Angie's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Blog

The Numbers Game

My friend and colleague Molly Hagkull wrote an article for Plymouth's upcoming youth newsletter. I think that this is such a good reminder about what ministry is (and isn't) that I decided to run pieces of her article here. Thanks, Molly, for all you do.

It's not about numbers. There are a lot of results in life measures with numbers: SAT scores, cholesterol, credit scroes, driving tests. Numbers give us something concrete to hold on to. They allow us to make comparisons, set goals, track our progress. It's hard to argue with numbers.

But this is not about numbers.

This past summer, a group of adults met to read a book about high school youth ministry and to discuss its implications for Plymouth. A few big ideas stuck out. First, that youth do not need to be ministered to as much as they need to be doing ministry. Second, that God speaks to us through relationships, and our youth program should be built on relationship-building. And third, that this ministry-doing and relationship-building are not solely in the name of fun, or in the name of community service, but in the name of Jesus Christ...

...It's not about numbers. It's about the transforming power of our still-speaking God. Numbers fail us when trying to measure hearts and souls. If you want to see the results of Plymouth's youth ministry, attend an event. Watch, listen, and witness the Spirit moving in our midst. Then pray. Pray that God would continue to stir hearts, hands, and minds to do God's creative work in, among, and through the youth of Plymouth Church. Amen!

Enriching the Brain

In Chapter 10 "Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner's Potential" (Eric Jensen's latest), there's a quote from Dr. Bruce Perry: "There's so much more we can do...our current living systems are disrespectful of the brain's potential." This new book is based on that assumption: that we greatly underestimate people's achievement capacity (including our own) because we often think that we are what we are. We can't change things.

Wrong. Dr. Jensen shows that the human brain is dynamic and malleable. Here in this book, he tells how the brain can be enriched to maximize learning, memory, behavior, and overall functioning.

To way, way, way oversimplify, we need to do the following in order to continue growing and changing in healthy, positive ways (this is my simplificiation, not Dr. Jensen's): we need physical activity; novel, challenging, meaningful things to learn; we need to be busy, but not chaotic-busy; and we need to keep from being bored, too; we must manage our stress levels (through exercise, time-management, etc.); we need social supports (friends, a community); we need to eat right; and we need to have time to develop our interests and skills; and time to socilize, reflect and review.

Sounds easy enough: exercise, nutrition, challenges, friends, time.

But there's more to it than that, too: there are chapters on why the brain grows and thrives, how we can use this information not only for ourselves but for our relationships, how schools would change if they implemented some of these ideas and how we can all lead richer, fuller lives if we would stop believing that we can't change who we are. We can. We can become nearly anything that we imagine and act upon. Amazing.

A Blue Christmas

I can hear Elvis crooning the words: "I'll have a blue Christmas without you..." and the background singers are wailing: "ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo". But it's more than a song and more than a sentimentality. Blue Christmas is a reality for too many people. Just this week I have talked with two people facing their first Christmas without their spouse (one has a young child), one person facing his first Christmas without his mother, two different women going through a divorce who don't know if they will get to see their children over the holidays, and two people contemplating leaving their spouse. And those are people I have talked to in just the past four days--there are so many more out there who are feeling the lonely pangs of the holiday, of traditions that won't be celebrated this year, of the uncertainty of what lies ahead and the pain over the loss of what could have been.

For some people, this time of year simply sucks. It can't get over soon enough.

To those people, here is what I have to say: you aren't alone. There is a whole world of people going through painful times, too. And there is a whole world of people who will walk through your painful time with you. It almost sounds like a cliche but it's too true not to say: God is with you, too. Through everything, God is with you.

To the rest of the world, those who are celebrating and whooping it up this holiday season, here is what I have to say: you aren't alone, either. There is a whole world of people who not only want to celebrate with you, there is a whole world of people who would just like to be with you and know that you care. Life has it's ups and down--when we're up, we have a responsibility to be with those who aren't. And when we're down, we have a responsibility to be with those who aren't. It's a give and take, a push and shove, and push and pull. We balance each other out. We are God to and for one another.

May God break into your world, no matter who or where you are this holiday season. May you find God in yourself and in one another. Merry Christmas.

Borrowed Material

http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/winter03/html/vs_connect.shtml

Here is a website for an article about the importance of community, connection, and relationship when raising kids--both for the kids' sake and the parent's.  Dartmouth Medical School ran this article in their alumni magazine "Dartmouth Medicine" a few years ago.

An interesting tidbit from the article: "scientific evidence demonstrates that children are 'hardwired to connect' on a biochemical level, first with their immediate family and then with the broader community. If that connection isn't there, then 'the brain may not develop as it is supposed to...You can't change genes, but you can change how they are translated, and a nurturing environment can make a world of difference."

What we do and say, how we interact with and support one another, is critical. Change happens in the world one relationship at a time.

(thanks, Rich, for sharing these thoughts!)

