You know you’re a Youth Pastor if… you think you’re important enough to need a really expensive phone.

You’ve got an Android? Or an Blackberry? You don’t work on Wall Street. Don’t fool yourself. You’re not that important (but Jesus still loves you). And you’re not that organized. You’re a youth pastor.  You really bought the phone because it looked cool plus it had tons of  non-productive apps and games (though you’ll never admit it).

I’ll admit I was once a Blackberry owner. I confess my ministry narcism. I have repented (and downgraded).

So I salute you Overly Self Important Youth Pastor with cell phone that costs more than the church van or bus!

If you’ve noticed… I haven’t been posting regularly for about 2 weeks. This is the season of spinning plates in my life. Between family and ministry, things have been pretty busy.

Our annual Youth Dynamics fundraising dinner kicks off tomorrow night. We have a goal to raise $17,000 and we believe that God can do this! There’s been tons of prep and lots of hours of work by staff and volunteers. But it’s also been a great season of watching the Lord work.

Pray for this event!

If you want to donate towards our efforts to reach out to at-risk youth with the hope of Christ…

Donate here

www.yd.org

Thank you for your prayers for Hotdoggin’ 2010. It was a great success. We had over 70 students attend our winter retreat. Of our group of 10, we had 7 make either new decisions or recommitments to follow Christ. Thank you for your prayers! You made a difference!

This weekend we’ll hosting 70-80 students for Hotdoggin’ 2010. It’ll be a great weekend of having fun in the snow and purusing the hearts of students!

Pray for our safety and for the Lord to move in a mighty way.

Rick Warren issues a plea to raise a million dollars two days before the year ended. And “miraculously” raises $2.4 million dollars (and counting).

Bravo and insert golf clap here.

But, I’ve got a question (not that anyone can really hear me amidst the sounds of “ca-ching“):

Since when did miracles involve making money? This just seems more like a case of shrewd marketing and media manipulation than it does anything else.

Maybe I’m a cynic, but what do you think?

[Note this moment as the one when Rick officially became an Televangelist.  I wonder if Joel Osteen, Pat Robertson, and Oral Roberts will buy Rick a letterman's jacket or a pink cadillac because he's now in the club?]

I was having a converstaion with a few youth workers the other day. And after listening for a while, I had this question:

When is “Youth Ministry” a dirty word?

I tend to see it as a dirty word when “ministry” becomes another word for “entertainment.”

Do you have thoughts, input or ideas?

It’s like New Years Day all over again.

Well, at least, for Youth Ministry. 

School’s back in and we start another season of ministry. 

It’s that time for out with the old and in with the new. New students to encounter. New challenges to face.

For this year, maybe you’re changing strategy or adding new plans. Or maybe you’re just getting the same ball rolling again. 

But before you get too far into this season, let me ask you a few reflection questions:

     -What have you learned in the past season of ministry?

     -How have you grown?

     -What are you changing in your ministry plans? And what stays the same?

For me: I continue to see how God calls me to be present in the midst of the plans I have made. I continue to see how I can invest more and program less in ministry. The Lord continues to show me  how much of ministry is His and how little is mine (that’s one I continue to forget and rediscover). And for ministry this year, it will feel like last year but be much more intentional (last year was a learning year, this is a honing one). I’m ultimately ready to see how the Lord is going to work and remembering how honored I am to be able to have a job where I can watch it happen.