I was watching a HBO Real Sports presentation the other day and it suggested the football equivalent of baseball’s Moneyball , which I had just re-watched the other day. As I had indicated with my impressions of Moneyball, there is an intrigue about finding a way to differently play the game, our game.

As you watch the Super Bowl game tonight, take a moment and consider Pulaski Academy (Arkansas) Bruins’s coach Kevin Kelley who will not put, figuring that it unnecessarily wastes the fourth down opportunity. He will on-side kick after scoring nearly every time.

Other coaches won’t do that – the stick with what they know and what their gut tells them about the way the game is to be played. Yet, some liken the standard way of how the game is played as risk aversion not unlike a blackjack players standing pat on 11.

Not unlike general manager Billy Beane in Moneyball, Coach Kelley courageously reads the stats (the “signs of the times”) differently. Might you and I do the same?     Go for it.

This is an essential question. I have come to a clear understanding that for many young people, this area is one of the larger challenges in authentically living out their discipleship. Yet, in asking the question, we have overlooked an audience of potential collaborators in this task—their parents. If all the recent research about how young people reflect the values of their parents, then we certainly must find ways to encourage parents to be involved in sharing our good news about love, dating, and sexuality.

One of my favorite activities to engage adults in, to inform their sharing messages of dating and sexuality, is to get them to think back to their own early dating years. They are asked to think of an early, positive experience of touch in a dating experience—holding hands, a kiss, a slow dance, etc. We carefully dissect the experiences into their own mental photographic images of those moments, then how they would describe the facts of those moments, followed by their own emotions at the time.

That activity is immediately followed by asking parents and adults to write their own newspaper headlines for an article about dating and sexuality. Often, responses include Don’t Do It!, True Love Waits, and Protect Yourself or Protect Your Heart.

It is always fascinating to watch the room engage in a significant mood change. The smiles, laughter, and joy of reminiscing about long-ago loves quickly transforms into anxiety and fear about their young people having similar experiences.

Our challenge as the church, as adults and parents, is to confront young people’s expectations that we will default to NO regarding this topic. We need to surprise them by affirming that yes, we actually think love, dating, and sex are all pretty great…within moderation intended to honor the value and worth of each person involved.

Middle school years are challenging for parents. The young people in their lives are transforming before their very eyes from the sweet, innocent things they happily used to be. In the middle school years, we should be resourcing parents regarding:

How to have “the talk.” Most likely, parents have already checked this one off on their parenting task lists. We need to encourage them to pursue ongoing conversations about sexuality, especially related to basic theological concepts, like what it means to be “created in the image and likeness of God.” Recognize that your efforts in assisting parents in their formational role will also constitute formation for many of the adults as well.
How to discuss and monitor relationships/friendships. Offer parents tips and cues to engage their young people in conversations.
How to debrief sexual content from movies, television, and music. Again, assist parents in conducting conversations related to these areas rather than lectures.

In the high school years, young people are moving away from a theoretical understanding of dating and sexuality and getting closer to having more practical needs. Therefore, we should be resourcing parents in:

Being able to assist young people in determining appropriate boundaries for their young people. If parents find themselves being able even just to talk with one another, they can usually assist one another in determining a community standard about curfews and expectations regarding appropriate ages to group date, car date, etc. Youth ministers can be helpful in placing their conversations in the context of a covenant agreement that includes both discussion and prayer.
Being able to be an effective listener. Ask their adolescents to work toward determining what constitutes an appropriate relationship.
Modeling appropriate and respectful behaviors. Young people learn from the attitudes of their fathers, mothers, and other key adults regarding what is right and acceptable in relationships with the opposite sex. We need to watch ourselves because our young people are certainly watching us and the values we communicate with our actions and words.

For me as a senior in high school, my parents gave me a very special gift and a lesson. They took me and my steady girlfriend at the time on a double date. In a delightful and charming evening, I learned significant lessons in respect and chivalry as well as maintaining good conversation with the opposite sex. Instead of the images of adult relationships from television and movies influencing me in my formative years, I was blessed to have the memory of a special night to remind me of how dating adults can and should relate to one another.

