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3 Things I STOPPED Doing Before Youth Group (and Why YOU Should Too!) · Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The quality was suffering way too much.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: There were ideas that we could have done, that we just ran out of time.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: We were always under this gun and like I, don't know, just dodgeball, because they can't think of anything.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: If we're just using all of our creativity on what are we doing, we never get to that next step of excellence.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: It's like oh, we made it happen.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Oh, it was like Band-Aids and duct tape but it happened.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: It's a weird dichotomy because it's the busiest day for me, but it should be the least busy day and the sense that we have the most to do, but most of it should already be done.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: The pressure is off.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Take as much pressure off on that day as possible.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Today, we're talking about three things that I stopped doing before youth group.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ministry Coach podcast where we give you weekly tips and tactics to help you fast track the growth and health of your youth ministry.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: My name is Jeff Laskola and this is Kristen Laskola, I feel like you're making I was trying to enunciate.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: I could tell Very good, jeff.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: So today we're gonna talk about the three things I stopped doing before youth group, and why so?
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: The number one thing I stopped doing was trying to get work done.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: It's impossible, just I don't work anymore.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Kind of seems counterintuitive.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Explain that a little bit deeper.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: Sure, jeff, thanks for asking.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: So I get work done still, but it's just not the same type of work.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: It's not the time sensitive work that I used to try to get done.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: So like, for example, before youth group, like on Tuesday, I would be working on my message or my illustration for my message, or the last finishing touches on the discussion sheet or something, and so that day that's like when all my staff would come in and there was always stuff to do and people to talk to and people needing your attention.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: So what I decided to do was to become very interruptible on a Tuesday, because I just realized I'm going to continue to get frustrated that everyone always needs my help, needs me, and that's the way it should be.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: I don't know really what I expected, so I still work on Tuesday.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: However, it's just work that can be interrupted.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: That is not time sensitive.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Like I got to get this done.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Oh, and I'm looking at the clock and it's counting down and, oh my gosh, we only have an hour to program and I'm still.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: That's irresponsible on my part.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: I can't tell my team, hey, you can't bother me right and this door is closed.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Don't bother me yeah, because, like I don't know about you guys, but I only have them all together on program day, so it's like we're working as a team and you know I need to be involved in what's going on.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: I need to be able to help people when they need help or mentor or coach, and you, you know they need me to help them with their stuff and that's part of my job is helping them.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Like they have questions, they have needs, they have stuff.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: You know that I need to be involved in and sometimes I can kind of Ooh, I'm on bonus time right now they're occupied in doing their thing and maybe I can get a couple of things done.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: But give an example of some of the stuff that you would do.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: That's interruptible work.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: So it would be stuff that's not due today.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: So it would be like nothing having to do with that night.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: I get everything done for that night well in advance and so when the staff comes in and I give them their jobs to do to make the night happen, I'm available.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Like one of my interns right now wants to give his first message, so he wants to meet a lot about talking through his ideas and his story and what verses and his illustration.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: So you know, I need to be available to give him like a good chunk of time.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Or if someone has an issue and needs to meet, or if someone runs into a problem and just overseeing, sometimes things slip through the cracks and best of intentions but people forget to put out things or set up things and you know you need to be like, hey, did you guys do this?
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: You know so not, you know, depending on the level of your team, they're not always super self-sufficient to bring everything to completion without your um help.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: You know, I, I was, I was going to say intervention, but that sounded too dramatic.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Um, just yeah, like working as a team, you know, and people like to be, have the opportunity to joke and chat and tell you about their day and all of that, and I'm a three, so I'm very like in the zone when it comes to work and I want to get work done, and so I've really had to discipline myself to be interruptible and all right, yeah, let's have relational time while we work, because this is the only time you guys are here, so let's get relationship is beneficial.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: You know, it's not always task completion that has to be beneficial, like for ministry, it's the camaraderie, it's the chemistry, and you know, I have to constantly remind myself of that because I like to just bury my head in my work and get it done, while you bury your head in your work and you get it done.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: And then I'll see you afterwards and then we'll have like a coffee together, but right now it's go time so I have to really just be a lot more.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: It's a very hard discipline for me to be interruptible, but I've noticed it's the healthiest dynamic.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: On program night.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: I've noticed it's the healthiest dynamic on program night, so that's also gives that margin to when something does come up that maybe does need your attention.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Oh shoot, we forgot about this, exactly that you're not having to like I'm not even done with my message yet, or we don't know the game we're playing.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: And I remember talking to a youth pastor years and years and years ago and he he's my same exact personality and he was sharing similar frustrations.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: He's like I can't get anything done on program night, like, oh my gosh, like everyone just needs something from me constantly.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: And I told him I'm like I'm right there with you.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: I said I think we need to just adjust our expectation of this is the day, even though it's go time.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: I need to be go time for you guys, not like all right, I have my work.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: You need to complete your work before program night to make yourself available.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: And isn't it always the way it goes, at least for me?
