I am about to wrap up my eighth full year here at Main Street and I am still making mistakes and learning from them. This will come as a surprise to you but I do not know it all. OK, keep your sarcasm to yourself. Seriously, there will never come a time where you will be able to say, “I have figured it all out.” I heard a preacher tell me that in a sermon you never say never but I can guarantee you that you will never know it all. There’s no magic crystal ball that will provide an easy way out in youth ministry that will work for the rest of your tenure. You know why? Because people are involved. The dynamics of your parents, volunteers and students are always in a constant flux of change and nothing remains the same so neither should your programs, focus or even approach.

Rick Warren is quoted as saying, “All leaders are learners.  If you ever stop learning, you will stop leading.” I buy-in to that statement. I am reading through a book right now by Mark DeVries called Sustainable Youth Ministry and it is firmly establishing that I have missed this (learning) in my ministry. We think that if you get a high-energetic guy who relates well to teenagers and connects to outsiders and can put an amazing video together will automatically translate into an amazing youth minister. I am not sure I want a person who can relate well with a teenager to lead my teenagers. I need someone who relates well with adults and has the maturity level of an adult to learn from them to lead teenagers.

Never stop learning. Ever.

Get started,

Robbie Mackenzie

Yesterday I sent you a letter and we said that motives mean everything. Today I want to talk to you about the ministry itself. Perhaps the most important aspect of ministry is people not programs. Every where you go you see a youth ministry doing this new “fad” where they have a program that has strengthened their ministry in some capacity. They have a cute little A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C. for their program that nobody else is using (doubtful) and apparently it has led many to Christ with their new way of doing ministry. I was like that at first. I wanted to change everything (we will talk about change down the road) and implement all of these cool ideas that I learned from conferences, seminars or at a seminary some where. some of these programs absolutely bombed while some of them have been successful but I want to share something with you that  will be serve as a catalyst for your ministry. It’s about people.

Consider the new Sticky Faith movement asking youth ministers to implement inter-generational relationships with their students. Most of us agree with the research (I don’t think this is a fad) that students need to be involved in the larger picture of the church but this isn’t some new program (Deut. 6:1-9 anyone?) but it is a call back to the foundation of youth ministry…people. Jesus did not walk around talking about his missional approach to ministry and his strategies for the kingdom…he walked around and met with people and talked with them and healed many of them. Students and parents come to me regularly thanking the ministry for reaching their teenager not because of a program or event but because of a relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, programs have their functions and if you want to survive longer than a month in youth ministry you are going to have to do something other than play PS3 and be “present” all the time. Yet, at the end of the day relationships and people always trump programs. Always. Take it from someone who was slow to realize this.

Your welcome,

Robbie Mackenzie

Dear Youth Minister,

Motives mean everything. As a father I understand this more than when I was younger. I have two young beautiful girls and when they start dating I want to completely understand the motives and intentions of the boy who decides to date her. Good intentions, as I have heard in sermons, are not necessarily God intentions. I hear of youth ministers who begin the ministry for a myriad of different reasons. Perhaps they feel youth ministry is a stepping-stone to preaching ministry or something else. Their intentions may be honorable but their heart will always be somewhere else. Not that preaching MAY be a logical transition for a youth minister but that is not where you need to be right now. I get it though, got to have a vision right? Got to have dreams right? That’s fine but James said, “You are like a mist that appears one moment and vanishes another” (4:14; The Voice NT). Or maybe you want to get into youth ministry because you enjoyed activities in high-school and think youth ministry is about hanging-out and playing dodgeball and such. I would caution you right now, GET OUT! It is more than simply a game of dodgeball as there is theology, planning, meeting and even some heart breaks that occur.

