Brandon Shanks {dot} com

"THE WAR INSIDE" Series Promo Video

2011-10-20T10:10:55-04:00

Check out this video for our new series "THE WAR INSIDE" that begins next week at REVERB! I can't wait!

Last Night in Pictures

2011-09-29T09:32:56-04:00

The following are some pictures from reverb last night.

A special thanks to Adriana Torres for doing such a great job taking pics!

For the full photo album click here.

Pic from SYATP today...

2011-09-28T16:52:13-04:00

Brandon Shanks

5 Essentials - Part 4 - Keep it Real

2011-09-28T13:51:57-04:00

(Welcome to our youth staff meeting. For more info about the 5 Essentials click here.)

Today is the day that students gather together at school flagpoles across America to pray. See You At the Pole is a great annual event. As I went to bed last night I was reminded of a See You At the Pole event from about 6 years ago.

I had not been a Youth Pastor for very long. I had been working very hard that school year to develop relationships with some teachers in a local high school. I had challenged our students to get involved in their schools like never before and some rose to the challenge.

A couple of the students really took it to heart and actually organized the SYATP event at that school. This was a great thing. I was so excited. The students from our youth group asked for me to speak and also to bring my guitar to help lead worship that morning. I was so excited. This was our first big opportunity to make an impact on this school campus.

I can remember going to bed the night before excited about the upcoming day, then you know what happened next....

I overslept.

I woke up and looked at my clock which was blinking 7:40, 7:40, 7:40, 7:40.

I had slept through the alarm that morning and had completely missed the See You At The Pole event. When I woke up the students were already in school.

Of all days to oversleep! I felt horrible. I had missed a great opportunity to make a difference on a high school campus. And most of all, I had let the students down. I felt like a failure. I was so disappointed in myself. The chances are, if you have been in ministry more than 5 minutes, you know that feeling.

You know what it feels like to make a mistake along the way. I am not talking about sin. I am talking about the times we have not been the greatest leaders. The times we have not fulfilled commitments. The times we have missed opportunities. The times we have let students down along the way. The times we have slept in. This speaks to the reality that we are all human. There will be times when we make mistakes.

So, what do we do? We keep be real!

Be real when you make a mistake. Be real when you let yourself and others down. This is one of our key essentials to leading students because it is all about authenticity. The greatest way we lead students is not through our perfection, but rather through our authenticity.When we are real we allow students to see themselves in us. Saying, "I am sorry" is not a bad thing. Telling a student, "I don't know" is not a sign of failure, but of honesty and vulnerability. When your students see you being open like this, they will be more likely to do the same.

Here are some principles to keep in mind:

1. When you mess up...fess up - Sometimes you have to make the hard phone call like I had to that day to students that were counting on me. I told them that I was so sorry and that I felt so bad. Sure, I was the leader, and I really did not "have" to give them an explination, but I wanted to be real with them and say that I was sorry. Through being real with them and showing my sincerity they gladly forgave me and we saw God do great things on that campus that school year!

2. Share your life...appropriately - Give students permission to be who they are by being comfortable in your own skin. Share the stories from your life with them. Share mistakes and miracles; sadness and success. However, do not dump the dirt of your life on students. Make sure you share appropriately in a way that is edifying to students. Don't continually talk about things that you used to do before you came to Christ in such a way that it appears you are proud of what you used to be. Remember, we are dealing with students that are very impressionable. We must be sure to obey 1 Timothy 1:4 and not minister questions to students. Seek to share your life in a way that students gain answers and not just more questions.

So, let's keep it real. Some days we do accidentally oversleep. Just keep going. Don't be discouraged. Be encouraged. Just set your alarm again and keep it real!

Let's Do This...

2011-09-28T02:12:43-04:00

Brandon Shanks

Reverb in Review 9/21/11

2011-09-23T15:50:01-04:00

Series: "The Truth About God" - Week 2 - The Sweet Old Man

Series Big Idea: Too many times we try to create God in our own image. We allow our own misconceptions about God to separate us from Him. In this series we will expose and shread common false images that students often have of God, giving them the true picture of who God really is through Jesus Christ.

