2 Hours

There is a youth speaker and so-called teen expert by the name of Josh Shipp who has made a career out of studying teens, knowing their culture, and advocating for them. He is brilliant and has helped a great number of adults and teens to navigate the tricky years of adolescence with his main point being a simple but profound truth: every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story. This truth has shaped the way I look at ministry and, in particular, the need for mentoring with teens.             Over the past year, mentoring students in a 1-on-1 setting outside of Wednesday night youth group has become a big part of ministry for me.  The mentorships have only taken a couple of hours per week per student but this time has made a big impact for some of them. They need a consistent commitment from an adult to give them time in both the peaks and the valleys of life. This is how trust is built. Week in, week out, a couple of hours to talk about anything and everything. The reason is that kids spell “trust” T-I-M-E. Time is a strong communicator to teenagers that you care about them and, honestly, it takes a certain amount of time before they even feel comfortable sharing with you (this can be true for many adults as well). It also helps to join them in the things they are already doing. This brings about one of the best parts of mentoring teens; the meetings happen at Taco Bells, parks, in front of TVs, throwing a football, or wherever else they feel comfortable. Most of the time, sitting in an office or around several other adults isn’t going to be a setting where they feel comfortable and it can keep them from sharing. Being willing to do mentoring where they want to be and doing what they want to do rather than trying to force them into my office has been a major contributor to building trust and going deep. I didn't fully realize how big of an impact just two hours per week of 1-on-1 conversation with a student could make. The biggest encouragement to me has been one particular student who had a major turnaround in his life. He went from struggling in school and having no passion in life to being a Jesus-loving honor roll student (he even won an award at his school called the Turnaround Award). While I believe there were many factors that attributed to this student's turnaround, I believe a major contributing factor were our weekly mentorship sessions where we discussed what it means to authentically follow Jesus, friendships, influence, family, decisions, etc. God used the time we spent together for bigger and better things than I ever could have imagined. God has shown me just how powerful He is and what He can do during this time with students. It became my goal to mentor at least 2 students a year and God honored that, and then He doubled it. I have spent consistent time mentoring 4 different students this year and each of them are seeming to make strides in their relationship with Jesus and their parents.  I have even started mentoring a few young adults, and it has been encouraging to learn and grow and see what God can do with just a few hours each week. If I could change one thing about Josh Shipp’s statement, it’s that I think it’s too specific. I think this truth applies to a wider number of people than just teens. I believe that all people are one caring person away from being a success. We all need somebody who is walking with us in life through its ups and downs. So whether you feel called to mentor kids, teens, or adults it is time to give two hours per week to somebody and see what God does with it. Patrick Frost Middle School Youth Pastor

Not Just Chaperones

If you have ever been asked to chaperone something, maybe a school dance or a field trip, you know that it is not a desirable job to have. You may start with the best intentions but soon you realize that you are basically the fun police. The sentences you say most often are “Don’t do that!” or “Shhhh! Listen to the person who is talking up front.” You, mostly, don’t get to participate in what is going on and pretty much just stand on the edges of the group watching for rule breakers. You know that you might be helping a little bit in the moment but your work as master chaperone is not going to have a lasting impact. Many people believe that the adult leaders in Fusion and Thrive are basically chaperones. This could not be further from the truth. Let me tell you a story about the long term relationships that are being built and the deep spiritual impact these selfless volunteers are having! In order to develop relationships throughout a student’s time in youth ministry, they are assigned to a small group which is led by a couple of adult volunteers known as leaders. One of the most impactful times for the leaders and students is the small groups during the last part of the midweek meeting. The leaders start discussions and prompt the students to dig deeper into the message of the night. These times provide the leaders great opportunities to speak into the lives of the students and, in a case just recently, lead a student to Christ. The message for the night had been on spiritual maturity and taking the next step in their relationship with Jesus.  Small groups had ended, parents were arriving, and any chaperone would have called it a night and been praised for a job well done. However, our 8th grade girls’ leader is not a chaperone. She is a leader and her work for the night was not done in her eyes. So she took the initiative and asked one of her girls in her small group if she had started a relationship with Jesus. The girl said she had not made that decision; right then and there the leader led her to Christ. That’s the type of ownership and personal responsibility the leaders in Fusion and Thrive possess. She acted not out of duty but out of a desire to introduce a girl to the love of Christ. If you asked the leaders, they would probably tell you that they don’t view themselves as special. They would probably say they are just doing what the Lord has led them to do. I would have to disagree with them. I think they are special. It takes a special person to intentionally enter back into a middle school or high school group. It takes a special person to give up their free time to go to games, plays, concerts, hang out on weekends, give students rides, pray for students, give up full weekends to go on retreats, and to deal with all the joyous things that teenagers do. That’s special. I would guess that there would be a few other people who say the leaders are special too: the students. That’s because they know their Leaders love them and are there to help them grow in their faith. They know they’re not just chaperones.  -Patrick Frost Middle School Youth Pastor