So my first letter to you is really a question: Why do you want to do youth ministry? It’s a low-paying job with hardly any benefits, more hours, more demanded of you, it will stretch you to your breaking-point (and even beyond) and will test the very fabric of your ever living soul. There will be many nights you lie awake crying, wondering if Jonah really made that bad of a decision going to Tarshish. You will lose your temper, you will not be able to keep up with the Jones’ and there will be times you want to quit. Still interested? I hope so. Motives mean everything.

Your friend,

Robbie Mackenzie

The guys at the Jenkins Institute are doing some amazing things and one of those is “Ministry Now” that will help those in ministry to spark the work and feel of the church.

Register here.

Rusty Pettus always does a great job at providing top notch speakers and programs to refresh the youth minister’s soul and to challenge, equip and empower us to go to our churches and be the kind of minister’s God called us to be.

Register here.

Dr. Walter Surdacki is doing some amazing things with the youth ministry department at Lipscomb. Here is what they are doing…

“Mark your calendars for an exciting event that Lipscomb University’s College of Bible & Ministry is hosting, March 1, 2012 Titled, “The Three Stories of Youth Ministry.”  We will have three nationally-recognized speakers in for this tremendous event:

• Teaching THE Story of God:  Michael Novelli, author of Shaped by the Story, an expert in teaching the Bible narratively.  He will give you tools that you will be able to use to teach your students the Biblical story in an engaging and exciting way.
• MY Story with God:  Rachel Held Evans, author of Evolving in Monkeytown, will help us see how our upbringing and our biases shape our worldview, our faith and our ministry.
• OUR Story with God:  David Hutchens, author of A Slice of Trust, is an expert in helping organizations like Coca-Cola, Kroger and Wal-Mart define their organization’s story and how it shapes, helps and hinders their culture.  David will help you define your ministry’s and your church’s story and ethos.”

Register here.

We have bullies in our schools, in our churches, at our jobs and even in our families who use the power of words to get their way or to belittle those who are “less fortunate” (using that negatively) than they are.  Using words in that capacity feeds in to Darwin’s idea that only the strong survive. So the image of God is not sufficient enough for some people because they do not look, act, talk, smell, react, work, worship, dress or __________ (you fill in the blank) like we do. As if “we” are the authority as to what is right. James said:

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (3:10-12)

So be careful little tongue what you say, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little tongue what you say.

I hate you. Don’t get me wrong, I know it is a great time for me to recognize my wife and to purchase for her flowers, chocolates, and jewelry but quite frankly you are nothing more than a guilt trip and a marketing ploy. I mean really, do you think that the love I have for my mom, my wife and my daughters can be measured by the amount of gifts I purchase for them on one day? You don’t cater to the other 364 days I tell me wife and girls that I love them so why such a big push now? My wife and I decided years ago to give up on you because it’s nothing more than consumer-driven propaganda where companies invest millions to make billions on people who will purchase a cute teddy-bear only to be thrown away months (if not weeks) later.

The problem I have is not only the marketing ploy but also the guilt. Millions of women out there will not get to go to a fancy, romantic dinner from Mr. Right and they are going to feel like crap at the end of the day. I hate you for that Valentine’s Day. I also hate you because the men who do go out of their way to spend money on their significant other will in turn be made to feel like junk because their significant other will give them “the look” because “so-and-so” got a new car for Valentine’s Day and all they got was a lousy ring, flowers and a steak dinner. They will tell their man to “man-up” and go big next time or they will spend Valentine’s Day alone. Guilt trip.

Another issue I have with Valentine’s Day is that I have two beautiful daughters. I hate buying stuff on this day but I’ll be darned if someone braced-face, voice-cracking, pant-sagging teenager is going to outdo me on Valentine’s Day. I am starting early by giving them flowers and writing them notes letting them know how much I love them. I know, hypocritical BUT if they do celebrate Valentine’s Day the blasted dudes that take them out on a date will have to compete with me. Good luck with that.

