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SMS: $5 and 50-Minute Ideas For Summer

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Sun is out (well, at least I assume the sun is shining somewhere outside the Pacific Northwest) and summer has unofficially begun. Youth Leaders and students everywhere are wondering what to do. Today’s Student Ministry Stuff (SMS) is a simple list of affordable  and time-sensitive ideas for those of you involved in Student Ministry.

Camps, missions, retreats, festivals and many other events are VERY expensive and time consuming. Sure, many times these spendy get-aways produce some great growth and fruit, but I am also a firm believer in affordable fruit as well! The reality is relationships are the key factor.  Students, staff, leaders and parents will get what you’re giving in the context of relationship, regardless of the setting and length of time.

Here are some five $5 and mostly 50-minute ideas you can use to build into these relationships…

  • $5 Feet… Subway (and other sub shops) customizes and allows for each side of the sandwich to have it’s own toppings. Grab that footlong and walk along a footpath… Walk, talk and chow.
  • Balloon Blessings… Raid the Sunday School supply room for some construction paper, get a student or two, head to a Party City type store and get three $1 helium balloons and three candy bars to tie to the end and bless three leaders (or other students) with notes of encouragement and the delivered balloon and candy treat. Surprise them with an anonymous blessing by doing so when you know the recipient is not home.
  • Late Night Appetizers and Answers… Many “trendy” restaurants offer half-price appetizers during their happy hours (often late afternoon and then after 9 p.m.). Instead of doing the “fast food” thing, shoot an email to a couple students asking them to join you at an Applebees (or something similar) for “Appetizers and Answers.”  Tell them they need to come with three questions each about you, God or the Christian life.  For less than $5 total you can share some Nachos and engage in a wonderful faith-discussion!
  • Major in the Minors (this is one exception to the 50 minute suggestion)… This one may cost $5 each instead of $5 total, but chances are you live within an hour or two of a minor league baseball stadium. For a fraction of the cost of the big-leagues you can have a wonderful evening with students and have 9-innnings of big-time discussion. These ball players are young and excited about their hopes and dreams of making it to the next level. An easy discussion question for a minor-league game would be about hopes and dreams and how God is preparing the student, staff member or parent for “what’s next.”
  • iBlessing and Student Ownership… Get five students together for an hour and give them the assignment to pick any $.99 song on iTunes.  Give them 10 minutes to pick their song and then the next 40 minutes to write a Bible-study built around the theme of that song.  Take the next 5 weeks for a summer Bible-study or Sunday school class for these students to lead the discussion about the song, the devotional and the practical applications flowing out of the Bible study on these themes.
Hope these ideas plant some seeds for some ideas you can use this summer within your sphere of influence.  These ideas and many others are part of book project for Youthmark. Sometimes we need to be reminded that keeping it simple is sometimes the best option!  I hope your simple and complex plans all lead to deeper relationships in your circles and the end result is God glorified and the Kingdom multiplied!  Mission51!
Grace,
Brian

Spiritual 100five50

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I’m kicking it up a notch and adding the “Spiritual” side to the 100five50!

As you may have read over the weekend, I am kicking off a challenge tomorrow (Tuesday). This is the third year I’ve participated in an approximate 100 day exercise in which I implement some lifestyle changes that help my overall health (and body shape). Because of my own propensity to rebel or tweak the system I decided to create a system with tweaking allowed.  Therefore, the 100five50 has wiggle room all the way.

For the first couple years of doing this I’ve experienced some great success. The first year summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) went really well, I felt great, lost a lot of weight (about 40 pounds) and really felt good about the disciplines in my life. Last summer, I struggled in the eating discipline side of things (I was bike riding so much that my appetite never seemed to be satisfied), but overall it went well.

Not that it needs to be more challenging, but I’m not one who normally separates the sacred and the secular; so I wanted to add a little element of spiritual discipline to my challenge. You may choose to ONLY do the spiritual challenge, or perhaps ONLY the physical challenge. Or you can join me for BOTH.

