It's Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love everything about it-the food, the gifts, family, the music, and the movies(Christmas Vacation of course). It's been said in the past that "Jesus is the reason for the season." And that is true, but my pastor has made a statement several times this season that has brought new light on what the reason for the season really is. He says that "Jesus isn't the reason for the season, we are." Meaning that we are the reason He was born, died, and was resurrected. Makes pretty good sense if you ask me. I have caught myself stressing this year about all the things we have to do and not focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. So, this week I am going to set my eyes on Jesus and my family. The presents are bought and the plans are made. But even if they weren't. Christmas would still be Christmas because I have my family. It's gonna be a great week! Merry Christmas!

Great Quote!

"Jesus made no excuses to avoid dying for us; we should make none to avoid living for Him." Ed McMinn

Great article! Please read and ponder.

student leadership: blind leading the blind
Andy Disher


I’ve finally fulfilled my New Year’s resolution. It’s only taken me 11 months and 10 days, but I finally signed up for a gym membership. I decided to sign up for someone to show me around. I needed some direction, some pushing, and a personal trainer to guide me in this new territory called “getting in shape.”


I started off the experience by jumping on the treadmill, and having the trainer teach me to “feel the burn.” As he left me to warm up, I couldn’t help but begin to do what I do best: people watch. I began to observe a visually impaired gentleman use the equipment with the assistance of another adult.


It struck me as interesting. My mind immediately went to youth ministry. Just as the visually impaired gentleman needed his guide, so student leaders need us to guide them through the journey of learning how to lead.


Trust
Trust is incredibly important in any relationship—even more important if one individual has no idea where they’re going. As leaders of students, we must teach the student leaders to be trustworthy. We must lead by example.


Dependence
As youth pastors / leaders, we have a huge responsibility to be depended on. This isn’t something to be taken lightly. Students of all ages depend on us to be truthful and honest with them. If we’re not, how can we then teach our student leaders to be?


Familiar
If we ourselves aren’t familiar with the territory that we’re walking in, then we’ll be walking into a wall. We must be familiar with where we’re going. How can we teach students how to lead, and what to expect, if we ourselves have yet to do such a thing?


Student leadership should never be about “the blind leading the blind.” As leaders ourselves, we need to show the proper example to our students, so they can, in turn, lead their peers closer to God.

Here's a great article I found by Kurt Johnston, Jr. High Pastor @ Saddleback Church. I shared it with my leadership team and wanted to pass it along to you.

feeling inadequate
kurt johnston
Conner's dad, John, was in his final weeks of a long battle with cancer. Knowing that her 7th grade son was having a hard time recognizing the severity of the situation, Conner's mom asked if I'd be willing to come by on Thursday night to shoot some hoops with him and begin to help prepare him for what was on the horizon.
By the time I got to the house that night, things had suddenly changed. I was greeted at the front door by a friend who shared that John was really struggling and would likely pass away any minute. I'm sure many of you would have viewed this as an incredible opportunity to minister to Conner and his family in a moment of intense need and would have been able to shift into 'Super Pastor' mode, but I couldn't. Instead I became 'Super Wimp'. What do I say? How do I pray? What happens when he dies on the couch and everybody looks to me?
We spent the next half hour or so praying together, holding John's hand, singing and crying. I didn't say a whole lot and really didn't need to. John's entire small group was there and the body of Christ was operating in the way it should sharing life when life is at it's worst.
Not long after I arrived, Conner's dad passed away. We prayed again, I hugged Conner and his sister, spent a few minutes with the family and went home. On the way home I was feeling a bit inadequate. Did I say the right stuff? Did I need to stay longer? Should I have prayed for healing? At that moment I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me that he doesn't need 'Super Kurt', he just needs Kurt. He wants me to be the man he's created me to be and to rely on Him when ministry seems bigger than my gifts.
If it hasn't happened yet, it will. You will be thrown into a situation that feels too big. You will feel like Super Wimp instead of Super Pastor. That's okay. God doesn't need a bunch of Super Pastors. He just needs a bunch of guys and gals like you and me who are willing to trust him in the middle of our inadequacies.

If you're like me, you feel this way alot more than not. When I get in situations on a daily basis and I feel this way, it is at that point that I believe God has me right where he wants me-totally dependent upon Him, which is the best place we could ever be. In times of inadequacy, remember God has equipped us to accomplish what He desires. Hope you have a great Christmas and a Blessed New Year!