I have really been studying words lately. Our SALT team is looking to re-brand our student ministry. Here is what Seth Godin's blog says about Alignment:
“A perfect relationship:
I want your company to help me, and your company wants to help me. We’re both focused on helping the same person.
The Walmart relationship:
I want the cheapest possible prices and Walmart wants to (actually works hard to) give me the cheapest possible prices. That’s why there’s little pushback about customer service or employee respect… the goals are aligned.
The Apple relationship:
I want Apple to be cool. Apple wants to be cool. That’s why there’s little pushback on pricing or obsolence or disappointing developers.”
What does this say about the church?
The church relationship (when it doesn’t work): I want God to solve all my problem and make me happy. The church wants your buy-in so that it can look prosperous, raise more capitol, hire more staff, and build more buildings.
The church relationship (when it does work): I want to sacrificially join with something larger than myself. The church wants you to join them in God’s Kingdom work.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday's with Mark 4-3-11
Hey Parents,
At SNL we just started our most challenging series. We are talking about what honoring your parents looks like.
We are challending students to take the next step in honoring their parents. Ask your students!
Texting All Students and Parents!
Students and parents… how would you like to get the latest updates and info from Student Pastor Mark Winkler, when they happen? It’s easy to do if you’ll sign up to receive his text messages. For parents of students: http://trunc.us/5GaaPs, for Sr. High students: http://trunc.us/wjH51h, and Jr. High students: http://trunc.us/Fycu1Y.
Pastor Mark has a blog. Follow him, he likes to know that people are reading. You can read them at http://studentsatgreenvalley.blogspot.com/
Pastor Mark
At SNL we just started our most challenging series. We are talking about what honoring your parents looks like.
We are challending students to take the next step in honoring their parents. Ask your students!
Texting All Students and Parents!
Students and parents… how would you like to get the latest updates and info from Student Pastor Mark Winkler, when they happen? It’s easy to do if you’ll sign up to receive his text messages. For parents of students: http://trunc.us/5GaaPs, for Sr. High students: http://trunc.us/wjH51h, and Jr. High students: http://trunc.us/Fycu1Y.
Pastor Mark has a blog. Follow him, he likes to know that people are reading. You can read them at http://studentsatgreenvalley.blogspot.com/
Pastor Mark
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday's with Mark 3-28-11
Parents,
I hope you had a great weekend. They always seem too short don’t they?
Two things on this fine Monday that I want to draw your attention to
1. We have subscribed to a text message update system for our student ministry
a. This will help us to promote events and news to you through text messaging.
i. I need your name and cell phone number (with area code) as well as your carrier.
2. We are starting a new series this Sunday @ SNL. This series will encourage students to develop a strong relationship with their parents. Are you up for the challenges that come with this?
a. Week 1:
The Good Fight series exposes the truth about family life: All families fight. We just fight about and for different things, and we fight in different ways. Some families are very vocal; others quietly stuff their frustrations inside. But regardless of how families fight, every family decides what they are going to fight over. Fighting about rules and issues will always drive us apart, but there is another way. What if we began to fight for relationship? What if our sole objective was to know each other and to honor each other? The Good Fight encourages students to stay in the fight and never give up on their relationship with their parents.
Week 2:
When it comes to God’s intention for family, there are no ambiguities in Scripture. God desires for children and parents to turn their hearts toward each other and have a relationship. In order to have the good relationship God intends, we have to first learn how to change the fight. We have to stop fighting against “their way” and start fighting for a relationship. We have to surrender our right to be right and take up a new cause. We must prioritize relationship regardless of the cost.
Week 3:
This week is the final conclusion to our parent series. The goal of this week is to help students see the responsibility that they have to pursue a relationship with their parents. Some students have been hurt by their parents and they are living out the cycle by seeking to hurt their parents in return. This week we will look at the life of Absalom, who having been hurt, used the remainder of his life for revenge. We will see the outcome of Absalom’s choice and raise the question: Is this really the best way? Can students begin to break the cycle by refusing to use their influence as sons and daughters to inflict pain on the parents who may have hurt them? Can they be the instruments of healing in our parent’s lives?
