2013 year end review of Long Hollow Student Ministry

We had an amazing year in 2013 in LHStudents.

over 420+ baptism
All events broke records
started 2 campuses and watch those Youth Ministries explode.
Added 50+ additional volunteers
Did Quest in a Hotel for the first time.
Had 3 crusades in 1 week.
over 150 students going through discipleship programs.
and so much more.

I am so proud of of the volunteers and students in our ministry.  It is a honor to serve with them and to see all God is doing through Long Hollow Student Ministry.  Grateful to a church the supports and funds youth ministry!!!

Here is the highlight video for 2013:


A Look Back at 2013 - Long Hollow Student Ministry from Long Hollow Student Ministry on Vimeo.

A trend I am noticing: Have students today lost a healthy fear of their parents & of authority?

A trend I see among students today is that they no longer have a healthy fear of their parents but instead an unhealthy expectation for their parents to always take up for them. 

Not all, but most students today if you look at them and say, “I am going to have to call your parents.” will respond with “How about I call them for you and they will come up here and talk to you about this.” Such a different response than how I was brought up, taught to have a healthy fear and respect of adults and authority.

Teeangers know their parents will take up for them instead of hold them accountable to the situation.  

When I was a kid, if an authority figure looked at me and said “Brian, I am going to call your dad,” I would have begged them (if not paid them) not to do it!  I would have done anything to keep my dad from coming up to the school or church, simply because I had a healthy fear of my father.  You see, my father loved me enough that he did not always take up for me, but instead I always knew that he expected me to be a responsible young man & if consequences were presented because of a poor decision on my part, I had to own up to it.  

As I watch the news, read tweets and blogs and as I spend a lot of time with students and their parents, I am seeing this reality of teenagers having a huge disrespect for authority and even more, an unhealthy expectation of what they expect out of their parents. 

So what are we to do as parents?  When do we need to step in & stand up for our kids?  How do we stand up for our kid in a healthy way without just "bailing them out"?  What is a healthy expectation to have for our kids?

I definitely am not the expert, nor do I have all the answers.  I am learning so much myself in this area of parenting young kids. Author, Tim Elmore, writes of this often and I am always challenged as a parent by what he writes.  

Here are just a few thoughts that I have on this issue simply from a youth pastor perspective and from what I am learning as a parent...  

10 Thoughts from a Youth Pastor perspective:
1.     Realize your kids can do wrong.  He/She is not perfect.  
2.     It is not always another kids fault. Be willing to see fault in your own child.
3.     Realize your kid knows you, knows how they expect you to respond, and knows how to play you.  They will act different with you in the room, than they did when they knew they were busted. 
4.     The adult that calls you, don’t go in on the defense against them.  Especially, if it is a caring adult who is just trying to keep order or help all parties involved.  If your kid sees you attack another adult for getting onto your child, then you've just taught them automatically throw blame on someone else and not take responsibility for their part in the issue. 

5.     Have an understood & CLEAR list of consequences for your student.  Students need expectations of what their consequences should be before an incident arrises. Not to carry around the mentality of, “Well, I know my parents will get me out of this, they always do.” 
6.     Let them fail while they are under your roof.  Use these moments while they're in your home as teachable moments! Teaching them to fail-forward. 
7.     Don’t be a friend be a parent!
8.     Don’ t just be present at home physically, but be involved in their lives.  Most kids I see that bully others are usually ones who lack a solid home life.  Not always but most of the time. 
9.     Listen to your child but also listen to the other side.  There are two sides to every story. 
10. As always, in discipline, discipline in love & not in anger.  Students need expectation as much as we do as adults, just lead in love and not out of anger. You child needs to know you are proud of them and believe in them no matter what.  

DISCLAIMER – Although I don’t have teenagers in my home yet, I am just surrounded by thousands of teenagers and their parents every week and walk through many situations with them.  I am a learning parent and, just like all of you, I want to be all God has called me to be as a parent. 

What are your thoughts to this?  What do you see? 

Parenting Helps:

Long Hollow has many HERE

Tim Elmore Blog

Authentic Maturity

Checkpoints – A Tatical Guide toManhood

Salvaging my Identity for Girls

 Send your teen to Student Leadership University

Send your teen on international mission trips.  

LifeChange Book by Jordan Easley

I am excited about my friend @JordanEasley new book coming out called Life Change.  This is a must buy book.

I would recommend picking this book up for all the seniors in your youth ministry this year as well.

