Hi my name is Matt Murphy and along with Brad Widstrom, wrote 99 Thoughts for Caring for Your Youth Group.   Below are insights into our book writing process and how everything came about.  Our hope in this is that you would be able to see our hearts behind our NEW Book 99 Thoughts on Caring for Your Youth Group.  If you have questions my contact info is at the bottom. I will also be at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Louisville, KY this year, probably around the books, so if you see me stop by and say hi!

*click the above image for a FREE Sample Chapter

Why 99 Thoughts for Caring?

-       I chose to write a book about helping youth workers care about their youth group from A to Z because it is a huge part of my passion and calling.  Coming from the Social Work field, my perspectives on caring, not only in the technical aspects of caring, but how to do certain types of caring, such as hospital visits, jail visits or coffee shop counseling helped me choose to put together this book.  My suggestion to anyone wanting to write anything is to do it from a place where they are both passionate about and have some form of experience of doing it, that way you can talk about both angles… as in Head and Heart knowledge (or wisdom). 

How did this become a collaborative project?

-       When hatching this idea and coming to the proposal phase, I decided to talk to one of my youth professors at Seminary who gave great advice.  Another huge aspect of teaming up with Brad was that his strengths complimented my weaknesses and vice versa.  This partnership was great because we both brought all we had to the table and recognized where we weren’t the best and could lay off.  My suggestion is that if you have another person you can work well with and they add things to the equation that you don’t bring, then see about collaborating, if not, still seek advisors along the way to help you form your ideas.

How did you choose your topics?

-       Brad and I held several brainstorming sessions and kept throwing things at the wall and created a huge master list of topics that could be covered.  From there we broke it into several categories (person of a caregiver, skills of care-giving and then basic intermediate and advanced care-giving scenarios).  We organized our thoughts and consolidated them to the best thoughts.  We ended up writing about 50% more than what you see in the book.  Only the best and strongest points made it in there, and sometimes we consolidated points to help with our word economy.

-       I also used tools like Evernote to write quick notes about topics, themes or what I should include in my thoughts so I wouldn’t lose any ideas.  My suggestion is to dream big and then hone down your message considerably.  Make it concise and clear before you submit your proposal.  That way your idea will go further. 

How did you break up your work?

-       We organized our thoughts by topics and then broke those up to who could do the best job writing them.  I normally selected a section and sat down at Panera or somewhere quiet and write ideas down.  And write chapters.  I aimed at a few hundred words per thought.  If a thought grew past that limit I would look to build a series of thoughts on a theme.   Later on in the process we both sat down and combined thoughts that were redundant.  We both used deadlines to hold ourselves accountable to each other and ourselves.   My suggestion is: don’t be satisfied.  Go through your drafts multiple times and ask trusted advisers to help with challenging topics to help you gain clarity.  Take breaks long enough to forget what you have written, this will help you pick out your mistakes and ambiguity better. 

*click the above image to learn more about 99 Thoughts on Caring for Your Youth Group

Matt Murphy
Blog: EngagingtheShadowsofYouthMinistry.com
Twitter: @MattMurphyMSWYM
*FYI I will be at Simply Youth Ministry Conference this year, probably around the books, so if you see me stop by and say hi!

Serving in Christian ministry should be a life-building, life-giving, life-inspiring experience for leaders, spouses, and families. So why isn’t that always the case?

In this book, youth pastor Brian Berry pours out his thoughts on why it’s so tough to build a healthy life, a healthy marriage, and a healthy family in the midst of ministry craziness. He focuses on the three best gifts you as a youth worker can bestow:

• The best gift you can give your marriage is a healthy self
• The best gift you can give your family is a healthy marriage
• The best gift you can give your community and ministry is a healthy family

**A Message from author Brian Berry**

Just reading this book won’t transform you into a youth worker with a healthy self, marriage, and family. But reading this book will guide you, challenge you, and inspire you as you ponder the stuff that we all wrestle with as followers of Jesus, the stuff we strive for as spouses, and the stuff we yearn for as parents.

Brian Berry serves as the generation ministries pastor at Journey Community Church near San Diego, California, where he works directly with high school ministry and oversees a staff that is responsible for infants through 20-somethings. Brian is also a frequent blogger, writes and teaches for youth workers, and speaks at various conferences, camps, and retreats for a variety of audiences. He and his wife Shannon have five kids.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

FREE “Breathe” Devotional JUST RELEASED!

