Carpe Diem by Shaun Mayfield

Shaun Mayfield does a LOT of things. One of them is write the blog - "an introspective view of life and the meaning of it" which is a regular on my blog feed. His latest post is the perfect example of why : "Carpe Diem - What Does Your Life Mean?" In it he gives four straight forward ideas on how to live your life, not somebody else's. While there is no mention of God anywhere in the post (Shaun is a youth minister in Arizona) I think the message is perfectly in line with a life in faith. Good stuff.

Resource Review - getting students to show up

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - "getting students to show up - Practical Ideas for Any Outreach event - from 10 to 10,000" by Jonathan McKee, 190 pages, 2007 Zondervan

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Looking for a direct education on creating outreach events for young people? Jonathan McKee gives a no BS look at what to do and what NOT to do. This book is aimed specifically at outreach events for non-church kids. And I love that it makes very clear - putting on a great "Christian" event is a TERRIBLE way to try and reach unchurched kids. If this is the field you're looking to dive into this book should be in your backpack.

RESERVATIONS - There are some assumptions here that pulled me up short at first till I realized they're not really important. For example all his "model" events inevitably include an altar call. In most Episcopal events the likelihood of including an altar call is close to zero. It's just not part of our tradition or approach to faith. Consequently I don't know that I'd use his outline necessarily for an Episcopal based outreach event. Which is fine, you'll still learn plenty about what to do right for any such event from this book.

RECOMMENDATION I'll be honest and say these kinds of events do NOT fall into my general practice. So like a lot of people I feel a little intimidated. After reading the book I'm feeling somewhat more at home if I ever end up doing one. I like it when youth ministry authors take the gloves off and get honest about what really does and doesn't work. Even when it may gore some one's prize ox (metaphorically). I found myself shaking my head in amusement when I realized that I probably would have fallen into several of the traps he mentions. Nicely written, quite comprehensive and definitely a vital resource if your outreach events are flopping or you want to do one and have no prior experience.

Resource Review - Youth Ministry Survival Guide

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - The Youth Ministry Survival Guide by Len Kageler, 198 pages, 2008 Zondervan -

How to thrive and last for the long haul.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is another in-depth look at what it means to be a youth minister, the good, the bad and the indifferent. These books are much less about teaching techniques, class room exercises, activities or retreat themes than they are about living out a calling to minister to young people. There are lots of folks who think it's the easiest job on the planet. "You get paid to go to camp" or "You get paid to play games". Well, yes but as we all know that's the least of what this ministry demands from us. Kageler takes a look at the impact on both the ministry, the "job" (you know that whole this is what they're paying you for stuff), individual health plus impact on family and marriage.

RESERVATIONS - This is really a book for folks in the professional ministry. Some of it translates for volunteers but I think the average volunteer leader/minister will find this book frustrating. I would certainly urge folks who are the primary youth minister in their congregation to read this book but keep in mind a fair part of it isn't aimed at you.

RECOMMENDATION This is another strong contender for "Books that should be given to new youth ministers at the start their careers". It's very sad and very disturbing to the development of young people to see the youth ministers making the same mistakes over and over again. This book lays out a very clear path to lead a beginner into a solid ministry and a veteran to help re-stoke the fire. It may not be the BEST youth minister book I've ever read but it certainly sits very close to the top of that list.

Resouce Review - When Church Kids Go Bad

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - When Church Kids Go Bad by Les Christie, 201 pages, 2008 Zondervan - A look at the issue of discipline and a look at what discipline really means in the world of youth ministry.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? It's probably wise that Christie never uses the word "discipline" in the title of the book. As he acknowledges people have real problems with that word. He carefully lays out what he's talking about, the different approaches to it, the rationale behind it and how it can be applied both generally and in "problem cases". The book is careful to present all the ideas from a solid Scriptural basis while remaining solidly reality based. Christie is also very good about noting the needs for the youth leaders to be disciplined and talks about those time when it can break down for us (and him) as well. It's a solid look at a very important issue for youth ministries of all sizes.

