Awesome is the word of the day, everyday.

Last night I had the incredible opportunity to be invited to help train a group of Jr.High youth leaders from a growing, vibrant church the next town over…

Any time that I get up in front of a group of people I’ve never met before and I am expected, by them and others, to just start teaching…it feels very awkward to me.  Why in the world would/should they listen and respect what I have to say?  They’ve never met me, they don’t know me, so what makes me worthy of being in this position to teach THEM?

And this is the question I’m left with…What make ME a teacher?

By the world’s standards I’ve probably got enough experience and schooling in my field to be at least in the position I’m in as a leader…but enough to be a teacher on the subject of Jr.High ministry?  I though teachers had to be EXPERTS in their field…?  And I, by no means, would consider myself and ‘expert’ on Jr.High ministry.  So why put myself in the position of a teacher then?  Well what I learned last night is that teaching really does just come from sharing experiences together, especially in ministry I believe that we learn the best from hearing about other people’s successes and failures and what they learned from those examples.  Is MY program, my theory of how to do Jr.High the best?  Absolutely not!!  It works in this context and still is ever changing and I grow in knowledge and practice…and learn from others.

The bottom line is; to be a teacher in ministry, I’m learning that you don’t have to be an “expert” in the field, like a teacher of history or math would be.  Even those few people around right now that I would consider experts (Mark Oestericher, Kurt Johnston, Scott Rubin, etc) are still learning themselves, and are still in the same position any 1st year volunteer youth leader is in; we are working with an ever-changing culture, and MUST go through it together and teach each other as we go.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to teach last night and would JUMP at that invitation again, but for now I need to focus on my own volunteers and giving them my ‘first fruits’.

-Alex

So the big question is…(drum roll please) WAS IT WORTH IT?!

Now the back story:

4 weeks ago we took the Sr.Highers on our most awesomest kick-off retreat in a long time!  Involved in this retreat were two nights with a combined 6 hours of sleep, cliff-jumping into 50 degree water, and so much coffee my veins are running dark brown now.    The down side you ask?  Well like about half of the people that went, I got home that Sunday feeling like I was truly turning into a zombie…I spoke like one, drooled like one, and even caught myself walking with my arms straight out dragging my feet a couple of times.

The next 3-4 days were a complete write-off…sick to the extent of feeling like a hurricane was solely positioned inside my brain!  Then things started to look up.  After 3 weeks all I had left of that ‘cold’ was a dry cough that came and went.

Until this past weekend, we had two big outdoor-night-events, Friday and Saturday.  I was feeling rough after setting up in the frigid temps, but did what I had to do that night.  When I got home, it hit me hard…my wife could see it in me that I actually had become a zombie.

Well now its 4 days after said event, and I’m still only about 80%.  Back to my original question, WAS IT WORTH IT?!

The answer is undeniably…yes.  My body may hate my schedule working in youth ministry, but I have seen again and again that even when I am so devastatingly sick I feel like the next step will end it all for me, when I need to be somewhere or do something with these students God continues to give me the strength to be me.  I’ve learned that I don’t NEED to stay up all night with guys playing video games at a lock-in to make a connection with them, it will come in other ways…I don’t NEED to always be completely full of more energy than Jr.highers (possible?), they’ll respect being able to see me at my worst…and I don’t NEED to do it on my own, it is God’s hand, His strength pulling me through these special times, these weaker times, and it is in those times that He will be seen greatest in my life.

2 Cor. 12:9-10

Until next time…

-Alex

Here’s a random, non-exhaustive list explaining basically why I do what I do…

10. Getting people to eagerly volunteer for a game…THEN telling them what the game is, usually ending in something nasty!

9. Seeing some kind of small talent or desire to do something now that could so easily develop into what defines that person at a later age (playing guitar, etc.)

8.  Having a place available for Jr.Highers to come to and just completely be themselves…let loose and go nuts and have some laughs…I love having this place to be able to create that setting.

7.  Random noises…from all kinds of body parts.

6. When a Jr.Higher looks at you like they are totally paying attention but you find out later they were thinking about peanuts or hippopotamus’…or hippos eating peanuts.

5.  Being able to say, “I was like you” or “this is what I did when I was in that situation”, and seeing a students’ face light up like they are saying, “wow…if this guy went through this too…I’m a little closer to normal than I thought.”

4.  Guitar Hero, although it’s quite humbling when a Jr.High girl beats me in it.  *Honorable mention: Emily L.*

3. Planting bamboo.  (There is no growth with bamboo for the first few years to be seen b/c it’s all underground, but then witha  good foundation it becomes one of the fastest and strongest growing plants there is).  Get it?

2. Having an excuse to listen to Miley, Taylor, and the Jonas Bros…”what?  I’m doing research on what kids like today!”

1. Candy can solve almost any problem.  However it can also cause a lot of problems too.

Don’t you love Jr.High too?!

Wow…one of the best Youtube videos I’ve seen in a looooonnng time!

STOP!  This just in:  Apparently salt and soda (pop) are two of the leading causes of obesity!  I know…hard to believe, but I just saw a groundbreaking news story on CNN that told me so.  But believe me, I’m with you on this one, I thought all along that my morning spoonful of salt chased down by 2 litres of Coke was helping my body grow strong and healthy.  Well I guess this calls for a change in diet, looks like tomorrow morning I’ll be back to eating a healthy dose of sausages wrapped in bacon cooked in a pot of boiling coffee.Thank you CNN, thank you. 

This is a sweet observation I found on simplyouthministry.com.  Take the time to read it…it’s interesting.

by: allison hibbard

Lately, I have been reminded—yet again—about how much life really doesn’t change after seventh grade.

You still have a goofy side.
You still love to laugh with your friends.
You still judge others based on appearances.
You still have to eat your vegetables.
You still eat your vegetables out of guilt, not desire.
You still have friends that are tried and true.
You still have some acquaintances that will stay just that.
You still hate being forced to exercise.
You still have trouble mastering the “spiritual disciplines.”
You still have a workload that consists of mostly things you love and a few things you hate.
You still have a “teacher” (or seven) in your life.
You still have a deep hatred for changing your clothes in a public place (gym/fitting rooms).
You still have the “butterflies” feeling in your stomach around the man/woman of your dreams (even if you have been married for 15 years).
You still have moments of uncontrollable weakness, when tears are all that will come out, without any explanation.
You still think things are funnier at 2a.m.
You still give in to peer pressure.
You still misspell words.
You still choose to use a calculator instead of multiplying two numbers in your head.
You still find a slight thrill in breaking a small rule.
You still have an issue with ridiculous authority figures.   (“Yard Duties”/ Ushers, Security Guards, “Rent a Cops”)                   

You still don’t have enough money to do everything you want to do.
You still have to go to bed at a reasonable time because you have to get up in the morning.
You still have people you just “click” with.
You still have people you just “clique” with.
You still have the group that thinks they are better than you.
Most of the time, you still feel like they are better than you.
You still have to remind yourself, daily, to find your value in being God’s child.

It’s funny; I operated under the assumption that life would be different, and somewhat easier, as I grew-up. From where I stand right now, it doesn’t feel all that different. Maybe I’m not there yet.

But maybe, when all is said and done, I’m okay with that.

…baby don’t hurt me, no more!1 John 3 and 4 are quickly becoming some of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible, they describe love in ways most people have never experienced or thought of.  And they explain how Christ followers really should be living, not for ourselves whatsoever, but for others and only so that God will shine through us.  Man, it’s an amazing section of truth penned by John probably near the end of his life after living for years with Jesus and then fearlessly living FOR Jesus.  I’ll leave you with this encouragement to read this section, think about love, and I’ll be back with more thoughts on love later.-Alex 

Ren & Stimpy, one of my all-time favorite shows.  Here with my all time favorite toy. 

Great song by Switchfoot.also, fancy catchphrase of the day…love is a movement, it is not a feeling you have about something (‘I love chocolate’ – I don’t by the way it’ll kill me,  ’I love hockey’, etc.) it is a desire God placed within each one of us to defeat the sting of being alone. God loves us, for absolutely NO fathomable reason, for nothing we have done, or could ever do, he loves us simply because He is love and we were made in his image out of love.  Accept it!  HE LOVES YOU and wants you to spread that love around…don’t keep it to yourself dang it, share it.  In the most ‘insignificant’ ways, let someone know you love to be around them, and that you love them because God loved you first.1 Peter 4