Newsletter 44: July 2009
(New Zealand Edition)*
*
if you are not from NZ click
here for our Australian/International e-newsletter.
From Murray's Desk - No you weren't deleted from our database...
It's been a busy few months with trips to Fiji and then Nepal
for youth ministry training, and with a pile of marking needing
to be done on my return plus the usual round of mid year conferences,
I am only now able to turn my attention to another newsletter.
The visit to Nepal was especially valuable - for me and I
pray for them too. I led 3 day training seminars at three
locations and had about 100 youth leaders in total attend.
As I assessed the visit with my hosts, the Nepal Baptist Youth
Fellowship it was felt a return visit was needed, this time
to train more extensively a team of trainers who will travel
around the country passing on what they have learnt. In the
meantime I'd like to work on a resource that teaches youth
ministry basics and is applicable in any culture. There are
other people I'm in contact with in poorer countries who lack
resources and would love to have something they can use as
a basis for training.
All this takes time and money. Our list of regular supporters
is gradually dwindling and at the moment we face a loss of
$20,000 for the current financial year. There is an urgent
need to find more donors. If you can help us keep afloat and
make this plan a reality, then go to our supporters
page. You can make one off or regular donations... small
or large. Thank you!
LIFE:
The Missing Dimension in Discipleship
It is encouraging to get feedback from readers of my book
regarding ways they are using it. At a recent conference I
had two people mention to me how they have used it as a daily
devotion and have appreciated its message. One of them later
wrote to me saying:
"We have daily devotion times as a church staff,
when it comes to my turn, I use 'LIFE'. I simply read one
chapter a week. Everyone always enjoys it, and it creates
some great discussion time and prayer focus. I have now moved
onto using it for my young leaders, as a devotion before training.
It is easy to use, simple to understand and short and to the
point. I HIGHLY recommend reading it, and using it as a devotional
guide."
Their comments reinforced for me the fact that there are
a number of ways people can (and are) using this book: as
a devotional, as the basis for a yuth group Bible study, and
a training book for youth leaders to read. One youth pastor
commented to me that he uses it as compulsory reading for
his leaders as, quite aside from its main message on discipleship,
it gives them a good overview of the flow and coherency of
Scripture.
So if you are looking for a daily devotions book for you
or your leaders then buy a copy - or buy in bulk and receive
each tenth copy free.
For more information and to make a purchase, click here.
Youth Ministry Network Resources - Making Them Your Own
Over recent years many of you have purchased these Bible
study resources from us and have given great feedback. There
is material for preteens right through to young adults and
youth leaders. These are available in .pdf format which means
they appear exactly on your computer as they were printed.
The disadvantage is that you can't make you own changes to
it. It is possible using Adobe Reader (version 9) to copy
and paste text by highlighting it as well as retrieving images
using their snapshot tool. However the best way to get these
studies into a word document so that it looks exactly like
the .pdf file is to use a FREE online editor. I recommend
the one found at http://www.pdftoword.com/.
You upload the file and a short time later the converted Word
document is emailed to you. Then you can alter it as you wish.
Brilliant! Try it out with this free
download from these resources.
A Smorgasbord of Recent FREE Online Resources
- Dr
Dale Ryan: An audio seminar on understanding and responding
to kids who cut and perform other acts of self-harm.
- I
Think I'm Gay: An article on having healthy dialogue
with kids who struggle with sexual orientation.
- Grown
Up Digital: A video interview with Don Tapscott, author
of the book of this name. It gives a very good insight into
the emerging generations (especially the 12 to 31 age group)
and how they think, act, views on work, how they find meaning,
and how technology is influencing and changing their lives.
(Thanks to Sean Marston from SIM for this link. The receive
his e-newsletter email him at sean@youthmesh.org. Also check
out his excellent website at https://www.youthmesh.org/
)
- GROUP
Resources: A whole lot of FREE downloadable samples.
You have to enter registration details and while you can
select any country you need to select a USA state (just
choose any) and make sure you enter 5 digits for your zip
code and 11 digits for your phone number.
- Youthworker
Resources: A number of FREE lessons on issues related
to youth culture.
- Chap
Clark: An interview with Chap Clark, author of many
books on youth ministry and hurting kids, including "Hurt:
Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers" and "When
Kids Hurt: Help for Adults Navigating the Adolescent Maze".
Chap talks about his research and ways we can help parents,
churches, and youth ministries respond.
From Roundabout Ministries
Last year we featured an excellent resource called "The
Fight" put together by Roundabout Ministries in Australia
helping young men deal with pornography whilst pursuing sexual
purity and a close friendship with God. They now have a new
resource called SEX.GOD.LIFE’ looking at the broad issues
of sexuality, identity, discipleship and the Christian life.
For more details on both DVD's visit their website: http://www.thefight.com.au
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