RESERVATIONS - BUT IT'S NOT THE BOOK I WAS HOPING FOR! I was about half way through when I realized this fact. The sub-title is "How to Love and Work With Rude, Obnoxious and Apathetic Students". So I had gone into it thinking I was going to get some great ideas on how to inspire kids in the ministries. To be fair you do get some of that but it's not until Chapter 10 on page 126. The vast majority of the book is just on how to create a sane, loving environment (that really is the goal for proper discipline) and very little on how to handle and inspire the toughest, most challenging kids. Plus he perpetuates the outdated myth that sweets causes increases in activity levels. The majority of the studies out there do NOT link sugar with hyperactivity. Even worse the sub-chapter titled "Reduce or Eliminate Sweet Treats" talks mostly about a study that recommends limiting treats with additives or artificial coloring based on a 2007 study. This section should have been better presented and researched. I hate, hate, HATE finding these kinds of clunker sections in books like this.

RECOMMENDATION SIGH. The vast majority of this book is really good at what it's about. If you're looking for a discussion of how to bring a faith based and faith filled method of "discipline" (it's not a bad word folks)to your ministry then I heartily recommend it. It will help you understand why your youth may be acting the way they are, your part in those actions and how to make it work for everyone. If the title suggests to you what it did to me then I think you'll be a little disappointed.

Resource Review - Help - I'm a Frustrated Youth Worker!

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)


OVERALL - Help - I'm a Frustrated Youth Worker by Steven L. Case, 136 pages, 2009 Zondervan - Steven Case is probably best known as the author of the Book of UnCommon Prayer which he acknowledges was inspired by our own BCP. This is a resource for both new and long time youth workers.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? There's a movie where the catch phrase is "You had me at hello". For me Case had me at "pee in your Fruit Loops". Sorry I know that's vulgar and gross but it told me that this was written by somebody who knows how it goes. Imagine my further surprise to discover that like me Case began in broadcasting and landed in youth ministry! From his own experience he tells it like it is about life as a leader in youth ministry. From how to deal with difficult people to stress to feeling like maybe you're getting too old and so much more. I found myself nodding constantly as I read, thinking "Oh yeah", "Got that right" and "Been there, done that". Case is an easy read but with lots of experience behind every word.

RESERVATIONS Not too many really. This book is really aimed at those of us getting paid to do ministry so not all of it is an exact fit for you if you're a volunteer. But the vast majority still hits home. I think some folks will have a little trouble in Chapter 7 which is about change and (very lightly) postmodern theology. Approach it with an open mind, then make up your own. I found the chapter very interesting (but then I would, wouldn't I?)

RECOMMENDATION OK, it's another addition to "Must Have in the Library" list. A quick read that's fun to read, will challenge you, encourage you and even help you figure out if it's time to quit. All for under $12. Yeah, you need to read this one and own a copy. This is the kind of book you're going to want to share for the times when our brothers and sisters in this ministry need just these kinds of words.

Resource Review - The Journal of Student Ministries

OVERALL - The Journal of Student Ministries offers this about themselves - "Our primary purpose is to support adults in student ministry by providing insight into youth culture, fostering in-depth dialogue around important themes, and strengthening the student ministry community. We honor a variety of theological, political, and cultural traditions and promote healthy dialogue and honest critique; and we strive to elevate and learn from the role of distinctive cultures, ethnicities, denominations, and ministries within the Body of Christ." There is a website companion to the magazine itself

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? I have to be honest and say I'm undecided on the subject of youth ministry magazines. Some are very good and some start sounding the same after about a year's worth of issues. My experience with Journal of Student Ministries is that it falls in the excellent end of the spectrum. Lots of great topics done by great writers (the week I write this the topics on the web page include Leveraging Social Media to Multiply Missional Teams, What Should Youth Ministry Look Like? (by Grahame Knox who I really enjoy), Dealing with Teen Pregnancy, One Youth Worker’s Journey into Special-Needs Youth Ministry, and Book Review - The Youth Worker Book of Hope). There are links to blogs of folks associated with the magazine and video podcasts as well. So you've got lots of resources.