This Week's Key Scripture: Revelation 1:8

Understandable Message: This week we shreaded the misconception that God was nothing more than a sweet old man. Michangelo may have painted him as old, however, God is not old but eternal. This subtle misconception packs a dangerous punch. The danger is that we would see God as real but not relevant. That we would see God as present but not powerful. God is not old and distant from the delimas of our day. Rather, God is eternal and ever-aware of the problems that we face in our everyday lives. We looked at the truth about who God really is:

1. God Knows (Jeremiah 1, Psalm 139:2, Matthew 10:29-31, Acts 17:26)
2. God Cares (1 Peter 5:7)
3. God Can (Jeremiah 32:17)
4. God Will (Mark 1:40)

Creative Elements: This week we used excerpts from a hillarous viral video featuring an elderly couple trying to set up their webcam to introduce the message. We also continued to use video to promote our upcoming See You At The Pole After Event next week.

Songs: Amazed (Kutless), For Who You Are, Your Great Name

Next Week: See You At the Pole - The After Event

Free Student Ministry Resource: M90

2011-09-23T11:27:40-04:00

(Check out this awesome Student Ministry Resource made possible through the GYD! I love this resource and am so excited to share it with our students. The fact that they can download the M90 app on their phones is amazing! The following is an excerpt from an email from Matthew Johnson explaining The M90 Challenge.)

Psalms 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Throughout the scriptures we find verses like Psalm 119:11 that tell us the importance of hiding the word of God in our heart. Many may ask, "Where do I begin?" when pondering the 31,000 verses in the Bible.

Memorize 90 (M90) is a very easy-to-use systematic Scripture Memorization program developed by the General Youth Division. It is also a personal devotion guide. Who is it for? It is for anyone who wants to memorize and apply Scripture, especially our target audience of teenagers and young adults.

Starting October 1st, the GYD leadership will begin the M90 Challenge. We are looking for students & student leaders from around the country to join us in this challenge! Perhaps you want to follow M90 on Twitter or Facebook as we take the journey through the scriptures. The great part of the program: ALL THE MATERIAL IS FREE! We have even created an app for your Android or iOS devices. The app includes flashcards, memorization progress, and complimentary materials to make memorizing fun!

We hope you will join us starting October 1st as we take the M90 Challenge! Download all the great resources here!

Check out the M90 promotional video here

Perspective

2011-09-21T15:49:27-04:00

Brandon Shanks

5 Essentials - Part 3 - Fill-Up First

2011-09-21T09:25:48-04:00

(Welcome to our youth staff meeting. For more info about the 5 Essentials click here.)

When I first started driving I had an innate fear. I was terrified of running out of gas. So, in an effort to always stay full, I would stop by the gas station near my house anytime my tank got below 3/4 of a tank. The idea of getting close to "E" scared me. I can proudly say that I have never ran out of gas. However, things have changed since then. Now, my car hardly ever sees 3/4 of gas in the tank. I know this is not normal, but I hardly ever really get a full tank of gas. I usually just stop and get $20 worth or $30 worth after my car tells me that I have "0 Miles to empty."

There are two reasons that I usually drive on empty:

#1 - I don't want to pay the price - gas is expensive as all of you know, and I hate the idea of dropping $80 to fill up my Jeep.

#2 - I am too busy - It seems that I always need to fill up with gas at the most inconvenient times. Life is busy and I am never excited about detouring from what I am doing to fill-up.

I think it is the same in my spiritual walk. When I first felt the call of God on my life I was so terrified about running out of gas and I did whatever it took to make sure that my spiritual tank stayed full. However, as years go by, it is very easy to grow comfortable just living our spiritual lives on "E." Two things get in our way. We don't want to pay the price, and we allow the busy lives to crowd out our relationship with Jesus.

I want us to do an inventory of our hearts and see if we are living our spiritual lives too close to empty. Understand, we can't give students what we don't have. We can't take students where we have not been. We reproduce what we are, not what we want to be. We must lead others from the overflow of what God is doing in our own hearts and lives.

It is easy to allow our WORK for God to replace our WALK with God. When we allow our work to replace our walk then we are out of order.

Mark 12:28-31
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" 29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Jesus says that the two greatest commandments are: #1 to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. #2 To love your neighbor as yourself. Notice their order again. The first commandment is to love God, then we love people. When we love people first we are in danger of having a ministry-centered life instead of a God-centered life.

As Doug Fields says, "We are called to love God and like students."

