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.

Modesty…

I’ve been reading a great blog lately from Michael Hyatt. Really great stuff about leadership and such. Well, he also happens to be a Dad and recently he wrote a post about modesty. I think his simple modesty guidelines for his daughters are a great start for Dads trying to help their daughters.
Enjoy the article… http://michaelhyatt.com/whatever-happened-to-modesty.html

Student Life Blog…

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to do a little blogging for Student Life. Here is a link to part 3 of Youth Ministry in the Land of If Only… Click Here

Winter Retreat Video #2