the intersection of life and grace

I’m completely thrilled to be able to share this news with you. Like 99.99999% of the youth working world, I’ve watched changes happen at Youth Specialties over the past year with interest in where it would all settle. The video below is an instant addition to the YS classic list, and the details are in the text below. Though change can be difficult, I’m grateful this pillar of youth ministry training and resourcing is changing to serve us more effectively. Check it out:

From Youth Specialties:

The past 12 months at Youth Specialties have been crazy, filled with way too many changes. The good news is that—whew—things are finally settling down and exciting developments are on the horizon!

Now—appropriately—you are asking, “What’s next?” We’ve heard you and we’re excited to share the latest news.

Youth Specialties is now a part of YouthWorks! On December 16, YouthWorks finalized the acquisition of Youth Specialties from Zondervan. What does this mean? YouthWorks purchased the Youth Specialties brand—all the events, the websites, the stationery and even the truck that is used to pick up the mail. Zondervan will continue to operate the publishing division of Youth Specialties. In one form or another, Zondervan has been publishing Youth Specialties’ stuff for more than 30 years, so we’re excited to see that relationship continue.

On the same day YouthWorks purchased Youth Specialties, some staffing changes were made. This was by far the most difficult aspect of the transition, but you can be confident that it was managed with great compassion, care and dignity.

Over the holiday period, a lot of the transition work began. After 40 years of operating as a for-profit business, Youth Specialties is now part of a non-profit ministry. This will certainly shape how we operate and how we serve you, but we’re convinced that this will allow us to be even more effective in providing training, resources and encouragement.

Also during this time, we’ve come to know the YouthWorks team and we’ve seen that God’s hand has been shaping this relationship for a long time. YouthWorks’ purpose is “to help the Church be the Church” by providing life-changing, Christ-centered resources for ministry—it’s the Youth Specialties purpose as well.  God has found a great home for our ministry!

What will Youth Specialties do now? The short and simple answer is that Youth Specialties will do what it’s done since it was founded. With our full focus on serving youth workers and the church, we will continue to provide world-class events, training opportunities and resources.

He’s back—Tic Long has returned to Youth Specialties! In the early years of the Youth Specialties ministry, Wayne Rice and Mike Yaconelli hired Tic Long. For more than 30 years Tic helped lead Youth Specialties and helped pioneer much of who and what the ministry is today. Tic’s return as Executive Director of Youth Specialties is effective immediately. Most importantly, Tic has been tasked with leading Youth Specialties forward. His wealth of knowledge and expertise in the arena of youth ministry and his personal passion and love for youth workers will serve as a solid foundation in the growth and success of Youth Specialties.

Finally, thank you for standing beside us during these past months. Your prayers and words of encouragement have been a blessing to both the Youth Specialties and the YouthWorks teams. We look forward to the next 40 years of ministry and the opportunity to grow the Kingdom by serving the world’s youth workers who are impacting the next generation of Christians.

Following months of deliberation by the Federal Trade Commission and rumors throughout the social media marketing world, the FTC this week released it’s “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” to much buzz.  And, a little panic, I think, for bloggers, twitterers and facebookers who like to talk about their favorite goods and services, wondering what this all might mean for them.

It’s an 81-page document, in rather complex legal-governmental language.  You can read it by clicking here if you like [opens PDF document in a new window].

First, because I’ve fielded a few questions about this from the reviewers I work with on content for clients, I want to define what the new regulations say about bloggers – as I understand it. Disclaimer:  I’m not a lawyer, this isn’t legal advice, and if I learn something new about it, I’ll update this post.

Disclosure

If a company gives you product or money or any other kind of award or compensation in return for your posting about them or their product on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking site, you (the blogger) need to say so clearly.  The consequence for not doing so includes potentially hefty fines, but the report does not delineate what to expect for certain infractions, nor how specifically it will be enforced.

Now, if you review books, resources or music for another outlet, such as YMX, and repost your work on your blog with link attribution (as that site has permitted), you need only be clear that you were given the resource to review for that outlet.  It is pretty clear that product is given to media outlets to review, and you’re (in the case of YMX) reprinting with permission with link attribution.  If you link to your work on another commercial site from your  personal Twitter/Facebook, etc, it seems clear to me that you got something in return for the work (product or  some other consideration).

If you are an affiliate marketer – say for amazon, or referral link prizes, and the like – you need to say so under these new rules.  If you make money on it, you need to say so more clearly than ever.  Here is a good overview of the new guidelines from the corporate marketing point of view.

About this blog

Most reviews on this blog are reprints of my work for hire, primarily at YS/YMX. Those include links back to the original publication page.

A few times publishers or companies have given me books to review, or something to give away. While it was clear enough at the time, I will be more specific about that going forward.  I have never been paid cash for any post on this blog, or anything I’ve posted on my personal social networking accounts.  I intend to add a disclosure page to this blog to acknowledge affiliate relationships so there is no confusion.

All very formal, but I have no problem disclosing this if it prevents confusion on the part of others. Clarity is good, and assuring readers that my thoughts and opinions are my own even if I got a free book is something I’m happy to do.  It’s necessary to help people who research purchases on the internet tell the difference between advertising and customer opinion, because the line had become blurry. Ethics are important.

