Ellen says... The book "Outlive Your Life" challenged me in ways I never imagined. This youth edition is a fantastic counterpart. Youth workers can use this tool to walk their students through the three sections, helping them realize that: they were made to belong to God, made to reach out to others, and made to make a difference in the world.
I believe lives will be transformed and our communities and our world will be impacted for eternity as teens learn that their God-given role in life is bigger than themselves.
About the resource...
You Were Made to Make a Difference Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado BishopBible Study • Thomas Nelson • 9781400316007
This adaptation of "Outlive Your Life" for teens offers practical tips youth can take out into their community to make a difference, plus real-life stories about those who have done just that.
Students learn that God can use them to make a difference right now. He wants to use them today, without waiting for them to be older, stronger, richer, or even more "together." God can use their minds, their spirits, and their hands and feet to make permanent change for His kingdom.
An excerpt...
More free resources:
Video Trailer Explaining the Book
Another Video About the Book
Select Sample Reading From the Book
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Ellen Graf-Martin now lives in the heart of Ontario’s Mennonite country with her husband Dan, where she continues to work in publishing and ministry.Learn more about her work at www.grafmartin.com
This is a blog originally written by Eric Porteous who serves as the Central Regional Director for Life
Teen, an international Catholic youth ministry with
headquarters in Mesa, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia.
Some of my original
youth ministry training was with Life Teen and I am a loyal supporter of their
mission and ministry.
You can view the original post here. (It's exactly the same thing as below).
As a Youth Minister one of the biggest parts of your job description is to
teach teens the faith. Now, if the previous statement came as a shock to you . .
. umm . . . well . . . you may want to chat with your Pastor. If not, then you
know the pressure that comes along with this.
While many well-intentioned and “very wise” parishioners and staff members
think this is easy, you know that, unfortunately, a classroom, a Catechism, and
a chalkboard just don’t grab a teen’s attention like a Happy Meal, a milkshake,
and a blender.
Disgusting icebreakers aside, the pressure to captivate a teenage audience is
great, and nowhere is this more difficult than with a talk or teaching. It’s why
we tell corny jokes, fun stories, or try to draw an analogy between the fear we
get when the toilet water continues to rise and the fear we may have of
evangelizing others. (And yes, I used this analogy in a talk . . . once.)
Getting and keeping a teen’s attention is vital and perhaps our best strategy is
when we don’t even use words at all.
Here are 3 situations when the best way to get a teen’s attention is to use
one of your best tools: the dramatic pause.
To Drive Home a Point Situation: You nailed your intro about that squirrel incident. Your audience
is focused, and all eyes are on you as you share about how we need to spend time
in personal prayer so that we don’t go “nuts.”
Response: All you have to do is sell your point one last time. Should you
raise your voice? Should you whisper? Nope. Why even use words? Because you know
that the best way to drive a home a point is to stop . . . and stare at your
audience . . . saying nothing at all.
When You Forgot What You Were Going to Say Situation: You’re rolling along giving an inspirational testimony about how
you came to know God when all of a sudden (maybe because you’re distracted by
Timmy in the back who can’t seem to stop twitching) you forgot what you were
going to say next.
Response: The temptation can be to ramble on and on as you try to think of
what you are supposed to say. But, hold on my friends; why not try the dramatic
pause? Your audience will never know. While they stew in the silence pondering
the depths of where you left off, you can gather yourself, reclaim your
thoughts, and move on as if nothing happened.
For Disciplinary Purposes Situation: You’re delivering a profound teaching on hypostatic union that is
leaving the teens hungering for more. For some reason Timmy on the back wall
can’t seem to stop text messaging.
Response: While you’d like to hope he’s sharing your talk 160 characters at a
time with all his friends, you know this is highly unlikely. So, just as your
mom did when you used to squeeze your little brother’s hand during the Our
Father, you have no choice but to cue . . . 30-second dramatic pause with
intense stare.
Regardless of what technique you use, I think we can all agree that 1) the
name Timmy has really gotten a bad rap and 2) if we want to get the message of
salvation across to the teens, it’s imperative that we first get their
attention.
Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob
Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie. He has served as the Director of the Office of
Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver
for the past ten years. Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him
@claytonimoo
My name is Ryan Filsinger and I am the newest contributing
writer to the Canadian Youth Ministry team. My quick bio is that I am a Husband, Father, hockey lover, and Video Game Producer.
I am also the former Youth Director at Sherwood Church of the Nazarene, a
cell based congregation. The end of this
school year will mark my sixth and final year in weekly youth ministry. I am stepping down amicably from the position
and was able to find the perfect replacement.
With 6 years of youth ministry has come the opportunity to experience
many different things. I feel with this
exit it will allow me to concentrate on a few dreams that I have been neglecting
due to my busy schedule. Part of the
next phase of my life is going to writing more and that is where Canadian Youth
Worker comes into play. Even though my
weekly involvement has diminished, I feel God still has a place for me in
helping fellow youth workers, especially when it comes to big picture stuff. I’ll be using my weekly posting for the next
while going over small topics in youth ministry that covers things I feel were successful,
and also areas where I completely failed.
My hope is that you as the reader will take a chance to learn from my
triumphs and mistakes to strengthen your ministry.
My day job for the last 4 years has been in the video game
industry. This has placed me in a unique
situation where I have been able to keep up with all the major technological changes as part of my job. This has
allowed me to stay on top of most trends in youth culture as they are now fully
intertwined into the world of technology and the internet. From time to time I’ll also contribute my
thoughts on technology, video games, youth culture and how I believe all things
can exist together without compromising values or spiritual discipline.
I am really looking forward to being a part of the team
here, and if there is ever anything you’d like me to answer/discuss about
anything I write please do not hesitate to contact me. You can find me on twitter most of the time
@rfilsinger generally chatting nonsense and observations. Make sure to come back next week where I’ll
be posting a piece currently titled “Successes and Laments in Youth Ministry:
Parents aren’t the enemy.”
I have been thinking lately about how influential our
students are, they have Church and Youth Group, but are very much immersed in
“the world” in their High Schools, sports teams and jobs. I find it can be easy
to forget what life is like out there because in reality, the longer you are a
Pastor, the more your circle of influence can become Church people. I had an
eye-opening reminder of this last summer when I was working on camper
follow-ups for a large local summer camp.
Each week through the summer, the Camp would send us a list
of campers who made decisions for Christ, or showed interest in being a part of
a Youth Group when they got home. Our agreement was that we would follow up
with them, inviting them to our group, the task seemed simple, until I realized
that I was going to receive 40 names a week for 8 weeks! I accepted the
challenge and made a point of contacting student, via phone, email, mail and
Facebook the latter of which was my biggest mistake.
One of the students on the list was a guy that I could not
get a hold of on the phone and when I looked him up on Facebook, he had 40
friends already involved in our group, so I sent him this message on Facebook.
Hey
Nathan, you are probably wondering why I am sending you a message on Facebook -
I am the Youth Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church and I heard some great
news about your experience at Camp ****** last week. I tried the phone
number that your camp gave me but it didn’t work so I am messaging you’re here.
What I was
wondering is if you would like to get together at McDonalds for a Coke one day
this week. It would be great to get to know you, and just so you know 31 of
your friends are already attending our Youth Group if you look at our friends
in common.
Take care Nathan;
I am looking forward to meeting you.
Pastor
Geoff Stewart
It took 3
days to hear back, but who I heard from was his parents who were fuming that an
adult would message their son and “solicit” a meeting with him. They felt it
was inappropriate and asked that we never contact their son again and blocked
me on FB.
Being accused
of having ill intentions was really tough to deal with, but it reminded me that
being called as a Youth Pastor and wanting to invest in the lives of teenagers,
is really strange in the eyes of people who are not in the bubble.But we need to remember the culture we are
trying to work in and what may seem normal to us, might be strange or worse
offensive in the eyes of some despite our best intentions.
