Not My First Blog

A lot of people don't know this, but this isn't my first go-round with this blog thing. Actually, I'm quite accomplished in the blogging world. In the summer of 2006, I operated a blog that achieved over 2 million visitors in the span of 3 months. I also currently run a blog that gets between 200 and 400 comments per post. To what can I attribute such a rousing response? I owe it all to the genius that is LOST!

The original blog was thelostexperienceclues.com which followed "The Lost Experience", an online backstory that provided insights into the mysteries of the show. The current blog is thelostcommunity.com comprised of a group of friends leftover from the Lost Experience Clues blog. I bring this up because I thought it would be extremely important to note that tonight is the Season 4 premiere of my all-time favorite TV show. If you're not into it, rent the Season 1 DVDs and get started. I promise, you won't be disappointed. If you are into it, set your Tivos and head over to thelostcommunity.com and join in the super-fun, non-intimidating, always friendly, thought-provoking post episode discussions. See you there!

Wake Review for 1/27/08

Wake is our weekly meeting for Junior High students at Watermark. We meet on Sunday mornings at 11:00am on the 4th floor of the Watemark Tower. Here is my assessment of this week's Wake.

Program Outline
Attendance: Above Average
Fun Factor: Average
Leader Presence: Average
Music: Below Average
Message: Average

For fun, we went back to the crowd favorites. We showed another "Iphthamaytid" picture (see below) and played the "Conversation Game" where kids try to answer 10 yes/no questions without saying the words "yes" or "no". We get 'em every time! We also brought back out the "Winter Chill Girls" to promote our Girls Retreat. Let's just say, I hope it's at least a year before we have to dress up like a High School girl at a sleepover again.




For our teaching time, I gave the kids a "spiritual check up" with a message titled "On the Road Again". I told about a time that I fell asleep at the wheel and drove off the road nearly costing my life. We related the story the Christ's teaching on the narrow road that leads the life and the wide path that leads to destruction. "Are you on the narrow road?" and "What do you need to do to get on it?" were the questions of the day.

Thoughts on Servanthood

Last week, the Penuel home was invaded by the dreaded "Stomach Bug". I don't think that's the technical term and I believe the phrase is a little too benign for the disease it represents. Bugs are relatively harmless and, in my opinion, diarrhea and vomiting are anything but harmless.

Anyways, I was sick first and then, just as I was standing up for the first time in 36 hours, my wife came down with it. We were both struck with the realization that Chapman might be next. My neurosis kicked in to full gear. Tired and recovering from the horrific illness, I was fearful of relapse as I repeatedly entered our bedroom where my wife was ill. I was also fearful of infecting Chapman. Despite the contagion surrounding her, there was nothing that would stop me from serving her.

As I went to work serving my family, I had this thought. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." In the same way I am busily, diligently, carefully, and lovingly serving my wife and son, Jesus is constantly busy serving me. I have a strong, uninfected, gentle, tender, diligent, faithful man watching over me at all times. I was comforted knowing that, no matter how sick I get, he will not stop entering in to my world to care for me. He has come to nurse me back to health.

Too many times I think about how I am supposed to serve God and I forget that before I could offer anything, He came to serve me. I just had to stop for a second and remind myself to be served...to receive the goodness that he has to offer.

Wake Review for 1/20/08

Wake is our weekly meeting for Junior High students at Watermark. We meet on Sunday mornings at 11:00am on the 4th floor of the Watemark Tower. Here is my assessment of this week's Wake.

Program Outline
Attendance: Below Average
Fun Factor: Average
Leader Presence: Average
Music: Average
Message: Above Average

For fun, we played a game that pretty much leaned heavily on the brilliant work found on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Since Bode was out of town we did a bit where we said he was at "Iphthamaytid Inc." (If They Mated) with his fiance, Ashley. We told the kids it was a scientific company that would take two pictures and make a composite of what their future child might look like. Here's a taste of what we showed them:









We also showed the final installment of our Los Destinos Del Noche trilogy. Check it out:



Mike Shelton, our Senior High Director, spoke and he did a great job of talking about Conflict Resolution. If you know Mike, or if you ever meet him, don't forget to ask him about his "poop on bully" story. It's gold.

The Age of Discovery

My son, Chapman, is at the age where we can actually see him start to learn things. Learning is such a cool thing to watch. Everything is new for him and each little moment is a moment of exploration and discovery. He's totally focused and into it and we can watch him seek out and find new things every day.

Chapman is systematically making his way around his ExerSaucer (See above), exploring each an every toy it offers. He's also reaching out for new things like plates and vases. Today it was a bottle of Catalina dressing (See below).



His curiosity reminds me of the power and wonder of discovery. I don't ever want to lose to magic of exploration and learning about new things. Chapman's namesake calls this dimension of life a "Great Adventure" and calls us to "discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored. This is what we were created for." Proverbs 2:3-5 echos the same sentiment with a promise. It says, "If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

I'm glad my son's searching for and discovering new things. I hope he never quits. It reminds me of the vigor with which I should seek to add to my learning and understanding of the world and the God who created it.

Promoting Abstinence "No Sex Allowed"

Last night I was hit with a one, two punch of abstinence programs. The first was brought up by the High School Juniors in my Small Group Bible Study. They were swapping stories from the Look Before You Leap traveling show that had stopped by their respective schools. I've never seen the program, I've only watched the promo, so I can't offer a personal take. What I can say is that it certainly didn't leave a positive lasting impression on the guys that I know. They made fun of it...relentlessly.

Once I got home, my wife and I snuggled up in bed to watch some of the American Idol premiere that we Tivo'd. Abstinence promotion #2 came in the form of 39 year old, Milo Turk. I think my Junior Guys would have a similar response to his take on the topic. I'm still wondering if he's trying to be taken seriously or if he's a professional comedian. Just watch the video and check out Milo Turk's MySpace and judge for yourself.



So, what's the point of this post? A chance to air my opinion. The best form of abstinence education is the RELATIONAL approach. Kids listen to people who they know and respect and who live a life worthy of imitation. They might pay attention to other things but they are rarely actually influenced by a speaker or a video. If we want to have an impact on teenagers, we have to make an investment in their lives and create opportunities for other mature believers to do the same. Anything else is just laughable.

Church Staff = Fun. Can You Believe It?

Who would have thought that working on a church staff could actually be fun? I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't experiencing it day in and day out here at Watermark. Let me give you an idea of what a fun church staff looks like...

Watermark is legendary for using the infamous "farkle" to unite, inspire, and connect it's constituents. Last week, our entire staff (80+ folks) headed out to The Ranch on Possum Kingdom Lake to retreat at four unbelievable lake houses generously on loan from church members. As tradition dictates, farkling was expected and farkles were delivered....with HIGH stakes.

On the line for this year's farkle challenge: A first class 5 day, 4 night trip to Costa Rica for 3 couples who would be the winners. After a challenging evening of freezing cold swimming, farkling, and a rousing game of the DVD version of "1 vs. 100" hosted by Bob Saget...only 3 remained. When all was said and done, two members of our Student Ministry team were making travel plans for the last week in January. Congratulations to Mike Shelton and Braun Brown. It was so fun watching you both win!

The fun doesn't stop there. In Watermark farkling, the winners get rewarded but the losers get punished. For the losers this time? Humiliation. By the end of the night more than 20 staff members had done some laps in the freezing cold neighborhood pool and after our all-staff meeting today, we saw 17 staff members make their first of three fully-clothed weekly submersions in a pond just outside our building. On top of that, four staffers had to write and perform a rap recounting the weekend for the rest of us to enjoy.

Here's the video footage captured at this morning's staff meeting. Doesn't that look like a place you'd want to work?





Speak Out Reader:
What's the most fun memory you have of time with your church staff?

Wake Review for 1/13/08

Wake is our weekly meeting for Junior High students at Watermark. We meet on Sunday mornings at 11:00am on the 4th floor of the Watemark Tower. Here is my assessment of this week's Wake.

Program Outline
Attendance: Above average
Fun Factor: Above Average
Leader Presence: Above Average
Music: Average
Message: Above Average

The second Destinos Del Noche video (see below) seemed to be a hit and the High School band did a great job again of engaging the audience. Our "Conversation Training" game was stupid but we made it fun. The message (Part 2 of the "Peer Puzzle" series) was longer than normal but I felt like everything I said was worth the minutes spent. I told a story from 2nd grade that really illustrated the dynamics of peer pressure and then used a video clip from Lost and a student testimony to drive home the application. Scriptures used: James 1:13-14 and 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Principles for Graphic Design in Student Ministry

In Student Ministry, a leader has to where many hats. In today's media driven culture, "graphic designer" has been added to the "hat list". Slides, flyers, t-shirts, and videos all require graphics. I believe that there are three critical attributes that every great design must possess. It must acquaint, it must appeal, and it must adapt. These are the principals that guide my personal design process.

1. It must acquaint.
A graphic is an introduction. It often serves as your first impression. Your design must acquaint it's audience with who you are and what you are doing. It must clearly display it's purpose and should express your unique personality.

2. It must appeal.
A graphic is a piece of art and while taste in art is subjective and often based on mood, you want to strive to create something that is aesthetically pleasing to a wide audience of students. This means adhering to basic design principles of space, color, form, consistency, and clarity. Your designs should be simple and sharp.

