone through faith.

It truly was an honor to partner with Greg, Zane, Prop, Brenton Brown (and band) and scores of “others” that were never seen. From security to finance, from tech to talent, there was absolutely no pretentiousness or rank. Humility, grace and a sense of purpose permeated all that was done. All the parts were needed and though many in the crowd see the “personalities,” the personalities see “team.”

If you are a Youth Leader within a days drive of one of the remaining D2S conferences this year, you really ought to consider bringing your group to the event. And if you’re a Dare2Share alumni from the last couple of years, check out their new Lead The Cause University this summer. I am super pumped about this because my good friends, Everfound are leading worship at LTCU and then next year for the 2013 “Follow” tour by D2S. So fun to see my friends partner together in ministry (and selfishly, I am excited, because Dare2Share is coming back to Seattle for Follow).

Greg, thanks for being courageous in the faith, serving teens, youth leaders and the kingdom through humble and relentless leadership and thank you for taking the time with every student or adult who wanted to talk… those small times of “greeting” really do make a difference!

Grace,

Brian

Happenings.

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Thank you for your patience. My little-over one month hiatus from blogging has been a very good thing. It gave me the opportunity to rethink what I want to do with the blog, consider how often I want to post and determine how much time I should put into blogging. So, there are some small changes to be had and some big changes as well.

But before we restart, much has happened over these last 5 weeks, so let’s begin with the happenings:

  • December 12 to January 19 happened.
  • I finished a book (writing… don’t start thinking I read one)!
  • Christmas happened… and it happened to be AWESOME.
  • Speaking at an Oregon winter camp happened.
  • A new year happened.
  • I happened to then speak in Arizona for a few days.
  • Justin Bieber got a tatoo.
  • Elisabeth and I happened to speak at Adelphia Bible School for a week.
  • Halle’s Happy Birthday happened. And Elisabeth’s family happened to be here for said birthday.
  • More. People. Happened. To. Write. One. Word. Sentences.
  • A “Winter Extreme” just happens to be melting right now.
  • I ate a dish filled with Garbanzo beans. That just happened.
  • Oh, January 20th just happened too.

As for what will happen?

I plan to be more focussed this year when blogging. This will probably translate to fewer posts, but with more purpose. I’m not looking to just generate content and post because it’s been awhile, but to post because it’s an overflow of my passions.

I’ll look to give some insights into my faith. Glimpses of my family. Do some utterly stupid posts just for fun and of course share a lot about the stuff that brings in our finances (had to work in another word that started with “f”). I love Jesus, my wife and kids, laughter and working within the student and mission ministry field. So, expect that stuff to dominate the blog!

Blessings on our 2012!

Grace,
Brian

Rest and Remodel

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Blessings on you and your loved ones in this wonderful time of year. The holiday stretch between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are typically busy days for me. I decided to take this time of year away from the blog and invest some additional time in some other areas requiring some attention.

I am also taking this time to rethink the blog, expect some changes/additions in 2012.

Take some time to celebrate Jesus today! I am resting in his grace and thankful for the opportunity he has given me to love and serve him!

See you in 2012!

Grace,

Brian

 

The Annual Thanksgiving Poll!

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

I know you’ve been waiting patiently for about… well… the entire year, but wait no longer. The Thanksgiving Poll is here!

For the last 7-8 years I have had fun creating a similar poll, trying as hard as I can to make you anguish in pain over your decision.

Most everyone I know loves Thanksgiving, but what if some of the elements had to be eliminated? This is the premise of the Thanksgiving Poll. Of course this isn’t happening so don’t fret too much, it’s just a make-believe, made-up, hypothetical, what if… question.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grace,
Brian

Would This Really Happen?

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

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

What We’ve Gotten Away From…

Brian Aaby 6 Comments

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

Refuge, Resource and More… Get Networked!

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Back in 1995 a postcard awaited me as I began unpacking my boxes for my brand-new Youth Pastor position at Melrose Community Church. The postcard was a simple invite to the Youth Pastor Network meeting Tuesday morning at Mom’s Cafe.

I had barely even met the people in my church let alone anyone else in this town, but I decided to risk and go–if nothing else, I figured the bacon and eggs would be worth it. I walked into the upper floor of the cafe and immediately heard the distinct sound of group laughter down the stairs. “This must be the youth pastors” I thought to myself. The 90 minute gathering felt much more like family than a meeting. At the conclusion of our time, Kirk, one of the guys in attendance handed me his business card and said, “call me anytime in the next week and this card is good for a free lunch.”

I remember saying,”yeah, I’ll check my schedule and see if I can make that happen.” Internally I was rejoicing and thinking, “I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING going on, but I’ll wait at least two days to call…”

Today, Kirk is one of my good friends (and actually works with me at Youthmark). His simple invite was an invitation that has led me to a life-long commitment. A commitment that says that we are better together.

