This morning, I am starting my day in one of my newest favorite places; Chick-Fil-A. Specifically the Chick-Fil-A in Washington, PA. I am trying to create a few NEW habits, 1. taking more time to actually sit, study, and write, 2. watch my calorie intake, and avoid the expense of too many visits to Starbucks. Chick-Fil-A is local, inexpensive, and offers a quiet place with free wifi where I can sit, think and write. Has I shared in Monday's blog post, Taking Control of What I Can Control, I am attempting to be intentional with my life, my ministry, my dreams, and my family.

Now here I am with a breakfast burrito (440 calories), a glass of water (0 calories); which together only cost me $2.75. Free wifi, a quiet atmosphere, great worship music playing in the background, and time to sit and write. And it has occurred to me that a number of weeks have passed since a posted a ministry recap.  So today's post is being written to share some of the things we have been doing in our ministry. Welcome to this weeks Weekly Ministry Recap!

Yes, it's been quite a while since our last recap, and much has happened. We have hosted a super successful first-time winter retreat with the new group. We took 44 students and 10 adults to a local camp for a great weekend of winter fun, minus the snow and cold. We've made it through our first Holy Week and Easter at the new church. And we've survived our first congregational meeting. It's actually hard to believe it's March 31st.

​But let's talk about what has been happening more recently. Here is this weeks run down.

High School Ministry :: Tuesday Night
Game Time: Wiffle Ball in the Gym
Snack: Chips & pretzels, Juice, soda and water
Announcements: We had 2 announcements
  - OneWay 2016 Dodgeball Tournament [ CLICK HERE ]
  - 30 Hour Famine coming up in April 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - MADE, Week 3
     - Knowing Your S.H.A.P.E. (We'll talk more about this later.)
Total Student Count: 16

Junior High Ministry :: Wednesday Night
PSC Camp Night
Game Time: Scatterball at the end
Snack: N/A
Announcements: 
  - OneWay 2016 Dodgeball Tournament [ CLICK HERE ]
  - 30 Hour Famine coming up in April 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - Special Student/Parent Night announcing our Summer Camp Dates and Plans
Total Student Count: 25 / Parent Count 4 

Let me share with you a little bit of our recent series, MADE.
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First, our MADE series for the High School Ministry. This was a great series. Simple to put together, but it came off pretty powerful, and I'm excited to where this might lead us as a group.

The point of the series was to get students thinking about ministry, and how to use their gifts and talent to serve within the student ministry, church, and community. We started by looking at 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and illustration of how the Church body is like the human body; many parts making up the whole. There is a fun little video on YouTube.com that we used as an into. It's call Mr. Potato Head Theology. (You can find it here; https://youtu.be/FeFdByvk5uo.)

​Week Two included a look at Spiritual Gifts. I made use of a website that I have found super helpful in dealing with Spiritual Gifts. The site is, SpiritualGiftsTest.com, which offers a great explanation of the gifts and an easy Spiritual Gifts Test that only takes about 5 minutes to complete. Of course when teaching Spiritual Gifts, you want to be aware of your church's doctrinal stand, as there a number of differing opinions as to the usage of Spiritual Gifts in todays church. Another great resource I've found helpful is Matt Chandlers sermon series on Spiritual Gifts. Matt is the teaching pastor at The Village Church in Texas. You can find his sermons among their podcasts.

We spent our time looking at the Spiritual Gifts that are listed, talked about them briefly, and then encouraged the students to take the Spiritual Gifts test online and bring in their results.

For Week Three we utilized Doug  Field's S..H.A.P.E. materials which helped students realize how they can bring the Spiritual Gifts together with how God has uniquely shaped them with their talents and abilities, passions and experiences, to DO ministry. We had the student begin filling out their S.H.A.P.E. Inventory that night.

All of this is leading us to the recruitment of students for our new Student Ministry Teams. I am also organizing the materials in a way where I can share what we did and used. When it's ready, I'll make it available here on the blog.

