Christmas at Epicenter | 6:30pm | Dec 19 | The Warehouse
But for real…
You know how vital it is to manage your time well. There’s a lot written on the subject. But what about managing your passion and energy? Managing passion and energy is really about productivity. Some say learning to manage these two are more important than time management and is the key to high performance leadership.
There are people who zap energy and passion. There are meetings that zap energy and passion. There are tasks that zap energy and passion.
Here are some thoughts I’m personally working through on managing energy/passion:
- Energy and passion are affected by four areas: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual
- A professional athletes performance reminds me that focus is essential
- Not scheduling meetings on days/hours when I most need energy/passion
- Using mornings to work on tasks that are most likely to drain energy
- Delegating tasks (as much as is possible and responsible) that zap passion to others who have more passion for those things
- Stepping away from the mini-fridge (and caffeine drinks, candy, and other sugars that cause a crash later)
- Taking a few minutes to pick up the phone/step into the office of someone who lifts enthusiasm/excitement
- Get hands and feet moving. Throw a tennis ball against the wall, squeeze a stress reliever ball, or just take a walk.
How do you manage passion and energy?
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REEL TRUTH FOR CHRISTMAS was a message series we hosted at EPICENTER in December 2011. We’ve never taken movies and developed a message series before. For this series though, we wanted to mix it up for a couple weeks and draw some truths out of 4-5 movie scenes each week.
Week 1, we used the movie ELF. Week 2, we used the movie A Christmas Story. Feel free to take any of the ideas, notes, etc and use them for your group
RTFC Week 1 notes – ELF
RTFC Week 2 notes – CHRISTMAS STORY
Week 1 powerpoint notes
Week 2 powerpoint notes
RTFC Game Week 2 - CHRISTMAS STORY Trivia
RTFC Game Week 1 – ELF
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, yet so many students deal with difficult issues of depression and hopelessness during this season. While the holidays are enjoyable for many, it’s also a dreaded time for those who are dealing with hurt and pain.
The following video was filmed during a leadership meeting with our student ministry leaders this year. The lead trainers are licensed professional counselors specializing in depression, self injury, and suicide.
Hope you’ll find this resource helpful as you lead and/or parent students during the Christmas season!
If you watch this video, it will help you:
- Identify the signs and symptons of depression
- Know the reasons why a student may experience depression
- See how depression in teens differs from adults
- Understand how you can know if a student is just going through a difficult time or is experiencing depression
- Recognize the events that increase the risk of depression in teens
- Know five things you can do to help a teen dealing with depression
- Know things you should say and the things you should avoid saying
- Understand why people self injure (most common form is cutting)
- Realize the warning signs and progression of self injury
- Understand how to help those dealing with self injury
- Understand the warning signs for potential suicide
- Know the four things you can do to help a teen dealing with suicide
If you would like the powerpoint that accompanies this video, all you have to do is subscribe (it’s free!) to this blog. You’ll be sent a link to download the powerpoint. Click here to watch the training.
If you need the help of a licensed professional counselor, feel free to call Paraclete Counseling Center.
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You probably haven’t heard much of Revolution Rising Weekend. It’s no surprise to us either as we haven’t talked much about it. In fact, we’ve only tossed out one tweet and this four sentence post a little over a year ago since we launched the idea. Gratefully, even with low-key promotion, we will complete at least 10 weekend events in the last year and a half by the end of this spring.
We’re excited for several new partnerships this year, including Jake Holman and the Epicenter band leading worship as well as our curriculum partner, Redline Student Events and Gene DeVaughn.
The retreat vision is somewhat different from a typical DNOW or retreat setting in that we are intentional to allow ordinary students who’ve been used in extraordinary ways tell their story throughout the weekend. We’re thrilled to still hear stories from events this past spring of students who placed their yes on the table and have moved forward in their faith.
There are four remaining weekend dates for this coming spring to host Matt and the team. Other dates may be available with other speakers. If you’re interested in Revolution Rising for a summer camp or fall 2013 weekend, feel free to contact us as well.
The weekend allows flexibility to bring in the entire team or just a speaker. We provide everything needed to complete the weekend.
AVAILABLE DATES SPRING 2013
March 22-23
March 29-30
May 3-4
May 10-11
We would be honored to partner with you in leading students from apathy to revolution. Check out the Revolution Rising website for more info or contact us today about booking.
Student Pastor Friends,
There’s been a great burden stirring in my heart for over 10 years in the area of students and missions. I believe this is the generation that could exceed the Student Volunteer Movement of the late 1800s – early 1900s and can change the shape of Christianity. I want to spend my life working towards that compelling vision.
God in His Providence landed me in what I believe to be one of the greatest missions sending churches in the world with a Pastor who leads that vision. Over the last ten years, Woodstock has launched over 100 students to an intentionally focused year of discipleship and evangelism after high school graduation. I’m thrilled that our seniors will be headed to Ireland, Costa Rica, East Asia, El Salvador, South Africa, and Italy. I believe next year’s class will be one of the largest we have ever launched around the globe for Global Year with many from the class of 2013 responding to that opportunity.