Now, if we could just get the same kind of clear public disclosure from politicians and lobbyists, I’d be thrilled.

I wasn’t going to blog about this, but I’m changing my mind under the influence of so very many complaints about the most recent changes on Facebook.  If you aren’t a Facebook user, you’re in a minority of webizens, and I won’t be offended if you skip this post.

Yes, the latest change was a big one.  It took all of the information you and all your connections are producing – all of which was already displayed on the homepage – standardized its appearance and combined it into one stream of information.  All of this information was already public, but placed differently.  Like it, love it, hate it, the responsibility for the now-all-equally-valued information was put into the hands of each individual user.  Previously, I could “vote up” or “vote out” certain types of information.  Now, I have to count on my connected Facebook Friends to control their output.

A few questions to ask yourself, as a Facebook user:

1. Do I want all my friends to see on their home page that I sent an Egg/Plant/Poke to or threw a cyber-sheep (or, my personal fav a barrel full of monkeys) at  [fill in name of other friend here]?
2. Do I want all my friends to see what I wrote on our mutual friend’s wall?
3. Do I want all my friends to see what I wrote on a poll or group discussion?
4. Are there some  people I’m connected with I’d like to check on first, before I scan the whole news feed for the rest of what’s going on?
5. Have I ever reviewed what applications I’ve authorized access to my information?
6. Do I get email from Facebook I don’t want?

Depending upon your answers to the above, you may be thinking you’d like to fix what you’re floating into the Facebook information stream, and take some control over your Facebook life.  Here’s how, from your logged in Facebook account:

Applications

If you want to amuse yourself with myriad apps, sending gifts and so on, that’s great.  You may not want everyone to have to read about it (in fact, most people probably don’t want to know, for the most part).

• On the top of your Facebook, there’s a blue bar.
• Find SETTINGS > APPLICATION SETTINGS which will return a list of your most recently used applications.
• In the menu above the list, select AUTHORIZED to see all the apps you’ve ever given permission to access your profile.
• Next to each there is a link EDIT SETTINGS from which you can select “Never publish any stories from [name of app]” or “Prompt me before publishing any stories from [name of app]“.
• Note, you can also click the X at the end of the line for each app to delete it if you don’t use it.  Think of it as spring cleaning for your Facebook profile.

Wall posts

• From that blue menu bar at the top of the page,
• SETTINGS > PRIVACY SETTINGS
• NEWS FEED & WALL
• Returns a list of check boxes where you can choose which actions you want to appear on your wall, and therefore appear in the global news feed on the homepage.
• This is a great time to check your PROFILE privacy settings, too.

Emails

• SETTINGS > ACCOUNT SETTINGS
• NOTIFICATIONS
• Select which events you want emails about.

Friend Groups

Want to see updates from certain folks sorted out of the general home page stream?  This is the coolest new use of an existing Facebook feature!

• Blue bar again… FRIENDS
• Left side, MAKE A NEW LIST, follow the prompts to create your group.
• You can have as many as you want, and you can put friends in more than one group.

Yes, it will take a little time, but you’ll be so much happier with the results!  Happy Facebooking!

One of the things I most appreciate about being an American is our peaceful transition of power.  To emphasize that intentional setting-aside of difference, the President and President-elect choose to ride together from the White House to the Capitol.  All the living US Presidents attend the oath, regardless of party.  There are lessons for the Church in that kind of intentionality, but I’ll leave those thoughts aside for now.

As a Christian, I appreciate my obligation to pray for my leaders, and am doing so as I watch today’s Inauguration events.  I understand one of my favorite hymns was sung at the church service that was part of the Inaugural agenda today.  In the words of Issac Watts, penned 200 years ago, I pray for our nation and our new President:

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

Issac Watts (1674-1748); para. of Psalm 90:1-5, public domain

Those of you who read these posts via RSS or email may not notice the side column section titled “Others’ View”.  It contains items from blogs I regularly read that I find interesting or challenging, and I share them through my Google Reader’s shared items function.  You can visit the site, or subscribe to that RSS here, or Google users can connect with me to see my shared items in their own GReader.

Moments ago I shared an item called “The Pope’s Comments About Gays and Lesbians” from Andrew Marin’s blog Love is An Orientation.  I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Andy, he’s the real deal.  A Bible-believing, passion-driven human who can’t stand the injustice he sees perpetrated by Christians against one small segment of the population who are same-sex attracted.  I can’t wait to read Andy’s book, coming from IVP in April 2009, and also called Love is An Orientation.  I think it’s a HUGE, much needed, paradigm shift in the “no, my way” “no, my way” conversation (can you even call it a conversation?) that rages in the Church.

Please go read the post.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Click here… go read it!

2 minutes that will change your day for the better, even if you’ve seen it already.

This military mom can’t get enough of that sweet little face when she sees her daddy. Use it as a moment to remember all the military families, and other service families of police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, who routinely spend holidays and special days apart.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  One of the amazing things about the internet, to me, has been the ability for people in all sorts of circumstances to communicate them to the world.