Watch the video for more on the book:

BUY THE BOOK HERE 

Here is what just a few have said about Jordan's book:

Drew Worsham isn't only a internationally-known magician, he's also an incredible man of God.  Drew has traveled the globe sharing the hope of Jesus Christ as a Magician and a Mentalist.  He is incredibly gifted and has dedicated his life to sharing Christ to the next generation.

After reading Life Change, this is what Drew had to say:  "While reading this book, I found Jordan time and time again answering questions that I didn't realize my heart was asking.  Every human desires change but we struggle to figure out how to make it happen.  In this amazingly practical book, Jordan helps us realize and believe that life change is found only in the accessible presence of Christ."

Matt Lawson is the author of Twisdom and also leads one of America's great Student Ministries at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA.  The roots of Matt's passion for Student Ministry run deep.  Matt is one of the champions that continuously ask the question, "How can we see God do something great in this next generation?" and he's built his life and ministry around finding the answer.

After reading Life Change, this is what Matt had to say:  "Most of us are rarely satisfied with who we are and are constantly fighting for change.  Jordan Easley's Life Change will help anyone navigate the stages and steps of spiritual change and point to real people who've been through it."

As the Vice President of Student Leadership Universityand a top-rated Speaker in many of our largest Student Ministry venues, Dr. Brent Crowe understands the incredible opportunity we have in shaping next generation leaders.  SLU is the leading ministry in partnering with churches and challenging students to step out of the status quo and become the leader God created them to be.  As a High School student, I attended SLU and can honestly say that without this ministry, I wouldn't be where I am today.  I highly recommend Brent's books, Reimagine and Chasing Elephants.

Brent had this to say about Life Change:  "In a world saturated with self-help books and drowning in a sea of secular humanism comes an essential read for this in need of change.  In Life Change, my friend Jordan Easley takes us on a journey through the Gospel of Mark, where we interact with characters desperate for transformation.  Like all great teachers, Jordan uses the Bible to illuminate our need and also provide clarity to the answer of authentic and lasting change.  This book was written for all who are thirsty for change--come to the water and be filled."

As a Seminary Professor, Dr. Alvin Reid has dedicated his life to training and equipping Student Pastors.  He has a burning desire to see the Gospel change the lives of students and he believes God wants to use us in fostering that change.  He wrote a great book called As You Go that reminds us that every step is an opportunity to be a part of that journey.

Dr. Reid had this to say:  ""Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."These words by Leo Tolstoy remind us how easy it is to become idealistic about change without considering ourselves.  In Life Change, Jordan Easley offers practical, biblical help for the person who understands the only way to change the world is to stare in the mirror.  You will be encouraged, challenged, and engaged by this book."

Ron Luce launched a ministry many years ago called Teen Mania Ministries, and since then, they've been packing out stadiums forAcquire the Fire Events and presenting the Gospel to hundreds of thousands of teenagers around the world.

Ron's response to Life Change was pretty simple. He said:  "Life Change is an insightful book offering freedom, wisdom, and hope with excellent biblical examples of real people who desired change but realized it was impossible apart from Jesus, "The Change Agent."

"Each of us knows, intuitively, that there are both small and big changes we need to make in our lives.  Yet we also know that it's much easier to stay as we are, because change is hard.  Jordan Easley shows that it's possible, and not as hard as you think, to make those life changes, and he gives you practical, doable steps to get you there, starting with embracing the power of Jesus Christ to change you at your deepest level."

Clayton King

Founder and President, Crossroads Ministries

Teaching Pastor, New Spring Church

"Are you searching for something different?  Looking for something new in your life?  Read Life Change!  It will help you navigate to the future that God wants for you.  I believe in Jordan Easley.  I believe in Life Change!"

Ronnie Floyd

Author and Senior Pastor, Cross Church

"Life Change is written in simple, user-friendly terms people of every age will enjoy.  Jordan Easley addresses the challenges of life change with a step-by-step practical approach, centered on Jesus Christ, the true change agent.  As Jordan so aptly states, "No matter the circumstance, change is possible through Jesus Christ," and this book can provide the catalyst."

H. Edwin Young
Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Houston

To order your copy of Life Change today, click HERE.

"You can really change!  That is the clear affirmation given  by Jordan Easley in Life Change.  Read this book and discover the reality of spiritual transformation now and forever."

Jack Graham
Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church

To order your copy of Life Change now, click HERE.

"In Life Change my friend Jordan Easley guides us through Mark's Gospel with a focus on personal transformation.  Life Change will make you uncomfortable with where you are while providing clarity about where you need to be."

Andy Stanley
Pastor, North Point Community Church

To order a copy of Life Change today, click HERE.