The Artist is getting a lot of buzz during movie award season having already won the Golden Globe as Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical. It is a different movie- both black and white and silent but a beautiful movie and, as with all good movies, demands that you actually pay attention.

It starts with silent movie star George Valentin and a chance encounter with the young and effervescent Peppy Miller.  She transforms her moment within his limelight into a film career not unlike that of her mentor. Yet, there is a difference.  Times change and with then comes the talkies. 

The technology, the culture, the audiences desire change. Valentin can’t make the transition and Peppy does. "Out with the old, in with the new," Peppy suggests. At a key point, Valentin actually makes the gesture (it is a silent film) of ‘making way’ for Peppy and dramatically takes

There are certainly a few “finding your voice” puns peppered throughout the movie. And Valentin’s career and life are going down in flames. Throughout, however, Peppy has been able to honor the past and the crux of the movie depends if she will be able to return the voiceless legend into significance within Hollywoodland.

Here’s the connection.  Welcome to the “talkies generation” of youth culture.  Yet, will the Church help this generation find a voice in the spiritual areas/ theater of the lives? Youth ministry needs to be the Peppy connection between generations, honoring all, giving voice and offering hope.

And… “With pleasure” has to our punchline as well.  We do ministry, we do life, we do Church not out of expectation, obligation or guilt but because we have discovered it is the source of our happiness… and, of any change, suggested above… that might be the most significant of all.

The Video to Use with young people comes from the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), representing the science center and museum field worldwide.

I know, weird, right?

There are all sorts on “impossible” things occurring around us…  Why do we find the impossible so challenging to believe as possible?

In Matthew 19, we read
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Joe Paterno lived a life dedicated to a sport and to the young men who played it. Nearly half a century as Penn State’s Nittany Lions’ head coach advanced many student athletes into professional careers as business men, lawyers, doctors, and yes, pro football players.

Yet, today he passes on from this world with a reputation tarnished and damaged because of the shadows of failure to protect young people… and that matters to all those who minister, serve, work with and care for young people. ReThinking Youth Ministry blogger Brian Kirk called the Penn State scandal the Most Important Youth Ministry Story of 2011.  We must remain diligent in establishing proper boundaries people and consistent in implementing them. UPDATED: Ed Stetzer also considers Coach Paterno’s legacy. 

Meanwhile, our prayers go out to everyone impacted by the news of the day… and

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

A Baptist preacher, a Catholic priest, and a Jewish rabbi walk into a bar… I have no idea where the punch line will go, but I will default in hoping that the Catholic priest does not fare too badly in the end.

I have friends who pick Catholic teams in the NCAA basketball brackets, even if Notre Dame is facing Duke, Boston College is up against Kentucky, or Xavier against Ohio State. (That’s all right; I have other friends who will pick Michigan over Gonzaga because a Wolverine should beat a Bulldog, or they prefer the team colors… Yes, I have weird friends.)

But man, as Catholics, we seem to sweat Catholic identity about everything…

Sometimes I wonder if Lutherans are sweating Lutheran identity as much, beyond my own perceived conclusion that it involves, “Hey, we are not Catholic!” A Google search indicates that there are about seven times the hits for “Catholic identity” over “Lutheran identity” as well as “Baptist identity.” All this in a time when the church should be more engaged in confronting moralistic therapeutic deism, that mutant watered-down faith that sloppily meshes our doctrine together in a statement more about us as people and not about our unique understandings of our relationship with the Lord and the church.

There are some things I do to continue to imbue my own ministry with Catholic identity (beyond cheering, “Go, Irish!”), and I suggest they may be applicable for you no matter your denomination.

Follow the news. What is the major source of news in your denomination? I have come to follow a few select websites because I am aware of the influence they bear in denominational leadership. Also, I utilize Google Alerts to monitor what is happening in my denomination.

