There are some unwritten rules of edict when giving a speech on another person’s day of honor . And unfortunately, I find myself cringing more than applauding to most wedding, birthday, or memorial services. Today, I’m having the honor of dedicating my best friend’s baby, Emily, on her first birthday. As I reflected on some of these unwritten rules, I [...]
Archive for the ‘Practical’ Category
Giving a Speech? Don’t Embarrass Yourself
July 16th, 2011 
joshherndon 
Posted in Practical, Top 10 
Tags: best man speech, giving a good speech, maid of honor speech, public speaking, speech edict 
2 Comments »Evaluating What I Spend My Time Doing [cutting out the fat]
October 11th, 2010 joshherndon Since becoming bivocational, my ministry responsibilities as a youth pastor have altered and the aspects of ministry I’m choosing to focus on has shifted greatly. I don’t have the luxury of putting together an immaculate youth service with lots of in-house videos, games, bells and whistles. I have (realistically) 5 hours a week of prep [...]
My Sunday Morning Script
September 26th, 2010 joshherndon Every time there’s a new teenager that comes to Sunday service at church I have a little process I’ve found myself going through: Before service: Go up and introduce myself in a easy, non-threatening manner. If they respond in an engaging manner, I ask them some generic questions in order to make a connection. If [...]
Are Your Graphics Sending Mixed Messages?
September 11th, 2010 joshherndon My good friend, Brian drew up our graphic for our new discipleship training program, Central Seminary: It’s in the same style as our theme, “We Are The Movement”: When doing graphics for various departments or programs for any church or organization, it’s important to have coordinating colors, fonts, and feels. You build a consistent message [...]
Taking a Break From the Lord’s Work
August 3rd, 2010 joshherndon The New York Times did an article about Clergy burnout. The findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their [...]
Bill and Tom’s Summer Camp Tips
June 9th, 2010 joshherndon I read over on TonyMorganLive.com a few practical “free tips” for youth ministers as given by Bill Kagey and Tom Shefchunas. Here’s a couple that I enjoyed: Bill encouraged churches to shift summer camps to the end of the summer. Instead of students going away for a great week of camp at the beginning of [...]
Posted in Practical Tags: Bill Kagey, free tips, summer camp ideas, Tom Shefchunas, Tony Morgan, tony morgan live No Comments »The Next Steps in Planning a Missions Trip
June 5th, 2010 joshherndon I wrote yesterday about the first steps in planning a missions trip, which is mostly an “evaluation process”. Once you decide on the location, cost, dates, and organization it’s time to start gathering your team! Buzz-it (1-year out). The best way to get word out about a missions trip is word of mouth. Target a [...]
The First Steps in Planning a Missions Trip
June 4th, 2010 joshherndon Our team is leaving San Francisco International Airport in 24 days to The Philippines… and we’re already started planning for next years trip! Here’s the process that I’m in right now, and a guide for you in setting up a missions trip: Evaluate Your Group’s Readiness. Is your group ready for the physical, financial, spiritual [...]
Meeting at Starbucks
June 4th, 2010 joshherndon This late-morning I have two Starbucks meetings, one with a potential adult leader and the other with a neighboring youth pastor-friend. This isn’t the first time I’ve had back-to-back meetings at my local Starbucks, in fact, it’s my choice meeting place. But often times Christians are known to be the cheap, rude, inconsiderate and impatient [...]