Who are the men and woman who stay at home and eat dinner without his or her spouse every Sunday during Life Night? Who bathes the children and puts them to bed before the Life Night ends? Who prays as much, if not more, for the teens who are in the youth group? Who stands in the background at parish events while his or her spouse is recognized by everyone (and let’s be honest, prefers it this way)? Who listens to endless youth ministry drama when his or her spouse gets home? Who
What could a Core Team do to still create community time that doesn’t involve eating or drinking? Here are a few fun ideas to do prior to, or following a Life Night, or any other random night to build a strong Core family.
If you are anything like me, I bet a ton of questions filled your heart and mind when you woke up on Monday, February 11, 2013 to the shocking news that Pope Benedict XVI was resigning as Bishop of Rome. My mind was racing . . . Is Pope Benedict seriously ill? Can a Pope resign? What? Why? How?
I know I was not alone in these questions but when I took the time to read Pope Benedict’s resignation statement I was comforted by his humility, vulnerability, and fearlessness.
A few years ago, during the season of Advent, my sister and I traveled to Lourdes, France for a pilgrimage. It was a gift that continues to transform my heart year after year, cup after cup of Lourdes water, rosary decade after decade lifted up in prayer. A pilgrimage is a very special gift that should not be overlooked during this season of Advent for that is exactly the gift that the Holy family gave us in their journey to Bethlehem with the birth of our Savior. To travel a long journey to a sacred place is a gift unto itself: the sights, smells, tastes, and rituals undiscovered yet instantly seized into memory. But, to realize something of unexplainable significance is as majestic as the Magi themselves.
Unless you are one of the two people who won the Powerball Lottery a few weeks back, you more than likely don’t have a budget to purchase iPod mini’s for your entire Core Team as Christmas gifts (but wouldn’t that be great if you could?). Well here are a few ideas for inexpensive, yet truly affirming gifts for your Core . . .
Take a few minutes today to call your “Jo” and share with them how thankful you are for their years of service to the teens and if you can, write about your “Jo” in the comments below so this Thanksgiving, as a Life Teen family, we can give thanks for the many Core Members who are making a difference in leading teens closer to Christ.
To use a track and field analogy, men need to know the distance markers of relational ministry to understand just how much further they need to run to reach the finish line. So many men (and women) will give up before God desires them to because they don’t see the mile markers they have reached and they give in to the lie that they’re failing. Leading teens into a relationship with Christ is a lifelong goal that requires trust between the teen and the Core Member. Keep guys on track by affirming them weekly in the small ways they have gone the distance for the teens and for God.
When we start putting our ministry or the “important” grocery trip above a day of rest, we loose focus of God. We don’t “work” for God (He already did all the work on the cross) we are called to love Him and not place anything above Him. When we start to put in more hours in front of the computer instead of in front of the Blessed Sacrament our vision weakens and we start to see God through the world’s eyes instead of the world through God’s eyes. He doesn’t want our hours; He wants us.
Communication (or the lack of it) can often leave us frustrated like Abbot and Costello. We need to accept that the days of face-to-face communication are limited (unless you are using iChat or Skype). People are busier than ever juggling career, family, activities, volunteer commitments, school, faith, and personal lives. The tools we use to communicate make as much of an impact as the message we are sending. If we think one form of communication is all we need, we are wrong!
Commitment! This word takes on different meanings in every generation. Some people fear it; some embrace it with their entire being. In ministry it is something that we struggle with a lot: teen’s commitment, Core Team’s commitment, staff commitment, even our commitment. When you start talking about everyones different levels of commitment it’s tempting to end up doing what Generation iY does and take some anxiety medication to feel better about our responsibility or lack there of.