The Physical 100five50 is a challenge for 100 days (approximate days between Memorial Day and Labor Day). During those 100 days I will exercise about five days a week (roughly 30 minutes cardio, starting simple with walks and eventually moving toward biking, swimming, etc.) and attempt to eat 50% less carbs (instead of ever counting, I just cut in half each carb item I normally would eat; open face sandwich rather than full, 1/2 cup of rice instead of full cup, etc.).

The Spiritual 100five50 will last those same days. I am going to read through the entire Bible (using BibleGateway and their partnership with Biblein90Days) I plan to follow the plan they have with the slight modification that I’ll give myself 100 Days. In addition I plan to pray specifically at least five minutes each day for an non-Christian in my life. Last I plan on putting my money where my mouth (and prayer) is. Though it isn’t much, I will use the summer to plan a personal $50 personal outreach activity. I won’t define this one yet, but the goal would be to save change (coins) and by the end of the 100 days have at least $50 to spend on doing something with/for a non-Christian so that that person has a need met, a blessing of some sort or an event to go to with me (with the hope of building relationship so the Gospel is shared).

So there you have it. I’m praying this 100five50 be a summer-soul-shaping (and body shaping) challenge! A few have emailed, texted or messaged “I’m in” for the physical. But now I ask you about the spiritual?  If you’re in on either, please let me know. I’d love to know who else is doing the challenge(s)!

Grace,
Brian

P.S. I have a date-night tonight with Elisabeth where I plan to eat 50% MORE carbs than normal!

It’s Back! 100five50 Challenge… You in?

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Two summers ago I created my own “lifestyle health system.” I don’t like the word “diet” because it sounds too dramatic, drastic and like something that won’t last. Instead, this little system I created is more a discipline where light exercise and smarter eating are the key features.

On Tuesday, May 30, I will begin my third 100five50 Challenge. I want to know who else is interested (comment, text or email brian[at]youthmark[dot]com)?

Why 100five50?

  • 100: The approximate number of days between the day after Memorial Day and the day before Labor Day.
  • Five: The number of days per week I want to average getting 30 minutes of cardio exercise (start easy with walks).
  • Fifty: The percentage amount I cut my carbs for that time period.
Knowing that I am a “buck the trend” guy some of the time the third principle is the hardest one for me to uphold. Because I am not a calorie or carb counter, this is the one that is hardest to judge. The way that I go about doing this is to keep in mind what I normally would eat with carbs and cut that in half. So, if I normally have a full baked potato, I just do a half. Full bowl of cereal is now cut in half; a cup of rice become a 1/2 cup and yes, even my quick pantry peak that results in a handful of chips is now just a half-handful.

I loved this because I love carbs and I still get ’em!  At first you’ll still feel hungry, so be sure to add some fruit or nuts to help you feel a bit more full rather than loading up more carbs.  And the exercise side was VERY easy to establish. I started by just taking walks and listened to music, sermons or even walked and watched a movie on my iPod (more listened to it). Eventually I started light bike riding and by the end of the summer I was riding very aggressively and getting in full workouts! Start easy!

Two years I started at about 245 pounds and got well under 210. I remained there for a long time because it really was a lifestyle change. It slowly crept up to about 225, but the good news, I think there has just been once or twice I got back to 230 even though I have been COMPLETELY undisciplined the last few months (not watching carbs, not getting exercise).
I’m looking forward to the start on Tuesday, but wanted to give enough warning over the weekend so we all can enjoy the last couple days before kicking in. 

I’d love the accountability, no need to disclose weight or anything else, just let me know you’re in so we can pray for each other! However, I will name my goal: 205, but more importantly feeling very healthy/fit!

On Sunday or Monday I am going to introduce the 100five50 Spiritual challenge that goes with this! Stay tuned!

Grace,
Brian

A New Affiliation: Adelphia Bible School

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Statistics are what you want them to be. Perhaps you’ve heard 80% of 18 year olds who have grown up in the church will leave the faith within the first year after high school. Or maybe you’ve heard that the average Youth Pastor length of stay at a church is less than two years. We’ve all heard that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. For every stat, we can probably find a differing statistic  to prove the original stat to be “off.”

