DREAM.

labels: man in the mirror

2009-09-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Uncommon

2009-04-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished "Uncommon"by Tony Dungy. It was a great read. There were a number of practical ways that he talked about in finding your path to significance. He stressed about the fact that success is uncommon, therefore not to be enjoyed by the common man. There are 7 parts to becoming uncommon...

Part 1: Develop Your Core
Part 2: Love your family
Part 3: Lift your friends and otheres
Part4: Your full potential
Part 5: Establish a mission that matters
Part 6: Choose influence over image
Part 7: Live your faith

I would suggest you put it up!

B+

Are you serious?

2009-03-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

This article is from Jonathan McKee Blog

I have to admit, I've never heard of these being stolen before, but I guess anything's possible!

CNN linked this story from KTLA News: Woman Sought for Stealing Breast Implants.

LOL.

This story writes itself.

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Police are searching for a 30-year-old woman accused of stealing someone's identity and a pair of new breast implants.

Yvonne Pampellonne is accused of using a fake id to pay for liposuction and new breast implants valued at more than $12,000. According to Huntington Beach police, Pampellonne opened a line of credit in someone else's name in September 2008.

Huntington Beach police detective Larry Pitcher said Pampellone lied to her doctor and the staff at the Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery about her name and other personal identification. She used the credit to have the procedures done and never showed up for any follow-up appointments, Pitcher said.

So I'm curious. If they catch her... does she have to give them back?

What will the charge be? GTB?

The article gets better.

Employees at the plastic surgery center identified Pampellonne based on a photo line-up.

Photos of what?

(Sorry... I couldn't resist.)

Should we use this for a discussion starter about integrity? This might really keep the attention of junior high students. (I kid!) :)

Hurricane IKE pic

2008-09-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

click here

The Truth About Teen Girls

2008-09-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

I found this article in Time magazine about the truth about the teen girls!

Check here and check it out

This is a great story!!

2008-09-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

Weekend Recap!!

2008-09-08T08:44:00.001-07:00

We just finished week 3 of this series. This week we looked at "Transformers." We talked about how wants to transformer our lives. No sacrifice No victory! It was a great talk!

Attendance was a little above average!
Music was average!
Fun Factor was average!
Volunteer involvement was average average!
Message was good!

We have been having a great time with this series. Only 1 or 2 more weeks!

Grade= B+

Are you on twitter?

2008-09-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

There are a number of people have commented on why that I always update my status on Facebook. I am normally using a program called twitter. Its basically a micro blog because people really do want to know what you your doing! You should check it out!

Step 1...Log on to twitter.com

Step 2...Create an account. Add a pic if you want. It's easy!

Step 3...www.twitter.com/terracec and request to "follow" because stalk.

Step 4...say what you are doing because people want to know

The weekend!!

2008-09-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

We just finished week 2 of the series called "At The Movies." We just spend sometime looking at the movie called Hancock. We basically talked about how God wants to rescue us!

Attendance was average!
Volunteers involvement was ok!
Music was ok!
Fun Factor was good!
Message was ok!

We are having a ton of fun with this series! We have a few weeks left! Next week, we are going look at "Transformers"!

This is funny

2008-08-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Book Review: Sex, sushi & Salvation

2008-08-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

This book was well written. Christian George talks about a number of stories about him on the mission field with his father. I like it because its not just the typically “Sex Book” it always going back to salvation the most important part of life.
He talks about the sushi and how the new generation has changed. Sushi is now a huge part of the young generation. He says, “Culture craves raw reality.” We want a faith that is raw and fresh as sushi.
He talk about how it all comes back to Christ.

Weekend Recap!!

2008-08-25T09:34:00.001-07:00

We started this series called"At the movies." We used the movie field of dreams "if you build it
they will come." It was a week that I shared the vision of the ministry! If they build it people will come!

Attendance was above average!
Music was good!
Volunteer involvement was solid!
Message was OK!
Fun Factor was good!

It was a great back to school weekend! There was alot of energy! Next week, We are going to use the movie Hancock!

Grade= A-

Da recap!!

2008-08-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend! Colby Hodges spoke on accountability! He is a volunteer in 8th grade guys and he spent sometime talking about accountability in life! You need people to run with you! Accountability is very important in life!

Attendance was average!
Message was good!
Music was OK!
Fun Factor was good!
Volunteer involvement was good!