I am mindful that what I’m doing right now – typing my thoughts for a blog post – is a life-threatening activity in some countries!  Remember how vital it was that local bloggers got the word out about the situation in Burma? Those courageous individuals alerted the world to the abusive government’s actions, and that information spread far and wide, focusing world attention on the issues there.  In response, the government there began to tightly control access to the internet and prosecute those individuals who would dare to oppose the government policies.  BBC news recently reported that one blogger in Burma was sentenced to 20 years in jail for posting a political cartoon! [click here to read that report]

There are far too many examples of abuses of human rights taking place around the world – from the billions of dollars behind the global problem of trafficking young girls and women for sexual abuses, to the government sponsored violence in places like Sudan, and far too much more – there is a movement to refocus the attention of every government on the tenets of the UDHR by having them printed in passports, a government document common to all nations, thereby representing their assent to the document.  There is an online petition you can sign to support that effort – click here to go to the petition page.

I learned about this campaign via @HumanRightsDay on twitter.  They also have a website you can visit to learn more at www.onedayforhumanrights.com.

In the midst of the New York State budget mess, brought to us by the credit crisis-fueled melt down on Wall Street, the State University system made the decision to raise tuition in the middle of the budget year.  The leaves every student facing a larger bill this winter, even while the institutions themselves are cutting back on services to make ends meet.

One UAlbany student chose to handle his shortfall in a rather creative way:

The e-mail solicitation looked like yet another cyberhoax. It wasn’t.

There really is a Nicholas Szwaba — a bitter University at Albany biology major with a $310 budget gap, courtesy of the State University of New York’s mid-year tuition hike.

But instead of forking it over, the 21-year-old from Staten Island fired up his PayPal account. He e-mailed more than 5,000 people this week, many of them UAlbany faculty and staff, asking each for $5 toward the increase.

And the total reward for his entrepreneurship? Not one cent.

Read the rest of the story here.

For the record, I agree with Nicholas Szwaba – it’s unfair to raise tuition mid-year.  In fact, it may be a breach of the agreement made with each student at the outset of the academic year, upon which their financial aid and attendant borrowing was based.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to get a response from the New York City Department of Homeless Services, office of Community Relations.  I’d phoned them last week to see if there was more information about the rationale behind the requirement that homeless shelters be open five nights per week to be open at all.  This rule was cited in recent news stories regarding the closure of more than 20 faith-based shelters which were open fewer nights. [Previous posts with links can be found here and here.]

While the exact rationale for the 5-night rule wasn’t clear, it is contained in the city’s agreement with the organizations who coordinate shelter beds and transportation to services for the homeless.  In talking with this DHS Community Relations representative, I learned that many of the smaller, often faith-based organization shelters, are highly inconsistent in their available hours and access to services for the homeless they hope to serve.  The goal of the city’s plan is to provide more consistency for a population whose daily lives contain very little stability.  I think that’s a worthy goal, though looking at their plan and the concerns advocacy organizations have about it, I’m not sure the short term effect will be stability and better access to services.

During the conversation, I asked if there was any plan to coordinate with the faith-based shelters open fewer than 5 nights, with the goal of consolidating the staff/volunteer bases to keep some of the shelters open by joining forces.  None was known, but the idea was well received and would be contributed to the conversation. And, the CR rep promised to get back in touch with me if she found a more thorough explanation of the thinking behind the 5-night rule.  I still wonder why 5, not coordinate the 7, 5 and 3 night shelters within the boroughs for continuity of care?

But, I digress.  My primary concern is that there are fewer beds, right now, being provided by the churches, with no obvious creative problem-solving happening publicly on the part of the faith community.  If someone reading has heard something coming from the affected NYC faith-based shelters’ churches about ways to solve this, please point me to it?  I really hope it’s happening (hint, it will take working together)!

I don’t get Black Friday mania.  I understand taking advantage of money-saving opportunities.  I understand businesses offering discounts to attract shoppers.  I don’t understand the ever-earlier opening times, the bait and switch offers or super-limited quantities.  It’s become almost cultish.  It’s become deadly.

NEW YORK (AP) — Police say a Wal-Mart worker has died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers shortly after the Long Island store opened Friday.

Nassau County police say the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., an hour after the store opened. The cause of death was not immediately known.

A police statement says a throng of shoppers “physically broke down the doors, knocking him to the ground.” Police also say a 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation.

Years ago I worked at Wal-Mart, and though I worked in the back office, on Black Friday I worked at a register.  The last year I worked there I was assigned to the “10 items or less” lane for opening, which that year was set for 5 am.  By 5:30 am my register contained more than $10,000.  Those people, for the most part, got what they came for – they survived intact and got their bargain.

That was the very last time I was out on a Black Friday.  Up to then I’d pretty much considered it harmless fun for those who loved bargain hunting.  I saw something different that day.  There was no joy in the experience for the people I was seeing go past me.  The day is marked by greed, excess, deceit, and idolatry.  People are deceived indeed if they think they’re celebrating Christmas at all by participating in that madness – and in one Long Island store today, they collectively participated in murder as they trampled someone to death to get to what they came for.

There’s nothing about Christmas in that.