Regardless of the validity of the above numbers, I know that those numbers can’t be THAT off. The stats alarm me.

A couple months ago I was approached by a friend who talked to me about a new Bible School starting at the Lake Retreat Campus (Ravensdale, WA) in the fall of 2011.  Several conversations took place and they eventually asked me to serve as a consultant to the school as they get started. I am very excited about this partnership I have with Adelphia.

IN SHORT, WHAT IS ADELPHIA BIBLE SCHOOL?

  • Now, Not Just Later: It is a one-year Bible School for young-adults (primarily, though there is no high-end age limit). At the heart of ABS, is a desire for Mission51! The school hasn’t set out to be a place to get away to to gain a lot of knowledge for one year so that you have a foundation for life.  Though this will happen, the goal is to live it out NOW, not just later (Mission51)!
  • Community and COMMUNITY: Each weekday morning (M-F) for the 24-week experience (three, eight week terms) the students will learn from a new teacher each week (profs, docs and best-practice people from a variety of fields). This community will learn together each morning. Two evenings a week students will again gather for practical life skills discussions (finances, missional mindset, marriage & family, etc.) Then EACH afternoon the students are “off” so they can engage the COMMUNITY at large by intentionally engaging the 3 C’s!
  1. Campuses: Some students will work ahead on their college degree by taking classes in the afternoon at Green River, Highline, Bellevue, online or other. In addition to getting credits toward a degree, we will be sending out MISSIONARIES to these schools so that we’re not getting away from culture, rather, we are engaging it!
  2. Cities: Some students will be missionaries through off-campus jobs. The greater Four-Corners Region (Kent, Covington, Black Diamond and Maple Valley) is home to hundreds of small businesses and we want to see the ABS students taking on afternoon/evening/weekend jobs so they can intentionally be in the culture and sharing Christ through word and deed!
  3. Churches/Cohorts: Many students will choose to be part of a Cohort and serve through a local church. These Apprentice positions at churches will get students the exposure many need to decide whether or not a pursuit of vocational ministry is a fit. In addition, students will be intentionally trained by wonderful, proven leaders in their ministry field. Cohort Tracks are being explored for each of the following (and more): Youth Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Worship/Music Ministries, Missions & Church Planting and Career Work Force (a unique cohort geared for those who desire to work in a secular field but have long-term impact for Christ in that field).

I have been asked to serve not just as a teacher (Elisabeth and I are going to teach a week on Biblical Purity and Relationships) but also been asked to give voice to the establishment of the Cohorts! I think both student, teacher and churches are going to be so blessed through these Cohorts!

Besides the 22 weeks of teaching the Community at Adelphia will go through, the students will be challenged through the first term to discern which of the three offered two-week mission trips they feel led to participate in for their last two weeks of their Adelphia experience! Again, I am excited because Youthmark will be training the students for these missions!

There are so many other things I could mention about Adelphia (FREE iPad2 for every student, on-campus work-study jobs, lakefront property/views, Fireside Cafe, etc.) but this post is already getting too long!

Besides looking at the webpage (adelphiaschool.com) I invite you to contact me  (brian AT adelphiaschool DOT com) about the school. I’d be happy to talk to you, your students or even speak at your Youth Group or church about Adelphia (we are looking for great mentors for these Cohorts/Apprenticeship as well).

As Adelphia equips students who are engaging the culture, I do believe we’ll see many of those beginning “stats” change. Young Adults who are committed to the mission-at-large will stay engaged longer and stronger! I’m excited to be a part of this!

Grace,

Brian

Check out the promo video for Adelphia here.

Seven.

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One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is the one where George proclaims the name he’d like to give his firstborn.  The name, “Seven.” Classic episode. Though I would never name my child, Seven, one of my three most favorite kids in the whole-wide-world turned Seven today! That’s right, my mid-kid, Audrey, turned seven this morning!

