Volume 8 | Issue 6 | June 2006   In youth ministry our heart's desire is to produce fully functioning, sold-out believers for Jesus Christ. We teach, preach, lead bible studies, and sponsor discipleship groups in hopes of building godly character within them. However, the old adage of "More is caught than taught" is so true. One of our key roles as youth leaders is to model the lifestyle we want our teens to follow. Trust me they are watching everything you do and say. They are taking mental notes of how you interact with your spouse, your children and how you respond to a difficult situation (personal or professional). They give attention to what you wear and they will pick up and use your catch words and phrases. Your entire youth staff sets the bar for the teenager's lifestyle. Once during a youth service I used the word "butt" during a message. After service a Jr. High student came up and said, "My mom said I wasn't allowed to use the word "butt," but now you did so she can't stop me." Gulp. He then got an apology from me and a short sermonette on honoring your parents. A friend of mine in Texas had a new couple join his volunteer youth staff. A few weeks after getting involved the couple was out at a restaurant and they both had margaritas. A teenager who was working as a busboy saw them drinking the alcohol. The next day he excitedly told several of his youth group friends that drinking alcohol is okay, it's cool because he saw youth leader "Jack and Jill" drinking. Needless to say it took the youth pastor some work to undue the situation and raise the bar (no pun intended) once again. As youth pastors and volunteer leaders we are one of several mirrors in a teenager's life. Their parents are their number one role model and hopefully they are good ones. But many times teenagers will search out a coach, teacher, pastor, or significant adult in their life to imitate and follow. I love it when Paul said to the Corinthian Church, "Imitate me, follow my example" (1 Cor. 4:16). What a bold statement! In your next meeting with all of your volunteer leaders ask them this question. "Are you ready for us to put your life under a microscope and to become THE living and true role model for every teenager in this youth group to follow?" As leaders in the room begin to look at the floor, take deep breaths, and rub their hands, just give them a gentle reminder that they are the mirror for students to look into to see how to put their faith into daily action. We are highly contagious individuals physically, verbally, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We all know and recognize the natural aspects of this but we need to wake up to the spiritual side of it as well. We reproduce what we are not what we want to be. If I speak with a Texan draw, those close to me will pick it up. If I have the flu you are susceptible to getting it if you are around me. Likewise, the character of a person (mentally and spiritually) is just as contagious. I am thoroughly convinced that the hotter and brighter I live my life for Jesus Christ that it has a direct impact on those I come in contact with. If I spend my days lusting after women and having illicit thoughts - it will have a direct impact on those I come in contact with. It is important that you are very particular with who you allow to work with the youth because youth will grade on the curve. Let me explain. The "YP" represents the youth pastor. He/she is at the top of the arc. Hopefully they are living a holy and godly lifestyle. The "YL" represents the five youth leaders on your team. They are all at various levels and growth points in their faith. The teenager who is sitting on the fence of life is not going to follow the youth pastor's example. He is going to find the youth leader who has set the bar the lowest--the red "YL." The guy who is reaching the bare minimum of youth leader expectations will be his mirror. The good news is as you pour yourself into your leaders and reflect your life of excellence into them they will in turn raise the bar for the teenagers. No one understood this principle better than Jesus. His goal was to impart his life and nature into his twelve disciples. Reproduce yourself and make sure you are making "good copies." Download a message for your Dad and one for weddings! $12.00 Father's Day: Father Knows Best: This message is actually designed for the young men in your group as it paints a vision of what a father should be. So many students have absent fathers and have no idea of what a godly father should be. These qualities will also give the ladies some insight as to what to look for in a future husband and father. A Wedding Ceremony: June is the month for weddings! Check out this unique wedding ceremony! How to Download an H2O Individual Sermon 1. Add the sermon to your shopping cart 2. Complete the shopping cart process and payment 3. Check your email. Within minutes, you will receive a confirmation email (to the email address you provided during checkout) with a link to download your sermon. Maxine was driving down the highway about 75 miles an hour, when she noticed a motorcycle policeman following her. Instead of slowing down, she picked up speed. When she looked back again, there were two motorcycles following her. She shot up to 90 miles per hour. The next time she looked around, there were three cops following her. Suddenly, she spotted a gas station looming ahead. She screeched to a stop and ran into the ladies' room. Five minutes later, she innocently walked out. The three cops were standing there waiting for her. Without batting an eye, she said coyly, "I'll bet none of you thought I would make it."

Volume 8 | Issue 6 | June 2006   Time sure flies when you are having fun! I love what I do and I can't wait to see what the next 25 years will bring. A friend recently asked me, "So what is the greatest thing you have learned in those 25 years?" Others have said it and it sums up how I feel, "I realize how much there is to learn and how much more I need to grow." Five years into the game I thought I had it down, I thought I was a pro youth pastor. Then ten years later I was sure I had it down. But after I tripped over my pride, fell flat onto my face-I realized I hadn't "arrived" yet. The greatest advice I could give anyone in this career occupation is to constantly be learning and growing. Continue to sharpen yourself, be teachable, and be humble. The day we think we know it all is the day we stop growing. And when we stop growing we become less usable for the Kingdom. Read books, listen to CDs, and download MP3 files that will grow you as an individual, a husband/wife, a parent, and a minister. Run the race with passion like it was your first day in full time ministry. Wow, remember the zeal, big ideas, and unlimited thinking? Jesus told the church at Ephesus, "Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the first works." I hope you have an amazing summer of ministry. Teenagers' lives will never be the same. Some of them will remember this summer for the rest of their lives. Make every day count! Quench the Thirst of Your Family!   Itinerary Family First Conferences JULY 17-19 - Xtreme Summer Camp 2006, hosted by Cornerstone Fellowship Church, Christchurch, VA 804-725-9145 AUGUST 17-19 - Youth and College Convention, Joel Kitsemble Ministries, Wisconsin Dells, WI 608-663-4975 NOVEMBER 10-11 - Youth Fall Retreat, Burchfield Ministries, Columbus, TX 979-732-9200 12 - Sunday morning adult services, Family Life Church, Lake Jackson, TX 979-297-2811   An 80-year old woman was arrested for shoplifting. When she went before the judge he asked her, "What did you steal?" She replied, "A can of peaches." The judge asked her why she had stolen them and she said that she was hungry. The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can. She replied 6. The judge then said, "I will give you 6 days in jail." Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment, the woman's husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something. He said, "What is it?" The husband said, "She also stole a can of peas." As I was packing for my business trip, my 3-year old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point, she said, "Daddy look at this," and stuck out two of her fingers. Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in my mouth and said, "Daddy's gonna eat your fingers!" pretending to eat them before I rushed out of the room again. When I returned, my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face. I said, "What's wrong, honey?" She replied, "What happened to my booger? Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows�" Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. MORAL: When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms. I hope you sleep well!