I’m a true fan of cars and I love the show Pimp My Ride.  Some friends of mine have a Christian Car Club called Holy Rollerz (www.holyrollerz.org)!  Our kids love them and I love the concept!!!

“Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
During your shopping, you expect the cashier to offer you the best service ever, but you offer the opposite. While driving, you expect someone to automatically let you change lanes just because you put on your signal light. But you disregarded the driver earlier that was trying to keep from missing his exit. Why do we give one thing but expect something totally different in return? This scripture clearly define, give and it shall be given unto you. If you purpose in your heart to sow seeds of discord then guess what, that’s your return!
Remaining angry all the time draws angrier people and that’s your return. Have you ever considered practicing sowing things that offer a good return such as a smile, encouraging words, unconditional love and nuggets of blessings and/or monetary gifting? These things are pleasing unto God and it makes the heart smile. From this point forward, sow for a good return!
May God guide us to the path He has made….

True Effectiveness Comes through Intimacy with God
Scriptures: Psalm 42:1-2….Jeremiah 29:12-13….Matthew 10:29-31

Day 1 – What do you find to be the most effective way to experience an intimate encounter with God? Is it quiet meditation, or vocal prayer? Is it uplifting worship music or deep Bible study? There are many ways to pursue a relationship with God. Some people make regular appointments to be with Him. Others consider time with God to be a constant, in-the-moment approach. Some people feel guilty because a method that works for someone else isn’t yielding the same results for them. God made each of us uniquely so we must continue engaging God – to worship Him and seek His blessings according how He is leading us.

Day 2 – Compare all the ways our heavenly Father is like an earthly father. He is the head of our family. He directs our paths and seeks the best for our lives. He loves us deeply with affection and tenderness, but also disciplines us with firmness when necessary. He knows each of us intimately and understands how and why we think, feel, and act. He is more interested in the condition of our hearts than the outward show of our religion. Understand that our ability to relate to the Father may be clouded by poor relationships with our earthly dads. Pray that God will break through these emotional walls.

Day 3 – There are seven ways listed that God expresses His intimacy. Write down how God has expressed Himself through one of these ways. Don’t be afraid to include details. These kinds of testimonies powerfully encourage us and others to keep pursuing God daily. We all long for His intimate presence and our human hearts need reassurance that He’s there.

Day 4 – The subject of God speaking to us today has generated some controversy. Some Christians believe God only speaks generally to all Christians through His written Word and that we do not need specific communication from Him. Others hold to the thought that God gives specific direction to us through His Word, by inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and by the affirmations of other believers. Seek the Word and the counsel of church leaders on this topic and ask God to discern His truth on the matter.

Day 5 – Read each of the Scriptures. Think about the impact that each of these consequences has on the Christian and the church as a whole. Can we see the neglect of listening to God making itself evident? How can we lead the way in encouraging others to begin a dedicated pursuit to know God?
I hope this blesses you and those in your life…

Ever heard this phrase used before: The Elephant In The Room?
I’m sure you have. Around the office water cooler, and perhaps even the dinner table, it’s an old English idiom that many of us use to describe an obvious truth that is either being ignored, or at times, rarely being addressed.
As a new admirer of wildlife (courtesy of “Animal Planet”), I realize how impossible it is for an elephant to be ignored. They are the largest land animals in the world, weighing anywhere between 9000-12,000 pounds. The trunk of an elephant can have up to forty thousand individual muscles in it, making it sensitive enough to pick up a blade of grass, yet strong enough to tear down a small tree.
So you would think that if you and I were in a room with an elephant, we would probably know it!
While doing a little soul searching this week, I began to ask myself this question: As Christians, what are the elephants you and I have in the room today? Digging a little deeper…

What is the biggest elephant we have in the church today?
I’m quite sure, depending on who you ask, the answers to that question would differ greatly. Money. Divorce. Racism. Homosexuality. Politics. Sexism. The list is endless.
There is however one “elephant” in particular that we as Christians rarely seem to uncover enough. Despite its size and ability to frighten all in its path, this elephant has been chained to the rooms (and hearts) of every believer by God Himself. It simply cannot be avoided.
That elephant is Accountability.
Romans 12:16 says, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.”
Can I be honest with you? I have always had a difficult time asking for help. Whether it was from a family member, friend, or even a fellow believer, I have always equated a need for help as a sign of weakness. Nothing like figuring things out on your own…or so I thought.
Fast forward several years, I carried that same mentality while serving in ministry, until one day my elephant of accountability – or should I say the lack thereof – grew bigger than the room I was hiding it in. It cost me (and my family) big time.
As Christians, there is nothing more important than seeking out and embracing the accountability of the friends and loved ones God has placed around us. More often than not, many of us can fall victim to a dangerous belief system that our relationship with Christ (and no one else) is all that we need to be successful in our daily walk with Him.
Although I still consider myself to be a young man, there is one thing I have come to know for certain: Without accountability, the voice of God can sound a lot like your own.
I encourage you today to become a person of accountability. Please do not, under any circumstances, become wise in your own opinion alone. Those who do may unfortunately find themselves surrounded in peanuts the rest of their lives; because when it comes to the elephant of accountability…
…it’s here to stay

