LSCI is a model of reconciliation used in youth’s people life to turn a stressful and challenging personal situation into a learning experience.
This model is build around the conflict cycle [1. stressful incident, 2. student’s feelings, 3. student’s observable behavior, 4. adult/peer reaction] where the adult instead of mastering or giving the answers to the youth in question, it coach the youth helping them to use their own intelligence and strengths to solve the problem.
The LSCI has an abbreviated four step format:
1.Defusing the conflict
2.Building a time line of the conflict
3.Understanding what causes the conflict
4.Resolving the conflict.
1.Defusing the conflict
With defusing the conflict, the goal, before solving can begin, we must defuse strong emotions and lure the child back into communication. The first thing to do is for the adult to be in a total control of his or her emotions with out turning moralistic of judgmental, instead, helping the young person to become more compose and focus in what really happened.
2.Building a time line of the conflict
We want them to think in what really happened, it is necessary to listen very carefully and again don’t get judgmental and together figure out the time line of how the crisis unfolded. We need to be aware and listening to specific behaviors but also in feelings and thought at the crisis moment.
3.Understanding what causes the conflict
Knowing already what happened from our time line of the conflict, now we are better able to identify the central issue. Sometimes the problems are limited in scope, more often; the immediate problem is the latest in a string of similar problems.
4.Resolving the conflict
When we understand how conflicts develop, we are able to find better strategies for coping with such situations. Helping young persons reflects on a problem objectively enables them to see how their behavior has hurt others and what they can do to make amends.
LSCI model, in a future situation where I am going to have to deal with a crisis, that involves not just the young’s lives but the community as well, I will be necessary to sit and to discover together the real roots of the behave. To listen carefully and to give it time to the time helps in terms of find a solution; I must remember that this people is either a new believer, teenagers going through puberty, people with many other social problems, so just being part of their pain and show sympathy will help much better instead of shutting them down just like everybody else.
To listen to their complaining or listen to them figuring it out how the got to the point that they are talking with me in the office, help them with they growing process and will make more difference in the future.
I think that in a future situation also I will need to find a good helper to be part of this, to help the family as well, in this case my Co’s will be totally involve and we as team will work with the family and the youth and we all together will try to understand each other problems and together with the help of the Holy Spirit will get a answer.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents
Internal Assets – Positive Values
In working with Children at risk, we see that the behave is the reflect of what the know and see in the spaces where they more spent time, it could be their houses, their school or their after school programs.
In order to develop Positive Values it is important to use to break in some of those areas; if we get to connect to the children giving them a learning experience where they can understand that behave would bring more good times that bad ones, or that it would bring more benefit that punishment.
But it is hard to work at this level when we spent couples of hours a day with the children, and we don’t have any connection with what is happening out side our program, and in order to create Positive Values in the children we might need to work with other programs or institutions that share the children time, it could be the school, church, clubs, children houses etc.
It is necessary the complete involvement in the children lives and time to create in them Positive Values, it is know that if we repeat a behave [good or bad] for a not so large period of time, it behave get recorder in the brain and it will continue to happened for the rest of the life, but to create this kind of responds it is necessary to involve time and resources, and willingness to do it, and to mean it,
In working with Children at risk, we see that the behave is the reflect of what the know and see in the spaces where they more spent time, it could be their houses, their school or their after school programs.
In order to develop Positive Values it is important to use to break in some of those areas; if we get to connect to the children giving them a learning experience where they can understand that behave would bring more good times that bad ones, or that it would bring more benefit that punishment.
But it is hard to work at this level when we spent couples of hours a day with the children, and we don’t have any connection with what is happening out side our program, and in order to create Positive Values in the children we might need to work with other programs or institutions that share the children time, it could be the school, church, clubs, children houses etc.
It is necessary the complete involvement in the children lives and time to create in them Positive Values, it is know that if we repeat a behave [good or bad] for a not so large period of time, it behave get recorder in the brain and it will continue to happened for the rest of the life, but to create this kind of responds it is necessary to involve time and resources, and willingness to do it, and to mean it,
40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents
External Assets – Support
One of the point we discussed when we were talking about this strategy, was how important is to create good relationship with those whom we work with, in the case of a Youth Worker it would be the children.
Support, as a External assets is founded in relationship, I believe that without this elementary level of interaction any further effort will be unfruitful, this is because with our relationship there is not communication, trust, or belief in each other.
It is so graphic for us when we see the children at risk the lack of good relationship, they are surrounded by poverty, unfulfilled needs, lack of love, lack of goodness, we can say lack of God.
We as workers of the Kingdom of God, we were call to bring Heaven to Earth, to keep the Love of God represented through Jesus Christ and to take it to were it is need, take it to those children at risk.
When we talk about support it is not just to say Yes, you can do it, it means also to say No, but to say it with love, and with reason, most of the time we say to the children to behave but we don’t tell them how to behave.
There is different kind of supports in this tool, we have Family support, Positive Family communication, other adult relationships, caring neighborhood, caring school climate, parent involvement in schooling.
In Children at Risk there is probably lack of Family Relationships, but we as Program can gave them a good environment of caring, and support with other responsible adults taking care of them, and other institutions that show it support to the children given them the opportunity of participate in activities like visits to museum and to the park.
But the more important part in this desire of support children at risk, is creating positive Relationships.
One of the point we discussed when we were talking about this strategy, was how important is to create good relationship with those whom we work with, in the case of a Youth Worker it would be the children.
Support, as a External assets is founded in relationship, I believe that without this elementary level of interaction any further effort will be unfruitful, this is because with our relationship there is not communication, trust, or belief in each other.
It is so graphic for us when we see the children at risk the lack of good relationship, they are surrounded by poverty, unfulfilled needs, lack of love, lack of goodness, we can say lack of God.
We as workers of the Kingdom of God, we were call to bring Heaven to Earth, to keep the Love of God represented through Jesus Christ and to take it to were it is need, take it to those children at risk.
When we talk about support it is not just to say Yes, you can do it, it means also to say No, but to say it with love, and with reason, most of the time we say to the children to behave but we don’t tell them how to behave.
There is different kind of supports in this tool, we have Family support, Positive Family communication, other adult relationships, caring neighborhood, caring school climate, parent involvement in schooling.
In Children at Risk there is probably lack of Family Relationships, but we as Program can gave them a good environment of caring, and support with other responsible adults taking care of them, and other institutions that show it support to the children given them the opportunity of participate in activities like visits to museum and to the park.
But the more important part in this desire of support children at risk, is creating positive Relationships.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Reclaiming Children and Youth [Report]
The meaning of Behavior [Judith Schubert]
The theme of this issue-discovering virtues in delinquents- is and excellent reminder of the power of perception. "Virtue" and "Delinquents" are two words that do not seem to belong in the same sentece, and bu positioning them together, we are challenged to perceive them in a different way. What could be virtuousus about delinquency? [Judith Schubert]
Behavior tends to be categorized as "negative" or "positive". When we evaluate atrisk or troubled youth, we identify their strengths and their deficits. What we often fail to recognize is that seeing a behavior as positive or negative, often has more to do with the context in which the behavior is displayed, rather that with the behavior itself.
1. Positive and negative behavior are often two sides of the same coin.
It is easy to fall into the trap of classify a specific behavior as a strength if the behavior is used in a way that conforms to our values and as a deficit when it is used for purposes we do not support. As a result of this we aften try to extinguish the behavior, rather than chalenge it.
2. All behavior are meaning
No matter what the behavior it means something, it has a function. Rather than drawing immediate conclusion about disruptive or aggressive behaviors, look for pathern that might help decipher hte meaning behind the behavior.
3. Behavior is adaptive
People learn to behave in certain ways as a response to their enviroment. Those who have been institutionalized often develop repetitive behaviors; some may have learned to be manipulative because they were never allowed to express their feelings; another child might have become aggressive.
If a child's enviroment changes, the behavior might no longer be effective or necessary, but it is important to reconnize that at on time the behavior could have been critical to the child's very survival. It good to remember that it will take time to unlearn behaviors that are no longer necessary.
4. So-called "negative" behaviors can sometimes be channeled into positive action.
The actions of troubled youth can be surprising as we watch them engage in behaviors that seem to worl against their own best interests. If we search fot the meaning behing behavior and identify its adaptive function, we are in a better position to help youth channel their behavior in a positive direction that will move them towar autonomy, self-responsability, and productive changes.
[Judith Schubert is president of the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)]
from "Reclaiming Children and Youth - The journal of strengh-based interventions- ( Discovering the Virtues in Delinquent Children) Volume 16 Number 4 winter 2008.
The theme of this issue-discovering virtues in delinquents- is and excellent reminder of the power of perception. "Virtue" and "Delinquents" are two words that do not seem to belong in the same sentece, and bu positioning them together, we are challenged to perceive them in a different way. What could be virtuousus about delinquency? [Judith Schubert]
Behavior tends to be categorized as "negative" or "positive". When we evaluate atrisk or troubled youth, we identify their strengths and their deficits. What we often fail to recognize is that seeing a behavior as positive or negative, often has more to do with the context in which the behavior is displayed, rather that with the behavior itself.
