What exactly is humility?  The Bible talks about it a lot, and we often view it as the opposite of pride.  Humility is a hard thing to label and figure out, yet we all have some and yet not enough.  What do you think humility is all about?

We are all so busy with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that we sometimes forget to focus on God.  Do you ever wonder what He would want for Christmas if we could ask him?  What do you think he would say?

 

In my first blog on Sunrise Faith I talked about McFaith, one of the real issues with a consumeristic, narcissistic American church culture and how we want quick and easy solutions.  Sticking with the food theme (as I love food) is it possible that we treat Jesus and our own faith much like we look at Starbucks or any other coffee house type environment.  Follow me here for a minute as I explain:

-At a Starbucks it is as much about the experience as it is the actual product.  Is it so with our faith?

Looking at my last two youth ministry entries I worried that they might sound too negative or depressing.  It is important to take some time to celebrate all of the wonderful things about youth minsitry:

-The curiosity of students and their willingness to learn

-A real opportunity to shape and be shaped as opposed to other ministries where you are just communicating information

-Stories and adventure

-A strong desire for community and relationships

-An oppporutnity to teach real life lessons that will impact them

Ever thought about just what is "The Life You've Always Wanted?"  Are you thinking, "I am not sure what the life I've always wanted is, but I am sure this is not it!"  We all struggle with this.  The life we've always wanted has to do with drawing closer to God and acknowledging that He is in control...trusting in Him...it takes the pressure off of us.  Go to the Sermons section and check out the October 20 & 21, 2007 message on "The Life You've Always Wanted" for more on this topic.

I recent NY Times suggested a rift in the evangelical world... the article is long, but here are a few of the high points. Your thoughts??

 

'Love affair with Bush has largely ended, sharpening latent internal divisions'

Many members of our congregation have an allergy to gluten or have Celiac disease. This means a whole new way of life. As an example, we offer a gluten free communion! So, as a service to all, I thought we could use this blog post as a way of collecting information about where to buy gluten free food (inexpensivley) ...where to shop? Where to dine? Other helpful resources?

So.... post away!

It takes a rare person to go into youth ministry and even more so to stay in it.  The average time a youth worker is at a church ranges from 12-24 months depending on what study you read.  This is particularly sad because what students need the most in this world and in a ministry and in adults is consistency.  This particular generation of students is known as the abandoned generation-meaning that they have been and feel abandoned by adults, systems (sports, churches, schools etc) and the world around them.  I have been in youth ministry for almost 8 years and besides my internship I have