Part of the ministry role I have now in my life is coaching ministry leaders. Way back, when I was praying through my calling before going to college, I had considered being a high school coach. I ended up a pastor—a church planter and pastor. Now I am coaching pastors and church planting pastors. Its part of my story.
Gary Collins wrote, “Coaching is the key element in producing good leaders. To be a good leader you must be a good coach. And to be a good coach you must recognize that coaching is a significant form of leadership” – Christian Coaching.
via poopedpastors.com
from this article. (via @catalystspace and @pastors.community)
Last month, I introduced the youngest population from Generation Y, the most studied generation in history. They are the kids born since 1990. I call them Generation iY, due to the impact of the “i” world. They’ve grown up with iTunes, iPods, iPhones, iChat, iMovies, iPads-and for many, life is pretty much about “i.” They’re different than their earlier counterparts in Gen Y. This young population has grown up on-line, with both positive benefit and unintended consequences. They’re social yet self-absorbed. It’s more accurate to call them “slack-tivists” than activists. They are the future of the church.
Generation iY has enormous potential to be game changers for the Kingdom if parents, teachers, coaches, youth leaders, and other adults can help them leverage their influence and take their place as leaders. Below are some practical suggestions toward that end.
read the rest here
Source: catalystspace.com
http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/SEP10_article_launching_iy_leaders–Elmore/
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Thi
s is a pretty cool deal if you haven’t seen it. It basically makes a newspaper web page of all or most of your tweets from your twitter account. Here is a example of one. Here. It’s fast and it gives you a cool way to see your tweets in a wild new format. I first picked up the info from Guy Kawasaki. You can specify keywords, tags, lists or just a follower. The service then updates your newspage every 24 hours. How cool is that. A new toy!! You have to try Paper.li Here is one that I did with the tag search for #youthministry. It searches all tweets with that hash.
Here is the way Paper.li explains it:
paper.li organizes links shared on Twitter into an easy to read newspaper-style format. Newspapers can be created for any Twitter user, list or #tag.
A great way to stay on top of all that is shared by the people you follow – even if you are not connected 24/7 !
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- Can’t blog? Create a digital newspaper with paper.li (accmanpro.com)
- Image via Wikipedia
For years I tried to teach this concept to congregations and youth groups … the most effective way of discipleship was NOT done in a classroom or even a small group setting. It was done while walking to their next gig. An onlooker would see it as merely a conversation between a few guys. More caught than taught. I saw this post on morethandodgeball.com by guest blogger Steven Moore (way to go Steve). Very good instruction here.
from this article.
A lot of the things Jesus taught the disciples and some of the miracles He performed were on the way to somewhere else. The majority of the learning and ministry moments with your students may not necessarily be with in the small group time, but on the way to and from your group. Recognize these moments and make the most of them.
Compliment in Public / Correct in Private
Complimenting is important but easy. Celebrate and share their successes with others inside and outside the group. Correcting is equally important but NOT near as easy. Don’t shy away from a learning and growing opportunity for both you and the student. If a problem arises you may have to initially diffuse it in public, but address further in private. Don’t just correct, but also discuss the motives behind the offense, how a repeat offense can be avoided, the personal leadership potential in the student, and the influence they carry with others even if they don’t recognize it.
Challenge the student to step up (their influence outside the group)
As the relationship and trust grows with the student, take the opportunity to address weaknesses that you’ve noticed and current mistakes they’ve made. Don’t berate them about , but don’t completely ignore the situation, it could be the very conversation that creates a turn in that student’s life and it is a growing opportunity for the both of you. Refer to the last bullet for Correcting in Private.
Challenge the student to step out (of the boat)
If your group is doing a silly challenge, answering a tough question, or telling portions of their story and you have a quiet one continue to encourage their involvement and stress the value of their contribution to the rest of the group. Try to notice a student curious about stepping out. Look and listen for a growing interest and feed it.
Be inconvenienced
Anytime Jesus traveled, people met him on the road wanting Him to heal them. The disciples often saw these folks as an inconvenience and wanted to pass them by and keep moving. Students will often wait until the most inconvenient times to talk. While you are working on something else, talking to someone else, when it’s too late or too early. They’ve worked up the nerve to ask/talk about something; sacrifice the moment to listen and pray with the student for a possible life changing conversation.
Source: morethandodgeball
http://www.morethandodgeball.com/youth-ministry/guest-post-on-the-way-to-small-group.html
from this article.
- Seeds are untreated and never genetically engineered.
- The soil in which the seeds are harvested is strengthened through crop rotation, compost application and the use of cover cropping and mulch. It also retains water more efficiently because of the increased organic matter.
- Weeds are removed physically instead of with toxic chemicals, and they are further controlled through cultivation and hand hoeing.
- Pests are controlled through the use beneficial insects that are natural predators. Trap crops also may be planted, to lure some insects away from the cotton.
- Harvesting relies mostly on seasonal freeze for defoliation and, on occasion, defoliation may also be stimulated through water management.
- Anvil uses organic cotton that is certified by independent third-party certifying bodies to the USDA’s NOP standard.
- Gin, spinning, knitting and weaving machinery is cleaned out before use to avoid any contamination.
