Real Community

Last Sunday was by and far one of the most moving and emotional moments in my life and the lives of those at the Otter Creek Church where I worship. It truly brought a taste of what "Real Community" is all about! I so love the idea of being a church that isn't ashamed of who they are because they know family is more than blood.

God truly moved in a powerful way through this church family as we were able to feel God's spirit move through a series the Otter Creek family is engaged in on Dialogue.

The context of this video is from David Rubio, Otter Creek's youth minister and it has Otter Creek members sharing their Cardboard Testimonies as an illustration of the kind of belief in action that can change lives.

From the experience, to watching and listening to it, I can't help but be moved by tears and a grasp of what it means to be the community of people God is calling us to be.

It paints so vividly a picture of what I see in the mission of the Otter Creek Church.

"God is changing the world through us as we become Christ’s presence in this place."

http://vimeo.com/4753194 has the video from this past Sunday morning. May it bless your life as it has mine.

Philosophy of Youth Ministry

One thing that has been a passion of mine for the last 10 yrs has been working with teenagers. I developed this philosophy while in college at Lipscomb and have modified it over the years to show my take on what makes ministry effective for the lives of today's youth. I'd love youth thoughts and take on it if you would like to comment.

My Philosophy of Youth Ministry by Zac Smith
In youth ministry, I believe first and foremost that teenagers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The youth minister plays a vital role and is an essential part of a team effort in building up the kingdom of God through the church. As a youth minister it is very challenging to do everything required within one’s ministry and do it effectively. Youth ministry is about God and people and pointing people to God. It is about bringing teenagers into the presence of Jesus by showing and sharing with them the awesome power of the God that we serve. In order to make youth ministry effective one needs to get out of the way and fully rely on God’s direction for a more effective ministry. Effective ministry doesn’t take place unless one fully realizes that the ministry isn’t built on a single person but built on Jesus Christ. I believe if a youth ministry is to be effective it has to know where it is going. That begins from the top and works its way down.

Through my years working with teenagers, youth ministry needs to be relational. One of the major keys to effective youth ministry is the building of relationships with both the teenagers as well as their parents. By building relationships with the teenagers, one allows each teen to have a sense of belonging, a sense of acceptance, and most importantly a sense that they are loved.

In addition to building relationships, it is important to assist teenagers to take ownership in their own ministries. The only way to get teenagers exposed to ministry opportunities is to assist them in reaching their full potential. If you do everything, they will never make it on their own. They will graduate from high school and church at the same time; this overwhelming pattern has become too common in our churches. Their faith has to be real! It’s important to work hard at setting teens up to succeed in ministry! As a youth minister, one must work hard at equipping teens with training and adult support, while making sure that they know that the main core of their ministry is their responsibility.

If all you do in youth ministry is get the teenagers wet in the baptistery, then you’ve cheated them. The Great Commission says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded.” If you aren’t following through and teaching them to obey, you didn’t finish the job.

Finally, I believe that every ministry has one person who drives that ministry. This is the person who has to take the tough stands when no one else is willing to step up to the plate—even if it means standing alone! However, in ministry, there is also a team concept with God at the head and support from the leadership of the church, members of the church, parents of teens and the teens as well.

Limiting God

I had a great conversation last night with a friend on facebook about the way we as individuals and even Christians for that matter limit what our God can do.

This is what William Barclay had to say about limiting God:
“When we listen to men planning and arguing and thinking aloud, we get the impression of a vast number of things in this world which are known to be desirable but dismissed as impossible. Men spend the greater part of their lives putting limitations on the power of God. Faith is the ability to lay hold on that grace which is sufficient for all things in such a way that the things which are humanly impossible become divinely possible. With God all things are possible, and, therefore, the word impossible has no place in the vocabulary of the Christian and of the Christian Church.”

It seems so crazy that we tend to want to control what it is God can do? We have this tendency to think that we have God all figured out both inside and out saying "I don't think so God, that's not what it's about!" We also have this tendency to think and say out loud, "That's not the way we sing that song or that's not the way you should talk to God."

Now pardon me for a minute when I say that is just ridiculous to think that there are people in our world that operate on that mentality. God calls us and says "With man nothing is possible but with God anything is possible."

What are some of the most impossible things you can think of?
Here are a few mostly impossible things I ran across and thought of that might surprise you and yet add a good laugh too.
1. Raise one eyebrow
2. Lick your elbow
3. Draw The Number Six While Making Clockwise Circles With Your LegDraw The Number Six While Making Clockwise Circles With Your Leg

"I Will Rise" Chris Tomlin

I continue to be amazed at the power of God!!!! Ever since Sunday it has been evident in the ways He has been at work through so many scenerios. I just can't get it off my mind.

I leave you with the words to a song that has been in my mind and on my heart.
It's called "I Will Rise" and it's off of Chris Tomlin's new album Hello Love. Tomlin has become over the last few years one of my favorite praise and worship artists out there. Everytime I hear his music I can't help but feel convicted and moved in a unique way

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:] And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings Before my God fall on my knees
And rise I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:] And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings Before my God fall on my knees
And riseI will rise
And I hear the voice of many angels sing, "Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart, "Worthy is the Lamb"

[Chorus:] And I will rise
when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings Before my God fall on my knees
And rise I will rise

Thought To Ponder

I ran across this on a friend of mine's website and see lots of truth in these phrases and wanted to share with you. His name is Hoss Ridgeway and he is a Christian comedian and youth minister with an amazing heart for God. I don't know if these are his words or something he heard somewhere but they speak volume about what we as Christians are called to be. Check his website out at www.hossridgeway.net and be blessed

Christ before Career
Character before Ministry
Unity before Growth
People before Program
Ownership before Organization
Unreached before Reached
Integrity before Popularity

The Start Of Something New

First off, this is my first ever official blog. It has been something that I've really wanted to get into for several years now and I'm finally getting on the ball with it and giving it a shot. I will do my best to keep it going as I get the hang of things.

Today has been a great day! As the weekend wraps up I am so exhausted but it's that good feeling of exhaustion. After not really getting much sleep last night I headed to church at Otter Creek this morning to help get class set up for our teens and their parents. For the whole month of January we are doing a combined topical study on various subjects with both our teens as well as their parents. One of our parents led class this morning while our youth minister was outta town with our senior high and their parents on a weekend retreat. Our class was taken from Micah 6:8 which says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good & what does the Lord require of you but to Act Justly, Love Mercy, and to Walk Humbly with your God.” The angle taken with this was we had our teens match up in groups with their parent and another teen/parent. They were to discuss which of the 3 requirements stood out to them and why. Great discussions and thoughts shared from so many unique perspectives (both parents as well as teens). As I sat in on one of of our groups with a couple parents and their teens it was so cool to see the sense of community and uniqueness with the way God's word speaks to us. The group I was in discussed the importance of "Walking Humbly with your God" taking the approach that based on the diversity of schools represented how hard it is to sometimes accept the fact of what it truly means to be humble and carry ourselves the way God wants us to do so.

Lots of great thoughts and discussion in class!

As I sit here and think about today and this weekend it was also good to catch up with another person I've not seen in several months. We were able to meet up after church and have lunch together which was really a blessing for the both of us.

Well it's late so I'm gonna call it a night. Not much sleep on Saturday and a long but great weekend. At least Monday is a day off for me and I am gonna try and get some good shut eye tonight. Not so bad for post #1 I suppose :). Please be praying for those who went on our weekend retreat. They arrive back in Nashville tomorrow afternoon.