My book is published

The ministry guide I wrote for our series from Resurrection is finally available. I had to read it twice, it had been so long since I saw final draft. The idea of these ministry guides is to equip the volunteer lay leader or very part-time staff member in a church from 50-200 people. Do you know how difficult that is to write? Very! I kept getting notes back from my editor saying things like...

"less theological, more practical", and in my mind I would think...

"that's the issue with allot of youth ministry today, the need for a sound theological approach"...

She won in the end, and I guess that's how it works. She was great to work with and now I can see how her edits would be very helpful to a first time youth worker.

So here are my knee-jerk likes and dis-likes to my first book.

-Do like the journey metaphor
-Do like the chapter where I address healthy relational boundaries
-Do like the "true life" stories of students included in the final chapters
-Do like how I get to the point on the value of lay leadership development

-Don't like the graphics look (I didn't get to choose, as it was part of a series)
-Don't like the first few chapters (seem basic in their approach-not fun to read)
-Don't like that I had so much more to include like teaching lesson ideas, relational and counseling tools, theological paradigms, and more

Guess I need to write another one

It is selling through Abingdon Press, Cokesbury, The Well bookstore at Resurrection, and at cheesy discount tables in Christian bookstores-Get yours while they're hot!!

Met with Chris Folmsbee

Chris Folmsbee is the new Chief Ministry Officer, beside CEO Mike King at Youthfront. Each year we partner with youthfront through our fall retreats and summer camps. They have awesome staff, great facilites, and truly support our ministry here at rezlife.

They are going through some re-vamping or renewal of theological foundation and best practice. This is mostly in response to Mike King's book, "Presence-Centered Youth Ministry", and Chris Folmsbee's, "A New Kind of Youth Ministry". I have read Mike's and I am reading Chris' now. These guys are going to be a dynamic team in the course of culture-change in youth ministry.

I was excited to hear about the theological foundation of this year's camp theme, kind of a "story of God" approach, but I was even more excited to hear Folmsbee's paradigm approach to student ministry. You will definitely hear more about this, as it will be inside his new book, and I can see us adopting this paradigm (as it reflects exactly who we are, and hope to be here at rezlife).

More to come....

Worship Night was moving

Our final full production youth group gatherings were tonight. They were Awesome!! The theta band, led by Ryan (one of our new interns and a former rezlife student) led tonight's "worship night". It was a powerful and intimate night, as we were feeling the summer numbers.

There was moving music, readings from Psalm 115,116, & 117, and a special recognition of our graduates.

Summer is now officially here. All schools are out and we are getting ready for camps and missions!

travel is upon me

Back from vacation-it was awesome! Getting ready for a crazy few weeks

Dothan, Alabama-speaking engagement
(really excited-speaking three nights at a youth week rally there)

Loveland, Colorado-gathering of the 30 largest church youth pastors
(should be really cool-put on by Group publishing)

Youthfront South-Camp Week 1
(over 200 registered, great spiritual theme-planning messages now)

Colorado Springs-Resurrection Worship Leadership retreat
(planning the sermon series for the next 2 years-exploring creative worship ideas)

and the last regular Wednesday night rezlife this week-special worship night led by the Theta band-this will be a great ending to the spring as we move into summer!

Moab here we come!

Vacation time baby-Scharme, Hailey, and I are heading southwest through Colorado to Moab, Utah to explore Canyonlands and Arches National Park this week. The pop-up camper is hooked up and we are out! Look for pics on the family blog page-see ya in a week

Gant family blog

five greatest words

"I am praying for you"....That is what I have heard from over 30 people the last week. It wasn't because they perceived my general sinfulness was prevalent, even though it certainly is everyday. It was because I am preaching this weekend, and that great responsibility warranted prayer! I so appreciated these five words. It greatly reminded and helped me to focus on submitting myself to the work of the Holy Spirit versus planning a presentation that might impress others. I love my church!!

postscript---I even got a text from Taylor (Resurrection's middle schol minister) just before I preached my first of five sermons tonight letting me know she was praying for me

summer camps & missions update

I am super-pumped at this year's response to missions and camps. Registrations are coming in faster than ever. This summer's challenge to our students is to "step-up" and they are doing just that...

