Category Travel

Are you Focused?

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

IMG_5101This last weekend I was privileged to partner with two of my good friends in ministry. Rob Townshend and I tag-teamed a Jesus Focused Youth Ministry (JFYM) Forum in Rutland, VT! We “partnered” in a sense with another great friends of ours, Barry St. Clair (though Barry was hanging out in Georgia)! Barry was supposed to be in Connecticut leading another JFYM forum simultaneously… that got a little disrupted!

By now, we have ALL heard about the NE Storm! It was quite the doozy, but fortunately for me, I was smack-dab in the center of the donut hole that didn’t get hit hard. In Rutland we had about 6-8 inches of snow, whereas 15 miles in any direction received anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of snow! AMAZING!

IMG_5118Storms disrupt in many ways, don’t they? There were 63 people from a couple different states and several different cities/counties that were signed up with their leadership teams from a variety of churches. Well, given that the storm hit on Friday and Saturday we were blown away that 36 people were able to make it to the all-day Saturday event!

IMG_5114Of course storms are not always physical. The very nature of this JFYM Forum is to call those in ministry back to a calling that is storm-resistant (I can’t say storm-proof, because I believe we are supposed to be effected by the storms of life). The JFYM Forums focus on 6 main areas of our ministry life, they look at ministry from an inside out approach. The six core principles we facilitated wonderful discussions on:

  1. Growing deep with Jesus
  2. Passionate prayer
  3. Building leaders
  4. Discipling those in our care
  5. Knowing, growing and reaching our culture
  6. Creating opportunities to reach the lost

IMG_5093I thoroughly loved the unity in the room from the 5 different churches and people groups represented. There were a few high school students and several approaching their 70’s. We had some who would consider themselves ultra-conservatives and others who called themselves charismatics! But all of us agreed on the one name that brought us together and the one focus we wanted to have as we scattered: Jesus!

IMG_5177Are you Jesus focused in your ministry? Start with praying for the desire for personal growth, let that extend in and through every aspect of your personal and ministry life! It will lead to ministry fruit if you take an inside out approach!

Grace,
Brian

 

Mission51: Real Life

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Oh man I’m gettin’ a little giddy. The Mission51 Retreat season is only a couple months away!

In the last two or three years I’ve sensed a renewal in the hearts of many I’ve interacted with. It seems a lot of people are awakening to the spiritual needs of friends and loved ones, but then quickly get frustrated (or defeated) by their inability to share the truth with these loved ones.

It’s as if they’re saying “I know I am a Christian, I love Jesus, I know that I was saved by grace through faith… but I have no idea how to share that with others in a way that is not trite, not cheesy and is non-confrontational.”

I believe at the core, soft-hearted, passionate believers are asking, “how do I share the gospel in real life?”

RealLifeConceptSmallThis is our theme for the 2013 Mission51 Spring Retreat.

With the changes we’ve made and the partnerships we now have the Mission51 Retreat is now completely open to the masses! Any youth group is now open to sign up for the Mission51 Retreat and not just those groups affiliated with a missions trip.  In addition to it being open to all, we’ve got some unique new things happening (see the video below).

We’ve even made it possible for groups to handle the registration online (click here).

Please take a minute and a half now and see the preview video for the Real Life Mission51 Retreat and spread the word to others in and around: Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and the New England States!

Grace,
Brian

 

UNBIASED Specific Mission Options!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Over the last week I have been contacted by several churches and organizations in need of receiving a short term missions team. Perhaps you’re in the position to send a team?

Unbiased. That feels so good to write! In the past, as a Short Term Missions (STM) organization, I certainly liked, loved and admired my companions in STM’s, but there was always a small part of me that saw them as competition; so in a sense they were companiontition (see what I did there?) 🙂 No more! Now I get to truly partner with them!

Though Youthmark still has a few select places we send a few teams, our main focus in missions is to supply teams with all the Mission51 training and resources. We have a couple great partnering organizations (Youth Missions International and Verge Ministries), but we also have a number of churches that know where they are going or what they are doing who simply use our Strategy Plus package (or just the Mission51 Retreat).

Because Youthmark has served in so many places our reputation has grown so I am now fielding calls and email requests for towns/communities in need. This is VERY exciting because sometimes churches, youth pastors and groups simply need to know about the need before they rev up the engines to move!

Current Summer 2013 Opportunities:  Maybe your group wants to respond?

