Here’s what they say about The Challenge:

Tired of finding yourself the target of all those messy, muddy, mucky games your students thoroughly enjoy? The Challenge allows you to capture the energy of those crowd-pleasing competitions without the nuisance of cleaning up! Hosted by veteran youth pastor Kurt Johnston, these 20 video-based contests… (Get more info here)

So how can you win this sweet game resource? Here’s what you need to do: 

1) ”LIKE’ US: on our Facebook (click here)

2) COMMENT: on our Facebook page, and in a few words tell us why you love doing youth ministry, or share what challenges you face in your youth ministry?

3) TO GET ENTERED TWICE: Share our Facebook page or Tweet this post out and include @philbell

On June 1st we’ll announce FOUR lucky winners who will win one of the great giveaways that we’ll be highlighting this week!

Phil <><

Why giveaway free stuff? Well, it’s simple… This blog is written by four veteran ‘in the trenches’ youth workers with a vision to invest in others and help them discover greater effectiveness in ministry. Giving away a bunch of resources is just another way to continue our vision!

Here’s the word on ‘The Word’:

Help teenagers explore the life-giving richness of God’s Word with this DVD-based curriculum from Johnny Scott, Christ In Youth’s junior high program director, and teenage author and speaker Jacqueline Pierre. (Get more info here)

So how can you win this great small group curriculum? Well, here’s what you need to do: 

1) ”LIKE’ US: on our Facebook (click here)

2) COMMENT: on our Facebook page, and in a few words tell us why you love doing youth ministry, or share what challenges you face in your youth ministry?

3) TO GET ENTERED TWICE: Share our Facebook page or Tweet this post out and include @philbell

On June 1st we’ll announce FOUR lucky winners who will win one of the great giveaways that we’ll be highlighting this week!

Phil <><

Today, I am super excited to highlight three brand spanking new ’99 Thoughts’ Books from Simply Youth Ministry.

The books are:

• 99 Thoughts on Caring for your Youth Group by Matt Murphy and Brad Widstrom
• 99 Thoughts on Jesus Centered Living by Rick Lawrence
• 99 Thoughts about Junior High Ministry by Kurt Johnston

So how can you win these sweet books? Well, here’s what you need to do: 

1) ”LIKE’ US: on our Facebook (click here)

2) COMMENT: on our Facebook page, and in a few words tell us why you love doing youth ministry, or share what challenges you face in your youth ministry?

3) TO GET ENTERED TWICE: Share our Facebook page or Tweet this post out and include @philbell

On June 1st we’ll announce FOUR lucky winners who will win one of the great giveaways that we’ll be highlighting this week!

Phil <><

Why you ask? Well, it’s simple… This blog is written by four veteran ‘in the trenches’ youth workers with a vision to invest in others and help them discover greater effectiveness in ministry. Giving away a bunch of resources is just another way to continue our vision! 

For our first giveaway, you could win the WHOLE series of Everyday Simply Youth Ministry Books from our friends at Simply Youth Ministry.

The books include: 

• Two Sides by Darren Sutton
• Youth Ministry Life by Kurt Johnston & Josh Griffin
• More Than Dodgeball by Josh Griffin
• No Teenager Left Behind by Leneita Fix
• Answers to Teenagers Toughest Questions by Phil Bell
• Youth Ministry Tips and Ideas is a FREE download from my mate Tim Schmoyer. You can get it here

So how can you win these sweet books?

1) ”LIKE’ US: on our Facebook (click here)

2) COMMENT: on our Facebook page, and in a few words tell us why you love doing youth ministry, or share what challenges you face in youth ministry?

3) TO GET ENTERED TWICE: Share our Facebook page or Tweet this post out and include @PhilBell

On June 1st we’ll announce FOUR lucky winners who will win one of the great giveaways that we’ll be highlighting today and the next three days.

Phil <><

For others, Friday is their day off.

For some of us, we ask, “what is a day off?”

For me, Monday is a ministry work day and I usually get my day off on Friday. Since Monday is the first day of my ministry work week, I have found it imperative to start the week by focusing on priorities that are time consuming yet a crucial set up to the rest of the week. It should be a given that my soul care should be an everyday priority, but here are three practical priorities I focus on most Mondays.

1) Message Writing: First thing Monday morning I find my usual spot in Starbucks, plug in my headphones, and start message writing until early afternoon. I am usually working a week ahead in my messages and finishing off my current weekly message. (I often speak twice a week, so it can be a hefty message writing morning).

2) Planning: Monday afternoons are spent planning programs, events, and message series. (I usually am working 3-6 months ahead).