The Sunday was good! We will start a new series next week called "At the Movies" borrowed from Lifechurch.tv We will start off with Field of Dreams!

Grade= B

Book Review: what matters most

2008-08-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

This a great short read on time management! Learning how to say no in ministry and defining what matters most!
3 questions that can help in your decision making process
1. What matters most in this situation?
2. Why do I really feel like saying yes?
3. What is the worst thing that could happen if I said No?

There are some more great tips in this book on what matters most!

Book Review: Soul Craving

2008-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

One of reason that I love to travel is because I get to finish books that I started weeks ago! I just finish Soul Craving by Erwin McManus! It was a reminder that our soul craving the relationship with Christ! I loved how the book was written in short journal entries and stories! It talked about the souls cravings of love and intimacy! I think if we were all honest with ourselves would say that we want to experience intimacy. It also spent some time talking about destiny and meaning! It was wrapped up with a seek piece!

Grade= B

Regret!!

2008-08-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

before you speak!

2008-08-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Am so Hood!

2008-08-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article that talks about what they are doing to help young gangsters become straight and narrow!

Book Review: Crazy Love

2008-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

This book spends a lot time talking about God's Love. Its one of the better Christian Books that I have read lately. I felt challenged after reading this book. The chapter titles ranging in everything from stop praying, serving Leftover to a holy God and my favorite "Your best life...Later"

You should pick this book up!

Francis Chan is a great writer and a challenging leader!
If you read this you will be challenged!

Da Weekend

2008-08-04T09:11:00.001-07:00

We just finished week 2 in this series called "Made" this week we talked about becoming sheep! God's wants to be the shepherd in our lives to lead and guide us! I think of this whole sheep concept and I love it!

Attendance was Average!
Fun Factor was average!
Message was good!
Music was below average!
Volunteers was average!

We had a great Sunday! I am excited to see what the ministry will look like in a the next few weeks! We have one more week of this series!

Grade= B

The weekend!!

2008-07-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

We started this series called" Made". This is a series that is borrowed from saddleback church!
This was the first that i have spoken for a long time!

Attendance was average!
Music was average!
Volunteers was average!
Message was average!
Fun Factor was above average!

We are two more weeks!
Grade= B-

Teenagers need nine hours of sleep a night

2008-07-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need to sleep to succeed

Weekend Recap!!

2008-07-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

This week Jessica did a one hit wonder on addictions! She talked in life how we are something co depended on stuff and devoted to it and not God!

Attendance was below average! Music was below average! Fun Factor was average! Volunteer Involvement was great Message was good!

Next week, we will be starting a series called Made. I am pumped about this series it will be the first time for our new 6th graders in middle school ministry!

Grade= B-

Camp Review

2008-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

I was at camp last week in Rocksprings, TX at Camp Eagle! We had a great time there. The theme was motion and Adam Young was our middle school speaker. We saw a number of great things at Camp. Kids made commitments to follow Christ and some laid down there burdens.

Speakers was great!
Daily Activities was good!
Nightly activities was OK!
Theme was good!
Bible studies was alright!
Food was not good!
Dorms was OK!
Program was OK!
Volunteers was off the chain!
Camp staff was great!

Overall= B

Teenage Pregnancy is hot... some teens think so!

2008-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

story

Weekend Recap!!

2008-06-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

We just finished week 4 of this 6 week series. This week Jessica spoke about forgiveness.

Attendance was below average!
Volunteer involvement was average!
Fun Factor was below average!
Message was ok!
Music was average!

Grade= B-
Next week, we will be talking about Honesty!

Camp promo(sonic)2

2008-06-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Not growing...

2008-06-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

Its summer time and you're crazy busy, but your attendance is going up and down every week. This maybe a great opportunity to do some changes....

Have a guest speaker
Add some games
change the service order
Add more media
Do something different in your personal time with the GOD
Change the way you make decisions

If you have done what you have always done, you will get what always got.
Think about making some changes.

2008-06-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

We just finished week 3 of this series called "value Pak." We were talking about Respect and how its giving others the value they deserve. It was a great father day Sunday.

Attendance was below average!
Volunteers Involvement was above average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Message was good!

Respect is a message that every Middle School kid needs to hear...
Grade=B+

Camp promo(sonic)

2008-06-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

bullying online...

2008-06-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Online Assault with a teenage kid

Weekend Recap!!

2008-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week we continued our series called "Value Pak" This week we talked about Responsibility and how we are only responsible to God. Responsibility is the ability to respond correctly.

