Sowing & Reaping

Jeff on December 9th, 2008

“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….

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Living the Extraordinary Life in 5 Days

Jeff on December 8th, 2008

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 [...]

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The Elephant In The Church

Jeff on December 7th, 2008

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) [...]

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Living Lean

Jeff on November 22nd, 2008

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 [...]

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Starting Young…

Jeff on November 21st, 2008

“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.” “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.” Psalm 71:5, 17  Start young learning the ways of the Lord. This is our wisest and best investment. Youthful learning is leverage for the Lord. If we start young, we would not have to wade through the muck and the mire of disobedient living. There is no need to stray and go our own way for we may end up back at the point where we originally drifted away from God. Stay the course of Christ while young, and this will catapult you into an obedient adult. Youthful dependence on God results in an adult who depends on God. Once we have entrenched unhealthy habits in our lives, we cannot kid ourselves and think we can change our ways quickly. God does a masterful job of making the young at heart into the image of His son Jesus. He infuses youth with His spirit, so they become His image bearer. Paul exhorted his protégé Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12, KJV). Take God at [...]

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Youth Ministry Survival Kit!!!!!

Jeff on November 20th, 2008

The link for the product is youthministry.com/survivalkit

This is a great product!!!!!!!!!! 

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Don’t Quit

Jeff on November 20th, 2008

“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)

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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).

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The Urban Thing!!!

Jeff on October 24th, 2008

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 [...]

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Product of the Month: Life Hurts; God Heals

Jeff on October 24th, 2008

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

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Leadership That Lasts!!!!!!

Jeff on October 1st, 2008

The teachings in Timothy are great when it comes to the life and look of the leader.

  • 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
  • 2 Timothy 3:10 says, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me, yet the Lord rescued me.”
  • 1 Timothy 3:1 & 2 says, “Here is a trust worthy saying. If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach.
  • Leadership defined: Is the ability to obtain followers.
  • Every business, organization, family and / or ministry rises and falls on leadership. (Young people copy what they see) – John Maxwell
  • He or she who thinks they are leading, and hath no one following is only taking a walk. (lead, follow, or get out of the way). – John Maxwell
  • Proverbs 11:14 “Without wise leadership a nation is in trouble, but with good counselors, there is safety.

Types of leaders

  • Born leaders:    Naturally gifted to lead
  • Book leaders:    Learned leadership through studying
  • Beginner leaders:    They are in the infant stages of leadership
  • Baffled leaders:    Has the potential, but don’t have a clue

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