Congratulations...You Just Bombed!
So you've spent hours and hours planning for your big event... it was going to be awesome... amazing... life changing... and it bombs! Big time! Your worship leader gets diagnosed with strep throat and cancels two hours before your event... the major actor in your drama forgets his lines... you find out after it's too late that there's a major concert at the school and half the youth group doesn't show up... they yawn through the message you spent hours preparing... you name it...
I've had a million bombs and I have learned that when things bomb in your eyes, they did not nearly as much bomb in everybody else's eyes. I'm always the one who set the bomb way bigger than everybody else... and the Enemy is always faithful to send some blessed leader around that makes some sarcastic comment or a couple of kids that walk past and make some dumb comment. Because our Enemy delights in making sure the wrong people are forever giving me feedback at that moment.
I think the message that's communicated is that you tried. I don't think people hold it against you when you are trying to do something special and it just doesn't do well. I've also learned that when I question whether or not something is going to go across well, I just call a couple of my key kids and they save me from some bombs. They tell me whether something is going to be cool. I can't tell you how many times these kids have told me, "That's not cool." So I tell them what I'm trying to get to and ask them to tell me what I could do to make it cool.
If you have a bomb, congratulations! Just remember Thomas Edison, who failed hundreds of times before he finally got the light bulb to work. Each of those flops he never considered a failure because it was just figuring out one more thing that didn't work. Over 40 years of ministry... I have a long list of things that didn't work! God is not looking for perfect people, but He's looking for people that care enough about His kingdom, His purposes and His call, that they refuse to quit.
So you've spent hours and hours planning for your big event... it was going to be awesome... amazing... life changing... and it bombs! Big time! Your worship leader gets diagnosed with strep throat and cancels two hours before your event... the major actor in your drama forgets his lines... you find out after it's too late that there's a major concert at the school and half the youth group doesn't show up... they yawn through the message you spent hours preparing... you name it...
I've had a million bombs and I have learned that when things bomb in your eyes, they did not nearly as much bomb in everybody else's eyes. I'm always the one who set the bomb way bigger than everybody else... and the Enemy is always faithful to send some blessed leader around that makes some sarcastic comment or a couple of kids that walk past and make some dumb comment. Because our Enemy delights in making sure the wrong people are forever giving me feedback at that moment.
I think the message that's communicated is that you tried. I don't think people hold it against you when you are trying to do something special and it just doesn't do well. I've also learned that when I question whether or not something is going to go across well, I just call a couple of my key kids and they save me from some bombs. They tell me whether something is going to be cool. I can't tell you how many times these kids have told me, "That's not cool." So I tell them what I'm trying to get to and ask them to tell me what I could do to make it cool.
If you have a bomb, congratulations! Just remember Thomas Edison, who failed hundreds of times before he finally got the light bulb to work. Each of those flops he never considered a failure because it was just figuring out one more thing that didn't work. Over 40 years of ministry... I have a long list of things that didn't work! God is not looking for perfect people, but He's looking for people that care enough about His kingdom, His purposes and His call, that they refuse to quit.
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"For the journey," the angel of the Lord said to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:7, "is too much for you." I don't know any great heroes of the faith who haven't felt the same way. Does knowing that you are in good company, that you are not alone, bring you comfort in some sort of odd way? It should. God gets your "this is just too much" moments and Jesus felt His own on Calvary!
With our Master's Commission Atlanta students, we do this thing called "Challenge By Choice" (CBC). Its mission statement says, "Challenges will come my way. It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN. And in those moments, I will choose to walk with joy, to encourage those around me, and to persevere beyond what I think is possible by relying on God, His Word and the people He has placed in my life. I am more than a conqueror." The goal of CBC, and this YLC, is to help navigate those challenging times.
Not a matter of IF, but WHEN,
Have you ever tried to carry something that weighed a ton a long way? It can be brutal and significantly impact the direction and distance you travel. It's no different when it comes to carrying the invisible weight of failure. It can be debilitating for our students...but it doesn't have to be!
As youth leaders, I think one of the most important things we could ever coach a student on is how to make a strategic comeback after an epic failure (or any failure for that matter). Helping students realize that "at the very moment they are most tempted to run away from the Lord is the time to run to Him" is crucial for their spiritual lives.
In this message, we look at the lives of three of the biggest failures in the Bible...Moses, the "Murderer," David, the "Adulterer," and Jacob, the "Deceiver." Even though they failed in big ways, they learned to break the "Failure Phobia," repent, and keep going. Using their stories, a video, an object lesson and an Indian boy, in this Source we teach our students some simple steps to help them overcome the "Failure Phobia" too.
Lovingly,
This iVolunteer resource is a COACHING RESOURCE for volunteer youth leaders who want to be the BEST they can be!
There are countless moments in youth ministry where you can feel like a failure and you begin to wonder if what you are doing is really making a difference. I know I've felt like that plenty of times. Whether it's from comparing ourselves to other leaders, kids going backwards spiritually, or whatever it may be, just know that none of us are strangers to youth ministry mind games. But if we want to make a real difference in the lives of our students, we have to fight through the mind games.
In this month's iVolunteer, "When You Feel Like You're Failing," I'm sharing with you five things that I often have to remind myself when I feel like I'm failing. More than 40 years in youth ministry has taught me, that at the times I need to hear other people saying that I'm doing a good job, that their silence is almost deafening. So take heart, my friends, though many things will make you an invaluable leader, nothing will be more strategic than fighting through the mind games and simply refusing to quit. Thomas Edison said it best, "Many of life's failures are just people who never realized how close they were to success when they chose to give up."
Celebrating You,
Contrary to what many people think, it is not your talent or your intelligence that is really the major predictor of how much happiness or success you're going to have in your life, your family, your vocation, or your ministry. A far more accurate predictor of those factors is your GRIT. And best news is that grit isn't something you are just "born with"...but it is something you can cultivate!
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I share pragmatics from the book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. We'll take a look at what "grit" is. I'll also share four psychological assets that, if you choose to grow them over time, will help you grow your GRIT. As novelist John Irving says, "To do anything really well, you have to OVEREXTEND YOURSELF."
Committed to growing my GRIT,
So you've spent hours and hours planning for your big event...it was going to be awesome...amazing...life changing...and it bombs! Big time! Your worship leader gets diagnosed with strep throat and cancels two hours before your event...the major actor in your drama forgets his lines...you find out after it's too late that there's a major concert at the school and half the youth group doesn't show up...and those who come "yawn" their way through most of the night. In short, it sure wasn't the night to build your self-confidence.
Don't you just hate it when that happens? I've had a million bombs myself. And I have repeatedly realized that things often seem MUCH WORSE in my mind than in everyone else's. In this Youth Leader's Coach, I talk through simple pragmatics you can do when you have "one of THOSE nights." This is one that you will want to take some notes on, so grab a cup of coffee and tune in!
Lovingly,