RESERVATIONS This is less the hands on kind of stuff and more the deep thinking end of the range. I know not everyone loves that as much as I do. You'll also find a very heavy emphasis on Youth Specialties stuff here because they are one of the primary partners in putting this together. So if you're desperately trying to escape the YS gravity well you may want to skip this.

RECOMMENDATION When the time comes when you want some deep think on the subjects around in youth ministry this is a great resource. Lots of challenging, well written material available.

Resource Review - YMToday.com

OVERALL - YMtoday.com is an initiative of the Center for Youth Ministry Training and the Lilly Foundation, and it is designed to equip, encourage, and empower adults who work with young people in the church or parachurch.


WHAT'S IT ABOUT? It never ceases to amaze me the amount of great material that is available for free. If you're looking for a website that is really aimed at helping you better prepare for and be in your ministry with young people this site has a lot to offer. You'll find stuff for Programming, Event planning, Training (for youth, volunteers, youth ministers and parents!), Tools for dealing with Technology, Advice, Soul Care and more. It's created by some very excellent people and is carefully thought out. They also offer a free newsletter and more. An excellent site to have in your bookmarks.

RESERVATIONS I haven't found anything that particularly concerns me. The offerings in the bookstore are good but are mostly stuff you'll find elsewhere as well (lots of YS stuff as an example). So if you're looking for a new source for books and materials this isn't really it.

RECOMMENDATION It's high quality material, well written and extremely useful, and it offers lots of FREE resources. It's backed by two very excellent reputation groups as well. What's not to like?

Resource Review - Group

Group

OVERALL - Another great source for all kinds of materials with a proven track record. Not just youth ministry resources also Children's Ministry, Women's Ministry, Small Group, Pastor and Church Leadership. One of the most respected names in the industry.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? I'll try and hit several of the top resource locations in these reviews. Like most folks in Youth Ministry I first came across Group through their magazine. It's still one of the best out there. Now Group offers a much wider scope of materials. Add in things like Group Work Camps which can be a great resource for churches looking to do some mission work. I'm amazed at the massive amount of resources you'll find here. They also offer a national youth ministry event called the "Simply Youth Ministry Conference" that they do in partnership with Doug Fields. If you're looking for more choices and ideas Group will keep you busy for some time to come.

RESERVATIONS Same as YS, their mindset really comes from a non-liturgical, contemporary music kind of background and for me as an Episcopal youth minister I sometimes feel a vacuum for things aimed at my particular worship style. Fortunately there are other resources (that I've reviewed recently) that amply fill those holes. Occasionally I come across a resource whose theology just doesn't match mine but that's hardly surprising.

RECOMMENDATION It never hurts to have more than one source for your resources. Group should definitely be on your list when you start searching.

Resource Review - Bible Gateway.com

BibleGateway.com

OVERALL - A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages. A great easy to use tool.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?I had completely forgotten about doing a review of this site simply because I use it all the time without thinking about what a great resource this has been. When I'm preparing for a class or a study of some sort I like to compare different translations of Scripture. Over the years I've found this to be a great way to dig a little deeper into the meaning of some passages or words. Languages do not translate cleaning from one to the next, no matter how much we want them to do so. Add in things like idiomatic phrases and, as one person once put it to me, "all translations are paraphrases". The problem has been having multiple version open on my desk while I'm trying to write, let alone having lots of different versions sitting close to hand when I need them. BibleGateway.com makes that much easier. You type in the section you're working on (you can also search by keyword or topic too if you're looking for a passage and don't know one off the top of your head). Then it's a quick process to look at it in any of the other versions they have. They have 22 versions in English from the KJV to NIV to Douay-Rheims to The Message and more. There's a button that will bring up some commentary for you, others to move you forward or back through that entire section of the Bible and a quick and easy way to print out what you need. The web page is easy to use and simple to find what you're looking for in either the Bible or web site functions.

RESERVATIONS There are two versions they DON'T have and it's a bit problematic for most Episcopal churches - the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), since these are the most commonly used versions in our churches.. It's annoying. I've found other online sources for the NRSV (here and here) and an online version of the RSV (here). I'm not sure why BibleGateway.com hasn't been able to get the rights to use these versions. It would be great to have them all in one place but in the end I just prop my RSV up on my desk while I scan the online versions.

RECOMMENDATION Again a basic tool that you'll use over and over and over again. It's not perfect as noted (not all useful versions and limited commentary options) but it's hard to beat. Bookmark this one and all of sudden you'll start impressing everyone with your knowledge of the Bible!

Translated Part two

Part 2

I mentioned earlier this week that Stuart Delony (above) had asked me some questions as a way to keep his blog active while he is away on a training trip. He broke mine into two posts (he did that with lots of other folks too!) and here are my answers (in my usual rather smart a$$ fashion) to the second two questions.

Part 1

Me, translated

Translated as in moved to a different place.

Stuart Delony who blogs at "The Ramblings is away for two weeks doing some rock climbing and raft training (some guys get to do all the cool stuff). He is a missionary youth minister working among unchurched youth in the Pacific Northwest. He also writes one of the most interesting youth ministry blogs out there. Anyway, while he was away he asked some of the other bloggers he knows to answer some questions to "fill in" for him while he's gone. That included, I'm very honored to say, me!

Those who know me will be stunned to discover that my answers were so long he broke my responses down into two separate posts. Here's part one, part two tomorrow.

Part 1

If you're interested in what Stuart is doing check out this video about his group:

Resource Review - Google Maps POI

Google Maps POI

OVERALL - So you're headed out on a trip with the youth group. You know, these are teenagers after all, that they're going to want to eat eventually. How do you know where to find food on your trip? Google Maps of course! POI means Points of Interest, which in this case means fast food!

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Some one (not Google itself but one of the outside developers that Google encourages) has come up with the perfect mapping tool for youth ministers on road trips with youth. You tell it your route and it tells you what kinds of food are available along the way. It really is quick and easy. You don't need zip codes or street addresses just starting town or city and ending town or city. You get a route for the trip and a map with every major chain of fast food indicated along the way. Just zoom in on the area where you're thinking about stopping and you'll find your choices. Just that simple.

RESERVATIONS The only choices you're given are fast food restaurants. So if you're looking for something other than burgers, tacos, pizza or fried chicken you're pretty much out of luck. Of course you're travelling with teenagers so the chance they want anything OTHER than burgers, tacos, pizza or fried chicken is probably pretty small.

RECOMMENDATION This is one of those you don't need it till you need it kind of tools. The great thing is that the locations are tied into Google maps which is one of my favorite maps sites anyway. You get the street address plus if you zoom down in tight you can see the exact streets you need. Worth bookmarking it just so you have for that next road trip!

Resource Review - How to Volunteer Like a Pro

How to Volunteer like a Pro - An amateur's guide to working with Teenagers By: Jim Hancock 143 pages $12.99 Published by Zondervan

OVERALL - Someone finally wrote a book just for volunteers. One that doesn't talk down to us, that actually talks about the important stuff.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Jim Hancock describes his very first youth group meeting as a new adult "volunteer". He was nervous, felt completely out of his depth and was quite certain that he didn't know what he should know. I had the exact same feelings the first time I walked into the room (curiously the room that was then the youth room is today my office) for my very first youth group meeting as an adult volunteer. My bet is it will ring a bell for most of us. Jim Hancock took an interesting path as a youth worker. He started as a paid youth minister then quit and became a volunteer. Out of both those experiences he's come up with a very good book. He covers everything from your first day to the kids last day and time to leave. In between he'll give you a good, brief look at just about every skill or standard you'll need to get started. It's also a great refresher for folks who have been in the trenches for a while. With 37 chapters and only 143 pages obviously this is a quick an easy read. There's some real value in these quick chapters too. I like that it comes as a hard back book because I think a lot of new volunteer leaders will want to carry it around with them for a while.

RESERVATIONS The downside of the short snappy chapters is that you never really get into much depth. Some of these chapters are going to "want" to be discussed in greater depth. So the new leader will want to have someone else to talk with about some of it. That will slow the process down a little but not enough to take away from what can be learned.

