Category Archives: Youth Ministry

Book Review, Discipleship, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Worship, Youth Ministry

Getting My Lead On

I am so excited about starting two new leadership books this week.

First up is Bill Hybel’s latest offering entitled, Axiom: Poweful Leadership Proverbs.

Axiom basically is a collection of “lead-speak.” Hybels opens up his leadership glossary and gives the reader a glimpse into the small but potent words and phrases that he and the Willow Creek staff use to get things done. Hybels breaks these proverbs into 4 categories: Vision and Strategy, Teamwork and Communication, Activity and Assessment, and Personal Integrity. Each category is filled with 15-20 bite-size chapters based on a different leadership principle. You begin to get the idea behind Axiom just by studying the chapter titles. In fact some of these leadership principles are made plain and clear by the title alone. Who doesn’t understand the truth behind titles such as “Never Say Someone’s No For Them,” “Pay Now, Play Later,” and “Speed vs. Soul”? Hybels always brings the heat so I can’t wait to delve deep into the leadership goodness.

The second book I’m excited about is It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It by Craig Groeschel. Craig is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and he is one of my favorite leadership voices out there. The thing I admire so much about Craig and the LifeChurch leadership is how open and inviting they are into their process. I have been privileged to sit and discuss with them over two meals and I have walked away each time blessed in some capacity. They rock!

I have been excited about It because Craig’s desire to build leaders and to equip them to lead is the sole focus of this book. Look for a few updates and summaries of this book as I read It.

My challenge for you is to Get YOUR lead on!

Everyday is a new day for you to step up and lead where ever you are. If you’re a teacher, a bus driver, a mailman, a lawyer, a mechanic, a soldier, a minister, or a student you are called to lead. Let God guide you and strengthen you.

Get YOUR lead on!

Discipleship, Ethos, Faith in Action, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

The Thought In My Head

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I was listening to an interview with Erwin McManus yesterday and something he said has been floating around in my mind ever since.

I don’t believe in balance. I believe in living a skewed life. I think balance is a very Buddist thing. It’s not very reflective of Jesus at all. Balance comes from Mr. Myagi in The Karate Kid.

I challenge you to go find anything Jesus said that implies that we should be balanced. In fact Jesus said, “Put first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.”

He is saying, “Be skewed. Don’t be balanced. Move your life entirely for the purpose of the kingdom of God. Then everything will magnetically begin to revolve around that.”

What a great truth! I think as Christians we strive too much for normalcy. That is evidenced by the fact that survey after survey concludes that Christians live lives no different from those who do not know Jesus. We have the same divorce rate, the same addictions, the same attitudes. Normal is killing our witness. It’s time to live skewed. It’s time to be wierd. It’s time to be different.

Live off balance.

Experience, Youth Ministry

Back Home

What a wonderful vacation I had this week.

On Monday, August 4, my wife and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary with a road trip through Oklahoma and Missouri. We stayed with some of our very dear friends in Springfield, MO. We had such a great time. Our friends took us to Branson to walk along the river (rumor had it that Sir Paul himself was in town and staying down there. Unfortunately, we had no Beatle meet and greet.) and they took us to a Springfield Cardinals game where we sat in the “all you can eat” section! We had a wonderful and memorable time.

On our way back home we took our time by stopping at a few roadside attractions. We first stopped in Arcadia, OK at Pops Soda Ranch. There we sampled sodas from around the world. We made our own 6-pack to take with us on the road. Sandy went with some different root beers and I stuck with more fruity sodas. I had the most delicious Lemon Cola from California. Oooh, it was good.

We spent the night in Norman, OK and had a great steak dinner and an awesome hotel room complete with a flat screen television (Fancy I know!). We were able to eat lunch with another dear friend but then it was time to head home.

About an hour from the Texas border the bottom fell out of the sky and it was difficult to even see the highway. At the time we were passing Pauls Valley, OK which just happens to be the home of The Toy and Action Figure Museum. Of course we just had to stop in and have a look around. It was such a great place to stretch our legs and to see a bunch of our old toys on display. Very fun!

We got back in last night and so I’m still a little tired. It was our last hoorah for the summer. School starts back up soon and with it comes sports, band, and other school activities. I am elbow deep in planning and preparing for the fall semester. I have been planning a few tweaks and changes for my ministry as we moving head first into year 3. As things develop I hope to blog about the progress we are making as we seek to develop on-fire disciples for Jesus Christ.

Have a great weekend everyone. Peace.

Discipleship, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Next Steps

I am working on a new series for the fall entitled Next Steps. In everything that we do there is always that next step.

In Matthew 4:18-22, we see Andrew and Peter, James and John encounter Jesus for the very first time.

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Peter and Andrew had to have that one moment; that one pause where they considered what their next step would be. For them the next step was to leave what they were doing and follow Jesus.

At once they left their nets and followed him.

