Find me on ustream.tv

So, I was messing around with this "video live feed" online application called ustream.tv. Pretty neat! I thought I'd go ahead and embed the link on our blog, just in case I wanted to, you know, stream something live to ya from my laptop. Who knows when I'll give you a sneak peek into my daily routine. :)

Tunes Updated

I've updated the playlist on the blog, and added over a dozen new songs. Check em out! Let me know what you think or if you have any favs you think should be represented on there.

One of the main reasons for having the playlist is to help make you aware of some sweet Christian bands out there. I hesitated getting into the Christian music scene a few years ago, because the majority of Christian music just wasn't all that great, compared to secular artists. (Hey, no matter how great the lyrics are, if the music is lame, I'll have to pass.) Those days have definitely changed and there are a plethora of fantastic artists using their talent for His renown.

Thought on Leadership

Just read a great quote and had to share it...

“The aim of leadership is not to demonstrate the superiority of the leader, but to bring out all the strengths of people that will move them forward to the desired goal.” - John Piper

Top 10 Lists of Media

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is one of my favorite resources. (I'll probably feature it in next month's Chuck'sChoice.) One of the features they offer are the top 10's of movies, songs, radio airplay, video games, MTV artists, tv shows, albums, and online searches.

Check it out here.

My challenge for you is to be aware of what is out there, to be informed of it's message, and how it is affecting our culture. Let us not be mindless consumers. There are enough of them out there.

ministry gone bad?

I recently heard Reggie Joiner make some statements about how some churches do student ministry. He said we have 1 of 4 philosophies:

philosophy 1: Our main goal and sole focus is to stop students from going to hell, therefore all we talk about is evangelism, evangelism, and evangelism. [fyi, evangelism is one of my top spiritual gifts]

philosophy 2: We try to keep students from raising hell, therefore we keep them in an insulated and isolated world to prevent them from doing things they shouldn't do.

philosophy 3: We try to scare the hell out of them, and get them afraid of ever doing wrong or messing up.

philosophy 4: [the better approach] We challenge them to charge hell and equip them with the necessary weapons. We show them the Light and help them bring it out into the world.

I believe this is one of the reasons why so many people hate going to church. Instead of preparing people to go back into the world and deal with real life issues from a biblical perspective, many churches are trying to pull the people out of the world and pretend to be in some utopia, that doesn't exist.

What's on my mind?

As of Friday, April 25, 2008.

Hey everyone,
Thought I'd let you know about random things that are on my mind pertaining to youth ministry. Honestly, there are definitely moments I have a hard time organizing my thoughts, because they each have different urgencies. There are essentially three categories:
1) needs to get done now, 2) needs to get done soon, 3) needs to get done someday;

Though there are a lot of great ideas, projects, programs, events and outreach activities that our youth could and/or should be doing. However, change takes time and patience. Starting a program the wrong time is like releasing a product to the wrong audience. All marketing strategists spend hours upon hours researching the needs of a market, and evaluating the best and most effective time to release their new product.

Due to my passion for youth work, it is easy for me to dream and envision about youth ministry, even when I am knee deep in my studies for grad school.
Lately, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about

• Curriculum: What topics should we cover in small groups? What is the best approach to get students and teachers involved? How can we better equip them for their every day lives?
  
• Summer mission camp: How can teens get the most out of it? What's the best way to help teens raise money for camp? How do we get them plugged into the youth ministry after camp?
• Sunday night: Is Sunday night the best night to have Jr. and Sr. high gatherings? Is there a better way to structure the agenda? Are we growing? What distinguishes Sunday night from Sunday morning?
• Relationships: How can I do a better job at staying in touch with leaders, parents, and teens? How do we get newcomers to come back?
• Fund raisers: What's the best way to help teens raise money for this summer camp? Are three fund raisers too much just for one camp? Do we plan to raise funds like this year after year or just have one big fund raiser?
• Outreach: How can we improve our outreach into the community and with fellow teens?
• Leaders: What is the best approach to train and assist youth leaders? How do I do a better job at recruiting more? Why is it so hard to get male leaders?
• Vision: Are teens, parents, and youth workers alike buying into the goals of the youth ministry? Do they even know the goals of the youth ministry?
• Ministry: How can our youth ministry help other people and other ministries in-and outside the church? How do we help teens become less self-focused?
• Budgeting: Are we being stewards with the money God's given us? Are there better ways to spend the money? Is there something we should/could get that would better assist the ministry?
• Parents: How can we better assist parents and families with their teens?
• Equilibrium: How do I maintain a balance between ministry, relationships, and personal life without monopolizing or eliminating either one of them?

Like I said, a lot of questions and ideas cycle through my head and keeps me thinking. I'm thankful and content with the growth and progress that I've experienced since getting involved with this youth ministry.
As my latino friends would say "Gloria de Dios!"
- Chuck

P.S.: Wavorly is a great Christian band that I recently stumbled on. I thought I'd insert a pic to break up the long paragraphs a bit. Btw, I've been thinking about music a bit lately, too.