RECOMMENDATION This could certainly be added to my beginning youth ministry pack. It's a solid introduction to most of the issues we face in our youth ministries. You'll also find a solid starting point for taking on all those challenges. It's not for everyone (some of us have learned most of this the hard way) but if you've got someone that you want to help past some of those early hurdles you should definitely buy them this book.

Resource Review - Youth Ministry Exchange (YMX)

Youth Ministry Exchange - A forum for people working with youth

OVERALL - Imagine a place where you can meet other youth ministers from many different denominations? A place where you can vent with relative safety. Even better a place where you can get ideas, bounce ideas off of others and discover a lot of new concepts for your ministry. Youth Ministry Exchange can offer you all that and an online community that "gets" you.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? A few years ago Youth Specialties ran its own youth ministry forum. Economics led them to drop it and a a couple enterprising youth ministers created their own. For me it was a great loss as the original had been a great community for me (nothing against the second forum they did a great job. I was just in a different place at that point). The latest version of Youth Ministry Exchange is the best of both. The forums, articles, reviews, free resources, job listings and more. There's even a section just for women in youth ministry. The best part is that all of it is available for free. There had been a membership fee but that's been dropped. So register for your free account and start to talk with some truly great folks all over the world.

RESERVATIONS Again, hard to find something to dislike.

RECOMMENDATION If you're looking for some community and you're comfortable online this can be a great resource. In the past sometimes the conversation could get a bit heated but that's the same in any virtual community. My experience has always been that there are many more faith filled, wonderful people than there are grumpy trolls. Take a wander through and see if there's anything to help you waiting there.

Province 2 meeting

I'm "away" for a couple days. All the way to Buffalo! The diocesan youth ministers in Province 2 get together twice a year for fellowship, idea trading, planning and more. One meeting each year is extended by a day to create a small "sabbath" event. We did our first last spring when we met in Newark and spent the day in NYC. It was a lot of fun as we rode the train into the city and checked out the NY Auto show.

So we're meeting in Buffalo. Dinner tonight is at my favorite Buffalo Greek restaurant- The Towne Restaurant. We'll do our business meeting first (work first then play) at the Diocesan offices tomorrow morning. Then it's the Anchor Bar for lunch (birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing). The afternoon will be spent at Niagara Falls, then dinner at Pearl City Grill just down the street from the Cathedral. Then we'll all depart on Friday morning. So we get our work in plus I get to show off some classic Buffalo/WNY stuff to my friends. When I picked up the folks from the dioceses of NY and Long Island we needed to grab a quick bite so in keeping with the all WNY theme I took them to Tim Horton's!

These are some of the events on my calender I always look forward to. For folks in the dioceses of New York, Long Island, Newark, New Jersey and the Virgin Islands I just want to say you have some really awesome folks working in youth ministry. I hope you appreciate them! We'd love to have the folks from Albany join us but they have declined every invitation for years. Sadly Rochester and Central New York are without folks at the moment. Love to have folks from Haiti and the Convocation in Europe join us but the cost is just impossible.

So I'll be away from the office for the next couple days. I'll be checking in at the start and end of the day.

Resource Review - Rethinking Youth Ministry

RETHINKING YOUTH MINISTRY - Youth ministry blog

OVERALL - Rethinking Youth Ministry is the product of two self described "progressive" Christians working in the Disciples of Christ church. This is a resource for youth ministers (rather than the more general tenor of mine which also includes resources for youth ministry)and covers a lot of ground.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? I read a lot of blogs. Can I be honest and say that most youth ministry blogs just don't grab me? But hey I'm sure people feel the same way about mine so it's all good. Brian and Jacob, the authors, are creating a resource with some real depth here. For example they've done a whole series on Lenten studies and practices that will be useful if you're just "discovering" Lent or have been observing it for years. There are many posts on spirituality, ideas, creative worship, community building and much more. It's offered simply as a gift to the larger community. And their live traffic feed shows that folks from all over the country have discovered it.

RESERVATIONS Ummmm, sorry can't really find one.

