IGNITE Unwrapped

We had another great time at our midweek large group environments, X-Factor and 7, last night. Taking a cue from Food Network's Unwrapped show, we went 'behind the scenes' with Ignite student ministries, talking about why we do what we do.



Using the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) we drew out the five biblical purposes and how we've integrated them into our purpose statement and ministry. Here's our working purpose statement, both the concise and expanded parts:

IGNITE student ministries exists to create environments that challenge students to take the next step toward becoming fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

We seek to help students receive and share God’s GRACE, experience GROWTH in their walk with Christ, connect with others in GROUPS, use their GIFTS in ministry, and practice GOOD STEWARDSHIP of their time and resources as a part of a life of worship.

I love the alliterative use of the 5 G's that Willow Creek developed and that we have adopted to describe the five purposes. Here's how we expanded on these areas in the challenge:

• Grace – receiving God’s forgiveness, making him the leader of my life and sharing the Good News with others; outreach; “Go”


• Growth – discipleship; becoming more like Jesus “Make disciples…”


• Groups – entering into community/fellowship with other Christ-followers; “baptizing”


• Gifts – serving others by using your abilities and spiritual gifts in ministry; “Love your neighbor”


• Good Stewardship – being open-handed with my time and resources as a part of a life of worship;  “Love the Lord your God...”

We also talked about how our midweek environment (7, X-Factor) is just one small part of our larger ministry and meant to be a step that encourages them to explore these purposes in their own lives with the help of our other environments (like small groups!) Our goal is to challenge each person no matter whether they are a Seeker, a Stumbler (brand new Christ-follower, or not living out their faith), or Sold Out to Jesus.



It was a good chance to share with everyone the core of what we want to be about not only on Wednesday nights but throughout our ministry. The vast majority of our students this week ended up being very new to our group, having only started attending within the last few weeks or months (or just this week as we had four first-time visitors!). Many of our long-time Journey North Church students were away on vacation or other summer commitments this week. What might have been just helpful review for them was completely new for those that were there last night. It was great to share the vision of what we want to be and do as a 'church within a church' with kids who are just starting out on the journey of faith.

Nelson's Receipts Help IGNITE Ministry

Just a quick thanks to all of the Journey North Church attenders who so faithfully turn in receipts from Nelson's Market each quarter! The money we get back from Nelson's for these receipts goes to help our Ignite student ministry and we really appreciate the assistance.

One of the things that has driven our ministry from the beginning is that we don't want to be known for always trying to raise money. Sometimes youth ministries fall into the trap of constant fund raising. I've heard it said that some youth groups are better at creating young capitalists than young Christ-followers. Not that there's anything wrong with being a capitalist - it's just not the reason we exist as a ministry.

That doesn't mean we won't ever do a fundraiser, it just means that when we do have a fundraiser it will be very low-key and behind-the-scenes. We want to be known as a youth group (and a church) that is looking for ways to bless and give to the community, not out trying to get stuff.

Our ministry is primarily supported by our church body (through the annual budget) and individual student event registrations. These are supplemented by low-key fundraisers like the Nelson's Community Cash program. When we have events that are more expensive (like Fall Fling, Districts, Nationals, and mission trips) we look for ways to provide students with an opportunity to work and earn extra money for these events.

All of that is to say - keep on saving those receipts and turn them in either to the office or in the "Joy Box" each week at worship. I found out this week that the receipts - which are submitted quarterly - have to come from that particular quarter. In other words, if your receipt is from an earlier quarter it doesn't qualify for the rebate. Their rules are that all receipts must be dated within the calendar quarter that is due (no exceptions). Here's the schedule:

• Receipts saved from January - March must be turned in no later than April 15th
• Receipts saved from April - June must be turned in no later than July 15th.
• Receipts saved from July - September must be turned in no later than October 15th.
• Receipts saved from October - December must be turned in no later than January 15th.

Thanks to Elaine Westman who heads up this effort each quarter. And thanks to all of our church body for all of your support in this small but very helpful area!

Multiple Calendar Issue - Solved?

I was talking with another local youth pastor the other night (hey, Vicki!) and we were discussing scheduling challenges with our youth ministries. We want to schedule things when the maximum number of students can attend, as well as being considerate of family schedules and - especially - school schedules and potential conflicts. Vicki's idea was to create a master calendar with all of the church activities listed along with all of the school activities. It would be something we could use and also share with parents and students.

