Youth Specialties Blog
Video of the Week: MercyMe Cover Tune Grab Bag: “Baby, Baby”
By Youth Specialties on March 13 2012 | 0 Comments
Looks like MercyMe is finding time to have fun on tour. Check out their cover of “Baby Baby.”
By Youth Specialties on March 13 2012 | 0 Comments
The Story: Help Your Students Experience the Bible
By Chris Davis on March 06 2012 | 2 Comments
As youth workers we can never forget how important it is that we are teaching the students in our youth groups about the Bible. This isn't always as easy as it sounds. We are really excited about a new resouce to help make it easier: The Story.
Using the clear text of the New International Version, this rendering of the Bible allows its stories, poems, and teachings to come together in a single, compelling experience. The Story, Teen Edition sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. And, like any good story, it is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption.
The DVD, a companion to The Story, Teen Edition print book, helps teens understand The Story more clearly through experiential learning. Michael Novelli has seen that when teens experience a story, as opposed to it being told or shown to them, they absorb and remember it more thoroughly. This DVD offers youth workers a new way to engage teens in the grand narrative of the Bible.
Curriculum DVD includes: 31 video sessions (including additional Recap and Rewind videos), Reproducible Teacher's Guides for 31 weeks including Reading Scripts, Reproducible student handouts.
Contains:
- The Story: Teen Edition curriculum DVD
- The Story: Teen Edition softcover book
- Getting Started guide
It doesn't matter if you are a small group leader, Sunday School Teacher, or teaching your entire youth group, this resource will help them find their place in the story of God.
Click HERE to learn more and download a FREE sample lesson.
By Chris Davis on March 06 2012 | 2 Comments
Leap Year Specials
By Chris Davis on February 29 2012 | 1 Comments
Welcome to Leap Year Day 2012! We wanted to celebrate by offering you some great specials to celebrate.
First up is the biggest NYWC special we could think of to launch our 2012 events. You can get into the convention for only $209 per person. You can save your spot with a $50 deposit and pay the rest in August. Space is limited so visit NYWC.com for all the details.
Also we have some awesome resources on sale for 29% off their retail price.
Both offers good till 3/7/2012.
By Chris Davis on February 29 2012 | 1 Comments
School Shooting: Things to Discuss with your Students
By Youth Specialties on February 27 2012 | 0 Comments
We are all saddened by the news of another school shooting this morning at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio. We have a connection to Chardon, we went there in 2010 to film a story for NYWC, and our hearts are broken for our friends there. Our prayers go out to the students, faculty, families and everyone involved. We also want to lift up the youth workers that have jumped in to talk and pray with students and families.
This morning Greg Stier posted some topics to discuss with your students during difficult times like this:
1. Pray because God is still in charge and your prayers make a difference.
I’ll never forget when, just 20 minutes down the road from where I sit right now, the Columbine shootings took place. April 20th, 1999, marked a day of personal tragedy for me as I knew a lot of students at Columbine. I was shocked and felt helpless. Over the next few days I traveled down to Columbine High School and the adjacent Clement Park to pray for the school and with shocked and bewildered students and parents.Although I felt helpless I really wasn’t…because I was praying. Kneeling is our position of strength as believers. When we pray we move the hand that moves the world and it makes a difference.
Challenge your teenagers to pray for the teenagers at Chardon High School. Consider having a prayer service for them in youth group this week in lieu of your normal mid-week program. Let us intercede on behalf of, not only Chardon High School, but our own schools in our own communities. Let us pray for revival, healing, the victims, the families of the victims and the shooter. Let us pray that the message of Jesus would advance and the hope of Jesus will overcome and overwhelm this school and our schools.
2. Don’t freak out because the worst thing that can happen to you is the best thing.
Last year there was a shooting in the building adjacent to where my kids go to school. The first day of school after the shooting, as I was driving my kids to drop them off, I asked my son, “Are you afraid to go to school because of the shooting?” He answered “a little bit.” I asked, “Jeremy, what is the worst thing that could happen to you?” He answered, “I get shot and killed.” I asked, “What’s the best thing that can happen to you?” He thought for a moment and blurted with a smile, “I die and go to heaven.” I reminded him that we as believers cannot lose when it comes to life or death. Jesus has won for us.Let’s remind our teenagers of this truth in Hebrews 2:14-15, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
We have been freed from our slavery to the fear of death through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. As a result we can say, along with the apostle Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Philippians 1:21.
3. Listen to the hurts of your fellow teenagers deeply and give them hope.
School shootings often trigger emotions amongst teenagers that just spill out. This is an opportunity for your teenagers to, “be quick to listen” and “slow to speak” James 1:19.Perhaps you can model this for them this week by asking your teenagers questions like, “How did you feel when you heard about the shootings in Ohio?” and “Have you ever wondered or worried about a school shooting unfolding at your school?” After you ask the questions just listen to their answers. Don’t critique their comments. Just listen to them and love them. After they have been fully heard take them to the cross and help them find their healing in the shadow of the ultimate tragedy and triumph.
Then challenge your teenagers to ask these same questions of their friends and classmates at school. Encourage them to ask questions and listen deeply before they attempt to evangelize. When they are quick to listen and slow to speak in these situations it helps the gospel go deeper when they do share this message of hope.
4. Rally other Christian teens to pray with you at school and to join you in reaching out to other teens with the hope of Jesus.
This is a time to rally and not retreat. It’s time to get other teens praying at school for each other and for the victims of this tragedy. Maybe have teens crack open a yearbook and begin to pray for their fellow students by name. As they do this have them also begin to reach out to their friends, classmates and teammates with the hope that only Jesus can offer.For help in these prayer and outreach efforts check out www.everyschool.com. This powerful website is packed with tools (some of which are from Dare 2 Share) which can help your teens adopt their school for prayer and reach students with the message of Jesus.
5. Sit at a different cafeteria table.
Challenge your teenagers to sit at a different cafeteria table at least once a week. Have them sit with a new group of teenagers to get to know them and build relationships with them. As they do, their prayer should be to lead these new friends to their best friend, Jesus Christ himself.
You can read Greg's full post at his blog.
Please join us in lifting this town, school and families up in prayer.
By Youth Specialties on February 27 2012 | 0 Comments
The Missing Puzzle Piece: The Role of Adult Mentors in Student Leadership
By Youth Specialties on February 21 2012 | 3 Comments
On that Thursday night, I had a roomful of eager teenagers vying for student leadership opportunities within our youth ministry. I also had a short-but-engaging Bible study on the importance of serving others. I even had Dunkin Donuts’ donuts and Starbucks’ coffee available.
But I was still missing one crucial piece of the puzzle: a 72-year-old man confined to a wheelchair.
By Youth Specialties on February 21 2012 | 3 Comments
I am Youth Worker
By Shawn Michael Shoup on February 16 2012 | 15 Comments
I am Youth Worker. I am the 99.
I am underpaid and overworked – working a full time job to pay the bills and doing my best to honor God and my students with the spare time that I have to put together the service each week for youth group.
I stayed up late last night talking to a student who's relationship break-up resulted in their crisis and many tears. I'm up early this morning on my way to work.
I want to be involved in the youth ministry network in town but it's just not feasible. I need the encouragement, resources, networking, and tools that they offer, but I can't make it with my work schedule.
I often times compare what I have to the youth worker down the street with interns, a monthly budget, and a youth building and recreation center. It's not like I'm trying to compete (How could I?), but I sometimes finding myself wishing I had more of what you do.
I'm just as passionate and work just as hard as the full time, paid guy, but I do it after my day job – not as my day job. As a result, I'm burnt out, tired, and sometime – no, many times – feel like giving in.
I apologize for the sensationalist tone and for comparing the average youth worker to the Occupy protest's 99%. But I'm hoping to catch someone's attention. As a district guy in our denomination, I've come across stories of so many youth workers that have so little to work with. 99% might be too high of a percentage to compare it to youth workers that are not at full time capacity, but in reality, it's probably not that far off.
I was having a conversation with a youth pastor yesterday that was telling me about their first visit to a local gathering of youth workers. I asked her if it was encouraging and her response was, “Yes, it was helpful hearing about all the different resources and ideas from other youth workers, but I also came away a little bit discouraged at how little I have to work with compared to some of the others. They were sharing ideas that were really cool, but just weren't feasible without interns and a big budget. It made me feel somewhat insignificant.”
When you stop and consider how many youth workers are part-time or volunteer, it really is the wide majority of us. Many churches want to hire on a full time youth pastor and give them a budget to work with but just don't have the financial resources to do so. Which leaves a lot of us youth workers feeling a bit stretched thin.
So here's the thing: if you are the “one percent” — meaning, you are a full time youth worker and you have the luxury of having a ministry budget and other things that the majority of your peers maybe don't — consider taking care of some of our own.
• If you have some books that you've already read through, why not consider donating a box to another ministry wanting educational resources?
• If you write and package your own sermons with slick PowerPoints, in-house media, and illustrations, share it with others who don't have the time and/or resources to do so.
• If you are planning a student ministry outreach, invite other churches without as big of budgets to do it with you. They want to be involved in loving their neighbors, but a lot of times don't have the know how or have the resources to do so. Partner with them.
• You know that big retreat you've spent months planning? They don't have the time to do that either. Invite them.
• Offer your time. Take them out to coffee and chat about life and youth ministry. Don't try to be an expert. Lean more towards trying to be an encourager and equipper.
• Budget some time in your weekly or monthly calendar to invest in other NextGen leaders.
It's been said before, but it bears repeating: our best resource is each other. Let's take care of our own.
By Shawn Michael Shoup on February 16 2012 | 15 Comments
Video of the Week: Evan’s Story
By Youth Specialties on February 14 2012 | 0 Comments
This is the story of a student that's life was changed becuase of what you do. There's nothing better than to see the life of a student changed. Take a moment and thank God for the work He's done in one student and for a student that is still has yet to realize that change.
Thanks for what you do!
Read the post that originally contained the video on DougFields.com
By Youth Specialties on February 14 2012 | 0 Comments
