Consider Supporting “Stuck in the Middle”

Andy shared the following newsletter from Sean Meade this morning, and I thought I would do the same.  Any amount donation could help.  I really believe in Sean’s vision and Stuck in the Middle. Please consider giving $10 or more.

 An Urgent Request…Stuck in the Middle desperately needs your help, and more specifically Jill and I need your help. Three years ago Jill and I sold our home and one vehicle to help raise the capitol to launch Stuck in the Middle. Since then we’ve worked hard to fundraise and build support for this ministry. Stuck began as an annual event in Kansas City, but in 2008 and 2009 it will go national with events in Dayton, Orlando, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Seattle, Colorado Springs and Honolulu. Those events will impact the lives of thousands of middle school students, exposing many to the gospel for the very first time. In addition to those events, Stuck will also be involved with national training events, school programs, summer camps, retreats, and multiple other outreach programs. From a ministry viewpoint, it’s amazing to see what God has done in such a short period of time. From a business viewpoint, the increased activity means that Stuck will finally be able to stand on its own two feet and be financially independent. But these events are still a few months off, and we need your help to survive until then.

This is the part of the email that is very difficult to write. It’s difficult because it is humbling to admit the great need that this ministry and my family have for your support, and because I’ve learned that when a ministry struggles financially, many see it as a lack of God’s support. I believe in the work that God is doing and has done through Stuck in the Middle, and I believe in the work that is still to come. I believe we are following God’s will for this ministry, but the reality right now is that Stuck in the Middle is financially running on empty.

Here’s the bottom line: We have nothing left in our account to pay the bills for April, or to pay my salary tomorrow on April 1st. The humbling truth is that the Meade family’s rent is due on Tuesday, and without that paycheck we do not have the means to pay it. Nor do we have the means to pay the other bills that the paycheck would normally cover, or the rent and bills that Stuck in the Middle has due at the first of the month.

For the first three years that Stuck in the Middle existed, I did not receive a salary from the ministry. In January the opportunity came to take this ministry national, and we felt God’s leading for me to go full-time. Since then I’ve accepted only 40% of the approved monthly salary that our board of directors voted for me. Jill and I knew that we could make ends meet if we kept our budget very tight, and we felt that we should not receive full salary until the ministry could fully support itself and was 100% debt free.

So how can you help? My answer to that would be to please do something, and please do something right now. It doesn’t matter if you give $10 or if you give $10,000. If each person reading this email supported the ministry with a gift of some size, the crisis would be swiftly averted. Stuck in the Middle is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and any donations are tax-deductible. You can donate online right now using your bank or credit card by going to Stuckinthemiddle.com and clicking on the “Support” tab. You can also mail donations to “Stuck in the Middle, 405 South Sunset Drive #4, Andover, KS 67002″. Because of the immediate need, please do email me and let me know if you are choosing to help us out and how much you are contributing.

This process is as frightening as it is humbling for me. Starting in June we’ll have money coming in from summer camps and a few other sources, but in the meantime both Stuck in the Middle and the Meade family don’t have the means to survive without your help. Would you please prayerfully consider supporting us with a one-time contribution? You’d be helping me support my family as I continue the work that God has called me to, and you’d be supporting a ministry that is making a difference in the lives of middle school students nationwide. I cannot thank you enough for your contributions and prayers, your support is a great blessing to me, my family, and the lives impacted by this ministry. Thank you so much for your support.

In His Grip,
Sean Meade
Founder and President

Winter Retreat Recap. God Provides!

 

This had to be one of my favorite winter retreats ever. However, the week leading up the retreat was a bit nerve wrecking.  Last Tuesday I got a call from my buddy Andy Jack, who we were going to have speak for the retreat.  He let me know that he couldn’t speak because the children’s pastor at his church suddenly pasted away.  So all the rest of that day I was scrambling to find another good JH speaker.  I contacted JH gurus all over the country to see if it was possible.  Then I called a women named Deb from Bethel College who books youth speakers all the time.  She gave me the name of a guy named Craig Sanborn.  She let’s me know that Craig is a top notch speaker and lives 10 minutes from the camp we are going to!

Craig just happens to be free last weekend (Which is not very often the case) and agreed to do speak at the retreat.  I tell him that our theme is “Be Transformed” (a transformers theme) but he can speak on whatever he’s got as this is short notice.  He continues to tell me that he spoke at a JH retreat the week before and the theme was “Transformed”!  He had the discussion questions all ready and everything. God is good!

We had our retreat at Lake Beauty Bible Camp.  The highlights included 6-7 students coming to the Lord for the first time, the others making some kind of spiritual commitment, over half doing the polar plunge (including myself, brrr), and blacklight dodgeball was amazing! 

Thanks to all those people out there that were so willing to help me out for speaking in my time of need.

And now for your junior high news- Intentional Farting Banned!

Thanks Marko for this article.

The Biggest Loser- Day 4

I just can’t do the calorie counting thing. It is just too difficult. I am just eating less and really trying to pay attention to my stomach telling me when I need to give it something. I also could not go to the gym today, however I did take my kids sledding and walked up a big hill 6 times. So I guess that is something.

Tomorrow, we are having a father/student night with our JH/SH dad’s taking their kid to the Timberwolves game. At the end of the end they are having a pastor’s game on the Target center floor and I will be in the game. It should be fun. (embarrassing) My friend Erik is playing with me, and he really has some b-ball skills. Regardless, I should get some going cardio doing that tomorrow night. I am thinking about looking like this (below) on the Target Center floor tomorrow. I think it would be pretty funny to dress up.