Thanks to the flexibility of Google Calendar, I think we solved the problem. I spent some time the other day and imported all of Pine City High School's fall sports and music events from their web site into a public Google Calendar. If you've not used Google Calendar before, you'll want to check it out because it's pretty slick. Just do a search of public calendars for Pine City High School, (or click that link) and add it to your list of calendars. Then do the same for Journey North Church to add our calendar. Then you can create your own personal calendar and manage your entire schedule from one place, or print it out to put on your fridge (if you have a color printer each type of calendar event will print in it's own color, making it very easy to figure out what's what).

The bonus is that there are a bunch of great public calendars you can add to your list (I have the Green Bay Packers schedule on mine!) You can toggle the different calendars on and off if you wish, as well.

The only downside is that I will likely not be able to keep the Pine City High School events up to date if there are changes (one of the reasons I've only added fall sports so far - plus I haven't had time yet). For that you'll need to go to their web site. (Maybe I can get them to start using Google Calendar, too!?) Let me know if that's helpful to you, because we could create separate calendars for each sport (if you only wanted to add football, or just tennis, etc.) or for each grade (just 8th grade sports, etc.). It would only take a few minutes but I'm not going to do those if nobody's interested. So drop me a note and tell me what you think.

Into Every Life a Little Rain Must Fall - But the Wind Was Ridiculous!

We had quite the 'little' storm last Friday night. We knew it was coming - with temperatures in the lower 90s all day it was setting the stage for some serious storms. I spend the day sweating in the heat at ValleyFair Amusement Park with our senior high youth group and we headed back a bit early because of the coming storm (and the fact that the heat seriously sapped our energy!)



Within about 20 minutes of arriving back home our power went out and was to stay out until about 1:00 the next afternoon. Then - the wind! Someone told us there was 70 MPH straight-line winds in our area. It was blowing through our back yard and at the house so hard that the rain began bubbling up through the bottom of our sliding glass patio doors. It looked pretty scary for a bit and we grabbed the pets and sat in my windowless basement office for a bit - just in case. When we came out, Jonah looked in the back yard and said, "Where's the trampoline?" Somehow our trampoline was lifted two stories over our house, taking out the (unused) TV antenna, whipping across and down the street where it slaughtered the neighbor's basketball hoop before smashing their SUV. Whoops. (Fortunately we have very understanding neighbors.) Here's what the mangled mess looked like when it was done:

Our other neighbor helped out by climbing on our roof the next day and removing the remains of the antenna and patching up the holes it left. We are so thankful for our wonderful neighbors! Other than the antenna, though, our house was undamaged by the flying trampoline. Unfortunately we can't afford to replace our trampoline right now so our boys are pretty bummed. But the good news is that nobody was hurt!

Great Times on Wednesday Night

Wow! We had another great time last night at our midweek youth groups, X-Factor (jr hi) and 7 (sr hi). In addition to several new students we also had some commitments made by students to being more like Jesus.

Our topic was God's Chisel and we looked at Hebrews 12 and how God disciplines us as His children to help form us into the image of Jesus. Then we closed with a powerful video illustration from The Skit Guys. 

Thanks to the adult sponsors who helped and to all who pray for our ministry each week! God is working in awesome ways!

I'm Back

Back to blogging for me after a brief, unintentional break. Summer has been busier than ever and I just haven't taken time to blog much other than some updates for our youth group (Ignite student ministries). If you want to read specifically only about items dealing with the youth group, use this link - Ignite which is the same as in the tab at the top of this page.



I thought about having a separate blog for just my life stuff, but so much of my life is youth ministry that - at least for now - I'm going to keep them together. Hope you enjoy both. I'll try to do better at posting more frequently.

In the meantime, here's a couple of pictures of the new addition to the Spahr family (not Rosalie and Jonah, they've been around for a while!) Jordan has some great pictures on his cell phone that I'll get posted eventually, too (hopefully while Toby is still a puppy!)

Busy Week Ahead

Lots going on this week (most weeks this summer, actually, which explains the fact that I haven't been posting as often as I'd like... sorry.) I just finished an e-mail to our Ignite students and parents about what's coming up this week. Here are some highlights:

Our weekly youth group will meet Wednesday night (as usual) for a fun time of games, worship, fellowship, food, and learning. We’ve got a great time planned for tomorrow so you won’t want to miss it. Invite your friends! Junior high is at 5:30 for X-Factor and senior high 7 is at 7:00.

Jr Hi small group won’t be meeting this week as almost everyone had schedule conflicts, but we’ll get back together next week on FRIDAY (not Thursday this one time).

Friday we’ll head to Rush City for The Big Bad Musical: A Howling Courtroom Comedy - Come see what happens with fairy tale characters try to "get even" by putting the Big Bad Wolf on TRIAL! Little Red, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and of course the Three Pigs all try to exact revenge on mean ol' Mr. Wolf. Innocent or guilty? --- the audience decides the ending! This hilarious children's musical is clever, fun, and perfect for kids of all ages. Plus it features three of our own Ignite students: Kendra Severson, Sarah Nisley and Courtnie Blazek! All students are admitted FREE and adult admission is only $5. Bring a few bucks and maybe we’ll stop for dessert afterward!

This Sunday afternoon we’re headed over to the Bloomquist home for a cookout picnic and sand volleyball. Bring a snack to share (chips, etc.) and we’ll provide the rest. Let me know if you’re planning to attend so that we can plan for enough food! We'll be done around 8 p.m.

Finally our senior high small group will meet again next Tuesday, 9:30 – 11 a.m., at my house.

Sr Hi Small Group Recap - Last Tuesday

(I had this post ready to go on Tuesday but never got it posted. So here it is a little late. The title would have been appropriate had I posted it as scheduled, but now it is ironic...)

"Today"

We had our second senior high small group this morning - yes they decided that they liked meeting in the mornings rather than the afternoons (I think Rosalie’s semi-homemade cinnamon rolls helped seal the deal today!) We had a great time sharing together and discussing how we need to celebrate and honor the past but not live in it.

We used Rob Bell’s Nooma video Today as jumping off point for the discussion. It was a great video but not as applicable to this age group as it would have been to an older group. Most of our students aren’t too caught up in living in the past. We modified the discussion a bit to talk about living each day for what God brings rather than living in the future (“when I get a car, when I graduate, when I have a job” etc.).

All in all another great time sharing and growing together.

Y Worship

Had a great time at our youth groups last night. We launched our new Jr Hi group, X-Factor, at 5:30 and followed with the senior high group, 7, from 7-8:30 (which really went until 9 before we can get everything cleaned up and student cleared out). Had almost all of our junior highers there which was fun. I think we'll grow that group quickly as that age is usually great about inviting friends. Senior high bumped up against summer basketball but still had a great turnout, which was fun. New students again this week (and every week for the past month or so!) Plus some great new sponsors who have joined in to begin investing in these kids' lives.

Our theme for the evening was "Y Worship" and we talked about why and how we worship, wrapping up the night with a time of corporate worship together in song. All in all a great evening (if a bit long and somewhat exhausting!) Thanks to all who helped out and those who have been remembering us in prayer! God continues to do great things among these students.

Sr Hi Small Groups Kick Off the Summer Schedule

Well, we just finished up with our first "program/event" of the summer - our first senior high small group! We had a small group (ironic? maybe.) but I know of a few more that will be joining us as the summer progresses. Nevertheless we had a lot of fun, good food, and great discussion.

This week we talked about names and identity, keying of Rob Bell's Nooma video, "Name", as our discussion starter. It was a great jumping off point for some talk about who we are compared with other people and why we shouldn't be comparing ourselves with others in the first place! We also talked about the 'names' or labels that describe us and how we each have a unique path to walk.

The group is excited about continuing with the video/discussion format. Several expressed interest in moving to a morning meeting! (Of course "morning" for high school students means bright an early at 9:30 a.m.!) We'll talk some more about that and let everyone know if we end up moving times. Tuesday mornings is the current preferred time. That would keep us from bumping up against summer sports or work schedules.

All in all, a great start to the summer.

Award-Winning Students

It's the last day of school for Pine City and Rosalie and I were able to attend the academic award ceremonies this morning at the elementary school. Jordan received the Presidential Academic Excellence Award and several other awards. Jonah received an academic excellence award and a citizenship award.

Several of our incoming 7th grade students received awards and our future youth group students (current 5th graders) were well-represented, as well. I'm so excited to have these kids coming into youth group! It's going to be a blast. (Actually, as of today, the incoming 7th grade students are now part of Ignite!)

Enjoy the pictures and congratulations to these students for their great work throughout the year!