Sunday 27 May 2012
Spiritual Practice of the Week: The Body Prays
Most faiths have a traditional way of holding the body in prayer. It may be kneeling; moving from standing to kneeling to prostrating; ,sitting quietly with head bowed, hands clasped, and eyes closed; or sitting cross legged. Kneeling in prayer is a practice that is an act of humbleness and homage, and an expression of full body prayer. Moving your body into a new prayer pose can bring insight about to your prayer practice and your relationship with the Holy. Think about the pose you generally take when you are in prayer. What is your faith’s general way of praying? Do you feel connected to God in this pose? Have you tried any other postures of prayer? The following practice allows people to experience a variety of prayer postures. You may wish to use this as a station in a spiritual practices experience or to lead a group through it.
In preparation for this practice put a blanket or carpet on the floor for people to practice on. Have a kneeler available. Read the following outline or have it written out for people to follow.
With my hands I praise God;
with my feet, my legs, my heart, my head, my fingers, my toes, my mouth I praise God.
I show up with my whole body alive to God’s presence,
with my whole body praising God.
You who gave me life, who gave me breath,
who created my heartbeat, I praise you with all of my beautiful parts.
At this practice station spend some time in different prayer positions. Offer a heartfelt prayer in each posture. You may wish to offer the same prayer in all the postures you explore. Notice which postures feel right. Notice which are uncomfortable. Notice which push you to a more alive place. It may not be physically possible for you to do some of the postures suggested here. Do whichever ones you can. Here are some possibilities. -kneeling (use the kneeler provided) -kneeling with knees on the earth, arms raised -standing with your hands in prayer pose (hands touching in front of your heart centre) -standing with your hands raised above your head -kneeling with head on the floor, arms resting on the floor at your sides (baby pose) -lying face up with your arms at your sides -lying face down with your arms your sides -sitting cross-legged on the floor with hands resting on your knees -sitting in a chair with your hands in prayer pose -standing on your head (if possible) Hold each of the prayer poses for as long as you wish, setting your intention for connection with God. After you have completed as many as you wish or all the poses, go back and try again the pose you felt most drawn to again. End the practice with giving thanks for your body’s ability and the freedom of your body to move and explore new ways to pray. (if doing in a group you may wish to have very soft music playing while people do this practice to avoid noise and distraction from the group)
On this day of Pentecost my God continue to build in you a Holy Fire, one that never goes out, full of passion, joy and spirit, guiding you on.Acts 2:1-18
I baptized a couple of people down at the river last Sunday. I got to the park a few minutes early and was standing in the parking lot holding my little binder where I had my baptism sermon. Some people walked by and saw me holding my binder in one hand and a pen in the other and they asked me, "Are you counting heads?" Without skipping a beat my immediate response was, "No, I'm baptizing heads" (this baptism was a sprinkling/pouring not full immersion).
As the words were coming out of my mouth I started thinking about "counting heads" and how, unfortunately, sometimes baptisms and conversions have been seen as just that; adding numbers to the church membership list. How unfortunate that these Kingdom moments can be relegated to such a temporal and worldly way of counting, keeping track, keeping score.
After I got over my anger about this I then began thinking about what else people count and the first phrase that came to mind was "counting the cost". Luke 14:28 urges us to count the cost of following Jesus and then describes it as quite a large cost, in fact it costs everything! Were the people listening to Jesus really prepared for his words and ready to give up everything? Are you?
Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than
your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters --
yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me."But don't begin until you count the
cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first
getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to
pay the bills? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!'"Or what king would ever dream of going
to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing
whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty
thousand soldiers who are marching against him? If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me. ~ Luke 14:25 - 33 (NLT)
Let me clarify. Last week I posted about What is a Disciple? and I was blunt yet something was missing.
After some reflection and some honest conversations with Jesus I need to admit that my attitude was wrong. I was complaining about the problem yet unwilling to do something about it. That's right, I became "one of those people" that I dislike. You know the one's I mean.
So now I'm asking for your help. I need you to help me as I work through this. Are you in?
