Flashback Friday: My Ultimate Youth Group Song List

Music has always been an important part of my ministry.  I was fortunate enough to learn the art of leading group singing from Beth Phillips Massey and Martha Ratledge Farlow at Quaker Lake Camp.  The skills I learned there were then fine-tuned by lessons I learned from Young Life,  J. David Stone and the great Yohann (YO) Anderson.  You don't just randomly select songs to sing; you choose songs in an order and of a variety that will lead the group where you want them to go.  I became quite adept at moving groups from wild, crazy songs into deep worshipful music without them ever being truly aware where they were going.  And I loved every minute of it!

Several years ago I was asked about my song-leading style, and in the course of my explanation I was asked a most interesting question.  If I was given the opportunity to lead music for a group of teenagers that knew every song that I had ever led a group in singing (a list of over 300!), which songs would I pick- and what order would we sing them in?  It was a wonderful hypothetical query that I had no answer for at the time.  Today, however, I am going to take a shot at it!  So here it is- my Ultimate Set of Youth Group Songs.  I have chosen 25 (and a bonus or two- you know me and lists, I always cheat!), which would be over 90 minutes of singing.  That might even wear out the Kissimmee gang, and they did love to sing!  Here they are; if you find yourself singing along, I understand...

1. Lahina
2. Lean On Me
3. Pharoah, Pharoah
4. Big House
5. Eat Right!
6. Shine
7. Let Me Be There
8. Undignified
9. I Want To Know You (In the Secret)
10. He's Alive!
11. We Are the Family of God
12. Ain't No Rock
13. The All Day Song
14. Radical Man
15. The Happy Song
16. Lord I Lift Your Name on High
17. Blessed Be the Name/Holy Is the Lord
18. Awesome God
19. Peter, Peter
20. My Glorious
21. Hope Set High
22. Create In Me
23. Prince of Peace
24. It is You/ Oh God, You Are My God/Seek Ye First/Sanctuary
25. Sing Alleluia To the Lord

So how did I do?  Which songs were your favorites?  Which songs did I leave out that you would have chosen?  I would love to hear your opinions, because there were few things that connected us more- with God and with each other- than music!  Now I think I will break out my guitar and sing a few of these.  But it won't be the same without you to sing along...

Because of Jesus,

A Bigger Faith

"If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. "  - Brennan Manning

Too many of us lose the open-mindedness Brennan speaks of above.  We all try to put God in our own little boxes, and then seek to destroy anyone who finds God outside that box.  I have often said that anyone who begins a sentence with "God can't" or "God wouldn't" has obviously never heard of Jesus.  Sending His only son to die for us was impractical, irrational and foolish.  It was the ultimate in "outside the box" thinking.  And yet that is exactly what God did. 

There are too many Christians in our world (and on my worst days this includes me) who think they have all the answers, when in fact following Jesus is often more about questions.  We think that we have a full understanding of God.  You know what?  If you think you understand God, then your God is too small...

Because of Jesus,

The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year

With apologies to Christmas, it's Opening Day in Tampa Bay!  Baseball is back. Only 162 games to go!  It doesn't get any better than this...

Jesus Is My Morning Sun!

"On the first day of the week 

Mary came the grave to seek (in sorrow)

Jesus met her by the way

on that first Resurrection Day!"

James Ward's celebratory song Morning Sun expresses so well the relief, exuberance and sheer joy that the friends and followers of Jesus must have felt that first Easter. It is my prayer that all of you feel that same sense of the presence of the living Christ today!  HE IS RISEN!!!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!  Happy Easter, dear friends!

Morning Sun  - James Ward

A Day of Waiting

His friends took the crucified Jesus and laid him in a borrowed tomb.  Well, some of his friends.  Others were in hiding.  Some of them clung to the hope that Jesus was not really dead, while others suddenly doubted every thing he had ever told them.  The disciples gathered to figure out what to do next. I would imagine that they sat around and told stories of Jesus.  They wondered what it had all been for.  It was clear there would be no political revolution.  It must have seemed obvious to them that they would soon return to the same powerless lives they had been living before they heard the words, "Follow me."  There was no doubt much discussion about what Jesus really meant when he said he was come back in three days.  They didn't realize that when he said, "It is finished" from the cross he didn't mean his life, he meant his mission.  There would be no more gap between God and man.  His work was done.  As usual, they were slow to get what Jesus meant, and certainly Thomas was not the only one who doubted.  But mostly, on that second day so many years ago, they waited. To be arrested, to discover truth, to learn what was next.  But they waited.

