blog

I’m out of town for about 2 weeks (rock and raft training) and I’ve invited several bloggers to weigh in on a questions.

Blogger: Brian Kirk

Blog: Rethinking Youth Ministry

1) Even thought I’ve experienced______ in ministry, I still keep going because of _________ .

Even though I’ve experienced feelings of inadequacy in ministry, I still keep going because I am continually reminded that it’s not about “me.” In youth ministry, in particular, it is easy to get caught up in the “cult of the youth guy” mentality. Particularly as a young man, I fell easily into the trap of believing that is was my own charisma and personality that kept the youth coming. Consequently, when things didn’t go as planned, or the youth didn’t show up, or the parents weren’t so happy with what I was doing, all the weight of that fell on my shoulders. If a particular Sunday night program fell flat with the teens, I’d spend the whole drive home picking over every minute, trying to figure out what went wrong, beating myself up for not anticipating my group’s tendency toward boredom, and wondering whether it was time to get out of youth ministry altogether. Then, I learned something that turned that all around — a bit of wisdom from the ancient Church. I stumbled up the Ignatian Awareness Examen, a prayer practice that invites one to seek out where they have encountered God recently, where they have missed God recently, and where God is calling them in the days to come. I began using the practice of the examen as a way to pray over each interaction with the youth. Over time, I came to see that God was present in our gatherings, even when I wasn’t paying attention. That God was working in and through the youth and their relationships, even when I was too busy leading Bible study to notice. And I began to discern that God was inviting me to use both my own successes and failures to help the youth reach deeper in their faith. Over time, I learned to stop focusing on myself, to get out of the way, and to let God’s Spirit go to work in my ministry.

2) One way God continues to inspire and give me hope is ____________ .

One way God continues to inspire and give me hope is through the Christian youth I encounter who understand that faith is about more than belief — it is about working for justice, peace, and compassion for the world.

part 2 of Brian Kirk’s answers tomorrow…

The voting for the DCCCBoA (Delony Christmas Card Contest Bonanza of Amazingness) is finally over!

It was a tough one this year. I felt like I was dealing with the BCS committee, but the judges (kids, ages 6-1) thought long and hard and picked a winner (which is highly disputed and controversial in our household). But leave it to the kids to be a sucker for cute animals (hint, hint for next year). 

So I give you the 2nd Annual DCCCBoA Winner!

Katherine Kitchens is the winner of this year’s best Christmas card! Well done! A Starbucks gift card will be in the mail soon for you to sip a warm cup of victory.

And for me personally, I give you my vote of the most amazing cowboy Christmas card. I’ve never gotten one quite like this and don’t think I ever will. 

Ray Bell, I am amazed and tip my hat to you…

For the rest of you, better luck next year.

My kids really enjoyed this one, thought you might too…

[HT:Layguy]

Want to make your yuletide brighter this year? How about two free movie rentals from Netflix?  

First person to correctly name (specifically) the “pop culture” inspiration behind the decoration of this Christmas tree wins. 

It’s just that simple (though the answer isn’t)…

Post your answer in the comment section. 

Good luck!

[Note: this is not my Christmas tree]

The kids watched “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (the original) the other day and started commenting on how Tristen looked like Cindy Lou Who…

What do you think?