The best way for us to move forward is to ask some questions that might lead us to clarity and understanding.
QUESTIONS
Who do you know that has intentional discipleship/mentoring from a biblical Christian perspective happening in their youth ministry?
Should discipleship/mentoring be cross generational?
What's worked and what hasn't?
what other questions have you thought of that I'm missing?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject.
Jeff Smyth is husband to Heather and father of one active boy Nathan. He has been involved youth ministry for 15 years in both the local church and non-profit areas of Canada. He has been serving for the past 3 years as the coordinator of community initiatives with DOXAToronto.com the Scarborough arm of Youth Unlimited (Toronto YFC). Learn more about him by visiting ThinkYouthMinistry.com or follow him @jeffsmyth
Ellen says...
This is a valuable resource for any youth worker - professional or
volunteer - as they minister to students and families. The comprehensive
guide includes great conversation starters and extensive resource
listings - excellent for equipping you to engage teens in their hurt and
questions.
About the resource...
Quick Reference Guide to Counselling Teenagers Chap Clark and Dr. Tim Clinton Paperback • Baker Publishing Group • 9780801072352
Youth culture changes rapidly, so those in the position to counsel and
advise teens often find themselves ill-informed and ill-prepared to deal
with the issues that youth routinely encounter today. The
Quick-Reference Guide to Counseling Teenagers provides answers.
This guide for pastors, counselors, youth workers, and parents addresses
40 topics addressed including:
culture and media influence
sexuality
stress
drugs and alcohol
parent-adolescent relationships
An excerpt...
Developmental psychologist Erik Erikson observed that the “identity crisis” of adolescence is the most significant conflict a person faces throughout life. During these crucial years, young people have to answer the question, Who am I? For many, the question seems overwhelming. The pressures of peers, the new drives of emerging hormones, and the expanding opportunities to experiment with behaviors can combine to create a perfect storm of temptation and self-doubt. Some seek help from mature adults, and many find forgiveness and direction in life through Christ, but some teens try to cope by resorting to self-destructive behaviors.
In today’s world of adolescence, cutting, dusting, choking, and salvia don’t refer to cutting vegetables, cleaning your house, or choking on a burger. These terms refer to practices that are more serious—much more serious. Five years ago you wouldn’t have heard these words used with the meanings that are now common in youth culture vernacular. They reveal how desperate for healing many of our youth are. Cutting refers to cutting oneself in a desperate attempt to relieve internal pain and depression. Dust Off is an aerosol computer keyboard cleaner that contains compressed gas and can be used to get high. Choking oneself can cause a euphoric state. And salvia is a hallucinogenic herb that is banned in eight states and is more powerful than and considered to be the next marijuana. These new fads among teens are leading to many deaths.
Teens are crying out for connection and looking anywhere to find it. “Rave” parties—large-scale gatherings with fast, electronic music and free-form crowd dancing, often coupled with the use of illegal drugs—have taken the place of family night at home. Sexual morality is as broad and relative a term as ever, reckless relationships abound, and parents have never before been so uninvolved or unsure about what to do. Ministering to teens has never been more difficult.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Ellen Graf-Martin now lives in the heart of Ontario’s Mennonite country with her husband Dan, where she continues to work in publishing and ministry.Learn more about her work at www.grafmartin.com
I've written before on child-like faith, and how children remind us that we are to be
child-like (but not childish) in the way we pray. After all, Mark 10:15 says "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."
This scripture reminds us that whomever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. Now that doesn’t mean that we should all start sucking our thumbs, wearing diapers, crawling around from place to place, and crying and whining until we get what we want...that's childish. But God has set aside the Kingdom of God for the childlike...for those who are loving enough to trust and obey Him, and humble enough to depend on Him.
My kids teach me what it means to have a child-like faith. Because they are obedient, innocent, and curious.
See what I mean in this video...and in particular pay attention to Jacob, our middle child. The only background you need to know is that our kids thought we were going to spend our Spring Break in Seattle.