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Like if I'm going to leave, to go somewhere, I don't remember the things I forgot until I'm actually going when, if that makes sense.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: Like if I say, all right, I'm heading, remember the things I forgot until I'm actually going where, if that makes sense.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Like if I say all right, I'm heading out the door.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: That's when I'm like, oh shoot, I forgot to do this.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, like every time I try to leave, I'm like bye.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: And then you're like wait a minute, I have 800 questions for you.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: You don't need to give examples.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: That's fine.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I already said it's a problem, I've all day.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: But the thing is, I don't think about it until I'm actually in the process of leaving.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: So, similarly, it's like I can probably think like I'm all set up, I'm all ready to go, but I'm probably not, you know, until it's like go time so I don't know.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: I think there's probably a correlation in there in my head that made a lot more sense until it came out, but I think you guys know what I'm talking about.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: Someone out there knows what you're talking about and someone is going like yes.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Jeff.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: I totally know what you mean.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's not me, but someone out there.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: You're giving yourself that extra time to like oh shoot, we forgot.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: No, I know what you mean.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Like you're going to play the game and all of a sudden you're like where are the goals?
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Right, you know, and that still may happen.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Who knows?
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, happens to me all the time.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: All right, the number two thing that I stopped doing before youth group is brainstorming for that night.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: So that sounds probably obvious to you guys, you're smarter than me.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: But because I used to always want my team to feel really involved and they only would come in on Tuesdays, which is our program day, I would like sit down at three, three, 30, like all right, guys, we're all here, now let's talk about what do we want to do tonight, what game should we play?
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: And I kind of thought like, oh, I can't plan this stuff without you guys.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: You're my team, you'll feel left out.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: But then I just realized the quality was suffering way too much because we didn't have enough time to execute a well thought out plan, or there were ideas that we could have done, that we just ran out of time.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: And then it kind of forced us into this position.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: We were always taking care of urgent things instead of important things, and sometimes urgent things are important.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: But it was like we were always under this gun and like I don't know, just dodgeball, because they can't think of anything.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Oh, where are the dodgeballs?
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: oh, no, we lent them to fca you know the default game for youth ministry.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: What are we playing?
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: I don't know dodgeball right, because you love it and the kids love it, but but you can't do that every night and that's kind of like keep it in your back pocket because you will need a like I don't know, we're tired from camp.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Let's just let them go at it for a while like with some dodgeballs and so just a shameless plug.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: We actually have several episodes all about last minute games, like no prep games.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: They are good to have just in case you, you know, have those moments where you're like oh shoot, we don't have anything for tonight, whatever.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: Um, I'm gonna brag on you for a second.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: I know that games is well your whole program.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: You put a lot of effort and thought into every single thing that you do.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: There's a reason for all it.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: But but games with a lot of people, I do think, become that last minute thing.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: It's always like what's easy, what's quick, what?
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: What do I not have to think about?
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Set up by equipment, you know all that stuff.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: But I think the intentionality that you put even something as simple as a game your games are very elaborate and like there's so much drama and theatrics to it, open circumstance, with music, with lights, with all this stuff that has so much forethought.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: It's because of these things that we're talking about, where it's like, yeah, it could just become dodgeball, you know, or just these simple, I don't know dodgeball again, you know every single time.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: But when you are like, hey, how can we make this game better?