Summer Small Groups Launch

Ignite students will begin summer small groups this week. Our senior high group will meet on Mondays from 2-3:30 p.m. beginning June 2. Junior high groups kick off the summer with a meeting this Thursday, June 5, at noon at Pizza Hut. (Junior high group will meet Thursdays from 2-3:30 p.m. after this week.) Groups will initially begin meeting at the Spahr home. Groups will feature Bible study, discussion, sharing and prayer (and food!).

All students are invited to participate as we "do life together" in small groups. If you've never been a part of a small group before this would be a great time to start! Don't miss out.

Paintball Challenge

Ignite students are challenging all interested Journey North adults to a day of paintball fun on Saturday, June 28, at Combat Zone in Hinckley. We'll leave from the church office at 8:00 a.m. and return around 4:30 that afternoon.

Cost for the day is $30 ($20 if you have your own equipment). Let us know if you are interested in attending and we will get you additional details. Registration payments can be made to Ignite Student Ministries by Wednesday, June 11, to guarantee your spot. If you are not planning to attend but have equipment we could borrow, please let me know. That will help keep the cost down for some students who might not otherwise be able to go.

All participants must a sign a release of liability waiver before play. Students under 18 must have that form signed by their parents, as well. I have copies or you can print your own by clicking here.

We had planned to attend a guys paintball retreat last month but a number of schedule conflicts kept us from going. In the midst of planning for that, a number of college and career age guys (and some older!) expressed a desire to play, as well. We thought about hold a day just for guys, but several of our Ignite girls wanted to participate, too. (Just so you know, they're tough and will no doubt kick my rear in paintball!) I'm looking forward to a great day of paintball action together. It will be some fun fellowship and group building time as we run, play and tag one another.

Ignite Students Head to Noah's Ark

Ignite junior and senior high students will be heading to Noah's Ark - America's Largest Waterpark - in the Wisconsin Dells on Friday, June 13. We'll be leaving from the church office at 5:3o in the morning and returning about 11:30 at night. Cost for the event is $35 and is due on or before Wednesday, June 4. (This is an incredible deal as tickets alone are normally about $30!)

The cost includes transportation, admission, a hot dog lunch, and pizza dinner at Rocky Rococo's. Because of the popularity of this trip we expect to fill up so registration is limited to our transportation capacity. If any adults are interested in driving or can loan us a van for the event, please let me know.

It'll be a long trip (about 4.5 hours each way!) but a fun one! Students are welcome to bring books, iPods, Gameboys, etc. for part of the trip, but a great deal of time will be sharing with one another and getting to know each other better! (Nine hours in a van together will definitely help you get to know each other better!) You can also bring some soda or food for breakfast or a snack as we'll plan to stop as seldom as possible on the trip in order to maximize our time at Noah's Ark. You may be able to purchase something during a stop, but it will be a lot cheaper to bring it yourself! Also, don't forget to bring dry clothes to change into for the return trip.

Pearls Before Swine

One of my favorite comics is Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis. Yesterday's strip (May 12) was extremely funny and today's (May 13) - on a different topic entirely - was just as good.

I don't think I can legally put it here, so here's the link if you're in the mood for a good chuckle!

Ignite Prayer Partners

I blogged a little last week about some areas where adults can be involved in student ministries. One of those areas is just now being developed - that of student ministries Prayer Partner.

Some of this blog's readers caught it and have already contacted me already about being a Partner, but I wanted to highlight this opportunity for everyone. My vision for this ministry is this: that Prayer Partners would commit to praying consistently and specifically for our students and our ministry at Journey North Church. I plan to send updates to this prayer team regularly with specific requests for both the ministry and our individual students (not their confidential requests, obviously).

How great a thing for our students to know that they are being prayed for by name each week! If you are a part of Journey North Church and this is a ministry area that you would be willing to commit to, let me know. We'd love to have you join us in bringing these requests before God.

Bad News, Bad News, Good News!

I had a bit of a ministry-related scare the last couple of days. Here's the breakdown:

• Bad News - Over the weekend I was told we weren't going to be able to use the facilities at the elementary school over the summer for our midweek program: 7
  
• More Bad News - I checked with the Pine City Armory to see if we could use their facilities. Nope.
• Good News - I did a little more legwork (and a lot of kneework, if you know what I mean) and was able to negotiate back for the elementary school! Yay! 7 will now be able to continue.

