The Not-So-Savory Secret to being a good recruiter!

I found myself sitting in a leadership discussion surrounding the topic of managing volunteer leaders.

Inevitably, the “elephant” in the room decided to plop down and make himself known into the conversation. 

“How do we recruit leaders?”

That question seemed to hang in the air like a lead blanket. 

As we discussed and listened to each other, a thought entered my mind and being too “humble” I refrained from mentioning it.  So, I thought I would share it via this blog.

The most important and difficult lesson I’ve learned about recruiting leaders is the subtle art of self-promotion.  I know, I know, we hear the phrase “self-promotion” and we gag in our mouths a little bit.  I’m sure every pastor has been in a ministerial gathering and met “that guy.”  The one who makes sure to slap every back in the room.  When you shake his hand you can almost feel the slime dripping off of it. You know…that guy. 

Well, rest assured, I’m not talking about that kind of self-promotion. 

Allow me to speak a difficult truth, No matter what church you are in or what position you hold; NO ONE will EVER be as excited about your ministry as you!

So many of us genuinely want to be humble, but so often that can translate as defeat.  People want to be on a winning team!  People love to be a part of something that’s growing and moving and progressing. 

If you have a student give his life to Christ in your service, tell some one! Tell everyone!  If your church is even close to typical then, chances are, it might be the only conversion they hear about all year.  If services are going well and lives are being touched, don’t be afraid to tell someone - and the first person you tell should be your senior pastor.  He needs to know.  Even if he acts like he doesn’t care, he still needs to know!  Everyone in your ministry can think you are great, but if your Sr. Pastor doesn’t think so…you’ve got problems. 

There’s nothing wrong with letting those around you hear about what God is doing.  Don’t think of it as “self” promotion, but “God” promotion…(I know, super cheesy – right!). 

It’s His Kingdom and His church, but let me be blunt; it’s your ministry.  If your church doesn’t see excitement from you, who will they see if from?  If your students don’t see excitement from you, how can you expect them to be excited and invite their friends?

Remember this, when your church doesn’t hear good news from your ministry, they will infer that there’s nothing good happening. 

It’s okay to be your ministry’s biggest cheer leader!

Color Fight: a DIY

Several weeks ago we did a Color Fight at CYM.  Since then I've gotten quite a few people ask me what we did, how much it cost, etc.  When they found out how easy it was and how little it cost, they got pretty excited and began planning one for their ministry or event. So, in the name of "sharing and sharing alike" I thought I would post this blog about what we did and what work/did not work.  

Leading up to the Color Fight. 

For those who don't know, a Color Fight is simply throwing color powder on each other.  
Our Color Fight was inspired by all of those 5k color-type runs that are so popular.  But we didn't want to deal with the hassle of having to run a 5k. 
In the weeks leading up to our Color Fight we launched team competitions among the students of CYM, thus making the Color Fight the pinnacle of a 6 week push.  

We were going to call the competitions, Tribe Wars, which is a popular branding nowadays...however, living in OKC we decided to stay away from the "tribe" phrasing.  If you've never done a Team Competition, it can be either amazing for your ministry, or it can be very lame and very bad for your ministry.  As far as the logistics of a Team Competition, that's a matter for another blog.  But what I will say is that Team Competitions rises and falls on the team captain.  

The Prep Work

I did a lot of initial internet research on purchasing some color powder.  What I found was that color powder is expensive.  Even the cheapest stuff I found had to be shipped from overseas with high shipping charges.  So, we set out to try to make some of our own powder.  Here's what we did:

1) Researched and found some Color Tempura Paint Powder on Amazon.  I looked for it at various craft stores and could not find any.  So just resign yourself to getting it online.  The powder normally comes in 1 lb. jars.  

2) The next thing we did was buy a bunch of flour.  We got it in 5lb. bags from Walmart. 

3) We mixed in the Tempura Paint Powder with the flour in plastic tubs.  We found that 1 jar of paint powder could mix well with 2 bags of flour.  Now, that's as diluted as you want your paint powder.  You may actually want to mix the powder a little stronger, as to get a richer color. 

4) We put scoops of the powder in small 2 oz. ziplock snack bags.  This allows the fight to last a little bit longer.  Do not set the powder out in the tubs for your fight!  If you do, someone will pick up the whole tub and try to dump it on someone, thus making your fight last all of 30 seconds. 

5) If you want to make the fight last even longer you can buy women's pantyhose and make powder balls by cutting off the legs, putting a soop down the leg, tying a knot right above the powder, tying a second knot, then cutting in between the knots.  Each leg will yield about 6-7 powder balls. 

How much was used. 

We used 1 case of 12 Tempura Paint Powder Jars  and about 120 lbs. of flour.  This was enough for 130 participants.  

Cost

All in all we spent almost $100...Which is pretty good considering it factors out to less than a dollar per participant. 

The Night of the Color Fight 

1) We encouraged all students to wear white that night.  We also encourage students to wear goggles.  

2) As you've probably thought by now, a Color Fight is only going to last your group 15-20 minutes max.  In our planning, we realized we need another game to help fill up time.  So we came up with paint tag.  

     - We split our group into teams (which was easy because of the Team Competitions)

     - We bought craft paint in large tubes

     - We had each player put paint on their hands

     - Each member tried to tag members of the other team during the game

     - At the end of 5 minutes, each team counted up the hand prints on their team members

     - The team with the fewest marks, won

This game ended up being as much of a hit as the Color Fight.  

3) For the Color Fight we placed the boxes of Color Powder at various locations on our property, turned on some music, and let the students get after it.  

Wrap Up

This event was a big win for us and a boost going into summer.  I highly recommend you trying a Color Fight of your own.  If you have any additional questions, leave me a comment and I'll respond. 

Well, this is torture-ific!

Every one gets old.  Trust me on this one!  I've spent 32 years trying to avoid this very thing.  Don't get me wrong, I never get hung up on the numbers.  However, occasionally something happens that reminds you that you are getting older; needing to take a certain medication, ending your New Year's festivities BEFORE Dick Clark's Countdown begins...knowing who Dick Clark even is.  I recceived another reminder that I'm getting older today.  I had my first root canal.

Root Canals are unpleasant.  I know this fact.  I knew this fact as I pulled into the parking lot of the dentist's office.  However, nothing could prepare me for the horror that is the modern root canal.  If you are a dentist, know a dentist, or are related to one please don't take any disrespect.  My beef is not with you-just the sadistic tools you use.  

So, I arrive at my dental destination, on time, and I am shown to my chair.  After a few dozen 2ft. long needles skewer my mouth and come out my ears.  The dentist then proceeds to crack my head open like a giant Pez dispenser and goes to work.  Sparks are flying and smoke is billowing from my mouth.  I only got really concerned when the dentist fired up the chainsaw.  At one point I think they tried to set an office record by seeing how many hands they could cram into my mouth...Quick update, they set the record!  It was then that the thought hit me.  "This feels more like medieval torture than dentistry."  I expected to look up to see a monocled-German interrogator standing over me saying, "Vhere are za plans?"  And here's what's worse; I'm paying for this.  I'm paying GOOD money for this!  How does that happen!  If someone walked up to me in the parking lot of Lowe's and asked, "Can I take this drill I just bought and use it on your teeth?" I'd press charges.  But, put that man in a pair of scrubs and I'm like, "Sure!  In fact let me pay you for this experience!"  Where does that get fun?

Maybe I had a true moment of clarity regarding the short comings of the modern medical industry, or maybe it's just the hydro-condone, but I don't plan on going to the dentist for a while.....

Oh wait, I have another appointment in four weeks!  Ugh, nevermind.

Musings on Peace

I was reading Exodus the other day and a verse slapped me in the face like a cold fish, and it's been marinating ever since.  

Exodus 14:14

"For Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid.  Stand still and see the salvation of The Lord which He will perform for you today.  For the Egyptians you see today, you will see no more forever.  For God will fight for you, and you will hold your peace."

That phrase "hold your peace."  What an amazing statement.  So often we hear a statement like, "hold your peace" and immediately think "be quiet" or "zip your lip". In fact, other translations use phrases like "keep quiet." But I think the NKJV really hits the nail on the head with "hold your peace."  In the middle of a near regional catastrophe. God says to the Israelites, "hold you peace". You can also imagine Him saying, "be quiet."  The Israelites were pretty bad grumblers.  But "HOLD" your peace brings a completely different perspective on it.  I think it would help us to view peace as something to hold on to. It's easy to think of peace as something to let rest over us. But blankets that rest are easily blown off. How often in my life have I quickly let go of peace. How often have I thrown peace off in exchange for anger. Peace is something to be held, something to be clung to. "Hold your peace"

Grace Amazing


I've been preparing for a 3 week lesson series starting tomorrow night on Grace.  And every time I stop to think about the Grace of God in my life, I'm amazed at how many people just don't get grace.  We gunk it up with our own preconceived notions.  We do what we do best...mess things up.  I remember sitting in a Youth Ministry Conference two years ago and hearing the very simple yet profound truth that grace is not an idea to be rejected, or a philosophy to be argued, or a suggestion that can be ignored.  Grace is Jesus and Jesus is Grace.  He is the embodiment of God's love, grace, and favor.  Grace walked among us.  Grace lived with us.  Grace experienced every pain, disappointment, and  awkward moment that we face.  It wasn't just a single-solitary act lasting a few days, but a thirty-three exercise in undeserved grace.  For thirty-three years the Divine lived among ants.  Purity lived among disease.  Perfection lived among sin.  


And as I think about that the words echo in my heart "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  He gave Himself fully for us, with no assurance that we would return the favor.  With no guarantee that we would even acknowledge Him in our hearts and lives.  Grace is completely one-sided.  He came to me.  He found me.  I bring nothing to the table.  And that is what makes His grace amazing!

My CYM week 4:...and then some!

Joshua had to have gotten frustrated while he led the Israelites around the city of Jericho. People had to have started to complain.

"it's hot!"

"i'm tired!"

"i have to go to the bathroom!"

In my mind i see Joshua reaching his boiling point, turning around and saying "stop that or we're going to turn this army around and we'll go home!"

But the key to the walls of Jericho falling was the children of Israel marching around the city all 7 times.

When God calls us He expects our complete obedience. How many times do we expect God to come through us, but we've not obeyed Him completely. We attend church when it's convenient. We give when we want to. We pray every so often. Give give God only oart of our livrs but we want to reap the full benefit of His power and blessing.

God wants all of us because He wants to use all of us. He has a plan for every part of us. So when God sets a task in front of us, He wants our full attention and focus. So let's give Him what He deserves...all of us!

My CYM week 3: the greatest story of all...a changed life

Luke 8

It's amazing to think about the man who was demon possessed in Luke chapter 8. Luke doesn't give how much time he spent in this session, but one can imagine that it was a long time. He spent possibly years tormented and in pain; with no hope in sight. One was a literal prisoner in his own body.

But then Jesus steps onto the scene.

And Jesus frees this man from his prison. But then the man begins the long journey of being freed a from, quite possibly, an equal prison. The prison of reputation. He was well known through out the area. In fact, when the other people saw this man in his right mind it scared them.

A bad reputation is easy to build and hard to change. In fact,most high school student's reputation is formed in the first two weeks of school. And that can feel like a prison.

School has only been in session for 1 week and already some are feeling labeled and imprisoned by a reputation.

But there is freedom. That man was freed from his prison...and the sheer transformation of his soul was enough to transform a city. Look at the woman Jesus encounters at a well. She had a severe reputation in her town. But after she meets Jesus, her story was enough to change the entire area.

If you feel trapped by a reputation in your school, first encounter God. Then live your story in front of others; which is a story of grace. If others doubt your story and try to lay those old labels on you, remember, your story is unfinished!

Live your story and watch those around you be amazed!