Jasper Speaks:

Sitting: In my office.
Waiting: On lunch with JonnyB and then vacation next week.
Glad: That I finished this week's seminary assignment early.
Needing: Money.
Reading: Seminary assignment examples.
Enjoyed: Seeing that Jackson felt better this morning.
Preparing: The end of the semester and the beginning of next.
Remembering: That God knows what I will be doing in ten years so I don't have to fret about it.
Listening: My favorite iTunes genius mix - Oh Happy Day. I love it!
Drinking: Diet Pepsi
Snacking: On nothing becuase breakfast was more calories than I thought.
Trying: To get some work done. (Guess that is not going so well, huh?)
Ending: This survey for now.

Jasper Speaks:

I must admit that I was pretty bummed when my supervisor told me that because of the shortfalls in giving, every ministry had to cut their budget by 10% for the upcoming year. My immediate thought was, “How can we continue to do all we do with 10% less money”. When the time came to present this to our leadership team at our annual planning retreat, I had no idea how God would use the cuts we were being forced to make in such a powerful way in our ministry.

When we sat down to discuss our new budget, we were all hesitant about where to make such significant decreases. We realized, however, as we began our discussion that in some ways the bad economic picture was a blessing to us. We were forced to do a hard and honest reevaluation of our student ministry. What was really important? How were we spending the money God’s people were faithfully giving to us?

We began to map out what we felt God would want a student from our ministry to look like when they were a sophomore in college. As we listed those characteristics, God also led us to evaluate our calendar from the previous year and highlight the areas where we were doing ministry that would lead students to the point we felt God would want them to be.

The result of that conversation was a much more focused student ministry purpose. We realized we had been cramming our calendar full, while mistakenly thinking we were driven by our purpose. We were able to take a hard look at our crazy, event filled summers and determine that less can be more. We discussed the value of our volunteer hours and how much more important mentoring and investing in a student is than staying up all night supervising them at a lock in.

We began to streamline our ministry into three areas: Connect, Grow and Go. We wanted to only pursue things that would connect our students to God and to each other, help them grow in those relationships and help them go live like Christ in their world. Programs that didn’t fit in those categories were removed (even some that were student ministry “sacred cows”) and we found a new passion for our purpose. Another surprising thing we found was that when we presented what God had shown us to our students, who joined us on the second day of the retreat to aid in planning, they understood it. They knew that our time had been overbooked and were completely on board with narrowing the scope of our ministry to focus on quality rather than quantity.

At the end of the retreat our team was able to bless our congregation by submitting a budget that was 14% lower than the previous year! We are confident that the choices we made will help us to better serve our students, our church and our world. It took a bad economy to help us to see that our ministry had lost its focus and to lead us back to the things that matter most.

Jasper Speaks:

Thursday Night:

Sitting: In the recliner while Kendra watches the season premier of Grey's Anatomy

Waiting: To decide about mission trip and camp

Glad: For my whole life. Good job. Beautiful wife. Great kid. Lots of friends

Needing: To finish reading stuff for seminary

Reading: "Creative Bible Teaching" & "Beyond the First Visit" I only read for seminary anymore

Avoiding: Conflict

Enjoyed: Playing with Jackson and telling him a Jackson story then tucking him in bed

Preparing: For next's week's message on silence

Drinking: Nothing at the moment

Snacking: on nothing; just finished some popcorn popped on the stove

Trying: To reconcile with turning 40

Ending: A little bit reflective on my life right now

Jasper Speaks:

So my last post was just a quick note late at night. Now it is late again but I think I can express what God was telling me at the Lifeway conference better right now. First, let me say that the conference was especially great this year. Last year it seemed a little over the top in some parts and clunky in others. This year it was well thought out and intimate and just a great time to refresh. The only music we had was praise and worship. There were no concerts with recording artists you may or may not have heard of. It was just a few days of praising God and letting him work in you life.

As I mentioned before, Steven Curtis Chapman spoke and sung on Monday night. It was powerful. Not a dry eye remained in the house. The one ministry applicable thing for me that he said was, that the youth pastors who invested in him when he was younger, laid a groundwork that helped him get through this time. That isn't an exact quote but is a good paraphrase.

That got me thinking. He was saying that Youth Pastors had laid the foundation for his adult faith. It got me thinking that even the hard to reach kids may be absorbing things that will help them in crisis in the future. It was a great reminder that God is God and He will finish the work He has started in all of the students with whom I have influence.

This tied together with the quote from Jeff Platt on the last night that said, Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may be something you never see in your life. God is at work all the time. I don't have to see His results to encourage me to keep investing in the lives of students. God will finish the work.

Well, I am dozing again. I better take off to sleep. I will post more about my week soon.

Jasper Speaks:

I am at the Lifeway National Youth Workers Conference right now. I have to say I was a bit skeptical about coming. Last year, I got frustrated with the people I went with. They were a bunch of Youth Pastors who acted like seventh graders the whole time. When offered to come with them again I was hesitent but decided to do it because it was a good price and in spite of the goofiness last year, I did make some good networking relationships.

I am glad I came. yesterday was day one and God already is moving in my spirit. I am challenged in my thinking about parents. Also, Steven Curtis Chapman said something last night that really spoke to me in my frustrations with student ministry. He said that one of the reasons he got through his horrible year was because a Youth Pastor laid the groundwork for his faith.

I must remember it is a marathon not a sprint. Looking foreward to what god will show me today.