Attendance was below average!
Volunteers was average!
Fun Factor was average!
Message was above average!

Responsibility is always a great topic and friendly reminder. Responsibility is rewarded and helps us become a person of character.
Grade= B

Somebody thinking this is good!

2008-06-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Jeremy's blog. Liars, Sport Fans...This is unbelievable and someone thought this was a good method of evangelism. This is another reason why lost people hate Christians!

This is funny

2008-06-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Weekend Recap!!

2008-06-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

We started a series called "Value Pak". (This series was used at Saddleback Church) This week talked about values. We basically talked about the values coming from 1 or 2 places the world or the word. It was good to be back and teaching.

Attendance was a lil above average!
Volunteer was average!
Fun Factor was average!
Message was average!

I guess it was just an average morning! I am looking forward to this rest of this series! Next week we are going to talk about responsibility.

Book review: The energy Bus!

2008-05-27T08:48:00.001-07:00

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-

Recap!

2008-05-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

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!

Chasing Cool

2008-05-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

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

10 yrs old, college...what!!

2008-05-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

this is a great article about a 10 year old scholar

10 things adults need to know about teenagers

2008-05-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekend Recap!!

2008-05-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Book Review: Do Hard Things

2008-05-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

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

weekend recap!!

2008-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

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!

Why does she get a day

2008-05-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Teenagers want sex in magazines

2008-05-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

This was a interest article about teenagers and sex!

Random trip to salt lake city!

2008-05-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

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!

Weekend Recap!!

2008-05-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

article for single parents

2008-05-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

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.)

the pic is deep

2008-05-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Magazines I read!!

2008-04-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Relevant-
It talks about life, God and culture.
It comes bi-monthly!

Leadership-
It has great articles about leadership and what is going on the church world.
It comes bi-monthly!

Collide-
It a great media magazine basically a number of new websites and media ideas.

Group-
It a great youth ministry magazine!

Men's Health
It has great stuff about your body. Its talk about what foods to eat and new workouts!

Da recap!!

2008-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well we finished our series called "Open Mic." This week I was back speaking. We spent a little time talking about being a Christians. It was good to be back!

Attendance was average!
Volunteers was above average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Message was below average!(rough return)

This week we are going to do a one hit on baptism because we are doing a huge baptism on May 11th (Mother's Day). Its crazy to think that school is almost out!!

Arby's buys Wendys

2008-04-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Read this article sad day for Wendy's

MTV and BET = explicit content

2008-04-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

I think that this was an interesting article that I was reading on Churchrelevence.com

In March, the Parents Television Council analyzed 14 hours of daytime music video programming on BET and MTV and discovered explicit content (e.g., sex, language, and violence) occurred once every 38 seconds (95.8 per hour). It is 7.5 times greater than the rate of explicit content on prime time television’s Family Hour (i.e., once every 4.8 minutes).

Explicit Content on BET and MTV

48% sex once every 90 seconds
37% explicit language once every 1.7 minutes
10% violence once every 6.3 minutes
9% drugs use/sales
3% other illegal activity

The full study also includes a similar December 2007 analysis. Most agree that exposure to such content has negative effects on youth. It certainly influences teen culture.

McDonalds or Chick-fil-a

2008-04-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

McDonald's vs. chick-fil-a
I eat at fast food alot because I am always on the go. I think about two popular fast food places like McDonalds/chick-fil-a and they different in so many ways. If you go into McDonald's and the customer service is sometimes good about 50% of the time. You get stuff like: what, yea, sure! I guess it depending on location, manager, owner will determine how clean it is. Food is well its got it good days and bad.
You take chick-fil-a experience and every time I go there I always have a great experience and the food always taste the same. My favorite thing is when you say thank you they say my pleasure. That is great customer service. The restaurant is always clean no matter the location or the operator. I think the key to chick-fil-a success is the fact that they are Micro Managed and they have only one owner. You can only become a operator not an owner!

Think about it...

Weekend Recap!!

2008-04-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

We just finished week 3 of the series called "Open Mic". This week Jessica spoke for the first time about peer pressure. She did good!

Attendance was average!
Volunteer was average!
Fun Factor was average!
Message was ok!

This is the last week of the series coming up! I will be back talking about AIDs awareness! I am excited about speaking about it seems like forever ago!

fatherless homes are hard!!

