Spring break is this week. This week has potential for good and bad. I enjoy weeks like this because there is usually a lot of fun to be had hanging out, goofing off with students. However, anytime there is a break from school there is also the potential for bad. You look at the statistics from summer break and it is when most of the students get into trouble or pick up a hurtful/harmful habit. Spring break for Rochester schools is a full 10 days this year. This is as much as Christmas! It is only fitting that we take time out for holy week (even though the schools can’t say that is why they take a break when they do) to observe what this week means. However, like already stated I enjoy weeks like this. My hope is to search for divine opportunities, times when I can share Jesus with students. Sometimes this will be through action other times it will be through words or even what is not said. What I hope for is to build relationships and follow Jesus – it is what I hope to do every day but I will try and abide in Christ these days and live purposefully when around students, it really is no different than normal however when it is broadcast to the world like this there becomes a certain amount of accountability. I also try and make an attempt to contact each student in the youth group over the break. Thursday we are looking to go fishing and Friday maybe some kickball. I covet your prayers as a reader and if you are a believer in a God who can change lives pray for something divine to happen. Pray for someone to reach out to God through one of their many painful or hurtful struggles. Next week we will be talking about hurt. Again I covet your prayers as I will be the only bible/Jesus that the students most likely read that day.

Your zinc riced,

ike

Sorry to all those who have been waiting anxiously for the posting of a new blog entry. Yes I admit I am 2 days late but to make way for the quickly approaching next Monday today’s entry will be short.

I just want to give a shout of confidence to parents. I appreciate all of the parents of the world today – but particularly those that are raising teens. I want to say keep at it parents through good and bad you are doing it. Or as Joe Dirt would say, “Life is a garden – dig it”. I want to encourage all you parents who are currently parenting teens and remember that teens still look to you as their number one guide of morality and direction for their lives. Your words, opinion and actions matter to your son or daughter. You being their number one source holds true until they hit their twenties and then gears change slightly. So thank you parents for letting me come alongside you and team with you in a ministry to today’s young people.

Your zince riced, ike

Technology part 2 of 2

Last week we beat up on the idea of technology a little bit and this week we are going to see how it has made things MUCH more convenient. The very first job I had as youth minister was in 2001. The way that I contacted students was primarily through landlines. This meant much interaction with parents as a result of calling homes and many times having parents answer. This meant good things like me having the parents ‘in the know’ before their son or daughter. What I discovered is parents really liked this way of knowing before their students did. It gave them a proactive heads up. However we flash forward now nearly 10 years and this is not always the case. That being said I really enjoy how convenient today’s society has gotten with communication. For example in the olden days (you know 2001) when I scheduled and event many of the lines of media were still the same (i.e. website, handouts, e-mail). However, when technology rocks is when we are in a pinch. For example it is a Wednesday night and weather turns sour and we need to cancel. Before this meant at least 30 minutes of phone calls to all students or perspective students that might be coming. Now in a simple text message it can be done in less than 1 minute. We have instant access to one another through the lines of internet, and cell phones. I have no desire to turn back and neither do students. It is fantastic. Another thing that is great is that your job now can be done from anywhere. Now with wireless internet in many places or a phone that has internet a job (not just ministry) can be done from a coffee house, a car, a deer stand, or even a boat. Location is irrelevant to many of the tasks that I have. What use to take hours now takes thirty minutes. I can send students and e-mail, Facebook, and a text message and through those 3 avenues of communication parents and students will get at least one of them. I also enjoy it because it is discreet. Many students think that because we have small children that we walk around quiet as mice after dark because our little ones are sleeping (if you know me at all then you know I AM A VERY QUIET PERSON). However students many times will send me a text message before they call just to make sure I am up and it is ok. Basically I don’t need to make a case that technology is good or bad but I am going to use it in an effort to further God’s kingdom.

