3dyc: Day 1

What an incredible start to 3dyc! Our group has had a ton of fun, and we already see God working in many ways in our group.

Our volleyball teams did pretty well, but were both ultimately eliminated before making the championship bracket. But all is well, because we can redeem ourselves in dodgeball tomorrow (and that's the sport that really matters!).

The theme this year is Momentum. In the first session, our speaker (Heather) talked about how a lot of times we live for the big moments. We live for the big things in life, whether it's a certain sporting event, a life event like graduating or getting engaged, or a big conference like 3dyc, we look forward to big events in our lives. But Heather encouraged us to look at the "normal" moments differently. Each moment has potential in it. God can and has done amazing things during "normal" moments.

In session 2 Heather asked us what it is that defines us. There is a battle that is being waged that doesn't happen in the physical realm. So we need to decide who or what will determine our value. And we usually look towards things that we can measure in this world (performance, appearance, relationships). But God sees each of us as valuable. He created each of us and values each of us, regardless of how the world measures us and our success.

Some of our students made decisions to rededicate their lives to Jesus during the 2nd session. I'm extremely encouraged with the direction of this conference, and I feel that we are building momentum. Pray that God will continue to work in our students' lives.

3dyc 2014

Here is some info about 3dyc:

3dyc is held at the Grand Wayne Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Leaving: Sunday December 28, 7:00 am slow time. We will meet at the church. Parents/guardians are encouraged to stay for a minute for prayer time, last minute details, and to get the adults' cell phone numbers.

Getting Back: Tuesday December 30, Between 1:00-1:30 pm slow time. We will use the adults' cell phones to make calls confirming that time on the way back home.

What to Bring

• Bible, notebook, pen
• A couple changes of clothes
• Soap, shampoo, toothbrush/toothpaste
• Extra money for merchandise, ordering pizza, or additional food for the meals (optional)
• Camera
• Watch (won't have phones, so this will be your time-keeper)
• Breakfast bars/food for Monday and Tuesday morning (breakfast)

What Not to Bring

• Cell phones (The adults will have cell phones. We will provide the numbers when you drop of your teens on the 28th)
• MP3 players and other electronics
• Weapons (knives, guns, etc...)
• Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes

Bringing any of the things on the "not" list could result in the item being confiscated and even a trip home (at the parent's expense). Please do not bring any of these items. Our adults will have cell phones in case of emergency.

I'm looking forward to a great time of hanging out and hearing from God! If you have any questions, feel free to email me (no.more.name.calling@gmail.com) or call me (574-586-2201). See you soon!

-Norm

Hide-and-Seek: VIBE Series

We’re Teaching This:

Remember the game Hide & Seek? Crouched in a corner? Trying to breathe without ma

king noise? One person hides and another person seeks. That’s how it works. The truth is, it’s not all that different from our lives now. We may do it in different ways, but we are all trying to hide from things we don’t like. Things like pain, embarrassment and fear. We hide from things that hurt us. On the flip side, we’re all seeking certain things too. We spend a lot of time and energy seeking acceptance, excitement, fun, and whatever will make us feel good. The hard truth is we are rarely successful. What happens when our best efforts fail? When, no matter how hard we try, pain still gets in and happiness still gets away? Sometimes, part of growing up is deciding to stop playing the game.

Think About This:

8am: I hate my outfit.

4pm: Yes! School’s out!

5pm: I hate my life.

8pm: Best day ever!

Live with a teen long enough and you’ll start to see a pattern: up, down, good mood, bad mood, happy, sad. We’ve all heard about the emotional swings of adolescence and probably remember living through our own version of it. Any combination of homework, happenings, and hormones can turn them into a grouchy mess or a giggling goofball. Actually, research indicates that, during puberty, teen’s brains develop the ability to experience intense emotions like rage, sorrow, and elation. Unfortunately, neural connections that help students control and process these emotions don’t develop until later. (http://www.livescience.com/21461-teen-brain-adolescence-facts.html )

So pace yourself, because for at least a few years, you’ll have teens that have strong emotions but no tools to sort through them yet. The good news is, there are a few things you can do to help them navigate the ups and downs until your teenager figures out how to work through the on their own.

1. Be there for them, but don’t join in. As much as they hate to admit it, students will often take emotional cues from their parents. How you react to their situation will give them an idea of how they should react. So, as parents, we must be careful not to get sucked in to the meaningless drama of the lunch table or the contagious funk of teen angst. Empathize, but don’t participate. This doesn’t mean we have to hide our emotions or live like robot, but it does mean that we don’t hop on the emotional roller coaster with them every time it goes by.

2. Help them zoom out. Perspective is everything. Often with teens, when one thing is going badly they feel like everything in their life is falling apart. Or, if one thing is going well, they may focus on that and feel that nothing else matters. Either way, it us up to us to help them find perspective until their brains mature enough to sort out what is a big deal and what isn’t. This doesn’t mean we belittle their emotions. What they feel is very real to them, but we can help them gain some perspective by working to zoom out their lens and take in the bigger picture.  Ask them to tell you…

…one good thing that happened to them today.

…5 things they’re thankful for.

…2 things they’re looking forward to doing.

Focusing on what’s going well or what’s coming next or can help them digest what’s happening now.

Try This

Sometimes the best thing we can do for our students is simply to let them know we’re praying for them. Here are two options to help you get started:

1. Choose one thing to pray for your student this week. Don’t make it behavior related, but rather something you want for them. And drop a sticky note in their lunch or backpack letting them know.  It can be as simple as, “Hey, I’m praying for you to have a great basketball practice this week” or “Hey, I’m praying for you to feel confident this week”.
2. Ask your student how you can pray for them or their friends this week. And promise to do it. Since prayer requests are so personal, this is probably not the time to launch into a lesson or follow up questions. Simply let your student know that you love them and you’re praying for whatever is important to them. 

Mission Trip 2014: Birmingham, AL

In 2011, the largest outbreak of tornadoes in US history swept across the south leaving devastation behind. Many people were left without homes, lost loved ones, and nowhere to turn. Next Step STORM is an organization that is bringing about restoration to the areas surrounding Birmingham, AL.

Monte and Kim Brenneman were working in Gulfport, MS aiding in the restoration after Katrina before moving to Alabama. They have a desire to see the area restored, not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually. We will get the privilege to work with the Brennemans this summer. The projects could include everything from roofing to visiting homeless shelters to bring hope and the Good News to those who desperately need it.

This is a mission trip that I am very excited about. I believe that God is going to do amazing things in and through our group. I hope that you will consider being a part of this project if you are a student (7-12 grade) or sending your teenager if you are a parent.

We have our first training meeting for any student who is interested in participating. These meetings are not optional. Even if you are on the fence about whether you will go or not, I would encourage you to at least come to this first meeting so you can see what we're doing.

Mission Trip Details
Dates: June 29-July 5
Cost: $375 (Covers everything. We will do three fundraisers to bring this cost down)

Expert Teaching from Homeword.com: Social Media

Here is another edition of Expert Teaching from Homeword.com. In case you've missed previous posts, Homeword.com was started by Jim Burns, a youth ministry veteran. His organization focuses on helping families. I encourage you to go to www.homeword.com to check out the resources they have available. Here is an article on social media:

Social Media 101: Teens Are Fleeing Facebook
By HomeWord.com

A recent report from iStrategy Labs has provided estimates of the numbers of young users leaving Facebook in the last few years. According to the report, Facebook has lost over 4.3 million high-school aged users, amounting to over 25% of its users in the 13-17-year-old demographic since 2011.

The report adds significance to the anecdotal evidence and Facebook’s own admission that teens are leaving Facebook. But where are teens moving to among the social media universe?

Hard data is unavailable but anecdotal evidence and news reports are painting the picture that teens are moving to services that provide more privacy, fewer parents, and less drama. Teens are gravitating to specific-use social media apps (as opposed to Facebook’s all-in-one package) like Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, and messaging apps like WhatsApp, and Kik.

What it means for parents… Teens are known for their early-adoption of new technology and social media apps. Parents (and older adults, overall) tend to be slower to engage in new technology. It stands to reason then, that kids are always going to be one-step ahead of their parents – and they like it that way! When parents catch up, it’s time for teens to start looking for something new.

As with all aspects of youth culture, it’s up to parents to strive to keep up to date with how their kids are engaging the culture. Social media is no exception.

Here are a few rules of thumb for parents in regard to managing teen’s interaction with social media:

1. Discuss social media with kids. Focus on both the positive and negative aspects, as well as the importance of protecting one’s reputation.
2. Set reasonable expectations and consequences for social media use, for limiting the sharing of personal information, and for which apps can be downloaded and used.
3. Set and use app or site profile privacy settings to limit content access.
4. Learn what apps are on your child’s phone, tablet or computer – and which ones they use the most.
5. Learn what these social media apps allow your kids to do. Engage in discussion with your kids about how they use them.

So what about you? What steps are you taking in understanding and discussing social media with your kids? I would love to hear some ideas on how to stay connected and informed on social media with your kids.

Flipped Part 2: Losing Control

We're in the second week of our series Flipped. This week we're going to be talking about about control:

Who really calls the shots in your life? Think about the most powerful person you know. Reality is, no matter how powerful that person is, there are some things he or she still can’t control. Jesus met a man like that. This guy had assistants for his assistants. Everyone followed his orders. But at the end of the day, someone he cared about was really sick and there was nothing he could do to change that. However, he understood something about authority that we could all learn from. He understood that when his ability had run out, Jesus’ ability kept going. And trusting Him to be in charge flipped everything.

I have been on a journey with God discovering this truth in my life. Things have not always gone my way. In fact, there are some very significant things in my life that seem to be bad from the outside looking in. But God has taught me so much about His goodness and faithfulness in all of my mess.

I hope that you can join us this Sunday night at 5:45 pm as we discuss how losing control could actually be a good thing.

-Norm

New Series: Flipped

Have you ever had a moment that made you stop and think, "Wow, this changes everything"? Maybe it was finding out you didn't make the team or that your parents were splitting. Maybe it was finding out that you were good at something you didn't expect.

In these moments our lives change direction quickly. The funny thing is, nearly everyone who met Jesus had one of those moments. They cam in with a plan, a direction, and identity. And as soon as they spent any time with Jesus, those ideas were turned upside down.

Over the next few weeks we're going to look at four stories. We will find that an encounter with Jesus has the power to flip our lives, much like it flipped the lives of people 2,000 years ago.

If you've never been to VIBE I want to encourage you to check it out this week. We meet Sundays at 5:45 pm. VIBE is open to anyone in 7-12 grade. Come see how Jesus can flip your world upside down.

New Stuff

I just want to take a second to point out a couple of newish things on this blogspot. To the right of this post you will see a few boxes. The first box you see is titled Follow by Email. It's pretty self explanatory. If you enter your email address and click submit, you will receive an email each time we post a new blog. I highly recommend you do this because this is one of my main forms of communication, especially to parents.

If you look down a ways on the right hand column you will see a box titled More blogs/resources. Right now I only have one blog that is linked. That blog is by Tim Elmore. Tim is a prophet of our times. He works with students and can see trends that many people might miss. I subscribe to his blog, and I encourage all parents, teachers, coaches, and youth workers to subscribe to it as well.

Also, if you have Facebook, make sure to "like" KLMC Youth. After liking our page, allow your cursor to hover over the button at the top of the page that says "liked." Some options will appear as you hover over the button, one of them being "get notifications." If you click on that you will receive notifications every update we post.

I hope you guys will take advantage of our lines of communication. These are the best way to stay in touch with the youth ministry.

-Norm

Expert Teaching: Social Media

This is the second edition in our "Expert Teaching" series. If you missed the description of what this series is, check out the first edition by clicking here. This teaching comes from HomeWord.com, and organization that I have a lot of respect for. How have you seen this played out in your teens? What steps have you taken to battle what is being talked about? Let me know in the comments section.

Social Media 101: Time and Place
By HomeWord.com

Sure, your teen wants to stay connected to friends and peers using social media. That’s a given. But research is telling us that using social media after bedtime and in your teen’s bedroom are neither the right time nor place. In fact, these are just plain lousy for your kid’s well being.

Over the past few years, as research on teens and technology has advanced, it has been revealed that when teens take their technology devices to bed with them, some unhealthy things happen. Primarily, they get less sleep. Teens are already notorious for being sleep deprived, and tech in the bedroom has only made the situation worse.

“One of the biggest culprits for inadequate and disturbed sleep is technology,’ said psychologist Jennifer Vriend, lead author of a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. “Many teenagers sleep with their phones and they are awakened regularly by it ringing or vibrating throughout the night when they get a text, email or Facebook message,” she said.

An additional consequence of a teen’s lack of sleep is that they are more likely to perform worse academically. A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teens who go to bed late had a worse cumulative grade point average (GPA) at high school graduation and more emotional distress in the college years and beyond than teens who go to bed earlier.

Parents cannot force their kids to sleep. But aiding and abetting kids to sleep less by allowing them to use social media after bedtime is a sure prescription for creating problems.

One last note: research shows the same issues are also created when allowing televisions, computers, gaming consoles and devices in teen bedrooms.

Branded: Unselfish

Isn't true, fair or unfair, that sometimes Christians have a negative brand? If not by people that you know, sometimes, then by our culture? Some people just assume that Christians are going to be self-righteous, judgmental, close-minded, or boring.

But that isn't what this is supposed to be about. In fact, I think that Paul may have been dealing with the same ideas and misconceptions about what Christianity was in his day. He urges us to live unselfishly, to look out for others needs before our own. We don't do that to gain a good reputation for ourselves, but to show the love of Christ to others.

Bottom Line: Together we can care for others. That's our calling as Christians. We are called to look at the needs of other people and to take action. But sometimes that's difficult. This is what we'll be talking about at VIBE this week: How can we care for others. Hope to see you at VIBE, Sunday, 5:45 pm slow, 6:45 pm fast.

Branded: Week 1 Recap

We just wrapped up the first week of our new series called Branded. Everyone and everything gets branded. A brand is simply what you're known for. The challenge last night was to figure out what our brand should look like, because we represent so much more than ourselves. When people see church-goers out in the community, they expect something. There is a label, a brand, put on someone who goes to church.

We represent someone much bigger than ourselves. We wear Christ when we leave church. What we do, what we say, and how we treat people will say a lot about what we believe about Jesus. People will start to get an idea of who Jesus is based on our actions. The question is, do our words and actions really reflect who Jesus is, or are people getting the wrong impression?

Great organization work together to accomplish a goal or mission. The people in great organization are all pulling in the same direction. They aren't playing tug-of-war with each other. They agree on something, a specific action or behavior, and they keep each other accountable for what was agreed on. This is what Paul had to say in Philippians 2:1-2:

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."

 This is the kind of life that Paul expects from people who bear the name of Christ. We share a common experience, we understand love because of Christ's love for us, so as a group we should be pulling in the same direction. We should be able to come together and understand our common mission, even if we have different ideas of what that looks like.

We ended VIBE last night by having students write down what they want our group to look and act like. Most of the words that were used had to do with love, family, and kindness. There was agreement in what was written. That's who we want to be as a group. Now we are going to work towards that goal.

-Norm

Devotion: A Great Work

Nehemiah is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He had a passion for God that I long for. He was alive during a time that Israel was held in captivity. He didn't live in Jerusalem, but He understood that Jerusalem was the place that God had set apart for Himself. It was an important city because God resided there. Word came to Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed, so he sought special permission from the king to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls.

Upon hearing about the renovations, Israel's enemies were not too happy. They often tried to thwart the progress, but Nehemiah was determined. At one point his enemies sent him a letter asking him to meet at a certain place. They had planned to harm Nehemiah. His response is what I want to focus on:

"So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.'" (Nehemiah 6:3)

Nehemiah was convinced that his work was the right thing, the thing that God had called him to do, and he wouldn't stop for anybody. He wasn't going to let his enemies get to him. He wasn't going to be discouraged by all of the chatter and negativity that swirled around his work.

My prayer is that I could be more like Nehemiah. I pray that I would 1) be able to clearly see God's call in my life, 2) have the courage to follow the call, and 3) not be discouraged when negativity swirls around my call.  I pray that I can fix my eyes on Jesus so that when the Enemy tries to get me to focus elsewhere I can say, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

Let's make this our prayer for 2014, that we would hear the call of God, follow the call, and fix our eyes on Jesus through it all.

-Norm

(Hat tip to Adam Sharp, Vineyard Student Union, for getting this idea rolling)

Expert Teaching: HomeWord.com

Hey guys. We're starting a new weekly post which will highlight expert teaching from different ministries. Most of this training will come from Download Youth Ministry. They have partnered with several organizations and have access to some of the best teachers in the world.

Today's edition is from HomeWord.com. I first learned about HomeWord when I went to a breakout session at National Youth Workers Convention that was led by Jim Burns. Jim has been in youth ministry since the beginning of time (or something like that). His organization, Homeword.com, is focused on helping families connect and grow closer together and closer to God. I encourage you to check out the website. There are so many great resources available for parents and youth workers. So, here is some training from the good folks at HomeWord.com.

5 New Year’s Resolutions Your Family Can Live With
By HomeWord.com

It’s been said that a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. Maybe this is why many people don’t participate in the annual ritual. One survey found that 55% of Americans either never or only infrequently set New Year’s resolutions and that only 8% of Americans are always successful in keeping their resolutions. With odds like that, why bother?

So, what if we reset the “resolutions” bar at a reasonable height? It just might make a difference. With the right attitude going in, the following five “just for today” resolutions can help to get your family’s 2014 off to a positive start. Whether you try one or all, these are resolutions that most everyone has a good shot of accomplishing – something that your family can live with. As you succeed, you might even end up incorporating some of them into your family life and identity.

Five Resolutions for 2014
# 1: Just for today, I resolve to pray. This doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometime during the day, just say a short prayer. Thank God for something, or praise God for something, or tell God you love Him, or confess something to Him, or ask Him for something, or ask Him for something for someone other than yourself.

# 2: Just for today, I resolve to say, “I love you” to someone. It’s really not hard, and if you try, you really can find the moment it takes to say it, email it, text it, or show it. There are few sayings more powerful in the life of another than these three little words.

# 3: Just for today, I resolve to appreciate the world around me. Take a moment or two to smell the roses, or look at the blue sky (or clouds, or rain, or snow, or ocean, mountains, trees… you get the picture) and let the beauty of the world God created roll over you.

# 4: Just for today, I resolve to read from the Bible. No length requirements and no reading plan here. Today, just take some moments to read something from God’s word. Whatever you do here, it will be good for your life and your soul (See Psalm 119:105).

# 5: Just for today, I resolve to spend some time with my family. The breathless pace we live life is breaking families apart. So today, give your family the gift of your presence. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just make some space in your day to be with your family.

New Series: Branded

Branding-it's everywhere. You can't turn on the TV or drive down the street without seeing hundreds of ads and billboards. Companies spend millions of dollars trying to shape how YOU see THEM, developing their brand. But what about the Church? What are WE known for? Philippians chapter 2 has a lot to say about the way we love others. As we unpack this chapter, we discover that our love for people, both inside and outside the church, ultimately determines what we are known for-our brand.

Bottom Line Session 1: Together we can do more. We're going to be looking at what we can do to shape our brand, because we ultimately represent something and Someone greater than us.

Our first session will be at VIBE this Sunday night, January 5 @5:45 pm slow time/6:45 pm fast time. Check out the series bumper video here.