Testing for McGill
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Testing for McGill. JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 8:56 PM |
SimplyJosh.com Has Moved!
Monday, January 7, 2008
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Exciting announcements today ... update your bookmarks and hit this link!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 8:51 AM |
Gamerscore Hits 15,000
Saturday, January 5, 2008
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Another month piling on the achievements on the Xbox 360, with today's work taking us over 15,000. Do you have a 360? I've got a bunch of youth workers on my friends list - join us!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:50 PM |
Video Game Review: Meet the Robinsons
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Just finished up playing through a Christmas gift the boys bought - Meet the Robinsons for the Xbox 360. It is a fun game, with average graphics and surprisingly long playtime. The only problem is that the story is below par and the control is terrible. I enjoyed playing it with the kids for the family time, but I was frustrated more than a few times to throw the controller at the TV. Fun for the kids, frustrating for the dad. C-JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:35 PM |
Free Arcade Game on the 360
Friday, January 4, 2008
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Taking a break from last minute Friday night sermon run-throughs ... just saw this note from Microsoft about some LIVE problems over the holidays that will result in all of us console owners getting a free game. Lovely! If you've got a 360, read the letter.
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 11:34 PM |
Leading from Beneath
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Thought this article from Andy Stanley was great. Here's a clip from Lead from Beneath on MinistryToday.com:
JG1. When an instruction is given, follow through now; debrief later. When the discussion's over and the one God has placed in authority over you says, "This is what we're gonna do," then you do it. Follow through first, and debrief later. Your words and actions need to express, "I am clearly and squarely on your team and under your authority." It doesn't mean you can't ask, "Why?" But do so in the clear context of serving the organization at large and observing the chain-of-command. In your own style and your own way, you must learn to communicate both: "I am under your authority," and "Can we talk about it?"
2. Never verbalize your frustration with the process in front of other team members. Public loyalty results in private leverage. If you want to have leverage one-on-one with your authorities, then show support for their ideas and strategies in front of the team—even if you think they're absolutely off the wall. Likewise, if you want to lose leverage with your boss, then disrupt and ask challenging questions and foster division among the ranks publicly.
Support publicly; challenge privately. Reverse those two things and you surrender your authority as a leader within your organization. Again, it's OK to think different—to challenge. But the method you use and the place you choose is critical. Everybody who has authority is also under authority.
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:19 PM |
Bizarre Text Message
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"Find where the moon touches the earth and release the humming bird."
This SMS hit my phone yesterday, the origin was Arkansas. I Googled it and came up with pretty much nothing. Am I missing something?
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 7:21 PM |
The Great Mullet Hunt of 2008
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posted by Joshua Griffin @ 7:17 PM |
Lightsaber Defender
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Various friends have sent me this link and I forgot to post about it - apparently an 11-year old kid wields a pretty good lightsaber. I love it!
An 11-year-old boy demonstrated The Force when he defended his mom by hitting an attacker with a toy lightsaber. The man, in his 30s, fled after being confronted by the youngster outside a bakery in Swardeston, near Norwich, England.JG
Police said the boy hit the man with his toy after the man had punched and verbally abused his mother as she approached her car. Officers are appealing for witnesses to the Dec. 22 attack. Allan Jennings of the Norfolk Police said: "The incident caused quite a commotion and it is unlikely it would have gone unnoticed."
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 8:59 AM |
The Best Star Wars Christmas Gift
Thursday, January 3, 2008
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Oh man, I was just given an amazing Christmas/birthday gift. Who wouldn't want the brand new Star Wars pop up book? I love it! Thanks, Allison!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 11:33 PM |
Social Networks and the Church
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Ministry Today magazine asked me for a few quotes for an upcoming article for their publication of faith and blogs. Here's their questions and my replies:
JG1. What are some specific examples from your ministry where social networking has helped you connect with people? Just this afternoon, one of our worship leaders was trying to find a musician for the band, and she said, "I texted and MySpaced her, so I'm sure I'll hear back from her any second." As if by magic, within a few minutes she had her reply and figured out the bass player for the weekend. Social networking isn't a tool to youth pastors - it is a significant part of the student's world.
2. One of the strengths of Facebook is how it "latches on" to the user with applications and deeper features than MySpace -- yet, MySpace is still more popular. Is one tool better than another? Facebook is definitely a cleaner, sharper face on it - but MySpace has critical mass. Every student has a MySpace, though Facebook is growing rapidly as well. For someone just starting out I would suggest steering clear of MySpace because it is so easily full of spam and has so much advertising, but at the end of the day I think both are really the best option.
