new season

(1) dayspring is about to experience a new season of ministry. God orchestrated a powerful service yesterday with guest worship leader Lisa Ancira & Scott Estep, our pastoral candidate. the youth and young adults did sit together in the center section. some people were launched into panic when they showed up for church and found students in "their" seats. i loved it! scott estep loved it. he said, "get used to it!" maybe we will make i a regular seating arrangement.

(2) i was praying that my friend, Rich, would be able to attend church yesterday in light of his recent hospital stay. well, he was there! God answered our prayer, thanks, God! one phrase that God keeps giving me for Rich is, "you're gonna be okay." when i hear that phrase, a sense of peace comes over me. knowing that God is saying those words to us encourages me to make it through anything i face!

(3) my renewed passion for blogging has led me to some pretty skilled bloggers. why do i spend time reading other people's blogs? why would anyone do that? (lol - i think you are right now!) i do it because i respect some friends and leaders so much that i want to glean something from their lives. i want to hear what God is doing in them. i want to grow intellectually, ministerially, and spiritually . . . EVERY DAY! hopefully, you will grow in some way when you read my blog.

(4) okay, i have spared you a daily sport item in my blog, but i cannot resist any longer! many of you know that i am a die hard Toronto Blue Jays fan. WHY? well, when i was 5-6 yrs. old, i played t-ball for the jays. it stuck with me. last night, we met with our small group leaders and the entire family was dressed in Blue Jays gear. it makes me so proud! by now, you are wondering how the Jays are doing this year, right? well, we are in last place in our division, but we have won 4 in a row! baseball experts are saying that we have the BEST pitching staff in the MLB (all of baseball). WOOHOOO! Here we go blue jays, here we go!

(5) speaking of small groups (SG) . . . last night was everything i hoped and more from our SG leadership training. i want to share 5 items that students need from you if you are leading a small group (or working with students in an y capacity):

(A) students need CHALLENGED
*they need someone to push them out of their comfort zone in areas like: relationships, giving, time spent with God, leadership, and making good decisions

(B) students need you to BELIEVE IN THEM
*tell them this! look them in the eyes & tell them you believe in them. prove this to them by your actions. remember when someone believed in you?

(C) students need to KNOW YOU ARE REAL
*don't be fake and pretend you don't make mistakes or have struggles! allow them to see you are human too. don't take yourself too seriously. laugh at yourself and share embarrassing stories. this will earn you credibility!

(D) students need to hear TRUTH
*don't water it down. shoot straight and give them the truth, it "will set them free!" in a world where truth is relative, we still believe in absolutes. set the bar high and lead them to choose truth. we should show grace at times, but too much grace leads to students who don't set Godly standards.

(E) students need to KNOW YOU ARE IN FOR THE LONG HAUL
*people come and go. you need to persevere! students need you to hang with them even if they reject you are what you have to say. they will not forget the investment you make in their life. don't take things too personally. pray for them when they walk away and love them when they come back. stick it through. my mentor says, "ministry flows out of relationships, and relationships take time!

i hope that gives you some insight as you work with the students God has entrusted you with. if you are a youth worker, what other things would you say students desperately need from us?