Part Time...

Just wanted to share a link to one of my newest endeavors. (Yes, just one of them) This is just a sneak preview, we should be off the ground in July.
Thanks for checking it out. Leave your feedback in the comments, here or there! Thanks!
Follow this link:
Part Time YM

Blessings,

Jeremiah

A Quick Update...

Hey everyone,

For those of you have been reading my blog over the past 12+ months I want to say thank you! The fact that anyone would have much intereest in my random brain spills here is humbling indeed.

I wanted to give you all a quick update on what I've been working, without giving away too much before the appropriate time.

I am currently working on 2 new blogs, that will each tackle a much more focussed audience, and you can expect to see them go live sometime mid-summer (right around the beginning of July). I will be sure to update you more as things progress, I'm extremely excited about these opportunities which will give me the ability to write about 2 things I have a passion for.

Please stay tuned as I will be releasing more info about them in the days and weeks to come!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Tweeting the Holy Week...

     Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday the beginning of the Holy Week, aka the week leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and His defeat of the grave by raising again on the 3rd day.

     I've instituted a little thing called "Tweeting the Holy Week" to help students focus this week on the importance of this season and our celebration of Jesus' victory and sacrifice. Each day I'm tweeting out a handful of key scriptures in conjunction to the day of the week. I'm excited to see how, having this daily reminder of what is about to take place resonates with the students.

     Now, since this is a blog for the Bi-Vocational youth worker, it goes without saying, that sometimes these ideas sound great but finding the time to execute a program like this can have it's challenges. I completely agree. Let me share with you how I've pulled it off.

     The main component to this is timing, wouldn't it be cool to tweet about Jesus being crucified on the hour that it actually took place? And then tweet that He gave up the ghost 3 hours later? Yes, of course it would. But who is going to remember to do that? Certainly not me! I have a million things to do on Good Friday! So head over to www.hootsuite.com sign up, link your Twitter and/or Facebook accounts to it and now you can SCHEDULE your tweets and status updates! Yes, I know, it's awesome. (This is WAY useful beyond this week as well!)

     The other key component of this is the fact that tweets are 140 characters, and there's a LOT to say! I've done the leg work for you, I've taken, what I believe to be some of the key moments of the week, and broken the scriptures down into 140 character chunks. Just click THIS LINK and to download my "Tweeting the Holy Week" word doc, and you can simply copy and paste each section of scripture into Hootsuite, and that's it! Yes, you'll have to schedule more than 1 tweet a day, but  you won't have to worry about abbreviation, or editing etc. I've done it all for you in NIV format.

     If you want to simply follow along, you can follow my youth ministry twitter account at @Project_29, or "Like" us at www.Facebook.com/project29, we've already begun tweeting the week and would love to have you come along with us!

Have a blessed and exciting Holy Week!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Writing...

I know, it seems like I got back from SYMC and have all but abandoned my writing.
Actually I haven't. I've just not been writing here. I've been busy working a few things that aren't ready for public discussion yet. (Don't you hate it when people say that kind of thing?!)

I also had the great opportunity to write for SYM Today.
Which is a great daily source full of great info and articles on youth ministry.

You can check it out as well as my article HERE.

Stay tuned for more posts, and more info on some things I've been working on soon!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Free Music...

Well it's certainly been a few big weeks for me, I've had very little time to write, but thought I'd share with you all some free music.

Who doesn't love free stuff!?
The Jordan Howerton Band who performed all weekend at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference, are giving away 2 full albums for free!! All you have to do is follow this link THIS ONE RIGHT HERE! And login to Youthministry.com (or create an account, it's easy, free, and painless, they won't spread your info all over the information superhighway!)

Be sure to follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook,  and check out their website!

There's some other free stuff that can be found there as well!

Enjoy!

SYMC '12 It's Go Time...

Register Now for SYMC '12!

Well if you've been following my posts for the last few weeks, you've probably got the notion that I'm pretty excited about the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Which by the way is just a little over 24 hours away from starting, as I write.

Why am I excited this year? Well I'll tell ya.

1 - Meeting new friends - Last year I connected with a few youth workers at the conference and we've stayed in touch, and throughout the year I've connected with even more amazing, passionate and awesome youth workers through Facebook and Social Media. I can't wait to meet them in person and share and pray and experience the conference with them.

2 - No Responsibilities! - Let's face it, when youth workers travel, we are programed to shout "HAND CHECK!" every 20 minutes in the van, and to constantly have our heads on a swivel while herding teenagers in and out of rest stops, doing headcounts, and performing the occasional U-turn because someone thought it was funny to change seats 3 times while you were doing the last headcount. This is a trip for youth ministry, not a youth ministry trip. I'm traveling with my lovely wife, and good friend/volunteer Bob. They know how to not get lost, and if they do I probably won't get a nasty phone call from a parent. Probably.