Brainy Tidbits

Malcolm Gladwell says "Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push--in just the right place--it can be tipped."

He's right. And understanding how people tick, what makes them act and react, what gets them excited and what scares them, is how you know where to push to make the world tip.

"Leading With the Brain in Mind" by Dickmann, Stanford-Blair, and Rosati-Bojar addresses the issue of "brain-tipping": how people act and react, why people get defensive and excited, what empowers people and what neuters them. It's not 'hit-or-miss', voodoo, slight of hand, manipuative tricks that they offer. It is brain-science, what-makes-us-tick studies that they offer so that people can work together with as little threat, conflict, and fear as possible.

An example: methods of acknowledging people's emotions in any process. We all have them. Ignoring them is a huge mistake.

And another: self-care is critical for anyone. As a leader (whether at home or at work), the best thing you can do is take care of yourself: exercise (for air that feeds the body and mind), lots of water (hydration is key for body functions and brain health, too), music, laughter, trying new things.

A good read for those of us who want our relationships to work and would like to understand why and how that can happen.

Marcus Borg

Marcus Borg was at Plymouth UCC this weekend to present two workshops and lead worship. He is the author of two books that have transformed my faith journey: "The Heart of Christianity" and "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time". These books gave me true insight into why I choose to be Christian. They also helped me grow into a deeper relationship with God.

His lectures did the same. As his words and thoughts sink into my psyche and soul over the days, weeks, months, and years to come, I will share my thoughts here. For now, I share one of his observations:

Christianity is not intrinsically about believing a set of statements to be true. To suppose that (Christianity) is about beliefs is to imagine that Jesus' purpose was to bring a true set of doctrines--"Believe these and you'll be saved." Rather, Christianity is about "a way". The earliest post-Easter name of the Christian movement, according to Acts 9.1, is "a way" or "a path" or leading to a transformed life.

The Christian life is about a relationship with God that transforms us. It is about a deepening and transforming centering in God as known in Jesus.

Transformation. Relationship. Centering in God as known in Jesus. That's what this is all about.

Amen.

Accountability?

A friend of mine (a senior pastor) was recently asked to submit a monthly report to the church council in order to 'prove' that he is doing his job. Accountability is what they called it; however, they aren't asking him how many hours he spends writing sermons or creating interactive and interesting worship services. They didn't ask him how much time he spends dreaming and visioning with church committees and boards. And they didn't ask him how much time he spends implementing new family ministry programs that reach out into the community and invite new families into the church.

The only thing they asked for was how many church members he visited (in the hospital, in his office or in theirs homes).

Interesting priorities.

Field Trip

It's field trip time! The end of the school year always makes me reminisce about field trips: sack lunches, bus rides, learning new things, spending time with friends.

So today, you get a field trip! I can't provide the bus. Or the sack lunch. But through this cyber-friendship, I can help you learn something new. Here you go:

My good friend Rich Melheim (CCO of Faith Inkubators) has a preview of the new Bible Song Sunday School materials on his June 7 blog. Head on over to his site: http://faithink.blogs.com/ to check out some fun music (he and his music guild have set 120 verses to music--awesome!). Scroll down a little more and check out the fun video of a woman signing along to the music--can you imagine kids in Sunday School singing and signing (and in the process, memorizing) scripture? Way cool.

Have fun on your field trip. And thanks, Rich, for the good work.

Great

In the "Fifth Disciple Fieldbook"--a companion to "The Fifth Discipline"--Peter Senge makes a point of reminding us that great teams rarely start off as great teams. Whether it's a sports team, or a performing arts team, or a work team, or a marriage, all groups begin as a group of individuals. Great teams happen when these groups of individual people change: they develop new skills, new understandings, new capabitilies. Over time, they start to see and experience the world differently--as a whole group and not just individual members of the group. It is out of that evolvement that trust, relationships and synergy form and a great team is born.

Great teams don't form overnight. And they obviously aren't easy--they take work, dedication and discipline. But it's soooo worth it. When a great team is finally born, great things happen. Hang in there.

The Fifth

You can take the fifth, plead the fifth, play a fifth, drink a fifth (not recommended, though), and even listen to Beethoven's Fifth.

You can also read about, change your life because of, improve your relationships, and make the world a better place by using Peter Senge's "Fifth Discipline"--a study on systems change. Although I'd read snippets of the book before, I listened to the first half of the book on my iPod last night while driving to and from my daughter's softball game. I was so engrossed in the book that I almost drove past the exit on the highway--it really is that good.

The basic premise? We are not individuals in this world, working alone, independent, disconnected from others. Everything we do impacts lots of other things and lots of other people. Decisions we make, things we say, actions we take--like the ripple effect in a pond.

That's a very, very, very abbreviated (and not even a complete) snapshot of where the book begins. It then goes on to talk about learning and growing, owning and sharing vision, learning to work together, strengthening trust and relationships, and practice...practice...practice.

Good read. I'll hopefully finish it tonight, on the road to another ballgame.