She’s such a blessing! My mother-in-law described her so well the other day, “of your three kids, her emotions are certainly the closest to the surface.” I love that. If she is upset, worried or sad, it shows and shows quickly. But then again, if she’s joyful, content and glad it shows just as quickly.  She’s the one that likes to be cuddled the most, or the one who least wants to be cuddled. Audrey’s the one who most wants space to be alone OR hates being alone the most!  Yep, that’s our Audrey. Not a walking contradiction at all, just a super-fantastic, uniquely gifted, awesomely stitched together bundle of emotion! I love her so!

My wife has a great post about May 24 in comparison to May 23 (about the specific blessing Audrey is to us). Check it out here.

Perhaps you’ll lift up a prayer for our Seven year old right now?

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Grace,
Brian

Steering the Titanic!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Last week I was in “The O.C.” Orange County California is a fun place to visit and it was even more fun to be there as an invitee to the Youth Ministry Executive Council (YMEC). There were about 45 people gathered, the Presidents/Leaders in Student Ministries of the major church (denomination) and parachurch organizations.  I was honored to be representing Youthmark at this gathering.

I knew and had interacted with well over half the people before and was blessed to spend some quality time in conversation with many of these familiar faces. I also enjoyed the new relationships and hearing different perspectives and strategies from others in Youth Ministry.

YMEC was done differently this year; a change I couldn’t have been more pleased with. Through the use of “Open Space Technology” many conversations were birthed. Instead of inviting a speaker to “speak at” the participants, we the participants were invited to speak into a variety of subjects and then see what rose to the top in our conversations.

I was very excited to see personal evangelism surface as an area that we, national leaders, better be emphasizing. It was very interesting to me that in most conversations, including these at YMEC, most people are very quick to give a head-nod of agreement that we (church/parachurch) should be emphasizing evangelism, but when it comes down to it it isn’t much more than a verbal recognition. Well, I felt the tide began to turn at YMEC. The voices that were speaking seemed to give it a little momentum and I actually felt like the proverbial Titanic could get turned around before it strikes a rock and sinks.

My friend Greg Stier described the moment I believe this started to take place in a recent blog post of his (read that here). Friends of mine like Greg, Mark Moder, Bo Boshers, Chuck Klein and Mark Matlock seemed to keep the ball rolling for the last half hour of the conversation, so much so that I literally was getting a little teary eyed thinking that if (and please pray) we really want to get serious about seeing the church, parachurch and individual call to evangelism taken seriously then we had better seriously take His call to prayer seriously!

I am praying for these three things right now.

1. Praying that my personal prayer life would grow tenfold and that a major component of those prayers would be for other orgs and churches as well as the lost!

2. I’m praying for unity to continue among these denomination and organizational leaders (and am willing to play my part in keeping the conversation going).

3. Praying that we (adults, leaders, parents, pastors, elders, etc.) all would understand that if we want to see evangelize/make disciples then we had better model it ourselves.

I’m willing to risk and be obedient to the call. I hope you are too. Let’s change the course the Titanic is on!

Grace,
Brian

Lake Retreat; What a treat!

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The weather was an absolute loss. But that was the only negative about the weekend!

On top of having our largest crowd of the Spring Retreat season, I got to have my family out at Lake Retreat with me! In fact, on Saturday, during the free time I was able to take the kids down the the rock wall where both Halle and Audrey did the full climb and got to “ring the bell”

This year I have received more feedback via FB, email and texts than any other year. The students (and leaders) are saying that this weekend has made a world of difference in his/her life. In fact, one message I just received said, “this training, single handed, has given me the passion to reach my own school for Jesus… Mission51 all the way.” Another leader posted on his wall that he felt “privileged” to be at such a retreat.  What humbling and gratifying statements.

I know that I’ve said this before, but I really feel like we (Youthmark) have hit our stride with this training. It is a great mix of worship, fellowship, teaching and practice! Yes, practice. In order to share our faith “out there” or “over there” I believe we need to practice it “right here” and “right now.”

I look forward to sharing more about the retreat (a couple cool things we do) but will wait until we’re done with our last three training times. Right now, we’d appreciate prayers for the 8 groups headed out to Lake Retreat this coming weekend!

Grace,
Brian

Our Mission51 Field!