RECOMMENDATION Within days of writing the original review for this website they came up with an answer that I needed for our summer mission trip. This is a seriously useful blog with real world, hands on ideas that you can put to use right now. Some folks are going to see the words "progressive Christian" up above and stop reading. That's too bad because they'll be cutting themselves off from some great resources. I applaud the guys for being upfront about who they are. This is one of those sites you just need to bookmark, or do what I do and have them registered on my blog reader. That way I automatically get notified when something new pops up. Thoughtful, useful, prayerful. Can't imagine what else you'd want.

Resource Review - Better Safe Than Sued

Better Safe Than Sued - Keeping Your Students and Ministry Alive By: Jack Crabtree 236 pages Published by Zondervan/YouthSpecialties

OVERALL - A complete (and I mean COMPLETE) overview of safety issues of all kinds related to youth ministry at virtually any level.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Crabtree has 35+ years experience as a youth leader most notably with Youth For Christ. What he has created here is a must read book for youth ministers. Reading the stories provided brought back every oversight and injury that has happened in my ministry (more than a few of them happened to me!). It also made me think carefully about a couple of things we're still doing. While the author is quick to point out that the book isn't "complete" (meaning that it can't cover everything)it does cover everything likely to happen. Sections on staff selection, bullying, camps and retreats, traveling, sports for all seasons, accidents, even the death of a youth (which he lived through personally and right in front of his eyes. It's one of the most compelling and heart rending parts of the book). What I REALLY appreciated is the chapter devoted to theological questions related to safety in ministry. He takes on the whole issue of the sovereignty of Christ and the power of prayer and how they intersect with what needs to be done.

RESERVATIONS I'm not sure how you avoid it given the subject but the book becomes something of a downer after a while. It really becomes a case of "Oh my God, I don't want to read about any more accidents". In reality it's all a must read.

RECOMMENDATION If I were going to create an intro package for new youth ministers (which might not be a bad idea) I'd start with this book. Yes, it'll scare the pants off a certain percentage of them. That just might be a good idea. It forces you to think about an area most of us would probably rather ignore. Right up to the moment when one of our kids gets hurt. It's also a great resource if you've been doing ministry for a while. Not only as a refresher but because he includes a section on checking an ongoing ministry for its safety standards. Really good stuff.

Resource Review - The Shack

The Shack By: William P. Young 256 pages Published by Windblown Media

OVERALL - This is a little different than the other resources I've talked about. This is a novel and right now a novel getting a lot of attention. The story approaches the questions of "What is God like?" and "How do I relate with God?". If you're looking for something to take a group a little deeper into their faith this could be an interesting tool for discussion. The book itself has been called everything from brilliant to heretical. I fall somewhere in between. I have some reservations about some of the theology here but I was challenged to examine the underlying reasons. One of the best things I can say about a book is "It made me think" and this one certainly does.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is the story of a man facing terrible personal pain (his young daughter is kidnapped and killed basically right from under his nose)and a personal experience meeting God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. During their time together they discuss God, Faith, Choices, Forgiveness, and a lot more. It opens up a lot of questions.

RESERVATIONS The early chapters are choppy and the writing style was irritating to me. But he quickly finds his rhythm and the rest of the book reads very easily. I also thought the "surprise" at the end was artificial but that may be just me. If you decide to use this with young people I would be very leery of using it with middle school aged kids. The story of the child's kidnapping and death while not especially graphic is quite powerful.

RECOMMENDATION This book could be a great discussion starter with the right group of young people. They've even provided a free study guide resource at TheShackBook.com. Take the time to read it fully before you start the program. Take a long look at the questions raised. And be prepared for some folks to get grumpy about it. But for that right group this is a resource you should definitely consider.

Resource review - interlinc

interlinc - Media and music resources online and by subscription.