IMG_10951. Colorado Springs: I have relationship with an inner-city church in the Springs that serves low-income (even homeless) families through a mid-week camp/daycare. In addition, they have purchased mountain property that they are converting into a camp/retreat center. They need teams to come in for a one-week experience and serve the church and camp as counselors, cooks, recreation and craft directors! This opportunity is AMAZING! If they don’t have 3 or 4 teams they may not be able to pull of the 3 or 4 weeks of camps they think they can provide!

IMG_07312. Oregon: I have received two requests from completely different locations in Oregon, but both want the same style of ministry for their understaffed churches. They’d love a team to come in and do VBS or Kids Sports Camp in the morning, then use the afternoon to build relationships and do some small projects but use the evening to do peer-to-peer ministry with the teens in town. One location is on the beautiful Oregon coast and the other is in warm and sunny Southern Oregon.

IMG_07603. Sandy Relief/Children’s Ministry: Hurricane Sandy devastated coastal New York and New Jersey. I have been in contact with a fabulous ministry on the east coast that would love to have trained teams come in ready to do some renovation work on houses/building while also doing some heart renovation work with children and youth (tag-teaming with their day-center for their low income communities).

Please contact me if you’re interested in meeting any of these needs!

Grace,
Brian

 

Rocky Mountain High… oh, um, yeah, Hello Colorado!

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Like us in Washington the legalization of marijuana in Colorado has brought on a slew of new jokes (like my lame title to this post). With that being said, I’m looking forward to a quick-trip to Colorado and if you’re a youth leader in that region, we want to see you and give you some youth ministry freebies (including lunch)!

DSCF0150If you are or know of a Youth Leader along the greater I-25 or I-70 corridor we (Youthmark and Youth Missions International) are hosting a few Youth Leader Freebie Gatherings. Surrounding a meal we will eat and discuss our passion to see students equipped to reach their own campus, club, community and church with God’s love through the gospel!

mission_51I’ll be sharing about our Mission51 Retreat (one of our 7 retreats is coming to Colorado) and our curriculum that groups are using to prep before, during and after a mission venture. Brian Hughes will share about all the great ways God is using mission trips domestically and internationally and invite youth leaders to consider using YMI for full-scale serviced trips (for the best rates!).

Besides the meal, we’re giving away some valuable resources as well!

You can let us know you’re interested by commenting or contacting us here (just let us know which one you want to attend).

  • Tuesday, January 15 LUNCH: Beau Jo’s Pizza, Arvada (7525 W. 53rd Ave.) 11:30 am
  • Wednesday, January 16 LUNCH: Santiagos Mexican, Longmont (231 Main St.); Noon
  • Thursday, January 17 BREAKFAST: Cracker Barrel, Colorado Springs (8355 Razorback Road); 9 am
  • Thursday, January 17 LUNCH: Hosted at Calvary Church, Pueblo (5 Tulane St.), 11:30 am

Spread the word!

Grace,
Brian

Lovin’ New England

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Don’t let the blog title lead you astray. I am NOT talking about the Patriots. As the NFL tournament begins I declare that I am ALL IN for the Seahawks.

However, having visited New England last fall I am super-stoked to be returning not once but twice over the next four months!

jfym_logo_forumIn February I will be teaming with my friend and host Rob Townshend to lead the Jesus Focused Youth Ministry Forum in Rutland, VT (event info here) Not only am I teaming with Rob for this event, in a sense I’m teaming with my long-distance mentor and friend Barry St. Clair. Barry will also be in New England, but he’ll be leading a second Forum in Bethel, CT (event info here). I am incredibly honored to have been asked to speak at this event!

On that trip I’ll also be preaching at Calvary Bible Church in Rutland! I’m excited to see many of the same people I met in the fall when I spoke at the Endeavor group there.

29721_131153373561428_115287315148034_377471_1589633_n.jpgIn April I’ll return to New England with Youthmark for the Mission51 Retreat! This event will take place at Monadnock Bible Conference in Jaffrey, NH. I cannot wait for this year’s “REAL LIFE” theme.

If you’re in New England or know of Youth Leaders in NE, please send those you know a link to this blog! We’d love to partner with them and see the great things God has done and is doing!

If you have a speaking need or want to dream together for an event please check out my speaking page and contact me, I’d love to partner with you!

Grace,
Brian

P.S. Go Seahawks!hi-res-158040530_crop_650x440

Go Undercover To Help Us Discover!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Your input my just be the key to meeting some key needs… stay tuned.

1265955_87966114Channel surfing last week I happened upon a mini-marathon of Undercover Boss. Each episode features an executive from a big corporation who goes undercover and does “regular” jobs for his or her own company. They work with the normal (and often underpaid) workforce. Through the one hour show you get to know the stories of those fueling the machine.

