brianeberly.com: March 2007

Teens Wants & Needs

What is it that teens want most? According to the new Boys & Girls Clubs' Youth Report to America 2006 (a survey of more than 146,000 teens nationwide, independently tabulated) teens want a more realistic portrayal of youth in the media, and they want adults to acknowledge the positive contributions of they have made in their communities and to have a greater voice in those communities.

Stated on the press release: "Negative stereotypes of teens in the media can present an inaccurate portrait of America's youth. Broadcasts highlighting teen violence have caused communities to enact restrictive curfew laws, loitering ordinances and increased penalties for youth who commit these acts. Laws are sometimes enacted without consideration for the rights of youth, leaving them feeling powerless and disconnected."

By the numbers:

- More than one-third (36%) of respondents believe that to improve their relationships, adults should listen more.
- Close to half of teens surveyed (48%) said that parents significantly influence their decisions.
- One-fourth (27%) said adults should be more open-minded.

Chap Clark's assesment of how the church must respond to it's teens holds true. "The greatest challenge is developing 'a theology of intergenerational community' that helps a whole church to feel responsible for its youth. Otherwise, he said, churches follow mainstream culture's market-driven vision—and, like secular culture, abandon adolescents to raise themselves."

Beautiful Again

Each Spring I am reminded of how God is the master of taking what seems dark, cold, and ugly, and turning it into something light, warm and beautiful. I enjoy and appreciate the changing of the seasons. Living in Southern California that was something I did not see much of. Living in Oregon it is undeniable. With Spring comes a wondrous renewed since of hope.

The changing seasons is a beautiful picture of the cycles of life that God allows us to experience and how as we journey through them, and seek Him in them, He grants us hope and makes all things beautiful.

I am reminded of Romans 5:2-5. We find hope in God when we emerge from the difficult seasons of life.

Listen to this David Crowder song and enjoy the accompanying images. Allow it to move your heart, and remind you that God, our Father, makes all things beautiful again.

Effective Youth Pastor

There has been a lot of discussion recently on what an effective youth ministry looks like. It is clear that there are some aspects of youth ministry that need to be re-thought and re-tooled. You will find some of my thinking on the subject here and here; two posts I wrote back in September of last year.

Greg Scandrett just wrote a great post entitled, Text messaging, playlists, MySpace, oxy and youth minitry. The post nets out 5 important elements for effectively ministering to students. It's a very good and thought provoking read.

It made me think, while we need to know the Word of God and how to present it, we need to know how to present it in ways that are relevant to todays students. We must know and understand today’s youth culture. In doing so we earn the right to be heard and followed. In knowing and understanding students and their culture we are communicating to them that we care. When we care, they will listen and they will follow.

More Jesus

The highlight of my job as a Pastor to Students is to see students decide for themselves that they desire a relationship with Jesus, not because their parents desire it, but because they want it. To night I witnessed something as a parent that rates right up there in my book.

Part of our bedtime routine with our two year old Benny is to read a book or two, and then sing to him. He loves to be sung to, especially songs about Jesus. To night after each song he adamantly declared, "I want more Jesus!" If that doesn't do a parent's heart good, I'm not sure what will.

He of course doesn't have a full understanding of who Jesus is, but he does know that He is someone special, and I love the fact that he wants MORE!

May that be the desire of each of us!

Bloggers Network

I along with a number of other bloggers have recently formed the new Christian Bloggers Network. If you like reading interesting blogs and have some time on your hands, here is the list of blogs in our network.

In case you are thinking I have way too much time on my hands, let me say that I have not looked at most of the blogs listed here, and am unable to give them my full endorsement. I can't imagine having that kind of time. Happy reading. I hope they are worth you time!

If you would like to join the network contact Mark Kelly.

Guestmap

Have you signed my Guestmap yet? If you are a regular reader of my blog and have not yet signed my Guestmap, I would love to know who you are! I have a Guestmap near the bottom right hand side of my blog. Stick a pin in the map and say hello! Thanks for reading!