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Let's plan that in advance and so that when the night comes you have the materials, you have the music ready and you know.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: You know where the lights are supposed to go and how when the this cue means do this, and all that stuff which gives so much more interest for the kids.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: And I think you had said I don't know which one of your leaders had mentioned that when they were in junior high arden, arden who said I can't believe they did all of this for us and what a great feeling, because that's how it should be.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: You know it's like this is for you guys.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: You know, know, whether it's the message, the games, small groups, all that.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: There should be so much intentionality put into this is for you guys, and every aspect should be, you know, exciting and fun to be around.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and as you're talking, that reminds me of like I don't do all that on my own.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Like it's a team effort, but the only way we can have all the things you're talking about is because I plan it in advance.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: So, like on Thursday, I'll send the schedule to everyone who's involved in.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: It's called Tuesday night planning group or whatever.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: So that'd be like my tech guy, my interns, my guys director, the admin, all of everyone's on that thread and I'll send the schedule out and I'll say here's what we're doing for next Tuesday.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, I came up with the plan, I picked the game, but then it gives them the opportunity to now take a good plan and make it excellent, so all the things you're talking about.
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: So we played, you know, a game called protect the president, uh, a few weeks ago, and so my tech guy knows that.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: So now he finds the logo that he created for it or maybe he has time to make a new one and he's like oh, let's do like red, white and blue lights.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: And then, um Ooh, how about this theme song?
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Cause this goes really well with it, or, like you know, it gives him margin to be creative and take or like the price is right.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Whenever we do it, he will change the lights and do the red and the green for like, if they get it right, it's green.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: If they get it wrong, it's red.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: And then he gets all the sound effects queued up and the logos and the price is right music.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: But if I just throw that on him Tuesday afternoon I'm like we're playing, price is Right, can you make something cool?
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: It's like you know you're not teeing people up to give you their best work.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: So our games are cool because people have been thinking about it for four days and are bringing some stuff to the table for it.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: You know, I plan the games well in advance.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: I mean, I know what we're playing all year long.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: But I push send on that the Thursday before, sometimes the Wednesday before, so they have six, five days to bring me their A game.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: And then when I sit down with my team I can say, hey, here's the game we're playing.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: What do you think the team should be, or how do you think we should play it, or what should the rounds be, or should it be timed, or should it be this, or where should we set it up?
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: And then that's where they can come into the plan.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: But if we're just using all of our creativity on what are we doing, we never get to that next step of excellence.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: It's like oh, we made it happen.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Oh, it was like Band-Aids and duct tape but it happened.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: And I hate that feeling.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: And even the most well thought out plan still ends up with a few of those things you're like oh, you know what we probably should have done?
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: Was this, but if, yeah, like you're saying, if that's the night you're planning all of that, then so much of it will get filled into that bucket of.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: We could have made this a lot better, and I wish I mean, I did that for years and I really wish I hadn't.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: I I feel like I was always like so stressed the night of, and now it's like we're recording this on a Monday, my program tomorrow.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: I already know exactly what's happening, you know, and everyone's chimed in and you know I'm like, oh, do we still need to do this?
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: No, we and we have our plan and all we have to do now is execute with excellence.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: We don't have to do the heavy lifting of brainstorming, so never leave that for youth group day.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Find a different way to involve your team.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: If you have a team that comes in on other days too, then they can be a part of the deciding, you know, but figure out how to like you should.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: It's a weird dichotomy, because it's the busiest day for me, but it should be the least busy day and the sense that we have the most to do, but it most of it should already be done.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: And now we're focused on excellent execution.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: We're focused on margin.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: What can we do to be better?
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Do you need to meet with me?
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: Do I need to help you with something?
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: I'm available for relationship building.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: I'm you know all those things, Cause it's like the pressure is off.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: Take as much pressure off on that day as possible.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: And just real quick to give encouragement.
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: It's not necessarily like a big budget thing you could be a small ministry with a small budget.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: It's more about the intentionality and the time you put ahead of time into making it excellent.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Oh, totally, I mean, I'll be honest, the most I've probably spent on a game this entire calendar year.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: All my games combined, I've probably spent 50 bucks or less.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: You know like prices, right, prizes like I don't know.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: We don't usually need to spend money.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: It's probably because I've, over the years, collected all the supplies and I try to keep them nice and organized.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: But yeah, once you have the supplies, what's there left to buy?
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: You know, prizes and candy.
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: I go through a lot of candy, that's true.
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: All right, number three I stopped doing this before.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Youth group is setting up and prepping alone, so I was the sole engine for a very long time.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: And just the amount of time it would take me to set up the room and rooms.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: Like I would be solely responsible.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: I'd have to set up the small group rooms, get those in working order and clean out the chicken nuggets that were left in there from the week before.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: Uh, with the trail of ants included, I'd have to set up.
