Meeting Moses and getting AIDS: My Famine weekend

I spent a great weekend with the students and leaders of 180 fasting, praying, serving and worshipping during the 30 Hour Famine. Thank you to those of you who donated and prayed for us! So far, and the donations are still coming in, we raised over $2,000 which meets the needs for 6 children this year. Praise God!

Here's a snapshot of our weekend:

The Rally: We met up with many other churches from the Portland area at Beaverton Christian Church. Normally the rally begins with high-energy music, but this year entered quietly while getting marked at health stations. The rally began with a funeral...yes, a funeral for 3 victims of AIDS in Africa. 

When I see stats like about the number of children dying or orphaned by AIDS daily, I fell detached. The number is too great for me to act. But attending a "funeral" for one of those kids brings it home that I can act on behalf of one...and it makes a true difference in that one life.

One of the greatest treats this year's rally was hearing from Moses (pictured), a native Kenyan who would have been a statistic if not for World Vision's work when he was a child. The letters from his sponsor, Julie, are what led Him to following Jesus. What an encouragement for us. We can make a difference around the world!

Worship: We were tired, but AJ led us in worship, reading from Matthew and Isaiah, teaching us to not go around all somber and looking like we were suffering, but to go about as normal. It was great to live out the Isaiah 58 passage in fasting & breaking the chains of injustice.

Though our music was worship, I am convinced that the suffering, fasting, serving, and caring for the oppressed were a pleasing aroma for the Lord. I know He looked down on our students and smiled!

 

Serving: This year, we stayed on site for our service project. This was the most physically demanding year of service in that we spent about 2 hours clearing blackberries from our church property. The students did a great job, not complaining once! All in all, it was a good couple of hours, though I'm not sure what to think about a few of them eagerly volunteering to use the deadly poison spray on the roots....hmm :)

Tribes: Dividing into 5 tribes for the weekend, we played 7 games that had basis in real life challenges that plague the poor of Latin America. They included endurance, mental, strength, balance, and a few blindfold challenges. Pictured are students crossing the Amazon to get to school. My favorite however was the Survivor style endurance challenge where students had to hold a weighted bucket straight out from their body for as long as possible. This challenge represented the long trek back from a river with water for the family to drink, but presented some of the greatest challenge viewing of the weekend!

Speakers: Steve Pringle and Brian Wiggs brought great passion, insight and challenge in how we can continue the spirit of the Famine in our daily lives.

Steve spoke on our passion, how God has uniquely shaped us and our need to remain/abide in Jesus as we live daily. Brian challenged us to be courageous and build relationships with people outside our comfort zone, which is what it takes to care for the least of these.

The Meal: Last but not least, we ended the fast with chicken burritos. But we were asked to stay in the spirit of the Famine and walk silently look through the line, thanking God for the food we have. 

We had a great time and I am so proud of the students who gave up 30 hours of eating to save children's lives. May our attitudes be changed as well. We are so blessed and are called to be a blessing to others.

Check out all of our Famine pictures here.

Before I Resign

Encouragement is powerful. We are commanded to encourage one another, and yet sometimes it comes few and far between. This weekend, Brian and I received a copy of a student's paper on youth ministry from one of their college courses. The student had written it, reflecting on their own past in our ministry and as a high school student. It floored me, and encouraged me enough to keep going another 5 years! (no I wasn't thinking of quitting :)

Brian and I share this with you to remind you that you never reap in the same season that you sow, that it takes time to make faith our own, and to never underestimate the role of relationship in the lives of students. You can read the text of the letter from Brian's blog...the link is below.

Years ago, as an intern of Jon Knapp, he told me to create a before I resign file. Put in that file cards, notes of encouragement, and anything else that reminds you of what God has done through you. When that day comes that you think that you're having no impact, go to the file and be reminded of what God has done, and that ministry takes time.

This note is going in the front of that file!

Letter from a student.

Teen Sex

That may be the most shocking title this blog has ever had, but equally shocking and encouraging is the new research published by The Heritage Foundation on Parents and Teenage Sex. There are few other topics—save the choice we make about God—that have such lasting impact than our sexual activity.

I encourage you students, parents, and youth ministers alike to read the full study here. I'll summarize a few of the points I found troubling and helpful:

On Sexual Activity:

• Almost 2/3 of high school seniors have engaged in sexual activity. (That goes beyond sexual intercourse.)
• 2 out of 3 teenagers that had sex said that they regretted the decision and with they would have waited longer. (Wow!)

