The Crazy Christmas Series

Ahhh...it's Christmas time again! LOVE this season for Sunday mornings. there are so many fun games to play and great to remind students of the powerful story of Christmas.

If you are looking for ideas for a Christmas series, here is what we are doing this season for our middle schoolers.

Crazy Christmas Series

1. A Crazy Beginning: A Virgin Birth (Luke 1)

God has this crazy idea of using a middle school girl to give birth to His Son. Of course, she's an 8th grader...and not married...and she's never been with a guy. WHAT?!

The big idea: God is looking for middle schoolers to do something crazy in making a difference with their lives!

2. A Crazy Bargain: Stay with the Girl (Matthew 1)

So Mary tells Joseph that she's pregnant and she SWEARS that it's the Holy Spirit. Riiiiiiiiight. Joseph decides to divorce her quietly and an angel shows up to encourage Joseph to believe Mary.

The big idea: Listening to god isn't always as easy as having an angel in your bedroom. What are ways students can listen to God during the Christmas season?

3. A Crazy Birth: God is born in a barn (Luke 2)

Mary and Joseph are having the baby in a barn in Bethlehem. The Son of God's first bed is a feeding trough, a curious place for a king. In fact, Jesus never learned to live like a king. He lived like a servant.

The big idea: It's easy to get self absorbed during this season. What are different ways we can serve others during the Christmas break to keep Christmas going?

Youth Ministry Game #208 Duck Lips Smash

Recap of our High School Trip to Denver working with the Center for Student Missions.

The night was dark and the streets were alive. The high school group from First Church drove through the Mile High City as they prepared to spend the week on a mission trip. They were on a prayer tour that served as an introduction to Denver, its problems, and the many people who make up the city.

While the vans traveled through wealthy and poor neighborhoods, the song “Give Me Your Eyes So I Can See” by Brandon Heath, played.

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

“One of the first things we did was taking the prayer tour. It was eye-opening” said Ken Rawson, Minister to Students. “They took us all over the city showing us different ministries and teaching us about what God is doing for the poor. And we prayed that God would give us his eyes and heart.”

The group served at a number of different ministries: They weeded Manuel High School that had been closed and is being re-opened, fed dinner, and played with kids at the Lambuth Family Shelter.

They packed unused medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E., the Commission for Urgent Relief and Equipment, who ships the supplies to foreign countries in need.

They played games at a retirement home for low-income seniors and helped staff a math and science camp being held for an impoverished neighborhood.

Ninth grader Aubrey Maxwell found God using her as she helped a 6 year-old girl named Shema.

“Shema had a little bit of Down’s Syndrome but she was the funniest girl in the world” said Aubrey. “It felt good to help her with making a volcano and a shirt with her name on it and stuff. I helped her make a spectroscope. Every time I told her to look through it she would try to listen to it!”

The group was blessed to have the Chair of Trustees Ken Hole accompany them on the trip. The highlight of the trip for Ken was meeting a homeless man named Robert Evans.

“We went to a store and bought supplies for folks like soap and brushes and then we went down to meet people. This one man told us his story about how he was a college graduate and a painter but lost it all to drugs.”

“He then told us that if we go to the Caldwell African-American Research Library that there are three of his paintings on permanent display. So we went and saw them. Not only were they amazing, but they were signed in 2003 and 2004. It really puts things into perspective when you think that it was just five years ago that this guy had his life together.”

The group also played with children at a day care in Aurora, danced with older folks and the developmentally disabled, and served hundreds of meals at the Broadway Assistance Center and the historic Denver Rescue Mission.

“I was blown away by the sheer number of people who came into eat to get a meal. We fed over 450 people and I served 60 gallons of soup” said soup-slinger Ken Hole.

But the week was not limited to service projects. It was about learning and experiencing the city.

The group ate dinner at different ethnic restaurants, was put through a homeless re-enactment, dropped off in an Asian market, took a homeless man named Rick out to breakfast, and sent out for an “adventure” in the city.

