I believe in Youth Ministry.  I want to be a "lifer" in Youth Ministry.  I believe the Church needs Youth Ministry.  I love this video from Mark Matlock, director of Youth Specialties.  He does a great job leading us to some of the greatest needs of the church and why Youth Ministry is so important.  It is definitely worth the time!

If you don't have time to watch the full video, here's a quick snapshot:

1. Youth ministry is vital to helping teens integrate into the larger intergenerational community of the church.
2. Youth ministry resists the status quo, helping a church stay relevant in a changing culture.
3. Youth ministry focuses on inviting those who are not already part of the church into the deeper narrative of God's plan for humankind.
4. Youth ministry reminds the church that teens are not marginalized members of the body, but are co-creators and conspirators in the divine work of the church, restoring life on earth as it is in heaven. **I think this one is so important!**
5. Youth ministry helps the church focus on the way of Jesus, which goes beyond tradition, dogma, and ritual.

Even though Youth Ministry has not been around very long (in the grand scheme of the Church) I believe it is vital and necessary for the future of the church!  Barna Research and Youth Specialties discovered that in the past three years, 60% of churches have experienced growth in their Youth Ministries overall attendance and 66% of churches believe that Youth Ministry must be one of their top priorities.  God is showing us that the next generation is not the future of the Church but they are the Church... NOW!  They are needed!

What are some reasons that you think Youth Ministry is needed in the Church?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick

For anyone who works with teenagers, you know that apps rule their world.  From Snapchat to Instagram, most teenagers spend a lot of their time plugged into the newest app.  I saw this article the other day that showed the Apps That Teens Actually Love.  Here are the graphs that they used to chart teenagers app usage:

As youth workers I believe it is our responsibility to understand and know youth culture and what is going on in the lives of our students.  Being able to look into the apps that they use everyday helps us to understand what they value and care about.  The overall arching truth to these graphs is that teenagers want to connect with the people around them.  All of the apps that are mentioned deal with connecting with others through pictures, music, videos, posts, etc.  This should be huge for us in ministry!  What are we doing to connect with our students that ultimately leads them to connecting with Christ?

What do you think?  Do you think these are the apps that teens really do love most?  What apps do you see your teenagers using?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick

About four years ago, God called Danielle and I to Keystone Fellowship outside of Philadelphia, PA to be the Student Ministries Pastor where I oversaw students in 6-12th grade.  The past few years at Keystone have been some of my favorite years of ministry that I've ever had.  I've had the privilege of seeing students surrender their lives to Christ, baptizing more students than I ever have before, making incredible relationships with students and leaders, having a ton of fun, and seeing God grow in Danielle and my own life.  God has taught Danielle and I continually through our time at Keystone.  Despite these past few years being some of our hardest years of ministry, we are so thankful for all that God has done in us and through us and we would not trade it for anything.

However, it is with sad hearts that we share that God has released us from our calling to Keystone.  We have loved our time at Keystone and the family that we have created while we have been here.  They have grown with us and helped us go through some of the toughest times of our lives.  Though we are sad to leave, it is with excited hearts that we also announce that I have accepted the position as Middle School Pastor at Oak Pointe Church in Novi, MI!

Danielle and I are so excited to go to Oak Pointe and see all that God wants to do in this next phase of our lives.  About three months ago, Oak Pointe called me to discuss the position and the possibility of coming back to Michigan.  Over the past few months, we have spent significant time in prayer, fasting and listening for God's voice on what His desire and will is for us.  We know completely that God has called us to Oak Pointe and God has confirmed that for us again and again.

We will be moving in the beginning of August to Michigan with a planned start at Oak Pointe in mid August.  Please pray for Keystone during this transition as they seek to find a new youth pastor and for Danielle and I as we seek to sell our home.  While this was not something that we expected to happen, Danielle and I have always committed to doing whatever God calls us to do, whenever God calls us to do it, wherever God calls to us go.  Therefore, when God clearly called us to Oak Pointe we said yes.

Thank you for your continued support of our ministry at Keystone over these past few years and we look forward to sharing with you all that God is going to do in our ministry at Oak Pointe!

- Rick

Anyone in Youth Ministry knows that summertime means one thing... SUMMER CAMP!  We've been planning camp for a while now and I'm looking forward to what God is going to do when we go to camp in August.  I saw this video today from Youth Specialties and thought it had great ideas to take Summer Camp to the next level!  

