As I was walking up, I remembered that Christ said in the Gospel of John, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” I started to think about the hardworking Core Members who are the engine of our Life Teen programs all across the globe. My heart was softening, but the idea of physically washing feet still was making me miserable.
11 years ago the Life Teen Board of Directors voted to purchase a camp in the North Georgia mountains called “Covecrest”. At the time we were excited about owning a camp, but the reality was that we had just put a lot on the line as the camp was only about 25% funded at the time. To top that off the camp had run in a deficit situation for the previous 15 years. At the time many diocese were looking to get out of camps and retreat centers. Carelessness or Divine Providence? Turns out the decision
Law of Audio / Visual – After you spend hours editing your latest video the bulb on the video projector decides it’s time to die or the audio feed decides it’s time not to work resulting in a silent film portrayal. Law of Gravity – Any banner, sign, decoration or prop we attempt to attach with duct tape, scotch tape or string will inevitably fall at the most inopportune moment of our retreat or session. Law of Probability – The probability of our pastor walking in is directly proportional
The past few months I have attended numerous youth leader gatherings and inevitably fall to the temptation to compare myself to those around me. I look at some of my peers and think “they look like a youth leader, they have the look that teens will think is cool.” I know I’m not supposed to compare, but being a Catholic youth leader can be one of the most inadequacy inducing roles you can ever take on in life. It brings out the brightest talents and the darkest most insecure parts in the best
I paused for a second as the youth minister I was talking to blurted out – “I’m officially burned out.” She seemed almost embarrassed to be admitting it. I could tell by the dull stare on her face that she was struggling to find any joy in her ministry. I had seen the look before and over the past 24 years in youth ministry I have realized that there are two key things that anyone involved in youth ministry must do to avoid burnout and by the way they have nothing to do with a more balanced life or hiring an assistant.
The people I am in closest relationship with are those people I have taken the time to find out the answer to one important question: