Pastor B Culture, Parent Cue, Spring

What the Pope & Instagram Teach Us About Connecting with Students

Check out the Article Web Page Here

I’m sure the headline above appears a bit random. Is there really a common denominator between the Pope and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom?

Apparently, there is.

About a month ago, Instagram’s CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom met with Pope Francis at the Vatican for the very first time. You already know, not everyone gets an audience with the Pope. What was the purpose of their meeting?

They met to discuss the power of images.

Instagram is now the fastest growing platform for social media sharing among the younger population, passing up Facebook from just a few years ago. Facebook remains the largest social media site, but it’s significant that they were smart enough to buy Instagram, foreseeing the trend toward posting and sending images over words. Systrom asserts they intend for Instagram to be the “dominant platform for visual communication.”

So, let’s listen in on the conversation between the Pope and Kevin Sysyrom. There were at least three realities that emerged as they conversed that we can integrate as we teach and lead students:

What Pope Francis and Kevin Systrom Reveal About the Power of Images:

 

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Images unite generations and cultures.

This is literally what Kevin Systrom said to TIME magazine, which reported the meeting between the two leaders. Here were two men—one corporate, one sacred—connecting over a curated set of pictures that Systrom brought with him. He suggested that images unite people from different ages, different cultures and across all borders. Just think about international traffic signs. We’ve gone to images or icons because we all recognize their meaning, regardless of our language or culture. These images bring people together.

Images can tell stories in real time.

The set of images Kevin brought to Pope Francis told the stories of recent tragedies that people from all over the world had endured—pictures from the exodus of immigrants from Syria to Europe, to the Nepalese earthquake and its aftermath. In a picture, we can unveil so much without even saying a word. Images become the language. I remember pictures from history that connected me to the story of my country, and the narrative of my past.

Images reveal truth.

Finally, images can communicate a truth, whether it’s simple and straightforward, such as the trending photos of Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour., Or they can communicate pain—like the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium. They can also communicate hope —like the images of so many who are aiding refuges internationally. Images have the power to make us laugh or learn. Through symbolism, images often represent a truth or remind the viewer of an important axiom. And because they’re a metaphor—they’re disarming, even as they teach.

So What Do I Do with This Information?

These are but a handful of reasons I chose over the years to leverage images and narratives to teach leadership and life skills. They engage both the head and the heart—both hemispheres of the brain. Images make you think and feel at the same time. Each of our images, called Habitudes® (images that form leadership habits and attitudes), actually represent a timeless truth we believe the young must learn in order to lead themselves and others well. Since 2004, when we published the first Habitudes book, it’s been remarkable to see how memorable they are once students learn the truth that is captured in the image. I just spoke to a thirty year old who learned some of the Habitudes images back in college, a decade ago. She still remembers and uses them to this day.

So how do images impact our everyday lives?

If you’re communicating with colleagues, a study done by Social Bakers last year exposed the visual nature of social networking. The study indicated that photos trump the market on Facebook, making up 93 percent of the social network’s most engaging posts.

Research from Skyword found that when you’re sending a message—if your content includes compelling images, you can average 94 percent more views than your boring counterparts. Our eyes are drawn to visuals.

If you’re looking to get your message noticed on-line, a study done with Google+ users  revealed that images play a role in providing visual cues to grab someone’s attention on-line. Researchers found that a post on Google+ was three times more likely to be re-shared if it included an image.

So, what are we waiting for? It’s time we include images as we communicate. Get the picture?

– See more at: http://growingleaders.com/blog/pope-instagram-teach-us-connecting-students/#sthash.RQjUEPcx.dpuf

Pastor B Parent Cue, Spring

Playing the Long Game in a World Addicted to Instant

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by | Apr 4, 2016 | Blog, Imagine The End | 1 comment

Do you know why it’s hard to teach your kids perseverance?

Because the rest of the world is built around instantly fulfilling their every need.

Do you remember Blockbuster Video? You had absolutely no guarantee they would have the movie you wanted to rent. It was very likely that some other punk in your town beat you to the one copy of Back to the Future Part II.

Upon finding the empty case, you would curse your bad luck and then wait a few days until the video came back to the store. You had to persevere.

That might seem like an incredibly minor form of perseverance. It hardly fits the way we define the word here at Parent Cue. Were you really refusing to give up when life gets hard? Maybe not, but you did have to wait. You did have to try again. You did get reminded that the world is not structured around fulfilling your every need.

Fast forward to today and things are a lot different. If my phone takes longer than .05 seconds to look something up, I am frustrated. If the show my kids want to watch isn’t on Netflix, they feel a little impatient. If someone doesn’t respond to my text immediately, I am bothered.