Here's a quick overview of the 4 concepts that they go through in the video:

1. Think with a "there" to "here" mindset. What can we do while we're there (at camp/mission trip/etc) to bring the experience back here (home)? 
2. Create Corporate Traditions. Be intentional about creating traditions with students that they'll want to carry into the event each summer. 
3. Create Open Spaces in the Schedule. This isn't about more "free" time but about "breathe" time.
4. Bring Parents on the Journey. You don't necessarily have to bring all the parents with you but you do need to find ways to make sure parents know what is going on.

I'm definitely thinking through how we can implement some of these ideas into our camp experience.  I'd love to hear from you!  What are you planning on doing to take your Summer Camp to the next level?

- Rick

Most of us have been in desert times... Those times where we feel like God has been completely absent from our lives or we feel like the Israelites who are crying out against God.  This song has been a comfort to Danielle and I as we sought God through the desert.  In the bridge of the song, John Piper speaks on 2 Corinthians 4:17-18:

I don't know where all of you are at, but I hope this song comes as an encouragement to you right where you are.  Deserts are meant to be a blessing.  Israel wandered through the desert so that they could take hold of the promised land.  Jesus went through the wilderness and received the power for His ministry.

This passage is from the book How To Worship A King and has given Danielle and I clarity on why we are going through the desert. 

I pray that your hearts are being prepared to receive and hold onto the promises of God.  Take heart... God is preparing for you an eternal weight of glory.

- Rick

I love my iPhone... I really do.  I remember when I got the iPhone 4s and Siri.  Siri changed the way I interacted with my phone, schedule, texting... even checking the weather.  The thing about Siri is that her voice is very distinct.  I will sometimes accidentally activate Siri and the moment I hear her voice, I know it's her.

For some reason, it is different with God.  So many people struggle with hearing God's voice or when He speaks, they don't know if it is truly Him.  Hearing the voice of God often requires us to listen in a new way.  We are used to having our own thoughts flow from our own mind.  The thoughts from the Spirit are different because they don't originate with you... they originate from the Spirit.  This is not to say that we shouldn't use our minds, but part of learning to hear God involves quieting our thoughts so that you can hear the Spirit speak.

How can you determine God's voice from your own thoughts?  Here are a few questions and thoughts to think through as you determine what you are hearing is God's voice or your own...

• Does what I heard line up with scripture?  The dilemma is that sometimes we can see, sense or hear something, and we can find a way to justify it, but it’s not necessarily the nature of God.
• Does it produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit?  If what you've heard produces something other than the fruit of the Spirit, then it might not be God speaking to you.
• Thoughts from your mind are meditated.  But thoughts spoken by Christ's Spirit to your spirit are spontaneous ideas, words, feelings or images.
• The Spirit's thoughts will sometimes have an unusual content to them.  They will bring ideas, insights, or instructions that you wouldn't have thought of yourself.
• They will bring with the a sense of peace and spiritual power.  This does not always come immediately, but the result will often be peace.
• When you act on the Spirit's promptings, they will bring joy and freedom.

Remember, even though God speaks, it is up to you to turn your attention to Him and listen for His voice.  He is speaking, the question is are we listening?

- Rick

The Super Bowl was pretty rough yesterday.  From the very first snap to the last play of the game, it wasn't quite the Super Bowl that most people expected.   To make matters worse, the commercials weren't that great either (in my opinion)! But here are a few of my favorite from last night!

What were your favorite commercials?  Did I miss any?

- Rick

Hands down the best commercial from the Super Bowl!  "It's the future!"

This is just a clever commercial...

This was funny just because of the guy saying "Doberhuahua" in the beginning of this commercial.

"Detroit made cars and cars made America." Enough said.

I can't wait to have Jack back!  May can't come soon enough! #JackIsBack

No this is not a post about how you should attend your church's Sunday night service instead of watching the Super Bowl (unless you go to Keystone... just kidding).  With the Super Bowl being tonight, I thought this was a cool video from some of the members of the Seattle Seahawks.  Win or lose the big game... they always win because in the end they know Christ!  They've already received the best that they could get!

Jesus is so much better than the Super Bowl!  Hope you have fun tonight watching the game and the commercials!  Who do you think will win?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick