If you are in schools ministry, I definitely recommend checking it out.  You can do that here.

What I like most is the blog, which has already produced some terrific ideas and resource sharing.  The blog is specifically aimed at student leaders running CRU lunchtime groups – I’m definitely going to let our senior boys know about it!

Sensational organisation.  Magnificent new website.  Go check it out!

I went to my first Barnabas Conference in 2009, just after I had started as Head of Christian Studies.

It was sensationally helpful!

I was still finding my feet in what was a newly created department at my school. Going on Barnabas was the best think I could have done.

I was personally encouragement about the strategic importance of my job.  I discovered lots of new resources, ideas and practical tools.  I loved and was sharpened by talks and discussions about best practice in communicating the gospel to teenagers in our high-tech culture.  And the one-on-one conversations I had with others who had been in schools ministry for a lot longer than I had were invaluable and have had a significant and very positive impact on the work I do at school.

The Barnabas conference is held every two years and the next one is coming up 25-28 September 2011 in Sydney.

You can download the conference brochure by clicking on the images below.

If you are in schools ministry you should definitely come.

Hope to see you there!

60in60 is the initiative of a team of Sydney Christians who are inviting others to commit to listen to one sermon each day.  Why? To proactively chase a deeper knowledge and richer joy in Jesus.

Starting today, Monday 12th September, over 2,000 Christians have signed up to listen/read/watch one sermon everyday for sixty days.

The sermons are all prechosen from a diverse mix of preachers and collated on a central website.

Go to the website to find out more - http://sixtyinsixty.tumblr.com/

And if you work with Christian boys who listen to stuff online point them in the direction of 6oin6o.

John Lennox is a Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and has written a number of books as well as been involved in some prominent debates, including with the well-known atheist Richard Dawkins.

This was a great opportunity and I was blown away with the logic and high intellectual level in which Lennox engaged his audience.  Part of me was secretly hoping he would take a breath and give a cute illustration, but the other part of me was stoked as some seriously intellectual students, who dominate the sciences, were captivated by his argument and reasoning.

At the end of the day, to be able to engage the very top-end students with someone like John Lennox was a real treat and privilege.

The highlight of the day was on the bus on the way back to school.  Overhearing Christian students engaging with their not-yet Christian friends about Jesus and the gospel!

For me, this is what it is all about!

Providing resources to the Christian students to speak with their friends about the gospel with confidence!  And in this case, John Lennox had given them massive intellectual confidence.

It was a helpful and humbling reminder that often the most fruitful evangelism is done outside the teacher-student relationship and among the boys themselves.

Last term I did a short series on asking and answering questions in the classroom.

To recap I had four reflections:

1. Ask boys ‘how’ and not ‘why’
2. Don’t say anything in the classroom that you wouldn’t say in the staffroom
3. Remember the difference between older and younger students
4. Avoid the very real temptation to mock students

I ran out of time last term to write and post my final thought on this topic, so here it is (better late than never).

Tip #5 – Remember that you are on the frontline.

Everyday I walk into a classroom of boys, many of whom do not want to be there.

As a Christian Studies teacher there are students and parents and even other teachers who do not see the value of what you do.  And some who think it is wrong to say that there is one ‘right’ religion.

You constantly defend your faith and after a while it is very tiring. Especially when the fruit is slow.  And in the early years you may even find yourself doubting the very thing you are employed to defend.

I really love my job and the countless opportunities I have to talk about Jesus, but over time the barrage of questions from sceptical and uninterested students who are trying to stump you is exhausting.

So don’t be naïve about how spiritually draining schools ministry can be but make sure you keep doing things that refresh you spiritually.  Things that will help you persevere faithfully for the long term.

This will look different for different people, but for me I have found the following things incredibly helpful over the last year:

1. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – I go to a terrific church (www.cciw.org.au) with excellent teaching and Fi and I lead a wonderful fellowship group who often pray for me and for what is going on at school.  I have found having a stable and rich Christian community in my life to be very sustaining.
2. TIME WITH CHRISTIAN BOYS – I lead a youth discipleship group at my church with teenage boys who are Christians.  It is so refreshing to read the Bible with them without having to defend it.  We meet every Sunday afternoon and they energise me for Monday mornings.
3. TEAM – I have exceptional colleagues and their resilience and deep heart for the boys is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.

Has anyone else experienced this?  What do you find helpful.

I was also struck on study camp by the questions the students didn’t ask.

I was really expecting to talk more about the following three things than I did!

1. RELIABILITY
   How can we trust what the Bible says? Is it historically reliable?
2.  SCIENCE
   Doesn’t it disprove God?
3. CHURCH
   Why bother? You don’t need to got to church to be a Christian.

Any ideas why?

In comparison my conversations with Christian students centred around these issues:

As I reflected on the week I think there were some common themes that emerged.

So over the next three days I am going to post about the top three conversation topics:

• with not yet Christian students
• with Christian students
• which were surprisingly quiet (ie. I was expecting a lot more conversations than I had)

In my experience conversations I had with not yet Christian students revolved around the following three questions/issues:

1. RELEVANCY
   So what if Jesus did live and die?  What difference does that make to me?
2. SUFFERING
   How could a good God let so much bad stuff happen to me?  For many this was not so much an intellectual question but a personal one.
3. HEAVEN & HELL
   What exactly is the future of the world?  Why do I want to be with God in heaven when my friends/family are going to hell?

I’m not sure if my experience was common or unique to me and the talks I gave.

I had the privilege of giving six talks from John, based loosely on a unit I recently wrote and taught at school.

The week was pure gold!

The team of leaders and directors were exceptional.  They loved and cared for the students, boldly challenging them to examine their response to Jesus.

The students too were incredibly impressive.  They engaged honestly, asked questions, listened to the talks and some of them courageously decided to follow Jesus.

I have some reflections I’ll post in the coming days, but for now I want to say this…

IF YOU WANT TO GROW IN COURAGE AND SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS AS AN EVANGELIST TO HIGH SCHOOL BOYS (AND GIRLS!) GO AND LEAD ON A STUDY CAMP!!!! 

They are better training than any book you might read!

I’m away this week on holidays – enjoying sleep ins, watching Spooks and reading Ride magazine’s Tour de France guide in preparation for the big race starting on Saturday!

I’ve also been writing some talks for a Crusaders HSC study camp I’m speaking on in about 10 days time. I’d love your prayers for me as I finish the talks. Pray too that all the study camps happening these holidays will bear much fruit for God’s kingdom.

So there will be no blogging from me until school starts back mid-July.