Years ago in my youth ministry, I came to the sudden realization that there was much more than a normal attitude problem affecting a young man in my group. The boy, who was quite nice to me, seemed to create a sudden negative change in attitude in those around him. There was a "spiritual transference" of attitude between this young man and those he influenced. I began to pray: "Lord, please mute, any negative influence this young man is having on those around him." Between regular prayer and some fasting, this boy came to the Lord a few months later.

This Youth Leader's Coach is titled, "Youth Ministry's Most Dangerous Transfer." I want to give you a few principles on some of the powerful elements affecting our ministries on a weekly basis.

So enjoy my sharing this month as I provide what I consider a powerful aspect to changing the hearts and minds of our students.

Lovingly still wanting to create change,

Ever preached a pretty decent message only to have it take a major nose-dive when you came to closing prayer? I sure have. That's why this Youth Leader's Coach was especially fun to do. I've entitled it, "Effective Closing Prayer Times And Invitations."

I'm not sure I've ever heard a teaching on pragmatic suggestions to help make your closing prayer times and/or invitations to receive Christ more effective. So I took several hours to reflect personally on a few of the keys the Lord has taught me through the years.

Please listen closely. For though we all know that lasting spiritual fruit only comes through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we often make His job pretty tough by our own lack of planning as we conclude our services. So take some notes and begin to put careful attention into the closing 10 minutes of your message. I promise that it will reap an eternal difference.

Still responding to my own altar calls,

In the church world, I think we "motivate" well toward growing closer to Christ, but sometimes don't "lead" well when we fail to give students pragmatic steps for success. Our continual "10 & 10" (10 minutes in the Word and 10 minutes in prayer) challenge is one of our attempts to do just that, but in this Youth Leader's Coach, "Stood Up Again," we take it a step further.

Through a simple but powerful drama, the reading of David's heart cry found in Psalm 42 and the sharing of a transferable illustration involving deer, we try to help students become more aware of and responsive to the Lord's constant presence. Specifically, drawing upon the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, we encourage them to transform their prayer lives by "Practicing The Presence Of God." And finally, in the giving of a 30-day challenge to have a secret, silent, running conversation with the Lord, our hearts' desire is to stir up a deep longing in them to be in His presence and submerged in Him daily, not just in times of trouble.

This message, however, is not just for students...it's for us too! In the chaos of life, I know too many leaders who are better at being youth pastors than they are at being Christ-followers. May this message serve as a reminder to be "Practicing The Presence" ourselves.

Lovingly,

There are a lot of different biblical forms of prayer (i.e. conversational prayer, praying back the Scriptures, personal confession, etc.). Yet, what I'm calling "DANGEROUS PRAYER" is one of the most important but forgotten weapons in our prayer arsenal. James 5:16 tells us, "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man does much good." Though most Christians "know" that verse, I often wonder how many truly "believe" it...and if they "believe" it, how much they are truly "practicing" it in their lives. Intuitively we all know prayer can only do "much good" to the extent it is "much practiced." And, our practice will always and forever be a choice we will have to continually choose to make.

We far too often shorten the power of prayer. We think that prayer is something that we can only do when we want something from God or when we’re in a tough or tight situation. The goal for this message is to "up to the bar" in our prayer lives. Journey with me as we look at our most dangerous and faithful weapon.

Experiencing "Soul Pains,"

Harold Camping said that the world would end on May 21, 2011. He also predicted that the world would end on May 21, 1988 and September 7, 1994. Harold Camping was wrong. Harold Camping does not know when the world will end, neither does anyone else for that matter. The Bible tells us not even Jesus knows the exact date and time, but only our Heavenly Father knows. Regardless, our kids are curious...and so are we. Our media-driven society stirs that curiosity and creates fear through their imagined disasters. Earthquakes, tidal waves, invasions of super villains and aliens are all box office hits.

This Source, "Preparing For God's Final Exam," is not focused on living in fear of the final "epic" disaster, but to use the "end times" buzz and curiosity to provoke thought and transform lives. Specifically, using Scripture, video and an inexpensive token, our goal is to encourage our students to live wholeheartedly for Christ by eliminating the "straw in their lives." Prayerfully, they will never hear the words "it could have been so much more."

Lovingly,