Summer is a special time in youth ministry. Wall to wall activities. Deep connections and fellowship. Late nights and hard questions. Many students make big faith decisions during the summer months but we often fail these students by not helping them connect their first steps of faith with their next steps. I want my teens to practically work out their faith in the valley day to day living. I want them to take Next Steps in their faith. I want to take Next Steps in my faith.

Discipleship, Ethos, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Risk, Summer, Theology, Youth Ministry

Poor Management

One thing that I have always prided myself on is my ability to manage my schedule in a healthy manner. I’m no where near perfect but I have been acutely aware of the need to schedule and manage my time while in full-time ministry. I do not want to burn out early and I do not want it said of me that I ran a poor and short race (ha).

It is easier to manage my schedule in the fall and spring. The students are in school. Athletic events and church events are usually scheduled months in advance and so I can work around these things. I try and find moments to disengage from my ministry hat and proudly wear and display my husband hat and my Micheal hat.

I covet Thursday nights with my wife and place fortified barriers of reminders to all that I am devoting this night and this time to my family. Years down the road it is things like this that will help me prioritize my family over my ministry.

For myself I do a lot of reading, personal development, movies, conferences, and concerts. I am a sucker for all of these things and they each help me relax, focus, and lead more effectively.

But now it is summer! Mission trips, camps, and late nights have pushed my schedule to the max. I have been forgetting that I must manage my time or it will manage me.

Example:
Last week I left on Wednesday for the Unplugged conference. The plan was to return home mid-evening Friday and then drive my teens to camp in Arkansas. What really happened was the my flight was delayed. I returned to Dallas late-night, drove to Arkansas the next day, and taught 12 classes in four days. We drove home Thursday evening. Whew! I was tired all week. These were all good things but I could have planned better for rest.

Instead I agreed to play golf early Friday morning! Great time with friends, my poor playing, but good putting all made for an enjoyable morning but still I was beat.

Then I had scheduled a fund raiser car wash for our mission trip. All saturday morning. In the heat. Under the sun. We met our fund raising goal (praise God!) but the thoughts of weariness plagued me all afternoon.

This was just two weeks of my summer. Could you imagine what would happen if this continued for another couple of months? What if I kept up this pace and this schedule for the rest of the year? This type of life is unsustainable. The human body is not meant to go this hard and this fast for extended periods of time. When I am this tired and worn down I am unable to be fully present with the people and events in my life. I’m on auto-pilot and I fear that I am missing out on important connections.

How are you managing your time? Are you giving where you need to give? Are you taking time to receive from God? Your family?

Youth ministers aren’t the only ones who suffer from over scheduling. Like Dave Ghrol of Foo Fighters asks, “Is someone getting the best of you?” If the answer to this question is “No” then take a long hard look at your schedule and see what need adjusting, what needs more focus, or what needs removing.

Awesomenessness, Collecting Experiences, Conference, Discipleship, Ministry, Youth Ministry

DC is for Conferencing

I’m making my way to the nation’s capital for the Unplugged Conference today.

I am so stoked. The conference should be a very intimate and challenging two days of conversations and dreaming. I’m looking forward to hearing from Mark Batterson and Jud Wilhite and I’m looking forward to a cup of Ebenezers in the morning.

I’ll be staying with my bro-in-law and will take the metro into Union Station each day. I like taking mass transit too bad there is no subway in my little town here at home.

I’ll post my thoughts and experiences each night. You can also follow me on Twitter. Keep me in your prayers for safe travel, rest, and growth. Thanks.

Peace,
Felker

Giving Thanks, Golf, Youth Ministry

Hitting the Links

Had the chance to play some golf today with one of my teens and with another minister and one of his teens. It was such a great day. At one point the wind picked up to hurricane gail force winds and the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees. It was quite a challenge hitting into that wind!

The teen I was with hit his first two birdies ever. He did such a great job! I, on the other hand, ended better than usual having only lost 4 balls all day. Maybe I’m getting better. Maybe.

There is nothing better than just hanging out, hitting the ball around, and enjoying some great conversation. Good day all around.

2008, Collecting Experiences, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Youth Ministry

Workin’ My Way Back to You Babe

Work Camp 2008 is in the books!

We had a great week painting and fixing houses. The weather cooperated with us this year. No running from storms like we did last year. The temperatures were mild and we didn’t No one got hurt and for the first time in a long time our teens got some press coverage for heir hard work.

I have been doing work camps since 1994 first as a camper then as an intern and now as a leader. The way that this WC was organized I led a group of teens none of which are in my youth group. It gives me a great opportunity to mentor and work with teens that I haven’t had contact with and it gives my teens the chance to connect with other adult leaders from around the city.

I am headed back over to our house today to pick up some supplies and to do a small amount of touch ups. I have been doing a lot of repairs around our house so I’m becoming quite the amateur handy man. We’ll see if I can replace the outdoor water faucet at our Work Camp house today. It is feeling like a big maybe.

Have a great day everyone!

Guilty Pleasure, Popular Culture, Summer, Youth Ministry

Up to Speed

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Since I started blogging back in 2004, I have never gone more than a few days without posting at least something each week. That is until last week.

