Back to the Future...

Back to the Future ranks in my top 5 movies of all time.  I'm really excited to get it on Blu-Ray, hopefully for Christmas!   When I saw the commercial for it earlier today I thought about how we often change who we are in ministry and forget our roots...we forget the things that worked and we are constantly reading and learning trying to figure out that cool thing to do.  When really we just need to hop into our DeLoreans and head back to the parts of our ministry that were very successful.   There are many great songs, games, skits and talks that are as relevant today as they were when we used them years ago.   But there are also some things that just should stay in the past!  

Since I have started in youth ministry in 1997 I have a record of every game, song, skit, and talk that I have ever done.  I have note books from every church.  I can go back to almost any Sunday or Wednesday night and tell you what songs we sang, we skit or game we did, and the talk with scripture that I used.   I'm really not sure why I kept every one in the early years...but I know that today I keep it so I can look back and learn.  I can see so many things from my past in ministry.  I remember some really cool games and skits.  I remember also which songs that bombed and that will never be played again!

During the next couple weeks I plan to look through every single one of these and see what are some things that I can bring BACK TO THE FUTURE!