You may not feel you need a Network. In fact, many of you may have a great circle of support already. However, you may be the perfect “Kirk” for a Youth Leader in need. Or perhaps you’re the “Brian” of yesteryear and really do need to have someone surrounding and supporting you.

I have the privilege of being involved in several network circles and two local networks that I coordinate. Though no longer a Youth Pastor, I am heavily involved in Student Ministries. I am excited to serve alongside these great brothers and sisters. The younger among us teach us much about current youth culture, whereas the older among us offer up our mistakes as things to avoid as well or our triumphs as things that may be worthy of repeating.

The National Network of Youth Ministries has existed for many years and is committed to better-networking Youth Leaders with one another. They too believe that we are better together! In order to better understand what is and what is not happening in the world of the youth leader and networks they have put together a survey they’d like all youth leaders to complete. I’d love to help them get the information they need. I just took the survey and it took me eight minutes. Would you support the network in a similar way? Here is the survey!

I hope you’re involved with a network, it truly is a resource, refuge and much more. Know that you have gifts to give and gifts to receive from others! If you have questions about a local network, don’t hesitate to contact me and ask, I can probably point you in the right direction.

Grace,
Brian

An Open Letter to Church Members/Pastors

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Overheard at  any church this week: “I’ll pray for you.”

Praying for others is awesome…

But what if?

What if more often we changed the word for to with?

My friend Timothy Eldred, President of Christian Endeavor is spearheading an effort (pray with youth) that I believe can change the very makeup of YOUR church. I encourage you to continue to pray for the youth, but what if we had many actually pray with youth?

Please take the time to read-up on this movement because there are so many additional components that can/should be explored and included as to how you and your church incorporate praying with youth. However, the movement launch date is coming up next week, September 11, 2011. I suggest you talk to your Pastor, Youth Pastor, Worship Leader, or whomever you need to make something simple but significant happen!

This simple and significant cause is to get an adult to commit to praying with a youth (students approximately 12-20 years old). Though many will commit to praying for the youth, what would it look like to have the seasoned saints in your congregation praying with the youth.

In your church services on 9.11 invite any/all teens who are in attendance to come to the platform (or just stand where they are if you want to honor the shy ones). Start by praying for this group of teens.  Thank God for them, plead with God to use them as missionaries on their campuses, in their clubs, within the community and even at your church.

Now, do something even more bold…

Explain that praying for the students is great and needed, but let the adults know that we want to move from just praying for to praying with them!

Invite any adult (or several) who would like to commit to partnering in prayer with one of these standing to go and stand by them, speak with them and pray with them (perhaps have a worship song led for all others?)

It’s small, but five minutes set aside for partnering in prayer can lead to something that becomes very significant. Ultimately I believe you should do the entire Pray21 program (which partners adults with youth for the purpose of prayer for 21 days… please note that they’ve thought through all the liability issues, please follow their lead).

I believe that the youth can and should be the best missionaries we have in the United States (and beyond). But they need not just our prayers, they need our partnership. Praying with them will lead to greater intimacy in the church. Students will sense their significance and the church (the one body) will unify. I firmly believe we’ll see more and more students stay in our churches and we’ll see a significant missional movement in the lives of our students. Such a movement that we’ll actually see the hearts of our adults melt and our congregation members will become missional as the youth are unleashed to do ministry!

At Youthmark we’re committed to Mission51, the 51 weeks beyond a mission week, a retreat or even a pray with youth Sunday! I believe this Pray With Youth movement will FUEL mission51!

Will you take this to your people?

Grace,
Brian

The Tale of Two Stages

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Sunday it was “set” for church. By Wednesday it was rocking for Youthmark’s LIFT event and by Saturday it was decked out for Stephen and Jenny’s Wedding.

Thanks Faith Church!

LIFT was all it was billed to be- concert :: training :: worship

Fun to see friends get hitched!

Grace,

Brian

(CONTEST) W.A.I.T.: Brick Attack

Brian Aaby 6 Comments

The “What Am I Thinking” (WAIT) Contests are essentially an “add a caption” competition. You look at the pic below, add a great caption to it and then I narrow the field to those “in the running” and eventually (after the weekend) pick a winner.

If your caption doesn’t go live right away, no worries, I’ll have to “approve” you as an approve commenter.

Have some fun with this!

Winner gets one of the last few “Together” shirts we have left from our Spring Retreats.

Let the mayhem begin…

Grace,

Brian

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

“If Lebron had just made a few more shots in the 4th quarter, we wouldn’t be having this problem” ~Nathan S.

“Where did you say you I TOLD YOU SO Cards are?” ~Jan A.

“I told you I really needed to drop a load!” ~Lori

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

We didn’t need any entries after Nathan’s… I knew as soon as I read it it would be the winner. Great job friend! Shirt shall be delivered to a Network meeting soon!