3. What advice do you have for other ministries thinking of using MySpace/Facebook? One of the big benefits of these tools is that they are in the real world. These aren't Christian versions - these are the real deal. While that brings along its own share of problems and concerns, it puts the church out there with real people, instead of giving in to the temptation to be so self-focused. When you Google your church or student ministry, I want my MySpace, blog, Facebook and official site all at the top.
4. What are some of the dangers in using social networking? I think the most obvious one is that what you see on the surface is not all there is. Because users can private message and talk "behind the scenes" you've got to be careful to keep everything in the open as much as possible. The other potential problem is for your spaces to be "spammed" and filled with compromised content or useless information. You've GOT to check your family of sites on a regular basis if they're going to work. They create some extra work, but I believe they're well worth it.
5. Say a ministry doesn't feel comfortable with social networks, what other options are out there? Everyone has to figure out what is right for their ministry, so I think not using these sites is fine. I do think a church without at least a basic web presence is really missing out, and if it is at all possible to blog and keep content fresh and timely, people can really get an inside look at the church without even stepping through the doors. At the end of the day, these are tools to bring people to Jesus - if a ministry believes this is a tool that is effective in that mission, then by all means jump in.
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:35 PM |
The Missional Blog
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Thought this article was an interesting take on Christianity and the blogging world. Would have loved to been at that blogging convention this past week. Here's a clip of their take on blogging and faith:
When Al Mohler, the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and nationally syndicated talk radio host, addressed the relatively small but enthusiastic audience at GodblogCon 2007 in Las Vegas in early December he pointed out that "the new media" was "a missiological opportunity to which we are obligated."
Mohler emphasized the importance of taking "the new media seriously, not making it a bulletin board for isolated, disconnected, reckless ideas, snarky comments and anonymous diatribes, but rather, a place where seriously-minded Christians do the seriously-minded Christian thing and make serious Christian arguments in a serious Christian way with love and with charity, with boldness and with courage.
"Should Christians go into the wild, wild, west? Yes," said Mohler. "But we need to go in understanding that there is no sheriff. But that doesn't mean that we do not have a higher accountability, certainly we do. "Don't write anything that you wouldn't want your parents, children, pastor or lost neighbor to read. That would certainly change a lot of what many of us are tempted to do. Use language that you can live with over time in terms of accountability. Don't make hit and run attacks and write for more than today. Let your horizon be more than a 24-hour period or the week. Write knowing that someone somewhere is going to find your blog on some future day, and don't be embarrassed. Think before you post. If at all possible, have other eyes that look."
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:19 PM |
Lyrics for Our Opening Song This Week
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Stop And Stare Lyrics (by OneRepublic)This weekend we're teaching a quick 2-week series called Best Year Ever - how to get the most out of 2008 - and we just landed on this OneRepublic song to cover at the open. We're closing with Tree63's I'll Stand for You the ends into Hillsong's The Time Has Come. I'm experimenting with something this week, it is an invitation with a photographic twist.
This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us
It's time to make our move, I'm shakin off the rust
I've got my heart set on anywhere but here
I'm staring down myself, counting up the years
Steady hands, just take the wheel...
And every glance is killing me
Time to make one last appeal... for the life I lead
Stop and stare
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I've become what I can't be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you're 'here' not there
And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need
Oh, can u see what I see
They're tryin to come back, all my senses push
Un-tie the weight bags, I never thought I could...
Steady feet, don't fail me now
Gonna run till you can't walk
But something pulls my focus out
And I'm standing down...
Stop and stare
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I've become what I can't be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you're here not there
And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need
Oh, you don't need
What u need, what u need...
Stop and stare
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I've become what I can't be
Oh, do u see what I see...
Pictures Saturday night!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 2:09 PM |
Response Card from Satan
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This came in a few weeks ago at a High School service. Very creative!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:55 AM |
New Video Small Group Resources at SYM
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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Simply Youth Ministry has updated their inventory with some new small group video resources - including Identity (which looks the most interesting to me), Surviving School, Teens vs. Dating and I Am. Check them out for a nice change up in your small groups in the New Year!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 4:30 PM |
How Much is Your Blog Worth?