2008-04-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

I was Kurt's blog and I found some interesting information about growing up in a fatherless home and how hard it is for kids. I have always had a heart for single moms because I grow up in a fatherless. It's so hard. Here are a few stats that blow me away...

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes--U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census
85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes--Center for Disease Control
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes--Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes--National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools
70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes--U.S. Dept. of Justice
85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home--Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections

Translated, this means that children from a fatherless home are:
5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more likely to run away
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of school
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison

funny video!!!

2008-04-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

are teenagers happy???

2008-04-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

I was reading on ypulse the folks at OTX Research sent over their latest report they did with The Intelligence Group (a Ypulse advertiser) on teens' self image. Guess what they found? Teens are happy! But care enough about their looks to spend money on product...

- 81% of teens said they were at least somewhat happy and over a third (36%) say they are very happy

- 61% of teens said they worry about their looks, and 48% said they compare the way they look with friends and peers.

- 50% of teens said looks and physical appearance were very important when it comes to 'being respected by others', but only 33% said it was important for 'being liked by others'

Which leads to...

- The survey found that teens spend an average of $27 per month on health and
beauty products

- Deodorants were the most commonly used products used on a daily basis (84%)

- Whitening toothpastes (55%)
- lip balms (54%)
- perfumes (52%)
- and facial scrubs (44%)

And who is the most important influence when it comes to how teens feel about themselves? Not mom or dad, not even their friends....it's their boyfriend or girlfriend (if they have one). Interestingly, religion comes second:

- Your girlfriend/boyfriend (84%)
- Your religion (82%)
- Your friends (79%)
- Your parents (74%)
- Your teacher(s) (72%)
- TV shows you watch (51%)
- Celebrities (e.g. actors, athletes, musicians) (49%)
- Magazines you read (38%)
- Advertising you see (on TV or elsewhere) (33%)
- Other kids in school (31%)

Some of the results from the last set of questions definitely feel like teens answered how they thought they should answer:

Would you rather...

Get a new car for your HS graduation (96%)
Get plastic surgery for your HS graduation (4%)

Exercise to lose weight (91%)
Take diet pills to lose weight (9%)

Get your College degree (90%)
Win American Idol (10%)

Have a lot of friends (76%)
Have a lot of money (24%)

Feel good (69%)
Look good (31%)

Be told you have a great personality (68%)
Be told you are hot (32%)

Be Comfortable (68%)
Be Fashionable (32%)

Be the smartest kid in school (55%)
Be the best looking kid in school (45%)

Be 10 pounds under normal weight (54%)
Be 10 pounds over normal weight (46%)

Be one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (53%)
Be one of Forbes Magazine's 50 Richest People (47%)

Posted by anastasia

Picture mail gone bad!!!

2008-04-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Teenagers sending nude pictures across there cell phone. I was reading this article and it doesn't surprise me. Check out this article!

Da weekly Recap!

2008-04-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was great! We are in week 2 of our series called "Open Mic" we talked about Gossip. I took the weekend off from teaching and Laura spoke and did a wonderful job.

Attendance was average!
Volunteer was average
Message was above average!
Fun factor was average!

Next week, we will continue our series with talking about peer pressure and stress and Jessica will be speaking. I know your thinking stop being lazy but this is the third time I have taking off since I have been here almost a year.

D3boys!!

2008-04-11T08:15:00.001-07:00

D3boyz is a club that was started about 3 years and I then was died. We are now bringing it back! It a perfect boys club for single moms. The club is for 8-12year old BOYS that build courage and prepare hearts for becoming a man. It will be great for young boys that don't have a father figure in there life! The theme is what kind of man do you want to be?
Check out the website!!

Stress...how do you deal with it!

2008-04-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

we all get stressed out in one way or another. I kn0w that we all deal with stress differently
everything from delegating to shutting people out!

Some ways that you can deal with stress:

Take a day off and get way and spend sometime asking for directions with God
Go workout- come on getting fit and blowing off some stream
Journal
Delegate some of your work load to someone on your team

GPS for teenages!

2008-04-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is a unbelievable study!!

Weekend Recap!!

2008-04-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

We started a series called "Open Mic" and we spent sometime talking about Friends this week. This series was picked by our students.

Attendance was little above average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Volunteers Involvement was average!
Message was average!

This will be a fun series that we started. It's cool to talk about what kids want to here about. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!

funny video!!!

2008-04-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

I hope that you enjoy this!!

Have a great weekend!!

How is the balance in your life!