1. Positive and negative behavior are often two sides of the same coin.
It is easy to fall into the trap of classify a specific behavior as a strength if the behavior is used in a way that conforms to our values and as a deficit when it is used for purposes we do not support. As a result of this we aften try to extinguish the behavior, rather than chalenge it.
2. All behavior are meaning
No matter what the behavior it means something, it has a function. Rather than drawing immediate conclusion about disruptive or aggressive behaviors, look for pathern that might help decipher hte meaning behind the behavior.
3. Behavior is adaptive
People learn to behave in certain ways as a response to their enviroment. Those who have been institutionalized often develop repetitive behaviors; some may have learned to be manipulative because they were never allowed to express their feelings; another child might have become aggressive.
If a child's enviroment changes, the behavior might no longer be effective or necessary, but it is important to reconnize that at on time the behavior could have been critical to the child's very survival. It good to remember that it will take time to unlearn behaviors that are no longer necessary.
4. So-called "negative" behaviors can sometimes be channeled into positive action.
The actions of troubled youth can be surprising as we watch them engage in behaviors that seem to worl against their own best interests. If we search fot the meaning behing behavior and identify its adaptive function, we are in a better position to help youth channel their behavior in a positive direction that will move them towar autonomy, self-responsability, and productive changes.
[Judith Schubert is president of the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)]
from "Reclaiming Children and Youth - The journal of strengh-based interventions- ( Discovering the Virtues in Delinquent Children) Volume 16 Number 4 winter 2008.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Reclaiming Youth at Risk
Destructive Relationships
"Consider these children to have fallen among thieves, the thieves of ignorance and sin and ill fate and loss. Their birthrights were stolen. They have no belongings" [Karl Menninger] (1)
When caretakers fail to meet a child's most basic needs, the child learns that they are unpredictable or unreliable. Some children reach beyond their families in search of substitute attachments with other adults or peers.(2)
Contemporary society is creating a growing number of children at risk for relationship impairments. Today, the typical child is reared by a single parent or by parents who both work outside the home. The decline of extended families and intimate neighborhoods leaves an isolated nuclear family. Public policy has not kept pace with the reality that one or two unsupporte adults are often unequipped to succesfully rear their young. (3)
The school is the only institution providing ongoing, long-term relationships with all of our young. Some children spend only minutes a day in conversations with parents, but all are requiered by law to be in extended contact wiht the adults who staff our school. Educators have not yet risen to such challenge.(4)
Research shows that at each progressive level of the education system, relationships increasingly lack meaning and personl satisfaction. Not surprisingly, students at greatest risk of dropping out the school are those who have never been friends with any teacher.(5)
Children are looking after somebody to look up, looking after something to hold, the need of belonging has increased in the world of the children, leading them to look after models to copy, or after relationships that might fulfill the need they present. If we see that relationships are the answer of these need, we may find that gangs, drugs groups, or bands, are fulfiling the need of belonging, if we see the world of the gangs, we see that they provide to the child: propiety [places that the own by fighting for them], name [ nicknames that they get when they join the gang group] and recognitions [ in the case of commit a crime the might get a price or a different position in the gang staff]; this relationship is fulfiling the need of belonging, but in the time it become destructive, it leads the child to commit crimes, crimes leads to the police, the police to jail, jail to new destructive relationships and so on the circucle keep going.
In the same case, school should be the place where children should find the complete oposite side of the relationship, we still seen the same paternts: propiety, name and recognitions, but wiht a complete different focus, oriented to the grown of the children, but educators have not understand this yet, the modern world moves every day more towars consumerism, toward individualism, and toward "I THINK IN ME, YOU THINK IN YOU".
Parents are too stessed, schools are too impersonal, community is too disorganized to fulfill the most basic need of children to Belong.(6)
(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) Bentro, Larry; Brokenleg, Martin; & Van Bocken, Steve. Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service, 1990.
"Consider these children to have fallen among thieves, the thieves of ignorance and sin and ill fate and loss. Their birthrights were stolen. They have no belongings" [Karl Menninger] (1)
When caretakers fail to meet a child's most basic needs, the child learns that they are unpredictable or unreliable. Some children reach beyond their families in search of substitute attachments with other adults or peers.(2)
Contemporary society is creating a growing number of children at risk for relationship impairments. Today, the typical child is reared by a single parent or by parents who both work outside the home. The decline of extended families and intimate neighborhoods leaves an isolated nuclear family. Public policy has not kept pace with the reality that one or two unsupporte adults are often unequipped to succesfully rear their young. (3)
The school is the only institution providing ongoing, long-term relationships with all of our young. Some children spend only minutes a day in conversations with parents, but all are requiered by law to be in extended contact wiht the adults who staff our school. Educators have not yet risen to such challenge.(4)
Research shows that at each progressive level of the education system, relationships increasingly lack meaning and personl satisfaction. Not surprisingly, students at greatest risk of dropping out the school are those who have never been friends with any teacher.(5)
Children are looking after somebody to look up, looking after something to hold, the need of belonging has increased in the world of the children, leading them to look after models to copy, or after relationships that might fulfill the need they present. If we see that relationships are the answer of these need, we may find that gangs, drugs groups, or bands, are fulfiling the need of belonging, if we see the world of the gangs, we see that they provide to the child: propiety [places that the own by fighting for them], name [ nicknames that they get when they join the gang group] and recognitions [ in the case of commit a crime the might get a price or a different position in the gang staff]; this relationship is fulfiling the need of belonging, but in the time it become destructive, it leads the child to commit crimes, crimes leads to the police, the police to jail, jail to new destructive relationships and so on the circucle keep going.
In the same case, school should be the place where children should find the complete oposite side of the relationship, we still seen the same paternts: propiety, name and recognitions, but wiht a complete different focus, oriented to the grown of the children, but educators have not understand this yet, the modern world moves every day more towars consumerism, toward individualism, and toward "I THINK IN ME, YOU THINK IN YOU".
Parents are too stessed, schools are too impersonal, community is too disorganized to fulfill the most basic need of children to Belong.(6)
(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) Bentro, Larry; Brokenleg, Martin; & Van Bocken, Steve. Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service, 1990.
Friday, March 21, 2008
“There’s No Such Thing As a Bad Kid”
Father Don Bosco [August 16, 1815 – January 31, 1888]
Saint John Bosco, born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, and known in English as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and recognized pedagogue, who put into practice the dogma of his religion, employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment. He placed his works under the protection of Francis de Sales; thus his followers styled themselves the Salesian Society. He is the only Saint with the title "Father and Teacher of Youth."
St. John Bosco succeeded in establishing a network of centers to carry on his work. In recognition of his work with disadvantaged youth he was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1934.(1)
Early Life
When he was little more than two years old his father died, leaving the support of three boys to the mother, Margaret Bosco. John's early years were spent as a shepherd and he received his first instruction at the hands of the parish priest. He possessed a ready wit, a retentive memory, and as years passed his appetite for study grew stronger. Owing to the poverty of the home, however, he was often obliged to turn from his books to the field, but the desire of what he had to give up never left him. In 1835 he entered the seminary at Chieri and after six years of study was ordained priest on the eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni of Turin.(2)
Early Ministry
When he was young, he would put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician, and acrobat. The price of admission to these shows was a prayer. Don Bosco began as the chaplain of the Rifugio ("Refuge"), a girls’ boarding school founded in Turin by the Marchioness Giulia di Barolo. But he had many ministries on the side such as visiting prisoners, teaching catechism and helping out at country parishes. A growing group of boys would come to the Rifugio on Sundays and feast days to play and learn their catechism. They were too old to join the younger children in regular catechism classes in the parishes, which mostly chased them away. This was the beginning of the “Oratory of St. Francis de Sales”. Because of all their disorderly racket, the Marchioness spared her girls the distraction by terminating Bosco’s employment at the Rifugio.Don Bosco and his Oratory wandered around town for a few years and were turned out of several places in succession. Finally, he was able to rent a shed from a Mr. Pinardi. His mother moved in with him. The Oratory had a home, then, in 1846, in the new Valdocco neighborhood on the north end of town. Next year, he and "Mamma Margherita" began taking in orphans.(3)
Don Bosco's Education System
Don Bosco's capability to attract numerous boys and adult helpers was connected to his "Preventive System of Education". He believed education to be a "matter of the heart" and said that the boys must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also pointed to three components of the Preventive System: reason, religion, and kindness. Music and games also went into the mix.(4)
Don Bosco gained a reputation early on of being a saint and miracle worker. For this reason Rua, Buzzetti, Cagliero and several others began to keep chronicles of his sayings and doings. Preserved in the Salesian archives, these are invaluable resources for studying his life. Later on, the Salesian Don Lemoyne collected and combined them into 45 scrapbooks with oral testimonies and Don Bosco’s own Memoirs of the Oratory. His aim was to write a detailed biography. This project eventually became a nineteen-volume affair, carried out by him and two other authors. These are the Biographical Memoirs. It is clearly not the work of professional historians, but a somewhat uneven compilation of those chronicles that preserve the memories of teenage boys and young men under the spell of a remarkable and beloved father figure.(5)
Salesians Family
The effort to keep on working the Oratory weren't enough, and after a few political, economic, and ecclesiastics conflicts, Father Don Bosco reached his dream under the advice of Urbano Rattazzi, who was the Justice Minister, who did not support the Church, but nevertheless recognized the value of Don Bosco’s work.
