Rick Nier...Woo!

It’s no secret to my church family that I own and drive a scooter. The fact is, since I can’t see myself while I am on the scooter, I envision myself looking pretty fly while I ride. But that all changed recently. As I was riding along, scooter-style, to get some allergy medicine I passed another guy on a scooter going the opposite way. The fact that I was shopping for allergy meds should have been my first clue regarding my illusion to cool. As we approached, he pointed his fist towards the ground and in my direction. The following are the thoughts I had in the next few seconds. ·          Is that fist for me? Is that the universal sign for scooter drivers to show our support for one another? ·          I thought that was the sign Harley Davidson riders used for one another. ·          Why isn’t he wearing a helmet? Doesn’t he know that’s dangerous? ...

I like to say stuff. But sometimes, oftentimes, other people say the stuff that makes my heart say, Woooooo! This is where I point some of that stuff out. First link this week is to a friend who is a great writer. When he decides to rant about the ridiculous, I like to nod along. Enjoy Randy Streu's latest on An Unfinished Life . Speaking of rants, here's one from one of my favorite culture watchers, Jonathan McKee. He reminisces about the 80's, a decade I am fond of as well. Here are his Top 10 Reasons Why Growing Up in the 80's Ruled.  This last one isn't a rant, although I suppose it could be if Seth Godin wanted it to be. But at the very least, it's a reminder to me that I'm okay merely occupying a small corner of this globe. Your turn, Take this Simple Marketing Quiz . Alright, that's all I got today. Happy reading!

Take Your Pick…Holidays So my good friends at YouthWorker sent me a gaggle of goodies. That’s right, a gaggle! Among the loot was a DVD titled Take Your Pick…Holidays . Produced by Jim Hancock, it has videos, study guides and message outlines for 6 sessions based on….wait for it….the holidays! This resource is handy because Jim doesn’t stick with the basics and when he does, the vantage point is not the mundane. Everything comes complete on 1 DVD, with a PDF of the leader’s guide, which I’m sure the technologically proficient could transfer to their tablet of choice for ease of use. This particular resource will be good for youth workers who don’t simply want talking heads or generic videos. Se the leader’s guide to create your meeting or craft the night and plug and play the video. This is a great resource. Group’s Emergency Response Handbook If you’re in youth ministry for longer than 15 minutes, ten chances are you will experience a teen in crisis. I’m not just...

I compared the teens I work with to bad drivers. Which is to say, I compared them to each other. Yeah, I was the only one really laughing when I did that, although a few fingers started pointing at each other. The truth is, my kids remain safe, thanks in large part to my keeping them off the streets and sidewalks and out of parking lots where teens are practicing their...ahem...skills. But why would I discuss teen driving skills. Because the Bible verse we were looking at mentioned swerving. More to the point... Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ~Hebrews 10:23 So holding on to our faith should be nothing like how they drive. We shouldn't swerve, but this isn't because of how awesome we are. It's because God who promised knows how to drive, steer and any other metaphor you can think of for cars. The author of Hebrews tells us God is faithful.  How do we do this? I could tell you stories involving Greek culture ...

Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet! ~2 Kings 13:20-21 All I'm saying is that Elisha did not even need to be alive for God to use him. So perhaps I get in the way of what God is doing a lot more than I would like to admit. Should I even consider that more incredible stuff was done with Elisha's rotting corpse than I have done...ever? Should you?

"I'd rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody." ~Tom Ripley, played by Matt Damon, The Talented Mr. Ripley . I've never seen the movie, but doesn't that sum it up for many people? It's what we convey when we say we want to go out of here with a bang. That could mean leaving the party or it could refer to dying, but all we seem concerned about is getting noticed. Since the movie came out 13 years ago, I am positive some smart writer has already switched the quote around and discussed how being a real somebody is the best option, but the alternative is a fake nobody. That may be where most people end up. Let's face it, getting your 15 minutes of fame is easier said than done. Even once you achieve it, there is no telling if that is the genuine you we are seeing, or a fake. So most people will be stuck in between, playing their part but not getting any attention for it. That is a tragedy, one I am not willing to risk. I think we should all ...

