I wonder though, why do we spend so much time focusing on the days left until Christmas and rarely focus on days left until death? Not to sound somber or anything but Scripture tells us that our days are numbered and we don’t know when our time here on earth will come to an end. In fact, we are not even promised to see this Christmas.

Maybe we should pause and focus for a minute on that reality. I believe if we did focus on that we would then be more concerned about sharing Christ’s love with our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We would make time for our families and tell them how much they mean to us and how much we love them. We will shift our focus from “buying the right gift” to “being the right man or woman” that our families and friends need.

As Christmas approaches may we pause and remember that our life here on earth is like a vapor, it will be over before we know it. May we maximize our time here and accomplish what God desires us to accomplish.

Image this Christmas you wake up to discover you have nothing to open. Imagine you have nothing to give to a loved one. Imagine that this is not the first time this has happened but that this occurs every year.

Now imagine what it would feel like to have your first ever Christmas gift to open. Imagine with me the joy, excitement, and love you would have when you opened that gift and look at the items that are contained inside.

This Christmas we want to provide as many children as we can with that feeling. We want to offer them a shoebox gift filled with small toys, candy, soap, tooth brush and paste, and school supplies.  Children who receive a box are offered a children’s book with the Gospel story in their language.  Many are also given the opportunity to participate in a discipleship program.

You can be apart of changing a child’s life for eternity. Will you join me?

This Sunday during our Student Ministry Life Groups we will be having a packing party where we will fill as many shoe boxes as we can with small toys, soap, tooth brush, tooth paste, school supplies and much more.  If you want to be a part of this event bring some stuff with you and join me at 9:00am this Sunday at Northcliffe.

If you are not near us and want to participate, find a drop off location here.

How many times have you been talking to someone and your phone vibrate or ring only to pull your phone out look at it and maybe even reply to a text or answer a call?  In that very moment the person who you were in a conversation with must feel as if they are not important.  At least I know how I feel when it happens to me.

I am a fan of smart phones. I love the flexibility they offer and the ability we have to find things and show them to others.  I think that they can in fact help us in conversations as well but that is an entirely different post.  Here are some things to consider when you are using cell phones:

1. When you are in a conversation with someone ignore the phone.  I know it’s hard but in that moment the conversation at hand should be more important than the text that just came in.

2. Set a special ringtone for family members so that you can tell if it is family calling you.  If you family calls you back to back times it is most likely an emergency and you can simply ask your friend to wait for a second to take that call.  We don’t want to miss emergencies but this would be the rare exception.

3. If you pull your phone out to show a photo, website, video, etc while in the conversation, immediatly put it away when you are done.  This shows the other person that they are now the center of attention and not the phone.

4. If you know you are expecting a call from someone simply inform the person you are entering a conversation with that you are expecting a call.  This tells them up front that you may have to step away at any given point to take a call.  This helps create a safe feeling where they don’t feel unimportant when the phone rings.

5. Lastly, if at all possible just turn your phone on silent if you are going to be having a serious conversation with someone.  Nothing is worse than getting to a serious point in a conversation only to be interrupted by a loud techno song or some other annoying ring tone.

The overall thought behind this post is to simply treat those people who are face to face with you with respect.  We should respect their time, what they are saying, and what they need.  Remember they are the ones whom we have the greatest chance to impact in that very moment – not the person on the cell phone.  Take time to actually be present (both physically and mentally) with that person and when you are done, return the phone call or the text message – that is the sole purpose of voice mail isn’t it?

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 NIV

This past week, I’ve been bombarded with advertisements for “Howl-0-Screem,” “Halloween Horror Nights” and the like.  These family-friendly theme parks become not so family friendly during this time of year.  Both events have been rated PG-13 (though some would argue it’s worse.)   Here is just a sample of what these parks are doing in 2010 according to about.com:

Halloween Horror Nights – Universal Studios

The eight haunted houses at the 2010 Halloween Horror Nights will have the following themes:

• Zombiegeddon- Zombies are always a load of fun, right?
• Catacombs: Black Death Rising- Quarantined citizens who suffered from a plague in the 16th Century are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore!
• Havoc: Dogs of War- A special corps of mutant soldiers are on the loose.
• Horror Nights: The Hallow’d Past- This is where the old gang of HHN sickos will reconvene.
• Hades: The Gates of Ruin- What’s HHN without a visit from the devil?
• Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate- The problem with reaching out to the spirit world is that sometimes the spirits return the call.
• Psychoscarepy: Echoes of Shadybrook- A haunted former insane asylum.
• The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes- Little Orphan Cindy is one demented kid.