Over all, it's been a great week. I have a lot of things that I am working on as I get ready for our summer activities. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 8th month at our current church. It's been great to be able to take this first year easy, just observing and learning as I go. It's something I plan on writing about later when I finish this first year, because it's really the first time I've come into a church and hadn't initiated a lot of change.

Hope your ministry is going well!

​- jay

I remember when I started in youth ministry. I was young. Not even married. I had time. I had passion. I had freedom. Youth ministry was fun. When I married, not too much changed. I was still young. I still had time. Because I was working a pretty good job, I had some extra money. And, my wife was as much into youth ministry as I was. At the time ministry was fun and easy. Doing things with students was easy, spontaneous, adventurous. Concerts, camps, amusement parks, trips, pizza parties, hayrides, bonfires, Christmas parties, lock-ins, all of it came so easily.

When I accepted my first full-time call, I was so excited. Two years married. One kid (barely a year old) and one on the way. We moved. We were ready. I poured everything I had into the ministry and it was awesome. The ministry grew. With two little ones, we were able to go just about anywhere. And we did, traveling to most events together, my wife and I, and the 2 kids. Ministry was still exciting and pretty easy. I loved being with teens; the conversations, the fun, the way they looked up me. It was such a great feeling. And I remember thinking, as I looked at my two boys, “This is great! I can’t wait till I can have this same relationship with my kids. We’re going to have some great discussions. We’re going to do so many cool things together.”
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Now, let’s take a big leap forward. It's now 18 years later. I have 5 kids. 3 teenagers (almost 18, 16, & 13). Then there's 10 year old and the 7 year old. When my oldest entered our middle school ministry, with his brother following a year later, it was fun. But then they hit high school, and something changed.

All of a sudden, the high hopes for being the super cool youth pastor/dad popped as the dart of reality was thrown my way. I wrote a blog post on our family blog called, Raising Teenagers is Nothing Like Ministering to Teenagers. In the post I shared my surprise as to how different I thought it was between being a parent and a youth pastor. I’ve had to learn some difficult lessons. But even more, I know I need to learn more.

For a number of years, I’ve watched from the outside as YP’s/Pastor older then me juggled the work of parenting and pastoring. They always looked like they had it all together. They led dynamic ministries while raising what appeared to be incredible kids. I’ve heard stories of conversations, trips, and events that were shared by parent and pastor, and I longed for the same. But now with two teens in the house and one quickly approaching the teen years, I have to wonder if what I saw on the outside was true of what was happening on the inside. And if it was, what did they do differently.

I get that there is a separation between being a parent and pastor. But is there a point at which you can marry the two together, applying what was learned as a youth worker to what is being done as the parent.

So here’s my hope. My hope is that there are others in a similar situation of being a parent to teens while still ministering to teens, who read this and think, I can get in on this one.

​I want to know…
- What are you doing to bridge the gap between parent and pastor?

From the teaching to the discipline. From the mid-week fun to the end of week ugliness. From mission trips that end on a high to the family argument over a missed curfew.

What works? What doesn’t?

If you don’t have teens yet, what are you doing to prepare for that day?

Are you feeling or thinking the same thing? I think if we as youth workers are honest and share what we’re dealing with, we stand to become both better parents and better pastors. So, please take a few minutes and share!

How are you bridging the gap between being a parent and a pastor?

​- jay

This past weekend as our family celebrated the Easter weekend, I saw something that disturbed me. It was a picture of me. And it caused me to take a step back.

We were out in the yard dying eggs with the kids on Saturday. Whenever we do something like this there is bound to be some craziness. And sure enough there was. There was laughter, a wiffleball bat, eggs being thrown, air soft guns, and a kid on the roof. Don't ask.

In the midst of all the fun, Amy was frantically taking pictures of the kids and the spectacle as it unfolded. It was in this flurry of spontaneous chaos that Amy snapped a photo of us standing at the table. Later when I looked through the pictures she had taken, I was horrified.

