Enroute

An article on "justice"

Matt Wilks - Friday, March 20, 2009
This past week, I have been bombarded in my thoughts regarding "justice."  Where I live in Calgary, we have seen an increase in homelessness that a good "canadian" city should never have to deal with, especially one with an abundance of resources.

When Jesus came to earth over 2000 years ago, one of the goals that he had was to bring about a new or restored community.  He was all about interacting with the people He shouldn't have, healing those who were viewed as unclean and hanging out with sinners.  His disciples which were a complete "rag-tag" group of wanna be leaders who probably at times were more work than profit for Jesus but still Jesus stayed focused on restoring this community.

Jesus was for justice and this week I was drawn back to an article that I found in the Journal of Student Ministries a year ago called Jesus Justice.  Jeremy Del Rio writes a very practical article which includes this definition of Justice - 

"Justice is about righting the underlying wrongs that create the problems in the first place.  It's about restoring balance, renewing hope, and reconciling fractured communities."

The article can be found here.

It was a great reminder (o'k - kick in the pants...) as we walk into this Easter season about how I am living my life following Jesus.  Am I a copy or a guy who talks a good talk?

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Helping volunteers in youth ministry

Matt Wilks - Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Over the last couple days, Chris has been writing some very interesting thoughts about volunteers in youth ministry.  I know that Chris and I have spent hours talking about what the difference it is to go from the primary decision maker (youth pastor or youth director) to now a volunteer.

I know that in my own journey as a volunteer these last few years, I have learned many things that I would do differently if I was the leader of a youth ministry again.

Saying all that, I would encourage you to check out Chris' posts on his blog.
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"Misplaced"

Matt Wilks - Friday, March 06, 2009
This past Wednesday I had the great pleasure to speak at the Young Adults gathering at Centre Street Church in Calgary.  My good friends Wayne and Brad are involved in leading the group there and it is always a thrill to spend some time with them and the people that they lead.

In recent days, my heart has been aching for this generation more so than ever as I wonder if the church of today is actually making a difference in their lives.  It isn't about another program that we create, or another fancier way to do "church" but I believe what this generation is longing for is summed up in one word - authenticity.  

Authenticity from their leaders and from their church that compels them to believe that the "institution" of church is no longer contained to a building but rather a lifestyle that transcends outside the walls of the building.

A year ago at a gathering I was apart of in Canada, they showed a video that had some thoughts on this subject.  I would encourage you to view it here and use it as a tool to start discussion with some people who are wrestling to understand this generation.
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Christ”ian” stereo-types…

Matt Wilks - Monday, March 02, 2009

Over the weekend, I stumbled across an interview with a very interesting individual.  His name is Dan Merchant and he set out on a journey to understand the “sterero-types” that Christians have in the US.  His idea was to wear a suit covered with conflicting "religious" bumper-stickers that would enable him to enter into a dialogue with people who might otherwise not discuss their religious beliefs.

 

He has written a book to go along with the documentary that he filmed.  Both of these items can be found here.

 

He shared a line in the interview and I couldn’t shake out of my mind all weekend.  He said, "The world loves Jesus and talks very positively about Him and what He did.  The problem is that the world hates Christians."

 

Ouch!  Check out his website and see if this could be used as a discussion starter with your students.
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Welcome to the Enroute Blog

Infusion Support - Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Enroute is a one-day training experience for youth workers working in any capacity with young people - paid and volunteer.

Enroute is centered on the life of Jesus, as seen within the greater context of the entire Story of God.  It is designed to help you explore a transformational model for youth ministry in order to help you discover and discern the most effective way in your context to bring youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Enroute is intended to give you a descriptive model in which to evaluate, plan and build a biblically-based, Christ centered youth ministry in your church and community.


Enroute is designed to provide you with...

- An overview of transformational youth ministry

- A dynamic, transformational and practical model for building a youth ministry

- An overview of the Story of God, and the importance of it as the starting point for shaping the lives of today's youth

- A look into the mission and message of Jesus Christ, and the implication of his mission has on who we are and how we live

- A functional yet inspiring way to live and love in the way of Jesus

- A practical way to envision and create environments for the spiritual transformation of your students

- A description of what "story formed" students might look like in your local ministry context

- A 'take home' plan for implementing the ideas and concepts that were talked about in the Enroute trining expereince

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