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: That's how you find them is follow the trail, follow the ants till all the trash that the junior hires leave behind.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: They are mess ninjas.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: They will find a way, yeah sneaky, very sneaky I mean I, we could do a whole episode on creative messes the lengths they go to hide a mess that would have been easier to just throw it away.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: Pizza stuffed in the couch cushions, Like sitting down, like what is this?
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: And you?
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: pull out, it's pizza.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: Starburst wrappers in the succulents.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: Why they should put little post-it notes on it that says you're welcome or clue number one found your next clue.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: And a little riddle have to find it.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: That'd be exciting, oh yeah.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: Well, I think we're gonna have to stop selling fun dip at the snack shack, because last week the whole auditorium floor was covered in powder.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: They just dumped their fun dip out it's real sweet, real nice.
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: Anyways, sounds like a trip, like a slipping hazard actually, now that I think about it.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: So I used to set up the small group rooms, clean everything up, set up the audio visual stuff, so back in the tech booth getting everything loaded and set in a pro or PowerPoint back in the day, checking all the equipment and all of that, then setting up all the chairs now setting up the games, and I would just be like this is taking forever, like, and not that that work is not important and it's not like I'm too good for it because I do manual labor all the time at church, but that is that work is important in the sense that it creates the opportunity for the real work.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: You know it's like well, we aren't facility managers.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: If you're a facility manager listening to this podcast, then you're the exception, but we are pastors who have to use a facility to accomplish our goals.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: So in that sense it is important work, but it's not the most important work.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: So, having a team that helps with that, so that we and not that you don't participate like you what is there for you to set up too?
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: But it's like when my team comes in, that's the majority of what they are doing now, especially the young ones who are still learning ministry.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: It's like setting up the info table, making sure all the doors are locked, turning on the radios, setting up the cones for parking, unlocking the gate, putting talk sheets in the small group folders, setting up the music and the computers and the snack shack and all those things where it's like, okay, this is a team effort now, so it doesn't fall on only to one person and we've never run out of time.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: It's not like oh no, it's always a very leisurely pace of getting this stuff done, almost too leisurely, if you ask me but it's just like when one person has to do all of that.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: it is like, oh okay, now I have to teach and now I have to be on for students and I have to be relational architect and I have to be the funny and outgoing one, and it's just so hard to have to do all of that.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: So I guess if you're listening to this podcast and you're like, must be nice, like I'm still setting up every chair and turning on every you know sound equipment, all of that, like please, before you do anything else in youth ministry, get a team, find a team.
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: Like, please, before you do anything else in youth ministry, get a team, find a team.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Even if it's just one other person who's your like right hand man or woman that can just like charge some of this stuff together.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: And then the cool parts of ministry like that people want to try, like coach them on, like, hey, do you want to learn how to speak, or do you want to learn how to lead a game, or do you want to MC from the front?
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be like you're my personal chair setter upper if they want to learn other things too, but you just need a running mate.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: And I just think back to all those Tuesday nights of me sweating and looking at the clock and like, oh my gosh, I have so much to set up and doing it alone we didn't have a facilities team or anything like that and then building up an intern team and now we do all that stuff together.
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: It just makes such a big difference, you know, because I would try to set up ahead of time but then the church was being used for other things.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: So it's like you can only set up so much.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: But yeah, like, make sure people are getting to do different types of work.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I set up, but also I got to lead the game Like and if they don't want a mix of the two, that's fine.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: But you know, chris Brown always says people don't want to be used, people want to be useful.
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: So you, as the pastor, need to make sure that you're towing that line very carefully of not using people but including people in ministry and making them feel useful.
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and always being the example, not the you know dictator on a hill, you do this, you do this.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Definitely.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: Kind of closing.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: I remember a episode of the chosen and I guess I had read it in the gospels, but you know, when you see it it hits different when Jesus was sending the disciples out and he didn't send anyone out by themselves.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: He like paired them at least in twos and was like sent these two out, these two out, these two out to like now it's like your turn to do ministry.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: I just thought that was so such a great picture of like how we're really meant to be doing ministry is like arm in arm with at least one other person.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: So if you're the youth pastor that's doing it all by yourself, like, I just feel like that's a recipe for burnout, you know, and that's probably why a lot of them do, because they're lonely and they're carrying all of this all by themselves.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: So who?
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: And?
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: And youth pastors are very good at like well, I don't have anyone, so I can't, it's like all right, well, where?
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: is this person?
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Do you think God wants you to be lonely and burnt out?
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: I don't think he does.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: Why not start praying for that good gift of a running mate in ministry?