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Sunny and upper 70’s in Houston!

More sunny and low 90’s in San Diego!

Sun, Clouds, Snow and Winds (temperatures ranged from 23 to 73) in Colorado Springs!

This weekend I feel completely at home, because I am at home!

Lake Retreat in the Southeast Seattle area plays host to not just this weekend but next weekend as well for our Youthmark Mission Ventures “Together” retreat. The first three retreats/training times have been an ABSOLUTE blessing. I have heard more compliments and convictions this year than ever before. I cannot wait for our largest crowds over the next three weeks (May 20-21 in Portland).

The Northwest is my “home court” and my Jerusalem. It is the place that Mission51 takes place for us northwesterners. It is one of the most unchurched regions of the United States. Therefore I am the most excited for these three retreats! I want to see students equipped not just to go on a short-term mission trip this summer, but I want to see them equipped for the 51 weeks of life outside of the mission trip experience (Mission51)!

If you’re passionate about the NW then please pray for these three weekends. If you’re at a church with students not coming to these weekends, there is still room at LR next weekend and Portland May 20-21. We have approx 50 spots open at each before we get too full. Here is a link for these retreats.

Can’t wait to see these teens and leaders grow in confidence in loving on their Jerusalem. The Harvest is truly plentiful, looking forward to the increase in workers for our field!

By the way, classic NW weather for this one… clouds, showers and mid 50’s!

Grace,
Brian

SMS: Parent and Youth Pastor Relationship (2)

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Last week’s SMS received some good feedback by being re-posted and linked to by several folk (thanks!). I guess the subject of Youth Leader and Parent relationships is one that could have some traction. It’s certainly an area that needs to be addressed in order to best shepherd teens the Lord has given us.

Once again I’ll address this issue from the perspective of the Youth Pastor/Leader to the Parents (in a week or two I’ll probably switch it up and do a post advising parents on their part in this relationship). I’d encourage the Youth Pastor to not just see the parents of the teens in our group as the at-home authorities in the teens life; but rather see them a valued resource, worthy of our respect.  To that end I’ve created just a brief outline that I hope will help. Each of these points can/should be developed and fleshed out, but for now, use these to examine, dream and explore implementation.

How a Youth Leader should view Parents:

  • As a resource.
  • As people also in need.
  • As protectors.
  • Worthy of respect.
How a Youth Pastor should listen to Parents:
  • As if their feedback matters; make sure you hear what they are saying, regardless of you plans to implement their plans.
  • In conflict you must process and separate their emotions from the facts.  Respond to and acknowledge immediately to the emotion and check out the facts (statements like, “I can understand how you would feel that way…”)
  • Follow-up and foll0w-through in a Biblically consistent way.
  • Listen in a different-but-equal stance. You can learn from them, they (hopefully) can learn from you. The way YOU listen isn’t dependent upon how they view him/herself, it’s your stance that you can control. Ultimately they are the authority in the life of their teen, whereas you are a so-called “expert” in the lives of teens.
How a Youth Leader can encourage Parents:
  • Ask for their skills, gifts and help. Ownership in the program brings joy.
  • Offer them your skills, gifts and help! Are there ways you can personally bring yourself to them in relationship/helps?
  • Always express your love & concern for and pleasure in his/her kids.
  • Affirm them in their role with their own kids. We love when a parent passes on something they “heard” we did; let’s do the reverse, make sure you point out the successes you see in their lives!
  • Affirm them in your talks. Let the students know that you VALUE their parents. They may not understand it, but they’ll hear the message for sure!
How a Youth Leader could involve Parents:
  • If qualified, use them as staff and/or help.
  • Use them as an advisory board… think “coffee club” where you throw out ideas and discussion forums.
  • Develop them as a support network for yourself and other leaders (prayer, encouragement, etc.).
  • Work with parents in discipline situations.
It is MOST important for you to remain in constant communication with these valuable team members. In a sense you can overload parents with information (at least the availability to the information). Always remember, you are on the same side- you both love their kids. You’ll show this by letting them know they are important to you!
Grace,
Brian