Thursday, April 23, 2009

Youth Pastors- Quit Today!

Yesterday, there was yet another story of a youth pastor accused of sexual misconduct with a student - three girls, in this case, including one that claims to be pregnant with his child. As a volunteer youth pastor (and as a father), it breaks my heart to hear stories like this. Every week I work with high school students, and its easy for me to see that some girls (and guys, for that matter) are crying out for attention, just wanting to be loved, noticed, and approved of.

As a youth pastor, we are in a position of authority, and often a trusted confidant for these vulnerable students. And every time a story like this one comes out, it puts a black mark on the Church universal, on our calling, and on the God we serve. As a youth leader (pastor, volunteer, or otherwise), we need to be laser-focused on leading and shepherding these kids to The One who can save us- Jesus Christ. This is SO IMPORTANT- the stat I heard this week is that the average college student who was active in an evangelical church in high school, walks away from his/her faith by October 15 of freshman year.

So, I just want to say one thing to anyone in the church who works with students- check your heart. If you are doing what you're doing for any reason other than to lead students into a life-changing relationship with Christ, then STEP AWAY FROM YOUR MINISTRY. If your doing it because you like hanging out with high school students, or it makes you feel young, or it gets you away from your family, or it pays the bills, or because YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS, then QUIT TODAY! No matter how big your ministry is, no matter how connected your students are to you or to each other, no matter how many other people look at what you do in awe, STOP if your only goal is anything other than leading students to Christ.

Youth groups need to be a place for students to get away from the pressures they face in school and with friends. They need to have adults there that walk alongside parents, not work against them. They must reinforce the idea of not conforming to the ways of this world, but being transformed by the grace of God. They need to be a place where parents are assured that their precious son or daughter will be built into, shepherded, loved (asexually) and accepted by people who love Jesus more than their own bodies. If your are not willing or not able to do this, then quit. It's okay. God has something else planned for you.

The church should be set apart. We are the bride of Christ. Just like in every other area of our Christian walk, people need to see from the outside how we are different from the world. If inside the church looks like the world, then what's the point? If a young girl is as likely to be led astray by a youth pastor as by a fellow student or a teacher or a coach, then why should she even bother with church? We need to be a refuge for teens struggling with their sexual identity, not a place where they can experiment with it.

If you're not willing or able to do this, quit today. Don't quit the church - it needs you and you need it- but step down from your position. Do it with all humility and grace. Because if you wait until it's too late, it could end in humiliation.

Please, check your heart.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Genesis Church- West Plains, Missouri trip report

It doesn't seem like one year ago when Jeff Smith, the former pastor at Genesis Church in Noblesville told me he was ready to go plant a church in his hometown of West Plains, Missouri. Well, as soon as he made it official, I told Jeff I was coming to see him on Spring Break next year, so he'd better be ready.

Well, on April 5, 2009, we got the chance to visit Genesis Church in West Plains. Here are some of the highlights and pictures.

Genesis Church meets in the Opera House in downtown West Plains, a town of about 10,000 on the edge of the Ozarks. One great thing about meeting in the Opera House is that you don't have to tell anyone in West Plains where that is. You can just put up a yard sign that says, "Opera House, Sundays at 10:00," and people know where to go. Or, if you'd rather, you can put up a billboard, like Jeff and Kim have done in 2 places in West Plains.



Or, you just park your "Hillbilly Billboard" smack dab in the middle of the courthouse square on Sunday mornings, so people who aren't paying attention will drive right into it (by the way, this is one of the trailers that used to belong to Genesis- Noblesville).



Another advantage of the Opera House is that it is a beautiful building, well-appointed for crowds and with a little more class than other options. Check out the bathrooms...





And check out the Genesis Cafe... they have both kinds of donuts!



Now, for the meat of the report. What I know you've been waiting for. The week we were there, April 5, was week 8 for the church. They had 204 the week before we arrived, up from 156 the previous week, and were afraid of what might happen due to yard signs all over town and a direct mail piece accidentally going out a couple of days early. Well, on week 8, there were 254 people there, 50 more than the previous week. Fortunately, the auditorium in the Opera House was big enough and well-equipped to handle the crowd.





Where the high attendance became a bit of a problem was in the kids' rooms. But, by God's grace, the Opera House management has been very accomodating in letting the church basically take over the kids space. They have been able to really deck out those rooms and make them exciting for the kids.






But what got me really excited about this church were the people. Just think about this... 254 people on a Sunday morning, most of whom were not active in a church before 10 weeks ago. And there were great stories, too. Guys whose marriages fell apart and found Genesis at just the right time. One kid who plays in the band who had drug problems and was blown away by the love shown to him by people in the church. Look at these people... all of them created by God and on a journey to find Him!





I was really encouraged by what we saw at Genesis-West Plains. And, I'm excited to see how God is going to bring us together again in the future. Jeff and Kim are right in their element there, by the way. Jeff's a bit of a celebrity around town (though he would never admit that) and Kim is at home with family and friends. They are very nervous, but expectant about what God is busy birthing in their hometown.

By the way... Easter Sunday? 317 people. God is on the move in Southern Missouri!