Everyday Extraordinary

Everyday Extraordinary
My mom would tell you that she is not unique or different from lots of other moms. She would tell you that she just loves her family and wants to see us happy. Even though I have learned many times not to disagree with my mom, I am going to have to disagree with her on this point. It’s not the tasks that make her special; it is her relentless, persistent, day-in day-out commitment to doing those things that makes her so extraordinary.
                My mom had 3 boys, 3 BIG boys. Growing up we were about as rough and hungry as 3 boys can be. She stayed at home rather than work which was a financial sacrifice, but one that she wanted to make because she wanted to spend as much time with us as possible. She did so many things for us; here’s a small list of the amazing things she did as she raised us:  She cooked big dinners for big boys, went to thousands of games (and she doesn’t really enjoy sports), kept the house standing and looking good, picked us up from school, helped with homework (mom is the smartest, sorry pop), washed our stinky clothes, loved our stinky friends, knew where to find everything we lost, gave us hugs, asked how our day was, showed us a loving marriage, gave us an example of a confident woman, protected us from girls, laughed with us, laughed at us, loved our animals, and, oh yeah, she beat cancer like it was a dirty rug. That’s a special list, she is a special woman. With those things being said, here are the top 5 things my mom has always done for me:
1.       She prays for me. Every. Single. Day. You know how I know she does? She tells me all the things she prays for me and how God is going to do something. I have long joked that God answers my mom’s prayers first because when she prays something, it always seems to get done. I know that her prayers have brought more blessings on my life than I can count.
2.       She speaks Truth into my life. She seemingly knows the perfect Scripture for every situation because she reads her Bible every day. When I was 18 I was hanging out with a girl who my mom had a bad feeling about; one afternoon I walked into my bedroom to find a note card with a verse written on it. It said this, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion,” Proverbs 11:22. I couldn’t believe my mom would think this about a girl I liked. I was offended. I was also wrong. Like with most everything, she was right about the girl. Moms are smart like that.
3.       She believes in me. My mom has always told me that when she was pregnant with me, she would pray for me and God gave her a special feeling. In fact, she has told me since I was young that God made me to be a Pastor and she would list all the things she saw in me and made her believe so. If ever it were suggested to my mom that I would be something less than great, she would scoff at the notion because her boy is special. It’s that kind of confidence and support that makes me believe that God created me to do great things.
4.       She has always listened to me when I have things to say. There have been lots of times when I have said things she didn’t like to hear, and she still listened. She has always been safe to talk to because I know whether I’m saying something smart or stupid that she will respond with compassion, grace, and my best interest at heart.
5.       I think my mom did the hardest thing a mother can do. She let me go. She let me move away to live in a city 2 ½ hours away rather than 10 minutes away. It would have been easy to encourage me to stay close to home but she knew that if I stayed home, I would never reach the potential she so believes I have. It was hard but it needed to be done. Who better than a mom to take on that kind of task?
I love my mom very much. I haven’t always expressed that love to her very well. I mean, I am a boy and a lot of boys just don’t quite know the right way to say “I love you” or “Thank you” to mom. Many of you are moms who are in the midst of raising your children and, even if they don’t tell you this often enough, I want you to know something: your children love you more than they can express and God is so pleased with you. You might not think that your prayers are being answered, but they are. You might not think your kids hear what you’re saying, but they do. You might not think they care what you say about them, but they do. You might not think they want to talk to you, but they do. You might not want to let them go, but sometimes it’s what’s best. Keep doing those things that seem mundane and ordinary; because if you do those ordinary things consistently enough, they become extraordinary.