I was really discouraged after the first two news items as we are really developing a great group and I am excited what is happening on Wednesday nights. We're seeing new students show up frequently and I was concerned that having to take a break or change format for the summer would kill our momentum. I gave it to God and He turned it around. I should have known - it's His youth ministry and He will provide. Just have to keep trusting! Good reminder for me.

Rescue Me!

We are starting a fun new 4-part series tonight at 7 called Rescued from an Ordinary Life, based around an in-depth exploration of John 10:10.

Each week we will tackle a different aspect of John 10:10; instructing, challenging, and encouraging students to respond to a God who wants to rescue them from an ordinary life and give them a better life than they ever dreamed of.

We've taken a concept and outline developed by Doug Fields and given it a unique twist that I think our students will love! In addition, we'll have our usual lineup of games, food, open gym time, and a great time hanging out together.

We officially start 7 at 7 p.m. (when else!), but students are welcome to come at 6:30 to help set up and squeeze in a little extra open gym time. We are officially done by about 8:30, but it takes about half an hour to finish cleaning up and taking everything down. Thanks to those who have been able to stick around and help out!

What is a student ministries sponsor?

It’s been a busy few weeks – actually a busy few months! Now that our weekly large group gathering – 7 – is running steadily we have been seeing an influx of new students. As our group continues to grow, it means we will need even more adults willing to commit to investing in the lives of students.

If someone has never worked with students before, they may not know what to expect. One of the questions I often get asked is…

What is a student ministries sponsor?

A sponsor is an adult volunteer or college age student who works in or with student ministries. We have four areas of involvement, each requiring a different level of time commitment.

Occasional Volunteers (Varied involvement with students - limited commitment)

Occasional volunteers are called upon for special one-time events or happenings. From serving food at a Christmas party to driving for a special event - these volunteers come into the program and get random things done. You can serve one time or choose to be called regularly. This is a great area of service for those who love students but cannot commit to regular involvement due to their schedules.

Support Staff (Low involvement with students – weekly time commitment)

A support staffer is someone who is willing to work – for the most part - behind the scenes. It may be someone who:

• Helps with setup and takedown for 7 each week
• Is in charge of food (buying, preparing, serving, cleaning up) at 7
  
• Opens their home for a small group meeting

These support staffers help free up our relational sponsors to concentrate on spending time and building relationships with students.

Prayer Partners (Low direct involvement with students - high commitment)

No student ministry can succeed unless it is powered by prayer. Prayer partners pledge to pray regularly and specifically for students and student ministries. Though prayer partners work behind the scenes in many ways, their support is felt each time a young person hears the Gospel of Christ, each time an adult counsels a troubled teen, and each time anyone in this ministry makes an attempt to advance the Kingdom of God. Prayer partners will receive guidance from the Student Ministries pastor about how he or she can pray each day for the young people and adults who are involved in the junior and senior high student programs. In addition, Prayer Partners will receive regular updates about specific needs within the ministry as they arise.

Relational Sponsors - (High involvement with students - high commitment)

These are the key adults who make youth ministry possible. Relational Sponsors build relationships with students in which ministry can take place. They come alongside students in their spiritual walk.

A Relational Sponsor commits to involvement with one of our ongoing programs such as

• 7 - our weekly large group gathering, or
• Connect small groups during the school year.

They are also encouraged to attend special events and retreats throughout the year as their schedules permit in order to build relationships with students.

Relational Sponsors have the opportunity to show students they are loved simply by showing up each week. They may get involved in the teaching, games, small groups, or just come each week to listen and build relationships that honor Christ. These foundational volunteers receive regular training and support through regular sponsor meeting and periodic training events.

Who can be a Relational Sponsor?

Any adult or college-age student who…

• Has a commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9).
• Is leading an obedient and continually growing Christian life (Col. 2:6,7)
• Has a willingness to offer that life as one worthy of imitation (I Cor. 11:1)
• Likes youth.
• Has a willingness to make time to build friendships with youth.
• Is committed to the mission, vision, and values of Ignite Student Ministries and Journey North Church.

Sound interesting? I'd love to share more of the vision with you. Drop me a note or give me a call.

Your Superpower

Our large youth group gathering, 7 , met last night and a wonderful (and exhausting) time was had by all. With great sunny weather in the 70s we were able to do a fun outdoor game followed by some wonderful strawberry shortcake supplied by the parents of one of our new students. (We had three new students the week before and two more last night. All in all our group has welcomed nine students from outside of Journey North to our Ignite youth group in the past month!)

