It's An Awesome Youth Moment. . .

. . .when a youth comes up to you. . .looking all nervous, like you might actually answer "no" to his question. . .and says, "_______ told me you did a Bible study with him. I was wondering if you would be willing to do that with me."

This Wednesday I had one of those moments. I had already been meeting with this teenager one on one, but not as a scheduled sort of thing. It was more random (although still intentional), meeting for a snack type stuff.

I can't wait to start the Bible study with him!

Youth Projector Images

Just a few images I put together over the past few months for the youth group (used when the projector isn't showing anything else).

Youth Ministry Report: A Quick Summary of the Past Few Months

On Nov. 21st the youth attended a free concert, organized by Youth for Christ. The music was loud, but the bands were good, and they brought a good message.

On Dec. 6th the youth ministry team took the youth fishing. It was here that the youth learned that I don’t know how to fish and my wife did. Earl Peek organized this event and did an excellent job! We drove out to Wabasso, picked up some bait, and then drove to our location that was near there. The fishing was supervised by Earl, Sarah, Bob, and myself. After a few hours of fishing Earl cooked some hotdogs on the grill, while Bob led the youth in a very appropriate devotional about being “fishers of men”. After our meal we sat around talking and played a few games of bachi-ball. The youth seemed to have a great time.

On Dec. 13th we had our youth Christmas party. Lots of planning and work went into this event, and it went beautifully. The objective of the evening was to create a family environment and to share Christmas together as God’s family. Teresa, Earl, Sarah, Sarah’s mom, and myself prepared tons of food. The evening started with Amber Peek, one of our youth girls, leading us in prayer and asking God to bless our food and time. We then shared a large meal together. After the meal we then played white elephant (a gift exchange game). Then the youth gathered around as Earl read to them the Christmas story from portions of Matthew and Luke. Then Bill led the youth in singing a few Christmas Hymns. The youth then returned to the food for dessert while Teresa and I handed every youth a stocking; the contents were personalized, their name was decorated on it, and there were personalized Christmas cards from each member of the youth ministry team. The night was fantastic!

Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been very slow during the holiday months. There have been many weeks without us meeting due to early release days and holidays. We still have faithful students attending and even though the numbers have been few lately, they seem to love it. Relationships are definitely being built. Sometimes I feel like I’m running two youth groups at the same time. It’s a lot of work.

Over the past few months my teaching on Wednesday evenings have been about what it means to be a member of God’s family. Some of the topics were about loneliness, disagreements, the parts of the Body of Christ, stepping into other people’s shoes, and God’s family being a safe place. Hopefully what they heard will be learned and applied. In the next few weeks, leading up to Valentines, I’ll be talking with the youth about sex. If God designed sex then where better to talk about it then at church. The series is called “The Best Sex Ever” and it covers subjects such as: all the confusion there is about sex and how a sex driven world has lead to that, what God’s Word has to say about sex, sex is a lot bigger and better than what the world tells you, and what if you have messed up.

On Jan. 8th the youth ministry team met for the first time in the new year. At this time three major things occurred. First, I informed them of a training opportunity, in which Earl, Teresa, Sarah, and myself will be trying to attend during the first week of March. Second, we brain-stormed about upcoming events; they had tons of ideas I’m currently pursuing. And third, they were informed that they were going to be evaluated.

Each team member was evaluated one-on-one, and it was their job to initiate this meeting during the 2 week time frame I set. During the evaluations three major things were discussed: their observations of the youth ministry (What are we doing that’s working? What are we doing that’s not working? What impact are we having on the youth? How can I (Terry) help you do your job better?), the positives and negatives I’ve seen in them (along with some accountability to their walk with Christ), and their passions (Have they changed? Would you like to change what you do with the youth group? Is youth ministry still what you’re passionate about?).

My youth ministry team is truly awesome! I have seen them grow and mature in their walk with Christ and in their understanding of what it means to be a ministry team leader over the past year. We’ve also seen changes and growth in the youth that regularly attend. We’re not even close to where we want to be, but we know that in 2008 we got off to the right start and we’re pursuing God’s desire to use us to reach youth.