Last week was my last week of (relative) freedom before the beast that is summer had a chance to take over my life. I left my computer wherever. I failed to return emails. I kinda checked out of cyberspace.

It Begins…
Summer began for me in earnest today. We began Work Camp early this morning and that will last until Wednesday night. We have about 200 teenagers representing about 10 churches painting houses and cleaning yards in the Arlington area this week. I love the idea of teens and adults spending their first week of summer paying to paint other people’s houses in the hot, hot sun. What a great week! Bonus today as a cool front moved in at the end of the work day. Hopefully, we can continue to have mild and clear weather for the remainder of the week.

Summer Staples
I picked up a one volume copy of all of the C.S. Lewis Signature Classics to read through this summer. I have read some (Mere Christianity, Screwtape, The Great Divorce) and there are a few that I have not read (Problem of Pain, Miracles, A Grief Observed). I had already planned on reading through Miracles and Screwtape this summer but then I thought it might be fun to try and read through all of these master works over the next three months. I never tire of reading through Lewis. I get overwhelmed sometimes but never tired.

I Shall Retire to the Nerdery
Another of my summer plans is to decorate my office. Those of you who know me know I love movies and music and animation. What you may not know is that I love comics too. I’m not a total geek but there is just something in me that connects to mythology, storytelling, and folklore . What better place to find those elements than in the comic book heroes that I know and love? So in an effort to find some interesting pieces of wall art I headed down to the closest comic book shop to pull some issues with cool covers. I found what I was looking for but I also got sucked in to a new storyline from my favorite hero, Batman. At the end of this new series RIP… (dum, dum, daaaaaaaaaah) Bruce Wayne will no longer be Batman. Whaaaaaaaaaa? Sounds pretty cool to me. I’ve cross another line toward total geek-out.
I hope everyone has a great week. I’ll talk to you again soon.

Youth Ministry

An Open Letter to Schools

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Thanks to Youth Ministry Hilarity for this poignant, much needed open letter to our schools. I wish that I had written this. Schools please take heed and let our kids be kids!

Dear Public School System,

I am writing to you because of a crisis we are facing in our society. It is a crisis involving our teenagers, who you are trying to help us mold.

Unfortunately, I think you are creating the problem rather than helping it. Let me explain…
The public school system already complains (and rightly so) that our kids are “too tired” and that they “lack concentration.” There seems to be more apathy than ever towards schoolwork and school-related items.

But here’s the problem…
You complain that our kids are too tired, but then you make them stay after school for HOURS of extracurricular practice! They lack concentration, so you lengthen their school year. You make them work at camps from 9:00 to 5:00 IN THE SUMMERTIME!
I have teenagers in my church youth group who seem to be able to do NOTHING other than school! Does this produce well-rounded citizens? Why do we think that ALL their time needs to be occupied? Why can we not let them dream anymore? (They don’t have time to dream!) What ever happened to lazy summers?

First of all, it is COMPLETELY UNFAIR to take away their summer “vacation.” Teens in my church group are going to be BACK at Show Choir Camp just TWO WEEKS after they got out for summer vacation! EVERYONE needs time for rest and renewal, but you don’t seem to grasp this concept. Our children are overbooked and overworked. Please, let them have a vacation!

Secondly, this scheduling is detracting from family time…a much-needed (but quickly vanishing) pasttime. Even though many parents are working longer hours and some working through the summers, there are still parents who don’t see their kids til 9:00 PM because of schoolwork. Summers are decimated by camp schedules and other things. Families are passing each other by on their way to the next activity.

Third, overscheduling is unfair to other organizations. My youth ministry is trying to affect the same kind of results as you are. I would LOVE to work in conjunction with the schools, but the schools want ALL the time. While YOU are working on increasing the knowledge and athleticism of these kids, I would like to help work on their character, but my time to do so is increasingly taken away. It is very frustrating when schools tell kids (or give them the impression) that their GRADES depend on attendance of all ballgames, shows, etc. Even during the summer! I agree with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I certainly do not wish to do away with schooling, but I wish kids could experience more help from church, work, and non-profit organizations.

Lastly, overscheduling is not necessary. It seems that the schedules have been left up to the competitive minds of the local coaches. While I admire their tenacity, I would also question their motives. Are they trying to teach the kids something, or just put another trophy on their shelf? Many kids are working their tails off for those coaches, but they have NO collegiate or professional careers in sight. While hard work is a desired trait, it can also be a boon. Many families are being ripped apart because of dads who never come home. Could it be that we are overworking kids just like we are overworking their parents?

It used to be that we had the WHOLE summer off. Soon, August became “Back-to-school-camps” month with band, choir, etc. Now, the schools have taken June as well. ONE MONTH for summer vacation is not enough! PLEASE leave them alone until August!! Let them have a solid eight weeks of vacation. Let them rest. Let them dream. Let them be gone long enough to actually “miss” school!

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,
Franklin Wood
Omaha, NE