After finishing up our four-part series, Connect 4, last week, this week's 7 featured a one-part challenge called "Your Superpower, Your Mouth". We did an in-depth study of the first part of James 3 and students were challenged to be careful about the words they use and the potential damage they can do with their speech.

Next Wednesday night we'll be taking a road trip to Northwestern College's Spring Reign event, leaving from the school back parking lot by the Dragon's Den playground at 5 p.m. and returning at 9:45. Students who are planing to attend need to sign up so that we have enough transportation. It looks like we'll fill the church van plus another vehicle so far. (We're still looking for an additional adult driver, so let me know if you're interested!)

In two weeks we'll begin a new four-part series: Rescued from An Ordinary Life. I'm really excited about this one and will post more about it soon. Right now we're getting ready to head to Districts for the weekend. We should miss the snow that is headed for the northern part of the state. (Only in Minnesota can you have sunny 70s one day and snow a couple days later!)

Looking for some Peace this Summer?

Our first Financial Peace University small group at Journey North concludes this week. We've had a lot of fun and learned a ton. I loved getting to know some other people from the church and community that I might never have had the opportunity to interact with at this level. That's one of the benefits of a small group environment.

I can't wait to do it again! One of the things we've been told is that it's almost impossible to run a FPU class during the summer around here as people's schedules are too crowded. Of course, when have we ever followed conventional wisdom? We've talked to some people who actually have more time during the summer (especially those employed by the school system, etc.) We're considering trying to begin again in a couple of weeks at the end of April and running straight through the end of July.

Journey North people and others in the greater Pine City metropolitan area who may be interested in joining in this session should let me know ASAP so that we can evaluate potential attendance. Class members should be able to commit to attend all or most of the 13 weeks. If we have enough participants, we'll start right back up. If not we probably won't be able to run it again until January.

Financial Peace University is taught via video by Dave Ramsey and followed by a discussion time among the small group members making for a two hour session each week. The cost is $95 for the kit which includes a lifetime membership, meaning you can retake the class as often as you'd like at no additional charge. Plus there are a ton of goodies in the kit, making it a great value. Check out FPU at Dave Ramsey's site for additional information or drop me a note at rob@journeynorthchurch.com.

Snow Day in April - 70s Next Week

Pine City schools have a snow day today due to our foot or so of snow with some more on the way today. Yes, students will have to make up the day, meaning their last day of school will be a Monday! (I'm surprised they don't build in a couple of snow days, but whatever.) Nevertheless, it's a nice break and my kids are excited to have a three-day weekend.

I don't mind the snow knowing that it'll all melt in a few days. Plus I don't have to shovel as a very nice neighbor already plowed our driveway!

Next week temperatures are supposed to be in the 70s! Only in Minnesota.

Ignite Road Trip is No Illusion

Ignite students will be taking a road trip on Wednesday, April 30, as we head to Northwestern College for "Spring Reign" - an evening of humor, magic and music.

Dynamic speaker and illusionist Dave Horsager shows how easy it is to be deceived by your eyes … and by the enemy. You’ll be on the edge of your seat and challenged to live a faith that’s the “real thing” as Dave delivers a fun, engaging and powerful message of life-changing truth.

Students will meet by the outdoor basketball courts of the elementary school to depart at 5 p.m. and return at 9:45 p.m. We'll stop by Taco Bell/Long John Silvers on the way down so you'll want to have a few bucks for dinner. There is no charge for the evening, but we need to know who is planning to attend so that we'll have enough transportation. Register by e-mailing Pastor Rob or writing "Spring Reign" on your response cards at 7 on Wednesday night. Don’t miss it!

Seth shares how to write like a blogger

In addition to being a youth pastor, one of my first passions is writing. Seth Godin has a great blog post that I thought was very interesting and a wonderful way of spicing up any writing. I was going to just quote part, but one of the geniuses of his blog posts is that they are so short and easy to read but hard to distill any more than they already are. Plus I hate having to jump to something when I'm trying to read a blog, so here's the whole thing. If you like it, you will want to check out his blog regularly. Great stuff.