Todays Salesians mission is to teach young people various trades that will help them find decent jobs and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. The Salesians insist that the needy help themselves in whatever way they can, even minimally. They do not encourage dependence or paternalism, but strive to live up to the working maxim, “helping others to help themselves.” Today, they continue their mission of caring for the poor children of the world with missionaries in over 131 countries. Following the great effort and example of Father Don Bosco.(6) (7)
(1)(3)(4)(5)(6) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bosco, John Bosco; downloaded March 21,2008
(2) : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm, St. Giovanni Melchior Bosco; downloaded March 21, 2008
(7) : http://www.salesianmissions.org/aboutus/index.html, Salesian Missions Online; downloaded March 21, 2008
Felipe Concha
Saint John Bosco, born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, and known in English as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and recognized pedagogue, who put into practice the dogma of his religion, employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment. He placed his works under the protection of Francis de Sales; thus his followers styled themselves the Salesian Society. He is the only Saint with the title "Father and Teacher of Youth."
St. John Bosco succeeded in establishing a network of centers to carry on his work. In recognition of his work with disadvantaged youth he was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1934.(1)
Early Life
When he was little more than two years old his father died, leaving the support of three boys to the mother, Margaret Bosco. John's early years were spent as a shepherd and he received his first instruction at the hands of the parish priest. He possessed a ready wit, a retentive memory, and as years passed his appetite for study grew stronger. Owing to the poverty of the home, however, he was often obliged to turn from his books to the field, but the desire of what he had to give up never left him. In 1835 he entered the seminary at Chieri and after six years of study was ordained priest on the eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni of Turin.(2)
Early Ministry
When he was young, he would put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician, and acrobat. The price of admission to these shows was a prayer. Don Bosco began as the chaplain of the Rifugio ("Refuge"), a girls’ boarding school founded in Turin by the Marchioness Giulia di Barolo. But he had many ministries on the side such as visiting prisoners, teaching catechism and helping out at country parishes. A growing group of boys would come to the Rifugio on Sundays and feast days to play and learn their catechism. They were too old to join the younger children in regular catechism classes in the parishes, which mostly chased them away. This was the beginning of the “Oratory of St. Francis de Sales”. Because of all their disorderly racket, the Marchioness spared her girls the distraction by terminating Bosco’s employment at the Rifugio.Don Bosco and his Oratory wandered around town for a few years and were turned out of several places in succession. Finally, he was able to rent a shed from a Mr. Pinardi. His mother moved in with him. The Oratory had a home, then, in 1846, in the new Valdocco neighborhood on the north end of town. Next year, he and "Mamma Margherita" began taking in orphans.(3)
Don Bosco's Education System
Don Bosco's capability to attract numerous boys and adult helpers was connected to his "Preventive System of Education". He believed education to be a "matter of the heart" and said that the boys must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also pointed to three components of the Preventive System: reason, religion, and kindness. Music and games also went into the mix.(4)
Don Bosco gained a reputation early on of being a saint and miracle worker. For this reason Rua, Buzzetti, Cagliero and several others began to keep chronicles of his sayings and doings. Preserved in the Salesian archives, these are invaluable resources for studying his life. Later on, the Salesian Don Lemoyne collected and combined them into 45 scrapbooks with oral testimonies and Don Bosco’s own Memoirs of the Oratory. His aim was to write a detailed biography. This project eventually became a nineteen-volume affair, carried out by him and two other authors. These are the Biographical Memoirs. It is clearly not the work of professional historians, but a somewhat uneven compilation of those chronicles that preserve the memories of teenage boys and young men under the spell of a remarkable and beloved father figure.(5)
Salesians Family
The effort to keep on working the Oratory weren't enough, and after a few political, economic, and ecclesiastics conflicts, Father Don Bosco reached his dream under the advice of Urbano Rattazzi, who was the Justice Minister, who did not support the Church, but nevertheless recognized the value of Don Bosco’s work.
Todays Salesians mission is to teach young people various trades that will help them find decent jobs and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. The Salesians insist that the needy help themselves in whatever way they can, even minimally. They do not encourage dependence or paternalism, but strive to live up to the working maxim, “helping others to help themselves.” Today, they continue their mission of caring for the poor children of the world with missionaries in over 131 countries. Following the great effort and example of Father Don Bosco.(6) (7)
(1)(3)(4)(5)(6) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bosco, John Bosco; downloaded March 21,2008
(2) : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm, St. Giovanni Melchior Bosco; downloaded March 21, 2008
(7) : http://www.salesianmissions.org/aboutus/index.html, Salesian Missions Online; downloaded March 21, 2008
Felipe Concha
Monday, March 10, 2008
After School Visit -- Friday 02/07/08
Wow...
I can believe we are in March, and I have so many things to do that it seem to be April already, and it mean that it is looking preaty much like May and then is June and then we are done for the first year of training....
So Many thing, so many challenges, so many experiences...
This past friday we visited our last After School Programs, and it was one of the biggest that we have seen so far.
Some times it seem that there is nothing more that we are going to lear, but it is super crazy to say something like that, life it is a constantly journey, which would we end when Jesus come back. I was so into my self this past weekend, trying to get as much i could, to understand behaviors, ways in that the children act, talk, play, interect one with each other, and others. And some times we are just so into what we are doing, so into what we have to think, and do right, and take care of, that we forgot the main thing, the great WHY we are doing what we are doing, and it is GOd, and I realize this not while we were in the After School Program, but in the ride back, talking with one of my Leaders/Friend/sister in Christ, it was then when I realize that everything we do, it is not for us, but is it for God saken, and I feel so gratefull that God has choosen me to do His job in the Earth, and I feel like i dont deserve it but God say to me "Here is my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight", and it is so powerful what God say, and I love how he star the sentece "here is my servant" it make me feel that I am nothing with out my Master, and that whatevet I do it is not for me, but for God.
And that is my conclusion from all this trips and visits, that in the end, we still need God to finished the work, and that with out him we are nothing.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burned, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke yoin you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11 : 25 -30
I can believe we are in March, and I have so many things to do that it seem to be April already, and it mean that it is looking preaty much like May and then is June and then we are done for the first year of training....
So Many thing, so many challenges, so many experiences...
This past friday we visited our last After School Programs, and it was one of the biggest that we have seen so far.
Some times it seem that there is nothing more that we are going to lear, but it is super crazy to say something like that, life it is a constantly journey, which would we end when Jesus come back. I was so into my self this past weekend, trying to get as much i could, to understand behaviors, ways in that the children act, talk, play, interect one with each other, and others. And some times we are just so into what we are doing, so into what we have to think, and do right, and take care of, that we forgot the main thing, the great WHY we are doing what we are doing, and it is GOd, and I realize this not while we were in the After School Program, but in the ride back, talking with one of my Leaders/Friend/sister in Christ, it was then when I realize that everything we do, it is not for us, but is it for God saken, and I feel so gratefull that God has choosen me to do His job in the Earth, and I feel like i dont deserve it but God say to me "Here is my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight", and it is so powerful what God say, and I love how he star the sentece "here is my servant" it make me feel that I am nothing with out my Master, and that whatevet I do it is not for me, but for God.
And that is my conclusion from all this trips and visits, that in the end, we still need God to finished the work, and that with out him we are nothing.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burned, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke yoin you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11 : 25 -30
Toward a Theology of Culture -- What in the World is going on?
Christian scholars and Pastors often critique culture, music, ot television and make ethical judgments without full recognition of the culture attitudes and biases hidden in their own subconscious.
Youth Leaders and seminarians have received a great deal of instruction about the Christian life, missions, and the church. But how are we to live in the world? what do we have in common with neighbors who are not Christias?
No one can live without culture. Living in any particular culture, Chistians are under a mandate to follow principles that provide for human growth.
We live in that which we must leave. Our lives have complicated dimensions, but we share in God's intention for our common good.
We have to understand that we live in a world full of different cultures, and that we have to be able to preach the gospel to all the creation without any distintion. But we also need to be careful in what type of thing we get involve, we must be sure and know our code of ethics, and our limits and bounderies, so we dont cross that line in between being part of this world and being in the world.
We also find that the Bible support both ideas of being complete set apart of what we call "The Word", but we also find that the Bible support the idea of being in the worl, and receiving what the world receive.
The Bible is clear when it talks abouth wath is worldy and what is the World, the world in resume is the perfect creation of God, and we must be glad to live in that perfect creation, but we also have to understand that the princes of the earth, Satan, has used what the world is, and turn it to what he want it to be, creating a worldy desire, of thing without any sense or just focused to what mean to be apart of God.
Both extrems are far away of what God would like to hear, we as Youth Pastor should stand in between, creating a balance in what culture say, keeping the ministry high and modern, but at the same time that we get new thecnology, but need to keep working and getting our christian live modern, I dont mean with this that we have to change what we are, but we need to add new items at what we do, and how we approach different situation that come with the progress, and the new thinking process, and the presure, etc.