3 - Breathe - It's no mystery why this is such a huge thing to look forward too. The past 6 months of ministry has completely drained the batteries. I often run on less than 6 hours of sleep, and pray that the Lord will give me what I need to carry on. He does. He's also given me this conference. The enemy knows that when I am drained my ability and motivation to press on becomes incredibly hindered and the thought of just taking myself off of the grid, so to speak, becomes pretty alluring. Even this morning as I write, I'm fighting physical, emotion and spiritual exhaustion, brought on by multiple attacks this week. I am looking forward to a chance, to BREATHE.


Are you going to the Simply Youth Ministry Conference?

Let me know what you're excited about!

Want more info of the goings on at SYMC? Search #SYMC on Twitter or follow me @JeremiahIsley!


Blessings,

Jeremiah

Date Night...

The Simply Youth Ministry Conference is coming soon, we're under two weeks away!
I've dedicated my last few weeks of posts to some do's and don'ts for the conference. And today I'll continue the trend!

Do: Bring your spouse! Seriously to some this may seem like a no brainer, because some of us have spouses who are deeply involved and passionate about students and youth ministry. However to others they may be wondering why they would do such a thing, because they're spouses are not as involved in their ministry, or, let's just admit it can't stand teenagers! Whatever your situation is, there is something for your spouse, there are connect groups for those who are married to youth workers (Connect groups are awesome "small group" types of gatherings that connect on a more personal level!) There are many workshops and classes also geared for your spouse as well, whatever their level of commitment to ministry is.

But don't take my word for it, my wife has written her top 10 reasons to come to SYMC! Check it out over at www.MarriedinYouthMinistry.com

Don't: Go the whole weekend without getting away, just the two of you! If you've done last week's DO, you've brought a few volunteers with you. Make sure you take some time to get away for a little while just the two of you. Skip a class and snuggle up on a sack chair for an afternoon nap (Just be ready for someone to shout "Hand Check!", it's kind of a reflex with youth workers!), jump on the trolley and grab an early dinner in downtown Louisville, Simply Youth has actually put together a list of date night ideas for couples! Take advantage of them!!

Want to join in the fun! There's still time to register! Click here!
Or email Matty McCage. I hear there are still some sweet discounts available!

Want to hear the buzz about the conference? Search the Hashtag #SYMC on twitter!

I hope to meet you and your spouse at the conference!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Party of three...

Here's another Simply Youth Ministry Conference, do and don't!

The conference is just about 2 weeks away! I've got it on good word that you can still get in, and still get some sweet discounts, email or call Matty McCage for more info: 615-349-7111, MMcCage@simplyyouthministry.com

Here we go!

Do: Take some volunteers - To follow up the fact that you can STILL register for the conference, talk to your volunteers about coming. More importantly make it a priority to invest into their ministry. Let's face it, you can't do ministry without them and they certainly aren't getting the big bucks for doing what they do. So, do what you can to get them to come with you, make the investment into their calling to bring them to the conference, you'll be glad you did!


Don't: Let them room with you! Ok, I should clarify this if your spouse is coming with you, and that is a definite DO! (I'll be writing about in the next couple days) Don't ruin a chance for you and your spouse to enjoy some time away from home, kids, ministry, etc. by having a 3rd, 4th, or 5th wheel in your room! There's plenty of people looking to share rooms, you'll be saving your volunteers, and another fellow youth worker some cash, as well as the peace and harmony in your marriage! That's a WIN-WIN!

Have you been to the conference?
Have you taken any of your leadership team?
How'd that work out for ya?!

Sound off!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Look at the Stars...

Welcome to my third installment of Simply Youth Ministry Conference, do's and don'ts.

Today, we're talking about a naturally occurring phenomena in our country and that is, Stardom. So here we go...

Do - Enjoy the heavy hitting list of speakers, and artists that will be at the conference. The list is seriously ridiculous! Francis Chan, Jeremy Camp, Shane & Shane, the Skit Guys... Ok you get it. You can check out the full list here.

Don't - Get starstruck. Each and every one of these artists and speakers are there to minister to you! SYMC is all about relationships, and the culture of relational ministry they cultivate is blatantly evident with the folks they choose to bring out to invest in us as youth workers. If you aren't running into the artists, speakers and teachers, you aren't attending SYMC! They seriously just hang out wherever and are completely accessible. Just please, if they ask you what your name is, remember the response is not "Squee!". 

While they may be a big famous speaker or worship leader, they are people. Just people. But more importantly they want to speak to you about your life and ministry, and yes they will take a picture with you too!

I'd love to hear your SYMC encounters, leave 'em here!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

How many?

So I know you're probably wondering how exactly one wins a free registration to a conference?

Just eat more marshmallows than everyone else...


That's me in the sweet AT-AT shirt, pounding down 28 in 2 minutes...

Again I say. Volunteer for anything!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Extra baggage...