Some of my former junior high students make a really sweet fort.

This is just cool.  It looks like they got a bad case of winter break bordom.

NYWC update

So I guess I have been a little too tired to blog the convention. It has been really great as always. One of the best things about it is that you can make it whatever you want to be. I must have been pretty tired coming in to all this. I didn’t get up till about 10am this am. It felt very good.

Yesterday I sat down with a spiritual director. This is something I have always wanted to do but have always chickened out. Maybe I am maturing. I guess 30 does something to a guy. The meeting resulted in three action points. The main suggestions I took away was using the space and time that God has given me to carve out connection time with God. Here are my 3 goals for connecting to Jesus in the months ahead.

1. Pray together with my wife at least once a week.

2. Pray for my family and students at stop lights during my commute.

3. Schedule one personal day a month to quiet my heart.

It was great hearing Andy give his first YS seminar. He did a great job as he talked about leading JH students in the spiritual disciplines. I felt challenged help students to experience the disciplines within our community. He made a great point how JH students struggle doing to the disciplines alone. He had a strong point to teaching them the disciplines is powerful in the context of community.

I also really love Doug Fields talk today about Ministry envy. This was a topic that I have never heard preached before. Great Stuff.

Marquis Laughlin was amazing tonight. This guy acts out books of the bible word for word. Tonight he did the story of Abraham. This is a story I am really relating to right now as i am picking up my whole family and “moving to a new land”. I would love to bring this guy to our church.

It as been great to network with friends on this trip. I have ran into Kara Stromberg, Steven Osbourne, Harrison Musser, and Joel Harris. Good times.

NYWC Atlanta- Day 1

So here I am at my 10th NYWC, not that I’m bragging. (actually I probably am) Seriously I feel pretty blessed to be able to come here every year for the past 10 years. Here is a play by play of my day.

5:30am- woke up

7:00am- got the 2nd shoe shine of my life

7:45am- left on plane

10:30am- arrived in Atlanta

12:00pm- ate Chinese food with Ami, Erik, and Andy

1:00pm – went to session #1

Andy Stanley spoke about using the power and influence that God has given you and channeling it into servanthood to benefit those you are leading. The direct application is that I need to realize when I am “the most powerful person in the room”. Sometimes I forget the influence I have to make a difference in whatever situation I am in. Sometimes I sit back and am too passive. I feel like the Lord was saying that I need to step up to the plate more often and serve those I lead by doing just that, leading.

4:30pm- I got lost walking around downtown Atlanta looking for the Omni hotel as I was transfering my lugguge to my new room. I am roomates with Andy Jack.

6:00pm- Dinner at Subway, food court was too full.

7:00pm- Session #2

Thoughts: The sand artist is amazing!

Shane Claiborne was the speaker. He came on stage, blew fire, did a flip, and then read the Sermon on the Mount. That’s it. It was very different. It was pretty refreshing actually.

10:15- I helped Andy Jack take notes at his Junior High Idea Lab. Good Time.

12:00- Andy, ordered pizza. See photo.

Watch out Joel Osteen!

I had a mom come up to me this morning and tell me their 8th grade son was watching Joel Osteen this morning on the tv. He told his mom something to the effect,

“Why is this guy on TV?! Josh is way funnier than this guy! They should put Josh on TV.”

Great stuff!

A Boatload of Junior High Summit Notes

Ryan got a boatload of JH Summit notes and he posted them all at his blog. Check them out here.

Good Junior High Summit Notes

Marko posted some of his notes from the JH Summit I was signed up for but could not go to because I changed churches this month. Today he posted a useful list of Core topics that should be hit on during the Junior High years. Good stuff.

CORE CURRICULUM TOPICS: (the absolute essentials, that if you are not covering, you are missing something)
1) 7 Checkpoints
a. Healthy friendships
b. Moral Boundaries
c. Others first
d. Ultimate Authority
e. Authentic Faith
f. Wise Choices
g. Spiritual Practices
2) Survey your students
3) Identity and Self Esteem
4) Embracing Doubt/Critical Thinking
5) Truth
6) Spiritual Disciplines
7) My faith in Jesus Christ/Relationship with Christ
Primary Doctrinal Issues/Attributes of God
9) Articulate their story/own your faith
10) Prayer/Worship
11) Life of Jesus Christ – if Christ is the ultimate expression of God to us, if you want to know God, look at Christ.
12) Relationships with others/Sex
13) Prayer, Honor (worship) and Missions – the 3 things that are taught to set them up to be prepared for what they will encounter in High school.
14) Missions/World View
15) Worship
16) Where kids fit in God’s story overall

CORE CURRICULUM VALUES:
1) A Separate Curriculum for each grade and for each gender
2) That kids would know God is real in the world and in their world.
3) Ownership of faith: pushing the “why” behind the “what”
4) Use your brain/teach discernment
5) Embracing doubt/Questions/Wrestling
6) Relational Approach to teaching/curriculum
7) Goal is love, not knowledge
Beware of teaching behaviors just for behavior sake. this is a tricky one, because it is easy to build a case for one side or the other of this and buy into it. Because there is a sense that there are two sides to this, so don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. We need spiritual disciplines in our life, but there is a reason for them, and not just doing the behavior with nothing behind it.
9) Fact -> Faith -> Feelings get reversed to: Feelings/Experiences -> Faith -> Fact