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We just went to see the movie “Courageous” for the first time. I wept! There’s no other way to say it. If you have kids, you probably wept, too. I was so encouraged to see a movie that had such a powerful message, was produced well, and had no cheesy acting. I really had nothing negative to say. I saw the director’s ministry heart all the way through the movie. Not to spoil the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it, I want to say we came out of the theater with a renewed sense of our purpose and role in God’s plan as parents.

Sometimes, I know I can lose that sense of purpose when my day seems to be consumed with homework and refereeing. Our kids, Will and Sidney, go to a University Model School, which means they go to school on Tuesday and Thursday and are home on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We are with them often because of the nature of what we do as Christian Musicians. We are so thankful for that and often sit together for lunch and tell the children how nice it is to be able to have the time we have together. That being said, we, kids included, are together a lot! So we can sometimes forget the amazing privilege it is to have the time we have together. I guess that’s normal – to not take advantage of the time you have when you have it. I don’t think someone would think we’re bad parents for not realizing every moment that the time we have is such a gift.

But isn’t it good to be reminded, once in a while, how the people in our lives are gifts from God? Isn’t it good to sometimes be reminded that God has a purpose for us as parents, and children, to be the ‘gifts’ He created us to be? After all, He knows the plans He has for us and they aren’t to harm us. His plan is to give us hope and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11)

Thank You, Lord, for the little (and big) reminders You give us. Thank You for my kids, Will and Sidney. Please help Russell and me to be the parents You’ve created us to be. Help all of us as parents to be who You’ve called us to be and deny what this world says we’re to be. This is, after all, about You and Your plans. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Small Youth Group: Student Worship

I’ll cut to the chase: No matter how many people show up, no matter how much money is in your budget, or even how talented you may be . . . worship starts in the heart!

“Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts.” Eph. 5:18-19

Don’t get me wrong. All those other things help support the worship time, but they don’t necessarily fuel it. For leaders who have a small group, I would like to approach this topic in two ways: first,  by encouraging you to build a culture of worship in the hearts of your group, and second,  by helping you create opportunities for students to respond in worship.

Building a culture of Worship begins with you. Do your students see you worship? As I lead worship I always try to help paint a picture of what worship is . . . and what it’s not. Because of the way our churches are historically setup, most people think Sunday is the only time we worship. We call them, “Sunday Worship Services.” We need to help students understand that Worship is a lifestyle. More than the hour on Sunday or the Student ministry gathering, it has to be a perpetual theme in our daily lives. Giving students biblical insights to all the different ways we may worship is key. Music is just one aspect. There’s also prayer, thanksgiving, tithing, reading scripture, painting, communion, interpretive movement, serving, and more. From my experience, students are eager to know more about Worship and what it means. Everything we do should be an act of worship.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

As you strive to build this Worship culture in your group there are some practical things that may help students respond:

In a more intimate worship setting, song selection is critical. Songs need to be singable. Don’t try and teach too many new songs at one time. People like to sing songs they know. You’ll soon see which tunes become your group’s favorites. Next, build your teaching times around a particular song and allow the students to sing the song at the end of the session with a new found understanding of what they are saying to God or about Him.

Allow your students to take ownership of the worship. Enlist students to pray, read scripture, or lead music.

Have your worship time in a completely different setting. Occasionally, change locations so it’s not always the same.

Give students a tangible way of responding in Worship (e.g., writing something down, laying something on the altar, bringing an offering, praying for each other). You can also encourage your group to come up with ways they can serve the community as an act of worship.

Ultimately, worship is to be our response to who God is and what He has done. Hopefully, we can all catch the vision of what Jesus was saying when He said that we should, “Worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

Russell Johnson is a worship leader, singer, and song-writer. He and his wife Kristi lead worship across the United States and have just released their worship video, Arise. To find out more about Russell and his ministry, check out www.russellandkristi.com.  Also, check out SYG’s site for more student ministry insights.

