Josh GriffinMore PostsStuck in the ShirtSean from Stuck in the Middle Ministries just dropped by our offices and was kind enough to give me a sweet new T-shirt (XXL if you’re interested in doing the same). He knows that blog posts can be bought for an article of clothing – and apparently so they can.
JG
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April 17, 2008
Josh GriffinMore Posts4 Ways to Derail a Perfectly Good MeetingI’ve been putting some thought into team dynamics recently and the idea of a group meeting time. While I’ve written on it some before, I think there’s some new thoughts here to discuss:
Talk Talk Talk - Have an opinion about everything – cut people off if necessary. Be the first to jump in after the moderator presents a question or there is a prompt for discussion. Right or wrong, informed or misguided – at least you showed up to the meeting with an opinion.
Listen Listen Listen – Don’t dare to say a word – just enjoy being in the background. Let the dominant personalities own the meeting, keep opinions to yourself and play safe.
Chase rabbits down every trail - Play the role of tangent captain. Find opportunities to distract or derail by focusing on mineutia that no one cares about. Eventually, everyone will become bored and drop off one by one. Even the leader of the meeting will get frustrated and eventually everyone will sit there in silence wondering what they were doing there in the first place. Mission accomplished, meeting adjourned.
Relish in being the devil’s advocate - There’s a time and place for looking at the other side of the argument, but some people think their spiritual gift is shooting things down. Bring nothing new to the table, turn the dial on your brain to “beat down” and make it your mission to poke holes and blow apart anything and everything that comes up. Blow up enough stuff and everything will get tabled. You win!
Don’t be that person in the next meeting you find yourself in.
JG
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April 17, 2008
Josh GriffinMore PostsHourglass Object Lesson
This weekend I’m giving a 30-minute talk to student to end the One Month to Live series. I’m excited about it, because the timing really has to be perfect. I’m going to start the lesson flipping over a 30-minute hourglass, and ending the message when it runs out. The main passage is building a foundation on sand or on the Rock.
Week 1: Clock
Week 2: Rock
Week 3: Hourglass
JG
Josh GriffinMore PostsSYM Podcast Live in 30 Minutes!The show must go on – the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast lights up the web at 12:11 PM (Pacific Time). Watch it right here!
JG
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April 17, 2008
Josh GriffinMore PostsRick Warren Question on JeopardyMarc texted me last night to saw that there was a Rick Warren question on Jeopardy? last night. The question was:
What pastor wrote “The Purpose Driven Life”?
and the lady said… Who is Joel Osteen?
So awesome!
JG
Josh GriffinMore Posts5 Ways to Deal with CriticismSpent the better part of last night dealing with some criticism leveled my way. You know all to well that is no fun, all of those insecurities deep inside come right to the top and you question your call and your love for students and the church.
Don’t let it happen … I did some battling last night and I know you will too from time to time, so here’s a few ways to deal with criticism – some right and some wrong:
Mobilize – get fired up about the problem and take action. You have to be careful with this one because often we respond to quickly or decisively and overreact to the situation. Coming up with a conscious plan is probably a better idea than making sweeping changes the next morning.
Criticize - discredit the person who said something negative. Make the objective truth cloudy by looking subjectively at the person delivering the message. Forget looking for anything of value, just chop that person down at the knees.
Internalize – we hear the criticism, and bury it deep within. It causes us to stare up at the ceiling at night when we should be resting peacefully. Mulling it over in your head is acceptable, mulling it over isn’t probably a bad idea. But when it moves from processing to dwelling, you’ve got a problem. Internalized criticism will amplify rapidly over a short period of time.
Fantasize - think about what ministry would be like at another church – that big one down the road that certainly doesn’t have critical spirits in every pew. No church is perfect – you would ruin it when you joined if you managed to find one, anyhow.
Recognize – unpack what was said and recognize what is truth. What really needs to be changed, what is of value in the discussion. Throw away the rest after you truly pray and discern what is wise for any changes you need to make. Perspective, maturity and wisdom need to be in play with this one. Don’t dismiss what needs to be dealt with.
JG
Josh GriffinMore PostsYour Life is Like a VaporThis was a simple video from week 1 of One Month to Live – forgot to post it earlier – just teaching this verse like an object lesson. Life is short, like a vapor.
JG
Josh GriffinMore PostsCONTEST: Win a Copy of Sex, Sushi and SalvationTo win a copy of Sex, Sushi and Salvation (read my review here), leave a comment on this post with a story about a powerful moment on a mission trip with your students. Tell why this memory impacted your life or how it brought you closer to God. I’ll pick 3 on Friday and send you the book for free!
Thanks to Moody for the extra copies to give away …
JG
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April 15, 2008
Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 16+ years in a small church and a big church. He currently serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. [read more]
Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
Chris Wesley serves as the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland.
Colton Harker serves with Josh at Saddleback Church. He is currently in his second year in youth ministry.
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