-Patrick Frost, Middle School Pastor

Wristbands & Witnessing

At the beginning of the school year we did something new for our students and teachers. We wanted them to approach their classrooms, peers, teammates, and anybody with whom they came in contact at school with the mindset of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. For the teachers, this presented a unique challenge due to laws prohibiting them from bringing up the subject of religion in schools. However, if a student asks them a question about their faith, they are definitely allowed to answer it. So, with the help of some stylish wristbands, some of teachers have been able to find plenty of opportunities to share their belief in Christ.
Middle school students love wristbands. You know those rubber bracelets that have the little sayings on them? They were made most famous by Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign but they caught on as great tools for advertisement for other companies as well. Teenagers love them. Some students have been seen wearing ten at one time. TEN! Seeing how popular they are, we made some for the middle school group that said “Fusion@First” and “Carpe Diem Dei” (“Seize the Day for God”). Turns out, not only middle school students liked to wear them but so did Josh Thorp and Brian Blair, a couple of leaders in Fusion. Josh is a middle school math teacher and Brian is finishing his student teaching also hoping to be a middle school math teacher. They have each found opportunities to share their faith because of their wristbands. Students are so curious about what they say and what they mean that they are always asking about them.
For Josh and Brian, this is their opportunity to tell students that they volunteer in a middle school youth group at the church they attend. Often times this leads to more questions and deeper conversations all led by the students. Because of these conversations, we have seen many students come to Fusion from the schools where these men teach. Once they are at Fusion, we have the freedom to share the love of Jesus Christ with them and a few have become consistent members of our group. It took a bit of creativity to find the answer, but leave it to teachers to be creative.
I once had a math teacher who was trying to teach me long division. I asked her why I couldn’t just plug it into my calculator to find the answer. She took the opportunity to teach me a lesson about long division and about life. She said that in math there are multiple ways to get an answer and rarely is the easiest way the most rewarding. There are lessons to be learned by observing the process and by doing things the right way. The same can be said for sharing Christ’s love. Rarely is the easiest way the most rewarding. God bless our teachers who do things the right way, whether it’s teaching long-division or sharing the Gospel.
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SOUND THE TRUMPET:  ASSEMBLING THE TROOPS FOR PRAYER
The Bible says that we are stronger together.  That is nowhere more true than when it comes to prayer.  When we unite together in prayer God uniquely responds because He loves unity (Ps. 133:1-2).  So for the next seven weeks we are inviting you to unite in prayer.  On our website will be our own Prayer Wall.  We will be collecting your prayers and celebrations of God’s answers.  You can visit the prayer wall daily as a family or at the office and join our entire family as we Sound the Trumpet and assemble the troops for prayer.
How do you get your prayer or praise to us?  prayer@fbcsalem.org or text to 62953 (put sfb in the message and then your request).

 First Baptist Website: www.fbcsalem.org

Go to SFB prayer wall

For past Focus stories go to..

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His Birthday, Their Gifts

One of the great joys of being the Middle School Youth Pastor is that I get invited to the students' birthday parties. I get to meet their friends, talk to their parents, and spend some time hanging out and having fun. The moment I always wait for at the party (besides the cake, mmmmmmm) is the opening of the presents. It tells you a lot about a student to see what gifts they receive and how they react when they receive those gifts. You can see their heart and the type of person they are to their friends based on what their friends bring them. I expect to see clothes, video games, Legos, and other items of that sort. What I didn’t expect to see at a recent birthday party was Jolly Ranchers, lots and lots of Jolly Ranchers.

Steven Cummings is going into the 7th grade and has been a huge part of Fusion (the middle school youth group). He invited me over to bring some games to play and to meet his friends with the hope of some of them coming to youth group. I arrived as he was opening his gifts and, as with most people, he was holding court and loving life as he was opening each present. I observed as Steven opened his first gift; it was Jolly Ranchers. He was pumped! Then he moved on to the next gift; two more bags of Jolly Ranchers. Awkward. That is the same gift from two people. That is not what most 12 year olds want to see. To my surprise, he was even more pumped! Then he opened another, then another, and another; all of them containing Jolly Ranchers. He was thanking everybody who brought him Jolly Ranchers and he was so excited to have received them. I didn’t get an exact count but I would guess he got somewhere near 15 bags of Jolly Ranchers. It appeared we had a bit of a Jolly Rancher nut on our hands. I was clueless to what actually was happening. 

As Steven finished up opening his presents, his dad John, asked the whole group a question, “Do you know why Steven asked for all these Jolly Ranchers?” No one knew; they all assumed that he just really loved hard candy. Wrong. John explained that Steven had specifically asked for Jolly Ranchers for his birthday presents so he could donate them to the Brazil mission trip. Josh Thorp, a leader in Fusion who was heading to Brazil, had told the students what the candy would mean to the kids in the slums of Brazil and how rare it was for them to get candy. This had touched Steven’s heart. Rather than doing what you would expect an average 12 year old to do, he decided to use his birthday as an opportunity to show love to kids he would never meet and to show Christ to the kids at his birthday party.

Steven took the king’s bounty of Jolly Ranchers to Josh at youth group that night. Josh, naturally, was touched by Steven’s desire to share his birthday gifts with kids in Brazil. In a culture where we constantly want more stuff and our birthdays are our opportunity to be materialistic guilt-free, it was heart-warming and inspiring to see a student who decided that even though it was his birthday, the gifts belonged to the kids in Brazil.

--Pastor Patrick

First Baptist website: www.fbcsalem.org

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