Latasha Morrison is a AMAZING Youth Pastor at Destiny Metro Worship Church in Marietta, GA.  She is also a State Mentor for the Purpose Driven Youth Ministry Community (www.pdymcommunity.com) .  The article entitled “Living Lean” was written by her.  It is a great read!!!!!!!  ENJOY!!!!!!

I have served in full-time ministry for nearly five years; you can add another six as a volunteer. One of the things I’ve learned early on is to recruit towards my weakness. When I first started ministry, my church was around 75 people in size; we have increased to over 6000 today. Our members have increase but due to budget, full-time staff has not grown with the membership increase. It is very important in environments such as that you lead effectively, efficiently, and strategically. Having the “Right” infrastructure is essential to your ministry success.

 They way you organize your volunteers is key. Volunteers are apart of my LIFE LINE. I cannot do ministry without their support or leading in the majority of cases. With this dependence, I had to use wisdom to make sure there was leadership depth in my down line.

 One of the most effective things I think we have implemented is a Volunteer Administrative Team. This team enables the leader to lead and prevents you from becoming ingrained in time stealers or majoring in the minuet things of ministry. We are set up to have a purpose leader to manage each Biblical Purpose. The leader has a Team Coordinator and a Team Administrator. At Destiny we have a hierarchy administrator that develops, trains, and infuses the other administrators. This creates a leadership pathway for those who have the gift of administration. If you are a leader and tired of dealing with the little time stealers in ministry, give it to someone whose leadership design is to handle the details.

• As a Director, minister, or Pastor you should have a productive Administrator full-time or in a volunteer role. Due to the size of our ministry and because this has not become a full-time or part-time role, I try to keep two administrators who are responsible for different aspects of ministry. A simple break down can be PAPER AND PEOPLE. This person is responsible for the following:
  • Facilitating communication to the team
  • Managing the team calendar
  • Managing team request
  • Submission of forms
  • Documentation of polices and procedures
  • Appointment managing with the world of PDA’s and outlook, this may not be needed. It depends upon your church size.
  • Reminders- If you are young like me, you need assistance with this.
  • Proof-reading- If you are anything like me, you type faster than you think.
•  Volunteer Coordinator specifically for your youth team
  • Handles the orientation process
  • New volunteer contact person
• Event Coordinator or Project Coordinator
  • Handles the details to all events
  • Creates a timeline of event details

 These roles can make the beginning of a dynamic Administrative Team. It also spreads the work around; you are not dependent upon one person to assist you with your entire task. Leaders are encouraged to recruit an Administrative Team; it’s essential to your success as a leader. We call it “Living Lean” at Destiny. Sometimes I do feel like we may be a little ANOREXIC!

The link for the product is youthministry.com/survivalkit

This is a great product!!!!!!!!!! 

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:36-37 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

If you’re discouraged because of God’s delay in answering your prayers, understand the delay is NOT a denial. Just because the answer or the miracle hasn’t come – yet – that doesn’t mean God isn’t going to answer or that he’s forgotten you or that he doesn’t care about you. It simply means “not yet!”

Spiritual maturity is knowing the difference between “no” and “not yet,” between a denial and a delay. The Bible tells us, “He who is coming will come and will not delay” (Hebrews 10:37 NIV).

The delay may be a test of your patience. Anybody can be patient once. And, anybody can be patient twice. And, just about anybody can be patient three times. So God tests you patience over and over and over.

Why? To see how patient you are?

No, he does it to show you how patient you are. So you’ll know what’s inside of you, and you’ll be able to know your level of commitment. God tests you so that you can know he is faithful, even if the answers you seek are delayed.

If you’re discouraged, turn it around by remembering God teaches you patience during delay. Ask him to transform your discouragement into patience.

You may be going through difficult times right now and feel like dropping off the planet. You’re discouraged because the situation you face seems unmanageable, unreasonable, or unfair.

It may seem unbearable and inside you’re basically saying, “God, I can’t take it anymore. I just can’t take it anymore!”