OVERALL - If you're into contemporary Christian music or looking for ways to use music and video more in your ministry or looking for resources so you can play more contemporary Christian songs this may be the mother lode for you! I don't quite know how to categorize this. There is a web page with a bunch of usable and free resources. They have a newsletter that is also a great resource. This is all top quality stuff from the top acts in contemporary Christian music. The sample material they've sent to me has always impressed me with the attention to detail and quality materials.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is just a massive resource center for the music and video and related stuff. I give them a lot of credit for trying to make their stuff as available as possible. You can go the "Single Box" option and get just one selection for under $80. Then there's YLO - Youth Leader's Only. This is a subscription service that delivers CDs, DVDs, Bible study materials and much more every three months for just over $300 a year. They also have a Praise Worship music service that will deliver "...2-CD set with 10 songs (you'll get both performance tracks and instrumental tracks), plus the CDs include PowerPoint slides, lead sheets and sheet music. And you'll get a Book full of lead sheets, sheet music and worship "how-to's".". That's under $150 a year.

RESERVATIONS You need to be really into the media stuff to get your money's worth out of YLO. But if you've got a DVD player, TV and a CD player you'll be able to make use of this.

RECOMMENDATION As I've said it's an impressive array of stuff you can get. But even the free stuff is worth the time and you can glean some very useful bits and pieces. Take a look at the website and explore all the possibilities.

Resource Review - Youth Ministry 3.0 A Manifesto

Youth Ministry 3.0 A Manifesto of Where We've Been, Where We Are and WHERE WE NEED TO GO By: Mark Oestreicher 155 pages Published by Zondervan/Youth Specialities

OVERALL - There was a great deal of excitement when the author (best known in YM circles simply as Marko) starting talking about this book idea. When it finally arrived the first reaction from many of us was "Is this all there is?" The expectation was that this would be a much more monumental volume. In the end I think Marko got it right. This book will challenge most of the assumptions we were raised in and trained to believe about what youth ministry should look like. He takes us to some very unnerving country because it is such a change from that which has gone before. It scares the hell out of my brain but in my heart I feel a definite affinity. But then when you read the book you'll know why, lol! I think this will be a multi-read kind of book. I need to go back over some parts and look at them in a little more depth but it's well worth the time.

For transparency's sake I will note that Marko thanks me, twice, in this book. Once, among many other names, in the foreword and the other, among many other names, in the footnotes. I can honestly say that while I remember making some comments in response to his questions online (along with many others) I have NO memory of what I might have said. If it was of ANY help to him in his process I'm very happy. And hey, it's always kinda cool to see your name in print! Took me totally by surprise.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The Manifesto is a response to the growing thinking in youth ministry that "something isn't working". Marko walks us through the history of youth ministry (in thumbnail sketch form, the book IS only 155 pages long!)to establish how we got where we are. It's not intended to be a definitive history rather just enough of a background so we can prepare for the most important bit. And that takes us into a future where youth ministry is going to look very different. This is NOT a program book, it's NOT a instruction manual. It is an examination of the underlying assumptions we have and the ones we may need for the next step. He clearly works his way through each of his points. Agree or disagree Marko gives you plenty to think about.

RESERVATIONS I'm not quite sure how to introduce this book to most congregational ministries. Sadly I'm not sure that most of them have ever really considered WHY they do what they do. They just do it. Places like that will find themselves very challenged by this book. They NEED to read it but may find the ideas so radical that they just shut down. Talk about being too good for your own good.

Marko also tripped one of my pet peeves. He uses some statistics early on about puberty and then doesn't note where they came from! Granting, as he notes later, that this is NOT a dissertation or formal paper. It still irks me when we toss out information like this without substantiation. It's like the "Youth workers burn out in 18 months" mythology which was repeated ad nauseum even by me without ever knowing what we were talking about. He gets better as he goes along. But guaranteed as soon as I use the stat (which I have seen elsewhere. It strikes me that it's from research done by the Smithsonian but I'm not sure) someone is going to ask. I can't just say that "Marko said it".

RECOMMENDATION Yes, this book may irritate you. Yes, it may anger you by challenging some fairly dearly held assumptions. Yes, it may even frighten you because you don't see where your place in this new paradigm may be. Read it any way. Better yet, get a group of youth ministry people to read it together. Gather over your favorite beverages and food and take Marko apart line by line, thought by thought. I'd be willing to bet nothing would make him happier. And in the process, even if you reject everything he proposes, you'll have a better, stronger, more focused youth ministry. In the end I think that's probably the idea. So read this book. Even if it's the only YM book you read this year.