2008-04-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had lunch with a few people and asked the simply question:how do you balance your life? In my case it's being a pastor, teacher, administration, time alone, build relationships. I think that you have to have a solid schedule that you are using outlook, calendar, reminders, moleskine. If you don't have balance in your life I know that no matter, what your doing you will experience burn out or something or someone will have be cheated. Healthy life is important! Find a system that works and use it or you will miss out on somethings in life and not last a long time in what you are doing.

37 folders is a great resource!

I would love to hear some feedback on balance in your life!

92 old woman changing lives?

2008-04-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

you have to check this video out!

Recap weekend!!

2008-03-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

We are back in the full swing of things after taking a week off for easter. This week we just simply talked about camp. Since we are making some changes with camp by doing our own programing! We are excited about it!
Attendance was below average!
Message was average!
Volunteers was average!
Fun Factor was below average!

Next week, we are staring a series "open mic" and we are going to talk about friends, gossip, peer pressure and AIDS Awareness. I know its random but theses are the topics that were picked by our students. I am looking forward to this!!

Currently reading!!

2008-03-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

I was in Border's bookstore and I saw the title to this book and I picked it up. The book is written by an attorney and a market consultant. They together have written over 60 books that talk about faith conversations. I know sometimes you think God and I are tight but I can't stand Christians. So far it's a great read and funny! check it out

email is going out!

2008-03-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

This is some great information that I found on Jeremy blog
The best way to talk with teenagers is text form. It's
short and to the point.

Tim Elmore and Growing Leaders recently conducted a focus group of 16-24 year olds and asked them how they wanted to receive information from us. Here are the top 8 answers:

1. Text messaging
2. Internet (i.e. MySpace or Facebook)
3. iPods and Podcasts
4. Instant messaging
5. Cell phone
6. DVD / CD
7. Books
8. Email

I want you to notice a few things about this list. First, note that email is last on the list. One student described email as “a way to communicate with older people.” Second, with one exception, this list moves from more personal to less personal in nature. They want something customized not generic if they’re going to pay attention. Third, and most importantly, these students prefer a “screen” for six out of their top eight favorite methods of communication.

The fact that text messaging landed at number one on the list tells us a lot about students today. Bear with me as I venture some observations about why text messages are the preferred method of communication:

1. Text messages represent very current communication.
More so than voicemails, a text means I need to interact now about something relevant to you.

2. Text messages are generally sent from someone you know.
Unlike phones, you generally don’t get a “wrong number” or generic call on a text message.

3. Text messages are brief and to the point.
The person texting doesn’t waste words; in fact, they usually abbreviate the message.

4. Text messaging is in your control. The receiver can stop when they want to.
This kind of control is attractive to students today. They want communication on their terms.

Students today are inundated with messages, from every side. I believe they’re most likely to respond to a text message because it allows them fast, current, relevant communication with friends–but at a safe distance. They like intimacy without a lot of vulnerability.

more pics from mexico!!

2008-03-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

updated pics from mexico

2008-03-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

pics from Mexico!!!

2008-03-18T17:41:00.001-07:00

Mission Trip!!!

2008-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

We took a number of students and to Piedras Negras, Mexico for spring break. I am looking forward to this trip. I think that it will challenge our students. We will be building 5 houses 12 by 12 for families and also loving on kids. I know that God is going to be doing some great work on the hearts here. Tonight we saw some of the families. It was eye opening to say the least! I look forward to writing more in the days to come.

Recap weekend

2008-03-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had a one hit wonder this week and talk about Easter. We just spent some time talking what is means and why we celebrate it. It was the weekend before spring break.

Attendance was below average!
Volunteers was above average!
Fun Factor was below average!
Message was average!

We will take next week off and let our kids go to church with there family. We will come back at the end of the month and talk about Camp for a week.

Private school teens binge drink more

2008-03-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

I think this interesting.

1 in 4 teen girls has an STD

2008-03-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just was reading this article and its unbelievable, the number of teen girls that are sexually active.
You have to read the article.

READ THIS

Youth Ministry MythBusters

2008-03-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Youth ministry probably has more myths than any other ministry in the church. Here are five myths that are now busted!
1. Youth pastors don’t work all day.
Yeah, you got me. I just sit in my office playing Xbox, checking Facebook and chucking paper airplanes around the room. lol Whatever. Forget preparing Bible lessons, interviewing and screening new volunteers, planning events, further education and training, dreaming the vision, connecting with kids after school, preparing reports, church meetings and all the miscellaneous stuff.