I hope you had a great weekend. They always seem too short don’t they?
Two things on this fine Monday that I want to draw your attention to
1. We have subscribed to a text message update system for our student ministry
a. This will help us to promote events and news to you through text messaging.
i. I need your name and cell phone number (with area code) as well as your carrier.
2. We are starting a new series this Sunday @ SNL. This series will encourage students to develop a strong relationship with their parents. Are you up for the challenges that come with this?
a. Week 1:
The Good Fight series exposes the truth about family life: All families fight. We just fight about and for different things, and we fight in different ways. Some families are very vocal; others quietly stuff their frustrations inside. But regardless of how families fight, every family decides what they are going to fight over. Fighting about rules and issues will always drive us apart, but there is another way. What if we began to fight for relationship? What if our sole objective was to know each other and to honor each other? The Good Fight encourages students to stay in the fight and never give up on their relationship with their parents.
Week 2:
When it comes to God’s intention for family, there are no ambiguities in Scripture. God desires for children and parents to turn their hearts toward each other and have a relationship. In order to have the good relationship God intends, we have to first learn how to change the fight. We have to stop fighting against “their way” and start fighting for a relationship. We have to surrender our right to be right and take up a new cause. We must prioritize relationship regardless of the cost.
Week 3:
This week is the final conclusion to our parent series. The goal of this week is to help students see the responsibility that they have to pursue a relationship with their parents. Some students have been hurt by their parents and they are living out the cycle by seeking to hurt their parents in return. This week we will look at the life of Absalom, who having been hurt, used the remainder of his life for revenge. We will see the outcome of Absalom’s choice and raise the question: Is this really the best way? Can students begin to break the cycle by refusing to use their influence as sons and daughters to inflict pain on the parents who may have hurt them? Can they be the instruments of healing in our parent’s lives?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday's with Mark
There has been a word that has been on my thoughts for awhile now. The word is something that we have all heard and know what it means. We know it is an essential thing to have in our life, yet we struggle with it. The word is accountability.
Why is it such a tough word? In our work life we always seem to excel. I believe the reason behind that is simply because we are held accountable. If we didn’t do our job correctly we don’t receive a paycheck. We have a boss that is making sure we get the job done. What about when it comes to our faith?
Why is it that in our spiritual life we have a lack of accountability? I believe that accountability and spiritual growth are linked. As I step back and have looked over this last year I see the difference that our church can make in students lives is holding them accountable. Accountability is important; it is part of our H.A.B.I.T.S. It is also the hardest letter to teach in the H.A.B.I.T.S. series as well. I have started to ask a few questions. These are a few that I have started to ask myself.
1. Is my life an open book?
a. Don’t hold anything back. Many times we compartmentalize our life. This is not God’s desire. He wants everything. Are you willing to give this person rockstar access to your life?
2. Can you be taken serious?
a. When you start to speak truth into someone life they have to take you serious. If you are always joking and clowning around it will be difficult for them to seek advice from you.
3. Can I handle what comes up
a. There may be some things that cannot be cleared up within minutes. It may take days, months, even years to deal with some things
I wish I took this serious in high school. Trevor lived down the street. We went to a different church, although he went to a lot of things with my youth group. I never opened my life up to him and we were neighbors. I have no idea why either. Now that we are miles apart we have opened our lives to each other. What a help it is to know I have someone that is in my corner praying for me and cheering for me, and I am doing the same for Trevor. I am no longer afraid of what he might discover. He again is in my corner and there to help me get through it.
We are not lone rangers we are in this life together. I pray that we would seek out accountability. If that is the key to success in the business world, I know it is the key for the spiritual world.
