One Million Arrows - Review

I have just read Julie Ferwerda's new book "One Million Arrows." I stand and applaud! It is a book that resonates with my heart on so many levels.  It resonates with both the father in me and the youth pastor in me.

In recent years I have experienced a giant shift in my thinking in terms of the way I pastor students. I have come to understand that it is not the churches responsibility to raise kids to be fully devoted followers of Jesus.  It's the God given responsibility of parents.  Read more of my thoughts here in an article I wrote for Life In Student Ministry.  Julie does a fantastic job of bringing to light the importance of this matter.

She writes, "When we take to heart that the home - not the church, not the youth programs, not the Christian school - is the Great Commission Training Center, the lives of our kids are truly impacted soul deep."  How true that is.  It breaks my heart each time I think of students, both current and past, that have walked away from a love relationship with Christ, simply because they have not seen it in their parents.  Christianity equates to one thing for them.  Hypocrisy.

The book is filled with stories of families that have taken seriously their call to raise not just good kids, but kids that will make a radical difference for the Kingdom of God.  Along with the stories come a host of practical ideas that can be implemented in the raising of our children.

If we as parents are to take seriously the call on our lives to raise world changing kids then it will require a radical commitment on our part.  No longer can we rely on the 40 to 50 hours of Biblical education/training a child will receive in a typical year from the Church, rather we must embrace the 2,500 hours a year God has given to us to raise our children.

"No longer can our lives and schedules revolve around sports, entertainment, amusements, busyness, or a host of other 'good' or even 'good enough' activities.  They must revolve around best, through getting to know God very personally, glorifying and enjoying Him, and then bringing His Good News to others."

If you are a parent, or one that works with parents, get your hands on this book!  Click here or on the image above, for more on this book, along with ordering info.

Partnering with Parents

For the last 23 years I have given my life to ministering to students. In my estimation there is no greater and more important age group that one can invest in. In my time, God has shown me and taught me much. Perhaps the most important of which is the value of partnering with parents.

I was recently asked by Tim Schmoyer of Life in Student Ministry to write an article on the importance of partnering with parents. It is now published.

Instead of posting the article here, why don't you head on over to Life in Student Ministry to read it.

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Investing In Leaders

A video tip I put together on the importance of investing in leaders has just been featured on Tim Schmoyer's site Life In Student Minitries.



If you are a youth worker and are not familiar with Life In Student Ministry, check it out. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tim at the National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento a few weeks back. He has a giant heart for student ministry, both students and leaders. His site is filled with great thoughts, conversations, and resources for those that are committed to ministering to students.

If you are here as a result of Life In Student Ministry, welcome! I welcome your thoughts and comments on what you see.

Fall Retreat

Our middle school ministry enjoyed yet another great Fall Retreat at Camp Tadmor this last weekend. Great times of worship, and teaching. Great times on the Giant Swing. Great times playing. Great times fishing. Great night games! GREAT TIMES!


I still maintain some of the best times of ministry are times such as these. There is something wonderful about a group of people living in community with one another, seeking the Lord together. Great things happen! I only wish I could do more ministry like that.

Enjoy the video. It will give you a small glimpse into our time together.



See all the pictures here.

Bash 'n Burn

This last Wednesday night our students once again gathered with four other area youth groups for The Burn. The Burn is a quarterly gathering for the purpose of bringing the Church together in worship and fellowship. Read about a couple of our past Burns here and here.

This time we added a fun twist. Along with a great BBQ we brought in two cars to smash! I mean really....how often do you get to swing a sledge hammer into an old car? Great time!

After all the fun outside we moved indoors for an amazing time of worship. To bring together 145 students from different youth groups, and even have the worship band represent three different groups is an incredible experience!

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

The American Teen

MSNBC has run an excerpt of "It's Complicated: The American Teenager" an incredible photo essay of the American teen, in which photojournalist Robin Bowman spent four years driving across the US photographing and interviewing more than 400 American teens.

It's an incredible, and artistic, look into the struggle that life is for many of today's teenagers.

It's a reminder of why I do what I do.

Click here to view this amazing photo essay slide show.

Changing Times

In the "Understanding & Parenting Your Teen" workshop I recently led I spoke of how culture is changing at a very fast pace and thus students today are much different than they were just a few short years ago. In the workshop I shared the Beloit College Mindset List, a list created by Ron Nief and Tom McBride of Beloit College. The list is designed to give faculty at the college an idea of the basic worldview and mindset of 18 year olds entering school in the given year in which the list is released.

The 2008 list has just been released. See if it makes you feel any older.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. The students' parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce "tax-revenue increases."
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative—or known about a friend's relative—who died comfortably at home with hospice.
12. As a precursor to "whatever," they have recognized that some people "just don't get it."
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando, Fla.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Häagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote."
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the national anthem again.
30. McDonald's and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. The students have never been able to color a tree using a raw-umber Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always had Jay Leno as its host and started at 11:35 p.m. Eastern time.
34. Pee-wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall along the Mexican border.
38. Lenin's name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the United States.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
42. The students' parents may have watched American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. The students have never heard a gasoline-station attendant ask, "Want me to check under the hood?"
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft-drink refills have always been free.
50. The students have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about "nothing."
51. Windows operating systems have always made IBM PC's user-friendly.
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 degrees F, or otherwise, has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate-cancer research.
57. Off-shore oil drilling in U.S. waters has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

Soil of The Heart

I have been giving a lot of thought to the Parable of the Sower that Jesus told in Matthew 13:3-8. In it He speaks of four types of people, and how they respond to the gospel. In short, it's a look into the condition of people's hearts.