There I was, looking very old and VERY overweight. I wish I could say that it was just a pic taken at a bad angle, or that I was standing funny and so it only looked like I was heavy, but I can't. It was me, and I didn't like the me that I saw.
At the beginning of the year, I set the goal of losing a few pounds in 2016. The last couple of years (2012-2015) were stressful years. I didn't not take good care of myself. I spent a lot of time stressed out, eating too much, and not exercising at all. I gained a lot of weight. So with the new year starting, I hoped to drop some weight and get a little healthier.

​But over the last three months my exercise routine has been spotty at best. Some weeks were great; I was on the treadmill, watching what I ate, and really trying. But then there were weeks where I didn't make the time to work out. I lost a couple of weeks preparing for student retreat which kept me up late and up early. Then there were a couple weeks where I was sick. Excuses? Sure. But also a part of my reality.

​ONE: I'm Taking control of me.
- It's long, long overdue, but it's time to take control of my health. It's time to say, Yes, to exercise and better eating habits. It's time to get serious about my life because it matters to people around me; like my wife, my kids, and my students. After seeing the picture, I know that I need to lose some weight. I want to lose the weight. And so, I'm taking it back. It time to get healthy.

TWO: I'm taking control of my call.
​- When I stepped back into student ministry, I made a promise. I was going to be the best youth pastor I can be. No more taking the short cut by doing what I know. No, I want to walk on the edge. I want to engage students like I've never done before. I want to build a ministry that is fresh, relevant, and life-changing. I don't believe God wants me to settle for the sure and easy, so it's time to get real.

While I have no intentions of leaving student ministry any time soon, I do hope to take the last 25 years and put them to good use. It's always been my dream to walk along side the next generation of youth worker.

THREE: I'm taking control of my dreams.
- I have been a youth pastor for 25 years. That's a long time to work with students. But while I have no intentions of leaving student ministry any time soon, I do hope to take the last 25 years and put them to good use. It's always been my dream to be able to turning around and walk along side the next generation of youth worker. Through blogging, conferences and conventions, speaking, training, and book writing, I want to pass along all that was passed along to me over the years.

FOUR: I'm taking control of my family.
- Don't panic, this isn't some crazy dictatorship that I am looking to launch. The control I'm talking about comes with me being a better husband and father. It's time to once again put my family first, to think of their needs and fighting for what's right for us as a family. And it's time to get back to doing the things that we love doing; like sharing our story via the blog and vlog.

The weekend is here. But this weekend isn't your normal weekend. This weekend we remember and celebrate the arrest, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Today, is known as Good Friday. Today, we pause and remember the death of Jesus. 

We would like to invite you and your family to take today to slow down a bit and consider what this day represents. Today, Christ dies for the sins of the world. Jesus, willingly goes to the cross for you and me. Would you take a minute and read through John 19:1-41. In these verses, John, the only disciple to be at the foot of the cross, shares his eyewitness-testimony. You can read John 19 by clicking here; JOHN 19.

 The Bible tells us, that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross to save the world from sin. We all have sin. Every single one of us. And the result of our sin leads to death. But Jesus willingly chose to take our place, to die for us that we might live. His death brings forgiveness through the shedding of his blood, All of this shows us just how much God loves us.

On behalf of everyone in the Higham household, and across all of our blogs and social media, we would like wish you a special and life-chaning, Happy Easter! We hope and prayer for you and your family, is that you know just how much God loves you!

​- jay

Welcome back for part 2 of my 10 favorite youth ministry websites. If you missed yesterdays post with the first 5 websites, you should go and read part 1 here, My 10 Favorite Youth Ministry Websites. Today I share the next 5 websites or blogs for youth ministry. So without further delay...here we go! 