Using enhancements like theatrical fog and inspired props, Universal will undoubtedly do its usual incredible job making over the park with distinct scare zones. And you can count on ghouls lurking around every corner. Dare to enter the 2010 event’s scare zones:

• Zombie Gras – Mardi Gras gone wrong.
• Saws ‘n Steam- Beware the folks with the saws.
• HHN: 20 Years of Fear- Another alumni gathering.
• Fear Revealed- This is where the Fear dude comes to life.
• Esqueleto Muerte- Death comes to life.
• The Coven- Witches are always ready for a good time

Howl-O-Screem at Busch Gardens

The zoo/ride park hybrid will transform itself each evening during Howl-O-Scream with the girl-rock-band-gone-horribly-wrong theme, “My X” The event will include monster-infested scare zones, haunted houses, live music, and Halloween-themed shows. Among the haunts will be Nightshade Toy Factory, Trapped in the Walls, and Taste of Blood.

Busch Gardens is trying something new this year called the Alone House. As the name suggests, instead of going through a haunted maze with the security of your friends and other guests, for an extra fee ($34.95 at the park, $24.95 online), you have to tough it out on your own.

So how do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, respond to something that celebrates and encourages fear, violence, evil, murder, and death?

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind and compassionate.  Zechariah 8:17 says “do no plot evil against your neighbor.” 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” And Jesus himself tells us that we are to love God first and love our neighbors as our self.

If Scripture clearly tells us that God is a god of love, and that we are to love others as Christ loves us, then why would we willingly place ourselves in places where love is not present?  We are called to reflect Christ in all we do.

Scripture tells us to do everything for the glory of God.  As much as I enjoy hanging with friends, having a good time, and even being a little crazy, I think we must pause and ask ourselves if participating in such events brings honor to God—or disgrace.

Ministry is demanding regardless of the size of your youth group. If you have a group of ten or a group of five hundred the demands are still present.  Obviously the larger the group the more sporting events, band competitions, dramas, musicals, parties, etc come with it.  However, hopefully you have a healthy team of committed adults who understand the vision and importance of being with students on their turf and they are out there helping you accomplish this demand.

With that said, I did give the following suggestions when trying to balance your personal time and your ministry time.

1. Calendar Family Days – we calendar everything don’t we?  I just finished my 2010 – 2011 ministry calendar.   I know where we are going to camp, mission trips, retreats, conferences, and I even have sermon series planned out for the next few months.  When I was planning our yearly calendar I brought my wife into the process and we planned our family vacations, personal days, etc.  We try to plan once a month for my wife and I to have a date night without the kids.  We also try to plan once a month kid night where each of us take one of our children and we go do something special with them.  Family time is important and if we don’t plan it and mark it on the calendars, we will fill it with something else.

2. Commit to it – We all know that ministry will throw us curveballs which will cause us to drop everything and respond to a crisis need.  However, outside of emergencies, we really have to stay committed to our family time.  I’m not perfect at this but I need to continue to focus on it.  Think about it, would we ever just cancel our retreat because something else popped up we wanted to do?  Of course not.  We must make our family more important than our other ministry demands.

3. Share Vision With Team – I think it is important to share your vision with your team.  Share with them how you feel about hanging with students on their turf and ask them to help you accomplish this demand.  Share it with them frequently until they are doing it and then share it some more.

4. Lastly, I would simply say to evaluate your schedule and have others help you evaluate.  An honest evaluation will show you if you are neglecting your spouse, your children, or your ministry demands.  When evaluating keep in mind that a healthy ministry only comes from a healthy leader who has a healthy personal and family life.  A leader with an unhealthy personal and family life will eventually have an unhealthy ministry as well.

