Summer is here and now the students are hanging out outside again. It wasn’t long ago that our video game room was packed and people were lining up waiting for there turn in Halo. Now basketball, football, and ultimate Frisbee are the in free time activity. I love playing outdoor sports despite the need for 600 mg of Advil the next day.
When it comes to competition, I suppose I’m not a typical athlete. I don’t really care about winning or losing. Don’t get me wrong I love to win… but I don’t get mad and stuff if I don’t. This is not the case with many of the students and even many of our leaders. They have something to prove; we have professional scouts coming to our property on a weekly basis (definite lie there).
Here are a few basic suggestions for your next big game…
Try to provide two of every sport. Have one for the athletes who love the thrill of competition and who want to win badly. Have another court/field for people who want to goof off and learn the game.
Choose the typical last student first. When it is time to choose teams and the students line up have the captains pick the students that look straight down at the ground, the ones who usually get picked last. They love it.
Ensure everyone touches the ball/disc. During our games we typically have an every other possession approach in which we alternating trying to score and trying to involve. We typically say things like “all touch” meaning that before we score everyone has to possess the ball/disc.
Create heroes. There is nothing like watching the most shy and timid student score some points. They might as well have caught the winning touch down at the Super Bowl. Make these moments come true for as many students as possible.
Remember you’re old now. You don’t have to be the best. It’s not worth the pain the next day. Take it easy on yourself.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Big Game…
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Evangasmack
Proverbs 12
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
When was the last time you “got smacked?”
Last week at our Staff Lunch we all got a good lashing on the topic of evangelism. The smack didn’t come in a verbal assault delivered by our Senior Pastor but in one simple question presented by him. How many people in the last year have you brought to Christ from outside of the church? This question was difficult for me because I had to report a goose egg, A BIG FAT 0!
The way the question was asked took away the conversations I was able to be a part of as a result of students bringing friends to the ministry. I couldn’t count the conversations I had with adult visitors of the church. I simply couldn’t count the conversions that resulted in other people doing the hard part of getting people to church in the first place.
Understand that this question wasn’t asked in a competitive nature. We don’t have a big score card posted in our staff office with check marks next to our names for all the conversions we’ve been a part of (But man that could be a sweet deal! Instead of check marks we could do crosses! AWESOME!). Instead, it was a way to communicate “speed of the leader, speed of the team.” If we expect our volunteers and other attendees of our church to bring others to Jesus, then we need to be sure that we are able to communicate our own stories of doing so. We need to be able to share rejection stories of the times people weren’t interested in hearing the message and to be able to share all the joys and pains associated with being an evangelist.
So what are your conversion stats looking like? Any crosses next to your name? Do you remember what it feels like to meet a neighbor, build a relationship, and share the message of Christ? Do you remember the passion that occurred when a friend met God for the first time? I look forward to hearing your future stories and being motivated to do the same!
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
When was the last time you “got smacked?”
Last week at our Staff Lunch we all got a good lashing on the topic of evangelism. The smack didn’t come in a verbal assault delivered by our Senior Pastor but in one simple question presented by him. How many people in the last year have you brought to Christ from outside of the church? This question was difficult for me because I had to report a goose egg, A BIG FAT 0!
The way the question was asked took away the conversations I was able to be a part of as a result of students bringing friends to the ministry. I couldn’t count the conversations I had with adult visitors of the church. I simply couldn’t count the conversions that resulted in other people doing the hard part of getting people to church in the first place.
Understand that this question wasn’t asked in a competitive nature. We don’t have a big score card posted in our staff office with check marks next to our names for all the conversions we’ve been a part of (But man that could be a sweet deal! Instead of check marks we could do crosses! AWESOME!). Instead, it was a way to communicate “speed of the leader, speed of the team.” If we expect our volunteers and other attendees of our church to bring others to Jesus, then we need to be sure that we are able to communicate our own stories of doing so. We need to be able to share rejection stories of the times people weren’t interested in hearing the message and to be able to share all the joys and pains associated with being an evangelist.
So what are your conversion stats looking like? Any crosses next to your name? Do you remember what it feels like to meet a neighbor, build a relationship, and share the message of Christ? Do you remember the passion that occurred when a friend met God for the first time? I look forward to hearing your future stories and being motivated to do the same!
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