Walt Mueller is the culture guru. He has spend his career watching, evaluating, writing about the impact that culture has on the lives of teenagers. A regular lecturer in the youth ministry conference world, Walt brings his wisdom and insight to youth workers in the form of training and resources to help us get a better grasp on what's happening in the world around us. Walt is also a sought after speaker/teacher for parents, churches, and other organizations who look to encourage parents and adults as they face the task of raising or working with students. Walt's blog, Learning my lines... and the CPYU.org website is my number one go-to site for the latest on culture. [ VISIT CPYU.ORG ]

Long-time youth worker, Terrace Crawford, offers his wisdom and experience at TerraceCrawford.com. From blog posts to coaching, Terrace's site is loaded with great content and resources. Needing more than just an article? Terrace is also a coach and youth speaker. And be sure to check out Terrace's new podcast! The weekly podcast called, This Week in Youth Ministry, is a great podcast where Terrace interviews various guests and talks youth ministry. Visit Terrace's website and blog by clicking here, TerraceCrawford.com.

Launched in 2010 by Kenny Elle Campbell, veteran youth workers who have a heart for sharing great resources with the Church! The site StuffYouCanUse.org, offers an great blog, buckets of resources, a helpful podcast, devotional content, games, and practical training. If you have visited StuffYouCanUse.org, I would highly recommend you taking some time to surf around and see what they have to offer. [ VISIT STUFFYOUCANUSE.ORG ]

StokedOnYouthMinistry.com is a newer site for me. I have just recently started reading the various posts that have come along by Todd Jones and his list of blog contributors. Todd has been doing youth ministry since 2006, and uses the blog to share, encourage, and inspire other youth workers. Along with the blog posts, your can find a selection of resources such as games, teaching materials, and links to a handful of other youth ministry sites.
[ VISIT STOKEDONYOUTHMINISTRY.COM ]

The brain child of Mark Oestreicher and Adam McClane, TheYouthCartel.com is more than a blog. From their own, About Us page, The Youth Cartel’s mission is to encourage and challenge adults who minister to youth through holistic professional coaching, strategic consulting, transformational events, and inventive resource development that advance youth ministry in new ways. Yes, the blog is great, but The Youth Cartel also offers coaching and ministry support through their growing list of events which they sponsor. [ VISIT THEYOUTHCARTEL.COM ]

So there you have it, 10 of my favorite youth ministry websites/blogs. In no order of importance, these are the sites that I most frequent when I am looking for resources, reading up on what's happening in the youth ministry world, or looking for what others are thinking and saying.

What are so of your favorites websites of blogs? Share them below and I will add them to the growing list of sites for others to discover.

Do you have your own site or blog? Send me a link and I will include you in an upcoming post for new and undiscovered bloggers!

As always, thanks for reading!

​- jay

YouthSpecialties.com/blog.
- Perhaps the grandfather of youth ministry resources and publications, Youth Specialties offers an excellent site and blog for youth workers. The site has evolved from an commerce site to more of an event and resource site. Sure you can still order product, but the overall focus of the site seems to lead you to the YS events and the YS blog. YS has beefed up their blogging to provide a more complete and rounded offering of tips, ideas, culture tracking, and helpful youth content. I particular enjoy the YS Idea Lab videos that run periodically and the articles that challenge our ideas of youth ministry and how we are reaching students. 

YouthMinistry.com
- Here is another site that has seen significant change over the last couple of years. YouthMinistry.com, a site from Simply Youth Ministry/Group Publications, hosts an excellent blog. With categories such as  Culture, Discipleship, Leadership, Programming, Small Groups, and Tech Stuff ( and more), YouthMinistry.com offers solid content from "In The Trenches" youth workers! These aren't writers sitting in an office or cafe. These guys are with students, leading adults, and dealing with church politics, so what they write about comes out of their experiences.

YouthMinistry360.com
- One of the first blogs I started reading on a regular basis was the YouthMinistry360.com blog. YouthMinistry360 (YM360) launched with a desire to provide solid, biblical teaching content for youth ministries. But more than just being another resource company, YM360 wanted to further the youth ministry conversation and created a blog where youth workers were asked to contribute articles on various topics. Like the YouthMinistry.com Blog, YM360, sought youth workers serving in youth ministry.  For a number of years, YM360, has remained one of my favorite blogs to visit.