- During dyeing and finishing, only chemicals and materials that meet organic processing standards are used. Anvil uses products that conform to the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigment Manufactures (ETAD) agreement standards.
- During cutting and sewing, organic fabric is clearly identified and tracked.
Anvil is a proud member of the Organic Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.
Source: Anvil CSR
We are constantly looking for more and more garment manufactures that are conscious about the environment. Even though, at present, we sell a lot of Gildan … you may notice us weaning off the golden calf and venturing toward Anvil Sportswear. Why … Anvil is making huge strides in being responsible about their products and offering us things like … Anvil Organic, Anvil Recycled, and Anvil Sustainable … Anvil is doing a great job at educating the consumer on: where their shirts come from, what is organic cotton, what is a recycled tee … and more. Plus their shirts are affordable!
So what does it mean when you see Anvil’s ad on 100% organic –
So what does a content label that reads “made with 100 percent organic cotton” really mean? In Anvil’s case, it means we buy cotton from certified organic cotton farmers, who use no pesticides, fertilizers or genetically engineered seeds, in accordance with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). In our case, Anvil requires that the cotton gins and yarn spinners we use also be certified by independent third parties to NOP standards. And it means our organic fabric is always clearly identified and tracked through the cutting and sewing process. In other words when we say “made with 100 percent organic,”…we mean it!
Pictured here is Anvil’s newer Charcoal Heather tshirt. Sold as AnvilSustainable.
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Gildan tshirts take the majority of our ink around here. For the most part, they are consistent in their construction and most of our clients like the quality of the garment. Even though, for some reason, Gildan has been slow this season in having stock on several colors … we like them. Gildan always comes out with new colors around this part of the year …. some colors make it and some do not. I can foresee some of these NOT making it … so don’t be disappointed when you want one of the new colors … and we can’t get our hands on it. The new colors as shown from Gildan’s website are: Safety Green, Safety Orange, Camel, Heather Cinnamon, Atlantis, Rose Blossom, Candy and Sport Grey Ring Spun. Sport Grey is not really a new color … it’s a new shirt … when you see the term ring spun, it indicates a super soft feel. Gildan is having their problems in the legal department … but I see them as a staple in our market for a long time.
One color that I predict will be with Gildan for a while is this one pictured. Heather Cinnamon. Offered in several styles, here in the ladies tshirt, I think this shirt looks way cool. Gildan’s Dark Heather is still my personal favorite … but this one is going to be a close second. I haven’t printed with this shirt yet … it is noteworthy to know that all of Gildan’s heather colors have polyester in them. A little know secret … even though they do have poly in them … they still will discharge. That is suppose to NOT happen. Such is screen printing.
- Image by iChaz via Flickr
from this article.
True is, there are a bunch of youth ministry websites that I frequent, youthministry360 is one of them. I had read this article a few weeks back … but somehow found my way back here again … reading the post … then the comments … then the post again. I have been involved in youth ministry since 1975. Lots of the youth guys that I read … were not even born. The recurring theme from generation to generation … is “how to reach and keep” young people committed to Christ and to His church. There are tons of things I did wrong … and maybe a few things I did ok. Jason Curry did the nail on the head … we must love, serve, invest in them.
One direct quote from his post goes over and over in my head and heart …
The truth is, students are smart. They know when they are being used and when you really care. At the end of the night, one comment stood out and forever changed my view of youth ministry. She said when she started coming to Rock Creek, “she felt wanted, not just needed.”
Wanted … not needed. More profound words can not be found as a basis of a growing youth ministry.
Check out the whole post here.
Source: youthministry 360
http://www.youthministry360.com/training/how-to-grow-your-youth-ministry/
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- Youth MInistry Top Sites is Open (youthgrouptshirts.com)
A ranking list for all things ‘youth ministry‘ is now open for business … or should I say Free Use! If you are a webmaster, blogger, youth minister or all of the above … this is kind of a fun thing to help rank the best youth ministry websites. It’s a win, win for all … being it will give your site exposure and a strong link for the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing to pick up. Good strong content relevant links is what you are looking for if you ever want these engines to find you and get folks to your site.
How does it work. Well, you go to the site … youthministrytopsites.com . Click Join. Ah, wait before you do … you need to make a really cool 468 X 60 jpg or png banner … for the website / blog you want to promote. Upload that somewhere and get the url link and keep it handy. Now back to joining, fill in all the info including what category your site is in, tell them where that banner you just uploaded is located … and join. Now, they screen all those that want to be on the top site list so as not to just collect a bunch of spammers.
Wait, you don’t have banner, can’t make a 468 X 60 banner and don’t know what the heck I am talking about … that’s ok … email them and they will help you out. Maybe even get one made for you at a nominal fee ($25) and store if for you on their site. Here is their email address to get that done … webmaster (at) youthministrytopsites (dot) com
The site is brand new so this is a chance to get in on the ground level of a cool fun little deal … and get your website promoted for free.
from this article.
Sometimes God just smiles on you and you find something that you’ve always wanted … but were afraid to ask for. Yes, a high-powered tshirt launcher. From kipkay.com ….
And if that is not enough … here are the plans from kipkay.com
Source: Kipkay.com
http://kipkay.com/videos/explosions-and-loud-things/hi-power-t-shirt-launcher