John 15:5
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Understand that without being connected to God we can do NOTHING of eternal value. We can do nothing that truly matters. If we are going to be effective in working with students understand the foundation is not our creativity, ingenuity, or our superb ability to relate to students. If we are going to have fruit that remains from our work in student ministry our foundation is our connection with God. In John 15 Jesus goes on to say that he wants us to go from a servant to a friend relationship. In other words, he wants us to be more than just task-oriented servants, he wants us to be relationship-oriented friends. We must develop an intimacy with God that is not dependant with him using us in ministry.

Low-Fuel Indicators

1. You have extended periods when you do not spend time with God alone.
2. You only spend time in prayer and study of the word when you are preparing to minister.

Ways to Fill-Up

1. Set aside specific times to connect with God through prayer.
2. Have a daily diet of scritpure not consumed for the purpose of teaching.
3. Place God's abiding Word in your heart through memorizing the scriptures.
4. Practice the discipline of fasting.
5. Utilize marginal time in your life to fill-up. (Spend time during your daily commute to listen to the Bible or a message.)

The warning from John 15 is clear. Without staying connected to Jesus we can truly do nothing. However, the promise is clear as well. When we do choose to abide in Him and allow His word to abide in us then we will bear much fruit. Let's choose to pay the price and set aside the business of our lives so that we can stay full of the Holy Ghost.

5 Essentials - Part 2 - Time on their Turf

2011-09-16T11:57:32-04:00

(Welcome to our youth staff meeting. For more info about the 5 Essentials click here.)

1 Thessalonians 2:8
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

In this passage, Paul shares with us his heart toward the church at Thessalonica. Paul loved the people so much that he shared both his life and the gospel with the people. I pray that we too can have this same love for the students Jesus has called us to serve. May we too share both the gospel and our lives. To truly share our lives with students we must spend time with them beyond our youth services. We must spend time on their turf.

The principle of time on their turf is simple. The ultimate relevance is relationship. We are going to do our best to have the most welcoming and excellent student enviornments here at the church. However, we must be like Paul, we must share life with the students. Our ministry must extend beyond what heppens on Wednesdays and Sundays.

When we spend time on the turf of a student we connect with them outside the church enviornment. This could be attending an event at their school or attending a birthday party. This could be meeting them at T-Bell or hosting an X-Box night.

Spending time on their turf is powerful.

1. Time on Their Turf Changes Students:

There are some students that I would never have influence with unless I spent time on their turf. It is amazing how some students respond in church enviornments after I have spent some time on their turf. In these times we become real to them. It is one thing for us to be in front of them teaching on Wednesday nights, and it is another thing for them to know who we are on a personal level. Also, when we spend time on their turf students have a chance to ask us real questions about their life and faith. We, in turn, also have the opportunity to ask them about their faith and relationships. It makes all the difference.

2. Time on Their Turf Changes You:

Just as much as spending time on a student's turf changes them, it changes us too. Spending time with students causes me to have compassion. I see their stories. I hear the things that they are dealing with and my heart goes out to them. Burden is a byproduct of exposure. If you do not have a burden for students, you probably need to spend more time on their turf. Time on their turf causes me to have faith for the future. When I spend time with students I see their potential in Christ. It is easy to believe in students when you spend time with them because you are able to clealy see the fingerprint of God on their lives. Time on their turf makes us more effective because we know those that we serve. Ministry becomes personal when we spend time on their turf.

Some things to keep in mind:

- Share everyday life - You do not have to have a big event to spend time with students. Simply involve them in your daily life. Look at your schedule this week and see if there is any thing you are doing that you could ask a couple students to tag along with you. Are you going to the mall or to the grocery? Involve students in your everyday life.

- Establish boundries - Sharing life with students does not mean that you spend time with them 24/7. If you do we may need to get you a straitjacket for your birthday. You must establish boundries to make sure spending time with students does not encroach on your time with family and other priorities. Also, you must establish boundries to you don't allow time with students to replace your time with God. We can't allow our work for God to replace our walk with God. You cannot give someone what you do not have.

- Two final principles - When we spend time with students outside of church we must have the permission of the parents. Make sure you communicate with the parents of the students that you are spending time with. Don't let the parents hear it from the students. Talk to them and ask their permission. We are called to partner with parents (Another essential we will talk about in another meeting). Also, guys do not need to spend time alone with girl students and neither do ladies need to spend time alone with our guy students. These are boundries that are non negotiable.

Each of you do a great job at spending time on the turf of students. I am encouraged as I hear the stories week after week of the impact that you are having. May we continue to share both the gospel and our very lives with these students for the glory of God!

(For more thoughts about relational student ministry check out these other posts here & here.)