I turn 30 years old today......A Comparison of Perspectives of when I turned 10, 20, and 30 years old!

Today I am three decades old!

First off, I always find it odd that we celebrate the person who was born INSTEAD OF the mother who carried and delivered that baby after 9 months! Therefore, thank you and congratulations Mom! You deserve more honor than I do today!

On a different note I took some time to think about the difference in perspective of each birthday  namely my 10 year, 20 year, and 30 year birthdays.

Here's the difference (not at all an exhaustive list) on perspective of each decade changing birthday.

 

A Decade can make a HUGE difference!

Taco Bell

10 Year Old - What's Taco Bell? Mom says it's unhealthy!
20 Year Old - Taco Bell is my late night filling food of choice!
30 Year Old - Why does Taco Bell use caulk guns in preparing food? It tastes good, but only in small portions and not late at night!

Staying Up Late

10 Year Old - I got to stay up past 9 PM tonight....it was awesome!

20 Year Old - I start feeling alive at 9 PM and can't wait to do things with my dorm mates all night!

30 Year Old - I'm thinking about bed at 9 PM and in bed not soon after!

 

Working with Teenagers

10 Year Old - Teens are intimidating!

20 Year Old - I can do anything a teenager does and "top it"

30 Year Old - These teenagers look like "little kids"
 



What's In a Birthday

10 Year Old - Cake and Ice Cream, Chuck E Cheese's, and MONEY!

20 Year Old - MONEY!

30 Year Old - Just another day

 

Thoughts on People of the Opposite Sex

10 Year Old - Glad I got MY cootie shot! Gross.

20 Year Old - Single and ready to mingle!

30 Year Old - Happily married and glad all the drama is over with!

 

Driving

10 Year Old - It will be forever until I get my license!

20 Year Old - I got a need for speed!

30 Year Old - I set my cruise control for 5-10 mph over. Max.

 

Hope you enjoyed some truth with a little bit of humor OR maybe a little bit of truth with a lot of humor :)

While life and perspective change I pray that I will never lose a heart for God and His people. May that be a constant variable throughout my years.

 

Psalm 71:18

"Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come."

 

The older I get the more responsible I am to declare God's power to the next generation! My role and responsibility only increase in the years to come. I don't know what God will do in the next decade and how my perspective on life will change.....I just know I'm excited about enjoying each individual day of the next 3,650 days (that's how many until my 40th birthday)! Who knows where I will be at in life by the age of 40!?!?



 



Wait, You are telling me that teenagers CAN be SERIOUS?!?

I will never understand why many youth ministries ONLY capitalize on the fact that teenagers want to have fun. While it is true that teenagers want to have fun they also want to go deeper in their walk with Jesus. Teenagers want to BOTH have fun and GROW in their Christian faith.

Youth ministry, therefore, should be thrilling because if done effectively the youth pastor/youth workers can enjoy fun AND build deep discipleship relationships with the teenagers in their group.

Why then do many youth ministries simply have fun as a priority and then try to add a smidgeon of Jesus?

Answer: It's easier. (Seriously, it's not hard to throw a party every youth group). Digging down into teenagers' lives is hard and messy.

It may be subtle, but it is noticeable. Is your youth ministry more about introducing teenagers to Jesus in a fun way OR about having fun and hoping the teenagers involved get something about Jesus?

This past Wednesday we broke from our normal youth group routine. After a fun opening activity I simply gave the teenagers an open forum to ask any spiritual questions they wanted of me. It was nothing more than a Q & A time. Teenagers were told they could ask any question as long as it was appropriate and had to deal with a spiritual matter.

I was flooded with questions about:
1. God's stance on war
2. Best witnessing techniques
3. How to properly confront a friend
4. God's view on homosexuality
5. What God thinks about tattoos

I even had a young girl openly confess that her friend was cutting and that she wanted help in knowing what to do!

Do you know what is most surprising about these questions? They were asked by Jr. Highers!

That's right. The same Jr. Highers that are picking their nose and flinging boogers one minute are asking deep theological questions that many adults ponder the next minute!

