Tag: growth

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

My #iMentor Story | Josh Waugh

Growing up in a larger church, you would think that I could go through youth group picking the best mentors out there and entering college as the next Billy Graham.

That’s what everyone would think at least.

In reality, it was not until my freshmen year of high school that my Sunday School teacher and I began a relationship that changed my life forever. Harry Barber (yes, that’s his real name), who was my interim youth minister and incredible mentor, worked together with me every week for a year and a half as he taught me how to lead my peers at church. We did life together and I learned by watching his example.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

#iMentor | Guy Chmieleski

The #iMentor Initiative was started to honor the investment of mentors all over the world, and to encourage potential mentors to take the initiative in starting an intentional relationship with a college student today.

Read my story here.

Spiritual Formation, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Overcoming the Curse of Our Age

It’s a new year, which means that a new season of ministry with students is upon us.

And as we’ve launched into 2013, I’ve generated a new reading list, and decided to start the year by re-reading a couple of classics.

One of my first re-reads of the year is Richard Foster’s, Celebration of Discipline.

I couldn’t venture a guess as to the number of times that I’ve worked through this book. The first time I read it I was in grad. school — and it changed my life! Since then I’ve re-read it several times on my own, and led numerous groups through it as a way of learning to work on the interior life.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

An Experiment in Being Present

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying lunch with a couple of friends — and a few strangers.

And when one of the young guys put his phone in the middle of the table, two others quickly followed — and then looked at the two of us who had yet to clue in.

As I looked at the growing pile of phones, and then back at the young guy who started the pile, he could see that I needed an explanation.

“The game,” he said, “is quite simple. The first person to reach for the phone — for any reason — buys lunch.”

“YIKES!” I thought.

Leadership Development

Leading in the Midst of Division

Leading is a challenge.

Leading in the midst of division is all the more so.

But I’m confident that it can be done.

As our nation begins to settle into the reality of last night’s election, and the direction of our country for the next four years, there are some things that I hope our elected officials might consider — and that we, as ministry leaders, might model — as we seek to move forward for the betterment of those that we have been called (or elected) to serve.

Leadership Development, The Campus Minister

The Power and Peace of “No”

“No.”

How often to you use this word? Do you feel the freedom to use it — to tell people no, to turn down a request?

My guess is the answer to that question is “no.” Or at least, not very often.

We feel called by God — to serve others. To be available. To make a difference.

“No,” just feels so unhelpful — even unChristian.

But is it?

Leadership Development, The Campus Minister

The Freedom in Discipline

Have you ever been to a dueling piano bar?

They’re truly astounding to watch. Their level of skill is uncanny, and they can play a seemingly endless number of requests. To this day, I’ve never seen a dueling piano player stumped by an audience request.

The freedom these performers have on their instruments is enviable. How fun it must be to sit down with such command of the piano! To have the freedom to play whatever they want.

I took piano lessons for several years as a kid, and I never got even close to this level of talent. It’s easy to watch these guys and imagine they must just be better than I am. More musical, more gifted, whatever.

Leadership Development, The Campus Minister

Hiding Behind Busy

In the last year, I’ve gotten to a place where the hamster wheel that I feel like I’m on is spinning out of control. Because I’ve been on the hamster wheel for, oh, about 25 years (I perfected managing a schedule, balancing responsibilities, and not lying around at a very early age), I actually know better how to live busy than I do to live balanced. I’ve explained to friends and family for years… okay, decades, that “things are going to slow down soon,” or “I’m just hustling now and I will get a break in a couple of weeks.”

In the midst of the busyness of ministry, I’ve learned that perhaps busyness is masking a dirty little secret. In the last year as I’ve examined both the cause and the cost of my busyness, I’ve begun to wonder if sometimes my busyness is actually…

Leadership Development

Is Your Ministry Overwhelmed?!

Is your ministry overwhelmed?

It’s a fair question, but one I think we often feel guilty asking.

The picture above is of a Bradford pear tree — that has split in two.

This picture captures the beautiful blossoms that grace this particular kind of tree every spring — which is why so many people choose to put them in their yards.

If you’ve ever driven down a road, lined with Bradford pears in full bloom, then you know what I’m talking about. It’s like driving through a path of gigantic Q-Tips that have been cut in two and shoved into the ground.