I hate you Valentine’s Day because there is always “that guy” who goes above and beyond and makes all the women “oooh” and “ahhh” at his marvelous feet. You know who I am talking about. He’s the one who flies his significant other on a leer jet to a private island in the Carribbean. Upon arrival he has a 6 mile long path of rose pedals where a dinner awaits them cooked by Emeril and dessert cooked by Paula Deen. Not to be outdone, “that guy” paid for dinner entertainment by The Temptations, Barry White (don’t go there) and Keith Urban. Yeah, thanks Valentine’s Day for “that guy”.

Look, I am not against special moments of showing my love for my wife but I am against marketing ploys, guilt trips and shameless exploitation for us to “shower love” on our significant other. So it is my request that you end your selfish and relentless badgering on the man and let us love not on one day, but every day.

Signed,

Robbie Mackenzie

Like many of you I follow a lot of blogs using Google Reader and a lot of times there are posts that will, by the nature of their title, lend itself to a colossal amount of comments. I was following a post on Matthew Paul Turner’s blog called, “MARK DRISCOLL’S ‘GOSPEL SHAME’: THE TRUTH ABOUT DISCIPLINE, EXCOMMUNICATION, AND CULT-LIKE CONTROL AT MARS HILL” which, at  this point, has 685 comments. People square-off within the confines of their laptop, cuddled-up with a cup of coffee and the expertise of Wikipedia, Google, and everything else at their fingertips. I get that. People can have a voice and comment accordingly and they feel as if they are heard. I am fine with that. What bothers me are two types of people:

1. The I-really-don’t-have-a-life-so-I-will-comment-on-everything Guy. I mean really, do you have to respond to everyone and comment on everything? Will life cease to exist if you don’t comment on something?
2. The I-am-right-and-feel-compelled-to-prove-everyone-wrong-because-somehow-my-study-is-unique-in-comparison-to-2,000+-years-of-scholarship Guy. This guy just can’t let it go. Furthermore he uses the passive-aggressive outlet of blogging and commenting to show how knowledgeable and well-read he or she really is. He has to let everyone know his position and cannot accept the idea that he may be wrong. My recommendation to you is that you turn off the computer, go outside and actually help people. That’s right…help people. Not many people care about the Greek tense of that verb, or that you can use amazing terms that nobody (outside of seminary) can understand.

Blogging is awesome for dialogue and pushing us toward deeper understanding. But people, go talk to your spouse or children or go out and volunteer at a shelter or something. Put the computer down bruh.

Lastly, I want to briefly discuss something that I have seen over the years since the advent of Facebook, Twitter, etc. I love watching people comment on a sermon, speech or something and watch it unfold in helpful discussion. Yet, when somebody disagrees with something it makes my body ache when they feel “compelled” to put things on Facebook how they disagreed with what so-and-so said. In Twitter I see the hash-tag #ChapelTweet and it bothers me to read people making fun of speakers, saying how horrible they are, how much they disagree with them and yet this is a version of slander (some of the comments are really positive though). A hash-tag is public and you do not need a twitter account to view it (http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23chapeltweet).

I just came from the Freed-Hardeman Lectures and noticed people were saying how much they disagreed with so-and-so about what he said. They would offer their passive-aggressive expertise on Facebook/Twitter and it just bothers me because then everyone who was not there sees your mini-rant. Why not contact the speaker, lecturer or teacher afterwards for some coffee or just to chat and have some dialogue about what you disagreed with in the speech? That seems to be a better solution than becoming a theological expert within the confines of your office, living room or whatever. Furthermore it promotes a positive way at handling disagreement. If I was wrong I want YOU to tell ME not EVERYBODY else. That’s what we teach our children to do right? If you have a problem with mom or dad tell us about it.

I am done ranting…it has been a while. Hope your weekend goes well.