Youth Leaders and seminarians have received a great deal of instruction about the Christian life, missions, and the church. But how are we to live in the world? what do we have in common with neighbors who are not Christias?
No one can live without culture. Living in any particular culture, Chistians are under a mandate to follow principles that provide for human growth.
We live in that which we must leave. Our lives have complicated dimensions, but we share in God's intention for our common good.
We have to understand that we live in a world full of different cultures, and that we have to be able to preach the gospel to all the creation without any distintion. But we also need to be careful in what type of thing we get involve, we must be sure and know our code of ethics, and our limits and bounderies, so we dont cross that line in between being part of this world and being in the world.
We also find that the Bible support both ideas of being complete set apart of what we call "The Word", but we also find that the Bible support the idea of being in the worl, and receiving what the world receive.
The Bible is clear when it talks abouth wath is worldy and what is the World, the world in resume is the perfect creation of God, and we must be glad to live in that perfect creation, but we also have to understand that the princes of the earth, Satan, has used what the world is, and turn it to what he want it to be, creating a worldy desire, of thing without any sense or just focused to what mean to be apart of God.
Both extrems are far away of what God would like to hear, we as Youth Pastor should stand in between, creating a balance in what culture say, keeping the ministry high and modern, but at the same time that we get new thecnology, but need to keep working and getting our christian live modern, I dont mean with this that we have to change what we are, but we need to add new items at what we do, and how we approach different situation that come with the progress, and the new thinking process, and the presure, etc.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Postmodernity in the Marketplace
"When the forms if an old culture are dyingm the new culture is created by a few people who are not afraid to be insecure"
Rudolph Bahro, quoted in The Post Evangelical
Why study Popular Culture?
- Popular culture is related to Movies, music, and television, this are the primary form of disseminating values, ideas, and ethics.
- Popular culture serves as way of comunication of hte postmodern world.
Popular Culture both reflects who we are as people and also helps shape us as people. The implications if both factors are profund. We have participated in number of conversations about whether popular culture shapes public ideas or merely acts as a mirror reflecting our ideas back to us.
Culture was created for God, this should be a reason enough to study it , Postmodernism reflect it ideals and values through the media, the popular culture which is directly influence to the youth no matter if they are part of the church or if they are not, it still been a strong influence.
To know what it is Popular Culture about would help us to understand the new process for which youth in this time is going through, confronting difficult transition from adolecens to adulthood, creating a tension in the teen's creating questions like who i am? and what is my place in the world?
Postmodernism created a status of indivituation, where confront the youth we the picture of the thinking proces in order to formulate a desicion which could affect the rest of his life, this pression ( internal and external ) is affected for what they hear and see in the media that surrownded. we need to be aware of what happend in our around, in our comunity, it doesn't matter how many theory we may know, but if we dont know how to apply it to our daily life, it would be unworthy.
Rudolph Bahro, quoted in The Post Evangelical
Why study Popular Culture?
- Popular culture is related to Movies, music, and television, this are the primary form of disseminating values, ideas, and ethics.
- Popular culture serves as way of comunication of hte postmodern world.
Popular Culture both reflects who we are as people and also helps shape us as people. The implications if both factors are profund. We have participated in number of conversations about whether popular culture shapes public ideas or merely acts as a mirror reflecting our ideas back to us.
Culture was created for God, this should be a reason enough to study it , Postmodernism reflect it ideals and values through the media, the popular culture which is directly influence to the youth no matter if they are part of the church or if they are not, it still been a strong influence.
To know what it is Popular Culture about would help us to understand the new process for which youth in this time is going through, confronting difficult transition from adolecens to adulthood, creating a tension in the teen's creating questions like who i am? and what is my place in the world?
Postmodernism created a status of indivituation, where confront the youth we the picture of the thinking proces in order to formulate a desicion which could affect the rest of his life, this pression ( internal and external ) is affected for what they hear and see in the media that surrownded. we need to be aware of what happend in our around, in our comunity, it doesn't matter how many theory we may know, but if we dont know how to apply it to our daily life, it would be unworthy.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Friday After School Program Visit
The conflict between the moral responsibility, and the legal responsibility.
This past Friday I was face to this question, what I am going to do if I see the need in the community, but I don’t reach the legal standard?.
Probably in the every day ministry we are going to face this question, probably it is not going to be so general like: should I run a after school program if I don’t have the license and the permission from the respective authority?, but it probably would sound like: should I help that little illegal kid, who just came to the country, he doesn’t have papers to go to the doctor or to even apply to a school, or for others after school programs?
From our Moral or for our Christian point of view, we probably are going to choose to help, because that is what we are told, but what comes with this decision, what are the repercussions of out acts, I have to remember that I am not alone in this, and that I am part of a bigger organization and that I have to be responsible in front of the respective authorities.
This past Friday I was challenge to do what is right to do, I was challenge to go “against the flow”, or to “go with the flow” it depends from were you see it, but most of all, to do what is right, when is right.
This past Friday I was face to this question, what I am going to do if I see the need in the community, but I don’t reach the legal standard?.
Probably in the every day ministry we are going to face this question, probably it is not going to be so general like: should I run a after school program if I don’t have the license and the permission from the respective authority?, but it probably would sound like: should I help that little illegal kid, who just came to the country, he doesn’t have papers to go to the doctor or to even apply to a school, or for others after school programs?
From our Moral or for our Christian point of view, we probably are going to choose to help, because that is what we are told, but what comes with this decision, what are the repercussions of out acts, I have to remember that I am not alone in this, and that I am part of a bigger organization and that I have to be responsible in front of the respective authorities.
This past Friday I was challenge to do what is right to do, I was challenge to go “against the flow”, or to “go with the flow” it depends from were you see it, but most of all, to do what is right, when is right.
Sunday Holiness meeting, February 24, 2008
What a great experience was the one I lived, the way that the Holy Spirit moved at that places was awesome. Most of the time we just are so attach to the structure of the program, to the time, to the assistance, even to the space, that we forgot that this is not for us, it is for God, and He is the only one worthy of worship and praise.
Every experience is getting deeper and deepen in my heart, and every day, every thing make more sense.
This Sunday we were challenge with the question if we were strong enough. We read from Joshua 1: 1-9, and I must say that this passage keep getting in my way, and it is probably because I am keep missing something, and it must be because of these, that it keep getting in my way.
This passage is particular special for me; this is the scripture that my dear father give to me every time I leave from home, to a concert, to a trip, to a tour, to a new adventure in a different country. To be strong, to stay for what it right, but also to recognize that it takes courage to do it and to stand up and do it are always the words that he gave me, and I feel that God is telling me the same, he is leading me to what he want me to do, God is taking me to the place where he wants me to be.
One day I promised that I will follow Him “every time, every where, no matter what” and it takes courage to do it, but God is there to give me the strength to keep going.
Lead me, Lord, I will follow you
Lead me, Lord, I will go
You have called me, I will answer
Lead me, Lord, I will go.
Every experience is getting deeper and deepen in my heart, and every day, every thing make more sense.
This Sunday we were challenge with the question if we were strong enough. We read from Joshua 1: 1-9, and I must say that this passage keep getting in my way, and it is probably because I am keep missing something, and it must be because of these, that it keep getting in my way.
This passage is particular special for me; this is the scripture that my dear father give to me every time I leave from home, to a concert, to a trip, to a tour, to a new adventure in a different country. To be strong, to stay for what it right, but also to recognize that it takes courage to do it and to stand up and do it are always the words that he gave me, and I feel that God is telling me the same, he is leading me to what he want me to do, God is taking me to the place where he wants me to be.
One day I promised that I will follow Him “every time, every where, no matter what” and it takes courage to do it, but God is there to give me the strength to keep going.
Lead me, Lord, I will follow you
Lead me, Lord, I will go
You have called me, I will answer
Lead me, Lord, I will go.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thirteen - The Movie
Picture this:
“New in High School, starting a new school year, leaving behind that fact that you were the big one at middle school, and becoming the small and insignificant one in High School”
This is the picture that this movie had shown to me, the main character is a little girl coming out from middle school, living in the “growing up” world, setting up standards in how to dress, and how to behave, or to act; being the one who everybody look up to, but then becoming nothing, becoming the scratch of the School society, being the one who everybody mocks, or make fun of.
The kind of effect that this situation create in the little girl who is the main character, is stress, stress created by her peers, peers that were in the same situation before, peers that know how does it feel to be the one who everybody make fun of; but in this new scenario there are the ones making the dirty job of mocking.
The stress created by the peer pressure takes her to look up to a way to get out of the situation, to be recognize for those who are in the top of the school social structure seems to be the solution, but how to get there, what do I have to do to get to know them? They are so pretty, they wear make up and provocative clothes everybody knows them and everybody talks about them. How can I get to that level?
