A little visual humor for the day... are you saying I'm fat, btw???
http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Friday, May 01, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Dispelling the Myths about Mexico
I’ve received LOTS of requests for a report from our recent mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico, mostly from the standpoint of “safety”. This is my reply that I’ll post on my blog and email/send to anyone that might want a copy of it. Please bear with me, as I am taking this opportunity to “preach” a little, but hopefully, it won’t cause you to miss the answer to your question. And thanks to the Christian Chronicle's Bobby Ross, for taking parts of this blog and including it in his article on his blog posting today.
Let me begin by saying that our experience a couple of weeks ago was completely uneventful, regarding any so-called "safety issues". During our time in Mexico, I spoke with preachers in both Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey about the situation there. I've been watching the Mexican media. I have spoken with numerous others who have traveled in and out of Mexico on a variety of mission trips over the past few months. They are in total agreement that the situation has been GREATLY exaggerated by American media outlets (especially CBS and FOX for some reason). Although in recent articles the Christian Chronicle has attempted to inform churches of the situation prior to the recent Spring Break time period, I believe that even that was somewhat inaccurate. Add these reports with a little third hand “spin” that many in our churches have put on it, and no wonder the situation sounds worse than it is. The truth is that there hasn’t been a single incident for ANY mission group (we are talking hundreds and thousands) from the US that has occurred relating to this situation.
Is there violence in Mexico between drug cartels and police/army/government officials? Yes. Why is this occurring? It is because the Mexican government (yes, even with all its history of corruption) is putting a great deal of pressure on the drug gangs and they are reacting violently, hoping to intimidate the government into backing down. It is not working… the government continues to tighten their “choke hold” on these negative elements in their country.
One particular Mexico mission trip effort with whom I have been connected for many years (I’ll save the name to avoid the appearance that I am speaking for them) is suffering greatly because of hasty decisions by a number of American churches of Christ in cancelling their trips to help. As of the last bit of information of which I am aware, nearly 20 groups have cancelled. The Mexican church is SUFFERING greatly because of these decisions.
The time for the church to shine brightest is when darkness seems to be at its most powerful. Now is that time both in the United States AND in Mexico. Jesus NEVER promised us safety... writer of the book, “The Irresistible Revolution”, Shane Claiborne, stated that the most dangerous place for the church is a place of comfort. Somehow, someway, we have to persuade our church leaders (and parents) to live dangerously for Christ. There is a time coming (it may be now) where we can not shrink back, but instead, have great courage and boldness. We should not be fooled that there is a much safer situation here in the US. Ironically, while we were in Mexico, there was a big drug bust in front of the home of one of our members in Fort Smith, AR with K-9 and SWAT police units. And recently, 11 women were murdered and found buried in a “safe neighborhood” in Albuquerque, NM. Recent statistics state that Phoenix, AZ is the kidnap capital of the USA right now.
I pray this information will help tip some churches into listening to God instead of Satan. This is spiritual warfare and the church in America needs to step up to the plate, show their faith in God and send people to Mexico. It is time for us to start PRAYING, to neither OVERreact nor UNDERreact, but to react appropriately.
Please feel free to inquire with any other questions you may have about this situation and may God bless you as you seek to live out Matthew 28:19-20.
Let me begin by saying that our experience a couple of weeks ago was completely uneventful, regarding any so-called "safety issues". During our time in Mexico, I spoke with preachers in both Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey about the situation there. I've been watching the Mexican media. I have spoken with numerous others who have traveled in and out of Mexico on a variety of mission trips over the past few months. They are in total agreement that the situation has been GREATLY exaggerated by American media outlets (especially CBS and FOX for some reason). Although in recent articles the Christian Chronicle has attempted to inform churches of the situation prior to the recent Spring Break time period, I believe that even that was somewhat inaccurate. Add these reports with a little third hand “spin” that many in our churches have put on it, and no wonder the situation sounds worse than it is. The truth is that there hasn’t been a single incident for ANY mission group (we are talking hundreds and thousands) from the US that has occurred relating to this situation.
Is there violence in Mexico between drug cartels and police/army/government officials? Yes. Why is this occurring? It is because the Mexican government (yes, even with all its history of corruption) is putting a great deal of pressure on the drug gangs and they are reacting violently, hoping to intimidate the government into backing down. It is not working… the government continues to tighten their “choke hold” on these negative elements in their country.
One particular Mexico mission trip effort with whom I have been connected for many years (I’ll save the name to avoid the appearance that I am speaking for them) is suffering greatly because of hasty decisions by a number of American churches of Christ in cancelling their trips to help. As of the last bit of information of which I am aware, nearly 20 groups have cancelled. The Mexican church is SUFFERING greatly because of these decisions.