DownloadYouthMinistry.com
- Birthed by Josh Griffin and Doug Fields, DownloadYouthMinistry.com from the idea of taking materials created by youth workers and offering them to other youth workers for a nominal fee. High quality, Easy to use, Inexpensive, and trench-tested lessons and media products to help you do ministry. But more than offering resources and products, DYM hosts and excellent blog. Love God, Love Students is a super helpful blog written by some of the current youth ministry thinkers such as, Josh Griffin, Justin Knowles, Jen Bradbury, Jonathan McKee, and Neely McQueen. This is a great blog to follow and read on a regular basis. Not too mention that some of the products offered on the site are pretty good.

JonathanMcKeeWrites.com
- I was first introduced to Jonathan McKee back in 2001, when trolling the internet for youth ministry websites. His TheSource4YM.com was honestly one of the first sites I used when I needed creative new games ideas. Now, some many, many years later, Jonathan grown his site to include a great blog for youth workers. I have always found Jonathan's site and blog to be super helpful for ideas and good, readable content. And that's why I round off todays first five of my favorite youth ministry websites.

So there you are, the first five from my ten favorite youth ministry websites. Be sure to check in again tomorrow as I share the next five! Till then, thanks for reading!

​- jay

What does Palm Sunday Mean for You?

Now think about it, because, I’m sure that we can just start rattling off a list of things that palm Sunday means. It’s the beginning of Holy Week. It’s the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It’s the time we celebrate Jesus riding the baby donkey into Jerusalem. It’s when we go to church and get palm branches and wave them and say something like, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna!”
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But I’m not looking for those kind of answers. My question isn’t what IS Palm Sunday? My question is, What does Palm Sunday mean for you? You see, the difference in the question is, not what Palm Sunday is, but what does it mean? For YOU. Personally. In the depths of your heart.

The telling of Jesus’ dramatic entrance into Jerusalem is recorded in all four gospel. There are slight differences in each account, but for the most part all four tell the story of Jesus’ grand entrance and what happened. Today, we'll look at Luke’s telling of the story. And as we look, we'll find, what I think are some very interesting remarks that I think push us towards the question, What does Palm Sunday Mean for You?

To help us begin to process this question, let’s first break down what we see happening, as Luke tells it. Part 1 - Setting the Stage…vv. 28-34, Part 2 - The Approach…vv. 35-40, Part 3 - The Tears for a City…vv. 41-44.

Part 1 - Setting the Stage…
In verses 28-34, we find Jesus with his disciples and followers outside Jerusalem in the town of Bethany, where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Now just days before, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. This sparked significant commotion among the people and the religious leaders, who were now, more determined than ever to kill Jesus. According to John’s gospel, it was near the time for the Passover Feast, so many, many, many of the people we’re heading to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast. Combine the influx of travelers coming into the city for the festival and the news of what Jesus had just done for Lazarus, the climate was right for something crazy to happen.

For Jesus, he’s fully aware of the timing. Three years of ministry, all that he has done, all that he has taught, all that he was and why he came all pointed to what is about to happen. Soon he will be arrested, crucified, and buried.

But right now, he instructs 2 of his disciples to go up ahead, and they would find a young donkey, which had not been ridden. They were to untie it and bring it to Jesus. The disciple do as they were told, and find things just as Jesus had said.

So we have the news of Lazarus being raised from the dead, thousand or more in Jerusalem for the Passover, and now Jesus was about to make his way into the city. 

Part 2 - The Approach…
In verses 35-40, the grand event begins to unfold.

The donkey is brought in. The disciple create a saddle out of their outer garments. And together they begin the track towards Jerusalem. Along the way, the people, begin laying down their cloaks on the the road, on which the donkey walked. And as they approached the city, those who were where, disciple, follower, spectator, began to joyfully praise God! I imagine that this wasn’t so much a greeting line of people shaking hands, clapping, laughing… No I suspect that this was a thunderous, booming celebration with voices shouting with great delight. this was loud. This was big. This was significant! Perhaps earth-shaking!