Youth Video: Looking Back at 2008

This is a collection of photos from 2008 about the youth.

Whomp 'Em

This game was great and the youth REALLY got into it!  A fellow youth pastor showed me this game and I thought my youth would get a kick out of it.

You take a noodle (I don't know what they're really called but people play with them in pools and use them to float) and cut it in half.  Then you have a Whomping Stick.  You can hit someone with all your might and it doesn't hurt, but because the noodle is hollow it makes a loud boom on contact.  With the Whomping Stick the person in the middle walks around, Whomps someone, then runs to put down the Whomping Stick on the "cube" (we used a cooler),  and then tries to make it to the person's, who they Whomped, seat. . .all before the person they Whomped grabs the Whomping Stick from the "cube" and Whomps you back.  Oh, and a special note, if the Whomping Stick falls off the "cube", without being interfered with, then the person you Whomped gets 3 free Whomps!

This video of my youth's first exposure to it. . .(I'm sure we'll end up playing again since they loved it so much and kept asking to play more).

The music is "Secret Weapon" by MXPX.

Pimp My Pumpkin

The example we were given:


We got the adults involved in the challenge:





Our judges:


Finished products:

Wii & Youth Group

Sarah put the bug in my ear a couple a months ago that I should seriously consider getting a Nintendo Wii for the youth.  

Why?  We'll many of the games on a Wii do not require the same skills that an XBox or PlayStation would require (being familiar with buttons and being able to perform certain combinations of buttons very quickly) since many of the Wii games are based on moving a remote.  So whether we had youth who spend 8 hours a day playing video games or youth don't own a video game consul, everyone would be on a somewhat equal playing field.  Plus, many of the games for Wii think outside the box and are fun in a whole new way (something other than running around and shooting each other).

Our youth have been meeting twice a week, Wed. for the main youth gathering and Sunday morning for Sunday school, but now we're adding a third gathering.  This gathering, called "Hang-Time" is different from the other two in that it's only designed for hanging out to provide a bridge to get to know the youth who've been coming better, and to encourage them to invite friends to a no strings attached evening of fun.  And the attraction we've added: a Wii!  Not to mention a pool table, ping pong, foosball, snacks (we're having nachos with cheese dip for the first meeting), and soda.

Our first Hang-Time is this Sunday.  Sarah is in charge of the Wii rotation (taking turns).  I'm excited, and so are the youth.  I'm really hoping they have the courage to invite some of their friends, not because I want the youth size to grow; I do want to see growth, but for youth to invite their friends is a big step for them.

Since we announced that I found a Wii to the youth tonight (Wii's can be difficult to find) the youth have been begging for Rock Band, since we had them over this past weekend and they loved playing it, but it's just too expensive of a game to buy for the youth group right now.  Maybe after the holidays (by then Rock Band 2 should be available).

Rock the Universe, Day 2 & 3

It was loads of fun! But I am SO tired!

Rock the Universe, Day 1

We showed up late and missed a few of the bands, but we caught the last bit of Skillet and got to see all of NewsBoys.  NewsBoys put on an awesome show!

Tomorrow we getting up early for ihop and then off to the park to enjoy a day of rides before the evening concerts and speakers.

Walls Must Come Down

Early this morning I met a few guys at the church with the purpose of destroying a wall that separated the youth room I taught lessons in and the room the youth played in (this makes the second church I've done that at).  We ripped into the wall and it only took us maybe 30-45 minutes to have completely down.  It would have been faster if it wasn't for some screws that didn't want to come out without taking the ceiling down with them.  But with patients, we got them removed.  Then we removed chalk boards (do people still use those?).  

All in all it was a 4 hour project, but there's more to be done.  

On Monday I plan on framing up the ceiling space of where the wall was to make it look nice, putting in a carpet bar (for where the carpet goes to tile), and then filling in all of the holes in the walls (and there are a lot of them).  

Then on Tuesday I'll (and a few who said they wanted to help) be sanding all of the holes and then priming the walls.  Not sure of when they were last painted, but from what they look like I would assume it hasn't been since the church was built.