And today we wait- but it's totally different.  We wait with the full knowledge that tomorrow we will celebrate the single greatest event in the history of our world.  We wait knowing that Jesus is alive, that he took our sins, conquered death and rose to walk among the living once again.  So while the disciples waited in a room filled with despair and doubt, we wait with party hats on.  We already know what tomorrow holds.  So don't hold back.  In fact, don't even feel like you have to wait.  Go ahead and jump the gun and start celebrating right now.  The game has already been played, and ladies and gentlemen we have a winner.  "Death is ended; it's swallowed up in victory!"  God wins!  Jesus lives!  Let the celebration begin!!!

He Is Risen!!!

Peter's Denial

Mark 14:66-72 (The Message)

While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest's servant girls came in and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, "You were with the Nazarene, Jesus."
He denied it: "I don't know what you're talking about." He went out on the porch. A rooster crowed.
The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing around, "He's one of them." He denied it again.
After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. "You've got to be one of them. You've got 'Galilean' written all over you."  Now Peter got really nervous and swore, "I never laid eyes on this man you're talking about." Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times." He collapsed in tears. 

Today's message is simple.  As we approach Good Friday, we all have to deal with the ways we have denied Jesus.  We, like Peter and the rest of the disciples, often turn away when things get tough.  Yet Peter's confession that Jesus was the Messiah is the rock upon which our faith is built.  No matter our denials or lack of faith at points in our life, Jesus can and will use us to do amazing things if we will simply open our hearts to Him.   The question is not whether or not Jesus can take the mess of our lives and turn it into something glorious; the question is will we be WIDE OPEN to the grace and love of Jesus and what He wants to do with our lives.  It's a query I plan to answer before the rooster crows...

Because of Jesus.

7 Tips For Student Ministry Trips

Me napping in Nashville- 1999 Mission Trip

Trips were always among my favorite things about being in student ministry, and I led a bunch of them over my 28 years of service- by my best estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 100!  There were more than a dozen trips to NYC; nearly 20 trips to Myrtle Beach; 10 or so ski trips; international trips to Mexico and the Bahamas; and various trips to DC, Nashville, Chicago, Spartanburg, Walt Disney World and Dungannon, VA.  There were also retreats, concerts and Night of Joy/Rock the Universe, as well as various day trips.  We traveled a lot, and my former students tell me those trips were among the best things they have ever experienced.  Over those years I compiled a lot of miles in vans and learned a lot of tips to help keep me sane!  Today I share 7 of my worst kept secrets with you.  Not included is the important but obvious tip, "Never pass up an opportunity to take a nap!"  I hope you enjoy this list...

1)  Know Your Purpose - Every trip should have a main purpose; if not, I'm not sure why you would be taking it.  And whatever that main purpose is, build the trip around it.  Mission trips are obvious, but most every other trip you need to advertise and schedule to fit your purpose.  When we went to Myrtle Beach, our purpose was fellowship, and we said so.  It would have been unfair and purpose-defeating to schedule 6 hours of study or service each day.  But there was nothing wrong with a house meeting, devo and worship at the end of each day to remind them why our group exists in the first place- that was a part of the fellowship.  Don't try to pull a bait & switch on your students.  Know your purpose.

