My heart breaks for so many of my students. So many lives full of confusion. There’s no peace. There’s no refuge. And I get sick to my stomach when I know my hands are tied. I’ve seen that 93% of a student’s worldview will be developed from their home life. That leaves 7% for pastors [...]
Archive for May, 2010
21 Days: Mantic May
May 12th, 2010 
joshherndon Is May always this busy? I feel like I’ve been running from appointment to meeting to event to… this Saturday, for instance, I had a brunch event, a BBQ birthday party, and a BBQ dinner (all in three different cities). What does three events in one day mean? I can’t enjoy any of them because [...]
Goodbye, "Not A Robot"
May 11th, 2010 joshherndon For the past 19 months we’ve had an overarching theme for Central Student Ministries: “Not a Robot”. The theme has been infused in our publications, series, and vision for the beginning of the ministry. It’s treated us well! “Not a Robot” has a couple talking points: •You are made in the image of God, and [...]
Posted in Central Student Ministries 
Tags: not a robot, Youth Group Themes, Youth Ministry 
No Comments »Fixing a Bad Night
May 10th, 2010 joshherndon I felt like I had a rough service this past week. Ever happen to you? So I was thinking of what went wrong and things I should do next time things just aren’t clicking. Problem: I was distracted with lots of “stuff to do”. Solution: I need to assign students/volunteers to specific jobs on a [...]
My Sister is Getting Married!
May 9th, 2010 joshherndon I took some engagement pictures of my sister and soon-to-be-brother-in-law yesterday. They both have gorgeous eyes (and small ears)– should make for some beautiful nephew and nieces! Related Posts:No Related Posts
Pasta for Cinco de Mayo
May 6th, 2010 joshherndon Evie and I had Christine and Garrett over for dinner last night! We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with some pasta, red velvet cupcakes, and chips. If your looking to connect with a junior high or high school student, invite them into your life for a night. We make a meal, play a game, and have [...]
21 Days: Either, Or
May 4th, 2010 joshherndon Our church is doing a fast for 21 days. I’ve been asked to blog periodically about my journey. “Fasting” is a simple practice: give up something and replace it with seeking God in prayer and petition. I’ve never been one to be enthusiastic about fasting, because food is traditionally what’s given up. So, I usually [...]
"Minute to Win It" Saved Game Time
May 4th, 2010 joshherndon I hate youth group games. My experience has been draining, ineffective, and burdensome. I usually find myself 1) corralling everyone, 2) yelling the directions, 3) pulling-teeth for participation, only to 4) regret playing games to begin with. Then NBC’s Minute to Win It happened… [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86d7cq3YDRY] I tried it for the first time last Friday and [...]
Posted in Central Student Ministries Tags: Activities, Games, Group Games, Minute to Win It, Youth Group Games 4 Comments »37, and Growing?
May 3rd, 2010 joshherndon This past week at CSM FRIDAY NIGHTS, we had 37 people in attendance, consistent with our 4-week average (35). This is a nearly 75% jump from January (~20). There’s a few things that we need to do yesterday if we intend to retain and nurture continued growth: We need more Adult Leaders. As of now [...]
Top 10 Posts of April 2010
May 2nd, 2010 joshherndon Here’s the top 10 posts from April 2010 that generated the most traffic. Who Goes to District Council I Spotted a Lobby Junkie Spring Break in Santa Cruz “I Told You So” TMI with Christine Torres Five Things To Do Before Making A Big Decision What Do You Call It: Service vs. Gathering vs. Celebration [...]