What I Learned from Steve Jobs…

(Originally posted on StudentLife.com/blog)

i’m just being honest here, but i can’t remember the last time i read a book as long as Steve Job’s biography. Once i started reading it, i honestly couldn’t put it down.  Maybe it’s because i’ve been an Apple fan ever since i bought my first iPod, but more than anything, it was fascinating to read about a guy as creative as Jobs and how he impacted technology.

i also found myself thinking about how we do youth ministry and whether or not we could learn from the life of Jobs.  Youth ministry is, after all, full of iGeeks and iFans.

So here are a few lessons i walked away with:

1. If you life your life as a jerk, people will remember you as a jerk, even if you produce amazing things.

Steve Jobs may have invented some amazing stuff, but he had the reputation of being a jerk to a lot of people along the way.  Lesson: Just because i’m right doesn’t give me an excuse to be short or mean with people.  Jesus commanding us to love one another still applies during a really busy season of life.  We need to be nice to frustrating volunteers, aggravating students, pesky parents, staff that don’t understand youth ministry, and especially our families who loveus.

2.  ”People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

i wonder how this applies to ministry. Jobs never asked the consumer what they wanted, but had a philosophy at Apple to create and show consumers what they need, even if they’re not aware of it.  i can’t help but think that there are some ministries, lessons and decisions that we may have to make that match up to this philosophy.  The idea of someone not being aware of their need for Jesus really matches up.

3.  iMostEveryThing works great because it fits into Apple’s core values and is a part of the end to end control they maintain.

i’m still trying to get my head around this one, but it does cause me to want to be sure that the programs, curriculum, and events i’m connecting with match up to our student ministry’s core values.  The more we turn over our students to others, the more we’re allowing someone else to determine the direction of what they are being taught.  No worries, we’re still going to Student Life camp!

4.  Figure out what you do well and do it.

Although it took him a while, Jobs figured out that he was best at being a designer and innovator, so he focused on that more than anything.  He then surrounded himself with people who complemented(and could tolerate) his talent.  God has gifted each one of us in a way that helps us serve in youth ministry.  Be careful not to use this though as a reason not to do other things well.  Example: Even though you may be an amazing communicator/teacher, you still need to work hard at administration.

5. If you use a lowercase i instead of a capital I, especially when writing an article for the Student Life blog, you automatically score higher points on the cool-o-meter (or the nerd-o-meter).

At least in your own mind.

DNOW 2011

DNOW 2011 from Johnson Ferry on Vimeo.

The Fellas are at it Again…

Great video by our High School Staff at Johnson Ferry…

I need to smile more…

As I write this, I’m on a plane headed back from a trip to the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where we visited a couple churches that work with Compassion International and have sponsored children at their sites. I have to admit that I’m still processing all I learned about the work Compassion is doing for the gospel of Christ. One thing I can say for sure is that I love the fact that my family is sponsoring Stanley from Kenya. I trust Compassion and how they are sharing Jesus with the children and families they are connected with throughout this world.

This was my first trip where I had to use an interpreter and something jumped out to me pretty quickly into the trip as I was struggling to communicate with the people I met. God made smiles and smiles go a really long way. When there was no way to communicate, I smiled and every time the person smiled back.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not trying to sound like a cheesy Christian bumper sticker. The simple truth is that this trip reminded me of something I’ve known for a while now. I need to smile more. I need to remind my face of the joy of Christ I have in my life. His blessings have been more than amazing and I’m thankful to Jesus for saving me. Oh that my face would show it.

Bumped into Love…

A little over 19 years ago I was invited to a get together by a girl I was interested in dating. I went hoping to get to know her better, but met a girl named Wendy instead. It was God’s blessing and provision in my life for sure. When I saw this little video, it reminded me of that day. Mighty thankful for that day. Enjoy!

Love Tap from Mike Goode on Vimeo.

Small Groups and the Inevitable Domino Effect…

It’s that time of year for our middle school ministry where we group our 300+ students into small groups. We start by having our students fill out small group request forms where they list four friends they’d like to be with. We then take those small group cards and start off by putting into the same small groups they were in last year.

Then the work begins and the domino effect soon follows. We look at each student and try to determine if they are in a small group that both matches up to their friend requests and at the same time contributes to a great small group experience. The challenge in this process is the domino effect that takes place by often moving only one student. Moving one student can result in several other students being in a situation that leaves them without a group of friends they request. Add to this process leader requests, parent requests and groups that have to be split due to their size and it is a overwhelming process. But in the end, it’s totally worth it when you see a small group that works well.

That said, here are a few things I feel are important in making small groups work great:
1. An amazing small group leader. This is perhaps the most important ingredient. A small group leader who loves Jesus and shows their small group students how to love Jesus is crucial.
2. A great group of friends. No one wants to sit in a small group with complete strangers. Friends are good! Learning about Jesus with your friends… even better!!!
3. Great Bible lead teaching that sets up great discussion. This is pretty much on me and our middle school ministry team. Working hard to teach in an effective way for a middle school audience is HUGE.
4. Not too big, not too small. To be honest, this one depends on the group of students. I do believe the group starts to suffer after 12 or so students.