But you can.

You can stay with it longer because God is with you. He’ll enable you to press on. Remember, you are never a failure until you quit.

Don’t quit. Resist discouragement and finish the race God has set before you.

I’ve been in youth ministry now for over 10 years.  Some will say after the decade mark, you become a specialist or expert.  Yeah right!!!!  Man I’m still learning every day.  As a youth pastor in an urban setting, with limited resources, I often times find myself searching for ways to stay current and relevant!  If I could be honest, there are a lot of times when I feel alone, unprepared, and isolated from the rest of the Christian world. Surely there was no one else on Earth is struggling in youth ministry like I am to keep up with all of the latest treads, fashions, fades, and issues facing this generation. What do I do? Where do I start? How do I get them to listen to me? If they don’t get, how disappointed will God be in me? Honestly, at times, I’m scared to death, however, I do fell a deep calling to this type of ministry and 11 Timothy 1:7 reminds me that God hasn’t given me the Spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
As I talk to other youth leaders, we all seem to have or currently feel the same way.  Here is the million dollar question: “How do you begin a youth group, with virtually nothing, for kids in urban settings?”
First, we must understand there is no one cookie cutter process or magical formula. There really isn’t a “how-to” manual for urban ministry (YET!!!). The needs of the students are as diverse as the cultures, ethnic groups, and personalities of those who make up the inner city.

Although there are no set formulas, there are a few essential ingredients which, if implemented, make it more likely for kids to want to keep coming back.

RELEVENT RESOURECES
I know, I know, you don’t have any resources. But if you take a good look around, you’ll begin to see a tone of great resources around you.
1.    Christian Ed. Resources: This is the obvious.  These resources include your Bible, Christian books, music, videos, etc. You can check out www.simplyyouthministry.com to get some ideas.
2.    Facility Resources: You have access to a church building, homes, schools, gyms, parks, and recreational facilities where you could meet and host activities for students. Check around to see what’s available and what would work best for you. You can even rotate your meeting places.
3.    People resources: There are adults from your church who can help you, special speakers you can invite, and local music groups who might be willing to come for free.

As the leader, you are the key.  You have to get out there and pound the payment (as my mom always say) There maybe resources already around you and available to you for little or no cost.

START WHERE YOU ARE
If you don’t have a lot of students in your youth group, it doesn’t mean you can’t have an effective ministry. Some of the greatest youth ministries out there started with 5 –8 people.  This is a perfect size to start developing your core student leadership team and to develop a strong group of disciples that will help grow the ministry. The key in this phase is building relationships. Let the students in on the planning and development of the ministry. You’ll see their level of commitment and excitement for the ministry. Once you’ve established relationships and earned their trust; you’ve laid the foundation for an effective program and ministry to take place and grow.

BE CREATIVE
This is where most youth leaders drop the ball.  I’m all for the traditional format for a youth service:
•    Welcome & Opening Prayer
•    Praise & Worship
•    Announcements & Recognition of Visitors
•    Choral Worship (You know the song that set’s up the message)
•    The Word
•    Benediction
•    Dismissal
•    We’ll holla at you next week and do it all over again!

That cool and everything, but what about adding a little flavor in it every once and awhile!  Your job is to sell a product and/or brand that is exciting and inspirational and makes students want to come back and bring their friends. Students like, want, and need to express themselves (check out some of my students www.myspace.com/incrediblzproductionz). This is why I believe hip hop and varies genres of music is so appealing. Encourage students to do poetry, drama, music, dance, rap, painting, cartooning, graffiti art, T-shirt art, computer graphic arts, murals, even cooking and auto mechanics.  Help facilitate your young people to experiencing God’ spirit though the arts. God Himself likes to be creative. “God saw all he had created, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31)

Please don’t think you’re alone in this!  We’re in this together!  You can, and you will be healthy and effective!  You know why, because God said so!!!!

A lot of people ask me where are some good products/resources out there to help minister to hurting students. For me, I like “Life Hurts; God Heals”. It’s a great resource to help hurting students heal from all of life’s hurts, habits, and hang ups.  In our youth group, unfortunately, we deal with a lot of students struggling with drugs, gang activity, being in single parent households, and simply just trying to survive.  For years, I struggled with how to effectively minister to them and help them systematically process through all of the issues they were dealing with.  This resource helped me so much!  We use it every Friday night during our Celebrate Recovery time (Christian 12-Step Recovery Program for adults).  We’ve seen God move in some great and mighty ways.  If you have kids that are hurting, like we all do, click on “Resource” and check it out.  It’s located in the small group sections.

Link: Life Hurts God Heals