Yesterday, Amazon finally opened a Kindle store in Mexico. This is really good news for me because in May I wrote a book. I haven’t blogged about it here before because it’s is in Spanish.
It’s called “Corre para Ganar: 5 Disciplinas para Llegar a la Meta del Ministerio Juvenil.” In English, that’s “Run to Win: 5 Disciplines to arrive at the Finish Line of Youth Ministry.”
It’s basically a book about my thoughts on important steps to successful youth ministry, and it’s a compilation of much of what I’ve taught in Mexico these last 10 years. It’s been hard to sell on Kindle, though, because up until yesterday, my Mexican friends had to have an Kindle account (and credit card) from the USA or another supported country in order to purchase it. They also can buy a printed version, especially at events where I speak (also available on Amazon). All of that changed because Amazon finally opened a Kindle Store in Mexico.
I’m excited about this because there are a lot of youth leaders who could benefit from reading the message of “Corre para Ganar,” and I want to get it into the hands of as many people as possible.
If you are a youth worker who reads Spanish, I encourage you to pick up a copy. If you know youth workers who read Spanish, please tell them about the book.
Tomorrow I’m speaking at a youth event at our local church. It’s called “Epicentro”, and my talk is about a “Spiritual Seismograph.” I’m talking mostly about our commitment level to Christ and what that looks like on a daily basis.
As I was researching seismographs, I found it interesting that a seismograph always must be attached to bedrock. Otherwise, there will be false readings in the reports that it generates.
For example, in our house in Mexico, we have a giant window that rattles like crazy every time a truck goes by, which is several times a day. What sounds like it could be a giant earthquake is usually just a gas, garbage, or water truck, making it hard to detect when a real earthquake is happening.
The spiritual life is the same. We often feel as though we are being moved by something, but if we are not deeply rooted in the bedrock of our faith, which is Jesus, we will be shaken by all sorts of things and get a false reading.
What moves us needs to be Jesus moving from deep within our hearts. It has to do with Peter’s response in Mark 8:29 when he responds to Jesus with a strong conviction that He is the Christ.
Please pray that tomorrow I can lead students to a greater understanding of who Jesus is and how He should move them throughout their lives so that they can have a strong commitment that guides them to where they need to be in order to make an impact for eternity.
One of the best parts of this past weekend took place on Saturday at an event I was invited to participate in. It was a forum for parents and younger teenagers (12-16) that was designed to help them improve the communication between them, and it was organized by some of my former students, Oscar and Anna.
Oscar invited me to share with the parents, which was a little intimidating since I don’t have teenagers of my own. The topic of my talk was “10 Principles for Communicating with Teenagers.” We talked about many things while my friend Dante was sharing with the teenagers.
At the end, the pastor had the families come together and pray about how they could better communicate and get along with each other. It was a powerful time as parents were crying and hugging their children, and the children were hugging and affirming their parents. I was proud to be a part of an event that is helping families grow stronger.
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For the third straight year I will be participating in the National Youth Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City from May 17-18. It’s an honor to be able to help plan and then teach at one of the largest gatherings of youth leaders in the country.
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Yesterday the latest edition of “Lider Juvenil“, the Spanish Youth Specialties magazine, came out.
I wrote an article for it called, “Flying Cars and Youth Ministry.” In it, I talk about how it is a little dangerous to predict the future of anything. Just look at the Jetsons (and Back to the Future). I don’t know about you, but I’m a little disappointed that I’m not driving a flying car that packs up into a briefcase.
I also talk about some transitions that I either see happening or think need to happen in youth ministry, specifically in the Latin American context. They might even apply to other contexts.
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Last Saturday was graduation at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary. We had 9 students graduate from the Certificate in Youth Ministry program (a one year degree) and 2 students graduate from the Bachelor’s in Youth Ministry program (4 years).
Graduation is always bittersweet. In the case of Kareny and Josue, we have been with them for 4 years, and we have seen them grow into incredible youth pastors. It is like watching our own children grow up and move out of the house. They will be heading to Monterrey in a month, and we will miss them.
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