gdp's Comments

Life in Student Ministry : How to spread your ideas

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:39:35 +0000

Hey Dan! Regarding time, I'm asked that a lot and I'm not really sure how to answer it. It just kinda seems to flow from my thoughts and experiences, maybe because it feels like a natural part of me and how I express myself more than a new project I undertook, ya know? Also, I don't do much of what other people do with their free time. I rarely go to the movies, I don't follow sports, we don't even have TV at our house, we eat out only once or twice a month, stuff like that. *shrugs* There are a lot of middle school websites and blogs out there. You could search and find a lot of them, at least the top ones, and see what they're doing. The key is to not only be unique, but also for that uniqueness to be natural for you. Trying to be different just for the sake of being different is really hard and ultimately not sustainable. Being unique can't be a strategy you have for the blog -- it has to be a part of you. I don't think've ever really tried to attach people to my stuff because when I got starte I primarily didn't write for anyone else, I wrote for me. Unfortunately, in the past year or two, I've drifted from that and have started to focus on the audience more and in shifting this site to something else, but I realize now that that was a mistake both for me and for my audience. So now I'm trying to return back to blogging for me and letting others listen in if they want.

Life in Student Ministry : $5,000 for a youth worker in need this Christmas

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:27:50 +0000

Yup, I think that would be fine. :)

Life in Student Ministry : How to spread your ideas

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:16:20 +0000

That's awesome, Daniel! Glad you're able to do that. A lot of us can't even explain what our vision is if we had all day to think about it first!

Life in Student Ministry : How to spread your ideas

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:38:40 +0000

haha oh yeah, I remember when we were both using the same WordPress theme back in 2005-2006. I don't remember what it was called either. I remember what it looks like, though, back on WordPress 1.5.

Life in Student Ministry : How to spread your ideas

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:34:41 +0000

Totally agree, J.D. I'm talking more about the youth leaders who do have good ideas and a message to spread, the next "Steve Jobs" of youth ministry, if you will. There are so many people lending their voices, which is great, but how does one voice begin to stand out? That's what I was asked to address for the youth leaders at this gathering. If you are one of the ones who has credible foresight and perspectives of youth ministry to share, how one goes about getting started is what I was trying to address. I think your observations are totally correct, though.

Life in Student Ministry : Freebie Friday #123: 30 days of missions devotionals for teens

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:39:09 +0000

Sorry the link to the download doesn't work anymore. Apparently HCBJ took this resource down. Sorry!

Life in Student Ministry : I'm thinking about ending our large-group youth meetings

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:47:35 +0000

I don't think so. You go where God leads, and if that's to the bus route, so be it! Don't feel bad about where God's taking you. :)

Life in Student Ministry : Reward system for youth group attendance

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:38:53 +0000

Maybe, and only as a result of God's grace, but the idea that we win kids with "stuff" and then tell them it's not about "stuff" and is about sacrifice feels like bait and switch to me. How we win kids to Christ will set the tone and a foundational understanding of what we're winning them to. We communicate our faith in more ways than just what is taught from a stage. In fact, they're watching what we do much closer than listening to what we say.

Life in Student Ministry : Tips for helping a cutter find relief

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:46:19 +0000

Sorry to hear that, Rebecca! Here's a couple videos I made on the subject of cutting and stress. Maybe they can help! Help! My friend is cutting and suicidal! How to handle stress

Life in Student Ministry : Approaching God with conditions [Time Out]

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:25:11 +0000

Personally, I didn't feel guilty about having nice things -- God has chosen to bless me and I am thankful for that. But if my focus shifts from God, the giver of those things, to the things themselves, then that's when I have a problem. Noticing when that shift takes place, though, is difficult because we're ingrained with "nice stuff," ya know?

Life in Student Ministry : Youth group video announcement intro [Freebie Friday]

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:24:20 +0000

Ahh yeah. That often happens because the video you're using is too high quality and taxing on your computer system to keep up with it. Since I believe I made this intro available in full 1080p HD, that might be your problem. That happens to me from time to time even on my newer Macbook Pro. It may not play back in real time on your computer, but if you export it with your video, it should work fine. If it doesn't, try opening it in QuickTime and going to "Save As" to save it as an HD 720p file to lower the quality for ya, but still keep it in HD.

Life in Student Ministry : What's missing from family-based ministry

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 21:07:47 +0000

I actually know someone at Orange and they started advertising here on LISM this month (see the sidebar). I'm familiar with their philosophy, but I really need to get around to reading Reggie's book. It sounds like good stuff! Glad it's serving your church well!

Life in Student Ministry : What's missing from family-based ministry

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 15:39:03 +0000

I really like that idea of putting Deut 6 on everything! That's great! A subtle, yet critical reminder that no one can really argue with when it's straight from the Bible. :)

Life in Student Ministry : What's missing from family-based ministry

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 15:22:30 +0000

That's awesome, Benjer! Your advice about how to pitch stuff like "seminars" is great. I hadn't really thought about that before. Approaching it humbly and sharing from your life experience is much better than, "I'm the expert because snagged some notes off the Internet that I'd like to share with you." No one actually says that, but sometimes that may be what parents hear. Good stuff. Thanks for the comment!

Life in Student Ministry : What youth group never taught me about sex before marriage

Tue, 8 Nov 2011 20:26:03 +0000

Very true, Ashley. The parental involvement in not only abstinence, but spiritual growth, is key and often overlooked. I see it more as a partnership between parents and youth leaders where we're here to hopefully support what the parents are already doing at home.

Life in Student Ministry : How exercise, rest, and healthy eating impact my ministry [Time Out]

Tue, 8 Nov 2011 19:53:38 +0000

Good thoughts, Daniel! We recently started trying to eat our main meal together at lunch instead of dinner. Working from home gives us the flexibility to do that, but supposedly it's better for ya than loading up when your metabolism is slowing down. *shrugs*

Life in Student Ministry : Q&A: Handling students who don't want to participate in youth activities

Sat, 5 Nov 2011 02:20:12 +0000

Personally, I don't force them to play. Why would you? Have youth leaders who will sit along the sidelines and engage with kids there. Also be sure that not all the games you play cater to athletic kids. Play games that non-athletic kids and insecure kids can play, too.

Life in Student Ministry : Using expensify.com to track ministry receipts

Fri, 4 Nov 2011 14:08:11 +0000

Yeah, I hate dealing with tedious paperwork stuff like this, too. I'm sure it'll help you as much as it helped me!

Life in Student Ministry : How to build an interactive youth group website

Thu, 3 Nov 2011 14:10:37 +0000

Honestly, Nicole, I wouldn't use Joomla anymore. This post is a bit old. If I were to build a youth group website today, I'd probably just go with WordPress and modify it with plugins and such to meet my needs.

Life in Student Ministry : What's new for SYMC 2012? [video]

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:57:03 +0000

Sweet! I'll look forward to meeting you then! :)