All that to say…I want to introduce you to the vehicle through which we are currently sending these students. Johnny Condrey is a friend who has given over 30 years of his life to the trenches of Youth Ministry. He leads Global Year, and I would encourage you to explore this possibility. The proof is in the pudding for Johnny. He and his wife have sent four of their own for a year overseas after graduation. One is currently a missionary on furlough in Southeast Asia.
Below is a letter from Johnny. Call or email me with questions. I want to join with you in fulfilling Matthew 24!
NOTE FROM JOHNNY
I would love to take a few minutes to share with you how I can help you and your church address the massive exit of the young people from our churches today and mobilizing our church to the nations. If you are interested in sending your students to the nations for His glory, let me help you! You can reach me on my cell phone at 404-276-0207 or email johnny.condrey@gmail.com.
If I can help you in any way launch students to a Global Year, don’t hesitate to contact me as well.
UNTIL #EVERYSTUDENT HEARS,
Flipboard is an essential part of my personal growth plan. It’s essentially an RSS feed that’s way more flashy and convenient than checking emails for the latest blog posts I’m subscribed to.
I currently only use it for blogs that I follow but you can set it up to follow twitter, Facebook, instagram feeds and more.
It’s meant to read like a magazine, which is helpful if you like pictures with your text (haha, no jokes).
I have three folders set up on my app:
- Student Ministry
- Leadership
- Travel
I have these three set up to funnel my RSS feeds into flipboard. You can read how to set up your folders and set flipboard to do a ton more for you by clicking here.
Here are some of the blogs I follow with Flipboard:
Average Youth Ministry
What Is Orange
Brian Mills
Girls Minister
RE Youth Pastor
Student Ministry
Josh Evans
More Than Dodgeball
Rethinking Youth Ministry
Adam McClane
Millennial Leader
Jonathan Pearson
Rookie Pastor
Twitter can be your friend and ally in the parenting journey. If you missed yesterday’s post on Two Ways Twitter Can Help You Be a Better Parent, check it out now.
Today’s post will help you receive your student’s tweets via text message. You have two options: (1) sign up for a twitter account and engage twitter as a full-fledged user OR (2) receive a text every time your student tweets without signing up for twitter.
FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU DON’T WANT A TWITTER ACCOUNT (EASIEST OPTION)
1. Find your student’s twitter name
If you don’t already know it, you can google their name and include the word “twitter.” There may be multiple people with the same name.
2. Text “follow @[their username]” to 40404
You will automatically be subscribed to receive their updates as long as their account is not set to private. If their account is set to private, you will have to follow the instructions below to get a twitter account and follow them.
FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU WANT A TWITTER ACCOUNT
1. Sign up for Twitter
Go here and follow instructions to get an account. Make sure you enter your cell phone number under MOBILE settings.
2. Follow your student
Click on Discover>Find Friends> and type in your students name. If you can’t find them by typing their name, there are several other ways to find them, including email address and phone number. Once you find them, click the FOLLOW icon.
3. Turn on mobile notifications
Once you click follow, the button should now say FOLLOWING. Beside the FOLLOWING button, click the drop down menu. At the bottom of the menu, click TURN ON MOBILE NOTIFICATIONS.
If you have problems with these instructions, go here for Twitter support on mobile notifications.If these instructions still don’t make sense, go here to watch a video
If you’re not on twitter, you should consider it, especially if your teenager is there. It will help you be a better parent, and it won’t even cost you any time (I’ll show you how in tomorrows post).
Engaging on Twitter will do two things for you as a parent:
1. It will help you understand your student and their friends
Students interact with Twitter very differently than they did with Facebook. When Facebook was new, you’d find students posting questionable stuff, maybe a pic that shouldn’t have been posted or a comment that should have been kept to themselves. Facebook seemed to be more of a visual diary of sorts, while thoughts may have been implied or hidden.
Twitter seems to have brought out an entirely new level of frankness. Maybe because parents aren’t on Twitter or because they can hide their timeline. Whatever the reason, students (even the church kids) are going public with thoughts that parents need to read. I’ve read tweets about sexual thoughts towards a teacher, threats towards school officials, foul language, sexual advances towards other students, and of course bullying. Some of those I’ve even seen from church kids.Twitter has drawn from the well of their hearts and they’re not afraid to expose it.
If you’re having trouble with your student opening up about their world, Twitter will give you much of the insight you need. Don’t be naive. Understanding your teen is much of the battle.
2. It will help you open lines of communication
It’s hard to address what you don’t know is happening. Once you have an understanding, an open dialogue about their thoughts and their peers becomes easier. Tact and timing is crucial though. I’ve seen more than one student (again, church kids) get defensive when inappropriate tweets are brought up.
In tomorrow’s post, I’ll help you set up your twitter account to get automatic updates from your student and their friends sent to you by text.