3) Email and Task List: Before my day is done I clear as much email as I can, create new task lists (I use google tasks), and try to create a plan for the rest of the week and the tasks I need to get done. It’s important to ‘clear the decks’ before Tuesday gets here…

You’ll notice that there are no meetings with students, leaders, or other staff members. For me, Mondays are my day to hide away and get great messages written, make good plans, and get caught up on email. The rest of week includes a great deal of contact time where I get to invest in students and leaders.

For me, it’s important to have one day per week when I can hide away and get a large chunk of message writing and planning done.

How about you? Do you have a day like this? What is your day off? What do Mondays look like for you?

Phil <><

TOMORROW and the rest of this week: YOUTH MINISTRY RESOURCE GIVEAWAY! Come back and check out what you could win!!!

Are you secure in God’s calling, strength, and purpose for you? Or, Is your life and ministry swayed by your insecurity?

Here are 10 signs that our ministry (and lives), are swayed by insecurity:

1. Our days begin with a long list of tasks that focus on keeping others happy, rather than seeking God’s affirmation.
2. We constantly compare ourselves to other youth workers or the youth ministry down the street.
3. We say “Yes” to every event and program idea: We are scared that by saying no, we might lose popularity.
4. We can’t miss a phone call at any time of the day: If we do, it eats us alive to wonder what the call was about.
5. We would rather be good friends with students, rather than being a solid leader to them.
6. We regularly lose sleep when students, leaders, and parents disagree or disapprove of us.
7. We constantly complain to friends about the latest conflict or disagreement in hopes to gain support and affirmation.
8. We feel defeated and devastated when an event or program doesn’t quite live up to what we and others hoped, (rather than seeing it as an opportunity to grow and learn).
9. We have a tendency to fish for compliments from others, and are fueled (and ruled), by their affirmations.
10. We feel distant from God and feel a lack of security and confidence in Him (and His promises…)

If you are like me, there are many things on this list that I relate to. I have times when I feel confident and secure, and then there are times when I feel desperate and insecure in myself and my ministry.

I know this might be completely obvious, but who are we trying to please?

As you go through your day, consider your motivations, your decisions, and your feelings. Are they driven by the intense need to keep others happy, or are you striving to please God and let his leading bring fruit to your life and ministry? I know this might seem so obvious, but it’s one of the greatest issues I see in leadership in churches today.

Are we really living to please God, or living for the approval of others? Are we allowing insecurity to define our lives and ministries?

What would you add to this list? What are some of the indicators that your ministry and life is defined by insecurity?

Phil <><

In fact, Leadertreks are so committed to helping youth workers, they give away more stuff than they sell! If you don’t know the Leadertreks team, you should get to know them! They are a great team of people to work with!!! Phil <><

And, not only that, you can now get it on Apple and Android platforms! $5 has got to be one of the best stewardship decisions for any youth worker to make. Click here to get the deal! Today only!

Well, here’s the deal, Brit’s post really got me thinking about car washes that many of us do to raise money for our missions trips. As Brit’s post communicated,

“I know we have a panhandler and then you have a fundraiser… but why is one who is in need forced to move on, while others who are desiring something more (new skirts, new trumpets, new shoes, bus to go on a mission trip) they can wave their signs and get hand outs.”

Now before you read on, know that I am only asking questions that I am struggling through. I would really love your thoughts on this and get a different vantage point. For now, I am struggling with the idea of the local church soliciting the local community to pay for a church event… Here’s my point in a nutshell:

As churches, why are we asking the community to pay for a missions trip when our church family should be supporting it?

I mean, honestly, is this the right message we should be sending our community?

“Hey, we are doing a missions trip to this cool place… Can you pay for it?”

Or, maybe the message they receive is,

“Hey, we’re doing this missions trip to this cool place, and our church doesn’t have enough money to pay for it, so we will ask our community to fund it instead of our church family…”

Now, you need to know that on this Memorial Weekend myself and bunch of students WILL be doing a car wash, but it won’t be for a missions trip. It will be free to our community, but if people insist on paying, we’ll donate it to Tornado Relief Funds or a similar charity. Is this different? I don’t know? What are your thoughts on this? I have not considered all the angles on this one, but I would love your thoughts. Feel free to comment!

Phil <><

This is part-two of a two-part series looking at burnout in youth ministry. 

Since I wouldn’t stop, God shut me down.  He stopped me totally in my tracks. If I don’t get enough sleep now I am sick for 3 days.  I MUST sleep. If I don’t exercise, my muscles stiffen up and I can’t move.  I HAVE to work out daily. I have suffered from a stomach problem for 13 years (non burnout related.)   It is exasperated by stress and poor eating habits.  I HAVE TO EAT WELL.

God literally stopped me.  He said ENOUGH is ENOUGH.  I am not saying that the Lord laughed at me.  Instead FOR ME,  I couldn’t/wouldn’t listen.  So He gave me signs to help.  As I mentioned yesterday,  I know others that have come under the weight of similar afflictions.