-Surge missions (rising 7th/8th graders-2 weeks to choose from-Kansas City)-44 registered with spots still open
-Transform Mission (rising 9th graders to St. Louis)-full with 24
-Gulf Coast Mission (rising 10th-12th graders-hurricane relief in Louisiana)-full with 43
-Honduras Mission (rising 12th and just graduated)-almost full with 17 now

-rising 8th-12th grade youthfront south camp-almost full with 181 registered
-rising 6th/7th grade youthfront west camp-full with 125

That's 128 already registered to serve on a mission this summer and 306 heading to camp---Praise God! Please join me in praying now for this summer. I, and my team, will be praying for every student by name leading up to their week.

In fact, I am headed to the woods for a prayer walk now. Adam set the example for us all this week here, and I am preaching tomorrow, scary!

A full day of ministry

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a pretty full day of ministry...

7am-speak at Leawood Middle School-Club 121. This is their last club of the year and the parents are invited to attend. I plan on speaking about hurts and wounds and the ways Jesus offers H.E.A.L.ing...

8am-breakfast in the student center with a keynote from Bill Hybels. OK, let me just say it, this guy is one of my heroes, talk about a dude helping to re-shape the landscape of the protestant church in America! I got to meet him on a Sr. Staff retreat last year and share time picking his brain, but having Billy in "my office", if you will, is pretty cool! (just returned from making sure the student center is in tip top shape-how very "Martha" of me)

9am-doing some networking with the 19 youth ministers I invited to join me at the breakfast-I love meeting new youth ministers. It's as if you are meeting your long lost brother or sister. You can't explain it, but you feel you have had the same life. Going to be inviting them to get involved with our "youth ministers network" idea (more in upcoming posts).

11:30am-All staff "State of the Church" luncheon. This is a quarterly gathering of all of the Resurrection staff (approx. 240). Adam will give us a report on membership, attendance, giving, special recognitions, and visions for the upcoming year and beyond. Dan and Brent (our two managing executive directors who lead the executive team) will discuss any structure, process, or protocol changes in ministry and operations, and great food and entertainment for all. (side note: Dan Entwistle was the first youth minister Adam hired at Resurrection-who says youth ministers aren't organized leaders??

afternoon-ministry meetings and appointments including a conference call with a youth minister who is inviting me into speak at their three-day youth rally event in June. Alabama bound!

evening-finalizing my manuscript with graphic cues, video cues, and any other contexting language for the weekend producer and tech team-I get to preach all 5 services this weekend-Pray for me!!

after this weekend-Scharme, Hailey, Coda, and I are hooking up the pop-up and heading to Moab, Utah for some hiking, sleeping, bouldering, sleeping, relaxing by the campfire, sleeping, and viewing of the wonders God made at Arches and Canyon lands National Parks!

gotta sleep now....

middle schoolers rock in paradise

This past Friday night we held our end of the year middle school lock-in at Paradise Park. The buses arrived, the students were hyped, the park was ready, and a blast was had! This was a great venue for our end of the year lock-in with arcade, snack bar, bumper cars, and foam factory indoors. The outside area included mini-golf, go-carts (literally make-them-go carts, due to the sound ordinance the motor-driven carts couldn't be used. They moved forward by good old leg power!), I am convinced this would only work with middle schooler's. They thought it was cool! High Schooler's may have rioted!

Here are some pics, and you can always check more rezlife pics at our flickr account

lending my voice & face to prayer

Recently we published a DVD prayer curriculum at Resurrection. This was born out of our prayer team led by Pastor Nicole Conard. She responded to a great need surfacing among small groups and churches for a basic, yet interesting, small group study on prayer.

She pulled together some great writers, including Darrell Holtz (member of the Adult Discipleship team) to develop this 4-week curriculum. We filmed it at Homer's coffee shop here in KC, and it came out awesome. Nicole and I are the faces in the DVD, thus people believe I am the genius behind the writing. I am quick to say to people that I was just a 'talking head" in the project.

You can check it out in the well bookstore.

Seeing Gray-Adam Hamilton

Adam's newest book, his 7th now is really creating a buzz. He is speaking around the country in seminaries, conferences, and more on the Seeing Gray idea". Adam held a gathering Thursday night at Resurrection for any questions about the book. He gave a synopsis of how he moves people to the "radical center" idea through his presentations. I believe this is an approach many believers here in America have been hungry for. I still haven't read it because I keep giving my copy away (3 now). So I am now working on the read, excited to see where Adam goes. The book is divided into 25 essays with chapter titles such as

"Are Bishop Spong and Jerry Falwell the only options?"
"Will Hindus go to heaven?"

Click here to buy Adam's new book

Join me for breakfast with Bill Hybels

Thursday morning May 15th at 8:00am Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, will be at Resurrection in the student center for breakfast and words on leadership.

I would like to personally invite any youth ministers in the area to join me for the breakfast. If you are a part-time or full-time youth minister in the Kansas City area and would like to go. I will pick up the bill!!

If you are a business leader, family leader, or simply a Christian wanting to grow in leadership, you will surely grow through this breakfast from both hearing from Bill and networking with other church leaders from around the Kansas City area!

You can check out more info and register for the breakfast at this link

register for breakfast with Bill Hybels

Youth ministers....please e-mail my assistant Tami Casey if you are interested in going. I would love to network and connect through this event.

Volunteers "will" make it happen

Did you know the Latin root of the word volunteer is "will". This came to mind this past Sunday evening as we celebrated the volunteer leaders in rezlife. We have close to 300 volunteers a year including small group leaders, Sunday School teachers, cafe, tech, retreats, missions, cabin counselors at camps, lock-in overnighters, confirmation mentors, youth group, medical, security, etc.

It is truly amazing how God is expressed to young people through these "willing" volunteers. I am so thankful, because if there is one thing I know it's this-I can't do it alone, none of us can.

One of my favorite quotes is "Anything I can do better, WE can do better". This is the motto of rezlife, and we live into it more and more each day.

We asked a few students to share into our theme at the appreciation dinner-"Walk with me". Here is what they said

California church visit #3 of 5

Saddleback Church was our third stop on this quick weekend in southern California. If you are unfamiliar with Saddleback, the Senior Pastor is Rick Warren, author of the "purpose-driven life".

Doug Fields serves now as a teaching pastor, however still overses the student ministries as he has for years. Doug has always been one of my heroes in youth ministry. He happened to be preaching this particular weekend.

Kurt Johnson, a guy I've recently become friends with is the jr high Pastor-great guy. He wasn't there this weekend. Kurt was in Chicago at the Willow Creek student ministries "shift" conference.

Each of us were very familiar with Saddleback and the ways in which they operate worship and ministry. Dan was just out there the month before for an "Executive Pastors of mega-churches gathering" (some sort of secret gathering to vent about Sr. Pastors and Youth Pastors....so I here-ha ha ha).

Saddleback has been running worship venues for a pretty good while and offer such eclectic venues as hard rock, singles focus, and even an island-themed worship service, called Ohana. We stayed for a little while, took a fly by look around at their Saturday evening services, heard Doug "preach-it", then jumped in the car to head to our fourth stop.

Take-aways for this stop were great signage and direction. Great logo work for each service, with clear and colorful signage of where to go. Saddleback does a great job in their architecture of creating small, intimate spaces that can house large numbers of people.

Jack Johnson in August

My wife and I are going to see Jack Johnson this August. He is one of our favorite artists. I have been surprised how many people have yet to experience Jack. So here is a string of his songs...