It's Monday!

I used to really not like Mondays, it meant that I was a long way off from the next weekend and that I had a LOT to do to get there.  But now I don't mind Mondays so much, in fact, dare I say, I might even like them.  We have our staff lunch on Mondays which are always a good time, especially when we get some Kansas City Barbecue.  But the reason I enjoy Monday's now is because its the day I get to spend the most time dreaming.  I don't mean day dreaming or dreaming during a nap, I'm proud to say that the couch in my office has only seduced me into a nap 2 times in the last 8 months, contrary to what my co-workers think.  No, the dreaming I'm talking about is thinking about the future and what God has in store for our student ministry.  What should we teach, what events should we plan, how should we tweak what we do, whats the best way to reach the students in our community...big questions like this.  I LOVE these kinds of questions, they're the sort of questions that get me excited and make Mondays something to look forward too. In a previous post I mentioned that we are taking a break from the OT and will be spending some time in the NT teaching our students about Jesus.  This idea was hatched during a dreaming session last Monday...and I know what you're thinking, "really, teach the kids about Jesus?  You sure are a visionary, how do you come up with such revolutionary ideas?"  But honestly, how many of our students have an accurate understanding of Jesus?  My biggest fear as a youth pastor is that the students God has entrusted me with will get to college and will tell God in no uncertain terms, "peace out dude, I can take care of myself.  Thanks for all the Sunday Morning donuts and lock-ins though."  I desperately want the students in our ministry to GET Jesus.  I'm talking life changing heart knowledge, not just the ability to pass a head knowledge Bible quiz.  I heard a quote at the SYMC conference this year from Doug Fields, he said, "We don't have to make Jesus amazing, he already is."  To which I say, "right on!" but we do have to learn how to communicate that awesomeness to our students because based on the statistics coming in year after year, they. are. not. getting. it.  They aren't.  If they knew how amazing Jesus is the American collegiate culture would not be a spiritual landfill, where Christians go to die.

So it's in these Monday dreaming sessions that I'm spending some concerted effort trying to think of ways to communicate the amazingness of Jesus.  To get beyond the churchy, nice guy version of Jesus our students have become way too familiar with.  I want them to see in Jesus what everybody he came into contact with in the NT saw, that he truly is the Son of God, and that is amazing.