As I think about it, what I do each Sunday is a good illustration as to what Moses reminds the Israelite people in Deuteronomy 1:31 when hes says, “There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

You see, Moses was reminding the people that God carried them in there times of need until they reached the place He wanted for them.  In my situation each week, I carry my son to the place of safety, comfort, and peace for him.  The same is true for what God does for each of us if we rely on Him.

When we are tired, weary, and can’t go on, remember that God can.  He will pick you up and carry you to safety, rest, and peace.  When life seems overwhelming, remember that God is the giver of peace, understanding, and comfort.  May God grant you what you need today and if needed, may He carry you to where you need to go.

This discussion has stayed in my mind the past few days as I have continued to think about the Disney mentality.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that we have to become a show for all people.  But I am suggesting that Disney may have somethings we can learn from.   Over the next few posts , I will show you some of the plaques that are plastered all over the Disney parks as they renovate and build onto their theme parks.  I believe we as Christians can learn something from each of them.

Obviously Walt Disney was referring to when going into a building project.  However, as Christians we too must realize that when going into a project whether it is building a new building or addition, or if it’s a parenting project, missions project, fundraisers, etc.  We must believe in that project all the way and believe that we can do it the right way (God’s way).

I love this quote.  With the ever-changing world that we live in, we must stay focused on the future as well.  Our future is the eternity and thus we must realize that all that we do here on earth can and should have eternal impact.  With a culture that is always changing, we must stay ahead of the curve to try to stay relevant and real to those who we are trying to reach.

I love the thought process of Walt Disney.  “It’s kinda fun to do the impossible.”  How fun would it be for us as Christians to do the impossible?  Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26 “with God all things are possible.”  In these economical tough times let us remember that with God all things are possible.  If we are faithful to Him, He is faithful to us.  In our personal lives, family lives, and church, God is faithful and He will provide.

James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Jesus Christ himself was tempted by the devil while he walked on this earth.  We must realize that we also will be tempted but James tells us to submit to God and live for Him.  When we are living for God and seeking His kingdom first, the devil will tempt us.  But, we can resist the devil with the power of God and Scripture tells us that he will flee from us.

Be encouraged today that you can resist the evil one and the temptations you are facing by submiting yourself to God and asking for His strength.

What temptations do you struggle with?

What can you do to help avoid falling into those temptations?

Who can you share your struggle with and seek help from?

Take a moment or two and talk to God about your struggles.  Ask Him for His help and ask Him to provide you with an accountablity partner who can walk through these struggles with you.

It is the year 2054 – Washington D.C. – dreams can be recreated through computers, computer monitors and displays are transformed into holograms, and identification is done through eye-scanning. John Anderton lost his son, and to prevent horrible events from occurring to other individuals he joins a unit known as “Pre-Crime” – where murderers are arrested before they can commit the murder. How does Pre-Crime work? Through 3 people known as “precogs”. They are 3 psychics used to see the future and they see murders exactly the way they will occur. Through advanced technology, Pre-Crime officers are able to see what the precogs see, and they analyze the data, identify the perpetrator and victim, and try their best to stop the murder from occurring. The perpetrator is put into a sleep state with a device called a “halo”. John Anderton gets accused of murdering a man he has never even met, causing him to run from Pre-Crime and prove his innocence.  During his running and hiding from the police, he discovers the truth that he was set up because of his knowledge of a particular case involving one of the precogs (physics).

I have to admit that when I first watched this movie I thought to myself, “that is interesting but people are way to smart to fully trust a program when it comes to people’s real lives.” I mean think about it, we all use technology everyday.  In fact as I type this article I am using a computer that could lose internet connection anytime, the battery could die, the network goes down, or it simply has a glitch.  We have cell phones that lose connection during conversations, text messages that we send that end up corrupted or simply lost in cyberspace.  Technology is a great invention and something that can for sure make our lives better – but trusting it with people’s lives and trusting it to provide us with what will happen in the future is a little crazy to me, I thought, “we won’t go there.”

I was wrong – to a degree.  Today panelists on FOX & Friends discussed that discussed how police departments are now starting to use a new software algorithm to help identify those who are prone to murder.  I am all about saving people from being murdered and catching criminals, but how far will we take this software.  Will we begin to trust it and use it to predict future killings?  Will we start arresting people because the algorithm says that they are going to do something bad before they actually do it?