2. Youth pastors are supposed to fix kids for parents.
Shoot, I missed that in my job description. Dear parent, lemme check your job description in scripture… Yup, that’s your responsibility. Now, how can I help you?

3. Youth ministry isn’t a real career.
It’s good for those who still aren’t sure what they really want to do when they grow up, which is why I don’t ever plan to “grow up” to what the world expects. Sure, it doesn’t pay the salary that a normal job would, but a short 50 year career on earth is nothing compared to an eternity of treasures in heaven.

4. A strong healthy ministry WILL produce numbers!
Healthy ministry never guarantees spiritual growth let alone numerical growth. Spiritual growth is solely a work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. Numerical growth happens in both unhealthy ministries and healthy ones a like. I know many healthy ministries that aren’t growing numerically. Why? I guess because God’s plan for them right now is be diligent in focusing on the few students who are already there. Numerical growth can be an indication of health, but never a decisive one.

5. Students have no desire for God’s Word!
“Studies show that, out of the 66 books of the Bible, teenagers can only say something about the contents of Genesis, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Revelation. They have no desire for God’s Word!” I agree that Biblical literacy is an issue, but you’re making a pretty bold assumption to equate illiteracy to no desire for the Word. Biblical literacy and desire for the Word are two different things. Can not a new believer have a desire for the Word and still be Biblically illiterate? Can not a teenager have a desire to apply Biblical principles to his/her life without knowing the synopsis of every book of the Bible? The opposite is also true. A person can be thoroughly familiar with every book in the Bible and have not desire for growth or personal application. (Hint: Pharisees.)

Recap!!

2008-03-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

It seems like no matter what you do people don't catch on to daylight saving time. Well, we finished up our series called "POser". This week we talked about the why people pose.

Volunteers was average!
Attendance was below average!
Message was average!
Fun factor was below average!

We finished this 2 week series and now we will do a one hit wonder about Easter!

Padded lampposts to avoid Texting Injuries

2008-03-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

This is a funny article!!

Have a great weekend!!!

helpful website

2008-03-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

here are a few websites that you should check out!!
www.37signals.com
www.planningcenteronline.com

I think the 2 websites I just talked about can be helpful for you!!

Relational Ministry (part 3)

2008-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I never got a chance to finish my whole relational ministry post. So far we have talked about contact work and follow up work. I would like to talk a little bit about just simply hanging out with students with no agenda.

I think that its cool to take a group of kids and hang out with other leaders.
Go eat or a movie
Attend sporting events and there sporting events

I think that its extremely important to hang out with kids and be apart of there life. Relational Ministry is so important and I hope this helps you out!! Its all about loving students!

drug use by teens

2008-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

I came across an article that shared 1 in 33 teenagers have tried meth. That is crazy!!

Check out this

Recap!!

2008-03-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great weekend! Its good to be back home in Houston from Oklahoma. We started a series called "Poser". I think that it identify with our kids in a real way! We basically talk about the hows of posing.

Attendance was average!
Volunteers was average!
Fun Factor was above average!
Message was average but funny!

I think that is a great subject to follow up after the sex series. I am excited about next week.

First Wedding under the belt!

2008-02-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

I made it though my first wedding. I did my first wedding in Oklahoma and it was an exciting time. i enjoyed it! Brook and Kara Kae, two of my friends from college got married tonight and i performed it. I am looking for ward to getting back to Houston!!!

Relational Ministry (part 2)

2008-02-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

I think that when it comes to relational ministry you have to have some follow-up work and then some contact work! Once you contact them and have captured there information you must do something with it.

Once a week pick a day where you can take some kids out to do something. I normally pick a kid that is connected to the ministry, a person that hasn't been to our ministry in 3 weeks and a first time guest.
If you can get into school visit schools. I try to visit at least 2 schools a week. It shows kids that you care and it cool to be in there turf.

Relational Ministry (part 1)

2008-02-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

I think that a number of churches would say that they do relational ministry but really its geared to the program. In our ministry, we do relational ministry. Kids are going to remember a relationship more then they a HUGE program.
I think the first thing that you need to do is Follow-up work! Every week we do 3 things.
I personally write handwritten note to each 1st time visitor and that is followed by a phone from myself or someone on my staff.
Relational ministry is important. I will talk about 2 more parts!

