Hey all- I’ve decided it’s time to shut down the blog. After a bunch of years I have finally admitted to myself that I’m just not enjoying it anymore and it’s become to sporadic of a thing in my life.  I’m going to find some new ways of interacting by guest blogging on other sites as well as doing some collaborative things with others but this site is going to officially disappear very soon.

I’m really excited about walking away. Feels right.

Feel free to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/larsrood   or on Facebook.com/larsrood

Shutting it down is a post from: larsrood.com

This short inteview was shot by my friend Brian Aaby and posted on the Dare to Share Blog about a month ago.  It gives you a little idea of my heart about reaching out and evangelism of students.  I’ll be honest and say that Evangelism and figuring out how to do it in the context of a large church where so many students have heard the gospel before is something I’ve always struggled with.  Tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFXt2OeV_Zw

Creating a culture of Evangelism is a post from: larsrood.com

My friends at the Youth Cartel have a great event called The Summit happening this weekend in Atlanta.  I think Adam and Marko are on to something with their Ninja/edgy/different events.  Sadly though I am not able to attend and will miss hanging out with a whole bunch of people I like a ton who are on the cutting edge of some pretty great things happening in the youth ministry world.  If you are anywhere near them this weekend and have some time I would encourage you to go and be a part.

I can’t go because Washington is just a long ways away from things and I am also in my first year of a new pastorate and am being very careful about the days I am gone.

My loss.

The Summit is happening and I’m not going is a post from: larsrood.com

Tomorrow is the start of a revolution.  Ok maybe not anything quite so significant but something pretty cool nonetheless.  My friends at The Youth Cartel came up with an idea a while back to co-sponsor some youth ministry training events that aim at giving new voices a platform to share.  We are doing that at Seattle Pacific University tomorrow.  There is still space to come and join us if you want. Just be there by 9am and bring your thoughts and voice.

I’ve got a couple unique roles at the event tomorrow. I’m co-Mcing which is good since I’ve got the gift of gab. I’m also sitting on a panel about student leaders and I’m moderating a panel about how to minister to lgbt teens.

If you don’t live near Seattle and want to be a part of an event like this I think you should check out the other Open Events that they are putting on.  Maybe even go to Paris.

Open YM, The Youth Cartel, SPU, YouthMark, YouthDynamics and Me. is a post from: larsrood.com

Just saw this video as a part of the Sticky Faith summit at Fuller Seminary.  It was presented by a Fuller faculty member and was done in context of how social interaction is something that even babies are capable of and how important it is. I invite you to watch the video.   The follow up question was asked how can this be extrapolated to older years when children/students are looking to parents for interaction and those parents have their faces burried in their phones.  (Yes I’m pointing the finger at myself for failing in this area)  Really makes me think.

 How can we help parents think through this topic and encourage them to be “engaged” with their kids?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0

Still Face Experiment….how do you pay attention to your kids? is a post from: larsrood.com

So if you’ve read this blog any significant amount of time or interacted with me you know that my favorite verse in the Bible (and a future tattoo) is Joshua 1:9.  This morning I decided I should read through the whole book of Joshua again as part of my devotionals.

I got to Joshua 2 and the whole part about Rahab the prostitute and started thinking:  Why did the two spies go to her house?  

I don’t have an answer for that question. I’m wondering if this was just God’s way again of using people we wouldn’t expect?  Or was it his way of showing that he would redeem someone who was unclean? I do know the lineage of Christ so I’m aware of God’s future plan for Rahab but I still wonder why her.

I have no answer but would love to have you think about it today.

Just a quick thought about the Bible I don’t have an answer to is a post from: larsrood.com

A couple of days ago I was sitting in a meeting talking about the youth ministry at my church.  We were in a pretty great discussion about the new Middle School Ministry we were starting and how the partnership would look between the Children’s/Family/Youth ministries.   As we got deeper into our discussion I was struck with the idea that we needed to do more to give parents a place to be involved.