As I watched the news conversation, it occurred to me how as humans we may already be utilizing the same type of algorithm (minus the technology) in our own lives.  I wonder how many times I have brought “judgement” on someone, based on their background, attitude or past  faults and assumed their behavior would be bad.  Whether we are dealing with a teenager who lies or a former inmate, as Christians we believe that redemption and transformation is possible.  And that even at the last moment before a sin is committed, God still offers us a way out.

Ultimately, you and I probably have little influence whether the new Minority Report-type technology is used.  But we do have control over our own assumptions and judgements toward others.  Maybe this is a good reminder that rather that looking at people as potential failures, we should celebrate their God-given potential.

1. Pray – I know it seems like the simple thing to say, but countless times I have found myself reacting to something without praying about it.  I have talked to various youth leaders who are going through a conflict in their ministry and I ask them, “Have you prayed over this” and their response is something like, “I did when I first heard about it, but not really since.”  Many times we get so busy doing things and “fixing” things that we forget to pray and ask God for His wisdom and His guidance in dealing with the situation.

2. Find a sounding board – Find someone who you can simply share openly with and allow yourself to rant a little about the situation.  You will be surprised at how God sometimes will speak to you as you are speaking out loud regarding the situation.  This person should be a very trusted and confidential source.  Someone you already share life with and who you know will not share what you speak of.

3. Get advice from others – God tells us that if we lack wisdom then all we have to do is ask for it.  I believe that many times God give me wisdom during  my prayer time, but He has also granted me wisdom through talking to my sounding board or by talking to my pastor or other wise individuals in my church family.  Seek wisdom from those who have been there before you.

4. Write out your thoughts – This may vary from issue to issue and will be dependent upon the serverity of the issue.  For me I have written out many conflict analysis over the years but I have also simply skipped this step because it wasn’t necessary for the issue at hand.  Writing out your thoughts either word for word or in outline form will give you an aid to use when you begin to discuss the issue.

5. Get the facts – We all know that there are two sides to every story.  In fact, as my experience has shown me I find that depending on the issue we may even find more than two sides to the story.  Take the time to research and get the facts straight before making your decision.

6. Make an action plan – What steps are you going to take next?  Is discipline needed and if so what type?  Do you need to have a meeting with parents or entire families?  Make a plan of your next steps so you can easily follow through.

7. Discuss the conflict – When you reach this step be prepared to talk about the conflict and stay away from attacking the person or family.  Even if what they did was stupid – avoid telling them that they are stupid.  It doesn’t help the situation at all.  Address the issue only.

8. Take the high road – in almost every confrontation I have ever been a part of, the opportunity has come up where I could have defended myself and said some things that would have been hurtful (but true) about the other people involved.  Taking the high road means to let them speak and share their anger or frustration and swallow your desire to “retaliate”.

9. Forgive as Christ forgives – We as leaders must model this.  Even if the conflict has hurt you or the ministry that God has given to you we must forgive those involved.  We must seek to have all parties in the conflict forgive each other but we also must understand that not everyone will at first, if at all.  We must model the forgiveness and let God work in the hearts of others.

10. Evaluate – After every major (and minor) conflict we should take time to evaluate the process.  We must ask tough questions and be real with our answers.  Did I handle the conflict in a Biblical manner?  Did I gossip about this to anyone? Did I treat all parties with love and respect?  Am I at fault for this issue? What can I learn from this conflict that can make me better in the future?

Two warnings when dealing with confrontation:

1. Avoid the online discussions – keep conflict offline.  Once something is posted online it’s viral and can create many more problems. When you see conflict online, attempt to get it offline and discussing it person to person.  When I say online I am referring to social networking sites as well as texting and email.  Anything that take the emotion out of the conversation is dangerous and can cause major problems.  Healthy confrontation happens person to person where emotions are heard and seen.

2. Protect your spouse - Be sure that you are not placing your spouse in the battle zone by what you are sharing with them.  Our spouses are our #1 supporter in ministry – this means that when they feel that we are being attacked, they can easily become our #1 defender and thus becoming an enemy of those who we are working to deal with the conflict.  Be sure your spouse is safe and not in the battle field.

This blog was written as part of the following blog: http://www.studentministry.org