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My blog is worth $78,471.06.
How much is your blog worth?
Apparently, quite a bit. Hmmm ...
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 3:34 PM |
New Season of Ministry
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Today starts the first day in a new season of ministry for our family - Kurt has asked me to fill in for the coming months as the interim high school pastor here at Saddleback Church. I met with the high school team once before the Christmas break, and this is the first weekend I'll be teaching our students. There are so many great volunteers and staff!
Most things should remain the same - I'm still doing the daily youth ministry blog, the SYM podcast and helping out with the Group Youth Ministry Conference next month. Should be fun!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 3:11 PM |
Starting the New Year Right
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Thought Tony had some good stuff today on New Year's resolutions, and there's a good article on YouthMinistry.com on the subject, too. Here's a clip from Ready to Get Serious About That Resolution?
- Focus on 30 days not 12 Months: Instead of trying to amp up for 12 months of commitment to something you obviously haven’t been able to do before, focus on just he first 30 days. None of us have will power in these areas of “resolution”, otherwise they wouldn’t need to be a resolution. Instead focus on making it to the point where the pursuit of your resolution can become a habit.
- Look for Lifestyle Tipping Points: Resolutions are typically results we haven’t been able to obtain yet - and they feel like big things to accomplish. But usually it is a simple decision or new behavior that will be the “tipping point” to finally pulling it off. For me it is always my sleeping schedule. Just going to bed and waking up earlier is often the tipping point a lot of people need.
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 2:24 PM |
Up in the Sky
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
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Two amazing things in the sky today. 1) the Goodyear blimp, and 2) 5 airplanes creating a "Ron Paul for President" smoke art. And I didn't get a picture of the F-18's during the national anthem, or the Navy Seals that parachuted into the stadium. So fun!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:01 PM |
Rose Bowl - The Day in Pictures
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What a day!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 8:57 PM |
Happy New Year!
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Welcome to 2008, friends!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 12:00 AM |
Top Posts of 2007
Monday, December 31, 2007
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So I did some quick recap analytics of the blog and found a few of the most read blog posts from 2007. Thought you might enjoy a quick look back or a good laugh if they're new to you:
1 - My Most Embarrasing MomentJG
2 - Sunday Night Announcement Video
3 - Youth Pastor Salaries
4 - Youth Ministry Hats
5 - Hotel, Hotel
6 - MySpace Session Notes
7 - Flying and Children
8 -Calling back after a text
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:02 PM |
Rose Bowl Bound
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Oh man ... tomorrow morning I'm headed with some friends to the Rose Bowl up in Pasadena! USC vs. Illinois - I've always wanted to go, and this is it!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 8:55 PM |
Free Airport Wi-Fi
Saturday, December 29, 2007
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I've been travelling this week and noticed something great. Columbus, Las Vegas and Atlanta all have their airports completely covered in free Wi-Fi. And for Atlanta, that's 5.8 million square feet of space. So nice!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 11:30 AM |
Hillary at AIDS Conference Picture
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Thought this picture of Hillary at the AIDS Conference was interesting. Grabbed it from a likewise interesting article on the subject of Jesus and politics here.JGIn one way or another, most of the major Republican and Democratic candidates have been hard at work establishing their religious credentials. Some are more explicit, such as Mike Huckabee defining himself on TV as a Christian leader. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton regularly stand up for religious progressives. Even thrice-married Rudy Giuliani has talked about how he once considered the seminary.
At some level, I don't fault them. They are trying to reassure voters they share some of their values. That's what Mitt Romney was doing with his big religion speech recently in College Station, Texas. It was understandable, assuming he and the other hopefuls truly do share the values of the voters they hope to reach.
But we voters better watch out when candidates play the Jesus Card. The child born in a manger turned out to be a radical figure. And his message can take us in demanding, unpredictable directions.
For example, there's that hard command to love your enemies. How would the professing candidates abide by that charge? Shouldn't we ask whether that dictum will affect how they deal with the opposition party on Capitol Hill? With Iran? And if it will affect them, how so?
Then there's the fact that Jesus spent much of his ministry challenging his day's religious establishment. Wow, that could create mighty big sparks if any of these candidates really played the Jesus Card.
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 11:26 AM |
Religious Beliefs = Christian
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I just finished a great spiritual conversation with a few friends from here in the Midwest. I love times like this, and after searching for months and being helped along the way by countless small contacts, conversations and situations - one of them accepted Christ .The finishing touch on the night (it's now 3:34 AM here) was when she logged in to change her Facebook status. She went into the "Religious Views" which was originally blank, and typed in the word "Christian." Seriously, how cool is that?
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 12:34 AM |
Highlights from the Best Man Speech
Friday, December 28, 2007
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I got to give a "best man speech" today at a wedding for a great friend here in the Midwest. Here's a few of the lines I wrote about him:
- I'm proud of you.
- There's one thing has always been a constant with you: your purity. What and honorable and rare gift you get to give away tonight (as a wedding present to his wife he gave her his purity ring).
- To all the single women out there tonight, there are still good guys out there. But there is one less tonight.
- My hope is that you will age gracefully, always be in style .... and love God and each other for a lifetime.
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:42 PM |
Google Searches That Lead Here: Volume 42
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Here's a few of the 341 different phrases people used in Google to find the blog this past week. Some of them are crazy!
- christmas day service saddleback church
- youth ministry lemonade
- when was jesus born
- youth group christmas games
- atmosphere in your home
- evil empire of western civilization
- mini sturgis ky
- a poem with these word parents, presents, powerplay, xbox360 and games
- astrovision cable in panama
- avocado.intranet
- celebrate recovery with the men of valor ipod
- christmas responsive reading
- christmas skits labor of pain
- christmas special walmart
- cincinnati sci-fi lewis waif
- colts popcorn
- creflo ministry organization chart
- dane cook tsa
- dangerous surrender
- david ulrich saddleback church
- desperate housewives preview for 1/06/2007
- dinner time games to play
- do people's eyes dilate when they are lying
- dog chewed gamestop gift cards
- dwight schrute sayings thirty percent of all attacks
- funny speech for a staff christmas lunch
- goober peanut butter
- great park church
- great talks for youth ministry
- heather mckee deal or no deal winnings
- i can't believe you actually picked me
- insight into a halo loving guitar rocking shy confident guy
- josh griffin water conservation baptism
- justin guarini blog bay
- kabahla podcasts
- koulots
- let's be the revolution that lives for holding nothing back
- maranatha baptist bible college legalism
- moleskin journal
- porcupinetaxi
- rockies championship markdowns
- sample 2 year plan youth ministry
- snowglobe glycerin to water ratio
- unicorns, noah
- why did doug lockhart leaving zondervan
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 10:37 PM |
33
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Angela packed me this totally sweet do-it-yourself birthday kit in my luggage last night ... I turned 33 today but am gone from the family in Ohio for a wedding. It was delicious - thanks, babe!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 3:19 PM |
Book Review: The Last Season
Thursday, December 27, 2007
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This birthday gift was a perfect read on the plane to Atlanta today. I managed to get in all 300 pages before we landed - and thoroughly enjoyed it since it is way out of the field of youth ministry. Or is it? My first impression was surprise at how honestly Lakers' coach Phil Jackson spoke about Kobe and Shaq, and how the NBA works behind the scenes - really fascinating stuff.
The best leadership lessons I picked up were the challenge Phil faced when he pushed his team. He always wanted to push his people, but not too far. A leader pushes people to the edge, but has to be careful to not push them off the cliff. He shares honestly about successes and failures in his leadership.
It's well written, intriguing and only occasionally gets mired down in basketball stats and minutia. A surprisingly interesting read! B
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:21 PM |
Jesus Saved by GPS
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Thought this story was funny - a baby Jesus statue was stolen but equipped with GPS so the thieves were caught. Ha!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:18 PM |
My Favorite Christmas Gift
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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I don't know why, but I really loved this gift this year. In my new office I'll be sporting an official Fox Sports Football Robot that stands over 16" tall. Perfect!JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 9:39 PM |
Merry Christmas
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
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posted by Joshua Griffin @ 3:41 PM |
After the Fire
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posted by Joshua Griffin @ 12:12 AM |
Christmas Eve at Saddleback
Monday, December 24, 2007
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Going to be fun ... my parents are in town for the week from Wyoming, and we're all headed to Christmas Eve services tonight at Saddleback. I've already done 3 services, and we're excited to watch the Christmas special, too.
The presents are wrapped, there's a TON of them, someone let us borrow an Xbox 360 for the holiday so life is good. Merry Christmas Eve!
JG
posted by Joshua Griffin @ 5:12 PM |