“The Downtown Immersion was four hours of simulating the experience of time on the streets for a teenage runaway” said junior Max Sherard. “It was pretty intense to experience what it actually takes to be out there on the streets.”

“This week has given me an understanding of the extent of homelessness. It’s changed what I see on the streets, especially after meeting Rick. You really don’t know if they are going to survive. They are in a tough situation.”

Ken Hole summed up the week. “We aren’t going to end homelessness. We aren’t going to get rid of poverty, ever. The thing is, we need to take care of each other and give as many “hand ups” as we can.”

Now THAT'S what I call fishing!

This guy jumps from a helicopter and catches a Marlin! Good night!

Mean Robots Suck: A quick review of Transformers 2

In one word: Bittersweet.

I LOVED the special effects! So amazing. I don't have a clue how they do this stuff. It blows me away.

The story was good...but it took a little while to get to it. The love storyline...lame. Lots of funny one liners like when one of the robots says, "Mean robots suck."

There is so much action! Some would probably say "Violence." There was a lot and it was really hard to keep up and absorb all that was happening in the fight scenes. But it could have been our crappy seats. (we arrived an hour early...sat down 45 minutes before the show started...but ended up in the fourth row from the front and all the way to the left. Not great...but not terrible.)

The cameos...I won't ruin it but I laughed out loud at a couple of the stars who showed up for this movie.

I think there are a lot of Christians who will react to all the course joking. Lots of sexual humor. If you are offended by "Truck Nuts" I'm not sure what you'll do with the giant Transformer testicles. (Sorry for the spoiler.)

In all, the movie is really made for college guys and young adult males. I'm sure that is a "duh", but it kind of took away some of the fun for me. My 8 year old LOVES Transformers and I loved them as a kid! I still remember going to the Grenada movie theater in Morgan Hill and seeing the Transformers cartoon movie. (It was the first movie I went to without a parent!)

And the sad part is, it will be years before I'll let Noah watch the movie with me. I just don't think he can take it. And if he could take the intense robot fighting, I'm just not ready to subject him to the steady flow of sex jokes and related material. (Evidently only models go to college. Not a fat or ugly girl to be found in the movie.)

So, it was an amazing film, and one has to filter out the garbage, like a lot of movies. I just wish my son could enjoy it with me.

Sweet Baseball Skills

ht to my buddy Jesse. This is one great trick! He should get called up just for that!

One more reason I love Youth Specialties: The Mystery Box Revealed!!!!

Sometime I should probably blog all the reasons I love YS but it's easiest to say that without thier encouragement and resources, I probably wouldn't be doing student ministry today.

A couple months ago they were moving offices and had to get rid of a bunch of stuff so they were selling "mystery"boxes of stuff they were going to have to destroy in the move.

So instead of throwing stuff away, for $20, YS would donate that money to Reality Changers (an amazing charity helping at risk teens go to college) and youth workers would get a box of who-knows-what.

Here's what was in my box:

The Ideas Index....a throwback to yesteryear when the Ideas books were in print. printed in 1992!

The Ideas combo edition, four books in one, 17-20! printed in 1981...I feel like I'm holding youth ministry folklore.

2 Videos from the old Edge TV series: Growing up Fast and Word on the Street. Yeah...

So far...not so good. eh eh eh

A THIRD Video: Curt Cloninger "Witnesses" I believe this was standard issue for youth pastors in the nineties. And I can sell it on Amazon for nearly $20!!!!

Mission Trip Prep, worth $8

Leadership Wisdom from Unlikely voices, worth $15

What Would Jesus Do? (In German!), WHOA! Someone is trying to sell it for $158!!!!!

Never The Same, worth $9

Deep Justice Journeys, BRAND NEW just released!!! Worth $13

Art Source 4.0, Clip art library! worth $51!!!

So...for $20, Reality Changers got $20, and I got a box full of goodies worth between $100 or possibly $250, depending on the German need for WWJD. Thanks YS!!!

A GREAT story about how spending time with students changes lives.

Yesterday I posted about an excerpt from Andy Andrew's book, The Noticer. Here is another part of the chapter that I really liked!


