Diary of a Youth Pastor

So check out the rebirth of it.  The new blog is located at http://thinknextnow.com.

A lot of you know that if you typed that address in in the past and it got you here.  Let me help you understand.  I used that domain to forward to https://marktheyouthguy.wordpress.com.

Why do I tell you this? Because this is most likely the blog that’s showing up in your reader or RSS feed.  I’m hosting my own blog at http://thinknextnow.com now, so keep typing that in, but don’t expect to see the same ole bland site.

Word to the wise. This site will be taken down after a while.  Check the new one out.

That’s right.

The ole blog is getting an overhaul.

In fact, I’m trashing this one and going over to self-hosted land.

I’m embarking on uncharted waters (for me).

I don’t have a specific launch date, but I can say this: I should be launching within the next 7 days!

Keep your ear open for updates on the launch.

I can’t wait to actually sit still and have the time to post and not mess with design, functionality, and all that mess.

I miss writing.

Until then…

As a youth pastor, I speak once a week in our youth services.  Around once every quarter, I get to speak in our main services at Indian Springs.  My parents live in Indiana and never get to see me, so they requested that I record one of my sermons and post it online.  I apologize that I’m not tech-savvy enough to figure a way to post this in one big video.  It’s a 35 minute talk split up into 4 videos (because YouTube hates videos over 10 minutes each).  So here they are:

So I’ve been looking into what it takes to self-host my blog for a couple months now.  I’ve done some research and have a super-cool-awesome friend helping me.

So it’s time.

I’m migrating.  Today actually.

Not sure when I’m going to launch the new site, but I’ve been taking a break for a little while because I’m putting all my effort into the new blog, with a new design, and many more capabilities.

So bear with me.  I’ll be back soon.

And better than ever!

A new movie released yesterday about a teenager who goes through some life lessons.  This is a great movie to watch!  I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve read a bit on the plot, and it’s worth seeing.  It tells the story of a teenager who has decided to stop running after the world and start focusing on Christ.  He goes through the same stuff that teenagers are going through today, and the movie takes a clear look at what it takes to make a change.  You need to see this!  I’m going to be taking a group of students to see this – anyone who wants to see it, let me know and we’ll pick a day!  Check out the trailer for yourself.  And seriously, if you live in Central Arkansas and want to see this together, comment and let me know you’re interested!

Check your local listings at your local theaters, and be sure to check out the official website for the movie here.

I ran across this video a couple weeks ago thanks to a friend, and thought it was worth sharing.  It goes into the stats of what exactly happens every two hours in a teen’s life across the world.  Check it out!  Crazy stuff!  We need to get busy!

I’ve been in church all my life.  It’s always looked the same to me.  That’s why when I saw Josh Griffin and Jake Rutenbar spice the announcements up at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference, I was inspired.  So I want to show you our version.  I’ll also show you theirs.

But before we get to the video goodness, I want to point out the reason for this video.  A colleague of mine once asked, “Aren’t the announcements supposed to be boring?”  My answer was no.  The example was the video you’re about to see.  My point is this – not everyone can share information with their people in this way (this is kind of a youth ministry thing), but announcements can be fun!  It’s all about creativity.  And with that, I give you Paintball Announcements.

Again, I want you to know I ripped this off Josh Griffin.  Here’s his video:

If you haven’t read JR Vassar’s post on creating an intentional devotion plan for the year yet, you should.  That post is the reason I started this.

So, after 10 years of following Jesus, I finally created an intentional devotion plan for the year.  Wow.  That’s sad, but it’s OK.  I’m starting now.

The schedule is posted below, but let me explain how I went about creating it.

1. Be real. If you don’t have time to read 10 chapters a day, don’t create a plan where those are the expectations.  The idea isn’t to get through the Bible. It’s to get the Bible through you.  So start small and get after it.  I chose a system in which I read two chapters a day in an Old Testament book and one chapter from Proverbs each day.  It wasn’t my plan to read through the entire Old Testament in a year, but that’s what it came out to look like.

2. You’re going to miss a day. So, when you do, recognize that if that keeps up, this whole plan will be a waste of time.  You have two options.  Catch up or just ignore what you missed.  I’m not going to tell you what to do, but it’s my personal goal to keep up with it.  For me, if I miss some, I’m going to work overtime to cover lost time.

3. Remind yourself. There’s lots of ways to remind yourself of your daily reading.  I like to post the list on the wall in a frequently trafficked area in my home.  My wife doesn’t like that, though, so I’ve got other ideas.  You can make use of an RSS reader, that will send you you’re daily reading in your email.  I believe you can get help from YouVersion or Bible Gateway on this.  You can take the time to put your daily reading assignment in your Outlook/Entourage/iCal, or whatever suits you.  I set timers and alarms for everything I need to remember.  Why would I not use them for this?

Whatever you do, remember the purpose for this.  My purpose is to take bite-size chunks of the Bible each day, with the desired goal that I would understand God’s Word better, and create a more intimate daily relationship with my Heavenly Father.

January – 31 Days

Genesis 1-50

Exodus 1-12

Proverbs

February – 28 Days

Exodus 13-40

Leviticus 1-27

Numbers 1-4

Proverbs

March – 31 Days

Numbers 5-36

Deuteronomy 1-34

Proverbs

April – 30 Days

Joshua 1-24

Judges 1-21

Ruth 1-4

1 Samuel 1-12

Proverbs

May – 31 Days

1 Samuel 13-31

2 Samuel 1-24

1 Kings 1-20

Proverbs

June – 30 Days

1 Kings 21-22

2 Kings 1-25

1 Chronicles 1-29

2 Chronicles 1-6

Proverbs

July – 31 Days

2 Chronicles 7-36

Ezra 1-10

Nehemiah 1-13

Proverbs

August – 31 Days

Esther 1-10

Job 1-42

Ecclesiastes 1-12

Proverbs

September – 30 Days

Isaiah 1-62

Proverbs

October – 31 Days

Jeremiah 1-52

Lamentations 1-5

Ezekiel 1-6

Proverbs

November – 30 Days

Ezekiel 7-48

Daniel 1-12

Hosea 1-14

Proverbs

December – 31 Days

Joel 1-3

Amos 1-9

Obadiah 1

Jonah 1-4

Micah 1-7

Nahum 1-3

Habakkuk 1-3

Zephaniah 1-3

Haggai 1-2

Zechariah 1-14

Malachi 1-4

Proverbs

I’d love to hear your ideas or feedback!  Lay it on me!