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

In this short story Jesus references four soil conditions .... a hard path, shallow rocky soil, thorny soil, and good soil. As a pastor to students I am constantly evaluating where my students are in relationship to Christ. Some are obviously very close to Him, some far. I see all the soil conditions Jesus spoke of represented in my ministry.

Current statistics say that roughly 75% of students that graduate out of a youth ministry will walk away from their faith. I hate that. I have seen it. I have spent countless hours trying to figure out where we as a Church have gone wrong ,and why students are dropping away? While I think there is much the Church can do to better disciple students and equip them to make a life long commitment to Christ, I believe ultimately it comes down to their heart condition, the soil of their heart.

In verse 4 of Matthew 13, Jesus describes a path in which the seed falls upon and is quickly eaten by birds. I see this as the student who just does not care. We share Christ and the great life we can experience because of Him, but unfortunately they just don't care, not even enough to consider it.

Verses 5-6 speaks of the rocky, shallow soil. This is the person who responds quickly to the message of Christ but then almost as quickly as they responded, they back away. This person could be described as an emotional responder. If the mood is right, like at a camp setting, mission trip, or some other special event, they respond, but when they come down off the emotional high, it as if nothing ever changed.

Verse 7 tells us of the seed that fell among thorns that quickly choked out the young plant that has begun to spring up. This is the person that makes a commitment to Christ but then lets the concerns, worries, and temptations of life take precedent over Him. While they say the love Jesus, they love the world more.

Lastly we read in verse 8 of the seed that fell on the good soil. The soil that allowed for the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant that yields great fruit.

As I thought about this scripture in the context of my ministry, God began to reveal to me that I need to be praying for soil. I need to pray for the soil in my students hearts.

In the parable we see 25% of the people who have had "seed" sown into their lives, really going places and making a difference for the Kingdom. That is the same statistic as above!

The good news to all of this is, the 25% that let the seed really take root, produce a great harvest, a "hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." I have seen that, and it's exciting!

Instead of just pondering and even complaining about why we see the large drop off rate, may we instead commit to praying for the soil in the hearts of students. May we pray that students would taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) and give their lives fully to Him, in complete surrender. It is then that we will have the joy of bearing witness to a great harvest!

Mission Camp

Last week was an incredible week. Ten of us spent August 4-8 at George Fox University with the Student Life Mission Camp. It was a great experience, one that far exceeded my expectations.

The theme of the week was The Way. Each morning and evening we were challenged with compelling messages on following in The Way of Jesus. Todd Agnew spoke each morning and Anson McMahon spoke each evening. Both very gifted communicators and used of God in a big way. Along with great messages, the worship each time we met, led by Kristian Stanfill was incredible. It was so awesome to see middle school students raising their hands and losing themselves in worship each day. As good as each session was, it was on Wednesday night, after Anson spoke, that we really celebrated.

On Wednesday night, August 6, we had the joy of seeing many students give their hearts to Jesus for the very first time. The best part, was that two of those students were ours! So cool to see the message of the Gospel begin to make sense, and watch them come to a point of surrender.

Each day after the morning celebration time we headed out to serve the community. It was in these times that the kind of worship spoken of in Romans 12:1 was truly lived out. What a great privilege it was to give of our selves as we served two widows, a church in need, and even spent a day working in a cemetery. To see middle school students sweating in the hot sun serving others, makes ministry to students all worthwhile.


As strange as it may sound, it was spending a day in a cemetery cleaning headstones that was my favorite day. It was a very old cemetery, established in 1899. Many of those buried have been there for over 100 years! It was so great to think about and discuss the stories of those that have gone before us and be reminded that we too all have a story. It is our hope that someday as our stories are recounted that they would be stories of lives well lived. Lives lived for the glory of our Lord. It was also very cool praying for the families represented in that cemetery. We didn't know them, but God does, and God cares.



Such a good week. Here is a video that captures some of what we were a part of.



See all the individual pictures here.

On Mission

"...Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19) is a truth that is central to what we are all about in 180 Student Ministries. It is our desire to live our lives on mission. To live lives that lead to others toward becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.

Today I leave with 9 others from our middle school ministry for a week long localized mission trip. We will be living on the campus of George Fox University in Newberg Oregon and participating in the Student Life Mission Camp. Each day we will be partnering with Love INC to serve the needy in Newberg. Most of our time will be spent showing the love of Christ to elderly folks and single moms, that are in need of assistance around their homes; yard work, cleaning, etc. Pray with us that as we serve, Christ will both be clearly seen and heard.

Our high school ministry is also on a mission trip this week. They left on July 29 for 11 days in Ensenada, Mexico. It was hard for me to see them go as it is the first time I have not gone with them in many years. They have been having a great time of ministry over this last week, building both a home for a needy family, and relationships with the people in the community in which they are living. Check out the updates Aaron Geist has been posting on the trip at his blog aarongeist.com. To learn more about their trip you may visit our Mexico Outreach web site.

What a privilege it is to be used of God in the building of His Kingdom. May it extend far beyond just a trip.