Collaborate denominationally beyond your own church community. Whatever your denomination’s structure, find ways to actively engage in the programming, training, and discussions occurring beyond the boundaries of your individual church’s reach. It is important not only for you but also your volunteers and young people that we recognize that we are part of something much larger than us. Define differences. Early in my career, I found myself as a Catholic youth minister in Freeborn County, Minnesota, which understood itself at that time to be the “most Lutheran county in the United States.” It became important to help young people articulate not only the differences but the belief behind it.

Once I was offering a True Love Waits (started by the Baptists) retreat weekend in Bountiful, Utah, where the young people were immersed in Mormon culture. Young people appreciated the opportunity to redefine CTR: Choose the Right into Choose the Rite as they engaged in making decision to wait for sexual activity until marriage.

Never assume with parents. In 1 Peter 3:15, we are reminded to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” Yet we usually do not imagine that we should be doing that in house as well. The research indicates that the cultural religion of moralist therapeutic deism is being passed along, in part, generationally. We need to be able to pass along the richness of our faith tradition not only to the next generation, but we must continue to remind or re-educate parents about the depth of faith into which they were baptized and sought baptism and/or confirmation for their young people.

One thing is for sure. We have all got to improve our efforts to assist young people in being able to articulate what it is they believe as well as what it is the church they call home to their faith believes. That is true for denominations as much as it is true for non-affiliated churches.

As a denomination in the United States, Catholics are blessed with many organizations and structures that are designed to serve and enhance youth ministry. Yet, even if we were not, I would hope to find ways to collaborate with my brothers and sisters in Catholic youth ministry, seeking them out and gathering with them locally as well as within the national non-denominational conferences around the country and via internet connections.

Oh yeah, and, "Go, Irish!"  <image source>

Previous Slant33 contributions include Where do you draw the line on social media interactions with students? and How do you determine the line between vulnerability and over sharing?

You are on the ship when the Costa Concordia runs aground near Italy’s Giglio Island on the evening of January 14. You hear a crash. Glasses and plates fall down and as you leave the dining room, you are told it wasn’t anything dangerous. Yet, the light are now our and you were navigating darken crowded hallways and stairwells until you found the outside decks. Everyone who walk past shouts instructions, but the instructions contradict each other. (taken from eyewitness reports)

Acts 27 tells of Paul as a prisoner on a ship:  But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow was wedged in and could not be moved, but the stern began to break up under the pounding of the waves… Those who could swim {were ordered} to jump overboard first and get to the shore, and then the rest, some on planks, others on debris from the ship. In this way, all reached shore safely.

We may be moving beyond new maps.  We need new vehicles. There is no righting of the Costa Concordia that will be getting us to where we are aiming to get, to where we need to be.  No ship working for you means it’s time for figure out another way.

Get off the boat safely and begin figuring out your next mode of getting to where you need to be.

< Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty Images source >

Back in November, we started the live feed of ReBuild My Church with a bang.

Mark Oestreicher is a long time youth ministry leader and the former president of Youth Specialties.  Marko has authored many books, including the much-discussed Youth Ministry 3.0.  In 2010, he launched the Youth Ministry Coaching Program, and The Youth Cartel, a full-service youth ministry consulting firm.

Mark suggests that if we were going to change one thing in the future, we would make it much more about belonging for young people, but challenges us to reBuild how we go about doing that… as in does a youth room separation from the main community actually accomplish that?  What else do we need to change to reBuild belonging?

Collaboration >>

Recently, the Holy Father declared a Year of Faith (in his apostolic letter Porta Fideis). It will begin October 11, 2012, which is the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council as well as the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Year will conclude on the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 24, 2013. Pope Benedict’s goal in declaring a Year of Faith is to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope (PF9)

Over thirty-five years ago, in Evangelii Nuntiando, Pope Paul VI reminded us that “the first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life, given over to God in a communion that nothing should destroy and at the same time given to one’s neighbor with limitless zeal… ‘Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.’" (EN 41) Being a witness to the faith (in both words and deeds) is not an option if we are passing on the faith. Pope Benedict reminds us that

It is the love of Christ that fills our hearts and impels us to evangelize. Today as in the past, he sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim his Gospel to all the peoples of the earth (PF7)

as well as that

The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us. (PF 5)

Clearly, one specific way that we in youth ministry will challenge young people and those that serve with them to evangelize as well as radiate the truth will be through the personal testimony of a Witness Talk.