Welcome to part 2 of my Simply Youth Ministry Conference, Do's and Dont's.

Today's Do, and Don't have to do with one of my favorite things in the whole wide world and that is FREE STUFF! I mean who doesn't want something for nothing?

So here's the breakdown.

Do - Pack an extra bag! You'll need it, not only is there free stuff but the Group/Simply Youth bookstore is packed full of great resources and usually at a conference discount.

Don't - Buy anything on day 1! The folks over SYMC might get upset at me for saying this but don't do it. We all have a budget to work with right? (For those of you who don't know, a "budget" is a specific amount of money that you can spend on things like curriculum, events, trips etc. Talk to your board about them, they're neat!) And it's our responsibility to get the absolute biggest BANG that we can out of it. So here's my advice for doing so at the conference.

- Make a list. Get to the conference early enough to walk through the bookstore and make a wish list. Or you could even hit their website to get a jump on the list! Go ahead dream big!

- Volunteer for ANYTHING! You would not believe the opportunities that will be presented to you to compete in something goofy. But, unlike the prizes you hand out to your students, the prizes are legit! As you win stuff you'll see the items on your list get smaller.

I said it before...
- Dream BIG! I'm going to the conference this year for free! I won my registration during a contest last year. I'm telling you. They give out a ton of free stuff!

- Break the Bank. So, it's the last day of the conference. Time to get to the bookstore early, list in hand, and break the bank. Please note, this is a conference of over 3,000 youth workers. Which means everyone else has procrastinated and will be doing their shopping on the last day too. Get there early so you can have everything in hand to checkout when the store opens!

Have any questions about SYMC? Or anything you want me to cover as I do and don't my way there? Have any do's or don'ts of your own? Feel free to comment or email me!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Do's and Dont's...

Well it's safe to say, that I'm pretty excited these days. The Simply Youth Ministry Conference is rapidly approaching! Just 30 days from when I'm writing this post...

So I'm going to take the next 30 days and post some Do's and Don'ts concerning SYMC.
This will be my second trip to the conference and having been there once, I've learned a lot about how to navigate it (at least I feel like I did...) and I'll share my thoughts and excitement with you over these next several weeks! So here we go!

Do: GO!

- I know this sounds like a no brainer. But seriously, scrape together the registration, and then go to Simply Youth Ministry's Facebook page and connect with someone from your area to car pool with and get a roommate! You will reduce the overall cost of the trip by nearly 50% if not more! It's worth it, YOU are worth it! Just GO!

Don't: Get overwhelmed.

- If it's your first time chances are you're going to be wandering around the conference either a) like a deer in the headlights, or b) like a kid in a candy store. There are over 200 classes, workshops, and sessions to choose from, it can definitely be intimidating. Here are my 3 suggestions for first timers.

- Attend the "Getting the most out of SYMC" class.  It is offered several times in the afternoon, before the first general session that evening. This is an informal chat with several SYMC staff folks including Kami Gilmour who is the brain behind the entire conference. Totally worth it.

- Find a conference buddy. SYMC is seriously about community, and not "going it alone" you'll be surprised at how many folks you run into that are serving at the church down the street. Make connections, make friends and help each other navigate the conference. 2 heads are always better than one, especially if this isn't their first rodeo!

- Choose. Like I said there are seemingly a million things to choose from, use the tools that you'll receive from SYMC to plan out what you want to do. (They have a sweet online scheduler that you can access when you've registered!) I'm not saying don't be flexible, but it never hurts to have a battle plan. And if you choose not to decide, well you still have made a choice.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more Do's and Don'ts as SYMC approaches!

Blessings,

Jeremiah

Where have you been?

You're answer could very well be, "No where at all, it's you who's been missing!". And you'd be completely right.
I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I've posted, but I'm getting back on the trolley.

Here's a short recap of the past few months, and I'll hope to hit on some of these happenings in the posts to come.

Life around Thanksgiving gets very busy for the Isley household. On top of family, professional, and ministry responsibilities, for the past 19 years I've been honored to play the role of the Mouse King, in a local professional ballet company's production of the Nutcracker. So for the better part of two week in late November/early December, nearly every day is filled between the day job, ministry, family and countless rehearsals added to the mix.

Following the run of the Nutcracker, I had to make a quick shifting of gears as we've made the move in my ministry to have our weekly services on Sunday nights, instead of midweek on Wednesday nights. It's been an exciting time, but also full of much organizational shifts and adjustments. It's been work. But worth it.

Not to mention on top of all of this, in mid November I enrolled in a home Bible institute and have been taking courses on top of all of the other responsibilities.

So you can see that, blogging has really had to take a back seat. But as I've found a little bit of balance in my life, I feel it's time to get the gears turning again.

Thanks for your patience. And welcome back everyone, it's nice to meet you... again...

Blessings,

Jeremiah