Date Archives April 2008

Googly Eyes from SNL

Funny TV Video

We watched this on hulu one night from the hotel and it has been our theme for the trip.  Peyton has gone around to random people asking, “Excuse me, have you seen my googly eyes?” It has been fun

Throat whistling

Funny Music Video

Man I love this! I SOOOOO wanna learn how to do this![youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxK4pQgVvfg[/youtube]

Shift Breakout Session 4 – Building Teams

Events ministry 1 Comment
  • Team – Know what you are looking for
  • Team Members must have:
    • Heart – a heart for Jesus
    • Passion – must have a passion for students
    • Availability – must be available for the students
    • Chemistry – must be like-minded people and must “fit” with the team. Not an age thing.  Say no to volunteers.
      • questions to ask in interview –
        • Their story
        • what do they like to do for fun
        • some hard things they have been through
  • What kind of people are you looking for?
  • The real pastors – are the volunteers
    • Must train them – 
      • provide a field manual with how to lead a small group, ask the right questions, etc
      • Once a month have training
      • Once a year go on a retreat – share stories
      • Families – has a family leader that loves on 8 leaders
    • Live – goes through the way that they are living
    • Show up – page of what they have to show up for 
      • program
      • all-nighters
      • emotionally show up
      • spiritually show up
    • relate – build relationships with students
      • pray for them
      • get to them
      • what they are excited about
      • what their families are like
    • pastor – 

Misc. Notes:

  • 2 training sessions before the year session started after recruiting new volunteers
  • Field Manual stuff:
    • clear expectations
  • Training
    • 2 2 hour sessions
      • goes over field book
      • what the topics will be for the year
      • How to talk to students without giving them the answers, let them figure it out themselves
  • They have a thing called the forum during the student service where parents come together and talk about issues. It is led by a trusted parent.

Shift Breakout Session 2 – The Junior High Worshipper

Events ministry Music

Brandon Grissom Elevate Declaration:

  •  
    • We are loved by God
    • We see ourselves the way God sees us
    • We love everyone (even when it hurts)
    • We do stuff that makes the world a better place

Greek > Proskuneo > Kiss

  •  
    • Romans 12:1

Junior High = Change

  •  
    • voice is changing
    • new way of school
    • body is changing
    • everyone looks different – one showed up with a beard last week

5 needs of JR HIGH students

  •  
    • Physical – rapid growth, voice change, energy levels.  Need to provide a place where they can move around and get out some energy – physical outlet
    • Social – the primary thing of life. obsessed with connecting with friends.  myspace, xbox live, texting, etc.  Get them to talk to people – have a greeting time.  (just had an idea – provide a card and pen and have them go to 5 people they don’t know and write down their myspace url or facebook name and invite them)
    •  
      • Saying at elevate – everyone here is cool. If you are attending here, then you are cool
    • Intellectual – questions.  They need a safe place where they can ask question.  As a worship leader – no churchy language and explain songs! What does hallelujah mean?
    • Emotionally – Face serious self-esteem issues.  We need to provide an outlet where students can pray through their hurts.  Set up prayer stations for students can go to during the service
    •  
      • They put down butcher paper and told them to write down prayer request – got some serious stuff. Kind of luck we did with our dirty secrets cards!
    • Spiritual – they are questioning you, childhood faith, curious about what friends believe. 

Starting a band Vs Creating a worship culture

  •  
    • Student involvement vs Student ownership
    • Limited Band Openings vs Unlimited creative serving opportunities
    • Oldest, most gifted musicians get to play vs musicians are placed in bands of similar age and skill level
    •  
      • Older musicians give lessons to younger musicians
      • True intergenerational – one 50 yr old who is an awesome example of service and being Christ-like
      • authenticity should always trump relevance – you will lose your coolness – students care more about how real you are and not how cool you are
    • One band vs multiple bands
    • Live worship music vs Worship through music, arts, video, open-mic sharing, interactive experiences, and serving opportunities
    • no adults allowed vs specific adults are chosen to provide intergenerational leadership to young artists
    • Sing popular Christian songs vs Create original worship music, explain the “churchy” language of pop-christian songs
    • Avoids “secular” music vs Embrace that “everything good” comes from God – therefore content can some from a variety of places, not just Christian radio
    •  
      • just said we could use radiohead
    • Planning is optional vs Planning is vital
    •  
      • Quickly involve the first musicians that knock on your door vs Carefully create a process for recruiting retaining, and releasing artists
  • Build into yourself:
    • Family first
    • Daily scripture and quiet time
    • Find people to grow with – meet weekly – I meet wednesday nights from 8-11
    • Worship Privately

Take home stuff:

  • Do we have anyone who can write songs?
  • Recruit from outside of the church – where do I find them?
  • Don’t plug in everyone – lay in the groundword – process for joining (almost done with ours)
  • Audition – bring own equipment – bring a song they know – metronome for drummer – don’t do 4/4 do other signatures – everytime i point to them they do a fill and then get back to the song
  • Find people to do the lessons
  • Light of the world give students glow sticks

Shift Breakout Session 1 – Leading Worship: Living Rooms, Auditoriums & Old Malls

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Aaron Niequist – link to notes and examples6 Things that I am really really passionate about:

  • Accompanists
    • if the sound of your rehearsal sounds complete without the community singing, it might not be a very good accompaniment
    • Would your community say that you accompany their singing well?
  • Here
    • Two phrases that were officially retired at Mars Hill
      • …and God showed up, 
      • God, we invite you here today
      • Psalms 139:7-10
      • Acts 17
      • It is not our role as worship leaders to convince God to show up.  It should open our eyes to what is already there
        • 2 Kings 6:15-7
        • Quote from Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
      • How does your language reflect what you actually believe is true?
  • Creativity
    • variety, freshness
    • We need to pursue creativity, both musically and experientially for our community AND for us.
    • Ways to be creative
      • Musical Creativity – 
        • different styles: gospel, spirituals, high church.  “I want Jesus to walk with me”
        • had a funk sunday and a reggae sunday and a drum cadence sunday
      • Experiential Creativity – if we said we are going to worship now, everyone would expect music. What are ways to experience worship other than music
        • Tuning our hearts exercise – sing phrases up and down the scale- “hallelujah” “Lord have mercy” Bands and vocals warm up, so should the worshippers
        • How can we serve people who don’t love to sing?
      • Songwriting Creativity – what are the words that we are putting on people’s lips?
    • What aspect of your worship experiences could use a fresh breath of creativity?
  • Freedom – confusion is not the same thing as freedom
    • How to serve the “choir”
      • dive into your role fully
      • figure out exactly what you’re asking people to do
      • use everything you can – music, your mic, body language, gestures, and if all else fails, words – to clearly help them know their part
      • teaching and training your community on how to “use” your worship service – this why we do this song, this is why there is an instrumental part here – for you to keep worshipping
    • How to serve the “choir director”
      • Personal preparation – i need to be prepared so i can serve the others
      • Team preparation
        • Email the week before Thursday
        • Download page
        • Rehearsal Thurs pm – we called this the second rehearsal stating that they should have already rehearsed on their own
        • Sun am shower rehearsal – go through the songs in the shower in your head
        • Sun am run through – 
      • Every team member must be lead differently, but everyone can benefit from preparation
      • Where are you on the slide from confusion to freedom?
  • Hurt
    • Asked how many people knew someone who has been hurt by a church and pretty much everyone raised their hands
    • to work at a church is to get hurt
    • to be a human being is to get hurt
    • Recommended “The Heart of an Artist” “unforgiveness is drinking poison, hoping it kills someone else.”
    • Hebrews 12 – “therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”
    • Hebrews 12:1, 7-17
    • Hardship = God’s Discipline and it produces righteousness and peace.  BUT only if you are willing to be trained by it
    • What are you doing with the hurt inside you?

Action

  •  
    • Does it lead to action? Does it get us involved in the world or help us retreat out of it. Romans 12:1 offer our bodies as a living sacrifice
    • “I will follow you” over and over again is like him saying to his wife, “I will take out the trash” eventually Shauna is going to get ticked and say either take out the trash or stop saying your will take out the trash
    • Amos 5:21-24 – “I hate, I despise your religious feasts… I will not listen…” you must let Justice Roll (*song idea)
    • Let’s be doers!
    • Quote from John Robinson, “Honest to God“
    • “Christ’s example is being demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy, which is AIDS.  The church is the sleeping giant…” BONO
    • How does your worship experience launch your community into living it

Q&A Session

  • Have an honesty and encouragement session – 3 things they are knocking it out of the park with and 1 thing they could improve on. And let them do the same thing
  • How to have longevity in this position – not to be isolated.  Have people who you can be honest with and have people who are honest with you
  • How do you keep freshness everyweek – once a month have a really big something that breaks the mold. Also allow yourself to make one mistake every week.
  • Check out Finale – music software 

DMB Update

Music

(got this from facebook)DMB VIDEO FROM THE STUDIO
Check out the first Dave Matthews Band video of 2008, live from the studio. Dave Matthews Band is currently working with producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Alanis Morissette) on its latest album. Guitarist and longtime friend Tim Reynolds has joined the band in the studio for the first time since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets. Enjoy the exclusive iLike video featuring a message from Dave!