Love Wins,
Mark, Student Pastor
Green Valley Baptist Church
Why is it such a tough word? In our work life we always seem to excel. I believe the reason behind that is simply because we are held accountable. If we didn’t do our job correctly we don’t receive a paycheck. We have a boss that is making sure we get the job done. What about when it comes to our faith?
Why is it that in our spiritual life we have a lack of accountability? I believe that accountability and spiritual growth are linked. As I step back and have looked over this last year I see the difference that our church can make in students lives is holding them accountable. Accountability is important; it is part of our H.A.B.I.T.S. It is also the hardest letter to teach in the H.A.B.I.T.S. series as well. I have started to ask a few questions. These are a few that I have started to ask myself.
1. Is my life an open book?
a. Don’t hold anything back. Many times we compartmentalize our life. This is not God’s desire. He wants everything. Are you willing to give this person rockstar access to your life?
2. Can you be taken serious?
a. When you start to speak truth into someone life they have to take you serious. If you are always joking and clowning around it will be difficult for them to seek advice from you.
3. Can I handle what comes up
a. There may be some things that cannot be cleared up within minutes. It may take days, months, even years to deal with some things
I wish I took this serious in high school. Trevor lived down the street. We went to a different church, although he went to a lot of things with my youth group. I never opened my life up to him and we were neighbors. I have no idea why either. Now that we are miles apart we have opened our lives to each other. What a help it is to know I have someone that is in my corner praying for me and cheering for me, and I am doing the same for Trevor. I am no longer afraid of what he might discover. He again is in my corner and there to help me get through it.
We are not lone rangers we are in this life together. I pray that we would seek out accountability. If that is the key to success in the business world, I know it is the key for the spiritual world.
Love Wins,
Mark, Student Pastor
Green Valley Baptist Church
Monday, January 3, 2011
Monday's with Mark
Well D-Now weekend is almost here. This is one of the biggest events that we do all year. We put a lot of time and energy into making this weekend amazing. You will start to get a flood of information; here is your first rain drop.
The theme this year is God's Reality. There are a lot of reality shows on TV. We watch them and wish maybe our life was more like that family, we could cook like them, even lose weight like them, or thankful that we don't live with a bunch of strangers. We wish that someone else’s reality was ours...but the truth is we are not somebody else and the question is moved to what is God's reality for our life? During our 3 main sessions we will look at what God desires for us at school, work, where our thoughts should be, and how to change our reality to align with God's plan.
Each session will have a time of worship, led by Cameron Story and Kyle Kicker. The guest speaker for each session is Gary Permenter.
Students will spend the night in host homes that are divided by age and gender. Each host home acts as a small group and will lead their small group in a discussion of what they heard that day and the application side of it.
Students will need to eat before they come on Friday night. The cost of the weekend is $50 and includes a T-Shirt and the Bowling on Friday Night as well as meals on Saturday. For more info contact Pastor Mark. To sign-up grab a D-Now brochure fill, it out and turn in the fee.
Love Wins,
Mark
The theme this year is God's Reality. There are a lot of reality shows on TV. We watch them and wish maybe our life was more like that family, we could cook like them, even lose weight like them, or thankful that we don't live with a bunch of strangers. We wish that someone else’s reality was ours...but the truth is we are not somebody else and the question is moved to what is God's reality for our life? During our 3 main sessions we will look at what God desires for us at school, work, where our thoughts should be, and how to change our reality to align with God's plan.
Each session will have a time of worship, led by Cameron Story and Kyle Kicker. The guest speaker for each session is Gary Permenter.
Students will spend the night in host homes that are divided by age and gender. Each host home acts as a small group and will lead their small group in a discussion of what they heard that day and the application side of it.
Students will need to eat before they come on Friday night. The cost of the weekend is $50 and includes a T-Shirt and the Bowling on Friday Night as well as meals on Saturday. For more info contact Pastor Mark. To sign-up grab a D-Now brochure fill, it out and turn in the fee.
Love Wins,
Mark
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