9.  Nicole Cottrell has an amazing post that talks about the goodness of God: God is Good..Blah, blah, blah…

8.  Kyle Luck speaks about materialism in a grounding post: The Appetite of North America

7.  Bert Montgomery has a good post about missiology, the kingdom of God and some common misconceptions: Of Jaws, Fishing for Men, and the Kingdom of God

6.  I am a Perry Noble junkie but another good post about what a teamn should NOT look like: Your Team Probably Isn’t A Good Team If…

5.  I came across an article in the Washington Post by Allison Gopnik that speaks about the teenage brain (really fascinating): What’s Wrong With the Teenage Mind?

4.  You ever wonder why Scripture has so much poetry? Donald Miller share some insights in his post: Why Scripture Includes So Much Poetry

3.  Rachel Jankovic slapped me across the face with this post about parenting: 10 Ways to love your kids

2.  YM360 had a post titled “When is a Youth Minister Too Old to be Effective“ that was awesome but I love Doug Fields’ response in his post: 5 reasons that I’m not too old to work with teenagers

1.  Brian Ford, who blogs at Xposed2Jesus, had a post that spoke to my heart about why I do youth ministry. It’s like an Ode to Youth Ministry: I Am A Youth Minister

Happy Reading!!!

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good. Psalm 14:1 (ESV)

Perhaps your experience is similar to mine in that when this verse is read, quoted or used it is within the context of atheists. I have heard many Christians say, “How could someone not believe in God? The Scripture says ________.” They will quote Psalm 14:1. I think people do not believe in God for a variety of reasons (hypocritical Christians?) but I wonder if we could go a different direction with the interpretation of this Psalm. Let me ask the question, “Who is the fool in Psalm 14?” They are those, contextually, who God looks down and sees that the people are 1) not understanding, 2) not seeking after him, 3) they have turned aside, and 4) become corrupt (14:2-3). Now surely this broadens our interpretation of simply atheists. Surely you know some folks at church that fit the bill there right?

Look at how Eugene Peterson words the Psalm in The Message

¹ Bilious and bloated, they gas, “God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
thistles are their cash crop.

² God sticks his head out of heaven.
He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid—
one man, even, God-expectant,
just one God-ready woman.

³ He comes up empty. A string
of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending
to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
follow their fellow.

I wonder then, who is the fool? I find it interesting that Psalms 14:1-3 is quoted nearly verbatim in Romans 3:10-12. The context there is that we are all sinners in need of the justification of God by faith. So then is it a stretch to say that the fool in Psalm 14 who says “there is no God” might be us? The immediate context for David are the enemies of his kingdom but the larger implication is that sometimes we are fools. Consider the following:

• We are fools when we do not believe God will deliver us in a difficult situation.
• We are fools when we try to conduct ministry, spiritual formation and kingdom-work on our own without the guidance of our Father.
• We are fools when we do not lead our families spiritually.
• We are fools when we try to bind things in Scripture that God never intended to be bound.
• We are fools when we make it our goal to “correct” every person’s theology whom we have contentions with as if we can come up with a perfect theology on our own.
• We are fools when we neglect the poor and build massive buildings (does Babel ring a bell?) and have big-screen TV’s, elaborate pulpits complete with techno-savvy ways to make ministry “easier.”
• We are fools when we do not evangelize and disciple others.
• We are fools when we judge people, as if we are the perfect standard.
• We are fools when we say God can’t do something, as if our existence were not evidence for God being able to do something.
• We are fools when we keep sin to ourselves.
• We are fools when we spend too much time at work and forget our families.
• We are fools when we do not take care of ourselves physically.
• We are fools when we isolate ourselves in our Christian bubble, forgetting that God actually came in the flesh.
• We are fools to think God does not care about us (how many hairs do you have on your head again? God knows).
• We are fools not to learn from the past, redeem the present and wait, with hope, for the future.
• Finally, we are fools when we think it is up to us to become righteous.

Tough list. I look at it and mourn. Because I want to be honest with you, I am a fool. At times, my actions and thoughts reveal the claim that there is no God even thought intuitively I know there is. Sad. Christ, forgive me.

Who is the fool?