We live in an on-demand world, but great things usually take great time.

It’s our job as parents to teach our kids that the things that really matter require perseverance.

You don’t get great relationships unless you work on them over time.

You don’t get great at a sport unless you practice even when you don’t feel like it.

You don’t get into a great college unless you start planning long before the application is due.

Despite what Siri might tell us, life is not instant and it is not always easy.

We’ve got to play for the long game.

When our kids want to quit on a school project, we have to remind them why sticking with it matters more.

When they want to give up on a friendship because their feelings got hurt, we have to remind them real relationships go through bumpy moments.

When they want to let go of a passion because practice isn’t fun, we have to show them the value of hard work.

As the rest of the world becomes impatient, a little bit of perseverance will pay dividends for years to come.

Jon_Acuff_BW_240

Jon Acuff

Jon Acuff is the New York Times Bestselling author of five books. His latest, Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work & Never Get Stuck focuses on building a long-lasting career by investing in a “Career Savings Account.” Read his blog at Acuff.me and follow him on Twitter, @JonAcuff.
Read more of the Parent Cue Here
Pastor B Parent Cue, Spring, Students

Tiger Woods Witnesses the First Hole-in-One at The Playgrounds

YouTubeYouCanUse

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Tiger Woods Witnesses the First Hole-in-One at The Playgrounds

Volume 6, Issue 10

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxAoz2eE_ZM

Topics:

Perfection

Bible:

Colossians 3:23-24

Discussion Starter:

Two junior golfers play a round of golf to open up a new course designed by Tiger Woods. One of them gets a hole in one on the very first hole, and it wasn’t Tiger Woods!

The person going before you does something absolutely perfect. How do you follow that knowing that you won’t be perfect?

While none of us may face this exact situation we all face a similar situation every day. Being a Christ follower means that we are “like Christ.” We strive to be like him in full knowledge that He was perfect and we are not. So how do we follow perfection? The Apostle Paul speaks to this in Colossians 3, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

In other words, you can’t be perfect but you can do whatever it is you need to do with all of your heart.

3 Questions:

  1. When was a time you did something perfectly?
  2. Is it easier for you to talk about the good things about yourself or the bad? Why do you think that is so?
  3. What’s one way you can “work at it with all your heart” this week?

Chew on this:

Is it OK to strive for perfection even if you know it’s impossible?

 

VIEW THE ARCHIVES

Pastor B Culture, Oakwood, Spring, Students, Uncategorized

Generation iY – Tim Elmore

Source: Generation iY – Tim Elmore

One of the most significant discoveries researchers have made on both Millennials and Generation Z (kids growing up since the dawn of the 21st century) is that they have been conditioned to fear failure. Some kids are so paralyzed by the thought of failing, they’ll do anything to avoid it:

  • Quit the team.
  • Cheat on a test.
  • Lie about their results.
  • Never try in the first place.

According to one study, conducted by Bilkent University in Turkey, this fear of failure has gone global in 21st century students. The study found that the “fear of failure at school can negatively affect a student’s motivation and attitude to learn.”

The researchers asked over 1,000 high school and college students to complete surveys about their motivation to learn and the strategies they employed. In the end, they discovered that kids who feared failure at an early age were more likely to create goals to validate their ego rather than help them grow and develop. These students were also less likely to utilize “effective learning strategies” and “more likely to cheat.”

Ouch. Did anyone see this coming?

In 2003, research performed by Wiley Periodicals noted that one of three psychological variables that hinder adolescents’ levels of school engagement was the fear of failure. Hmmm. I think I see a pattern here.

The Golden Gate Paradox

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There is a great story that informs how we should lead students through this awful fear and liberate them from it. (I share it in my book, Twelve Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid.) In 1933, when the Golden Gate Bridge was being built, the crew fell behind on their deadlines. One of the workers had fallen to his death causing his colleagues to work more slowly each day for fear it might happen again. Finally, one worker approached the supervisor and asked if a net could be placed underneath the men to prevent them from dying if they fell. The supervisor was apprehensive to take the time to do this because they were already behind schedule. But, alas, he agreed and a net was hoisted into position. Suddenly, the men worked faster and more efficiently—actually speeding up the completion of the bridge. What enabled them to work faster and better? Removing the fear of failure. Suddenly, it was safe to try what they had feared before.

I call this the Golden Gate Paradox. Once the workers were liberated from the fear of failure—they could fall without fatality—they worked and succeeded better than ever. And faster then ever. Without the fear of failure, they failed less. The bridge was finished. The foreman met his deadline. The workers were safe. Everyone won.