I have come to see when I don’t listen,  the Lord grabs my attention.   He wants me with him in this for the long haul.

My friendly advice to you is to put some safety in place BEFORE you fall.  We were not created to run and run and run.  The Lord didn’t rest on the 7th day because he needed it.  He never “sleeps nor slumbers.”  He sat down to remind us, humans, that we should.  Jesus didn’t steal away for a moment with the Father out of obligation.  This was the very moment that would renew him and fill him up for all that was ahead.  It was his lifeline to recall the vision to which he was called.   Our lives truly are about BEING with our God.  This is why we serve him.   There are moments when we get the order wrong.  At these times there needs to be a correction.

What Do We Do?

For those of us can’t stop how do we remember that we have to.   God didn’t give everyone the thorn in his side he has given me.  I can safely say those happened because I wouldn’t listen.  Jacob limped for a lifetime after he wrestled with God.  It was a reminder of who ultimately won the match.

1.  Know the signs:

According to Cathy Gates director of Transformation Leadership International there are three telling signs that we are headed for a breakdown:

• Emotional and physical exhaustion: You feel worn out physically and emotionally. You have no energy; feel depleted, debilitated and fatigued.
• Depersonalized response toward others: You find yourself displaying negative or inappropriate attitudes toward people. Your sense of idealism disappears. You are irritated by others much more easily.
• Reduced sense of personal accomplishment: You experience reduced productivity and low morale. You find yourself withdrawing from your responsibilities and from others. Your ability to cope with day to day stress is significantly decreased.

2.  Accountability that you will listen to.

We know that pornography addiction, affairs and finding a vice are growing at staggering rates for those in ministry.  My belief is because we find no healthy outlet,  forget who Christ is in our lives,  and become isolated.   Find accountability partners that you can be honest with and talk to.  Find someone who does what you do in another ministry.  Find people who get you.  This may take some work to find this one or two people,  but find them.  Then listen to their advice.  If they tell you to take a day off then do it.   Truth only sounds trite because it is simple. Make a friend.  Make the effort.

3.  Create boundaries.

The hardest thing for me was to actually start shutting my phone off.  When I can’t,  on those days that it should be off,  but I know I will check it,  I hand it off to someone else to hold.  I get it away from myself.   I make my husband put a vacation, days off and weekends with just the two of us on the calendar.  These are purposeful. I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago.  My hubby asked what I wanted.  “A week away with you, “ was my answer.  We go away in two weeks.  It will be close to home.  It won’t be extravagant.  It will be 5 glorious days of just he and I.  He knew this was so important that he asked all of my friends to chip in for the cause.  I can’t wait! If people stomp on the lines you draw,  learn to say no.  It was my hardest lesson,  and the most beneficial.  Take time for you with God,  for friends,  and for family.

4.  Remember the ways you love to connect with Jesus and be intentional.

I connect with Jesus through music.  Yesterday,  I sat and did something I hadn’t done in a long while.  I sat on my couch.  I put in my headphones.  I closed my eyes.  I sang along.  I love that.  It refreshes me.  When I sit outside and just am a part of God’s creation I am reminded of his power and magnificence.  Sometimes I stop and take in the thunder storm and look at the sky.  Other times I sit at the beach and just stare into the water.  I look to these times.  My love affair with my Savior must last a lifetime.  What do you do that reminds you, you are connected to the Lord?

 5.  Do something you like to do- but don’t have to do.

I adore being active. Living where we do,  snorkeling is a favorite pass time.  As often as I can I get to the beach and get on my mask.  Do you play the guitar, but it has sat in the corner for a month?  Pick it up.  I write.  Almost daily.  No one expects it.  I just like it.  What do you like to do?  Talk?  Drink coffee?  Shop?  Water ski?  Sometimes we might need to be creative in time and energy to make it happen.   Make it happen.

Most of all I want you to know:  You are not alone.  I have been there.  Others have too.  Lay down the guilt and ask for help.

The fight to “Go! GO! GO!”  never ceases. Yesterday, I went for a hair cut.  I didn’t want to take the time.  I like my hairdresser and an hour of stupid small talk was actually good for me.  This rainy Saturday we spent the day lazing around the house. John and I laid around and laughed and did a whole lot of nothing.  This week I have felt compelled to get things done.  The old demons of running have been nipping at my heels.  I have had to beat them off with a stick.   Somedays are still like that…  For all of us.

Bottom line is simple but not easy. Make the choice for change.  If you need someone to talk to today- reach out.  I am here.  In addition check out Simply Soul Care.  This article- you and me.  It’s the reason it is exists.