Write like a blogger

from Seth's Blog by Seth Godin

You can improve your writing (your business writing, your ad writing, your thank you notes and your essays) if you start thinking like a blogger:

1. Use headlines. I use them all the time now. Not just
   boring ones that announce your purpose (like the one on this post) but
   interesting or puzzling or engaging headlines. Headlines are perfect
   for engaging busy readers.
2. Realize that people have choices. With 80 million other
   blogs to choose from, I know you could leave at any moment (see, there
   goes someone now). So that makes blog writing shorter and faster and
   more exciting.
3. Drip, drip, drip. Bloggers don't have to say everything at once. We can add a new idea every day, piling on a thesis over time.
4. It's okay if you leave. Bloggers aren't afraid to include links or distractions in their writing, because we know you'll come back if what we had to say was interesting.
5. Interactivity is a great shortcut. Your readers care about
   someone's opinion even more than yours... their own. So reading your
   email or your comments or your trackbacks (your choice) makes it easy
   to stay relevant.
6. Gimmicks aren't as useful as insight. If you're going to
   blog successfully for months or years, sooner or later you need to
   actually say something. Same goes for your writing.
7. Don't be afraid of lists. People like lists.
8. Show up. Not writing is not a useful way of expressing your ideas. Waiting for perfect is a lousy strategy.
9. Say it. Don't hide, don't embellish.

What would happen if every single high school student had to have a
blog? Or every employee in your company? Or every one of your
customers?

Connect 2 out of 4

We had a great time on Wednesday night at our second 7 gathering. In addition to students from Journey North we are also excited to have some other students who have joined us each week! There's plenty of basketball, mushroom ball, crazy videos, and other games.

This week we completed part two of a four part series called Connect 4. In part one we talked about "Connecting to the Savior" (how we set our hearts and minds on things above) and part 2 was "Connecting to Your Self" (about our new identity in Christ as children of God). This coming week is "Connecting Your Stuff" where we'll talk about how materialism. All of this leads to how we "Connecting your Service" where we'll get to the core of how we put "Others First" (...one of our 7 checkpoints! You knew the number 7 would factor in somewhere, didn't you? More on that later.)

Each student received a Connect 4 booklet that they can use to take notes, journal, etc. The booklets also contain some questions for reflection throughout the week. Our hope is that students will make good use of these booklets during the series and then have something to keep as a reminder of what we talked about after the series is over.

Students are encouraged to share of these questions with their family. There's definitely some great dinner table conversation to be had.

AWOL - Now Catching Up

I realize I've been AWOL from my blog for a week or so due to a lot of great things happening and just some general busyness. So here are a couple of quick updates:

• Had a great Easter service at Journey North with a tremendous turnout. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make it a memorable celebration of the resurrection.
  
• 7 - our new entry-level student environment - launched last Wednesday night and a great time was had by all. We're learning a lot about format, setup, etc. Ideally we'd love to have some adults who are not youth sponsors that are willing to come at 6:30 each week and spend half an hour helping to set up. That would free our sponsors up to spend more relational time with our students. We are also looking for additional youth sponsors who are willing to build relationships and invest in the lives of students. Let me know if you're interested in finding out more.
  
• I spent a good portion of last week moving my office home due to our Journey North office's move to new digs in the former Garden Path shop (155 - 5th Street SE). Thanks to Howie and Christian who helped me with bookcases, boxes, etc. Thanks to everyone who helped move all of the stuff on Saturday and Sunday!!
  
• It was a Sunday of firsts last week. We had our first communion service last Sunday at Journey North and I shared a few thoughts in Pastor Tim's (first) absence. He's been sick, fighting sinus junk, allergies, etc. Keep him in your prayers.
• Marked Men guys paintball retreat registrations are due tonight at 7. Junior and senior high guys planning to attend should bring their money ($40) to group.
  
• It looks like we'll have big (good) news to share soon about Journey North. Keep an eye on Pastor Tim's blog.

That covers some of what's been going on around here. More soon!

People of the Book

I read a lot of material in any given day - news, blogs, books, newsletters, e-mail, etc. - and much of it I skim or give a cursory reading, but every once in a while I read something that just reaches out and grabs me and, instead of skimming it and moving on, I have to pause and reflect (and sometimes blog about it!) I ran across just such an article today. Rather lengthy, but worth your time if you want to check it out at Christianity Today's site, it's called People of the Book and it's written by John Ortberg.

If you've ever wondered why we ask students to bring a Bible each week to 7 and CONNECT, this explains it as well as anything. And if students don't have a Bible, we'll give them one, because we believe it's so important.

The article is primarily addressed to preachers and teachers, but great reading for anyone. Here is an (edited) excerpt...

Ever notice, when you're preaching, how few Philistines drop by the church anymore? Or how rarely Moabites get converted and lead a small group? Or how no one has a cousin married to an Amalekite?

Pretty much all the nations and tribes from Bible times that were of Israel's size are gone. So why did Israel survive? Not just survive; in the words of Thomas Cahill, how did a tribe of desert nomads change the way the world thought and felt? What distinguished Israel from everyone else?

It wasn't power. Most of its history Israel was a vassal nation.

It wasn't wealth. Israel was never a major economic player.

It wasn't size. Israel was dwarfed by Greece, Egypt, Babylon, and Rome.

What did Israel have?

A book. Scrolls really, with books like Genesis or Isaiah written over the centuries, that most people, being illiterate, had to hear being read. They had a book like no other.

Their book said that instead of little tribal gods locally, there was one God who created all things and planned on redeeming all things.

It said life was not an endless cycle of repetition. It said history was a story—God's story, with a beginning, a crisis, and in a day to come, a climax.

It said that human beings made by and accountable to this God can now know how to live.

This book so defined them they were called "people of the book." To help their children learn the book was the greatest task of every parent.

To be able to teach this book—to be a rabbi—was their greatest ambition.

...

Humanly speaking, the book is what they had to offer the world. The book is what shaped them and held them together. The book started every morning: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One"). The book didn't say, "O Israel, think for yourselves. Follow your bliss. Go with your gut." It just said, Hear. It was the source of all wisdom, the guidance for all problems, the authoritative appeal in every debate. The rabbis often disagreed over what it meant. But everybody understood its status. It was the last word. They never got over this awe that in this book God has spoken—"What advantage is there, then, of being a Jew? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God" (Rom. 3:1).

They had the book. And now this book, with some significant additions, has become our book. Now we are its stewards.

But we have cable.

...

7 Previews Things to Come

Wow, what a great time at 7 last night! (Exhausting, but great!)

We had our "preview" gathering at Pine City Elementary's multi-purpose room (cafe-nasium?) Not only did we have a great group of Ignite students, but also enjoyed three first time guests (although, really, everyone was there for the 'first time', I suppose!) Lots of basketball was played, a case of Mountain Dew and multiple candy bars consumed, and a couple of large group games enjoyed. We closed with a challenge for students "reach out" as they are "going" through life, explaining that evangelism is not just about telling the Good News, its also about living it!

We learned a lot about setup and where to place all of our stuff. Our van is looking like the trailer we use each week for Sunday morning worship celebration - crammed full of equipment! We arrived at 6:30 and it took us about 40 minutes to get everything set up. Hopefully that setup time will decrease once we a.) know better what we're doing and where things go, and b.) get all of our core leader students assigned specific tasks to help out each week.

We got off to a great start and look forward to our "launch" on Wednesday, March 26, and seeing God to do awesome things both in lives of our own Ignite students as well as their friends that they reach out to with Jesus' love.

Beginning the Walk through Philippians

We had a great CONNECT small group last night with our Ignite students as we began delving into the book of Philippians. We took some time to set up the background of the book, reviewing Paul's own journey from persecutor to prisoner and his background as the apostle writing the epistle.

With all of the overview and background, we only made it through the first 6 verses. Students were challenged to see God as the creator who brought order out of chaos (a callback from verse 6) and who unleashed that same power into the lives of those who experience His grace through faith. Students were challenged to take the 'next step' this week in either reading Philippians through once (the basic first step), to the next steps of either journaling, using the Rootworks study on Philippians, and/or reading the entire letter each day!

Parents: ask your student which step they decided to take and encourage them as we 'walk through Philippians' over the next month. See if they can explain the 'principle of first mention' and how it applies to the passage we studied. Also talk about the definition of grace. When did God's grace - his 'good work' - first 'begin' in your life? Use this as an opportunity to share the story of your journey together with your student.

Royalty Walks Among Us at Ignite

Congratulations to Ignite's own Julia Westman! Julia was crowned Jr. Dairy Princess for Pine County 2008.

We were able to celebrate with Julia this past Sunday night at CONNECT when we went to Dairy Queen together (a preview of her future...?). We're all very proud of her. Way to go, Julia!