August 2009

Michael Jackson

Okay. I watched his ceremony wearing my Ove Glove ® in honor of his sparkly trademark . Maybe I didn't have to admit that. But a lot of things piqued my interest regarding the King of Pop, poking my brain as surely as his crystal sequins. They include his drug addictions, unique tastes to the surrounding cast of characters that sponged off his life.

As iron sharpens iron, no one sharpened Michael.

No matter what you thought, MJ is ripe for lessons in urban youth ministry. Nah, not a moon walking contest, but consider one of the topics:

• Friend or Pretend? ( Proverbs 27:17)
• Loving the Skin You're In ( Psalm 139:14)
• Neverland or Foreverland: where are you placing your treasure? (Matthew 6:21)

Hope at last!

That Murphy guy must have been a youth pastor. Because in youth ministry, if anything can go wrong it will.

But now there's the Book of Hope. Spearheaded by Texan youth leader Tim Baker, the book contains brutally honest advice from youth professionals around the country on how to survive when things go wrong.

Topics include:

• what to do if your van breaks down
• how to beat burn out
• what to do if a teen gets pregnant (written by TastyFaith's Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald).

Some of the chapters won't apply to urban youth ministry, such as what to do if you're fired (you can't fire the volunteer!), when your office is a mess (the church van is my office), or dealing dwindling finances (welcome to the world of urban youth ministry).

It's a great read. Download an excerpt at TastyFaith.com.

Trivia for the day: Murphy's Law was named after Captain Edward Aloysius Murphy, an American aerospace engineer.

Lesson Idea: the Etch-a-Sketch Effect

Ever have those days when you wish you could shake your life like an Etch-a-Sketch and start over? As certain as Adam wished he would've had a V8 instead of the apple, most of us made decisions we wish we could undo. It might be getting a tattoo, not staying in school, or popping off to a family member. But whatever we regret, we can have a clean slate with God. And what better way to demonstrate it than with an Etch-A-Sketch lesson.

In search of Teen Dads

TastyFaith is working on a bigger and better resource dealing with unexpected pregnancy. We are currently seeking input regarding teen dads. If you work with teen dads or young men who feel remorse regarding an abortion, sexual mistakes or if you have dealt with these issues yourself, please contact info@tastyfaith. Your experience can help others. Names will remain confidential.

Unexpected: Dealing with Teen Pregnancy

So what do youth leaders do when that vow of abstinence breaks? Not always what you expect... Read more.

Customer comment of the month:

This ain't no lifeway!

I just placed my first Tasty Faith order, and I can't wait to receive my material! I've been teaching an inner city children/youth Wednesday night class for two years. I can't believe I spent all that time fruitlessly scouring LifeWay's shelves for appropriate material. I sure wish I had known about you sooner. Visit the TastyFaith store today!

Coming up conferences!

Want teens to show up for the meet of your meeting instead of just free pizza? Learn marketing tricks from the pros to make your ministry more irresistible than the foam on your double mocha caramel cappuccino blasto grande. Discover more at The Crave Factor Lab NYWC Cincinnati

Creating a craving for your ministry Sunday, November 1, 2009, 4-6 pm
Youth Specialties National Youth Worker's Convention

Money Stretcher

Need to stretch that bottom dollar for youth ministry as well as stretch young minds? Create Youth Meeting Spogs.

TastyFaith LLC Creating a Craving for Christ with Urban Youth. Call Us. We don't bite! 773-929-8217

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