The peer pressure stress takes our main character to find a way out of thousands of thoughts that come to her mind, the only way that she finds is to write; writing in her personal diary she feels like she is getting out of all this new world that is driving her crazy, but it is not enough, the thoughts are taking her far away. She is starting a new process in her mind, she now understands and processes the information in a different way, she is now getting into the cognitive thinking process, and she is now really starting to think what to do, asking her self how to get to the next level and also how to get out of all the problems.
As your workers, we have to find the way to get into this world, the best answer so far seems to be related with relationships, knowing each other, knowing the world and social groups, knowing the subcultures and the traditions that involves all the new generations, are going to help us to stay in between, and to create those bridge that we need to connect the new generations, which seems to be so compact in the way they think, that seems to be so right when the stand for the Rights of other, but we all know as Christians that good actions don’t take us to the heaven, we must learn how to communicate in their language the gospel of the eternal life, and intentional relationships play an important roll in this scenario, it is in this way that we are going to get to know them, and to get them to trust us, so through the relationship we can get to talk to them about God and how He can help them to get our, or to go through all the new experience.
“80% of the Christians made their decision to follow Jesus under the age of thirteen... only the 5% after the age of 19 choose to follow Jesus”
“New in High School, starting a new school year, leaving behind that fact that you were the big one at middle school, and becoming the small and insignificant one in High School”
This is the picture that this movie had shown to me, the main character is a little girl coming out from middle school, living in the “growing up” world, setting up standards in how to dress, and how to behave, or to act; being the one who everybody look up to, but then becoming nothing, becoming the scratch of the School society, being the one who everybody mocks, or make fun of.
The kind of effect that this situation create in the little girl who is the main character, is stress, stress created by her peers, peers that were in the same situation before, peers that know how does it feel to be the one who everybody make fun of; but in this new scenario there are the ones making the dirty job of mocking.
The stress created by the peer pressure takes her to look up to a way to get out of the situation, to be recognize for those who are in the top of the school social structure seems to be the solution, but how to get there, what do I have to do to get to know them? They are so pretty, they wear make up and provocative clothes everybody knows them and everybody talks about them. How can I get to that level?
The peer pressure stress takes our main character to find a way out of thousands of thoughts that come to her mind, the only way that she finds is to write; writing in her personal diary she feels like she is getting out of all this new world that is driving her crazy, but it is not enough, the thoughts are taking her far away. She is starting a new process in her mind, she now understands and processes the information in a different way, she is now getting into the cognitive thinking process, and she is now really starting to think what to do, asking her self how to get to the next level and also how to get out of all the problems.
As your workers, we have to find the way to get into this world, the best answer so far seems to be related with relationships, knowing each other, knowing the world and social groups, knowing the subcultures and the traditions that involves all the new generations, are going to help us to stay in between, and to create those bridge that we need to connect the new generations, which seems to be so compact in the way they think, that seems to be so right when the stand for the Rights of other, but we all know as Christians that good actions don’t take us to the heaven, we must learn how to communicate in their language the gospel of the eternal life, and intentional relationships play an important roll in this scenario, it is in this way that we are going to get to know them, and to get them to trust us, so through the relationship we can get to talk to them about God and how He can help them to get our, or to go through all the new experience.
“80% of the Christians made their decision to follow Jesus under the age of thirteen... only the 5% after the age of 19 choose to follow Jesus”
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Postmodernism
“I define postmodernism as incredulity toward metanarratives”
Jean-Francois Lyotard
Postmodernism has been described like the era where everything is absolute subjective, it means that if you think that something is good for you, it is just good for you, and it is not going to have the same “good” effect on someone else. It is not the same in the Modern era where everything was absolute objective: “Tell me what you believe and I will believe it”
Postmodernism could be thought of as the Individual Era: “don’t tell me how to apply this Bible passage to my life. You don’t know anything about my life. Just tell me what it really means. I will decide how to apply it”.
But one of the values that remain from the worldview is the Relational Value is “Most people come to church because someone they trust invite them. Relationships will always be the best investments we will make”
The first period of Jesus’ ministry on earth was not to develop in the big cities or talking with the big masters of the time or preaching to thousand of people; it was in the country, in small places, and village. His main objective was clear and deep “Make Relationships” for a long time. Christians have been consumed with maintaining political power, conquering lands, writing laws, and a lot of other things that Jesus did not seem the least bit concerned with. Maybe this era is going to help us to recover some aspect of the early Christianity.
Postmodernism has been described like the era where everything is absolute subjective, it means that if you think that something is good for you, it is just good for you, and it is not going to have the same “good” effect on someone else. It is not the same in the Modern era where everything was absolute objective: “Tell me what you believe and I will believe it”
Postmodernism could be thought of as the Individual Era: “don’t tell me how to apply this Bible passage to my life. You don’t know anything about my life. Just tell me what it really means. I will decide how to apply it”.
But one of the values that remain from the worldview is the Relational Value is “Most people come to church because someone they trust invite them. Relationships will always be the best investments we will make”
The first period of Jesus’ ministry on earth was not to develop in the big cities or talking with the big masters of the time or preaching to thousand of people; it was in the country, in small places, and village. His main objective was clear and deep “Make Relationships” for a long time. Christians have been consumed with maintaining political power, conquering lands, writing laws, and a lot of other things that Jesus did not seem the least bit concerned with. Maybe this era is going to help us to recover some aspect of the early Christianity.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Manhattan Citadel, Friday 15, 2008
Youth Work is a nice trip, it is awesome how many life we can touch and change, how many of those life are under the legal age, and how many of them have been take it away of the regular church progrmas, just because they are to young to be part of, or simply they dont understand growing up words.
Last friday we went to visit the Manhattan Citadel Corps and we expend a couple of hours in the After School Program that is running there, we had a good time with the kids and with the mentors, sometimes we dont have much time to chat with them about how the feel working and helping this young lifes, most of the time we just jump to work, and help.
But this time was different for me, this was the place were i expend my Winter Intership, so I was "kind of in Home", again, i knew some of the mentors and the program director, and I totally knew the class of the little ones, because we expend some time together, singing and learning about God.
As they are little kids, they didn't remember my name, but they do remember the song that i teach them:
I say L
I say L O
L O V
L O V E
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
It really touch my heart when some of this kittle kids came to me , and they only thing that they remember was the song, and they started to sing it to me, it make me realize how important is what we show and what we teach, because from little things like a song, we can change and turn lifes to God.
From that point my Friend and I took a trip to Ohio for the long free weekend we had, and this lesson was working on me, to the point that it is changing my mind, and making me think that everything I do has to have a porpuse, there is nothing else I can do, that be complete in my commitment to work with Youth Ministries.
Last friday we went to visit the Manhattan Citadel Corps and we expend a couple of hours in the After School Program that is running there, we had a good time with the kids and with the mentors, sometimes we dont have much time to chat with them about how the feel working and helping this young lifes, most of the time we just jump to work, and help.
But this time was different for me, this was the place were i expend my Winter Intership, so I was "kind of in Home", again, i knew some of the mentors and the program director, and I totally knew the class of the little ones, because we expend some time together, singing and learning about God.
As they are little kids, they didn't remember my name, but they do remember the song that i teach them:
I say L
I say L O
L O V
L O V E
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
Everybody needs Gods love
It really touch my heart when some of this kittle kids came to me , and they only thing that they remember was the song, and they started to sing it to me, it make me realize how important is what we show and what we teach, because from little things like a song, we can change and turn lifes to God.
From that point my Friend and I took a trip to Ohio for the long free weekend we had, and this lesson was working on me, to the point that it is changing my mind, and making me think that everything I do has to have a porpuse, there is nothing else I can do, that be complete in my commitment to work with Youth Ministries.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Understanding Culture
"Where there are people, there is Culture"
Why it is so important to know about Culture or Cultures?
Culture is s system of living by those in a particular society, it is a attitdues and behaviors unconsciously assimilate.
As Youth Workers it is really important to know about culture, because these knowledge gives us the permission to get into the world of those who we want to reach. The new generation living in a post modern worldview were everybody, individually chose what to do, what to say and what to believe, can be very tricky to understand just because it seems that every single one is going in a differente way, but this first image it is just because we are not acquainted of certain ways of behavior, or specifics attidues that this social groups, cultures or sub-cultures have in comun.
To know about differents cultures it doesn mean that we have to become part of them, it could be even worse if we try to look like a teenager in our middle 20 or 30, it is better to know about it, but keep our owns believes and thoughs, this make us legitimate in a foreign world.
As Youth Worker we should expend time studing and understanding the different cultures that get together in our youth council, or in our youth meetings every week at our church, so in this way we are going to know how to preach the word of God, to all this different worlds.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Youth Pastor = Missionary?
A missionary, is a person with a specific task, in the case of the christians, this task is to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15), but this idea of Preach the Gospel, in some areas, was taken to far.
In the history of the conquest of South America, missionaries were the ones who oppressed the people, and the ones who forced them to accept their religion, they took their religion, and made it their judgment and sword, based in what the gospel of Mark says. They killed them, judged them, so they only way, fot the native people of South America, to get out of this unjust treatment was to become religious, and to follow all the teachings and rituals, to stay alive.