In the very near future I'll be painting the room to make it more lively.  I asked Sarah what she thought I should paint and she said she really liked a design I did for a bible study (a 7 weeks study I put together).  I do seem to see the grunge floral look everywhere so I might end up going that way. . .any suggestions?

If you don't know what "grunge floral" is, here's a few pictures with the concept.

Where Is The Youth Ministry Going?

The Youth Leadership Team has been talking about where we're going. We have been meeting for about 4 months talking about this subject (we don't meet often; I don't like meetings). Pretty soon school is about to start and we're trying to gear up for it.

At our last meeting we decided there are three main areas we need to place our focus on:

1. Youth can't wait to get to school and invite their friends.
2. The youth group is serious about developing a relationship with God.
3. Students know their Bible.

This isn't the only thing we need to give our attention to, if so then we would have a very incomplete ministry. But as we looked at where we are at this moment these were the ones we knew we needed to work on the most for now. Our focus may change in another 6 months; in fact I'm willing to bet it will change within a year.

How did we come to this conclusion?

1. We're small and we know youth can reach youth better than we can. We want them to really want to invite their friends because something awesome is happening here. Not simply to increase our numbers or because of some lame guilt trip that if they don't invite their friends then they aren't really close to God. We want our youth to be excited about what happens at church.
2. We see our youth, as a whole, either not see their need for God or treat God as an elective in life, an extracurricular activity. We want our youth to see God as THE ACTIVITY!
3. We've noticed that pretty much all of our youth can name maybe 3 books of the Bible. They haven't grown up in an environment immersed with the Bible or attending church. This also means that every time they're asked to turn somewhere in a Bible it becomes a "teachable moment" because they for most of them, they have infrequently (or never) ever opened a Bible before. And this also means they don't know even the most common bible stories (Noah and the Ark, Jonah and the Whale, Moses and the Red Sea, Adam and Eve, etc.).

For those of you reading from back home, let's just say Sarah and I are not in the Bible-Belt anymore! I know that the youth currently coming are not the norm around here. Most youth know a little more about the Bible than the group I currently have, but these youth are coming and they're interested. Praise God!

Tomorrow night the Youth Leadership Team are getting together to talk about how we can accomplish these three goals, which we strongly feel God has put before us. We'll be discussing strategies and tactics while we try to gear up for the new school year.

Reasons Un-Church Youth Might Check Out Youth Group

Brain storm with me. . .

What are some of the reason that might attract youth to youth group. Some of them might be youth that have never stepped foot into a church. Some of them may have attended a church as a child but their parents stopped going and, of course, so did they. Some of them may have had bad experiences at a church (deacons fighting in the parking lot, cursed at by a youth volunteer, felt unwelcomed, etc.).

What sort of things would attract them back? If we passed out a survey in our high schools and middle schools what kind of responses do you think we would get? If we were the ones creating that survey what kinds of things would we suggest might get them back?

I'm going to start a list and would you please add to it. . .perhaps it's from personal experience, from reading research, or perhaps just a guess. . .for what reasons would an un-churched youth might check out youth group?

Here's my start. . .

1. If there was free pizza and soda
2. If there was a Wii console the youth could play
3. If there were games like ping-pong, pool, basketball, etc.
4. If my friends came with me
5. If the church had real answers to some of my questions about life
6. If the truth was being taught
7. If the church took fun trips (Universal Studios, Six Flags, camp, paintball, laser tag, etc.)

Spare The Rod, Spoil The Child

"He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently." -Proverbs 13:24

This world is one upside down place.

My role is pastor to students and parents. I was talking with a parent about measures to correct the direction a child was going. This young one is now a teenager and has never really had any discipline in his life. Most of my suggestions were rather simple things a parent can do to partner with teachers and/or other parents to help young ones develop good habits.

But the question was asked, "what do I do when they rebel against these things"? Every situation of when a child does something wrong needs its own kind of punishment, but a time comes when spanking the child is the proper course of action. Well this brought up something shocking!