You see, a youth ministry must gives teenagers a forum to ask pertinent questions about life otherwise those same teenagers will think the church is irrelevant and leave it upon graduating!

Students really WANT to get deeper. Encourage this and don't remain on the surface with EVERY youth group meeting!

What we can learn from MONKEY BRAINS!

When I think of monkey brains the first image that comes to my mind is from the video: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. During the movie the people get served a delicacy for dessert: MONKEY BRAINS! 

 

(As a child this part of the movie grossed me out. As a teenager this part went from being gross to being grossly awesome!)

 

This past week I focused on my PhD work and attended a conference in Washington D.C. The conference's theme was on Neuroscience.

 

During one of the presentations it became evident that we can learn a lot from monkey brains!

 

Curious, here's how

 

1. Researchers discovered that a specific part of a monkey's brain becomes active when they participate in activities where motion and doing happen (i.e. grabbing a stick and scratching their head).

2. Researchers also discovered that the same identical part of a monkey's brain that becomes active when they do certain activities also becomes active when they watch someone else model the same activity (i.e. a trainer grabbing a stick and scratching their head). In other words, they have mirror neurons that are embedded within their brains!

3. Researchers startlingly found out though that when the monkey would watch someone else do something similar to the action, but not necessarily do that same action, that the identical part of the monkey's brain would not be active as in previous scenarios. (i.e. a trainer grabbing a stick and instead of scratching his head he would wave it).  In other words, mirror neurons could also perceive intent ion of actions!

 

Simply put, neuroscience has proven that belief is learned through mirroring and imitating other's beliefs AND that belief is in doing something!

 

No one believes something simply by hearing a bunch of knowledge. Believing is tied to our mirror neurons which become active when we see and do what we have observed.

 

It is crazy, but neurologically proven, that God has embedded within our brain, mirror neurons, that help us to be active participants and 'doers' who embody our beliefs instead of learning through content dumps.

 

We truly are - "fearfully and wonderfully made."

 

 God has designed us to imitate others and we are wired to be active participators of our faith! Why else would he order people to repent AND then be baptized!

 

One must see and then do to fully believe!

 

Why I am proud to be a C.O.S.E.N.T.I.N.O. - A tribute to Papa

My grandfather, Papa, passed away early this past Thursday morning. Instead of a perpetual feeling of sadness, (although I am sad), the primary emotion and feeling of being blessed and grateful over flooded my heart before, during, and after the funeral service. Seriously, how many people get to know all four of their biological grandparents for the first 30 years of their lives? Seriously, hundreds of people were praying for my grandfather and for my family! I am a blessed man!

While I am saddened over the loss of Papa I had the opportunity to learn from and build off of many of his admirable traits. He allowed future generations to stand on his shoulders so that they would reach heights that he could only dream of.

I am proud to be a Cosentino. Here are just a few reasons why:

