Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Book review: The energy Bus!


I have been able to get a lot of reading done on my vacation. I just finished my second book on this trip. It was a great book about team building. It talked about the energy and how energy inspires your team to be fuel by energy. The story formed about a man name George that was having some problems with himself, life, and work. In this story the bus driver gives him 10 rules about The Energy bus that changed his life. Here are the 10 rules:
  • Your the driver of your bus
  • Desire, vision, focus moves your bus in the right direction
  • Fuel your bus with positive energy
  • Invite people on your bus and share your for the road ahead
  • Don't waste your energy on those who don't get on your bus
  • Post a sign that says"no energy vampires allowed" on your bus
  • Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride
  • Love your passengers
  • Drive with a Purpose
  • Have fun and enjoy the ride
Its a great read and after reading it had me think alot about my team. The vision and passion of the leader, and how it must be greater than the fear, doubt and disbelief of the team.

Favorite Quotes:
"You must fill up everyday with positive energy, positive thoughts and positive actions. Without it your ride will stall. "
"The goal isn't to be better than anyone else but rather be better that you were yesterday."
Grade= A-

Monday, May 26, 2008

Recap!

I was off this weekend. So Jessica spoke about following Jesus. She was finishing up the series called (Extra)Ordinary Day just a closer look at Luke 5. When I talked to she said thing went well.
Attendance was BELOW AVERAGE!
Message was relevant!
Volunteer was Average!
Fun Factor was OK!

I am excited to be able to take a weekend off. I am looking forward to the next series. We will be talking your becoming a person of Character!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Chasing Cool

I took the weekend off to come and see my mom in Oklahoma! I got the
chance to finish up a book called Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace. Its talks about the failures and success in the last few decades when it comes to music, fashion, food and the culture. Its a deep look at this whole concept of what is cool and what is not. Here are a few things that I took from this book:
  • "Never create for Today"
  • "Younger wants to be older and older wants to be younger"
  • "Assign too many chefs to cook up a vision, and the product will taste like something reheated"
  • "Too many companies get drunk on their own success and make the mistake of trying to fill up their cups even futher

A few questions to think about:
  • What are you doing to inspire people and to make them want apart of our ministry?
  • What are you doing different or similar in the marketplace around you?
  • Do influential people rearrange their lives to become people-markets?
Here is my favorite quote of this the book:
  • "You can be the Goliath but you always have to think and behave like David"
In the future it will be too difficult to break through even for mass brands, without the slingshot of shared equity.

Grade: B

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

10 things adults need to know about teenagers

I found this on youth news!!

1) Teens are people, too. Resist calling them "kids" (unless you mean it as a term of endearment) or speaking about them as if they aren't in the room.

2) Teens need time. Particularly during discussions, teens need a little time to think about what they want to say. Resist the temptation to jump in with "the right answer" and don't feel you have to fill in every moment of silence with talking.

3) Teens like adults.
Despite what you may remember from your younger days, teens do enjoy the companionship of adults. They just aren't always sure that we like them so the can seem stand-offish at times. In fact, many are at a point in their lives when they are trying to put a little independent distance between themselves and their parents, so they are seeking other caring adults to serve as mentors and role models.

4) Teens have a lot to teach us.
In many ways, "The Breakfast Club" got it right. Young people are unique individuals with unique talents, gifts, attitudes, and perspectives. It would be a mistake to lump them all together as one homogenous group.

5) Teens' body clocks are different from ours. Most teens need 8-10 hours of sleep a night and get much less. Additionally, most teens are not at their peak until late morning and many are "night owls."

6)Teens are passionate. The first part of the teenage brain to fully develop is the emotions center. This means that teens can have high-highs and low-lows all in one day, they really connect with the hurt of others, and can be very passionate about the things they believe in.

7) Teens want to "own" their experiences. We have a temptation as adults, when teens talk about their struggles, to say things like "Oh, I went through the same thing at your age," or "I had the same problems and I survived it," or "Here's how I handled that problem." In many ways, the experiences of teens today are quite different from when we were young. Their struggles are real and they want them taken seriously, not dismissed with "I survived that and you will, too." The best approach often with young people isn't to offer advice, but just to listen.

8) Teens are fun to be around. You might think hanging with adolescents would make you feel old, but it's just the opposite. They often offer a perspective on life and the world that is refreshingly honest, hopeful, and new. And that sense of hope and possibility can be contagious.

9) Teens can be a great source of frustration. Ok, Ok. Teens are great, but let's be realistic about this, too. They can be incredibly frustrating to work with. . .unless you are willing to be flexible, can take a little good natured ribbing and criticism (Have I mentioned the girl at church who always tells me when my tie doesn't match my suit?), and remember that they still have a lot of growing up to do. Which leads to the final item on this list...

10) Teen are not adults. No matter how much they might look or act like adults, teens are still children, in the best sense of the word. For every moment of maturity, they have other moments where they grumble about taking out the trash, neglect their responsibilities, fight with their best friends and then make up an hour later, and choose goofing off over doing their work. Don't expect them to act like adults. Expect them to act that young people who are still growing, adjusting, stumbling, and trying to figure it all out.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Weekend Recap!!

We just finished week 2 of this series called (extra) Ordinary Day looking at a closer look at Jesus life in Luke 5. We talked about forgiveness.

Attendance was below average!
Volunteers was average!
Fun Factor was below average!
Message was ok!
Music was average!

We have one more week in this series. Next week, we are going to look at what it looks like to follow Jesus.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Book Review: Do Hard Things

I enjoyed this book I felt like it had a lot to offer! It focused on the low expectations of teenagers. I think that its true! I hear all the time they are just teenagers give them a brake. In this book it identifies 5 Kinds of Hard:

  • Take you outside your comfort zone
  • Go beyond what's expected or required
  • Too big for you to do alone
  • Don't pay off immediately
  • Go against the crowd

Monday, May 12, 2008

weekend recap!!


We stated this series called (Extra) Ordinary Day basically looking at one day in the life of Jesus! This week we talked about being willing. It was a good Sunday!

Attendance was average!
Volunteers was above average!
Message was below average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Small groups was average!
Media was average!

We are looking forward to next week! It was just an average Sunday!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

texting...writing...what!!!

I found this on marko blog

how texting is killing off teenagers’ writing interest, here’s surprising research saying just the opposite. anastasia posts an interview between herself and the senior researcher on the project and the emeritus head of the writing institute about the report. a few bits (click though for the whole interview, or on the first link for the study):

YP: What do you think educators can take away from this research, especially writing teachers?

RS: The good news is that young people are writing more than ever. They are communicating more often with more people, and they are creating content on the internet in significant numbers. The challenge for teachers is to capture the energy and enthusiasm that teens display outside of school and build bridges to the curriculum in school. Teachers need to help students learn a variety of writing skills, understand when and where to use formal and informal language and to push their thinking in writing. Our society needs young people who can understand and express complex ideas, ideas that we know teens will need as they progress though their education. That is the task for educators.

and some stats, from this post:

While teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world and craft a significant amount of electronic text, they see a fundamental distinction between their electronic social communications and the more formal writing they do for school or for personal reasons.
- 87% of youth ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites (I would think this would be more like 100 percent)
- 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as “writing.”
Teens are utilitarian in their approach to technology and writing, using both computers and longhand depending on circumstances. Their use of computers for school and personal writing is often tied to the convenience of being able to edit easily. And while they do not think their use of computers or their text-based communications with friends influences their formal writing, many do admit that the informal styles that characterize their e-communications do occasionally bleed into their schoolwork.
- 57% of teens say they revise and edit more when they write using a computer.
- 63% of teens say using computers to write makes no difference in the quality of the writing they produce.
- 73% of teens say their personal electronic communications (email, IM, text messaging) have no impact on the writing they do for school, and 77% said they have no impact on the writing they do for themselves.
- 64% of teens admit that they incorporate, often accidentally, at least some informal writing styles used in personal electronic communication into their writing for school. (Some 25% have used emoticons in their school writing; 50% have used informal punctuation and grammar; 38% have used text shortcuts such as “LOL” meaning “laugh out loud.”)
Eight in ten parents believe that good writing skills are more important now than they were 20 years ago, and 86% of teens believe that good writing ability is an important component of guaranteeing success later in life.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Teenagers want sex in magazines

This was a interest article about teenagers and sex!

Random trip to salt lake city!




I went to Game 6 in Salt Lake city. It was the LOUDEST place I have ever been too. There was not many black people the city! The Rockets lost but we still had a blast!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Weekend Recap!!

We had a one hit and talked about baptism. Why do we need to get baptized, what is the point and what does the bible say about it. We will be starting a new series next week!
Attendance was average!
Volunteer Involvement was below average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Message was Average!

We were missing a number of volunteers! Overall, we had a good weekend! We will start a series called (extra) Ordinary Day. Looking at Luke 5:12-27

Friday, May 2, 2008

article for single parents

A Word to Single Parents
Author: Jim Burns, Ph.D.

With so much focus today on building strong marriages and a solid foundation for building strong kids, I want to say a few things to single parents. When I speak at single parents’ groups, I am reminded of what incredible people single parents are he extra load they carry. Parenting is tough enough with two people, let alone one.

I’d like to share with you a story from the Bible: Moses and the Israelites were battling their archenemy, the Amalekites. God instructed Moses to hold his arms up high above his head with his staff in his hand. When Moses kept his arms raised, the Israelites would begin to win the battle; but when he grew tired and he dropped is arms, the Amalekites would start to win the battle. Finally, when Moses was exhausted, others stood beside him and helped him hold his arms high. The Israelites ended up winning the battle because of the helpers Moses used to keep his arms held high (see Exodus 17:8-16).

Who comes alongside you to help you with your children when you get tired or lose perspective along the way? Are you discourage and too tired to fight some of the battles that need to be fought? All parents–especially single parents–have to find the courage to ask for help and find replenishing relationships for themselves and their children. The church is a very good place to seek out some of those replenishing relationships.

Mary, a friend of ours, is a single parent and my pick for Mother of the Year. She is a networker. She finds others whom she can serve and who can serve her family needs. She has chosen to be involved in her church, where many of the moms take care of each other and look after the needs of each other’s children. She can’t afford fancy vacations or even much time off from work, but on a shoestring budget she still manages to create family fun nights and vacation traditions that will make wonderful memories for her children. Her life hasn’t turned out the way she had dreamed it would, but she is constantly on the lookout for ways to focus on the positive as well as for people like her church youth workers who can help her bring up her children to one day be responsible adults.

No one said it would be easy, but with God’s help and by finding the right people to come alongside you, your kids will thrive.

(Excerpted from the book, The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family by Jim Burns, Ph.D. Click here to order a copy.)