In the end, people (especially students) need safety nets in order for them to welcome failure as part of the learning process. Safety nets are:

  • Motivating. (They want to jump in, take risks and initiate action.)
  • Liberating. (They feel free to explore, learn and grow without worry.)

What makes this “safety net” act challenging for staff and faculty is removing student’s fear of failure without neglecting to teach the reality of consequences. In other words, far too often we adults have rescued students from their failures, and they never learn to navigate or face the consequences for their mistakes.

Leaders must be dispensers of grace, allowing followers to fail forward, and not quit or flunk out when mistakes are made. This actually enables them to succeed more often and more quickly. However, leaders must also condition followers to weigh out the ramifications for their decisions and actions. So we must balance both:

  • Safety (It’s OK to fail as you learn).
  • Reality (Every action has an outcome).

Suggestions for Safety Nets

Here are some ideas you can tweak to perform the Golden Gate Paradox:

  1. Start by telling stories of your failures, without celebrating them. Liberate the students by revealing that you failed at some past ventures and lived to tell about it. In fact, you learned.
  2. Communicate the boundaries for their mistakes and don’t remove every consequence. Ease them into the new scenario; let them push the envelope.
  3. Host a course called “Failure 101.” More than one school has initiated such a class especially for students who fear it. It’s all about learning from failure.
  4. When possible, offer second chances for fearful students. Many adults are so angry at Gen iY kids, they remove all second chances. This is ultimately harmful.
  5. Gradually, condition them to welcome failure as part of their learning. Expose them to responsibility as they gain more autonomy. These two go together.
  6. Find out what they fear the most and address it. Perhaps they fear looking bad or disappointing mom. Once you help them identify it, address the cause.

Let’s hoist some safety nets and watch our students flourish.

– See more at: http://growingleaders.com/blog/category/generation-iy/#sthash.6BSOqUpA.dpuf

Pastor B Culture, Parent Cue, Spring

Risen Movie shares a new angle on the Resurrection Story

Risen Movie shares a new angle on the Resurrection Story

Sometimes we can look at the same story and pass it off as “routine.”  Risen takes you to a whole new angle of a story that could have happened.  I enjoyed it as entertainment, along with an impacting and uplifting story that gave me something to think about as we approach Easter.

FROM ‘THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST’ TO ‘RISEN’ WITH THE EDITORFilm Editor Steven Mirkovich knows how to create impact through films. With the critically acclaimed THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST film under his belt, Mirkovich was well prepared to tackle the editing of the new faith film RISEN, which is in theaters everywhere.”Whether you’re religious or not, it doesn’t matter with this film, because it’s an uplifting story that makes you feel hopeful. It’s a film that everyone should see,” said Mirkovich.

Watch as Mirkovich discusses the challenges of cutting down hundreds of hours of footage to create an inspirational portrayal of the impact that resulted from Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

 

 

Pastor B Culture, Students, Winter

YouTubeYouCanUse: The Price is Wrong

The Price is Wrong

Video Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ItTbwo2Tc

Topic

Consequences, Game Show, Mistakes, Prize, Winning

Bible Verse(s)

1 John 1:9

Discussion Starter

We’ve all done it. In an instant we’ve done the one thing we weren’t supposed to do for the whole world to see.

In this case, Manuela gave a contestant on The Price is Right a brand new car when she wasn’t supposed to, which is awesome. But in our case our mistake might not be so awesome.

The Bible says that we all make mistakes, we all sin. (Romans 3:23) But the good news is that that Jesus offers forgiveness, even when we sin accidentally. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

3 Questions

1. When was a time you messed up but it turned out great?
2. Would you rather win a $20,000 car or $10,000 in cash?
3. Is it easier for you to notice your own mistakes or mistakes in others? Why?

Chew on this

Is there a difference between an intentional and accidental sin in God’s eyes?

Pastor B Culture, Students, Winter

What We Learn About God from The Force

SoulFuel

What We Learn About God from The Force

A long time ago in a movie theater far, far away…

I went to see the original Star Wars movie. I was a young kid at the time, but in retrospect it has become one of my most cherished memories. Up until the unveiling of this film, the whole genre of fantasy/science-fiction/adventure was a veritable wasteland of cheesy endeavors that made you want a refund.

Ah, but in Star Wars we have an opening scene with a rebel ship being pursued and fired upon by an Imperial Battle Cruiser, and from that moment on, your eyes and senses are glued to this fantastic universe where good battles evil in the context of The Force.