Often we create roles in our youth ministry that aren’t always ideally suited towards a parent.  We  get caught in figuring out how to meet our “right now” needs of finding small group leaders that we forget to think about how to create new roles for people to fill. For many years my current church had a HS missions trip to Mexico that was very parent driven.  It was a great place for dads especially to get involved because it had a lot of components that a bunch of our dads had skills in.  But, we lost that trip when things got a bit out of control in Mexico and unsafe and we haven’t really figured out how to find that place again for those parents.

When I was the Youth Pastor in Dallas this was actually surprisingly more easy.  We didn’t have a ton of the age group you would generally think of when you picture youth volunteers. We had parents who came with us on all our trips and activities.  We didn’t always do it perfectly but it felt like we were really moving in a good direction to getting them involved. My hope here at Belpres is to continue to provide parents within the children’s/youth/family ministries that I am involved with more places to serve.

Ok back to the title of this blog.  I want to push the youth ministry community to not feel like you don’t need, want or know what to do with parents.  I’m not pushing an “orange” agenda here or drinking from the “D6″ Koolaid. I’m just saying that there needs to be places for parents who want to be involved in the youth ministry that we should find meaningful roles for them.  I’m fighting against the belief that the paid youth workers or super volunteer is somehow better suited or prepared to share Jesus with kids.  I’ll be honest and say I’ve been jealous over the years of some amazing parents who step in to partner with us and have the kind of faith, lifestyle and love for Jesus that I wish I could model.

So there you go. Start creating meaningful roles for all parents. Ready Go.

Your Youth Ministry is failing if you don’t have a role for every parent who wants one is a post from: larsrood.com

I like cool stuff. I also like youth and family ministry.  My friends over at the Youth Cartel are doing something cool and it also is a great training event for anyone who is working with children, youth and their families.  So if you live anywhere that you could drive to WA and spend a day at Seattle Pacific University I think you should come and join.  It’s cheap. It’ll be fun and you’ll learn something.  Plus the added bonus in my opinion is building relationships.  I’m a big fan of those.  To be totally transparent I’m involved in this event but I don’t get paid a dime to be there. I am doing it because I think it will be awesome. There are some great people speaking and engaging all of us to think more deeply about those we minister too.

October 6th, 2012 The Youth Cartel and the Open Seattle event. is a post from: larsrood.com

Costa Rica mission trip is a post from: larsrood.com

This week I get a present. I’m pretty stoked about it. In the last bunch of years my world of Youth Ministry hasn’t always been the way I had envisioned it. I’ve worked at amazing churches with great staff teams but I’ve found myself often in the position of behind the scenes dealing with the details of a large staffed Youth Ministry.  Generally though in the summers I have the amazing opportunity to let all the detail stuff go and just hang out with students on trips.  It’s actually the perfect way to use my time in the summer to get to hang out 24/7 with a bunch of students.  I like to call it “Concentrated Relationships” because it’s during those week long trips where I really get to know kids.

This last year I moved into a new role that is sort of different for me. I’m officially the pastor of “Children and Families” at my new church. But, I’ve been totally blessed already to have the freedom to start overseeing the Middle School Ministry and have a lot of interaction with High School students too. This week I’m heading to Costa Rica with 40 High School students.

It makes sense really. Although I don’t have direct interaction with this age group (which is really weird) I have a whole bunch of them volunteering and in July we had 3 weeks of camp with many HS students leading.  We also share the same building so I’m really wanting to get to know them as we are together a ton.

On another note I’m in the middle of writing a 4 book devotional series aimed at HS students so the opportunity to spend a week with them picking their brains by hanging out and asking them questions is a gift.

Honestly I consider it a gift any time I get to hang out with students for extended chunks of time.

So I’m writing this on Saturday night. The blog will post on Sunday. I haven’t packed. Don’t really even know where we are going in Costa Rica tomorrow. I know I have to be at the airport at 6am and that the leadership team I’m going with is amazing. I know a few of the students and look forward to meeting them all tomorrow.

The Present I’m receiving this week is the Presence of them in my life.

Gotta Love Youth Ministry.

The Present of Presence: Costa Rica with 40 HS students is a post from: larsrood.com