Me expressing my expectations at
Myrtle Beach, 2004

2)  Express Expectations - I have known some excellent, effective youth pastors who never took a trip without passing out a 3 page list of rules for the event.  That was never my style.  Instead, I was a big believer in shared expectations.  I would always sit my groups down on the first night and tell them what a privilege it was to be on that particular trip.  I would remind them that they were representing their church, and that the name was on the side of the van.  I would encourage them to remember that they were representing Jesus, and that their actions reflected on our Savior.  And finally, I would share with them the knowledge that their behavior would determine whether future groups would ever get to enjoy the hotel, campground, restaurant or conference center that they were currently enjoying.  I am a firm believer that expecting teenagers to do the right thing is a far better deterrent than giving them a list of things you think they will do wrong.
3)  Music - If you are taking a van, make sure you have a system in place for controlling the music the driver has to listen to.  In the old days, the co-pilot (usually another adult) controlled the radio.  Once cassette players and then CD players became a factor, I always had a rule that anyone could pass up music to be played, but they were limited to 3 songs.  This meant if they passed up something awful (like, for instance, rap!) we knew it would be over fairly quickly.  Now, with I-pods, I think it is important to schedule some "group music" time, letting kids pass up their MP3 players and using the 3 song rule.  Every trip needs a soundtrack.  In any case, make sure you bring plenty of music you like so you can educate them in the good stuff.  And always- ALWAYS! - begin a trip with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.  Don't ask why.  Just do it!

Sometimes culture is overrated...

4)  Cultural Experiences - In my experience, many of the students I worked with over the years were traveling with me to places they would have never gotten to visit without our ministry.  It is important to remember that fact, and to make sure the kids get a cultural education while there.  Eat at local restaurants, not fast food chains.  Visit parts of the city where they will encounter the poor and homeless and feel a little threatened.  Take time to see the sights they have read about and studied but never been to.  Minister to the whole person, and the things you teach them about faith will seem much more relevant and real.
5)  Outside the Lines - This is a bit controversial, and is one you can only do if you have already built great relationships with the students you serve- but it is soooo worth it!  Take your group and intentionally do something you previously told them not to do.  Break a rule!  For instance, at the beach we always said don't go in the ocean after dark.  Take them all swimming at midnight.  In New York we would sometimes hike to Times Square at 2 AM, or turn left coming out of the Milford Plaza (a real no-no!) just so they could see some real NYC night life.  Extend curfew on the last night of a retreat and order pizza.  Don't be reckless, but show them you know how to get a little crazy.  And make sure everyone is invited to join in.  These types of things will change the way they see you and provide your group with stories they will never forget.

They don't seem to be suffering too much at
the seafood buffet!

6)  Do Something Just For You  - Not a big deal on a weekend trip, but if you're going to be gone for a while you need to schedule something just for you.  When we would go to Myrtle Beach, for example, I would always plan a group meal at one of the all-you-can-eat Calabash style seafood buffets.  I didn't care if the youth liked seafood or not.  That was my reward for sleeping in a house with 45 teenagers for a week.  If your spouse travels with you, plan a time for just the two of you to get away, and maybe take a carriage ride through Central Park.  Youth trips should be all about the students for the most part, but doing something for yourself helps preserve your sanity- and that's good for your youth too!
7)  Be Relentless/The Trust Factor  - A mom from one of my groups, who took several trips with us a chaperon, once wrote that she was amazed at the trust I gave my students.  She was also amazed at the way they responded to being trusted and loved.  That was very cool to hear.  She then went on to write about the other part of the story, which is that "with Carl, there is no unplanned moment.  The opportunities for mischief are few and far between."  Both of these things are true.  I trusted them unless one of them they showed me they didn't deserve it, and I always kept them busy.  Even during free times I kept them focused on The Next Big Thing.  The one catch to this theory is that you have to match their energy and enthusiasm, because you have to model what you want them to do.  

Melbourne Beach, 1996.  Every group photo
captures a unique moment in our lives.  

So why do I think these suggestions are worth sharing?  Because in 28 years of youth ministry, I cannot think of a single trip I look back on and wish we had not taken. I never sent a student home from a trip- and only 1 time did I even think about it.  We never went anyplace that didn't invite us to return.  In fact, my groups were allowed to rent the fabulous Betsy B for years after the realty company quit renting it to youth groups.  The Milford Plaza Hotel in NYC once went 10 years without ever raising our room rates.  We were loved everywhere we went.  And perhaps most importantly, we always found a way to get done whatever it was we went to do, and to do it in the name of Jesus.  Did we have issues and misadventures?  Absolutely!  But so does life.  Trips can be the lifeblood of the youth group experience.  I hope these tips will help your next trip be as sensational as the hundreds I was blessed to enjoy.

Because of Jesus,