The time for the church to shine brightest is when darkness seems to be at its most powerful. Now is that time both in the United States AND in Mexico. Jesus NEVER promised us safety... writer of the book, “The Irresistible Revolution”, Shane Claiborne, stated that the most dangerous place for the church is a place of comfort. Somehow, someway, we have to persuade our church leaders (and parents) to live dangerously for Christ. There is a time coming (it may be now) where we can not shrink back, but instead, have great courage and boldness. We should not be fooled that there is a much safer situation here in the US. Ironically, while we were in Mexico, there was a big drug bust in front of the home of one of our members in Fort Smith, AR with K-9 and SWAT police units. And recently, 11 women were murdered and found buried in a “safe neighborhood” in Albuquerque, NM. Recent statistics state that Phoenix, AZ is the kidnap capital of the USA right now.
I pray this information will help tip some churches into listening to God instead of Satan. This is spiritual warfare and the church in America needs to step up to the plate, show their faith in God and send people to Mexico. It is time for us to start PRAYING, to neither OVERreact nor UNDERreact, but to react appropriately.
Please feel free to inquire with any other questions you may have about this situation and may God bless you as you seek to live out Matthew 28:19-20.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sign of the times - China Style #2
OK, I will post two for today in separate posts. This is just hilarious. Again, thanks to my friend, Katie, for letting me post these.
Make some comments, share with friends... it might even inspire me to write some more!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
To Cell Phone or Not To Cell Phone
Well, many of you know that for many years, I've held tough on my policy about not allowing students to bring cell phones, iPods and MP3 players on youth group trips. My personal opinion was that they interfered with the opportunity that students would have to actually establish and maintain a relationship with other students in their own youth group. It was tough to enforce, but I felt like we were pretty successful in minimizing the impact/interference these electronic items could have on the dynamics of the group. Unfortunately, in recent years, parents have actually encouraged their students to take these items anyway, regardless of the rules. That brought other problems, such as a disregard for OTHER rules that were in place.
Anyway, I recently moved to a new ministry and we went on our first trip to Winterfest in Arlington, Texas. I was faced with the decision of whether I wanted to change my long-held policy on electronics or not. I decided to say nothing about it, thus not "banning" them from the trip. It was interesting to observe what happened during the weekend. Most of the students spent a significant amount of time texting one another or friends back home. Only a few times did anyone actually talk on the phone. The only time that it seemed that it was a problem was when a segment of Winterfest was ended, and I would get at least 30 text messages from students asking about where they should go/be next. It was wonderful and frustrating at the same time.
I think, in retrospect, that technology has a "chronology" of sorts... There is an initial usage, then abusage, then a retreat back to some appropriate sense of usage... this is happening with cell phones right now. I ran across this one article and one blog entry/sermon about cell phone usage for your consideration. Make some comments below about this subject and let's start a discussion as to the pros and cons of electronics on a youth group trip.
Ooops, gotta run... I just got a text...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A New Beginning....
As you might know, I'm making a move from the Littleton church to the West-Ark church in Fort Smith, AR at the end of 2008. I greatly value you as a friend and as someone I greatly respect in youth ministry.
Even though I am an "old dog", I know I don't have all knowledge of everything that "works" in youth ministry. I want to learn what you are doing... what you are thinking. What I'd like to ask of you is this... what unique thoughts do you have about your youth ministry? What are some creative things that you've done (or are thinking about doing) in your youth ministry? What advice would you give me, knowing that I've been doing this a long time (and hope to continue to) and am going from one place after 7 years to another that I hope is at least this long?
You have three choices in response to this/these requests... you can reply to this message with your replies, you can post it to my blog at http://rickmon.blogspot.com/ or, you can call me and talk in person on my cell phone at 303-618-9585 or we can talk at NCYM.
What do you say??
Even though I am an "old dog", I know I don't have all knowledge of everything that "works" in youth ministry. I want to learn what you are doing... what you are thinking. What I'd like to ask of you is this... what unique thoughts do you have about your youth ministry? What are some creative things that you've done (or are thinking about doing) in your youth ministry? What advice would you give me, knowing that I've been doing this a long time (and hope to continue to) and am going from one place after 7 years to another that I hope is at least this long?
You have three choices in response to this/these requests... you can reply to this message with your replies, you can post it to my blog at http://rickmon.blogspot.com/ or, you can call me and talk in person on my cell phone at 303-618-9585 or we can talk at NCYM.
What do you say??
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Next Chapter....
I thought I'd repost this note I recently posted on my Facebook page... just in case you aren't one of my Facebook friends....
Yes, it’s true. There has come a time in our lives and ministry where we have been offered an opportunity to again listen for God’s call. We have agonized, prayed, sought counsel and wisdom as we tried to discern what God wanted us to do. We have come to the decision that we must follow Him and as a result we must leave our church family at Littleton as of December 31, 2008. We begin officially on January 1, 2009 as the youth and family minister at the West-Ark Church of Christ in Fort Smith, AR. We physically will leave the Denver area on the morning of January 9 and our first Sunday at West-Ark will be January 12.
To the members at Littleton:
Kristi, Jake, Molly and I have served this congregation for nearly seven years in the role of Youth Minister. We came to this church family with a strong sense of calling from God that He had prepared us for this opportunity. We have been continually amazed at how much this church has taught us about life, ministry and our mutual pursuit of God. Our children have grown so much both physically and spiritually during our time here. Jake even decided to give his life to Christ at this place.