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: Like, start praying for it now.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: Don't just throw your hands up and say, well, I don't have anyone, no one wants to help me, so I'm just way away.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: It's like, find a way and I, I, I truly believe God wants you to stay in for the long haul.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: You know he's not like, well, I'm going to chew you up and spit you out in ministry.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Like I don't think that's God's plan for us.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: So pray for the good gifts that are totally understandable.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: God, I want a running mate.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: God, I want a partner.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: God I want a team.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: God.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: I need good leaders Like pray, pray, pray.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: Like what does the Bible say?
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: You don't have because you don't ask.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: You don't ask.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: And you know if even earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their kids, how much more than our heavenly father?
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: If you ask for an A, he's not going to give you a snake.
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: So it's like that whole thing of like I want to give good gifts to you, ask, don't just get frustrated that you don't have it.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: Ask, ask, ask, ask, expectantly.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: And you know, be that like pest you know that widow that just keeps going remember me, you know, be that like pest.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: You know that widow that just keeps going remember me, you know, and he'll hear you.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: So I think that's step number one, if, if this is hitting home of like well, I don't have anyone Right.
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: One of the biggest differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that when an obstacle comes in front of them and unsuccessful person, a lot of times we'll see the obstacle and say, well, that's where it stops, yeah.
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: And a successful person will say, well, how can we get beyond that?
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: You know, like let's figure out, instead of it being this is why I can't do it.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: A successful person says let's figure out a way that we can Absolutely.
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: What does that look like?
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: And that's tenacity and that's what keeps your ministry thriving and going.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: I mean, we could all think of a million reasons why.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: Oh well, their facility is better, oh well, their team is better, or their budget is bigger, or their people like them more, like we could think of all the reasons why the other person's ministry is easier or better.
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: Or you can look at what's in front of you and solve a problem or two.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: You know, God put you there because he thinks you can solve the problems that your particular ministry has.
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: So solve away, pray away and involve God in every single thing you do.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: Strong.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: We did an episode a while back all about how to duplicate yourself, specifically, kind of what we're talking about here, where you're going to have that passion Well, I hope you're going to have that passion for your youth ministry.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: You want that running mate like you're talking about to have kind of that same burn in their heart to want to do it, and so how do you duplicate yourself?
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: Check out that episode.
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: We'll link it below, whether you're listening do you think everyone should duplicate?
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: themselves, just kidding.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: Maybe, I don't know.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: Question of the day this week is if there were no repercussions, what snack would you be able to eat?
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: Endless supplies of doritos which kind?
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: Classic nacho cheese I thought you were a cool ranch person.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: No, no no, they're good, don't get me wrong.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: But if my health was not affected?
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: in any way, shape or form, as many as you want I could eat a mountain of doritos like a mountain.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: I don't think I'd ever stop.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: I think I would just go on forever because they're not filling so because I was about to say salt and vinegar chips, because I love those yeah but they're so strong that I think like, okay, I think I would have enough at some point, or my tongue would like be all like raw Sandpapered.
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but Doritos I mean.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: I remember in college driving to work and I had a bag of family-sized Doritos left over from a junior high event in my car and in the half hour drive to Wetzel's Pretzels where I worked.
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: I ate the entire thing and I could have kept going.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: That's quite the accomplishment it was one of the happiest days of my life um, I was thinking the same thing not Doritos, but salt and vinegar chips, but uh, dots pretzels if you've ever, if you've ever had those.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: There is quite an array of flavors of those.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: I know, but really I I just the original.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: The original is the best, I will say that.
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: But at whitewater someone brought the southwest flavor I think I've had that one pretty good, uh.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: Well, put in the comment section below.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: What's the snack?
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: No repercussions, you know, you can uh get by without having any uh weight gain feeling full.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: You have to spend money on it, anything an endless.
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: What would you choose?
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: Put it in the comments section below.
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: If you're watching on YouTube, all right.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: This is from.
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: This is a community comment of the day and this comes from Jared Tysenga I apologize if I said your name wrong.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: Who says this episode was so needed?
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: Thank you for the encouragement that I needed.
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: What episode was it?
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: Oh, great, great question I forgot.
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: Oh great, great question I forgot.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: Um, it would take me too long to remember, but whatever it, was.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: I'm glad you liked it I'm glad you liked it.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: Thanks, jared, we appreciate it and thank you guys for watching and listening and we'll see you next time, thank you.