Your zinc riced,

ike

Technology – Part 1 of 2

Being a teen in this day and age is not easy. I am sure that each new generation of parent raises their kids and says, “We didn’t have to deal with that when we were there”. However the truth is the rate of advancement in technology has been exponential in the past 10 years. Due to technology and the dependence upon it it is bringing up a whole new breed of teenager. Let’s use text messaging, via cell phone as an example (which is commonly referred to as texting).  Texting has been around for about 15 years however it has really come into its prime in the last 5. This presents an interesting way to communicate with each other. There are positives and negatives of it. However, what we are learning about teens using it is that it has become addictive and it has become their primary use for their phone. When I first had a cell phone in ministry I paid monthly for 400 text messages. What I was finding is that I was going through those quite rapidly and most of it was due to incoming messages. If I wanted to stay a happily married youth pastor I needed to upgrade to unlimited. Although I do miss the days of calling on the phone a little bit. There are some definite advantages to this technology as well. However, my reason for delving into such matters are that if I wanted to minister to the students of today I needed to be communicating with them in a way that was comfortable and normal for them to communicate. However there are many down sides to texting as well. Students can live a completely alternative life through their cell phone and since boys no longer need to call the home phone to talk to daddies little girl he has no idea who she is talking to. Also there is the issue of Sexting that is going on. Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit pictures to each other via cell phone. Sexting is not just limited to today’s teens as statistics say the 40-55 year olds are the most growing population of this act. However we have many students taking their phones to their bedroom and many times they are up late or up most of the night texting or having their sleep interrupted by those that are texting. Another criticism of texting is that students of today are having a very tough time living in the ‘NOW”. By this I mean they are having trouble living in the moment. You see this very often as students will be texting friends while at the dinner table, while with other friends or even in the middle of something they love doing. This is becoming a habitual thing and the downside is that students are struggling with giving someone or anyone their undivided attention and therefore missing out on life because they are always planning the future with someone else.

So here is my plug for parents.

1. Have some rules – Maybe you have some no texting hours during the day at your house. Most parents have some type of Pet Peeve when it comes to texting – go with your gut make a rule about it that even you as parents will follow.
2. Check the phone – I know one fellow who asks for his daughter’s phone each evening. And while he watches the news he goes through is daughter’s messages. And if you as a parent suspect that your child is deleting some, most cell phone providers will let you access messages sent and received online. You are not doing this to be a creeper of a parent you are doing this for good reasons. To know what is going on in your child’s life. Also I would recommend that you have the cell phone during sleeping hours. This allows you to see any late night messages and gives your child a good night of uninterrupted sleep.   

Next, I must say I am not a parent of teens so I could be way off. My gut as well tells me I am not but you have to know what is right for you and your family.

We live in a text rich society – with the advent of things like Facebook, Myspace, blogs, and even Google, many things we do in a day have to do with text. This is normal for students, this is their home turf, and this is where we need to meet them if we even want to be speaking their language. I must say that I recommend texting because it is obviously here to stay and there is no sense in fighting it, so I will embrace it with moderation because as IT says, Everything is permissible but not beneficial!!!

Over the weekend I had the chance to attend a conference for youth workers. The conference was led by Simply Youth Ministry and Doug Fields. The theme for the conference was all about leaving a legacy. There were many take homes for me on how to help our student ministries but what I learned about youth ministers is we are not normal. We are a strange breed of human that chooses to work with students. It is many times a fruitless task and we go years without seeing any change in students' lives. However, when God does allow us to be part of a change there is no better job on earth. It was put this way at the conference, "youth ministry is paradise but right below paradise is pain." I have found this to be mostly true throughout my experiences in ministry. With all the troubles there are in youth ministry it is paradise and pain all at the same time. Students going through heartache and broken families at the same time we get a new student in the youth group. There are always situations at each end of the spectrum. In 1st Corinthians 9 Mr. Super Apostle Paul says that he has become all things to all men so he might win some. I really wonder how this is doable but I can certainly see the need for it. Also one interesting statistic from the conference was that for every 5 students a youth group has you need 1 servant volunteer. However, for every 1 student in the youth group that student desires to have their life worked into by 5 caring people. So Marion I need you, and today's American students need you to show that you care. Don't think that just because Marion has me as a youth minister that you can contract your love for students out on me. In fact you the opposite is true when I, Ike do something to show I care for students it is expected and it is blown off by many students as, "Oh he gets paid to say nice things and do nice things." However, when you have a chance to show a student that you care they know it is genuine because there is nothing in it for you. Now to the students' defense they will probably not accept it well at first. In fact they may give you a weird, odd or unsociable response. This is because they are not practiced at accepting love but I know it makes them feel greatly appreciated and cared for. Just don't expect much positive reinforcement from them adolescents is a tough time in life. So in order for Marion to leave a legacy of loving students I admit I cannot do it by myself there has to be others helping if not it will not happen. So that is this week's glimpse into youth ministry.

P.s. - Special thanks to Marion for viewing these conferences as a priority and sending me to them. Many thanks!!!

Your zinc riced,

Ike