That is the because of the question mark next to missionary, most of the time, we think that we are right in what we think, just because we were told that we are right, most of the time we want to do what we best know, so we are not going to make mistake, but we are doing this same things in our ministry and to those who are under us: church, youth groups, boys and girls clubs, etc.
Acording to the dictionary missionary means: "someone who attempts to convert others to a particular doctrine or program", these definition does not involve environment, culture, language, it is a general definition of what a missionary is, and it is sometimes, what we do with our ministries, we just generalize terms, ages, languange and cultures, we go over all this things, and we do meeting, programs, and all ministries activities, with out think about what we are doing, we just go, just like the missionary in South America, we attempt to convert Youth to chritianity.
Paul Borthwick makes a different diagram of what really mean to be a Missionary Youth Ministry, he explain that in order to reach those who live in a different age's spectrum or sub-culture, we have to go, and learn how they live, communicate, and more important, how they learn. For me it is a matter of time, how much time do I have as Youth Pastor, to go and talk with my teen group when they go to the movies, or to bowling? or how much time do I have to study how their behave under different situations like stress or peer pressure? Do we expendt time doing this things?or we just rush to make our own statemenst about youth?
It seems to me that in the more time we expend learning about our youth groups, less time we are going to expend getting them to Christ, and it makes a lot of sence, because in the more we know them, the more we know how to talk to them, and more important we learn about what we should talk to them.
The message is the same, it never changes, but people do change, and we have to learn how to communicate the Message, to the new generation. Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to do this, Jesus expend the first 12 to 18 month of His ministry, out site the big cities making relationships, getting to know those who later in His ministry he was preaching, He knew their needs, He understood their way to communicate, He lived with them, and them He taught them about God, in a way that they easily could understand.
Jesus took time to do his ministry, and that is what realy missionaries do, they take time to learn and to listen, then they teach and talk.
In the history of the conquest of South America, missionaries were the ones who oppressed the people, and the ones who forced them to accept their religion, they took their religion, and made it their judgment and sword, based in what the gospel of Mark says. They killed them, judged them, so they only way, fot the native people of South America, to get out of this unjust treatment was to become religious, and to follow all the teachings and rituals, to stay alive.
That is the because of the question mark next to missionary, most of the time, we think that we are right in what we think, just because we were told that we are right, most of the time we want to do what we best know, so we are not going to make mistake, but we are doing this same things in our ministry and to those who are under us: church, youth groups, boys and girls clubs, etc.
Acording to the dictionary missionary means: "someone who attempts to convert others to a particular doctrine or program", these definition does not involve environment, culture, language, it is a general definition of what a missionary is, and it is sometimes, what we do with our ministries, we just generalize terms, ages, languange and cultures, we go over all this things, and we do meeting, programs, and all ministries activities, with out think about what we are doing, we just go, just like the missionary in South America, we attempt to convert Youth to chritianity.
Paul Borthwick makes a different diagram of what really mean to be a Missionary Youth Ministry, he explain that in order to reach those who live in a different age's spectrum or sub-culture, we have to go, and learn how they live, communicate, and more important, how they learn. For me it is a matter of time, how much time do I have as Youth Pastor, to go and talk with my teen group when they go to the movies, or to bowling? or how much time do I have to study how their behave under different situations like stress or peer pressure? Do we expendt time doing this things?or we just rush to make our own statemenst about youth?
It seems to me that in the more time we expend learning about our youth groups, less time we are going to expend getting them to Christ, and it makes a lot of sence, because in the more we know them, the more we know how to talk to them, and more important we learn about what we should talk to them.
The message is the same, it never changes, but people do change, and we have to learn how to communicate the Message, to the new generation. Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to do this, Jesus expend the first 12 to 18 month of His ministry, out site the big cities making relationships, getting to know those who later in His ministry he was preaching, He knew their needs, He understood their way to communicate, He lived with them, and them He taught them about God, in a way that they easily could understand.
Jesus took time to do his ministry, and that is what realy missionaries do, they take time to learn and to listen, then they teach and talk.
"He said to them, Go into all the world and peach the good news to all creation"
Mark 16:15
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
"Internet" Generation
Last week I was shock by the fact that this happend, and it is real!
I was reading the newspaper from my country, Chile, and this news call my attention: "American Girl fall in love wiht a Chilean guy", there is nothing new about it, but the interesting part of it, was that this relationshiop began on the internet, no phone calls, no regular mail, not even webcams, just email, and chat. I kept reading and i found out that this american girl went to Chile to meet her boyfriend; she got to Chile, exaited that she was about to meet the love of his life, and sadly it turn to be nothing real, it was all a lie!, this suppost boyfriend turn to be a women who stole a name and a personality from some random guy in Chile ( she kind of went to google and looked after Chilean male names ), and there she was, in Chile, alone and broken heart.
I share this storie because it is true, and it seems to be something really normal in the present time, and it is not just with adults, it is really close to young people, and even kids.
What I share, gives us the perfect example of what young people is doing over the internet, they are faking identities, faking their age and gender, and they are creating this new character in their lives, and as it is begind the computer, and nobody can see them, it seems like the perfect way to get away of the reality; and this reality could be not being accept at school, being reject for the peers, or just some psychological disorder.
Young people are involve in this enviroment of technology, everything that surroend them has something to do with computers, like ipods, video games ( psp, xbox, ds), video cameras, cameras and so on, and this make it easy for them to do what ever they want on internet, there is not rules on internet, there is not rules in chat rooms, blogs, or communities, surely there are some exceptions, but who can control over 160 millios of members at the same time? this is the number that communities like MySpace and Facebook work with.
So practicaly there are not rule, and this alow to the young to do whatever they want, no body is watching them, no body is recording tracks, or following patterns of behavior, probably because there is nothing to see, or there is nothing to watch or to follow, because everything happend over the net, on internet. Youth has the control over this world, it is easier for guys and girls who are not accept by their peers as who they are, to create realtionships over the internet, because people can not see them so they are in a very confortable zone, it make youth a lazy generations, almost everything is on internet now, books, homework, food, clothes, dates, friends, even school, everything is on internet ( this is one excus that they use to get internet "mom my homework is on the shcool website" etc). so there is not reason to go out, and it is even better, not one has to see me, and i can be a little bit more crazy and do stuff that I could not do in front of everyone; but this has another side as well, the side of those who take advantage of this Online situation, and came with jokes, lies and differents thinks to make the life of this people difficult.
And then we get to the part were the parents are not even in control of all this, some of them have or think they have the control over all this situation, getting firewall, setting up the computer in a place where everybody can see it, but youth folks are smart and they always get away of this, problably they have one friend whos parents are not home so they can go and chat with our restrictions, or filters, which were provided by the Safe feeling of being home.
But until what point are parents alow to invide the private life of their kids, does the fact of being their mom gives her the authority over the child?, or if we go a little bit to south america, we can maybe here "under my roof my rules", maybe parents should be more in contact with their sons and daugthers, so they can of prevent this situations of isolation and taking my life apart of reallity, because it feels really good to have the atteniton of everyone, and everyone who can not see me, and never guess who it really is, can get to know me a lit bit, and i can show my self to them through pictures, and videos.
This are things that we have to think about, this are things that are happenign right under our noses, what should be do? take apart computers, and star a campaing to avoid the use of computers? or should be teach our youth, kids, young, sons, daugthers, how to use it and really take the good part of it?
There are so many questions going on, it is a actual topic, and it keeps developing, and it wont stop, until somebody say or do something. are we willing to do that? or are we really feeling confortable with all this things?
peace to all
fxcx
I was reading the newspaper from my country, Chile, and this news call my attention: "American Girl fall in love wiht a Chilean guy", there is nothing new about it, but the interesting part of it, was that this relationshiop began on the internet, no phone calls, no regular mail, not even webcams, just email, and chat. I kept reading and i found out that this american girl went to Chile to meet her boyfriend; she got to Chile, exaited that she was about to meet the love of his life, and sadly it turn to be nothing real, it was all a lie!, this suppost boyfriend turn to be a women who stole a name and a personality from some random guy in Chile ( she kind of went to google and looked after Chilean male names ), and there she was, in Chile, alone and broken heart.
I share this storie because it is true, and it seems to be something really normal in the present time, and it is not just with adults, it is really close to young people, and even kids.
What I share, gives us the perfect example of what young people is doing over the internet, they are faking identities, faking their age and gender, and they are creating this new character in their lives, and as it is begind the computer, and nobody can see them, it seems like the perfect way to get away of the reality; and this reality could be not being accept at school, being reject for the peers, or just some psychological disorder.
Young people are involve in this enviroment of technology, everything that surroend them has something to do with computers, like ipods, video games ( psp, xbox, ds), video cameras, cameras and so on, and this make it easy for them to do what ever they want on internet, there is not rules on internet, there is not rules in chat rooms, blogs, or communities, surely there are some exceptions, but who can control over 160 millios of members at the same time? this is the number that communities like MySpace and Facebook work with.