Jacob is a perfect illustration of child-like faith. The pure joy, innocence, and surprise he displayed brings a smile to my face every time I watch the video.
And to his credit, our eldest Sean did a masterful job of keeping the surprise from Jacob and Kayla. Sean's teacher mistakenly spoiled the surprise when he asked Sean if he was excited to go to Disneyland. In a remarkable display of restraint, Sean didn't tell me, Gail, Jacob, or Kayla that he knew.
Until he pulled me aside after dinner one night a few days prior to our trip.
"Dad, I know we're going to Disneyland for Spring Break."
"What are you talking about? No we're not!"
Sean wasn't buying it.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Because I was looking at Mom's browsing history in Google."
Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and
Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie. He has served as the Director
of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years. Learn more about
him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo
Not your typical Golf Tournament Fundraiser: The @LoveGlobal Foundation is hosting it at a MINI Golf Course :) http://ow.ly/b6VFO
Sunday 20 May 2012
Spiritual Practice of the Week: Is Jesus my pal? Christian icons have historically been of stories from scripture in visual form. In the early church, many people couldn’t read or didn’t have access to the scripture texts, so the icons were a reminder of the stories of faith. Today icons are still used extensively in the eastern and orthodox churches as well as in other religions. An icon is also a way for the artist to worship and pay homage to their faith and the stories within that faith. The use of icons is an integral part of the worship experience at Taize, the ecumenical community in France, as a way to tell stories in a service with few words. The icon below is of Jesus with St. Mina and is prominent at Taize. The image of Jesus with his arm around his disciple tells of seeing Jesus as our friend.
Christ and Saint Mina. A 6th-century icon from Egypt (now in the Louvre, Paris, France)
This icon practice involves spending time in prayer with the icon. Set the icon on a table with a candle and the instructions below for an individual or a spiritual practices experience. Sit comfortably on the chair and breathe deeply in and out a few times, stilling your mind. Focus on the icon before you. What do you notice about the icon? How do you see your connection with the life of Jesus? What does it mean to you to be a follower of Jesus? What would you say to Jesus if he were as a trusted friend in your life today? Take a pen and a slip of paper and write down some of your thoughts about who Jesus is to you.
For more information on the taize community: www.traize.fr
Signs
of summer: Grade 12 Grad invites, Latte’s replaced with giant slurpee, and your
Senior Pastor is suddenly inspired to ask you to speak one Sunday morning in
July. Of course it’s just a coincidence that it coincides with his holiday
time. But no matter, this is your time to represent!
There
is so much you want to say, what do you talk about?
When
speaking it’s important that your talk comes across as sincere rather than
scripted. To limit your use of reading from your notes, talk about something
that you are passionate about. I don’t mean topic’s like human trafficking, or
volunteering. Deeper than that. Do you know what your life message is?
God
has imparted into each person a specific message that their lives exemplify. It’s
the message that is guaranteed to come out whenever one gets squeezed by the circumstances
or pressures of life. Knowing your life message will help you stay true to you
instead of preaching like one of your favourite speakers Andy Stanley, Francis
Chan, T.D. Jakes or even Steve Osmond.
This is how you find your Life Message.
1.What are your three favourite
verses in the bible. Write them out.
Mine are... Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you..., John 14:12 Greater things will you Do and John 17That
you would be as one...
2.Beside those verses write down the
significance of that verse to you. Why
is that your favourite verse? What message in there has great meaning to
you?
3.Formulate a statement or
summary of what you want others to know
from those verses.
For Example
My
main message is: You have an amazing
future in store for you. You will accomplish Great things. Let’s Unite (Together
we are strong).
Anytime
I speak, that is the underlying theme of my message. Those who hear me or spend
time with me will leave the room with hope for the future, thinking big, and feel
like they are not alone.
What’s
your message to the world! It’s unique to you. Someone else may have the exact
same verse, but the significance may be different, i.e. John 3:16 For one the
emphasis is on the whoever, another God loved. God is strategic. He places
certain kids under your care who need to hear your life message.