In chapter 6, the author links a Nobel peace prize to an adult spending a couple of afternoons with a 6 year old kid. The main point is that our lives make a HUGE difference in the lives of others. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:

"While it is true that most people never see or understand the difference they
make, or sometimes only imagine their actions having a tiny effect, every single
action a person takes has far-reaching consequences."

At 91, Norman Bourlag was informed that he had been personally responsible for saving TWO BILLION people's lives.

In 1970, the Nobel Committee awarded Bourlag, then 54, because he was the guy who hybridized corn and wheat for arid climates, that the committee estimated at saving billions of people's lives from what would have otherwise been famine.

However, Bourlag was hired by Henry Wallace. Wallace was Roosevelt's second VP and he was a former Sec. of Agriculture and while he was VP he set up a station in Mexico to figure out how to hybridize corn and wheat for arid climates.

But Henry Wallace was given a vision for his future and what he could do with plants to help humanity by a 19 year-old kid at Iowa State U. This 19 year-old had a professor who let his six year old son hang out with this brilliant kid. The 6 year old was Wallace. The brilliant kid was George Washington Carver.

The story goes on about how Carver was influence by the man who saved and raised him, but what really stood out was again, how much what we do makes a difference.



My life was changed by a number of people who drove me home from church, were youth coaches, adults who took me out to lunch, and loved on me. These are the relationships that change lives.



My friend Kurt says it best: People who love God + Teenagers = Good stuff/Good ministry.





sidebar: if you read yesterday's post: Norman Bourlag is 95 and was STILL teaching at Texas A&M at the age of 86!

A new perspective on Senior adults in student ministry

My friend Kirk tweeted about not being able to put The Noticer, by Andy Andrews down. So I had to pick up a copy and check it out for myself.

I came across a gem last night in the book that really challenged me. I've heard so many times that I need to get senior adults involved in student's lives. And i've tried, but they never seem interested or feel like they can relate no matter what I tell them.

Well, this chapter has given me such encouragement about how to involve older adults into students lives.

In this chapter, this one senior citizen is basically living as she waits to die. She feels her usefulness is done. And then this guy "Jones" really challenges her. Here is what he says:

"Let me give you a different perspective about feeling that your time has passed. Isn't it a good thing that Harlan Sanders didn't retire when he turned sixty-five?"

The name didn't register with Willow. "Harlan Sanders?"

"You probably remember him as Colonel Sanders. But it wasn't until he was sixty-five that he took a family recipe and began franchising restaurants to serve his fried chicken. And all he had at the time was his Social Secruity checks to get stared-one hundred and five dollars a month."

He then lists the following people, thier ages, and accomplishments:

Benjamin Frankllin, 78, invented bifocals.

Winston Churchill, 78, wrote a nobel peace prize winning book.

Nelson Mandela, 75, became President of South Africa

Grandma Moses, 90, sold her first painting

Michaelangelo, 72, BEGAN his work on St. Peter's Basilica


I am embarrassed to admit that I don't usually percieve our Senior Saints like this. Not as being at the beginning of doing something great! And our church has LOADS of Senior Saints! What kind of geniuses am I passing by in our church EVERY Sunday?!

There is one more thing that really stuck out in this chapter, but I'll post that tomorrow.

Youth Pastors and Money

My friend Adam McLane just finished a GREAT series on youth ministry and money. You HAVE to check it out.

When I started this youth ministry gig 15 years ago I was fresh out of college and had no idea really what to ask for in regards to money. Just out of college, newly married, my sweet wife was pregnant, and I landed my first middle school ministry job for 14K a year. That was in 1998. Having to put grocery bills on credit cards, I had to ask for not one raise, not two, but THREE in that first year.

Now, part of that blame goes to the church. They should have done a better job taking care of me. But most of the blame goes with me. I was worried, get this, that if I asked for more money people might think I was doing jr. high ministry for the money. Yeah....right. I should have had a realistic idea of what we needed and the church was gracious to give me a raise every time I asked for one.