Free Downloads

Daily Bible Reading Plan - New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs
Click here to download this freebie
Released 4/23/2008
Type: .pdf

Scholarship Application
Click here to download this freebie
Released 4/28/2008
Type: .pdf

Should we isolate ourselves by only listening to "Christian" music?

Devotional written by Matt Piche, Violinist of Article One

I still remember the first time I heard someone speak on this topic. It was summer break, and I was at camp. The weather was beautiful, and everyone was excited to be there. This particular night the camp had invited a guest speaker who’s specialty was speaking about music. Rumors had it that people often felt compelled to break their “non-Christian” CDs after hearing him talk... and frankly... the young boy in me just wanted to see people break CDs! Since then, I have learned a lot, and have come to formulate my own thoughts on this topic.

So what is the “problem” with “non-Christian” music?

This is a really broad question, and there are many different issues that plenty of Christians have with “non-Christian” music. In general, lyrics are the aspect of the song that make people deem songs as appropriate or not. With Christians, I generally find most people can agree that songs which talk about good Christian things can be classified as good, and songs that talk about bad things (like sex, drugs etc), by “non-Christian” artists, are considered to be bad.

For now, let’s use this as a platform to build upon and discuss the grey areas... which to me, are the important areas we should be talking about. The grey area songs include everything that doesn’t fit into the black and white categories mentioned above.

I find in today’s day and age there is a bit of a trend for Christians to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Music is no exception to this. In many cases it seems that we as Christians create an opposition to anything that doesn’t completely coincide with our beliefs. And even if it does coincide with our beliefs, if it isn’t by Christian artists, the music often gets written off.

To be honest, I do listen to a fair amount of “non-Christian” music. Why? Because a lot of “non-Christian” music is great too, and fits within the bounds of our beliefs. For me, one of the most poignant moments I have ever experienced spiritually was when I watched a depiction of the crucifixion to the music of “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” by Bryan Adams. Even though this song would be classified as a “non-Christian” song, it is still a great song, and falls well within the bounds of being appropriate.

To take it back to my experience at summer camp, I remember the speaker addressing an issue similar to this one. He was talking about neutral music (a song that isn’t “Christian,” but isn’t bad either), and his argument was that, “If it isn’t building you up, then why listen to it?” My response to that is simple. Similar to any work of art, a great song can be beautiful. I think that if the lyrics aren’t offensive, and the musical aspect of the song is amazing, then why not enjoy it? Take instrumental music, or much of folk, classical or jazz music. Those styles have a real artistic presence to them and a true beauty, which is wonderful to appreciate. Even if this music isn’t “Christian” music, it is still wonderful and beautiful. To me, saying that it is bad to listen to neutral music, is like saying that it is bad to look at any visual art that isn’t directly Christian, or reading any books that don’t specifically talk about God and Christianity. Have you ever enjoyed art, or read a good book that falls into that category? I know I certainly have.

With that said, there is still one more point I would like to make. I would encourage you in your listening to make sure that you aren’t being polluted by the music you listen to. As my Mom used to say, “Garbage in, garbage out”, or as 1 Corinthians says, “Do not be mislead: “Bad company corrupts good character.” I have attached a few verses at the end of this blog that I would recommend checking out for some scriptural reference.

Anyway, I think that’s the gist of my thoughts on this topic. I hope this little blog has sparked some food for thought. Take care, and all the best,

Matt

1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be mislead: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

$1871.25 Raised, Hundreds Helped

This past weekend our youth ministry partnered up with World Vision and hosted our very own 30 Hour Famine. Together we fasted hard, stayed up late, played harder, and asked people to donate. ;-) I'm glad to announce that our youth group raised a total $1871.25 to support World Vision!
On Saturday morning we went into two different neighborhoods and went door to door collecting food for a local food bank, which feeds the homeless and underpriveledged families in our very own community. We filled 3 boxes with canned food and non-perishable food items. Way to go NXDEM! I'm so proud of ya!
Some of our parents stepped up to the plate and cooked us a fancy feast to break our fast at 2pm (EST).

Helpful Web Sites

Since our purpose is to assist students and families, I've listed a few helpful websites which can serve as a guideline in different situations we face in our day-to-day lives.

While I am doing my best to filter out questionable sites, please note, that the youth ministry may not support all the views found on these sites. If you find something inappropriate, then please bring it to our attention.

ABUSE
www.prevent-abuse-now.com

ANGER
www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/kopykit/anger.htm
www.angermgmt.com

ANXIETY
www.socialphobia.org
www.paems.com.au

COHABITATION
http://members.aol.com/cohabiting

More links will be coming soon. I had a more extensive list here, but noticed I need to do some extensive filtering before I publish them.