3. It must adapt.
A design is a stamp that will be used on everything. It needs to work on the web, in a brochure, on a t-shirt, in color, in black and white, on dark backgrounds, on light backgrounds, on textured surfaces, on a neon sign, on banners...you get the picture. A great design doesn't get carried away with embossing, shadows, glares, and other 3D effects. It is simple enough to to be effective in all kinds of environments.



Speak Out Reader:
Who does your designs? Are you satisfied with them?

Wake Review for 1/6/08

Wake is our weekly meeting for Junior High students at Watermark. We meet on Sunday mornings at 11:00am on the 4th floor of the Watemark Tower. Here is my assessment of this week's Wake. (P.S. I got the idea for a weekly review from Kurt's blog)

Program Outline
Attendance: Above average
Fun Factor: Average
Leader Presence: Above Average
Music: Average
Message: Average

Bode & I started off the morning with our usual stage banter to warm up the crowd. I was pleased with my "Hugs Not Drugs" New Years resolution and a little bit confused with Bode's over-use of the word "lover". Our pastor had been talking about re-engaging with our first love and had used the word several times in his message. Bode thought it was funny enough to drop on the Junior High kids. It was indeed funny but maybe a little too far. In Bode's defense, he was a little naive about what the word "lover" typically infers.

The Destinos Del Noche video (see below) seemed to be a hit and the High School band did a great job of engaging the audience. My message felt solid but it lacked the connection that I like to see. My puzzle illustration was strong in theory but it wasn't dynamic enough to engage the audience. The weak presentation was probably due to the fact that I just just got back in town from the High School ski trip on Saturday.

J-Reezy? Smitty? Glenn Patterson? Jack Triplehorn?

Okay, so I don't go to all the "Youth Ministry Conferences" so I guess I'm out of some loop. I've seen 3 videos by the same guy and he always goes by a different name. The videos are VERY well done and VERY funny. I've tried to trace him and figure out who he is and what he does but I can't seem to differentiate between alias and identity. I didn't know you could be anonymous anymore.

The Day I Suddenly Knew Kung Fu


Hotel Hotel


Filled With the Spirit




Speak Out Reader:
Can anyone tell us who this guys really is?

6 Reminders for Spring

Here are six keys to relational ministry that we used to encourage our leaders heading into the spring semester.

1. Activities vs. Attention
Activities are great. Attention is better. Students crave attention more than just gathering together or having a good time. What are ways you've given attention to your students? Find ways to interact with as many students on a one on one basis as possible. Little things like text messages or coming over 10 minutes early before small group can go a long ways.

2. Numbers vs. Health
Sometimes during the spring season, small groups experience a drop in attendance. Don't get discouraged if there are a few less kids at small group each week. Keep calling and encouraging everyone to join you, and then focus on taking advantage of the smaller group and go deeper in building relationships, accountability, and studying God's word with those faithful few.

3. Adult Chaperone vs. Godly Leader
Sometimes you'll catch yourself being a passive observer of your group. Students need leaders, not sponsors. How are you leading your students? What parts of your life are you sharing with them? What areas of growth are you experiencing that can serve as an example for them? What are you learning in God's word? Who are you reaching out to? What kind of example are you setting and sharing with them?

4. Relevance vs. Relationships
You are not and never will be as cool as a Junior High or High School student. Sometimes our insecurity drives us to try to "fit in" with our kids. We don't have to watch all the coolest movies or listen to the hippest emo music or be a fashion trendsetter in order to have an influence on kids. Reality means more to kids than relevance and real relationships create the best context for authentic ministry.

5. Tunnel Vision vs. Perspective
It's easy to get locked in on a task and get stuck in the rut of the same small group Bible Study meeting week after week. Remember the big picture of building long term relationships in the context of a ministry involving hundreds of people. Get creative in your ministry. Try something new. Branch out and involve other leaders, other kids, and new activities. Get involved in other aspects of the ministry. Is it your time to get on stage? Do you know people who could be great leaders that you need to invest some energy in recruiting?

6. Talking about God vs. Talking with God
Leaders will sometimes find themselves pouring out more than they are filling up. Make sure that you are spending a greater percentage of your time and energy talking WITH God than you are talking ABOUT God. What you need for them, you must get from Him!

3 Things You Can Do Right Now To Start the Year Off Right

In the interest of sharing best practices with others who are involved in Student Ministry, here are 3 very, very simple reminders we share with our volunteer leaders to encourage then to start off the year on the right foot:

1. Get everything on our Student Ministry calendar onto YOUR calendar.
2. Contact everyone in your small group and get your first meeting set up. Or, if don't have a small group, resolve to dive "all in" to our weekly meetings by participating, serving, etc.
3. Spend some time praying for Watermark Student Ministries' students, families, leaders, and staff.