Bono Preaches

I guess I will stay with the music theme I started with my last post, although this one really has little to do with music. U2 vocalist Bono, recently accepted the NACCP's Chairman's Award. His acceptance speech is one that should be heard in the pulpits across our land.

"God, my friends, is with the poor and God is with us if we are with them."

HT to Andrew Jones

Dylan Hears A Who

I have always had a fascination with Bob Dylan; perhaps one of the more fascinating artists of our time. One of the first album I ever owned (actually a cassette) was Bob Dylan's "Slow Train Coming". Now there's a Dylan album I can add to my iPod for my two year old. Really doubt my two year old will be too excited about Dylan though.

Dylan Hears A Who is a six song album of nothing but the beloved Dr. Seuss rhymes, "Green Eggs & Ham", "Cat In The Hat", "The Zax", and more. It's even got all the pops and cracks of the original LP. The best part is, you can download the whole thing for free here.

HT to Rodney Olsen

Mind of A Middle Schooler II

Last night at the Danger Zone, our Middle School midweek gathering, AJ asked our middle schoolers to write out the things they were thankful to God for. How cool to see what is on their hearts. Here is some of what they wrote...

• I’m thankful for a home and great family.

• I am thankful for family and food, a home, pets, school and my family being together.

•I love to walk in the rain because no one knows I’m crying…tears of joy! I love the sun that shines…But God’s glory shines brighter!

•I will not stand by for battles to be won
And no more I’ll hold my tongue
I hear of things that make my stomach churn
And now we have to reverse the world’s turn

• Courage to speak and do God’s will

• A song—
I cry you cry too Lord,
I’m happy you’re happy too
I love the way you love me
You love the way I love you
Unchanging Lord

• His beautiful creation never stops amazing me, from people’s gifts to a field of sunflowers. I’m always amazed by his artwork.

• Thank you for providing an alternative to hell. Hell sounds like it sucks.

• Thank you for my Basketball talent and Gatorade.

• Thank you for the freedom we have in you—
Thank you for desiring our fellowship
Thank you for holding out your arms to us—
Thank you for the gifts of people in our lives

• Thank you for the great food that you provide for me because I know that many people don’t get it.

I'm sure thankful for middle schoolers that are loving and seeking after God. What are you most thankful for?

Power of A Vision

If you have been reading my blog over the last year, I am sure it has become increasingly obvious, that the Lord has been growing my heart for the poor of this world. There are 2,000 references to the poor within the pages of Scripture alone. It is obvious that the poor and the needy are close to the heart of God. I have seen that more this year, than ever before.

It has not only been me that God has been working on, but also our church and more specifically our students. Over the last year our students have responded in more ways to the world's poor than in any other year I have been with them. Today's students are truly a generation that desires to see poverty and injustice wiped out. They as a generation are perhaps more motivated to make a difference in this world, than any other we have seen before. In the last year I have seen greater levels of financial giving, as well as giving of time, gifts, and talents. God has placed a vision in front of them for loving the needy in our world and they have gone after it.

We have just completed our 30 Hour Famine. Most all of the money has now come in. As they say... "numbers don't lie." Here are the numbers from past years as well as what we have collected this year; a clear example of the power of a vision.

2001 - $2,840.19
2004 - $3,184.39
2005 - $2,204.00
2006 - $4,268.49
2007 - $6,050.50

It is my prayer that this generation continue to seek the heart of God, and be a model for both generations past, as well as generations to come. May we as God's people never forget, He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Proverbs 14:31)

Think On This

A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble--because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death that Christ Himself carried out.
- C.S. Lewis

Mind of A Middle Schooler

Thursday night as AJ was leading our middle schoolers in worship he was introducing the song "Peace" and asked the students what kind of peace might they be asking God for.

One of the boys quickly spoke up and said ...."a piece of cake!" Love it!