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So, guess what?  We are having youth after all this Wednesday!  Due to several things, the retreat for the church staff to be postponed until a later day, so I want to take advantage of being in town and have youth one last time before summer ends!  Come this week and be a part of a video I want to make for visitors and new members called “What you need to know about Bethlehem Youth.”  It will be a very relaxed time, hanging out, shooting the video and talking about some ideas for the coming year.  So, if you can make it, we would love to have you.

 

Next week, no youth.  Take the time to get settled in with the school year while I am on vacation for a week in the land of a thousand lakes.  We will meet back together on Sunday, August 17 @ 5:30 PM.  We will have a ton of information about the fall events, opportunities to sign-up for things and some light snacks.  At 6 PM that night, a drumming group called Sheltered Reality will be here and are going to do an awesome experience with us that night.  It should be a great way to kick off the fall.  Then on August 20, our regular Wednesday night schedule gets rolling!

 

This week at Bethlehem Youth:

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

7 PM Youth Group: Here is what you should know about Bethlehem Youth

 

Sunday

8:15 and 10:45 Sunday School

 

YS STUDENT NEWSLETTER #353

August 4 , 2008

Contents

1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Uh, That’s Funny?

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WHAT KIND OF LEADER CAN YOU BE?

You can get a handle on these and other crucial questions by wrapping your brain around "Leadership 101." It focuses on the nuts and bolts of solid Christian leadership (prayer, service, communication, conflict management, mentoring, etc.) but also goes deep into the soul of leadership.

Learn more about or purchase "Leadership 101" here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=188

=================================

1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

CHARACTER VERSUS SKILLS

There are those who say leadership is about your character or who you are, while others say leadership is defined by your skills or what you do.

People who defend the first perspective point out the importance of integrity, charisma, and other internal characteristics. They say who you are affects what you do. A perfect example is Mother Teresa. She’s remembered as one of the most respected and influential women of the twentieth century solely based on her ability to live out her personal convictions. Did she possess a strong, commanding persona? Did she influence people with her charm and charisma? Not at all! She was a quiet, soft-spoken little woman who was ordinary on the outside. Nevertheless, she influenced thousands to minister to the poor and dying of Calcutta and places like it around the world. The strength of her character made her an incredible leader.

On the other side, there are many who believe the quality of one’s leadership is determined by one’s leadership skills. This is where powers of communication, persuasion, knowledge, and experience come in. Former President Bill Clinton is a great example of one who is seen as a great leader because of his skills. He is said to be an incredible listener, remarkably skilled at remembering detail, persuasive, and highly intelligent. He attained the highest position of leadership in the world, mostly due to his skills in the area of leadership, yet spurred a national debate on the importance of a leader’s character. Many people thought Clinton’s private moral failures were irrelevant to his position as the leader of this country–essentially that his heart attitude wasn’t important. Those people contend that Clinton was elected for his skill, not his heart. Others believe his character was totally relevant to his ability to command respect as a leader. So who is right? I believe the answer is found in a verse that will be foundational to your study of leadership: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, with skillful hands he led them" (Psalm 78:72).

For years the secular leadership community has argued about the values of skill and character. Volumes have been written in dozens and dozens of leadership books expounding on the importance of one or the other. But the greatest manual on leadership was written thousands of years ago, and it contains about every answer to about every question you could ever ask about the topic! The Bible contains at least 170 direct references to leading and many more stories that illustrate leadership–both good and bad examples. So how does God’s Word define leadership? According to Psalm 78:72, good leadership requires both integrity of heart and skill, in equal measure. What comes to mind when you think of the word "integrity?" Most of us leap to words such as "honesty" or phrases such as "man of his word." Those are good definitions, but integrity literally means "to integrate" or bring many parts together.

Having integrity of heart means bringing together all the parts of who you are. It means having one "self"–being the same person whether you are alone or in a crowd, at school or with your family. As you will discover in the next few chapters, there are many parts to your self.

News Flash: You have a distinct, unique personality and temperament. You have a unique pathway in which you relate to God. Your experiences and influences have uniquely shaped you. You have physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual parts of your self. Understanding these things and bringing them into unity is key to having what we call integrity of heart.

David had integrity of heart. I want integrity of heart–and I believe you do, too. The journey takes effort, perseverance, and much courage; but as David’s life shows us, the results are very much worth the effort.

SKILLFUL HANDS

In our quest to grow in very important heart issues, it’s also important to recognize the necessity of basic leadership skills. Throughout his lifetime David’s leadership was challenged by his skills in five major areas: listening, communicating, managing conflict, learning from failure, and raising up other leaders. Many godly leaders have suffered through unnecessary failures of leadership due to poor skills, especially in these key areas. There are, of course, many other skills that leaders must develop as well, but I’m convinced that mastery of the "big five" is absolutely essential for any leader’s true success.

HEART TO HANDS

It’s no accident that in Psalm 78:72 "heart "comes before "skill". The Hebrew word "leb "(pronounced "lave") means "heart." The literal translation is "the source of man." A person’s "leb" is the source of her passions, knowledge, and character. It’s kind of like the spring that feeds the river that runs into the oceans. If you pollute the spring, then all the water flowing out of it will also be polluted. Are you familiar with Proverbs 4:23? "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do" (NLT). Even the most skilled leader will be ineffective–or worse, destructive–when the heart is allowed to turn from God. Adolf Hitler was a powerfully influential leader who changed the history of the world, but his evil heart determined the course of his leadership. Can you imagine how many people’s lives would be radically different today if Hitler had led with integrity of heart?

What other characteristics or skills should a good leader possess?

Here you will find a list of words that describe some characteristics of a good leader. Identify whether the word describes an attribute of the heart, the hands (a skill), or both, and then rate yourself on how much you possess that particular trait.

**

Taken from "Leadership 101" by Denise VanEck, copyright 2005 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=188

 

2. SURF REPORT

~ Survey: Our friends at Zondervan want to know what you think about young adult fiction. Take this survey to help them out.
http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostzv/amish.htm

~ PlanetWisdom Discussion Forum: Talk about stuff that matters
http://cafe.planetwisdom.com/tc/v312/ikonboard.cgi

 

3. FORGETTABLE FACT

It was illegal to sell E.T. dolls in France because there is a law against selling dolls without human faces.

 

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

"Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven."
~ Charles Stanford

"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe."
~ Saint Augustine

 

5. UH, THAT’S FUNNY?

Q: What kinds of horses go out after dark?
A: Nightmares