60th Anniversary Celebration Oct. 5, 2014

In just a couple of weeks, the Wilmington Church of Christ will celebrate her 60th anniversary.  I have been associated with the church for fourteen of those years and am grateful to those who had the vision to start the church, the energy and faith to build it and for those who have contributed to her growth and influence in the lives of so many people.

If you are from Wilmington or have any connection with WCC, we’d love to see you attend our 60th celebration service.

Check out the video invitation::

Middle School Ministry Made Simple

When I started reading Middle School Ministry Made Simple by Kurt Johnston, I loved what he wrote about in the first chapter. He encouraged adults working with junior high/middle school students to remember their junior high years. That was a fun little trip in the way back machine.

I finished reading the book last week and thought it was an excellent overview of junior high/middle school ministry. In fact, I bought several copies for my junior high leaders at a great price (shhhh…don’t tell them – they haven’t been given the books yet).

A couple of things stood out to me from the book. The first was in the chapter on Planning Your Programs. He talked about the different types of students you have in your ministry. While I had heard these (and similar descriptions) before, it was a good reminder to me of the different students that make up a group. He identified these groups: Care Less, Curious, Caught, Committed and Contagious. I found it is easy to focus on just a couple of the groups and not consider all of the types of students when you program and plan.

In a different chapter Kurt wrote specifically to the leader of the junior high ministry and he defined several different roles the leader should take. Several stood out to me including Sell the Vision, Equip the Troops, Take the Heat, Pass the Praise and Beat the Drum. He elaborates on each role (you’ll need to get the book to see what he says), but it served as a good way to evaluate yourself if you serve as the point leader.

If you are involved in junior high/middle school ministry, this is a good resource for you and for your team.

Bruises By Train

When I’m on the riding mower, I like to listen to music. I’ve synced some music on my iPhone and like to listen to it while I drive back and forth across my yard. One of my favorite groups to listen to is Train. I like their music and find many of their lyrics unique and entertaining.

One of their songs that gets stuck in my head is Bruises. The chorus says this:

These bruises make for better conversation,
Loses the vibe that separates,
It’s good to let you in again,
You’re not alone in how you’ve been,
Everybody loses, We all got bruises

The idea behind the song is two friends from high school run into each other and share their stories. They talk about failures in relationships and how that has changed them. What jumps out at me is this particular part of the song where one of them comments that he/she would like to go back and change the other person’s past:

I would love to fix it all for you,
I would love to fix you, too
Please don’t fix a thing whatever you do
These bruises make for better conversation…

Even though their pasts are painful, those experiences have shaped who they are as people. While the song doesn’t provide any hope that God can make good things come out of our bad experiences, it does point to the fact that we are shaped by what we go through. Both good and bad experiences, trials and triumphs, impact the people we become. While I think God wants to redeem our past and use them for His purposes, I think Train is on to something in their song.

Plus, it’s kind of a catchy tune.

Nike Skills Camp Recap

Syd had the opportunity to participate in the Nike Skills Camp in Indianapolis last April.  It was an invitation-only event and she was in camp with some talented girls.  It sounded like a good experience, both for skill development and hearing from others who have been involved in women’s basketball on both the college and professional level.

Ganon Baker directed the camp and shared his thoughts on the Indy camp and another one he directed in Oregon.  You can read all of his comments on his blog, but there were several things that jumped out at me as I read his recap.  They apply not only to basketball players, but to everyone.  These are thoughts from some of the speakers that shared at the camps.

– Every time you are in front of the media you have a chance to represent your team, family, and yourself

– You get 1 chance to make a first impression, so have a presence, self-confidence.

– Best gift you were given was your Name!!

– Be honest with yourself, family, and teammates. Everything you say will be recorded so whatever you say will live forever!!  Think about it!!

– No one is successful by themselves

– Sports teaches you how to win and handle disappointments

– The hardest part of making a decision is telling someone no!

– Watch your body language, somebody is always watching you

– You represent your God, family ,team, school, and self.

– Ladies, clean up your twitter/facebook pages – you are always on record! (That applies to guys, too!)