Nevertheless, I was living paycheck to paycheck. And we were living beyond our means. I could have really used the tips Adam gives in this four part series. And even though I'm not a rookie anymore, some of his stuff was a good reminder for me now.

Make sure to check them out. Here is Part 1 (Intro), Part 2 (Debt and Savings), Part 3 (Cost of Living Adjustments), and Part 4 (Investing).

sidebar: I really appreciated Adam's thoughts in Part 2 about realistic savings plans and I was BLOWN away in Part 3 that there were some people that had no idea about COLA. Wow. Thanks Adam!

Akeelah and the Bee Bible Study Thoughts

I'm sure that I'm behind the times but I just watched Akeelah and the Bee. I previewed it (Student Ministry practice #411) for a Bible Study this summer.

Here are some takeaways from the movie:

Akeelah's mom says that Akeelah will succeed because of her 50,000 coaches. Throughout the movie we see all these people, all these "coaches" who helped her achieve her dream. Who are the "coaches" God has placed in your life and how have they shaped your story?

Akeelah feels compassion for Dylan and how his father treats him. Who do you feel compassion for?

Akeelah is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save Dylan from the wrath of his dad. When have you sacrificed for someone else? Has anyone been willing to do something like that for you? (insert Sunday School answer here)

Akeelah and Dr. Larabee shared something very personal: they both had lost someone. We all experience pain. Why do we hide it? What happens when we share it?

The guy who wrote this story sat on it for 4-5 years. He refused to write it. Finally, one day while hiking with his buddy, his friend asked him, "Why aren't you writing it?" And he realized that, like Akeelah's desire to not want to be "the smart kid," he didn't want to be the guy who wrote the "spelling bee" story. A lot of times we sit on the peak of greatness and we are tempted to shy away because of our fear of what will happen if I do...this. What will happen if I do...that. What will my friends think of me? How will my parent's react? What will happen to my job? What are some of the questions keeping you from taking the next step in your relationship with God?

Seen the movie? Got a takeaway/question that you'd like to add? How else does this movie relate to our faith?

Sweet Dance Moves

Totally didn't see this coming. It's classic!




ht to Mark who got it from Brooklyn.

Softball and Student Ministry

My daughter took her first lesson in fastpitch softball this week. I feel pretty confident that I could coach a kid on how to pitch baseball. I could at least give them the basics. But when it comes to fast pitch softball...I am clueless.

So I took Ciera to a lesson and it was so incredibly helpful! Britnee (Barnett) Weber of Wichita State Shocker fame was her coach for an hour and she took a very complicated windup and broke it down into 5 drills. Each drill built off the previous one and when you put them all together, viola! She was great at explaining each step and helping Ciera and I understand what the purpose of each drill was.

She turned something difficult, overwhelming, and confusing, into something easy to understand and attainable.

That was a great reminder of what middle school ministry (and really all ministry) needs to be. We need to continue taking this abstract idea of Christian living and making it simple to understand and attainable. I'm not suggesting we try to take out the mystery or simplify the radical call of Jesus. But we have to make it something more than this great pinnacle that if one is REALLY spiritual, he MIGHT be able to attain it...especially if he becomes a senior pastor.

We certainly haven't mastered it yet, but that idea of creating drills that build on each other, really resonates with me.

In your ministry, how are you creating building blocks (for lack of a better term) to help students grow in thier faith? How are you making it simple, attainable, and yet building on top of one another?

Welcome to the new blog!

My friend Kirk has been on me for years about this and now my friend Adam has suggested it as well. This blog is moving to http://www.kenrawson.com/. I think this will be an automatic change, but I can't be certain.

So why the change? Well, as fun as it is to be affiliated with the King, it doesn't give a consistent or clear message about me. My foray with Elvis is a fun story, and lots of people know my interest with him. But if someone is trying to find out more about me from one of my books, or a comment I make on another blog, facebook, twitter, etc. then the keniselvis thing is kind of...I dunno...not clear.