Arrived in Oklahoma

2008-02-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a long day. I arrived in Oklahoma this evening around 7:45 after my fight was delayed 1 hour. Oklahoma is really cold its about 32 degree. Tonight, I spoke at Overflow to about 1500 college students. It an organization that is run by students from the Oklahoma State. I spoke about "Never Giving it" I enjoyed it. I will be here until Saturday morning because I get to do my first wedding. I am looking forward to it.

U.S. adults abandon religion

2008-02-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

check this out

This is pretty interesting!

Weekly Recap!!

2008-02-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

We had a long but great weekend. Friday night, we had an event at the church called "MS Chaos"
it was a blast. Sunday, we finished up our series called SexRated talking about Purity.

Attendance was above average!
Volunteers was average!
Fun Factor was average!
Message was average!
Music was above average!

I think that we had a great weekend and a good sex series. I am looking forward to out new series called "POSER" figuring out who you really are.

a lil quick flashback

2008-02-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

check this video out!!!

I promise that you will laugh...

Don Piper has a great story!

2008-02-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

Last friday night, I went and hear an author of the book called "90 minutes in heaven." He has a great story. I have to be honest when I wanted to hear a little more about heaven but he talked about what we need to do here on earth. He talked about the gates of heaven and the people that were there and basically people that have made an impact in his life. It made me think what I am I doing to help people, serve them and impact there life.
Who's gates will you be at? What kind of impact have you made on the people around you? I think that it something to think about.

I have never read the book but I am sure that its good

A new book!!!

2008-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

I just picked up this book and i can't put it down. This book basically
talk about the new microtrends. Using some of the best data available,
the author identifies more than 70 microtrends in family life, work, race,
the list goes on.
I personally think that if we look closer at this book it
could change the way that we do ministry. The subtitle says
the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes.

Recap!!

2008-02-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

We just finished week 3 of SexRated and we have one more week to go. This week we did it a little different, we had Q&A time but in small groups the whole time. We have one more week left for this series and we will put it all together with "purity"

Attendance was average!
Volunteers was awesome(high above average)!
Fun Factor was below average!
Message was in small groups!

Overall, we had a great weekend. We only have one more week left of this series and the we will move on to a series called POSER.

Random movie!!!

2008-02-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

I am sometimes bored at night time so I signed up for netflix. Last night, I watched a movie called The bridge
This movie was very interesting documentary about The Golden Gate Bridge. Interviews with family, friends and eyewitnesses, the film reveals a common thread of depression, despair and chronic mental illness. This documentary further reinforces the landmark's iconic legacy as the world's most popular suicide destination.
I think that reason that it was so interesting to me is because I speaking to a group of college students in Oklahoma at the end of month about " Never Quitting" Looking at the ages of alot of the people were 18-24
I often wonder what if someone would have shared that God has a plan for there life and God love for them.
Check the film!!

Making vision stick!!(Part 2)

2008-02-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

I think that casting vision is important for students, volunteers, and parents in my case. I think the making vision stick is the hard part. In this book, Andy talks about 5 things that you can do to increase the adhesiveness of your vision:

State the vision simply- basically it needs to be memorable
Cast the vision convincingly
Repeat the vision- share your vision 3-4 times a year
celebrate the vision systematically
Embrace the vision

Making vision stick is important. Build it and people will come!

Making vision stick!!

2008-02-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

I just picked up this book because I enjoy Andy Stanley writing...Its a quick read only 72 pages! There are some different comments on the responsibilities as a leader. Also, it talks about a few different ways to focus when casting vision, and how to lead creativity to make vision stick. Great read check it out!

Recap!!

2008-02-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

I just want to recap of the weekend. We just finished our week 2 of our SexRated series. This week Laura and I did a little team teaching. We talked about society images of sex.

Fun factor was below average!
Message was average!
Attendance was above average!
Volunteers was above average!

We only have 2 weeks left in this series. This week we will be a Q&A session in small groups. We had a good weekend!!

RISK (part 3)

2008-02-08T12:24:00.001-08:00

Here is a mind-boggling collection of risk:

Alcohol is implication in 44% of all accidental death
The risk that a bridge, during its lifetime will collapse is one in a million. The lifetime risk that you will be on a collapsing bridge is 1 in 4million.
You are 400% more likely to die falling than from something falling on you.
1 in 5000 people die from billiards yearly
Every year 8000 are injured by a musical instrument.

Everything that you do is a risk.
Faith, by definition is a risk.