A couple of weeks ago I explained why I say Woo! when people say Rick Nier . But rather than keep all the woo for myself, I am sharing my space so you can check out what other people have to say. What can I say, I'm a giver. So here are a few posts that caught my eye this past week. This first one is from a pastor down in Nashville, Pete Wilson. I often like what he has to write about. Here he wonders What's Going On In That Mind?  This post isn't long, but it reminds me of the first time my son saw the Atlantic Ocean. He was only a year old, could barely talk, but just stared at the ocean as if overwhelmed. This next one is from Walt Muller, who rarely writes lightly. Walt is the president of the Center for Parent / Youth Understanding, a place I often venture for news and stats. Interestingly, he also wants to know what's going on in the minds of males...and females . Sobering stuff. I'll end on a lighter note as we all wonder what's going on in the mi...

If you're asking, the answer is yes. Yes, I have already blogged about this book. You can see that review, in the form of video blog, here . Since I've already commented on this book, here's a bit more information from the publishers. In  The Gospel of Yes , Mike Glenn reveals God's most powerful word, which opens our eyes to everything he does. That word is YES. God said "yes" to creating a world for us to live in and "yes" to inviting us into a relationship with him. No matter what we face in life, the best way to live is captured in one word: yes. I already told you about my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah hooking me up with this book for review. But here is what I didn't mention the first time. They also offered to give me 4 books to give away once I had done so. So I have 4 books to give away. You can thank Waterbrook Multnomah. You can also thank my wife, who agreed that we could afford the postage, should you live out of d...

I waited for 2 hours in the hot Florida sun in a line that saw no shadows from trees. I waited there because it was the line to see Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, from the Disney movie Tangled. No it wasn't for me. And I wasn't alone. Sweaty dads filled a line that went nowhere really fast. I waited for my daughters, whose trip was made complete by meeting Rapunzel and Flynn. While I waited, my wife took the kids on a couple of rides. They joined me in time to smile for photos and talk with this newest Disney princess and her prince. Jerica, my 4-year old, ask Flynn to put the smolder on. This begs the question, was it worth it? Was my patient suffering in affliction worth the prize at the end? Perhaps I'm being over dramatic, but my answer is yes. It was worth it. Dads have gone through much more for their children. But while I sat there waiting, I did ponder. After all, people will wait like that at Disney (for rides as well as character greetings), for good sea...

At a hotel my family was eating breakfast down in the lobby when a news story came on about a guy who drove into a Taco Bell because they left a taco out of his order. You read that correctly! They left a single taco out of his combo meal. So he assumed the correct course of action to remedy this was to take his truck and drive through the restaurant. Because it would not be easier to simply go back up and ask for the missing taco. No, in order to help Taco Bell patrons everywhere and for all time, the appropriate response is to drive your vehicle through their restaurant. Upon hearing this, my kids start laughing at the absurdity of it all. And as a father, I instantly think...teachable moment! After talking with my kids for a few moments about anger and how we respond; my son thinks for a moment and then asks..."Did the guy get his taco?" It is all about food for my boy. I thought we were having a good life lesson on anger management. I even filled the moment...

This is week 2 where I am practicing sharing my platform, such as it is, with some of the voices in my head. Don't worry, it's not a psychotic break. It's simply me sharing with you some good stuff I've read recently. Here's a short one from a youth pastor I've followed for years out in California. His name is Matt McGill. I fell in love with him for his sports instructional videos, I laugh through all of his random comments but I stay for the nuggets of wisdom. What to do on days you feel like quitting This next guy needs no platform sharing help from me, but I've followed the writing of Jon Acuff for a while and he makes a fantastic point here.  How to get the most amazing retina technology ever invented. Woo!

To be honest, I had not heard of Studies On The Go before being offered a review copy by my god friends at Youth Worker. But since I’m always looking out for study ideas, I said yes to this opportunity. Studies On The Go by Laurie Polich-Short has 30 studies. This particular edition is on the book of Genesis. Any book of the Bible can be daunting when you’re trying to interest and impact teenagers. But Genesis increases that difficulty due to the many questions that arise on the topic of creation. On top of that, you have the many stories of questionable characters that we often call heroes of the faith. Each study comes with great questions, not mindless Sunday School questions where every answer is Jesus. They also come with an optional activity to take the lesson a step further and create true impact. Add to that a weekly plan for students to go deeper and you have a winner of a study in one little book. If all the book studies are as well done as this one, I’d ...

Is it possible that at the same time God reveals truth about Himself, He is also revealing the truth about us? For example, I've always read the story of Samuel anointing David the same way. While God is busy rejecting David's older brothers, He tells Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance while God looks at the heart. The focus is on God. He's more focused on the inside and all that. I wrote that as if it's no big deal and everybody gets it. Understanding that we do not, let's move on to the point I want to make. Why are we so often surprised when people judge us by our outward appearances? Didn't God say that man looks at the outward appearance? He might not have said He was okay with this way of viewing people, but at least God warned us. It's like being surprised when someone tells you a certain type of food is hot. It doesn't seem to slow us down from popping it in our mouths and then turning red in the face and searching for wat...

There are bad decisions that effect your day. You regret it, like buying tacos from a truck. But you pay the price and you move on. Then there are the really bad decisions. These might not effect your day, but they change every day after that. This could be likened to getting addicted to truck tacos. There was a king in Israel who made such a bad decision. His name was Jeroboam and he was handed 10 tribes of Israel to rule when Rehoboam, son of Solomon, made a bad decision. So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” ~1 Kings 12:28 Jeroboam wasn't really concerned with the worship of God. He was concerned for himself, thinking that the people would return to Rehoboam when they went to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God. So he decides to throw out worship of God altogether.  Really. Bad. Idea.  ...

Have you ever noticed how people will say one thing and mean another? I don't mean when people lie, but when they try to hint in subtle ways. Here are some that I've discovered along the way. When they say...What are you doing this Saturday?       What they mean is...Would you like to help me move? When they say...Do you have a minute? What they mean is...Because I'd like to bare my soul to you for the next 45  minutes. When they say...Can you help me for a second? What they mean is...I need you to show me how to use the copying machine, then write down step-by-step instructions and then watch me do it. When they say...Oh, are you closing in 5 minutes? What they mean is....I'm sure you won't mind me as I take the next 20 minutes of your life away. And I'm sure I have been guilty along the way. Here's one I use on our awesome church secretary (I'm sure she'll read this). Can we get this mailing out today? Or can we possibly get this even...

So it's a bit of an inside joke around my youth group that when people say my first and last name, I answer with 'woo!' It comes from when I first started at this church. And though the reality is much less fascinating than the legend, it makes me feel good. Everyone loves to hear their name. For other to expect an exclamation pint filled Woo afterwards only makes it feel better. But I have always felt a conflict in my blogging world because I tell people this is my search for insignificance. And I truly am searching. So why would the title include my name with Woo, as if people should be excited to see me? Well, I shan't be changing the blog name anytime soon, but I've been pondering how I can share the love with others. Here's what I've come up with.... It's called sharing. Yeah, it's a pretty monumental idea. I will post a link or two to an article that caught my attention in the past week. It might be ministry related, or poignant, or just st...

Going through the Old Testament prophet Malachi recently, I found that God is not beyond disgusting to make a point. “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it." ~Malachi 2:1-3 I don' think I need to add much to make this story interesting. Sure, I have many gross poo stories from when my kids were younger, but nothing that matches this. God threatened to smear dung (poo for the less sophisticated) on the faces of the priests. What? What? To offer a bit of background, when priests would offer sacrifices, the excrement of the sacrifice would be removed and taken outside the city to be b...

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  I have begun to wonder if Jesus was thinking of my son here in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is imagining a son asking for bread and fish. That’s interesting, because all Luke asks for all day long is food. The boy is only 8, but the rest of us will be halfway through a meal and he’ll start eyeing our plates, asking if he can finish our food. Fortunately for him, he has a couple of sisters who don't always finish their food.  We love him, even though he’ll be the sole reason we need to get a combination lock on our fridge. But we know how to feed him. We like to see him satisfied, even if it doesn’t seem to last for long. But it is interesting to me what Jesus does here. He calls the audience evil as...

I only thought I had graduated from doing homework. I did my time, I received my diplomas and I moved on. I had no idea that having kids would result in my having to repeat grades I had long forgotten. How silly I am! My children, still in elementary school, come home from full days of school with homework in areas that their teachers have not even covered. At least that is what my children try to convince me. Especially when it comes to math, I have had more than one example of the following conversation. Me: How did your teacher say to solve these problems? Them: She didn't teach us anything about this. (This is usually said with tears.) Me: She just gave you homework on stuff she hasn't yet taught you how to do? (This is always said incredulously.) Them: Yes! And she'll force us to make bricks without straw if we don't finish our quota! I may be mixing that last part up with another story, but nevertheless, the angst they feel is real. But math homework is...