You
were asked to speak not just because your pastor needs to fill the pulpit, but
because God wants the people to hear that life message inside of you. So bring
it!
If you have any questions don’t
hesitate to message me or email me. I’d love to hear your life messages.
alison@itgspeakers.com
Note: Unconsciously
this life message will come out of you. That's why it’s refreshing to bring in guest speakers to speak to your youth because they bring
a different message. Do this exercise with your youth leaders to find out what
messages they carry.
Youth Speaker and Founder of the Young Woman
of Power Conference. Alison is a member of the Canadian
Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) Alison was named Calgary’s Winner of the Rising Star competition
and received raving reviews by Canada’s top speakers at the CAPS Convention in
2011. Alison has dedicated her time to
developing her gift of Public Speaking so that her listeners would believe the
truth that she shares and to raise up other strong youth communicator’s in
Canada. She has been speaking full time for four years and is currently
enrolled in Youth Speakers University. Speaking Tips are from Alison’s Public
Speaking Enhancement Workshop for more inquires email her today. http://www.inspiringteengreatness.com
If you make disciples, you will always get church, but if you make a church you will rarely get disciples.
What exactly are we trying to produce? What does a disciple look like? Your answers to these questions are crucial — they will determine the development strategy that you pursue.
Everyone is a disciple of something and/or someone.
1) A disciple is someone who does certain things.
2) A disciple is someone who understands certain things.
Recently I was sitting pool side for one of my 5 year olds swimming lessons where he is in a small class where the instructor is also teaching a younger instructor-in-training. As I glanced around at the other swimming classes I noticed that many of the classes, not all of them, but most of them, had in-training-instructors. They were helping the other kids in the classes by watching the instructor and then doing the same, action for action, word for word. They were being discipled and teaching at the same time. This happened over and over again through out the 30 minute class. At the end of the class the instructors then evaluated the trainee through verbal and written instructions.
A light bulb went off in my head as I was sitting there with my wife and leaned over to her and said, "When was the last time that you saw this in the church?" She turned and looked at me and said, "What !?! Swimming?" Realizing I had not said my thoughts out loud I then expressed my thoughts. She smiled and she then saw the same thing that I did.
Why does the local Recreational Centre understand and do discipleship for swimming instructors, yet the church cannot even follow the basic function of telling the stories of God to the next generation according to Psalms 78?
Seeing the message of Plan B impact so many lives around me, I am convinced that this really affordable, high-quality DVD study is a proven winner. Pete Wilson is a great, fresh communicator. Highly recommended for older teens / young adult and youth leader studies!
About the resource...
Putting Plan B into Action Pete Wilson Trade Paper w/DVD • Thomas Nelson •9781418546076
What do you do with a shattered dream? Or an unmet expectation? How do you accept your Plan B when God doesn't show up the way you thought he would? With powerful real-life stories of disappointments and tragedy along with biblical stories and teaching, Pete Wilson leads study groups through the process of discovering the Plan B for your life, accepting your story, and embracing it as your reality. The Plan B DVD-based study offers you the chance to share with and embrace a community of believers as you begin a journey of real healing and change.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Ellen Graf-Martin now lives in the heart of Ontario’s Mennonite country with her husband Dan, where she continues to work in publishing and ministry.Learn more about her work at www.grafmartin.com
In the 100 hours between Friday evening at 7pm and Tuesday evening at 11pm, I attended a Matt Maher/Third Day concert (and got a quick tour of their tour bus!), went to a
Conference, helped facilitate a First Communion Mass, ran a meeting for youth
ministry coordinators, co-led a Confirmation Retreat for grade 7 students, and
assisted with Confirmation at my home parish of St. Paul's.
I felt extremely blessed to have these opportunities and it reaffirmed my hope for the young church of both the present and the future.
However, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my family during the 4 days. Sure, we went out for meals for Mother's Day on both Saturday and Sunday and Gail came with me to the concert on Friday night, but I felt a tad unfulfilled amidst the busyness.
