More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts Q&A: Mission Trip Dilema

This could be a fun series of posts – I’ve noticed a few extra emails coming in from the blog and thought maybe than just answer/share experience via email I would also post it here somewhat anonymously on the blog. Not that I’m an expert, but love to bounce stuff off of each other in community. Agree with the answer? Got another opinion? Post a comment then!

Question: I’ve got a kid who’s coming to our summer mission trip that maybe isn’t a Christian and when asked why he wanted to go, said, “Because I want to see a foreign country.” Should we let him go on the trip with the youth group?

Answer: Hey xxxxxxx, appreciate the email — dealt with this before and learned some hard lessons. I’ll try to be direct with this: If you haven’t set guidelines before the trip or he meets all of them — well, you should let him go. Next year, learn from this and either a) still welcome anyone who meets the requirements for the trip and b) make the requirements much higher than this year. Who knows what God will do — obviously he isn’t the typical “target” for this type of trip, but celebrate it, God is up to something! Let me know how it goes …

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts Quick Movie Reviews

Saw a few other movies recently, maybe not worthy of a full review, but still noteworthy.

1) 300: The IMAX Experience – The theater version was already amazing, the IMAX version is even more amazing. The movie is nothing short of brilliant, but be warned it owns its “R” rating with flying colors. A+

2) Night at the Museum – a cute film that does a fair job of telling an actual story. Not Ben Stiller’s best work, not Robin William’s best work, but remains a fun family film. A bit too scary for the youngest kids, but fairly enjoyable for the rest. B-

3) Love’s Enduring Promise – There are certain movies you watch with your wife only because you are a good husband. This is one such film. C+

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts ETV Blog Updates

Been updating Saddleback’s Extending the Vision blog quite a few times this week – this is somewhat of a landmark week since Purpose Drive is now paved (it opens in a couple of weeks) and the concrete floor is set up on the new pedestrian skyway. Fun stuff – if you want to check out some pictures and other updates, follow the link!

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts SYM Podcast Delay

Some people have been asking about the much-celebrated Episode 50 of the Simply Youth Ministry podcast – I’ve just received word that we’re shooting on Tuesday, just too many things have come up in our collective lives the past 10 days to shoot this thing. We’re working on it, I swear!

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts The Internet: What Parents Need to Know

Kurt is looking for help for a handout he’s creating for The Promise Conference this weekend. He’s looking to help parents with the internet age. As I was doing some quick research for him, I came across this solid article from MSNBC on the subject, too.

Learn how to examine your Web browser’s “History” files, or cache. Even if you don’t do it, make sure your children know it’s possible for you to know where they’ve been.
Look around your desktop, start menu or applications folder for suspicious programs.

Keep abreast of all your child’s e-mail accounts; understand that free Web e-mail may allow your child to have plenty of e-mail accounts you don’t know about.

If your child will chat, take some time to come up with an alias, or fake name. Aftab even suggests you give them a fake address and phone number so, if they’re being harassed, they have a way of vacating the situation.

Play around in Usenet and IRC chat rooms so you can talk to your children intelligently about them, and perhaps decide to ban their use. Contact your Internet provider to see what kind of Usenet groups are available.

Of course, the Robert Fulghum-style advice is useful. Do the things you would normally do in the real world. Get to know your children’s cyberfriends — certainly don’t let them meet anyone in person without your attendance. Because in the end, computers don’t hurt kids: People hurt kids.

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts Culture Test Your Next Church

This article in Fast Company this afternoon has some interesting thoughts and ideas about office culture – many of which also apply to the church. If you’re looking for a new place to serve, this might be a good resource. Here’s a clip:

Another option is networking with people who either currently or recently worked in the organization. Mining social media sites such as Linked-In or Xing among others can provide you with a fast and easy source for those contacts. You may be surprised to learn that employees and former employees are only too happy to receive your unsolicited e-mail and to offer you guidance.

And yet, even in the Internet age, the sniff test still applies. “There are all kinds of non-verbal clues when you walk in the door,” says Fitz-enz. He remembers the first time he walked through the lobby doors at Hewlett-Packard’s corporate headquarters: “There was a feeling about the place, an aura about it … and it wasn’t a little cozy room.”

Fitz-enz says that you can sense the culture in the energy of the people and in the look of the worker’s eyes. “You just have to pay attention,” he says.

“Ultimately,” says Borderless Executive Search’s Kris, “it’s cultural adaptability that makes for success in any new organization you move to.”

JG

99 thoughts

Add Comment May 9, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts Why I Love Summer

Kurt posted a new article today on loving summer over on Simply Youth Ministry. Click here to read it, here’s a clip:

Longer Days
One of the best parts about summer time is the fact that after work, there are still several hours of daylight! This means hanging in the backyard with my family, playing a late round of golf, or heading to the beach to catch a few waves. It also means a better opportunity to spend time with students. Take advantage of the extra daylight in your ministry. Here’s an idea: Move your entire midweek program outside for the summer! Whether you stay on campus, meet at a park or head to somebody’s house for a pool party, take advantage of the extra daylight.

Bored Students
I’m always surprised at how many of our students sit around all day long during the summer. They channel surf, hang out online or play video games. Certainly some of them love this daily routine, but for most junior highers it gets old by the second week of summer. Because they are so bored, it doesn’t take much on your part to provide an attractive alternative! An afternoon of bowling, flying kites in the park, a water balloon fight at the church etc. are all super simple things you can plan for your students. Tip: the key to planning these types of events is to allow students to show up spontaneously (don’t make them register ahead of time etc.) and to plan things that are just as fun for 2 kids as they are for 22.

JG

Add Comment May 9, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts Conan O’Brien Visits Lucasfilm

This is brilliant. Part 2 (which is maybe even more brilliant) here if you want more.

JG

Add Comment May 9, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts 2 More Star Wars Movies

Big Star Wars news today … 2 new movies, each an hour long. And on TV. May the Force be with You.

JG

Add Comment May 9, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts How to Handle Conflict

Just out of the intern meeting today, got caught up on everyone’s life and ministry and watched a DVD by John McCloud on handling conflict. Here’s a few of the highlights:

Make conflict a normal part of your life
Discern between productive and non-productive conflict
Any attempt at conflict resolution is better than doing nothing
A leader must own the outcome
Be “for” both parties, focus on resolution
Be reassuring and encouraging to both parties
Draw out the problem, make sure to hear both sides fullly
Project possible ramifications from either path, then choose the best one that fits the vision

JG