EXAMINE YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY MEDIOCRITY

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EXAMINE YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY MEDIOCRITY

• Mediocrity seems to be the new success
• People are encouraged to blend in more than Stand
  out to not upstage others to be team players
  and not rock the boat
• Living that way is a sure fire method to a life
  in the Land of Middling a wholly unimpressive
  place. It isnt too bad, isnt too good, nothing
  remarkable

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EXAMINE YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY MEDIOCRITY

• Revelation 314-22 (esp. 15-16)
• I know your works you are neither cold nor hot.
  Would that you were either cold or hot! So,
  because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor
  cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

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EXAMINE YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY MEDIOCRITY

• 1 Corinthians 1031
• So, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do
  it all to the glory of God
• 1 Peter 212
• Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable,
  so that when they speak of you as evildoers, they
  may see your good deeds and glorify God on the
  day of visitation.

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TEN WAYS TO EXAMINE YOURSELF FOR TRACES OF
MEDIOCRITY

• Is good enough your standard?
• Do you ever give extra effort if it is NOT
  DEMANDED?
• Do you find yourself justifying goofing off?
• How long does it take to get ready for your
  activities? How about your sermons?

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TEN WAYS TO EXAMINE YOURSELF FOR TRACES OF
MEDIOCRITY

• How often do you repeat yourself - activities,
  events, illustrations, themes?
• Do you ever feel excited about your job or your
  life?
• Do you avoid things because of the Failure
  Factor? Do you ever do an event, activity,
  sermon that has the potential to fail?

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TEN WAYS TO EXAMINE YOURSELF FOR TRACES OF
MEDIOCRITY

• Do you feel passionate about anything?
• What is your spiritual temperature?
• Are you getting irritated by this session?

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ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO AVOID MEDIOCRITY

• Students have seen examples of mediocrity, so
  they are going to follow them
• Standing out for something good in school/church
  is usually viewed as a negative
• Even leadership will try to beat down students
  who are too ambitious, Godly, or excited
• Students naturally gravitate toward laziness, so
  the challenge is to knock them out of that

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ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO AVOID MEDIOCRITY

• This is not a prescription for a Caffeine
  Christianity always needing another Jolt It
  is a call to teaching our students to be excited
  by their walk with God, and to want to strive to
  live a meaningful and powerful life

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ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO AVOID MEDIOCRITY

• Help them to see that this not something to
  compartmentalize rather it is what should
  dominate their life decisions
• Show them how relevant and vital their faith is
  to who they are
• Be excited about Jesus yourself, so they will see
  that modeled
• Encourage above and beyond behavior
• Help them establish their own biblical worldview
  and then stick with it

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EDUCATE PARENTS TO OVERCOME MEDIOCRITY

• Too many parents have decided to be uninvolved in
  their childrens lives handing over the
  education strictly to the school, the spiritual
  growth to the youth pastor, the socialization to
  the kids themselves, and the rest to the media
  and entertainment

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EDUCATE PARENTS TO OVERCOME MEDIOCRITY

• Real student childrens ministry MUST include a
  large percentage of ministry to PARENTS.
• Even with a VERY ambitious youth ministry, you
  will only have these kids for at most 15 hours a
  week you are outnumbered 10 to 1. How are you
  supposed to fight the influence that comes with
  that other 153 hours?

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EDUCATE PARENTS TO OVERCOME MEDIOCRITY

• Parents need to be active in the lives of their
  kids
• Know what their kids are into
• Know what products they own (games, music,
  movies, iPods, systems, tv, laptop)
• Know who their friends are and what kind of
  kids they are
• Know about the families of the friends they hang
  out with

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EDUCATE PARENTS TO OVERCOME MEDIOCRITY

• Parents need to be up to date on tech advances
  and problems, on media messages, on new trends in
  movies and music
• Parents should spend time with their kids
  answering questions, talking, teaching, praying,
  studying the Word