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When Russell and I were first married well, let me back up to way before then I was born the third, and final, of three girls, “the baby.”  I loved being “the baby.”   My sisters say I was babied.  Maybe I was, I don’t know.  I just loved being the baby.  There were times that being the baby didn’t work to my advantage, like when I wanted to go with my older sisters and I was too young really too immature I didn’t like being the baby then.

Fast forward to when Russell and I were just married  I STILL loved being the baby, and Russell kind of helped baby me.  We often laugh about the many nights he and I would watch a movie in the living room and I would always fall asleep on the couch.  What would Russell do but carry the baby to bed and tuck her in! I LOVED it!

Then came children

I wanted to have children.  It was MY idea.  I wanted to be a mom but inside, I secretly worried about the fact that I would no longer be the baby.  I would have to care for the real baby!  Slowly, I got used to the idea and hopefully, after two children, now five and nine years old, I have gotten past the need to be the baby.  My daughter does a good job of it!!

Just like I have always been the baby in my physical life, I seem to have a hard time not being the same in my spiritual life.  I want to be an example for younger girls looking to me to see how to be a godly mother and wife.  I want to raise my children knowing how a mother and wife should live according to the Bible.  I just get caught up in the baby thinking.  I want to be mentored.  I want to be shown the way.  In a way, I don’t want to grow up.

It’s Biblical to continue to receive counsel and wisdom from those older and more mature in their faith.  It’s also Biblical to pour what you receive into those younger and not as far along in their faith.  I realized that what I was afraid of was letting go of the baby in me.  I thought it had to be one or the other, that I had to be the mentor OR the mentee.  I want to be both.  I want to find someone that I think God would want me to soak up godly counsel and wisdom from and then pour it out on the girls in my life.  I have a few precious ones in mind.  One just happens to live with me!

What about you?   Do you have someone in your life from whom you are receiving godly wisdom on a regular basis?  Do you have younger lives who are waiting for you to share the baby status?  I encourage all of us to seek out counsel and wisdom, as it says in Titus 2:

1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

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The Southeast Conclave was a big success. All that I can say is wow! We met some amazing new people and were really surprised to see so many of our friends there, some that we had not seen in years! Events like this aren’t the norm for us, but we have felt led in the past year to try and reach out for new opportunities to discover what God has in store for us. We are already looking forward to next year’s Conclave and excited about the new ministry opps that lie ahead!

Our friends, Jennifer and Philip, are amazing…just so you know!!! They helped us tremendously and our booth reflected their hard work! Thanks Jen and Philip!! You are awesome!

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God has allowed us to see his great works in marriage enrichment throughout our years and it is certainly a passion for Russell and myself.   We have all too often seen people we love and care deeply about devastated by divorce and by major problems in their marriages.   And like all other couples, we struggle from time to time in our marriage, as well.   So, after several years of talking back and forth about marriage events, we decided to bring one to our home town – I mean, where better since we live in a resort town, right?

So, we are pleased to present the Adore Marriage conference in Myrtle Beach on March 4th through the 6th.   The conference will be at the Hampton Inn and Suites Oceanfront, located at 18th Avenue on Ocean Boulevard.   We are very happy that Eddie and Janet Thompson have agreed to come and lead the teaching portion of the weekend.   Eddie and Janet are amazing people who we met through retreats where we led worship at Fort Caswell in North Carolina.   These two share an amazing passion for marriage and work full time for the North Carolina Baptist  Association leading marriage retreats to bring couples closer to Christ and to each other.

We would certainly invite you to come for this wonderful weekend of marriage enrichment.   For more information, see the event website at www.adoremarriage.com or call the Adore Marriage information line at (843) 560-9449.   The cost for the conference is $149 through February 4 and we have discounted room rates through the same date.

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Next week we will be traveling to the Southeast Conclave in Chattanooga, TN. We are excited to be exhibiting at the event, which is a conference and training event for youth ministers and their teams throughout the South. Our prayer is to meet and speak with a lot of new people and hopefully discover some new opportunities for ministry for ourselves. If you or your youth team is going to be at the Conclave, please come by and see us at booth number 329 in the exhibit hall.