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By Kurt Johnston
10/28/2008
The school year is in full swing, your big fall kickoff is over, and you already feel yourself running out of ideas...or maybe that's just how I feel!
Whenever I feel myself in an idea drought, I like to use a simple little exercise to regain some creative momentum. Stealing a page from an old wedding tradition, I like to employ the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" strategy of creative thinking.
Something Old
The longer you're in junior high ministry, the more stuff you used to do. I have files and files-both physical and mental-full of stuff that we don't do anymore
While there are good reasons for why we no longer do some of these things (duct-taping incoming seventh-graders to the wall...what were we thinking?), there's lots of stuff we've shelved for no real reason-some of it's really good. If you're looking for new ideas, dig through some of your old ideas to see if there's something you can bring out of retirement.Whenever I feel myself in an idea drought, I like to use a simple little exercise to regain some creative momentum. Stealing a page from an old wedding tradition, I like to employ the “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” strategy of creative thinking.
While not every idea needs to be new, it's fun to come up with original stuff every now and then. If thinking of new ideas doesn't come naturally to you, start small. A new idea doesn't have to be earth-shattering, it just has to be something you haven't done before.
Something Borrowed
If I'm completely honest, most of my "new ideas" aren't new at all...they're simply ideas I borrowed from somebody else that were new to me. Why make decisions about your ministry alone? Pride often keeps us from asking others for input and help. I'll bet there are other churches in your area that have some sort of ministry to junior highers. When is the last time you picked up the phone or had lunch with the person leading that ministry? He or she may be doing something really effective in ministry that they'd be happy to share with you.
Something Blue
Okay, this is where this exercise breaks down. A couple years ago this little routine reminded me that I hadn't read Blue Like Jazz. Another time I came up with the idea to use old Smurfs collectibles in my message. And once, I tried letting only kids with blue eyes play a game (not a good idea).
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