We have witnessed tremendous impact this church has made in the local community and seen phenomenal growth as a result, nearly doubling in size during our time here. We have also seen incredible growth numerically and spiritually among our Middle School and High School students. In fact, this year’s Senior class was only in 5th grade when we began ministry here.
The staff here is better than any I could have imagined working with. Collin, Mike, Gus and Bill have been friends, mentors, teammates and above all, Christian brothers. They have had an eternal influence on me and our family.
We greatly appreciate the opportunity you have provided us to try to make a difference for the Lord among the students and families here. We will miss all of you and hope and pray for you to continue to serve the Lord with all your strength. God bless you and God bless the entire Littleton Church of Christ.
To the students at Littleton:
Michael Strahan, the fantastic defensive player from the New York Giants, waited to retire from football until after his team won the Super Bowl last year. He, like many others, wanted to go out at the peak of his situation and not the valley. We feel the same about our situation here. Our youth group has had a tough couple of years, but honestly, you are in the best spiritual spot that I’ve seen in the 7 years I’ve been your Youth Minister. That is one reason we feel it is time to answer this call from God.
Please know that “it’s not your fault”, that we are making this change. You are an amazing group of students that have made me proud, over and over, to be your Youth Minister. There is NOTHING for you to regret or be ashamed about. Our memories and experiences here will always be good ones. We will never forget you.
Remember the things that I’ve tried to teach you… that this youth group is whatever YOU choose for it to be… that it’s time for each of you to recommit your lives to Christ and to step forward to the leadership roles that God has been waiting for you to take for a long time… that a Youth Group should NEVER be solely focused on WHO the Youth Minister is… to be open to changes that a new Youth Minister will bring… allow for God’s Holy Spirit to work through him… be praying for him to be the kind of person to bring this youth group to the next level of commitment, spirituality and passion.
Lastly, I want you to know that you will always be my youth group kids… and I hope and pray that I will always, at some level, be your Youth Minister. God bless you!
Yes, it’s true. There has come a time in our lives and ministry where we have been offered an opportunity to again listen for God’s call. We have agonized, prayed, sought counsel and wisdom as we tried to discern what God wanted us to do. We have come to the decision that we must follow Him and as a result we must leave our church family at Littleton as of December 31, 2008. We begin officially on January 1, 2009 as the youth and family minister at the West-Ark Church of Christ in Fort Smith, AR. We physically will leave the Denver area on the morning of January 9 and our first Sunday at West-Ark will be January 12.
To the members at Littleton:
Kristi, Jake, Molly and I have served this congregation for nearly seven years in the role of Youth Minister. We came to this church family with a strong sense of calling from God that He had prepared us for this opportunity. We have been continually amazed at how much this church has taught us about life, ministry and our mutual pursuit of God. Our children have grown so much both physically and spiritually during our time here. Jake even decided to give his life to Christ at this place.
We have witnessed tremendous impact this church has made in the local community and seen phenomenal growth as a result, nearly doubling in size during our time here. We have also seen incredible growth numerically and spiritually among our Middle School and High School students. In fact, this year’s Senior class was only in 5th grade when we began ministry here.
The staff here is better than any I could have imagined working with. Collin, Mike, Gus and Bill have been friends, mentors, teammates and above all, Christian brothers. They have had an eternal influence on me and our family.
We greatly appreciate the opportunity you have provided us to try to make a difference for the Lord among the students and families here. We will miss all of you and hope and pray for you to continue to serve the Lord with all your strength. God bless you and God bless the entire Littleton Church of Christ.
To the students at Littleton:
Michael Strahan, the fantastic defensive player from the New York Giants, waited to retire from football until after his team won the Super Bowl last year. He, like many others, wanted to go out at the peak of his situation and not the valley. We feel the same about our situation here. Our youth group has had a tough couple of years, but honestly, you are in the best spiritual spot that I’ve seen in the 7 years I’ve been your Youth Minister. That is one reason we feel it is time to answer this call from God.
Please know that “it’s not your fault”, that we are making this change. You are an amazing group of students that have made me proud, over and over, to be your Youth Minister. There is NOTHING for you to regret or be ashamed about. Our memories and experiences here will always be good ones. We will never forget you.
Remember the things that I’ve tried to teach you… that this youth group is whatever YOU choose for it to be… that it’s time for each of you to recommit your lives to Christ and to step forward to the leadership roles that God has been waiting for you to take for a long time… that a Youth Group should NEVER be solely focused on WHO the Youth Minister is… to be open to changes that a new Youth Minister will bring… allow for God’s Holy Spirit to work through him… be praying for him to be the kind of person to bring this youth group to the next level of commitment, spirituality and passion.
Lastly, I want you to know that you will always be my youth group kids… and I hope and pray that I will always, at some level, be your Youth Minister. God bless you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