My hope is that this blog will be able to add to the important conversations of middle school ministry and theology, with bits and pieces from what's going on in my family, and that it will ultimately direct us to a greater love for Jesus and his church.

Thanks for being part of my journey!

Great Youth Ministry Game #177: Bigger or Better

If it takes little to ZERO prep, creates a great memory for adults and students, and everyone has a blast, it's a game that youth pastors need.

I give you: "Bigger or Better"

"Bigger or Better" is the first scavenger hunt I ever experienced! I was in 7th grade and my youth pastor was Steve Spray. I had heard about this scavenger hunt and how one group ended up with a real car and I was hooked. I remember our team came back that night with a pair of skiis and some other junk. And I do mean junk.

Here is how it's played: Divide up your teams and give each team something small and lame: paperclips, a chip, a penny, an old newsletter, etc. Then have them go door-to-door and have them ask people if they will trade them for something "Bigger or Better" than what they have. people can take the thing or just give you something, but they need to know that they aren't getting it back. Have your groups meet back at a designated time and determine your winner!

That's it! We did it last night as a party for the end of our small groups and it took from beginning to end (including driving to different neighborhoods) in 90 minutes. One could EASILY make this a much bigger event night (which we did once and one of our youth coaches took home a couch!)

Our kids had a blast last night and took home a bike, coffee table, glassware, a TV, a kid's table and chairs, and one of those cool glass balls that puts out electricity when you touch it, among other things.

If you've played Bigger or Better before, what was the Biggest and Best thing you ended up with?

Prayer Stations for Middle Schoolers

Yesterday we launched our four week easter series with a look at the Garden and Betrayal. Instead of doing our usual teaching time, we led students through a few different prayer stations. I'm feeling a little like Ben Franklin here as I rushed to put this together and am frustrated because it could have been much better. Oh well, not the first time I've learned from failing.

Here are some ideas to help you pull off great prayer stations for middle schoolers:

~Pick a readable version for your passage of Scripture. The Message can be really great with this, and really abstract, unfortunately. Sometimes the ICB version is the easiest to go with.

~Keep reading passages short and use BIG fonts. Some of our kids still struggle with reading while others FLY through it.

~If your station takes more than one sheet of paper, place them side by side instead of placing them on top of each other. This makes the reading feel more manageable and gives students another active learning aspect as they physically step over to read the next sheet.

~Add clipart or drawings. Make them fun to read instead of just blank words on a paper.

~I'm sure this is obvious...but have something tangible. If you are talking about food or taste...have something for kids to eat or snack on. If you are talking about Jesus' suffering, have some nails, hammer, or a crown of thorns to touch. If you are talking about praying in the garden, have a black table cloth and let them write thier own prayers with gel pens.

~As you are waiting for all the students to return to debrief, give kids paper to draw or journal and begin the process.

Check out this book by Dan Kimball and Lilly Lewin. I met Lilly last September at YS in Sacramento.

My Amazing Wife, Jen Rawson

Tonight is a VERY exciting night for our family because Jen is leading a 2 hour seminar for girls and their mom's for the Valley Center School District!

Jen is very passionate about helping girls have healthy self-images/self-esteem. That was the idea behind her Bible study series that was put out by YS last year. But this is the first time she is going to be able to take it to a public school!

The school counselor was HOPING for 30 girls to participate. She thought they'd probably get 20 to sign up, but if they could get 30, THAT would be awesome. As of yesterday there are 50 girls signed up! When you include the mom's, mentor's, and sisters that will be attending as well, there will be over 100 women listening to Jen talk about self image.

SO COOL!!! She has a really good presentation that combines fun and humor with such an important message for our girls. Lots of fodder for discussion. And the message could alter some of these families lives forever.

Youth Pastors Pet Peeves

I received information from another youth ministry here in town this week for a pretty cool upcoming event. Wanting to know more, I checked out the website.

i was reading the bio of the youth pastor, a guy I've never met, and I noticed something that made me laugh out loud and kind of sad.

He had a bunch of typical info listed: Name, wife, kids, favorite food, hobbies, etc. Here's what he wrote under "Pet Peeves"

Pet Peeves: Dudes in flip flops and mandles, bad driving, reading.

