A Leaky Umbrella
A simple trick I play on my leadership team when I begin to feel unrest and murmuring among the troops, is asking them to write down the attitudes they fight most and those which concern them most from among the teenagers. Inevitably the feedback reveals – apathy, lack of enthusiasm, lazy, not prayerful, and irreverent. When the lists are complete, I unveil the punch line...
"The Word of God says we reap what we sow, and just as spirits reproduce, we now must look in the mirror."
Time and time again my leaders discover that the predominant attitudes in their discipleship small groups reflect the ones in their own spirit. The key to understanding what spirits are being reproduced is allowing ourselves to use the attitudes of those around us as the tester by which we keep ourselves in check. As a leader, if you want fruit that lasts, the Fruit of the Spirit must come from your heart, before it will emerge from those you're pouring yourself into.
Be careful that you don't become a leaky umbrella spiritually. As a youth pastor or youth leader, whether or not you realize it, God has established you as an umbrella of protection over the kids in your group. Allowing flesh to invade your heart and not quickly repenting will always result in a leaky umbrella. Teenagers are going to endure stormy times, and if their spiritual shelter is far more "holey" than "holy," they will not be protected from the rain, hail and snow of life. God called you to be a harbor, not a haphazard shelter in the spirit. Understand this is not about our actions, the tangible things we do, but about being in close obedience to the Lord regarding our motives, thoughts and attitudes. Violating this principle affects more than myself, it affects everyone beneath me. Whether it is resentment of selfishness, sarcasm or pride – what we think and allow to take root in our own heart will once again emerge and be reproduced in the lives of those we lead.
A simple trick I play on my leadership team when I begin to feel unrest and murmuring among the troops, is asking them to write down the attitudes they fight most and those which concern them most from among the teenagers. Inevitably the feedback reveals – apathy, lack of enthusiasm, lazy, not prayerful, and irreverent. When the lists are complete, I unveil the punch line...
"The Word of God says we reap what we sow, and just as spirits reproduce, we now must look in the mirror."
Time and time again my leaders discover that the predominant attitudes in their discipleship small groups reflect the ones in their own spirit. The key to understanding what spirits are being reproduced is allowing ourselves to use the attitudes of those around us as the tester by which we keep ourselves in check. As a leader, if you want fruit that lasts, the Fruit of the Spirit must come from your heart, before it will emerge from those you're pouring yourself into.
Be careful that you don't become a leaky umbrella spiritually. As a youth pastor or youth leader, whether or not you realize it, God has established you as an umbrella of protection over the kids in your group. Allowing flesh to invade your heart and not quickly repenting will always result in a leaky umbrella. Teenagers are going to endure stormy times, and if their spiritual shelter is far more "holey" than "holy," they will not be protected from the rain, hail and snow of life. God called you to be a harbor, not a haphazard shelter in the spirit. Understand this is not about our actions, the tangible things we do, but about being in close obedience to the Lord regarding our motives, thoughts and attitudes. Violating this principle affects more than myself, it affects everyone beneath me. Whether it is resentment of selfishness, sarcasm or pride – what we think and allow to take root in our own heart will once again emerge and be reproduced in the lives of those we lead.
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I don't think there is anybody in youth ministry, or a Christian for that matter, that starts out wanting to be a person of mere image. None of us start out that way. Sadly, the reality is that after over 40 years of youth ministry, I can think of name after name that somehow along the line became more of an image manager than someone who pursued an authentic lifestyle.
We all deal with this battle everyday. We are faced with little choices that challenge our character and question our authenticity. It is so easy to focus on our "public self" before we deal with private self issues. Listen in as we evaluate Image Management vs Authentic Living.
Still committed to being authentic,
Today's youth culture often lives by the mantra, "If it feels good, do it!" But we all know that being led by our feelings is a ticket to spiritual disaster. That's why this Source is so strategic. I've entitled it, "When The Goosebumps Fade." The focus is trying to help the students in our youth church to walk consistently with the Lord, no matter what they might or might not be feeling.
You'll also appreciate one of the key stories I've included, "Three Praying Men." It's been huge in my own personal life as I've tried to pursue the Lord with consistency, no matter how I felt. And just in case no one has told you lately, you really are making a difference in the lives of your teenagers...no matter how YOU might feel.
Loving you whether you're FEELING IT or not,
"Lie To Me" is one of the most intriguing TV series ever written. Have you seen it? It's built around Paul Ekman, a world renowned face reading expert, who analyzes micro-expressions to reveal the truth. Not unlike reality, the premise of the show is that truth is most accurately revealed from the inside out. Though the God we serve doesn't read our face, He does read our heart and wants us to examine it as well.
While one of the most powerful truths we can ever know is the internal truth about ourselves, even David, the man after God's own heart, knew how easy it was to lie to ourselves. In Psalm 139:23-24, he asks "Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me, and know my ways. See if there is any wickedness left inside me." That's one dangerous prayer! But he was painfully aware that if we fail to face our "true" selves internally, we risk spiritual devastation that is sure to be evidenced externally whenever life gives us a "bump."
So in this Source, we challenge students to spend time discovering the spiritual truth of who they really are. In particular, to honestly answer the question, "Am I becoming more and more like Jesus?" The heart of the Father says to all of us "Don't lie to Me" but perhaps, as important, "Don't lie to yourself." When we understand who we "truly" are, it enables us to "truly" change!
Lovingly,
With our iPhones, iPads and iPods, we live in a pretty "I" centered world. But, have you ever noticed that there is an "I" in the center of "SIN" and "PRIDE" too? And, that "I" is always faithful to get us into trouble. It is so counter-productive and destructive when it comes to authentically building the Kingdom of God for Jesus Christ.
In this Youth Leader's Coach, allow me to coach from my own humanness and call out to you from my quiet times in 1 Samuel. In doing so, let me help you avoid some of the same costly mistakes, speed bumps and sin "I" have encountered along the way. Prayerfully, my vulnerability will enable you to catch small compromises long before they become "Deadly Detours In Youth Ministry."
Cheering you on,
One of the books, next to the Bible, that I read, re-read and has had a huge impact on my life is the short epic book by Gene Edwards called, A Tale of Three Kings. It's the story of how we all, as humans (and leaders) grasp for power, control and the "Kingship" in different ways in our lives.
We all know the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel, who defended his kingdom by throwing spears. Don't we all want to throw spears sometimes? When someone says or does something that hurts us, our human nature is to hurt them back. Young David had to wrestle with the question, "What do you do when someone throws spears at you?" and so do we all.
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I unpack that as we all privately answer this important question... "Am I a king after the ‘Order of Saul' or after the ‘Order of David'? There is an eternity of difference, you know.
Lovingly,