Monday, April 13, 2009

What my TV fast taught me

Well, it's over, and none too soon. Sunday was a great day for TV, as I was able to catch parts of the IronMan World Championship 70.3, the Paris Marathon, and Paris-Roubaix. But, I am thankful I decided to fast from television during the Lenten season, and here are some lessons I learned:

1) I can read a lot more when I'm not watching TV. Though I'm not an avid viewer anyway, I watch most of my TV in bed. Which is also where I read. During the fast, I never failed to read my bible, even one day.

2) It's hard to know what's going on without TV. Someone would ask what the weather was going to be like, and I had to confess I didn't know.

3) Even with 200 channels, there's still mostly junk. That's why we're cutting back on our DirecTv package. That, and they raised our bill $3/month this month. Sorry, guys. Really bad timing.

4) I'm very prideful. And I need to be a martyr. Whenever someone asked me, "did you see such and such last night?" I felt the need to say, "no, I'm fasting from TV right now," or some such nonsense. I was not happy with myself about that, and if you were on the receiving end of my holier-than-thou attitude, I'm sorry.

5) I don't need TV... but I like it. There were days where that's all I wanted to do when I got home... yet I survived without it.

Now you know. So, you don't have to try it. I think next year, I'll go back to giving up caffeine.

Race Report- DINO Avon 4/11/2009

Well, I've been away from the blog for awhile, mostly because I've been on Spring Break. Now, I'm back, and I've got lots to tell. But, first and foremost, the report on Saturday's race.

Being on vacation last week, I had intentionally planned a down week in my training for the Madison Marathon. Not knowing our exact schedule made it convenient to plan it this way, and it was a good time, since I was dealing with a painful bout of plantar faciitis before I left. Unfortunately, this left me feeling a little sluggish on Friday, and unsure of my training levels. I needn't have worried.

My goals going into the DINO 15k race at Avon were (1)to beat my friend, Tom, (2) to better last year's course PR of 1:18 and change, and (3) my stretch goal was to run under 1:15. I was disappointed, then, when I checked DINO's website on Friday night and found that due to heavy rainfall in the area, they had to route a new section of course. I had my strategy planned out, and it would have to change.

Arriving at the race on Saturday, I found that only a small section of the course had been changed, and it was being exchanged for an equally flat, equally long section, so there was effectively no change in difficulty. So, I set my goal to run a strong, but evenly paced race in order to make up for my poor race two weeks ago, when I set out at way too fast a pace and ended up walking part of the last 4 miles. My stretch goal, then, was to run the three 5k laps in 25 minutes, 25 minutes, and 24 minutes. This would put me under 1:15 with a little cushion. I thought this was aggressive, but doable based on my Eagle Creek race four weeks ago.

It was a beautiful day, but a little cool (37 F), so I struggled with what to wear. I ended up with shorts, a long sleeve Brooks tech t-shirt, and a New Balance running vest. I froze at the start line, but would soon warm up. Great choice!

The horn sounded and we were off. The newly paved trail at the open made for a very tight course, with 130 people jockeying for 24 inches of trail width. Against my instinct, I held back to run a slower pace, and watched Tom run away with some faster competitors. After about a mile, I realized I was running at the back of a train of about 9 people, but decided the pace was good and I would hang in for a while. We hit the two mile mark on the new section of course, and the runner in front of me glanced at his watch. "What time have you got?" I asked him. "15:47, just under 8 minute miles," he responded. Perfect! I felt nice and relaxed and the first mile of the course has the only serious downhill section on the course, so I felt good about being ahead of my stretch pace. The last mile has a serious uphill section that I walked, but I finished lap 1 at 24:48... get this- EXACTLY 8 minute pace for 3.1 miles. Coincidence, I'm sure.

Lap 2, and the crowd starts to thin out. Right after the finish line, I can see Tom about 7 runners ahead of me, probably 30 seconds or so. My instincts say to pick up the pace, but I remind myself it's a long race, and I'm catching him, anyway. So, I settle back into the marginally comfortable pace I've been running. We hit the downhill again right around mile 4 and I turn my ankle on the way down. Immediately, I'm feeling a sharp pain everytime my right foot hits the trail, and for about 15 seconds, I figure, "it's over... I can't run anymore." But, by now, Tom is only about 10 seconds ahead and I decide just to run the next mile and see what happens. Within a minute, the ankle's fine and I am right behind Tom. I asked him how he's doing and he mumbles something like, "okay, but this one's yours." So, I take off. Just before the 5 mile mark, I take a PowerBar Gel, down some water, and start up the hill. I finish the second lap at 49:36... hey, wait a minute. That's another lap at 24:48. Maybe those 200 yard strides I did at 8:00 pace on the treadmill yesterday really helped. I've now gone through 6.2 miles at exactly 8 minute pace!

After the finish line on lap 2, I decide to put the hammer down... at least by my standards. I decide I'll run the ups and downs the same, but push hard on the flats when I feel good. By mile 7, I can no longer see Tom behind me, and there are only a few runners around me (I'm passing more by now than I'm being passed by, and that's great!) so, my only motivation is to push for a sub 1:15-finish. I cross the finish line at 1:13:44 - a new PR for this course by about 5 minutes! Even, better my last lap was 24:08. So, my 25-25-24 goal turned out to be 24:48-24:48-24:08. Not too shabby, probably my best-paced race ever.

I still have some work to do to run with the faster guys in my age group- I finished 53 out of 130 or so total runners. But, I feel the progress I'm making. Only 6 weeks until Madison, and I just hope my foot holds up. After that, I'm on the bike for the Summer!