How to spend 1 hour of your day...

Youth ministry calendars are up and down like a yo yo. In the summer you are so busy, that the only other thing you do is sleep. Then, depending on what church you serve in, and what your youth ministry goals are your fall is a little more calm, winter (aka Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) is nuts, and then in the spring you enter a deep season of planning for the summer.

Recently I have made it an absolute priority to take 1 hour of my day while I am in the office to:
1.) Get (at least) 1 cup of coffee.
2.) Do 2 days of a Bible reading guide I am following.
3.) Dive into and take notes on a book that is going to help me grow. (Recently this, has been ALL youth ministry books.)

This 1 hour may seem like an easy task, but with all that happens on a daily basis in youth ministry, sometimes finding time to go to the bathroom can be a impossible task. But, you can't put a price on how valuable this 1 hour is.

I would encourage you to find a good Bible reading guide. The key here is to find one that works for you. There are so many to choose from. 1 year guides, 90 day guides, specific focus of study guides. It's all up to you. Pick one that you know is going to push you, stretch you and grow you.

Then when it comes to a book that is going to help you grow, again it is all about what you are looking for. It may be a book on spiritual formation, leadership, preaching styles, how to deal with difficult parents, etc. No matter what book you choose, I would encourage you to pick something that is going to be worth your time. There are only so many hours in a day, once they're gone you can't get them back. So find a book that is going to challenge and change your life.

Take time to dream, set goals and plan where you are going and how to get there. This 1 hour has become one of the best hours of my day. I hope it can be for you too.

"Focus on being a person of God, before doing the work of God." - Doug Fields

We can't put the plow before the horse. Make sure you are focusing on your spiritual life, before you attempt to be a spiritual leader.

Shine On,
Chase

Like, Like, Like.....

Last Tuesday, we went to the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC). It was a great time! Lots of men and women excited about God, Seminaries wanting you to get your Mdiv, lots of free random stuff, and of course a lot of important business. Having gone to things like this a few times I have kinda found my niche and am able to easily accomplish what I need to do. 

This year, I noticed something though. To fully understand this you have to know me and know that I love to people watch! As I was doing this throughout the day, I couldn't help but notice some guys, by their actions and conversations were playing the comparison game. You the know the drill, the young guy with the faux hawk, skinny jeans, plaid shirt and cool watch walks in. Automatically, there will be some youth pastors who look at a guy like that and think..."I bet he is such an awesome youth pastor!" As if the clothes you wear have anything to do with it. 

Then you will have the others, while in conversation, you can't help but hear them brag. Numbers this, numbers that. Numbers are definitely important. But, when you are using it to pat yourself on the back, watch out. 

I say all that to say this, I too am guilty of the comparison game. I see other youth guys and think, "man If only I could be more like that guy, I would be able to draw more students in." Or, "Wow, if i was funny like, or could communicate like, or came up with games like, or prayed like, or dressed like, or was creative like." Or "If I was at a Church like, If I had a youth room like, If I had a leadership team like, If I had technology like, If I had curriculum like, If I had more schools like, If I had a bigger budget like..." 

We can get on blogs and instagram, and twitter and drive ourselves crazy, if we aren't careful. 

Stephen Furtick says, "We are comparing our everyday, with everyones highlight reel." 

We can get ourselves into a lot of trouble when this happens. God designed each of us with the perfect gift set that we need to reach and impact the people God places in our lives. We can't doubt that and we shouldn't feel bad because we aren't as funny as the guy across town. MOST LIKELY you have something the other guy wishes he had in his skill set. 

When we try to be something we're not, we usually cause more harm than good. Let's be us! 

Craig Groeschel says it this way, "We're living for likes and looking for love." 

I'm so thankful God made us all so different! It takes everyone of us. With our different hair, clothes, games, sermons, prayers, methods, strategies, encouragement, short comings, pasts, love, etc. Let's stop the comparison game and use what God has blessed us with to reach as many as we can! It's a huge task to Walk Alongside Teens As They Journey With Jesus. Don't grow weary, Keep going!  

A Verse to encourage you today: 

"Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments." - Psalm 119:73