I mean it has to be loud because they tell Jesus to turn it down! In v 39 tells us that there were Pharisees, the religious leaders, in the crowd. They say to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

Now I’ve got to wonder, and wish that we could send a news crew down to Jerusalem so we could see what was happening, because I get the sense from the Pharisees that this wasn’t exceptable. Maybe it wasn’t proper. Not the way good Hebrews behaved in public. Maybe they feared that the jubilant celebration might draw the attention of the Romans. Maybe it was the fact that we’re at the time of Passover. Maybe this was to be a somber time, and what was happening outside the city walls was everything but somber.

But the people were excited! Filled with joy and caught up in the moment this was a party!! The people were celebrating God, praising God, worshiping God, and they did so with joy and passion.

But then come the religious leaders, “Jesus, hey, Jesus, stop them. Shut them up. Get them to knock this off!!”

And here’s where I think Jesus would have made a great youth pastor. Jesus says, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  You want to know loud, come hang out with us on Tuesday or Wednesday night, because it can get a little loud. And it’s okay. It’s okay to make a little noise in worship. It’s okay to express some emotion in worship. It’s okay to make a bit of a ruckus when we glorify God.

But let’s make note of something. Who is it that these shouts are focused? Verse 37: When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to PRAISE GOD  in loud voices… For What? “For all the miracles they had seen.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
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Not the Messiah. Not the Son of God. The focus of the people is not so much on Jesus, at least not in the right way. The focus is on God and the king that he had sent.

Now let’s stop here for just a few minutes. Bible commentators have pointed out that within this story, we find a something incredibly telling. There are three kinds of people here in this scene.

1. Those who believe and are sold out for Jesus.
2. Those who see and hear what’s going on, and have been swept up into what’s happening, but it’s not clear just how much they understand, or how committed they will be to this king.
3. Those who see what’s happening, but outright reject what’s happening.

Those who believe and are sold out for Jesus…
These are the disciples, those who have committed themselves to Jesus, who have followed him. These are those who are obedient. They retrieve the donkey, walk along side Jesus, and are investing themselves in his teachings. They’re not perfect. They don’t quite understand everything that’s happening, but they’re in it. 

Those who see and hear, yet they seem to simply be people who are swept up in the commotion of the moment. These are the people who happen to be in the right place at the right time. They’ve heard about Jesus, they’ve heard what he’s done for Lazarus, and here he is, riding into the city with a reception fit for a king. I mean, that’s what they want after all, a king.

Then there’s those who see what’s happening, and it’s just to stop. This movement is dangerous. it must be stopped. Jesus must be stopped.

I titled this mornings message, What does Palm Sunday Mean for You?

It’s a question that I hope you can answer. I mean, it’s pretty important that you know the answer. Because the commentators are right. Isn’t that kinda funny, some crazy youth guy telling you that the Bible commentators are right?
That’s crazy. Jay must have flipped his lid. Gone a loopy, or something. No, but let’s look at this.


Part 3 - The Tears for a City…
Look with me again at vv. 41-44. Jesus approaches the city. Verse 41, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it." In the midst of all the craziness happening around him, Jesus looks out across the city and he weeps. Not a, “Oh, I think I’ve got something in my eye.” cool, manly diversion. No, Jesus weeps. He looks and he sees and there is an emotional change, a deep heavy sadness, a sorrow that leads to grief which leads him to tears. And Jesus says, in verse 42, “If you, even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes."

In Eugene Peterson’s The Message, he says it this way…
41-44 "When the city came into view, he wept over it. “If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late. In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. All this because you didn’t recognize and welcome God’s personal visit.”

So what is Jesus talking about? Well, he’s talking about destruction. The destruction, specifically of the city and the temple. He says, Your enemies will rise up against you. They will press in on you, and they will crush you. And this happens, 70 AD, Jerusalem is crushed by Rome.

But there’s more to this than just a city being toppled. More then Jesus weeping over stone and mortar, I think Jesus is weeping over the fact that the people are missing it. That in all this time, they failed to see Jesus for who he really was. And now, here he is, about to go willingly to the cross, to die for the sins of the world, to demonstrate his love, his agape love to the world, and the world is missing it. And because the world is missing it, the truth of who he really is, is now hidden from them. They can’t see it, even if they wanted to.

Now we might ask why, and I have some thoughts as to why, but we don’t have time to explore all of those thoughts. So let me say, that for them, for what God was doing, this was what God did. But that’s not the case for us. You see, were almost 2000 years past the resurrection, 2000 years past the crucifixion, 2000 years past the triumphant ride into Jerusalem, and we can see. We can see because we have the truth right here in front of us.

The story, the history, the life-changing evidence of God’s love is right here. And so we read…That Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners!

How? By dying.

In the arrest, in the beating, in the scourging. In being nailed to the cross. In being taunted, harassed, abused. Spit upon. Stripped. He died. His final breath expelling the words, It is finished. He died. He was buried. Then 3 days later, God did what only God can do and he raised his son, Jesus the Christ, from the died.

The sin debt, paid.
Death, overcome and conquered.
Forgiveness, available.
Mercy, inexpressible.
Love, unexplainable.
Grace, given.
Everything changed.
Everything made new.

So what does Palm Sunday mean for you?

For the believer, this week marks a time for us to remember how God demonstrates his great love for us. And so today, we too rejoice. There should be joy in our hearts as we shout, Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna! Because we’re not like the Pharisee who tried to silence the crowd. And we’re not like the people swept up in the excitement of the moment, cheering for a  great miracle worker, but miss the truth. No, we rejoice because like the disciple, we know that Jesus is the son of God, who dies for the sins of the world.

For those who have not yet, put their trust in God, an opportunity to know his grace and love. To move from the crowd, swept up into the excitement of what happening around them, and into the arms of a God who welcomes, forgives, and rescues.

Make today more than the beginning of a holiday, make it the day to surrender your life to God!

- jay

*What Does Palm Sunday Mean For You, was a sermon preached by Jay on Sunday, March 20th, 2016, Palm Sunday. This is a copy of the manuscript, adapted for the blog. You can also list to the sermon podcast by clicking the link below.

I know, I know, I'm a little late in the announcement depart. It's been a couple of weeks since my friends over at Group/Simply Youth Ministry announced the return of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference (SYMC). Nonetheless, I wanted to take a few minutes to share a little about what this means!

I was introduced the SYMC in 2009. At the time, I didn't realize how much I needed a conference like SYMC. I had been in student ministry for a long time. And I had attended the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) for years. At that point, I was volunteering with NYWC. But that year, SYMC made a huge impact on my heart and my ministry.

I am pretty sold out to NYWC. It was NYWC that really helped me develop, grow, and mature as a youth worker. I've often said that I've learned more attending NYWC than anywhere else. It's why I return every year as a volunteer. But SYMC offered me something different.

I was in a place in my ministry where I began wondering about my role in student ministry. An opportunity had come to that would require that I step away from student ministry. That year at SYMC, I heard God tell me my place was with students. That year, God used SYMC to wreck my world, then rebuilt and reignited a passion for students again! I even have a red a sofa in my office to remind me of the impact.

SYMC boasts, The conference for youth workers by youth workers. This is so true. After the 2009 conference, I found myself working with the "In The Trenches Team" (ITTT or IT3). The "In The Trenches Team" is made up of youth workers; some are full time, some are part time, and some are volunteers, but each one is committed, not just to their students, but to youth workers. It's this teams that comes along side the SYM/Group staff to help talk, dream, pray, prepare, plan, and lead the conference! I was blessed to serve with these amazing men and women for 3 years, helping and serving with the 2010 and 2011 conferences.

There are a number of great conferences that youth workers can attend. But there is something special about SYMC, and I think it's in the fact that youth workers are an integral part of what happens at SYMC. ​

After taking a couple years off, SYMC is back, and I for one am very excited to see it return.  A little smaller, a little more intentional, a little more focused on the heart and health of the youth worker, SYMC will no doubt offer her attendees a weekend of training, resources, and soul care.

SYMC will take place October 7-9, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency O'Hara in Chicago. (Which is a great location due to everything happening in the hotel.) 