Let us take a look as to what makes for an effective witness talk.

A Witness Talk Is Not About Me.

Everyone has a story of an experience of faith. Often, a witness talk effectively shared with others will allow the recipients to make connections from the story offered to their own experience.

Yes, it is your story. Yes, you probably play a central role in the narrative of the story, not only sharing your experiences but your feelings and the outcomes of your journey. But, your public telling of a witness talk expands the story beyond you, beyond your own experience, and becomes something much more significant.

Confessing with the lips indicates in turn that faith implies public testimony and commitment. A Christian may never think of belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with him. This “standing with him” points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing (PF10)

A witness talk is not meant to be imposed upon others, but to be shared within a community of friends. It is not intended to a moment of preaching as much as it is mean to be about reaching.

Further, care should be taken in the content of the presentation. If the faith story conveyed remains only about tragedy, suffering, or scandalous behavior, then we are confining faith to Good Friday experiences. We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. A full and rich witness story will value discussing the changes that have come about as we stand with God in our lives. Our faith stories are neither just confessing our weakness nor heralding our strengths, our stories should call attention to the faithfulness of God amidst it all.

When a witness talk quickly becomes about the presenter is if it comes off as superficial and evasive. When one speaks from the heart, others will take notice and your experiences might make it easier for others to share their own. If there is incongruity with the actions, behavior, attitude of a witness talker around their personal testimony, this, too, will draw attention away from the subject and towards the speaker.

A Witness Talk Is About The…

…Context of the Presentation

An effective witness talk will be developed with clear consideration as to the context of where and when it will be presented. What will precede the presentation? What will be the activity immediately following the presentation?

It is natural for recipients of any presentation to attempt to “connect the dots” between programmatic elements. Those who are preparing witness talks should have a clear understanding as to where their own story fits into the larger story being shared.

… Reception of the Audience

Especially with teen audiences, but true for all audience, there should be great care taken of the audience members in the preparation of a story. Witness Stories can often be quite dramatic with emphasis on the harsh realities of life. Yet, the trauma retold within a witness talk can potentially be connected to quite similar traumas within the lives of the listener.

Great care should be taken in screening such witness talks with serious consideration for the listener. In some cases, such a talk might be appropriate, but there should be care and consideration as to how a listener might respond as well as to how those responsible for the context of the whole program may need to respond to a potential audience response.

In previous times and generation, the success of a witness talk may have been wrongly evaluated by how many tears and sniffles fill the room during and after a presentation. Overtly seeking such a response is not as much about being a witness of faith as it is about being a manipulator of emotions and perpetuating a unsafe environment where one might explore their own relationship with God.

Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. (PF7)

A Witness Talk Is About Thee

In the National Directory for Catechesis, criteria has been set for an authentic presentation of the Christian Message. The NDC reminds us that “The Word of God contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition is the single source of the fundamental criteria for the presentation of the Christian message.” The presentation of the Christian message, which should always be at the core of witness talk, therefore

  > Centers on Jesus Christ 
  > Introduces the Trinitarian dimensions of the Gospel message 
  > Proclaims the Good News of salvation and liberation 
  > Comes from and leads to the Church 
  > Communicates the profound dignity of the human person

The above list, while not inclusive of all the elements identified in the NDC, does demand that an authentic presentation / witness talk does make clear and direct connections back to Jesus and the Gospels as well as within the rich tradition of our Church.

In a time when researchers are suggesting that the underlying message of faith being transmitted to young people is a Moralistic Therapeutic Deism that treats God as some sort of “Cosmic Butler,” we should be attentive to a witness talk actually speaking to the challenges and joys of discipleship with Jesus, and not some sort of God who “had my back” when called upon.