I do my best to limit how much I'm away from home but it's always a challenge given the frenetic world of youth ministry. I constantly need to remind myself that youth ministry, as much as I love it, is my job. It's my career (for now). One could even say it's my calling. But it's not my vocation.
My primary vocation is husband to Gail and father to Sean, Jacob and Kayla.
My job is youth ministry.
As my good friend and mentor Mike Patin always reminds me: when it's my turn to give an accounting of my life as I sit face-to-face with Jesus, he's not going to ask me how many teens came to my office's latest youth rally, how many people I spoke to at the last conference, or how many people read my blogs and watch my videos.
He's going to ask me about the 4 people at home that he gave me to love.
He's going to ask me if they knew who he was.
I pray that my answer will be a resounding YES.
Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah
and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie. He has served as the
Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years. Learn more
about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo
Sunday 13 May 2012
Spiritual Practice of the Week: Bring Many Names
Today is the day we honor Mothering and this morning I'm preparing an afternoon worship service: Honoring the Day of Mothering by exploring the Feminine Face of God. Human beings have always tried to find words to express the unfathomable mysterious image of God. The image of a mother hen gathering her chicks, the image of our soul's resting in God like in a Mother's arms, the nurturing and sustaining love of God, and Holy Wisdom (Sophia) the Spirit are some of the ways scripture has described this path of seeing God as we see a Mother. For some this is their truth and as there are as many paths to God as there are people in the world, we can share openess and understanding around how people see God in our programmes with Youth. Our human limitations to understanding ask us to name things, even to name what is un-namable. This practice brings us into awareness of the many names of God. It asks us: Who do you say that I am?
Repeating God's name:This practice is a meditation that uses repetitive mantra, or words that focus on the names of God. In some traditions, the repetition of God’s name is done with prayer beads or a prayer rope with knots in it. As each bead or knot is touched, the name of God is repeated by the one who prays. In calling God’s name, we are in a sense seeking God. Our calling out for the Holy One reminds us that God is here,with us no matter what. Repeat the mantra below this practice three times. You may get your group of youth to brainstorm a list of words they use for God and create their own prayer. This practice may be one station in a spiritual practices experience or may be chanted as a whole group when you are exploring who God is. Here’s a sample to try out:
This is a prayer to One of Many Names. God, Creator, Spirit, Jesus. Wise One, Holy One, Deep Mystery. Universe Creator, Holy Spirit, Father. Everything, Everywhere, Brother Jesus, Allah. Ruah, Oneness, Being of Light. Mother, Bringer of Truth, Sheltering Tree, Breath, Music, Holy Three. This is a prayer to the One of Many Names. We call your name and know you are here.
The benediction for this afternoon's service:
Go in Peace, mothering all you know into a life of wholeness, joy and love.
Go in Peace knowing that God our Mother, nurtures us to choose life and love.
I spent all day on Thursday at a retreat centre. Like a lot of retreat centres this centre is also a monastery housing Franciscan Monks. It's such a quiet, peaceful place. Without all the distractions of home (and even church) it was so nice being in a place saturated in prayer and contemplation.
I always encourage people to bring as little as possible on a retreat and do as little as possible but sometimes I forget to take my own advice and I bring too many things to do like reading. But this time I brought very little with me so I allowed myself a 2 hour afternoon nap which I haven't done in several months and really needed.
I went on an 8 day silent retreat almost a decade ago and for the first 3 days I slept almost 14 hours a day - twice my usual average! As the week went on I dropped down to 12 hours then 10 hours and by the time I was ready to go home I was back down to a healthy 8. My body so desperately needed rest, not to mention my heart, mind and soul. The only person I was allowed to talk with once a day was my spiritual director who, like a broken record, repeated the same phrase to me over and over again each day; "Rob, listen to your body, honor your body, listen to your body..."
Our culture does not encourage us listening to our bodies. We push our bodies well into the evening to watch various TV programs and squeeze in more work. We wake up unnaturally to alarms to rush off to work or school rather than naturally waking up when we're ready. We push ourselves day after day to work hard, eat food that's not good for us, drink coffee and energy drinks, pop various pills, and other things which are not necessarily good for our bodies and do not make us feel good. But we just keep going rather than taking time to listen to the signs and messages our bodies give us.