1. Cosentino's are courageous. My papa moved from Italy as a teenager to the United States. He went to school for 3 years to learn English. Many people would have let their fear keep them in their homeland. Papa was courageous as he stepped through the unknown. His story is truly an American Dream story.
2. Cosentino's value service. Papa served in the military as a cook. He was proud to serve and be a citizen of the United States.
3. Cosentino's not only work hard, but they give their best. The phrase, he was a hard worker, is fairly cliché because it gets overused. Papa was more than a hard worker, he gave his best. He made sure that his family received the best when it came to where they lived, what they ate, and where they went to school.
4. Cosentino's are part of a tight-knit family. We easily had 75 family members at the funeral. All extended family showed up. When you have nothing left we always have each other.
5. Cosentino's are short. When your last name means "Little One from Cosenza" you will be short. Just a newsflash too - we like being short as well!
6. Cosentino's are providers. Papa provided for his family and his future inheritance will help provide for future generations. Even though Papa's father left his family, Papa stayed and provided for his.
7. Cosentino's are direct. One never had to guess what Papa was thinking, he would always tell you. Cosentino's are not afraid to be truthful and vocal when necessary (sometimes unnecessarily ;)
8. Cosentino's have a stubborn resolve. Papa was hard to sway or deter when his mind was made up. We know how to push forward.
9. Cosentino's are hungry for knowledge. Papa made sure that his sons went to the best colleges. All of his sons and eligible grandkids have college degrees. Some are working towards and have a Master's Degree. Currently, I am working towards a Ph.D. He would constantly tell me to "expand my mind" and to gain knowledge.
10. Cosentino's are true to themselves. Some of my fondest memories of Papa was when I lived with my grandparents during the summer of my junior year of high-school. I had the opportunity to drive with Papa into downtown Pittsburgh, work as an intern with my uncle, and then drive home. Every ride home we would be stuck in rush hour traffic. Papa would blast classic Italian music, roll down his windows, and sing out loud. He'd even wear a piece of cloth on his left ear (the side that was more exposed to the sun) in order to not get sunburn. People driving by would see a 70 year old man dressed in a suit driving a black Lexus belting out Italian music at the top of his lungs while driving with one hand so as to hold up his ear piece. Let's just say a lot of people chuckled and laughed as they drove by. (I tried to squirm lower in the passenger seat so as not to be seen). This never bothered Papa because he was true to himself and knew how to enjoy life. This is what mattered.

Proud to carry the Cosentino name! Proud to be a grandson of Joseph Cosentino.

 

May I build off of this legacy!

 

How a little girl can make a GROWN MAN cry!

Overall, I feel like I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. (When I was in 6th grade I had an open dislocated bone, where the bone popped out of my right ring finger, and while wincing a few times I never cried).

If you are trying to get me to cry it's probably easier if you'd use emotional tactics instead of physical ones. In fact, I almost cried after speaking with a 5th grade girl this Sunday.

This girl and her mother told me that she asks to pray for my grandfather, (Papa), almost every single night! This deeply impacted my heart.

My grandfather, (Papa), is slowly dying of pulmonary fibrosis which is a disease that scars the lungs. He's losing weight and energy. He will be lucky if he makes it much past the holiday season.

You see while I am worried about Papa's health physically I'm even more worried spiritually. He doesn't know Jesus. As a whole, in his life, he's wanted nothing to do with Jesus. The reality of his impending death makes that fact sink deeper into my soul.

Who knows though that due to this young girl's prayers for salvation that God will open up his eyes as he nears death? Can you imagine that it may be because of a young girl that my Papa will be in heaven?

If all believers in Jesus are part of a royal priesthood (i.e. I Peter 2:9) than this girl has a direct connection through Jesus to the Father! Her prayers are just as powerful as any other human beings.

Children's prayers are important and powerful. Who knows, maybe it will be this young girl's prayers that will tip the scales whereby the Holy Spirit will move in my Papa's life? Wouldn't that be something!?!

Why the LITTLE things are the BIG things in YOUTH MINISTRY - AXIS Recap

"It's better to be limping in the right direction than to be charging like a bull in the wrong direction."

I will never forget this saying from my father. It rings true! Life is all about heading in the right direction, even if you have to limp or take baby steps to get there.

Over the course of the past year I have seen our youth program take small steps every week in heading towards the right direction. This past Wednesday I saw a lot of neat things (small as they may be) that confirm that we are heading in the right direction.