On Consequences:

• The chance of getting an STD doubled for those engaging in sexual activity at age 13.
• Sexually active teen girls are 3 times as likely to become single mothers and 40% of those will give birth outside of marriage.
  
• Sexually active adolescents are half as likely to be in a stable marriage.
• Mothers who began sexual activity at ages 13 or 14 were more than twice as likely to live in poverty.
  

On Parental Influence:

• When asked "Who is the most influential regarding your decisions about sex?" (depending on the age breakdown within teenagers) 39%-59% said parents. Only 5%-8% said religious leaders. (Wow! I can say a lot as a youth worker, but the most influential person in a teens life is their parent! Parents...I'm praying for you!)
• Parental factors that appear to offer protection against the onset of early sexual activity include: intact family structure, parents' disapproval of adolescent sex, teen's sense of belonging to and satisfaction with their families, parental monitoring, and to a lesser extent, parent-child communication about teen sex and it's consequences. (They say to a lesser extent because those parents who exert "excessive or coercive" control might lead to negative outcomes.)
  
• Parent-child connectedness is measured by the level of satisfaction parents & teens feel in their relationship, the amount of warmth, love, affection, and the level of parental involvement in their children's lives.

On What a Parent Can Do:

• Avoid sending ambiguous and mixed message about teen sex.
• Convey clearly to their teens their values on this subject.
• Focus on imparting clearly defined values. Simply discussing sex does not necessarily protect teens.
  
• Seek to strengthen their relationships with their teenage children.

We certainly have a difficult job to do as parents and youth workers, especially when you factor in the extent at which our culture at large give us freedom to do and explore whatever we want. We no doubt need to bathe our actions and conversations in prayer when it comes to speaking about sex. But be encouraged at how strong your influence is in your relationship with your child!

Students have a tough task as well, facing peer pressure, cultural influences, and their own desires. Students, this article isn't just for parents. Ask yourself, "How is my relationship with my parents?...What do they really think about all this?...Do I listen to wise advice and consider the consequences before taking action?"

NYMC 08 - Highlight Reel

What a great weekend down in Sacramento for the National Youth Workers Convention. This wonderful event put on by Youth Specialties is one of the highlights of my year. Just about the only thing I didn't enjoy was not having my wife alongside.

I'll be blogging through what individual speakers shared as the weeks go on, but I wanted to tell a few of my favorite things.

The People: Although I went for the teaching, worship and soul care, connecting with people was one of the most encouraging elements this year. It was neat getting to know a few guys from my neck of the woods, as well as some from the online world. If you're in youth ministry, you should check out Tim Schmoyer site. He is a dedicated youth worker in Minnesota who provides countless resources and tips for those doing student ministries themselves. In fact, I'm listening to a video podcast of his as I type!

The Communicators: You can't go wrong when people like Tony Campolo, Mark Yaconelli, Shane Claiborne, and of course YS President, Marko bring their thoughts on life and serving God. But I loved the great variety of topics taught. It ranged from 2,000 plus years of church history and its effect on where we are now, to how we act justly today, how we think about the gay community, and those dark times in the wilderness in which all leaders pass.

The Bands: Hello...Starfield, Lincoln Brewster, Shane & Shane, Kendall Payne, and others! Great worship leaders and artists.

The Freebies: It's real nice coming home from the convention with a bag full of free ministry resources, and a few valuable purchased ones too. Above the Golden State, a local Portland band even made it into my freebie bag!

The Tech: For those of you Twitter people out there, my total tweets increased 47% while at the convention. It was fun tweeting and reading my fellow youth workers' tweets as we all learned different things.

Brian had the chance to Liveblog the event, which meant that during all the sessions and seminars, there were 4 laptop laden people typing their thoughts and experience for the world to see. It was fun to interact on the liveblog. If you want to check it out yourself, even see videos & pictures from the convention, check it out here.

The Passion: The convention provides a camp experience for 2,500 youth workers. There are a bunch of people heading back to ministries this week with new passion and vision. You can pray for them as they seek to excite those around them in the things they learned.

Well, for someone who hasn't typed that much in a while, I think I'll call it quits. Check back soon for my thoughts on the speakers.