I DVR’d the marathon and have watched four of the episodes over the last 10 days. Though no-tear has fallen, I admit that all four have gotten me to well-up. As the executives discover the real stories (work related and personal) of their lesser known teammates they become emotionally involved and want to help! Sometimes we just don’t yet know the stories! Here’s where you come in…

My organization, Youthmark, wants to know the stories and help meet the needs. We have some Christian schools who partner with us and use our curriculum to help train students for Mission51 (the 51 weeks beyond a mission trip). We want students to understand that mission is not just a trip. However, it is often a mission trip that will help enlighten them to the needs in their own hometown.

We have two teams that are specifically looking to respond to an area of need in late February (Feb. 24-March 1). You may just help us place them!

P1030532The “Disaster Response” teams have been training and raising funds to be sent anywhere in the contiguous 48, but we have intentionally held off on naming the “send to” place until about six weeks prior to the trip. The team knows their entry point is typically going to be through manual/physical labor, but their hope is to also meet not just physical needs, but emotional and spiritual needs too.

Do you know a specific area of need?

One Disaster Response team last year was sent to Hildebran, NC. Just a few days before the six-week deadline a tornado struck Hildebran. I contacted a Hildebran church and we put together the trip. It was such a hit that one of the participants returned, informed her Youth Pastor (at her Phoenix church) about the need and four months later a church from Arizona arrived in North Carolina for a youth-group mission trip!

751367_72386938Perhaps you know of a church/community that has been decimated by Hurricane Sandy? Maybe you know of an area damaged by flooding, fire or some other natural disaster?

Personally, I want these students from this specific school to return to their own hometown ready to listen to the stories around them and begin to meet those needs! Please let me know if you have ideas! Leave a comment or click here!

Grace,
Brian

The Stuff of 2013

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Happy-new-year-2013-green-isolated-white-background2013…

  1. A new look for the blog (have done this the last couple years).
  2. Weigh less at the end of the year than I did at the beginning (accomplished that in 2012).
  3. Blog more in 2013 than in 2012.
  4. Publish a few books (a few of my own and few from others).
  5. Share meals, not just yard conversations, with neighbors.
  6. Log more miles on my bike than I did in 2012.
  7. 13 pre-planned dates with Elisabeth (a gift I gave her at Christmas).
  8. Park my car in the garage all year (clear the clutter).
  9. Do one major house or yard project (likely our deck).
  10. Get to at least one new state or country.
  11. Read all of the Bible (it’s been a couple years since I did this in a year).
  12. Solo-date each month with each of my kids.
  13. Talk to and about Jesus. A lot.

Grace,

Brian

Real Relationships

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

557539_10151163765247077_561781203_nHad a great time speaking at a 5-Church Retreat in Western WA December 27-29! Theme was “Blessed to Be a Blessing” and I developed the theme by looking at Real Relationships.

  • Real Relationship With God (1 Thessalonians 1)
  • Real Relationships with Parents (1 Thess 2)
  • Real Relationships with Friends (1 Thess 3)
  • Real Dating Relationships w/ Purity in mind  (1 Thess 4)
  • Really Relating with the Lost and Idle (1 Thess 5)

My prayer for this great group is that they would understand that Jesus’ goal is redemption in each of these relationships and that because they’ve been blessed they can be a blessing in and through each of these areas!

Loved speaking this week! If you or your group is interested in having me speak, I’m looking to fill up the 2013 calendar. March through May is booked, but a few weekends in the winter are still open and then many opportunities open for June and beyond! For more info click the speaking page above or here.

Grace,

Brian

What Is Your Mission…Trip?

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Are most mission trips actual mission trips or are they service trips, road trips or simply tourism-plus trips?

Is it word-confusion? Maybe it’s just a matter of semantics?

Perhaps it’s a “po-tay-toe or po-tah-toe” deal?


Mission is certainly not a faith-specific word, however, I do believe the original mission  Jesus called the first-century believers to was certainly a mission of faith-making!

Plain and simple: I believe that a mission trip should, primarily, be for the purpose of disciple-making.

Before I am dismissed as a Bible-thumping, evangelism-freak, please understand that I firmly believe that we must show the character qualities of Jesus as we share the words of Jesus (especially as they relate to eternal life). A mission trip should have the end-game or ultimate goal of more people trusting Jesus for salvation.