Really? Reading is your pet peeve? duuuuuude...I totally hope this is a joke. Because if it's not, what does that mean?

I learned early on that "Leaders are readers." This is definitely a good reminder that I need to be reading more so I can be a better leader.

Donuts, Fellowship, a monkey and a fish

Just got an email from a local donut shop offering a sale for churches.  Here was their ad:

 

Now thru April 5, Get donuts delivered every Sunday

For Just $5 a Dozen.

 

No Questions, No Contracts

Show Your Congregation What Fellowship is all About

 

The last line was the one that through me off.

 

Is this what Christians really think of when they think of fellowship?  Instead of the intimacy of sharing lives together, do we often settle for small talk over donuts?  How do we perpetuate this?  In a church that does have a shallow understanding of fellowship, how do you deepen it?

 

I wonder if my non-Christian friends perceive this to be what Christians really think fellowship is as well.  That begs the question as to what we all see real fellowship as being.

 

I’m reading a book by dave gibbons called the monkey and the fish and it has been so convicting and energizing.  I think of our students and how can they experience real fellowship together and share that with their hurting friends.  How can I get middle school students to experience community?  We try to do this through small groups and I think we do a good job, but certainly not the best job.

 

What are some ways you are trying to create real intimacy and life sharing in your ministry?

2009 Stuck in the Middle Recap

Last weekend we took our middle school students back to Stuck in the Middle, a GREAT conference for 6^th-8^th grade students.  This was one of the best year’s ever.  The Josh Weaver Band was a HUGE improvement over last year.  Alan Mercer, Sean Meade, and Andy Jack all did a great job during the main sessions.  The late night activities were decent.  The Comfort Inn and Suites was the best ever, right across the street. 

 

The best part:  Our kids came away with their highlight being Andy Jack’s seminar on contemplative prayer and the discovery room where they participated in a number of different prayer stations.  GREAT stuff!  Cant’ wait to go back.

 

If you’ve never been to Stuck, it’s worth your time.  For more pics go here!

 

Here is the recap article I wrote for our church newspaper:

 

First Church middle school students spent Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21, in Kansas City for a weekend conference for 6^th-8^th graders called, “Stuck in the Middle.”

 

“I liked ALL of it!” said 6^th grader Drake Walden.  “The music, the fun stuff…I just liked it all.”

 

The main sessions focused on four chapters of God’s Story.  The first chapter was illustrated by a beautiful pot that stood for “the way things were” and how God created the world and everything was good.  The second was about “the way things are” and how sin had entered the world.  The speaker took an identical pot and broke it which gave students a great picture of our brokenness and need for a savior.

 

The third chapter had another identical pot that had been broken but was glued back together.  This was about “the way things can be” and how Jesus puts our lives together.  said, “When your pot breaks,” said seventh grader John Willome, “[God] can rebuild you and make your life better.”  The last pot was identical to the first and illustrated “the way things will be” and how Jesus will give us new bodies in the life to come. 

 

After the main session on Friday night students were treated to a concert along with a scavenger hunt and games.  Saturday was packed with more main sessions, a comedy concert, and “Learning Labs.”

 

The favorite of most students was called, “The God Hunt” where they were taught different forms of contemplative prayer.  Seventh grader Tatiana Mooradian said, “We went into this small room and were encouraged to relax and close our eyes and talk to God and think about bad and good moments in our lives.  This was a time when we could ask for help for the bad moments and thank God for the good moments.  It was really cool.”

 

A number of other students went another Lab called the “Discovery Room” that was set up with different prayer stations.  Eighth grader Bryce Saunders felt like he “was there with God in the room and that He was praying with me.”  Zack Maxwell, 7^th grader, said that when he was praying, “it felt like He was there.”

 

The last session Saturday ended with a “blessing of shoes” that no matter where these students walked, they would be ministering wherever they go, as ministers on staff at “God’s Church.”  For students at First Church, “Stuck in the Middle” was another great step in their faith journey.