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Rainy Days Help us Appreciate Sunny Days or Why do we want to state the obvious?

October 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s raining this morning in Southern California, something it doesn’t do very often but when it does, it’s usually the lead story on all the local news channels. I have no doubt that right at this moment we are probably on “Storm Watch 2012”. I looked at my Facebook feed a few minutes ago and counted 31 status updates letting me know it’s raining outside this morning.

Why is this something everyone feels they need to let everyone else know about? The first reason is what I said above, it doesn’t rain here all that often, so it’s a change from the norm. We always want to tell people about change. The second reason we want to tell everyone is because we think it’s something no one else knows. Apparently a lot of my friends didn’t realize I could just look out my window and discover it was raining, or that I would be driving 28 miles this morning on rain-soaked freeways that creep along at 20 miles per hour.

I look at rain this way. God gave us rainy days to help us appreciate the sunny days. If all we had were sunny days then after a while we just take that for granted. It’s the same thing with life. If all we had were good times and no problems then we would not appreciate all the gifts that God has given us. A little bump in the road makes us pause and think about all the other things we have to be thankful for. And just like that, I realized I had created a lesson on appreciating the little things in life for my small group guys.

Question: Do you use everyday life situations and events to create lessons for your students?

Filed Under: Cool stuff, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reminders don’t work if you don’t follow through

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’m a big fan of using the “reminder” function on my iPhone, but when the reminder goes off and I’m busy right at that moment and I don’t reset the reminder for a later time, or I don’t follow-up on the reminder and take some action, then nothing happens. It dawned on me this morning as I was thinking about the “reminder” function that prayer is a lot like that. We can pray and pray and pray but often times God wants us to take some action as well to follow-up.

You can’t just pray, “God make me financially comfortable and successful” and then just sit back and wait for it to happen. You have to pray that prayer and then go out and apply yourself and your talents. When you start earning a living you need to tithe, once you trust God with your finances he will bless you even more. You can’t out give God.

You can’t just pray, “God help me to lose weight and look and feel better.” You have to start watching what you eat and exercising as well. Then your prayer changes to God give me the strength to continue along with my weight loss plan. But if you just pray and sit back in front of the TV eating a family size back of potato chips probably nothing is going to happen.

Our message to students needs to be that often prayer without action means nothing. God will help us, God WANTS to help us, but God also wants to grow us and wants us to learn to do the right thing along the way. Look for everyday things that happen in life and turn it into a lesson that students can understand and gain something, that’s my prayer this morning…this blog is my follow through.

Got an everyday issue that you can turn into a lesson for students? We’d love to hear about it and share it with others.

Filed Under: Spriritual Life, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , ,

Hurry up and wait

June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I admit it, one of my faults is getting upset when things don’t happen on my timetable. I don’t like things up in the air in my life, I want closure to problems and I want a resolution to uncertainty to happen really quick.

This week has been a week that was full of uncertainty in my life. Between a health problem I’m going through and work issues it just all seemed to pile up on me this week. I’m having a quiet time each day and asking God for some pretty specific things…and nothing is happening. Last night it dawned on me that once again I’m expecting everything to be wrapped up to a nice conclusion but I want it on my terms. I forgot that God uses these times in our lives to grow and stretch our faith. I just hate waiting and want a quick resolution.

What a great lesson God showed me this week for helping students deal with problems. During the waiting God is going to see what we do. Do you worry or do you worship? Does your faith wain or do you grow stronger in your faith? And more importantly are you taking the time to learn the lesson that God is showing you?

When you use your personal experiences when dealing with students in a crisis you are far more powerful and helpful to them when you can relate your own life lesson that you went through. God never, ever wastes a hurt.  The temporary pain and discomfort you feel today will help some one else in the future. Don’t be in such a hurry that you miss the lesson that one day will greatly aid someone else.

 

Filed Under: Encouragement, Spriritual Life, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , ,

Past Troubles Can Be An Opportunity Today

August 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

2 Corinthians 4:17 – The little troubles we suffer now for a short time are making us ready for the great things God is going to give us forever. 

During my quiet time last night I was reading 2 Corinthians and for some reason chapter 4 verse 17 kept standing out to me for two reasons. I know personally, I let little things upset me way too much; I need to remember this verse. The second reason it stood out to me was it made me think about troubles and how we deal with them. Do we let them control us or do we use them as a life lesson and move on? If you’re a student ministry worker, past troubles in your life can be powerful tools when you’re helping a student go through similar circumstances.

In the Japanese language, the same word that means catastrophe also means opportunity. Troubles are an opening that God uses in our lives to bring about change and can help us to serve and minister to students.

Let me give you an example: Steven and I have a good friend named Rick  who serves as a small group leader in the High School Ministry at Saddleback Church. Rick overcame a drug addiction problem years ago and now he specializes in helping teens who have addiction problems. He is a leader in The Landing, a program we have at Saddleback Church for teens who are dealing with hurts, habits and hang ups (you can find more information about The Landing here).

Rick is a Christian who has a firm, strong walk with God. Rick uses the past troubles in his life to help students. This year at high school camp, four of the students in his small group stepped across the line, accepted Christ into their lives and were baptized. Like many others at camp that day, I stood there with tears in my eyes watching those guys get baptized. I know what a rough road those students have had, but God put Rick into their lives. Rick lets God use him to get to these teens and it’s awesome to watch him in action.

We can all take a lesson from Rick. Don’t hide from your past, don’t be embarrassed, don’t try and cover it up. Use that hurt! Think about what it would have meant to you when you were a teenager going through a tough time. What if you had a loving, caring adult you could trust and confide in and that person would use their past hurts and experiences to help you get through your problems, and help you to grow your relationship with Jesus Christ.   Would that have made a big difference in your life?

Are you using the problems in your past to help students with their problems today?

Filed Under: Small Groups, Spriritual Life, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , ,