A Symbolic Moment

The use of a symbolic moment can be so powerful, and can really put into action an idea. Such was the case as we ended camp in Yosemite Sierra. We had a powerful week talking about our intended, broken, and restored identity in Christ. We ended the week on top of Star Rock overlooking Yosemite and led the the students by candle light down to a meadow, where they waited in the dark shoulder to shoulder. The camp director then lit his candle and explained that we are the light of the world and that the light inside of us can never be extinguished. Each person then lit their candle and placed it on a cross at the center of the field. What an incredible way to not just tell but show these students the life changing power of the Holy Spirit. How can you incorporate a symbolic moment into your programming to help your students not just hear the message, but partake in the message. 

One Quick Way to Get Students Excited (5 Minutes or Less!)

We are always looking for new ways to get students engaged on social media & interacting with us. We have done video series' (and we're in the middle of one right now), student stories, & graphics made by students. All of these things are great! More recently, as we've been coming up for camp, we've decided to make 15-30 second videos promoting camp. There is so much excitement in promotion. If you don't promote your events on your social media already, we would encourage you to do so. It creates more traffic on your social media pages as well as engages students! This clip at the top of the page took a little less than 5 minutes to make & was done with two very simple-to-use apps, iMovie & Cameo. This is just a few minutes of your time for a long-lasting promotional tool to get students hyped! Our students loved it!It really is the little things that count. What are some promotional pieces you have used to get your students hyped? Submit your response in our comment section below!

Fighting Procrastination

It has such a stranglehold on my life and i've been fighting against it as long as I can remember. I have such a strong desire to wait until the last minute. I've worked so hard everyday to learn time management skills, scheduling, writing, and intentional reading. So this morning I'm Prepping my 4th message for this week thinking years back to when I couldn't even get one paper in on time. Thank you Lord for your spirit's gift of self-control. Pray that I continue to grow and push procrastination out of my life! 

Community Engagement & Your Students

A photo from the weekend of my high school outreach trip.

I was just thinking on some of the things I did with my old church as a student in high school. One of those things included going into the city and taking time to hear people's stories and serve them. For years I called it my "in-city missions trip". Sure, that's one way to put it. But as I thought on it some more, I realized a better way to say it was "community outreach/engagement".

Thinking on that, It really showed my mindset in high school. I did not see the rest of the city as my "community". I saw the rest of the city as a place that I stayed away from and every now & then would go into to "bless" or "serve" someone.

Years later, I am grateful to understand what it is to reach out to the community in different ways very often rather than once or twice a year "go into the city" and serve here and there. It begs the question, however, who do we see as our Community? And how often do we really engage our community for Christ? And ultimately, do we really desire to see our city (as a community) changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

BITS AND PIECES

 

Most of the time I pray for God to reveal his full plan for an area of my life, but instead he gives me bits and pieces and reminds me that if I knew the full plan I'd do it my way and miss the blessings that he has for me. Never forget that God as a full plan for your life, a plan that if you fully knew you would try to change thinking you knew better. Let him guide and direct you through The Word, Worship, Prayer, and Community.