Shift Session 3 – Shane Claiborne

ministry
  • Luke 7:18-21
  • Study from Barna – preceptions of christians
  1. We are anti-gay
  2. We are judgemental
  3. We are hypocritical
  • Marlboro miles make great Bible bookmarks
  • Jesus never talked to a prostitute.  He talked to little girls who He was deeply in love with!

I had to stop taking notes and just listen. Man Shane is amazing.  So simple, yet so effective!

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-09

tweets!
  • Heading to eat @ Ditka’s downtown #
  • Just got to ditka’s awesome atmosphere, jazz singer, guy in bathroom to assist u in handwashing and provide cologne! #
  • On our way to hotel from ditka’s and borders! Jamming to we built this city! #
  • Our robot took us on a great adventure getting to the hotel, crazy u-turn #
  • goodnight! Tomorrow I get to see Willow Creek for the first time! #
  • Just ate breakfast continental style @ the hotel! Hotel hotel ur so sweet, bring me lots of things that I like to eat! Headin’ to willow … #
  • Jammin to georgia satellites – keep ur hands to urself #
  • Willow creek doesn’t look like I expected #
  • "L" is the shortest line! Sweet #
  • Wow! Nice worship center! Not what I expected #
  • Charlie hall just started with here is our king! #
  • Wow no drumshield! Amps on stage too! Unless they r dummy amps like Newspring #
  • Charlie hall is playing a cut capo.
    Setlist: here is our king, salvation, the solid rock, walk the world #
  • Charlie hall again:
    Chain breaker
    Then an awesome video and be the center! #
  • @avclub I totally agree! One of my favorite albums! #
  • Wow! Mark’s message was awesome! Def. A cool God moment highly enhanced by Charlie Hall and Marvelous light, I will never view song the same #
  • Heading to shake n shake! Yeah baby! #
  • I’m an idiot! Heading to steak n shake as apposed to the hip hop chicago dance club shake n shake #
  • Shane Claiborne is getting ready to speak! Yeah Baby! #
  • Just took some pics outside of wrigley’s field! #
  • Just prayed for the service back home! #
  • Just left the navy pier heading to experiencing some deep dish chicago style pizza! #

Shift Session 2 – Mark Yaconelli

Events ministry 1 Comment

Failure, Frustration & Loss: The Youth Workers Path to Holiness

  •  Luke 5:1-11
  • “Don’t know what kind of crud they are feeding you, but we got buffet in the green room”
  • What the experience feels like to be a goldfish – a student leader
  • Do you remember what it felt like when you first discovered Youth Ministry? – the world became 3D, color came into the world. You didn’t have to have devotions, you laid in bed at night asking to be pleasing to him and what to do next
  • “you showed up to bring cookies one time, then you were tricked into working 45 hours a week”
  • “what if we did Cinco de Jesus on Cinco de mayo.  Don’t know if God has 5 attributes, but I’ll find them. We’ll have tacos and sombreros. Two kids show up, no we didn’t know anything about it.”
  • “I feel inadequate”
  • “You never lose hair as a male. It just retires to Florida. Florida on my real estate is my nipples. I apologize for those of you who are visual.”
  • “Youth ministry is designed to break you”
  • “The calling is to be a spiritual guide. To be a spiritual guide you have to spend time in the Spirit.  We must be broken.”
  • “The problem in youth ministry is there are kids involved.”
  • Thank God for the tough kids who bring you to be dependent on God and be broken instead of praying they go somewhere else.
  • The invitation is the invitation we see in Luke 5
  • When Jesus invited them, they had no education, probably not moral, all they had were empty boats.  They were available and had time.  When was the last time you had time in your schedule?
  • The american culture is inter-woven in how we see/ignore/serve/worship God
  • “whose the good baby? the one who will sit and watch TV and not cry and doesn’t ask for things. Whose the bad baby? the one who cries and needs you and wants to be with you.  Kids today are abandoned.  We substitute anything we can for relationships.”
  • The spiritual life is about subtraction, not addition.  You have all you need. Your desire for God and to love kids is enough. If you’ll trust it. If you’ll wait. If you’ll sit in the struggle.  You don’t have to be overtaken by greed, consumerism, envy of other ministries.  Jesus will give you the ideas and creativity.
  • We need to pray that we will just be open to whatever to God
  • Sabbath is not a suggestion it’s a commandment. Don’t kill anyone, take a sabbath. Kind of implying if you don’t take a day off you might kill someone.
  • Slow down and read the newspaper and instead of skipping the crying african lady on the front to head to the golden globes, take the time to sit and absorb that picture and cry over it
  • maybe your poverty is your greatest gift
  • Jesus gets in the boat and takes them right back out into the frustrations of the lake. Sitting out all night not catching anything.  Then once out there in the frustration with Jesus, the food comes.
  • The invitation is to become real.
  • Mark did a great job of bringing in what Brian said in the previous session