Click Here to DOWNLOAD NOW!

2012 “Breathe” Devotional Author
Lenita Fix
Urban Youth Worker
BlueSkyGreenSky.com
leneitafix@gmail.com

When I first embarked on youth ministry I thought there wasn’t one student who didn’t have my heart.   I saw the way that Jesus modeled ministry, so I was going to have his approach.

**SYMC is ALMOST SOLD-OUT!**

He preached to the crowds, and out of great compassion he touched and healed the masses.  However, those he was closest to were his disciples.  It made sense to me to have this highly relational approach to ministry. After all, our “great commission” is to go and “make disciples,”  like he did.   It never dawned on me that there would be students that would be a “challenge.”   I started to question if “everyone”  was really capable of being a “disciple.”   I thought some were too awkward, too difficult, too closed minded, or too broken.

Then one day the Lord showed me I was the “problem.”   The Lord has a purpose and a plan for each one of us.  He sees us with love and hope.   It is the “world” that identifies as “too much,” not the Lord.  I needed to change my perspective moving my focus from what kids are “not”  to who they are meant to be.  When I started to see these students through the Lord’s eyes,  they truly changed.

**DISCOUNTED REGISTRATIONS are still AVAILABLE**

When I was asked to serve at SYMC this year I took a look at my own life in ministry.  I am ecstatic to be serving in so many ways this year, co-leading a pre-con, engaging in peer-panels,  co-leading a connect group and of course teaching.  However, the workshop that is probably closest to my heart is one I am teaching on Saturday morning called, “Ministry on the Fringe: Loving and Engaging with THAT Kid You Want To Strangle.”  You see I don’t think we are called to “endure” any of our students.  The goal is to move this generation to take their place understanding  who they are in Christ. This workshop will discuss practical ways to touch these students, overcome our own “issues” with them and include them successfully into our programming.

Lenita Fix
Urban Youth Worker
BlueSkyGreenSky.com
leneitafix@gmail.com

I used to believe that, and unfortunately it wasn’t all in my head. I’ve experienced an inordinate amount of church leaders who became something other than a representative of Jesus Christ to me behind closed doors. Something tells me I’m not alone in wanting to point fingers at churches or senior leaders for this kind of hurt, for I’ve heard other youth workers commiserate about congregations they once believed the best in but no longer could. It was as if something toxic had given us all a kind of spiritual pneumonia.

**You’re Invited to Join 3,000 Fellow Youth Workers!**

The problem is that I don’t believe that original summation anymore. Although I’ve gone through harsh situations that stole the very breath out of my walk with God, I now realize that I irresponsibly missed some things during those years that could’ve created game changing alternatives. At times it involved things happening inside of me, such as my own insecurities or blind spots. There were other situations where I simply didn’t recognize the perspectives of others and approached situations with a small perception of reality.

**Hurry Seats Are Almost Sold Out!**

I’m a lead pastor now, and I still don’t know everything. It’s humbling to consider that what I’ve learned in hindsight could be the foresight someone else is looking for, which is why I’m thrilled to serve youth workers at SYMC through a track entitled “Wisdom from the Other Side: What I Learned About Youth Ministry After Becoming A Lead Pastor.” Instead of faking our authority, we’ll talk about true credibility; instead of pointing out what we see in others, we’ll realize what’s happening inside of our own hearts; instead of feeling overwhelmed by teenagers, we’ll understand how to help them become overwhelmed by God; and instead of competing for the spotlight on what we’re doing we’ll put it on Jesus.

**DISCOUNTED REGISTRATIONS are still AVAILABLE**

It may feel like churches suffocate youth workers, but the greater reality is usually larger than that. Even when things are legitimately difficult it’s still possible to experience the Breath of Life in a vacuum. We don’t have to wrestle against flesh and blood but can instead reclaim what God intended ministry to be like. The bad news is that it will involve the difficult task of exhaling our naïve ignorance and sarcastic arrogance; however, the good news is that what we breathe in will allow real life to emerge. Look forward to breathing that that in at SYMC!

Tony Myles
Lead Pastor
Connection Church
tonymyles@hotmail.com
twitter: @tonymyles