Now I haven't decided if I will be attend this years conference. If money weren't an issue, I'm sure I'd be there in a heart, no questions asked. But I am still committed to serving at NYWC, so I have yet decided if I will be attending. However, based on what I am hearing it will be a great conference.

Take a few minutes to go and check out the SYMC website. Get to know the conference, and prayerfully consider make SYMC your conference destination this fall!

- jay

It happens in the office. You're working on materials for the next youth gathering when a Facebook notification pops up on the screen and you click on it to see what's happening. The next thing you know, 20 minutes has passed as you jump from feed to feed to feed. Sidetracked. Or when you're meeting with your ministry team to work on plans for the upcoming retreat and the topic abruptly switches from afternoon game planning to a discussion on the new Avengers trailer that just hit the internet. Sidetracked. Or when you are with your middle school ministry talking about God's sovereignty and someone farts. Yeah, good luck coming back from that. Sidetracked.

Sidetracked. At some point we all find ourselves a little sidetracked. Usually, we can find our way back after a few minutes of distraction. Sometimes getting sidetrack is a good thing. I know I find that when I hit a writers block, a little distraction is welcomed. But what about when you face a distraction in your life, and you find yourself sidetracked in a significant way? Sometimes a distraction like this can be devastating.

So just recently we encountered a couple distractions that could have caused us to be a  bit sidetracked. Since the beginning of the year we have found ourselves dealing with a couple issues that have caused us to take a step back look at what was happening around us. It threw us into a time of prayer as we tried to discern what God might be teaching us or leading us into. And while I can't talk about the details of what sidetracked us, I do what to share some of what we have learned and are learning because of the sidetrack.

1. Don't be Distracted By Distractions
- We've been in this place before, something surfaces that causes us to hit the pause bottom and take a careful look at what's happening. The trouble comes not in the distraction, but in how you handle the distraction. You see, you will experience distractions, the trick is not to allow the distraction to stop you from doing what you have been called to do. You have to stay focused at what is front and foremost. Career, family, commitments, all of these must be maintained and followed through. The danger comes when we prematurely shut down or begin to neglect our responsibilities. So when the distraction comes, if you feel like it's something to consider, do so. But not at the cost of what you're already doing.

2. Move from Distraction to Discernment
- Sometimes God allows the distraction because he's about to do something new and exciting in your life. And sometimes, the distraction is just that, a distraction. You need to know which is which, and that only comes through prayer and discernment. When a distraction arises, recognize it, and bath it in prayer. Not once or twice, but as an ongoing conversation with God. Ask him to give clear direction. Pray that you would not be distracted from what are already priorities in you life. And pray for wisdom to be poured out on you.

With prayer and discernment, I think it is also extremely important to seek wisdom and counsel from godly men and women who can be trusted, who will pray with and for you, and will give you solid unbiased advice. Having a trusted person who can help you discern God's activity in your life is huge. And helpful.

3. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
- If you are married, you probably already know the importance of communication. But when your facing an issue that might significantly sidetrack your life, it is all the more important that you communicate, and communicate often with your spouse. I know for my wife and I, when distractions arise, we do our best to set aside time to seriously discuss the matter one-on-one. As information comes and goes, it is important that new information is discussed and properly considered. And in the end, if a decision is to be made, you know that you have done your very best to communicate well.

If you're not married, then be sure that you are talking this through with a parent or a trusted friend. These people have a great advantage to see into your life in ways you may not be able to. That can be super helpful.

Distractions don't have to lead to getting sidetracked, if we keep everything in perspective. But when we do find ourselves sidetracked, it's good to know that we can right our course and push on.

Now on a personal note; yes, we have had some distractions of late. A number of things have surfaced in the last couple of months that have caused us to wonder, question, and even doubt. But we are committed to not allowing any of these distractions to sidetrack us from what God is called us to do in the present. Instead, we have applied the very things that I just shared, and we are trusting that God is at work in some significant and amazing ways! And what we expect to see on the other side of all of this is the wonderful evidence of God's amazing grace and extravagant love. And that is what I would hope and pray for you was well.

​- jay