Were you ever so excited to receive a gift that you just could wait to get it opened and begin using? You tear into it as fast as you can. You pull and shred, rip and strip. Then you hold it in your hands. But without taking any time to understand how to use the gift, you start using it, only to find out that had you taken the time to read the instruction you get more out of your gift...

I remember the Christmas I opened the Star Wars, Ewok Village. It was one of those gifts that I just had to have. Being a big Star Wars fan, the Ewok Village was the perfect playset. 

I remember tearing into the box, ripping it open and yanking everything out. The problem was, some assembly required. Parts of the village had to be put together. Knots needed to be tied, stickers needed to be applied, elevators needed to be built, and instructions to be read.

Sadly, I didn't learn. Over the years there have been plenty of opportunities to slow down and follow the instructions. But my impatience, and more often stubbornness, led me to the familiar territory of regret and disappointment. If only I had followed the instructions, I would think, maybe some of this could have been avoided.

Have you ever felt that way?

I wonder if Adam ever thought that way. While plowing the rocky fields, pulling weeds, or digging up thorns, did Adam ever say to himself, If I had only followed God's instructions, maybe...

You see, in Genesis 2, God gives the man, Adam, the instructions. Having placed Adam inthe Garden, God says, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." ( Genesis 2:16&17 NIV) Adam was given the opportunity to eat freely from all that the Garden had to offer. Every plant, bush and tree, if it was edible or grew something edible, he could eat it. All of it was his. All of it, except for this one unique tree; the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  This tree was off limits.

Unfortunately it was simply a matter of time. The evil one came along and tricked the man and he ate the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And from that moment on, we have been living in regret because we have chosen to not follow the instructions.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

We celebrate Christmas because of what Christmas means for us; HOPE! Our hope is found in Jesus! Why? Because he does for us what we can't do for ourselves! He follows the instructions, that we can't follow on our own. Jesus was perfectly obedient to his Father, right up to the end. And because he did, our mistakes that come because we have failed to follow the instruction are set right.

The Apostle Paul said it this way, "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19 NIV) 

These verses aren't the easiest to read. Frankly, they can be a bit confusing. But when we slow down and read them carefully, we find the incredible gift of God's forgiveness and grace! Basicly Paul's saying, Adam, when he chose to be disobedient, messed things up for everyone. Sin became a reality. That sin, which we all carry, leads to death. But Jesus, chose to be obedient. That obedience led him to willingly lie down his life, covering over the disobedience, bringing righteousness back to men.

So now when we say, I believe that Jesus died for our my sins, and I accept him into my life as my Lord and Savior, his perfect obedience makes us right in the sight of God and brings us into eternal life.

On that first Christmas morn, God gave us a gift. That gift grew up to died to give us life. Not just life for the here and now, but life that  goes on for ever and ever and ever. And now, when we find ourselves rushing into circumstances without slowing down to follow the instructions, it's not death, but forgiveness and grace we meet on the other side.

As you prepare your heart this Christmas, slow down and remember. Look for times when following the instructions seemed like a waste of time and you ventured out on your own only to find that you put the stickers in the wrong spot. Remind yourself, God's grace is big enough for even that! Because that kind of grace leaves me in awe and wonder. How about you?

I was planning to share this post a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to add my support for the upcoming National Youth Workers Convention, by sharing news and promos that the NYWC planning team has been posting. Now with the National Youth Workers Convention just around the corner, it's time to get excited about the convention! So keep an eye out for a short series of blog posts that share news from NYWC, and some of my thoughts on the upcoming convention.

In this first post, Youth Specialties published this video a couple of weeks ago, sharing a few fun things you can do or check out while in Cincinnati, OH! Check it out!

Thanks to YS, and the city host team for sharing some of the things that make
​Cincinnati a great place to visit.

There is still time to register and join us for this years, National Youth Workers Convention! Myself, along with a couple thousand friends will be participating in the 4 day convention taking place in Cincinnati, OH. Come learn, experience, and be renewed.

Click on the ARISE graphic below to visit the official National Youth Workers Convention website for all the details, lists of speakers, seminars and exhibitors, registration, hotel, and other news! And we'll see you in Cincinnati!

​- jay

If the video doesn't appear above, click on the link to watch on my YouTube channel.

We're printing t-shirts again!

Yes, I design and print t-shirts. I've been doing it for years. And I am hoping to print some t-shirts for you!

When I started out in student ministry, I wanted to make sure my students had great t-shirts. Whether it was a retreat, or an activity, or just something happening that we wanted to give out t-shirts for, I ordered t-shirts for everything. Because I dabbled with graphic art, I would often design my own graphics. I would then find someone who could take my design and apply it to a t-shirt. I've used both silk screener and heat  transfer.

During those early years a built a relationship with a local printer who used heat transfer. The transfer process provided our group with great looking, long lasting t-shirts at a fraction of the price of silk screening. But I quick came to the realization that I could do what he was doing and cut out the middle man. So I did.

For the next couple of years I worked to acquire my own press, while developing a new relationship with a thermal printer. It didn't take long to to get started. By designing and printing my own t-shirts, I was able to provide our student ministry with shirts at cost, saving money a long the way.

In September 2015, we returned to full-time student ministry.  But the return came with a significant cut in our salary. Now, in order to stay in full-time ministry, we have to supplement our income. One way we are looking to do that is by printing t-shirts!

Apparel options? Take a look! We work with some of the biggest names in t-shirts and printable apparel. 

And what about selection? Well, we have a selection! From t-shirts to sweatshirts to work wear to sports wear, we have a huge selection of apparel options for you to consider!

SPORTS TEAMS
Basketball, Baseball, Bowling, Cheerleaders, Football, Gymnastics, Intramural Teams,
Little League, School Sports, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball

CLUBS
Youth Groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, Car Clubs, Churches, Country Clubs, Kawanis Clubs,
Lions Clubs, Marching Band, Motorcycle clubs, School Clubs, Scouts, Ski Clubs

BUSINESSES
Car Dealers, Cycling Shops, Fire Depts., Freight, Gift Shops, Hotels/Motels, Lawn Maintenance,
​Military, Musical Groups, Restaurants, Retailers, Home Improvement, Unions, Utilities

Let us help you with your next t-shirt order! As you can see, we can do a lot! And we'd like to help you with your next order! Simply contact us and we will get started!

- jay

So...lately I've been into trying new games with our students. Over the last couple of weeks, we've been working on introducing our students to some new, and fun, games. Today, I want to share one that I saw on social media.

First, credit to YouthMinistryIdeas.us, who shared a post from @epikosfuse and @pastor_tank on their Instagram account (@youthministryideas).  A short video of the game was shared. They called it, Head Shoulders, Cup. We called it, The New Cup Game.

The game is simple. 

Pair your students up and give each pair a cup. With the students facing each other, place the cup on the floor between them.

Call out a series of commands such as head, shoulders, knees, etc. Students touch the parts that are called. I started slow for the first couple of rounds. Once the students got the hang of the game, I started to speed things up a bit.

Here's the fun. At the end of your commands call, CUP. The student who grabs the cup, wins! We played the best two out of three rounds. Winners go on to play other winners. Keep going until you have one student standing.

To keep the students playing, we had the losing students play other losing students.

This is a super easy game that needs very little set up. Just grab some cups and you're good to go.

If you us plastic cups like Solo or Dixie, be sure to keep a few on hand. After a few rounds, the cups will be destroyed and needing replacement.

This is a great game for small or larger groups and can be played just about anywhere.

Enjoy!

- jay


*Photo credit to Dave N.