“There is a God and there is a good and bad side.”—George Lucas

Now, 38 years later (like I said…a long time ago), one of the biggest movie release perhaps in the history of the celluloid industry is The Force Awakens. A whole new generation of Star Wars aficionados will be generated, and we will anxiously anticipate the final two installments of this immortal series.

But in the meantime, have you ever thought about what we can learn about God from The Force? Many may quickly dismiss even considering this possibility, but I would like to offer a few thoughts that might alter that perception.

First, if you look deep enough into the dialogue of the series, there are some really cool parallels with Biblical truth. For example:

Luke Skywalker: May The Force be with you.
The Bible: May the Lord be with you.

Obi-Wan: The Force will be with you…always
Jesus: And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Watching and reflecting on Star Wars through the years, and particularly focusing on the constant and abiding presence of The Force has been an ongoing reminder of the great truth that God will never leave us or forsake us.

Still, there are some stark and significant differences. One of these is the personal nature of the God of the Bible vs. the impersonal nature of The Force. By this I mean that it is one thing to be comforted by a Force that “surrounds us and binds us together,” but it is a much greater and more profound thing to know that our Triune God indwells our hearts through the Holy Spirit, and because of that, we are never abandoned or alone in this world.

Here’s the way King David expressed this certainty:

God, investigate my life;
get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you (Psalm 139:1-12, The Message).

Our Triune God indwells our hearts and because of that, we are never alone in this world.

And speaking of dark and light, that is the other critical reality that the Star Wars series has brought to center stage. That’s why George Lucas made this statement: “All I was trying to say in a very simple and straightforward way is that there is a God and there is a good and bad side” (Source: Cinema & New Media Arts). One of his motivations in making the Star Wars series was to counter the pervasive morally relativistic thinking of that generation—which obviously is still alive and well in the 21st century.

And the Bible makes it very clear that there is a “good side and bad side” as well, and you are either engaged in one or the other at all times. Check out Jesus’ words to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus:

“I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me” (Acts 26:17-18, The Message).

I hope you enjoy The Force Awakens. But even more so, I hope you realize that we have a God who is with us…always. And we fight in an intense battle between darkness and light. So as you step out of the theater, step into the very real storyline that makes a very real difference both for now and into eternity!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

This week, reflect on the truth that the Holy Spirit indwells your heart so that you can be aware of God’s presence and full of His power to follow His will. Keep your eyes open to the battle around you, and live like a Christian Jedi!

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Father, thank You for Your constant love and abiding presence. Empower us to open the eyes of our friends so they can enter into a relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read: 1 Peter 2:9.  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light (NLT).

Get: “The Holy Spirit’s P.A.C.T.” The Holy Spirit is NOT an impersonal “Force.” He’s a Person! Pick up this convenient, low cost downloadable Youth Group 2 Go lesson from Dare 2 Share on the role of the Holy Spirit in every believer’s life.

Pastor B Uncategorized

Tim Elmore – One thing I do at the beginning of each Year

THE ONE THING I DO AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH YEAR

Yesterday, I blogged about a ritual I perform at the end of every year, for the last thirty years. Today, I will share with you a second ritual I do, as a follow up. It enables me to enter a new year “on purpose.”  After I invest a morning reviewing the previous year, I spend the second half of the day previewing the new year. Once again, I think, I write and I pray as I open a new chapter of my life.

I don’t simply create a list of goals, although some of the items I will list below feel a lot like a “goal.” I like to view it as an “action” list and a “standard” list. What are the actions I plan to take, and what are the standards I plan to live by over the next year?

photo credit: creepyed via photopin cc

Here are the issues I address to create the goals, actions and standards for 2016:

  1. What are my greatest dreams for 2016?  What projects will these dreams require of me? What daily actions must I engage in to fulfill them?
  2. What standards will I live by, throughout the next year:
    • Health Standards
    • Family Standards
    • Financial Standards
    • Friendship Standards
    • Personal / Spiritual Standards
  3. In what areas of my life do I most want to grow in 2016?
  4. What books will I read this next year to achieve those growth goals?
  5. What mentors will I seek out to achieve those growth goals?
  6. What magazines will I scan and file to achieve those growth goals?
  7. What events will I attend to achieve those growth goals?
  8. What podcasts (audio recordings) will I listen to, to help me grow?
  9. What will I do Monday through Friday to be intentional about my growth?

I want to be better in January of 2016 than I was January 2015. To do this, I have found that the issue is not prioritizing your schedule but rather scheduling your priorities. This means I must put into my calendar those things I say are the most important habits and attitudes I can embrace. Our character is simply made up of the habits and attitudes we possess daily.