So practicaly there are not rule, and this alow to the young to do whatever they want, no body is watching them, no body is recording tracks, or following patterns of behavior, probably because there is nothing to see, or there is nothing to watch or to follow, because everything happend over the net, on internet. Youth has the control over this world, it is easier for guys and girls who are not accept by their peers as who they are, to create realtionships over the internet, because people can not see them so they are in a very confortable zone, it make youth a lazy generations, almost everything is on internet now, books, homework, food, clothes, dates, friends, even school, everything is on internet ( this is one excus that they use to get internet "mom my homework is on the shcool website" etc). so there is not reason to go out, and it is even better, not one has to see me, and i can be a little bit more crazy and do stuff that I could not do in front of everyone; but this has another side as well, the side of those who take advantage of this Online situation, and came with jokes, lies and differents thinks to make the life of this people difficult.
And then we get to the part were the parents are not even in control of all this, some of them have or think they have the control over all this situation, getting firewall, setting up the computer in a place where everybody can see it, but youth folks are smart and they always get away of this, problably they have one friend whos parents are not home so they can go and chat with our restrictions, or filters, which were provided by the Safe feeling of being home.
But until what point are parents alow to invide the private life of their kids, does the fact of being their mom gives her the authority over the child?, or if we go a little bit to south america, we can maybe here "under my roof my rules", maybe parents should be more in contact with their sons and daugthers, so they can of prevent this situations of isolation and taking my life apart of reallity, because it feels really good to have the atteniton of everyone, and everyone who can not see me, and never guess who it really is, can get to know me a lit bit, and i can show my self to them through pictures, and videos.
This are things that we have to think about, this are things that are happenign right under our noses, what should be do? take apart computers, and star a campaing to avoid the use of computers? or should be teach our youth, kids, young, sons, daugthers, how to use it and really take the good part of it?
There are so many questions going on, it is a actual topic, and it keeps developing, and it wont stop, until somebody say or do something. are we willing to do that? or are we really feeling confortable with all this things?
peace to all
fxcx
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
SFOT, Sunday January 20th, 2008
I dont know how to describe the feeling i had this past sunday. it was a mix between feeling sad, feeling happy, feeling excited and worry, all at the same time.
I learned one time, that everything has an end, and sadly last sunday was or last day in SFOT Ministry site, in the beginning was really hard, but we worked hard and we did our best, until we got to the point that not matter what we did, it wasn't enough, there was always something, something else that we could do, some game, art craft, song or activitie, and I, from a very personal point of view, believe that being in that point, is part of my new challenge, were i began to create my own standars of what I want, and how I would like to do it, or how I like to do it.
To be Student, give me the freedom to make mistakes, (I believe that is another way to learn) it is not something that comes to my mind like "Ok now I am ready to make a mistake", or "Well, I think it is time for a little mistake", it just happend, but what I learn was to be alert of those changes, last minutes request, or different other things that are going to happend and that always are going to be there.
This week was not the exception, we lost one of our members in our way to our last Sunday School Program, we can not say that this situation happend because we were looking for it, it just happend, and we had to handle the situation, we had to make some changes in the responsabilities of the program, we had to learn new things in a short time, and we had to keep going, because the program was waiting for us, everything ended perfectly with the program, we ran a little bit over time, but it was ok, none of one has a watch, so now we are going to remember forever, that at least one of us has to get a watch.
This sunday we saw how working in team make things easily, and when it comes to fix or to help one to another, it is easy because we are all in the same track, doing the same things, and working under the same idea.
The best lesson I learned this time is to be humble, to be teachable, and to be servant, with out this things I could freak out and give up, but it is not because of me, it is because of God, the creator, my God and Lord, and I dont want more that give Him my best.
Peace
I learned one time, that everything has an end, and sadly last sunday was or last day in SFOT Ministry site, in the beginning was really hard, but we worked hard and we did our best, until we got to the point that not matter what we did, it wasn't enough, there was always something, something else that we could do, some game, art craft, song or activitie, and I, from a very personal point of view, believe that being in that point, is part of my new challenge, were i began to create my own standars of what I want, and how I would like to do it, or how I like to do it.
To be Student, give me the freedom to make mistakes, (I believe that is another way to learn) it is not something that comes to my mind like "Ok now I am ready to make a mistake", or "Well, I think it is time for a little mistake", it just happend, but what I learn was to be alert of those changes, last minutes request, or different other things that are going to happend and that always are going to be there.
This week was not the exception, we lost one of our members in our way to our last Sunday School Program, we can not say that this situation happend because we were looking for it, it just happend, and we had to handle the situation, we had to make some changes in the responsabilities of the program, we had to learn new things in a short time, and we had to keep going, because the program was waiting for us, everything ended perfectly with the program, we ran a little bit over time, but it was ok, none of one has a watch, so now we are going to remember forever, that at least one of us has to get a watch.
This sunday we saw how working in team make things easily, and when it comes to fix or to help one to another, it is easy because we are all in the same track, doing the same things, and working under the same idea.
The best lesson I learned this time is to be humble, to be teachable, and to be servant, with out this things I could freak out and give up, but it is not because of me, it is because of God, the creator, my God and Lord, and I dont want more that give Him my best.
Peace
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Love
El otro dia me encontre mirando esta foto:
..."dos personas llenas de carino y alegria, que a pesar de todas las complicaciones siguen juntos y mirando hacia en futuro con esperanza"
Esa es la impresion que dan, ESE ES VERDADERO AMOR, desde donde yo lo veo, creo que es a ese tipo de relaciones al cual se refieren los escritores de novelas de amor, ese amor que a pesar de "Dragones", "Castillos", "Ejercitos", "Sueno", permanece, y es mas, da fuerzas para superar cualquier tipo de obstaculo.
Me impresiona cada dia ver como se desarrolla la relacion de estas dos personas, que a todo esto ya son de una edad bastante madura, no son viejos, pero si de basta experiencia ( lo noto en las canas que llevan, Jajaja), no es que los ande mirando todo el tiempo y que este pendiente de lo que hacen, pero cada vez que tengo la oportunidad de verlos juntos, VERDADERO AMOR, es lo que primero llega a mi mente.
Talvez las cosas no fueron siempre asi, talvez la enfermedad presente, llego en un momento adelantado de la relacion, talvez despues de los hijos, o cuando los hijos ya estaban grandes, en verdad no se, lo que si veo es que siempre estan juntos, y sonriendo.
Parkinson, una enfermedad que por lo que veo afecta el sistema sicomotor, es decir, afecta las extremidades, y el sistema nervioso que controla el movimiento; mi hermana sabria explicarlo mejor, con terminos y todo eso, pero eso es lo que yo entiendo de lo que veo, no he hecho ninguna investigacion, ni nada por el estilo podria mover mi mano mover el mouse y buscarlo en google, pero si lo hago perderia las ganas de escribir, google es un mundo aparte, es parte de otra conversacion.
Tuve que tomar una clase con estas dos personas, no se si los dos tenian que estar ahi con nosotros, pero estaban siempre, el siempre con un chiste a flor de boca, y ella muy cortes, elegante, y reservada; la clase era hacerca de lo creemos, de nuestra fe, y de los fundamentos de nuestra religion; que mejor que hablar de Fe y del poder de Dios (con alguien que lo vive dia a dia, osea, tener una enfermedad que es progresiba y que a pesar de tener tratamientos, aun no ahi una cura concreta), fueron unas clases muy buenas, me dejaron mucho para pensar, y cada vez que los veo juntos esos pensamientos vienen a mi, y me reflejan de una manera practica como el amor de Dios debe trabajar en nosotros, osea nosotros estamos enfermos cronicos del pecado, y a pesar de todos los tratamientos, curas, inyecciones, y todo eso, seguimos enfermos, y para algunos (contandome a mi primero) ni siquiera el sacrificio de la cruz es suficiente, cuanto mas Dios tiene que hacer para que entendamos su amor hacia nosotros?
Yo lo veo reflejado en estas dos personas, la sociedad se esta enfocando en buscar la cura a las enfermedades antes de que los ninos nascan, queremos tener hijos que no se enfermen, para poder hacer nuestra vida mas facil, pero en ellos las cosas no han sido faciles, en el ultimo tiempo, cirugias, drogas, hospitales, anestecias, cuidados intensivos, no facil, pero todo rodeado de amor se hace mas llevadero.
Dios nos ama de tal manera (de una manera que no entendemos por que si la entendiaramos no estariamos aca) que dio a su hijo, alguien que no tenia culpa, y nosotros sin asco lo mandamos a la cruz, y cada vez q pecamos le pisamos el cuello, como si ya no hubiera tenido suficiente con la cruz.
Dios nos ama de tal manera, que a pesar de que estemos enfermos y que hagamos lo que queramos con su hijo, el sigue a nuestro lado, nos acompana, nos abre las puertas, y nos libra de todo mal posible, osea no vamos a decir que es la suerte, que son nuestras decisiones las que nos llevan a donde estamos, es Dios, y su gran amor hacia nosotros el que nos libra de todo eso.
Ver a este matrimonio me inspira, antes queria encontrar el amor de mi vida, alguien que me complemente, pero ahora quiero ser el encontrado, quiero ser la persona que alguien esta esperando, yo quiero ser el complemento, se puede tomar desde un punto de vista de orgullo, y ego, pero para mi el ser un complemento significa dar todo lo que tengo para ser y hacer feliz, un sacrificion por amor.