Florida's Child Abuse Law is worded like this:

"Harm" to a child occurs when the parent or other person responsible for the child's welfare inflicts or allows to be inflicted upon the child physical, mental, or emotional injury. The following factors must be considered in evaluating any injury: prior injuries; location; multiplicity; and type of trauma. Such injury include, but are not limited to willful acts that produce the following specific injuries: sprains, dislocations, or cartilage damage; bone or skull fractures; brain or spinal cord damage; intracranial hemorrhage or injury to other internal organs; asphyxiation, suffocation, or drowning; injury resulting from the use of a deadly weapon; burns or scalding; cuts, lacerations, punctures, or bites; permanent or temporary disfigurement; or permanent or temporary loss or impairment of a body part or function. "Willful" refers to the intent to perform an action, not to achieve a particular result or an intent to cause an injury.
Sec. 415.503. [Civil Code]

I placed certain parts in bold to make the problem clear. But the problem is not the law, but rather, how it is apparently being enforced. A case was cited to me where a child received a spanking. The child then called social services (which he learned to do from a teacher) and without any validity to the child's claim they responded with force making threats that if this happens again they will remove the child from that home. Who do you think is in control of that household now?

I understand that we need laws to protect our children from harmful and dangerous parents, but this is ridiculous. The way social services enforces the law in Florida (at least in Indian River County; and this was quote to me from more than one person as I talked with them separately) is that if any indication of a spanking that can be seen 20 minutes after the incident then it is child abuse. Also, if the child is unable to use their butt to sit (notice "impairment of a body part or function") then it is child abuse.

There were a few spankings I got as a child that when I look back I remember them being pretty rough, mostly because I squirmed so much that my mom or dad missed their target (my bottom), but I now look back on the spankings I got with some fondness. Not that I enjoyed the pain, but rather, those disciplinary actions impacted me greatly. For one, it told me to shut up and listen to my dad. It helped me understand consequences for my actions (something most of today's youth really don't understand). I know my spankings didn't come from a mother or father who lashed out at me because they were tired of whatever I was doing wrong. I had a mother and father who feared what would happen to me and who I would become if spankings were absent from my life.

North Carolina, where I recently moved from, words their child abuse laws this way:

Abuse includes infliction of a serious physical injury by other than accidental means; creating a substantial risk of such injury by other than accidental means; and using cruel or grossly inappropriate procedures or devices to modify behavior. Juvenile Sec. 7B-101(1). [Civil Code]

I'm sure there are cases where this law is being abused in North Carolina as well. But I've never been introduced to areas that handle spanking like where I am now, but I've heard that many states are just as bad.

When it comes to writing and enforcing laws I would say this would be a tough one. I mean, you don't want to see a child beaten to near death before someone jumps in to stop it. You want to catch it before it even starts. But how to do enforce laws meant to protect our children without removing proper ways to raise a child.

Life Of The Moores Update

Back in March Sarah and I attended the Youth Pastor Summit, which was really good! We also were able to enjoy Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure for a few hours.


Frodo has entered our world and Sarah really loves having him around. His personality is nothing like Lilly's. Lilly won't leave him alone and unless she's sleeping she wants to know what he's doing at all times and irritates him non-stop. Here's Frodo getting a bath!

We received a gift from my grandma late March. My mom told me it was originally intended to be a wedding present but it took a lot longer than expected to make. Sarah and I love it. It's on our bed at night. The cool thing is it's light weight which is perfect for Florida! It's a beautiful quilt!

On April 1st Sarah and I took two youth to Busch Gardens: Tampa (it was their Spring Break). Harry hadn't been on a roller coaster in over 3 years because of a fear of heights. We got him on 2 coasters. Nick had never been to Busch Gardens before; now he has a one year pass and we're going back! We got rained out about an hour before we had to leave. It was an experience just getting out of Busch Gardens; the rain was coming down tropical storm style. After waiting about 30 minutes we all bought ponchos and made a run for it. We had a blast! Oh, and check out the video of Harry making friends with a flamingo.



I've been working on the back yard for about a week. I should have took some before and after pictures. It's been a lot of work for how little of a backyard we have. It was full of weeds, sandspurs, bark, and a few large rocks. 8 trash bags of weeds and bark later and this is where I'm at so far.

Visit my FaceBook page to see more pictures (I'm pretty sure you have to register an account to see these, but it's so worth it for keeping up with people).