This does not mean that every trip will be evangelistic in nature, however, I do believe a bridge to the great commission should be able to be made, explained and trained! Unfortunately, I get the sense that very few mission trip participants are making the connection (to the eternal) or receiving training.

Youthmark distributed Pray21 books to all participants at the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) and did a giveaway of an iPad mini at the Verge booth. In the few  hours I spent at Verge I asked any/all who came by to register for the iPad a few missions oriented questions. Youth Leaders were very quick to give the answer to the “where do you go?” and “what they did” but only a couple were able to answer “how did you prepare the students?” I see this as a missed opportunity!

Service based Mission Trips are not my enemy, I’ve done them, enjoyed them and have seen great outcomes. But I believe they become truly missional when we make the tie to the evangelism/discipleship that will take place because of our service. For instance, we took a week to prepare a camp (physically) for a summer of hosting camps. We painted cabins, deep cleaned bathrooms, raked grass clippings and prayed over nearly every foot of the camp knowing that we were preparing the harvest field. In our prep and debrief of the daily duties we were able to motivate our group because of the hope of the eternal life-change that would take place on those grounds. Our service-sacrifice freed up others for the relational-investment they would make in the lives of students all summer. Even though we knew we were not likely going to have evangelism opportunities, we trained students in evangelism so they could relate to and pray for those who would have the opportunity at that camp. But our evangelism training leading into the trip had much more to do with Mission51- the 51 weeks of life outside the one-week trip! Our primary mission is not the trip, it’s our own campus, club, community and church!

Where is your mission… trip? Are you failing to connect the social justice acts you do with the eternal justification Jesus makes available for us?

Continue to do great things for Jesus, but make the connection to (and tell of) the great things He said as well! As recipients of His great grace, let’s look to share that message with all!

Grace,

Brian

P.S. In perusing the mission trips available at NYWC I was pleasantly surprised that a few were focused on more that just the trip and had a strong evangelism connection. I’d invite you to check out Verge and Youth Missions International as two of my favorites!

Don’t be THAT church…

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Whether an introvert or an extrovert you will likely agree that ultimately you don’t like the longterm feeling of being alone. Even if you’re not energized by crowds of people, time with individuals, especially specific people, can renew your drive.

Is your church a church where renewal takes place? Are you part of a church where introverts and extroverts alike walk away liked? 

On a recent trip to the New England states I had the opportunity to speak a number of times to Youth Leaders in these great Northeast states. Though I love speaking with and to Youth Leaders my favorite speaking engagement was with the students, parents and leadership in Rutland, Vermont. Calvary Bible is a church that gets it, not THAT church that doesn’t.

My friend Rob Townshend, had me share with his flock about Mission51. They get it. But they get so much more. This church is going above and beyond and setting an example that I believe can serve as a wake up to anyone attending a church and a word of encouragement to all congregations.

CBC recently sent an invitation to all the Pastors and spouses of Bible-believing churches in Rutland County. The invitation was for a fancy-shmancy catered dinner they hosted at their church. All told, 17 couples attended this unity-inducing event. 17 couples received love, attention and thanks for loving and showing attention to the people of Rutland County. CBC paid the bill, the pastors were shown the love and Jesus received the glory!

Unfortunately a couple of the Pastors at this dinner serve at THAT church. THAT church that doesn’t seem to get it. In talking to Rob, he passed on to me what he (unfortunately) heard from a couple of the Pastors. This was a comment that both crushed me and awakened me:

“Thank you so much for this gift. You’ll likely be the only ones who recognize and honor us during Pastor Appreciation month.”

I pray that I am never part of THAT church. I was a Pastor for 16 years, I have felt alone as a Pastor but can’t imagine what it would be like in rural Vermont. In an area that feels very northwest like–unchurched, I have to believe the loneliness that many of these pastor must feel is sure to be overwhelming at times. I love what Calvary Bible Church did for these co-laborers. And I love that the leadership did this because this is what is modeled to them by their own church! They’re becoming a community that reflects Acts 2:42-47.

I am no longer serving as a vocational Pastor. I am a member, congregant and lay leader. I pray that our Pastors feel appreciated, loved and thanked. But not because it is October (and Pastors appreciation month), but because it is Biblical and truly true. I love my church, our congregants and leaders alike! My prayer is that we are becoming an Acts 2:42-47 community and that as a natural, spiritual progression, God will add DAILY to the numbers being saved!

I don’t want to be THAT church. As far as it depends upon me (and hopefully as far as it depends on the rest of Faith Church), I will make sure that our pastors are recognized, thanked and honored.

 

How about you?

Grace,
Brian