We will need to keep our gaze fixed upon Jesus Christ, the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2): in him, all the anguish and all the longing of the human heart finds fulfillment. The joy of love, the answer to the drama of suffering and pain, the power of forgiveness in the face of an offence received and the victory of life over the emptiness of death: all this finds fulfillment in the mystery of his Incarnation, in his becoming man, in his sharing our human weakness so as to transform it by the power of his resurrection. In him who died and rose again for our salvation, the examples of faith that have marked these two thousand years of our salvation history are brought into the fullness of light. (PF13)

Finally, a recipient of a witness talk should never walk away with the impression of how weak the presenter was (or the emotional prompt that the recipient likely shares in same weakness) as much as they should remain mindful of how powerful God is within the lives of God’s people. St. Paul serves as a model here when he confesses to his own struggles. We see him admitting to his imperfections In Romans 7 “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” and 2 Corinthians 12:7  a thorn in the flesh was given to me.” Without outlining specifics, he acknowledges his own sinfulness. But, then St. Paul continues by detailing that God’s grace is enough and that power is made perfect in weakness.

A witness talk becomes about Thee, our Lord, when the audience recipients and the presenter find themselves in solidarity with one another. Yes, we are different. Yes, we have some unique but some common struggles. Yet, the Lord is there for each of us- front pew sitter, late back row arriver, someone who just walked in or came along withy a friend, and the speaker- We are each created uniquely, but the Creator’s love for each of remains equal and constant.

Preach the Gospel At All Times

Sometimes it is necessary to use words. But, we should take great care with our words. A witness talk provided by a peer or a trusted adult might very well become the “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) opening for another, ushering them into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church.

Many people, while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and definitive truth of their lives and of the world. This search is an authentic “preamble” to the faith, because it guides people onto the path that leads to the mystery of God. (PF10)

When we offer a witness talk, we find ourselves joined

By faith, across the centuries, (with) men and women of all ages, whose names are written in the Book of Life (cf. Rev 7:9, 13:8), (who) have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness to the fact that they were Christian: in the family, in the workplace, in public life, in the exercise of the charisms and ministries to which they were called. (PF13)

This same communion of saints did not always find the mission of sharing faith to be easy. They each responded to the call of “Can I Get a Witness?” in both word and in deed. It is essential to remember that there is quite often less personal gain in sharing faith and the real possibility of risk or pain in the very act. Yet, by placing themselves in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, their words and actions prompted AMENs in the lives of those around them.

It should remain our most fervent prayer that the Spirit be with us and that our witness arouse in another the aspiration to profess the faith with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. Amen.

Appendix: Markers to Consider in Developing a Witness Talk

· Will you story be meaningful to you alone or will others find it accessible?

· How will this presentation “fit” into what else is occurring within the any setting?

· What are the potential consequences of sharing information for the recipient?

· What are you hoping to inspire? What is your call to action? How might others respond with an AMEN in their lives?

· How does this message tie into our Church’s understanding of the life and message of Jesus Christ? What is the Good News that your testimony offers to the recipient?

Resources:

· Mae Richardson, High School Leadership Institute Emmaus Track Information Packet, Archdiocese of Baltimore

· David Charboneau, Giving a Witness Talk
http://seattleoyyam.org/programs/archdiocesan-events/youth-convention/youth-key-notes

· Robert Rice, Franciscan University of Steubenville

· <image source>

Here is the last video of the year offering a message of training or encouragement for youth ministry types.

Within the Miller clan, there are a few time honored traditions.  One involves sneaking a recently baked chocolate chip cookie into the stuffing inside a turkey.

Another involves a viewing of White Christmas.  It’s a musical connected to Christmastime.  It is a “buddy film” of two song-and-dance guys who, in the end, pay tribute to their former commanding officer from their war days.  The Army themes recently evoke a special tone as my son completes his four year commitment in the US Army. He is on Christmas leave this year, home, hoping as we all are for a White Christmas.

There is a simple little Irving Berlin ditty that has a slightly spiritual side to it as well.  Here is a simple little song, but one that has truth for us in tough times.

Count Your Blessings.