3 Things A Leader Taught Me

Last week, I had the chance to share about one of the coolest, effective, most dedicated youth workers I know -- MY DAD!! My friend, Brooklyn Lindsey, asked me to write a guest post on her blog, as part of a series "3 Things A Leader Taught Me." You can check out the original post here (and read more entries in the series), or I have included my post below for your convenience!

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Mike started working with our youth ministry when I was in 7th grade. Mike was consistent, encouraging, and without hesitation, dove into the lives of students. Mike wore many hats. He was a multiple hour van driving, service project planning, volleyball coaching, small group leading, sleep-on-the-floor-during-a-mission trip, do whatever needs to be done, kind of volunteer. Most students called him by his first name. I called him Dad.
My dad started volunteering with the youth at my home church when I entered into the teen department, and he continues to this day. It has been 17 years and my dad, who is now a retired school teacher, is still a part of the youth ministry team.
I have been blessed to observe my dad in ministry for the last 17 years and these are three of my biggest take-aways:

1. Be consistent. Consistency is invaluable. Whenever students walked in the door of our youth ministry on Sundays, they always knew that Mike would be there to greet them. When most things in their lives were unpredictable and chaotic, they could count on my dad’s presence and encouragement.
2. Stay in it. You don’t have to grow out of youth ministry: All it takes is willingness, availability, and a heart to serve.
3. Embrace the fun. Nicknames and a quirky sense of humor go a long way!

My dad has an incredible gift for making each person he comes in contact with feel special and valued. He is also the king of fun nicknames. For instance, when he was on a mission trip in San Francisco with our youth group a few years ago, he spent some time with a homeless man, who he nicknamed “Bob Marley.”A few days later, when my dad was in a completely different part of town, that same man sought him out and exclaimed with the biggest smile on his face, “Hey Mike! It’s me…Bob Marley!”

My dad is intentional to let others know that he “sees”them; they are not just one in the crowd, but they are a unique, special child of God. As I serve in youth ministry, I look to my dad as an example of what it means to truly “see”and serve. I know that there are countless “Bob Marleys”in my youth ministry who are waiting for me to call their name and journey with them as we corporately find our identities in Christ.

Carly and her dad, Mike, sightseeing in London last fall.

Lessons From Summer Camp

This summer has flown by! I seriously cannot believe it is time for school to start. I feel like I was just planning for summer, thinking about the road trips, family gatherings, and summer camps. I was able to end my summer by attending two camps with Woods End Ministries. I spoke at Rocky Mountain District Camp near Bozeman, Montana. My brother, Chris, our friend, Grant, and I team spoke at Washington Pacific Camp in Poulsbo, Washington. At both camps, our Woods End band led worship. I am so thankful for these two camps and the opportunities we had to share the love of Jesus through the spoken word and through music.

I learned some pretty incredible things during the camps this year. Some of the lessons are a little silly, while others were truly heart-transforming. In both instances, I will remember these lessons for years to come:

1) Flip-Flops are of utmost importance. Camp showers can get a little sketchy at times, and having a cheap pair of flip-flops can save you from stepping in slimy puddles.

2) An unexpected iced coffee from Starbucks is a great way to start your day. Some of the guys in the band went to Starbucks in the mornings and they brought me back an iced coffee a few times at camp. That little gift was such a great way to get me rolling. I am not a morning person, so a little coffee first thing is such a blessing! It is awesome to be a part of such a great team!

3) Yuck is awesome. Have you seen this stuff? Yuck is a gelatin type material, and it is looks and feels little pieces of jello. You can fill trash cans, buckets, and baby pools with the stuff, and it makes for awesome games. If you add Yuck to any game, it increases the fun factor by at least 157%. See, Woods End dudes, Grant and Nate, are loving it! (Photo credit: Elevate Youth)

4) Expect for your plans to change. I planned my messages before I arrived at camp. However, God changed my plans throughout the week. I told stories I didn't plan to share, and I ended up scratching some of my notes that I had been preparing for months. Flexibility and openness to God's movement was so important. If I would have been stuck in my ways, I would have missed what God wanted me to share.

5) God just wants us to be available. Going into camp, I had poured most of my time and energy into planning my messages. However, as I left camp, I realized most of my time and energy was poured into investing in others. Some of the most important moments of camp were not the times I was speaking up front, but they were in the conversations I had with students. As I walked to dinner one night, I had an in-depth conversation with a student who needed to know she was valuable. After chapel one night, I was able to pray with a student about issues at home, and I prayed with another about committing his future plans to God. Through these conversations, I realized that God doesn't want us to solely focus on serving Him in our preparation, but He wants us to serve Him with our availability. He wants us to be available to invest in others as we go about our days. As we make ourselves available to God, He will give us some of the most defining moments in ministry. We can't plan for those, we just have to be available.

- Carly

Recipe for Community: Waffles and Chicken Fried Steak

Last Sunday, we experienced community. The people of our church came together.... all because of the generosity of our college students.

Last week, my brother, Chris, sent a facebook message out to all of the college students involved in our church. He proposed inviting all of the adults and families in our church to join them for lunch in the college cafeteria. This idea required that students donate their meal passes and take the families from our congregation "out to lunch." The response on the facebook message thread was awesome! The students were so excited about eager to create a time and place to connect.

On Sunday, Chris announced the invitation in church. There were some giggles and muffled chatter, but Chris smiled and stated, "No, I'm serious. We really want to take you out to lunch!"

After church, the students headed over to the cafeteria, spread out around 5 or 6 tables and waited to see who would arrive. Slowly but surely, a few church members started to arrive. Before we knew it we had over 25 adults and kids there eating in the college cafeteria.

It was so heartwarming for me to see the group of the ever-encouraging and always-praying ladies sitting with Adam and Brittney. I loved seeing the kids (with icecream cones in their hands) chasing Kevin around the cafeteria. Seeing Shaun and Brent bond over conversation about their facial hair was priceless. 

I loved seeing and being a part of community.

It was humbling that our college students took the initiative to create this time to be together and provided meals for their church family.

I truly believe that last Sunday was a monumental day in the life of our church. It was a day when generations chatted over waffles, chicken fried steak, and chocolate milk. It was a day when community happened in the college cafeteria.

- Carly