1. Almost ALL of our teenagers/youth staff played in our opening games/activities. (It's important that teenagers feel like 'we are all in this together'. We played a bunch of silly group games and our youth staff where right in the middle of the game conveying that we are all equals). Even some of our adults that had physical limitations jumped in which showed our students that you can't use your physical limitations as a crutch!
2. We took up an offering to help with our church-wide effort in purchasing apartment complexes for refugees in Iraq. In meeting this physical need it would then open the door for us to meet a spiritual need. Our students gave $656.43. That's a lot of money coming from a group of people that don't have a lot.
3. We partnered with Grace College in hosting college students that take a youth ministry class. The Grace College students who come have had their hearts moved to help out more than just coming to view our ministry. I watched as college students opened up their wallets to give to our offering. One of the college students bought a second time visiting Jr. High girl a Bible because she didn't have one. When people on the outside see God working and want to jump on board it reaffirms in my heart that God truly is working!
4. We've added some incredible youth staff who are doing a terrific job in loving on our teenagers. This past year we've added teachers, former youth pastors, parents, youth counselors, college students, and people who just care about teenagers. Your youth ministry is only as strong as the adults that help within it. You can never have enough good help.
5. During our large group time there was an atmosphere of fun yet purpose. Different students led and our teens (while having fun) allowed them to lead. When students got up to share our teens were intently listening. There is an atmosphere of purpose that is developing. (It's something you can't put your finger on, but that you can intuitively feel). It's apparent that teenagers are buying in.

In the course of a year our group will meet regularly. Every week you can move your group to take the right step. We've taken over 50 steps in heading in the right direction...I'm looking forward to taking our next step together!

Remember, the little things are the BIG things when it comes to youth ministry. These small steps are really GIANT mile markers in the life and history of your youth ministry.

 

We encourage our teenagers to be able to pray out loud! Now during prayer time most do and are able to pray out loud. Just another small step that really is a BIG step!

The State of the NFL - When the Noise Becomes Deafening!

I LOVE Football. Consequently, I enjoy watching NFL Football.

 

The NFL has come under scrutiny of late for two reasons. First, some of it's high profile players have been charged with some possibly serious criminal charges. Second, to many people the NFL has not handled how it's disciplined its players well.

 

For example, Ray Rice (running back for the Ravens), was charged with domestic violence for punching his then fiancée in the face while in an elevator. Limited hotel footage captured some of the incident. Initially, Ray Rice was penalized two games. Soon after the incident the NFL stated that a first time domestic violence charge would receive a mandatory six game suspension. (Luckily for Ray Rice, since the new rule installment was not retroactive, it seemed like he got off the hook with only two games). Unfortunately for the NFL and Ray Rice a video camera inside of the elevator caught the actual incident where Ray Rice punched his fiancée and was later leaked after everything had been 'settled'. Once people actually SAW the incident they were outraged and the NFL has suspended Ray Rice indefinitely.

 

Other NFL super stars such as Adrian Peterson have come under public scrutiny for other criminal issues and the disciplinary process has been lacking in judgment and public satisfaction.

 

Here's the main problem: When the public noise and commotion becomes deafening the NFL is reactive to address the issues.

 

Every time the public does not like what at NFL player does and the outcry becomes so loud than in many cases the NFL will overreact to what the naysayers want. While it may silence the crowd the first time the next time an NFL player does something wrong the public cry will be even LOUDER because the crowd and general public knows that if it creates enough of an outcry the NFL will have to react. The public has been reinforced by the NFL to cause an uproar to get what it wants!

 

For example, take a young child into the store. If your child throws a 'hissy' fit every time you walk past the candy section in order to get a candy bar and you reward him with a candy bar than he will make a scene every time! You are reinforcing bad behavior which is what the NFL has been doing recently. 

 

When the noise become deafening to an organization that organization MUST address the situation BUT stand firm as a unified front and not overreact but come to a reasonable consequence and STICK with it! (While the general public won't like this....they will respect it)

 

As a leadership guru here are a few other lessons to be learned from the NFL:

1. Be proactive instead of reactive! If the NFL had come up with rules and standards before these issues it would have helped their situation. Instead they had to react instead which generally leads organizations to overreact causing people to think the organization can't make up their minds and are weak.

2. The commissioner needed more accountability. The NFL commissioner had too much power and it was only a matter of time until he made a false step. He needs help through committees and other influential people in designing player fines and suspensions.

3. Most importantly, when the noise becomes deafening you must address the situation but don't make a bad situation worse by reversing everything you committed to do (unless you are obviously wrong) just to appease the public eye. People may not like your decisions, but they will respect them. Simply put, leaders have spine and know how to diagnose, evaluate, and come up with a reasonable course of action when turmoil hits.