Sacrifio por amor. De Dios hacia el hombre a traves de Jesucristo.
fxcx
..."dos personas llenas de carino y alegria, que a pesar de todas las complicaciones siguen juntos y mirando hacia en futuro con esperanza"
Esa es la impresion que dan, ESE ES VERDADERO AMOR, desde donde yo lo veo, creo que es a ese tipo de relaciones al cual se refieren los escritores de novelas de amor, ese amor que a pesar de "Dragones", "Castillos", "Ejercitos", "Sueno", permanece, y es mas, da fuerzas para superar cualquier tipo de obstaculo.
Me impresiona cada dia ver como se desarrolla la relacion de estas dos personas, que a todo esto ya son de una edad bastante madura, no son viejos, pero si de basta experiencia ( lo noto en las canas que llevan, Jajaja), no es que los ande mirando todo el tiempo y que este pendiente de lo que hacen, pero cada vez que tengo la oportunidad de verlos juntos, VERDADERO AMOR, es lo que primero llega a mi mente.
Talvez las cosas no fueron siempre asi, talvez la enfermedad presente, llego en un momento adelantado de la relacion, talvez despues de los hijos, o cuando los hijos ya estaban grandes, en verdad no se, lo que si veo es que siempre estan juntos, y sonriendo.
Parkinson, una enfermedad que por lo que veo afecta el sistema sicomotor, es decir, afecta las extremidades, y el sistema nervioso que controla el movimiento; mi hermana sabria explicarlo mejor, con terminos y todo eso, pero eso es lo que yo entiendo de lo que veo, no he hecho ninguna investigacion, ni nada por el estilo podria mover mi mano mover el mouse y buscarlo en google, pero si lo hago perderia las ganas de escribir, google es un mundo aparte, es parte de otra conversacion.
Tuve que tomar una clase con estas dos personas, no se si los dos tenian que estar ahi con nosotros, pero estaban siempre, el siempre con un chiste a flor de boca, y ella muy cortes, elegante, y reservada; la clase era hacerca de lo creemos, de nuestra fe, y de los fundamentos de nuestra religion; que mejor que hablar de Fe y del poder de Dios (con alguien que lo vive dia a dia, osea, tener una enfermedad que es progresiba y que a pesar de tener tratamientos, aun no ahi una cura concreta), fueron unas clases muy buenas, me dejaron mucho para pensar, y cada vez que los veo juntos esos pensamientos vienen a mi, y me reflejan de una manera practica como el amor de Dios debe trabajar en nosotros, osea nosotros estamos enfermos cronicos del pecado, y a pesar de todos los tratamientos, curas, inyecciones, y todo eso, seguimos enfermos, y para algunos (contandome a mi primero) ni siquiera el sacrificio de la cruz es suficiente, cuanto mas Dios tiene que hacer para que entendamos su amor hacia nosotros?
Yo lo veo reflejado en estas dos personas, la sociedad se esta enfocando en buscar la cura a las enfermedades antes de que los ninos nascan, queremos tener hijos que no se enfermen, para poder hacer nuestra vida mas facil, pero en ellos las cosas no han sido faciles, en el ultimo tiempo, cirugias, drogas, hospitales, anestecias, cuidados intensivos, no facil, pero todo rodeado de amor se hace mas llevadero.
Dios nos ama de tal manera (de una manera que no entendemos por que si la entendiaramos no estariamos aca) que dio a su hijo, alguien que no tenia culpa, y nosotros sin asco lo mandamos a la cruz, y cada vez q pecamos le pisamos el cuello, como si ya no hubiera tenido suficiente con la cruz.
Dios nos ama de tal manera, que a pesar de que estemos enfermos y que hagamos lo que queramos con su hijo, el sigue a nuestro lado, nos acompana, nos abre las puertas, y nos libra de todo mal posible, osea no vamos a decir que es la suerte, que son nuestras decisiones las que nos llevan a donde estamos, es Dios, y su gran amor hacia nosotros el que nos libra de todo eso.
Ver a este matrimonio me inspira, antes queria encontrar el amor de mi vida, alguien que me complemente, pero ahora quiero ser el encontrado, quiero ser la persona que alguien esta esperando, yo quiero ser el complemento, se puede tomar desde un punto de vista de orgullo, y ego, pero para mi el ser un complemento significa dar todo lo que tengo para ser y hacer feliz, un sacrificion por amor.
Sacrifio por amor. De Dios hacia el hombre a traves de Jesucristo.
fxcx
Sunday, January 13, 2008
SFOT, Children's Worship Sunday January 13, 2008
Children's Worship is an special time for the kids, it is right after sunday school, and at the same time that Spritual day for the Cadets. Maybe, we can think that this time is to keep the kids away from they parents so they can focus on what they are doing in their Spiritual day, which is kind of right. We also can think that it is a time where we are give them some sort of entertainment time, were they play, sing, make crafts, etc. Which could be right too.
But, the other day when i was thinking and preparing the program for Children's Worship, I put this situation in the other direction, what if it is not the kids who are take apart from their parents, instead, it is their parents who are take apart of the kids, so they can enjoy a time created specially for them were they can be kids, and play, scream, run, and sing, and learn?
It is silly, i know, but isn't the way we think when we are about to prepar a program for the kids, "Oh, it is a spiritual day ( for the adults ) let's take the kids apart and give them some kind of entertainment while we are in the meeting".
Kids have the same importance that the adults, they have needs, just like the aduls have, they have feelings just like the aduls have, and they need God, just like the adults need God.
So under this personal conclusion, I understood that kids are important, and they need my 100%, or maybe they need my 150%, because, let me tell you, KIDS CAN RUN AND BE LOUD!!!.
I was the lucky one, i came late to school, so i was the last in the list to lead a sunday program, through this way, i saw how we made mistakes, how we were correct but I also saw how we were getting more and more tools, attitudes, energy, and experince, to the point were everything went the way we thought, we had a complete program, with songs, games, Bible verse, puppets, activities,but there is always something, ALWAYS SOMETHING.
This time, it wasnt the program, this time we thought in how can we involve the people arround us, people how is around ones in a while; maybe if you involve them in what you are doing, that one time in church can become two, three and more, then just God knows what can happend. But think in this way, we are not talking about people we are meeting for the very first time, but we are talking about the parent who decide to go to church with her daugther, or maybe it is some voluteer of your daily feed programs how decide to show up on sunday, or it is a volunteer of you After School Program. So that was what happend to us today, a big number of the Daily Care Center joined us in the Children's Worship, it was something that just happend today, alot of volunteers and few number of kids, so after the program in our time to reflex about what we did, this question came to us, how can we get them involve in what we are doing?
It is hard to answer it right now, but I think i have to be ready, and to see beyond what I noramally see, and the first thought that come to my mind is that I need to be aware of what God is telling me, and the first step to do that, the first step to listen at God, is to pray, Prayer is one of our more powerful tools.
But, the other day when i was thinking and preparing the program for Children's Worship, I put this situation in the other direction, what if it is not the kids who are take apart from their parents, instead, it is their parents who are take apart of the kids, so they can enjoy a time created specially for them were they can be kids, and play, scream, run, and sing, and learn?
It is silly, i know, but isn't the way we think when we are about to prepar a program for the kids, "Oh, it is a spiritual day ( for the adults ) let's take the kids apart and give them some kind of entertainment while we are in the meeting".
Kids have the same importance that the adults, they have needs, just like the aduls have, they have feelings just like the aduls have, and they need God, just like the adults need God.
So under this personal conclusion, I understood that kids are important, and they need my 100%, or maybe they need my 150%, because, let me tell you, KIDS CAN RUN AND BE LOUD!!!.
I was the lucky one, i came late to school, so i was the last in the list to lead a sunday program, through this way, i saw how we made mistakes, how we were correct but I also saw how we were getting more and more tools, attitudes, energy, and experince, to the point were everything went the way we thought, we had a complete program, with songs, games, Bible verse, puppets, activities,but there is always something, ALWAYS SOMETHING.
This time, it wasnt the program, this time we thought in how can we involve the people arround us, people how is around ones in a while; maybe if you involve them in what you are doing, that one time in church can become two, three and more, then just God knows what can happend. But think in this way, we are not talking about people we are meeting for the very first time, but we are talking about the parent who decide to go to church with her daugther, or maybe it is some voluteer of your daily feed programs how decide to show up on sunday, or it is a volunteer of you After School Program. So that was what happend to us today, a big number of the Daily Care Center joined us in the Children's Worship, it was something that just happend today, alot of volunteers and few number of kids, so after the program in our time to reflex about what we did, this question came to us, how can we get them involve in what we are doing?
It is hard to answer it right now, but I think i have to be ready, and to see beyond what I noramally see, and the first thought that come to my mind is that I need to be aware of what God is telling me, and the first step to do that, the first step to listen at God, is to pray, Prayer is one of our more powerful tools.
"Do not be anxios about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and his peace which transcend all understanding will guarg your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"
Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV)
This is my prayer for this week, I want to hear more from God, I want to say less, but I want to hear more at what God has to tell me.
Peace
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