There are many advantages for of slowing down for our heart, soul and mind and also for our bodies. Take some time to slow down not only to pray, read, journal and so on but to listen to your body and see if you're taking care of it. If you pay attention your body will either say, "Thank you" or "I could use a little more ______ or a little less ______."
Take care of your bodies so you'll have more energy and strength to serve God and others.
How are you celebrating the mom's from your youth ministry/church this weekend?
The best idea I've heard of for this year is: put together a video mashup of all your students saying "thank you" and post it on your website/facebook page for all to see.
If you are looking for some last minute videos to show publicly for any of your youth gathering or main church service here is one by our friends TheSkitGuys
Is the North American church overprotective, repressive, and shallow? "UnChristian" looked at outsiders and their perceptions of the church, and what we could do to respond to these very real concerns. With "You Lost Me", Kinnaman examines young insiders who have left disconnected from the church, giving them a voice and an opportunity for the church to respond in love.
Millions of young Christians are disconnecting from church as they transition into adulthood. They're real people, not just statistics. And each one has a story to tell. The faith journeys of the next generation are a challenge to the established church, but they can also be a source of hope for the community of faith. Bestselling author of "UnChristian", David Kinnaman, with the help of contributors from across the Christian spectrum, offers ideas for pastors, youth leaders, parents, and educators to pass on a vibrant, lasting faith, and ideas for young adults to find themselves in wholehearted pursuit of Christ.
An excerpt...
A generation of young Christians believes that the churches in which they were raised are not safe and hospitable places to express doubts. Many feel that they have been offered slick or half-baked answers to their thorny, honest questions, and they are rejecting the “talking heads” and “talking points” they see among the older generations. You Lost Me signals their judgment that the institutional church has failed them.
Whether or not that conclusion is fair, it is true that the Christian community does not well understand the new and not-so-new concerns, struggles, and mindsets of young dropouts, and I hope that You Lost Me will help to bridge this gap. Because of my age (thirty-seven) and my position as a researcher, I am often asked to explain young people to older generations and advocate for their concerns. I welcome the task because, whatever their shortcomings, I believe in the next generation. I think they are important, and not just because of the cliché “young people are the leaders of tomorrow.”
The story—the great struggle—of this emerging generation is learning how to live faithfully in a new context, to be in the world but not of the world. This phrase, “in but not of the world,” comes from Jesus’s prayer for his followers, recorded in John 17. For the next generation, the lines between right and wrong, between truth and error, between Christian influence and cultural accommodation are increasingly blurred. While these are certainly challenges for every generation, this cultural moment is at once a singular opportunity and a unique threat to the spiritual formation of tomorrow’s church. Many young adults are living out the tension of in-but-not-of in ways that ought to be corrected or applauded, yet instead are often criticized or rejected.
In the vibrant and volatile story of the next generation, a new spiritual narrative is bubbling up. Through the lens of this project, I have come to understand and agree with some, though not all, of their grievances. Yes, we should be concerned about some of the attitudes and behaviors we encounter in the next generation of Christians, yet I also find reasons to hope in the best of what they have to offer. Apparently they are a generation prepared to be not merely hearers of doctrine but doers of faith; they want to put their faith into action, not just to talk. Yes, many young dropouts are stalled in their spiritual pursuits, yet a significant number of them are reinvigorating their faith with new ideas and new energy.
From this generation, so intent on reimagining faith and practice, I believe the established church can learn new patterns of faithfulness. You Lost Me seeks to explain the next generation’s cultural context and examine the question:
How can we follow Jesus—and help young people faithfully follow Jesus—in a dramatically changing culture?
Excerpt from You Lost Me by David Kinnaman. Copyright 2011, Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Ellen Graf-Martin now lives in the heart of Ontario’s Mennonite country with her husband Dan, where she continues to work in publishing and ministry.Learn more about her work at www.grafmartin.com
