Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

There's a New Moon rising this Friday night in theaters... and your kids won't miss it. The question is what will this new film in the Twilight Saga communicate to our kids?

The first film was labeled “harmless” by many, despite its numerous subtle messages. (Hey girls, wouldn't it be romantic if your boyfriend snuck into your room in the middle of the night and made-out with you on your bed?) Harmless?

However, in the second film, Bella seems to take an emotionally-charged turn that's self-destructive in nature. Whew! It's a good thing we don't live in a world where millions of young girls have low self-esteem and engage in self-destructive behaviors because of it.

(Awkward pause)

So... what will this New Moon look like?

It's fun, it's informative, it's gritty... it's Jonathan's Blog.



Connecting With Kids Free Training
Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 11:23 AM
This weekend I'm going to show youth leaders how to train their own adult leaders to connect with students... and I'm going to do this training using the exact same free ppt that we're giving away on our website (we're giving away a free ppt training to anyone who pre-orders my new book, CONNECT, from our web site.) I'm doing this at the Youth Specialties National Youth Worker's Convention in Atlanta.

For those youth workers who haven't been to this CONNECT workshop and can't attend in Atlanta... no worries. You can still get the training. I provide the entire training exercise in my new book in chapter 14, and the free ppt we are giving away corresponds exactly with that training.

I'm really excited about this CONNECT seminar at the convention this weekend—it's a fun workshop. After teaching everyone about the six types of kids we'll encounter, I hand each adult leader a pile of sticky-notes and have them write the names of the kids they want to connect with, one name per sticky note. Then I have each person come place the sticky note on my “Six Types of Students” chart on the wall. This “spiritual inventory” exercise is always eye-opening and lays the groundwork for spiritual growth in ministries....

As a new year approaches, many youth workers are looking to take advantage of a fresh season, and build up their network of adult volunteers. If you're one of those youth workers, check out this TRAINING TOOL from our HELP ME page where we give you tons of resources to sharpen your knowledge and skill.

I've never met a youth worker who hung a sign on his office door reading, “No more volunteers PLEASE!”

Let's face it, we all need volunteers? What do we do? Is it possible to build a staff quickly? The good news I have to tell you is this: you can build your team of volunteers up in a matter of months. Building a staff might be very hard for us . . . but it's very easy for God...

As Thanksgiving gets ever closer, you may be looking for a way to help students truly understand how blessed our lives are...and how easy it is to overlook God's goodness to us. If so, check out this OPENER that uses a great skit to launch into a discussion on gratitude.

Plot Summary: Tim feels God has failed him in his life and blames the Lord, but at the end he realizes that the Lord does indeed have a plan for his life.

Main Point: We go through hard times in our lives, but we have no idea what God has already planned to do with and through those hard times.

Scene Opening:
(on the phone, frustrated) I know, Dad, but I feel like he's not keeping any of his promises... I know... Okay, I'll talk to him... What's that?... Philippians 4:6? Okay... Yeah, I'll read it... Okay, thanks Dad. I'll talk to you later... Okay... Bye.

Hangs up phone, then picks up Bible. Sits down and....

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If you're looking for a great message to offer your students this Thanksgiving season, look no further. This ready-made, and fully-manuscripted TALK/SERMON from Jonathan is perfect for helping your kids shift their focus off of prosperity and onto God. It includes everything you need, from talking points to biblical passages.

Title: The Celebration of American STUFF

Text: II Chronicles 31

Sound Byte: Thanksgiving is a time to switch the focus from OUR STUFF to THE GOD WHO GAVE US THAT STUFF.

I love the story of the farmer who worked hard and had a beautiful farm. A friend said to him, "Wow, God has really blessed you." The farmer responded, "You should have seen this field when God was doing it by himself—it was a mess."

What was this farmer saying? I draw several conclusions from this story. Before I share them, consider—what do you think the farmer was saying?

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