Newsletter Articles

Why is it so hard to write a newsletter article when you have to? Before it became part of my job, like way back in my college days as a volunteer, I used to come up with some really great newsletter articles off the top of my head all the time. Not that any of these ever made it into print, but they just came to me and I would think to myself, "Gosh, that's a great idea!" This is probably why when someone suggested that I start a newsletter for the youth and children's programs at our church I was 100% on board. "I can totally do this!" I said to myself. "It will be a cinch!" And the first two newsletters were just that; easy peasy! I had those knocked out in nothing flat. In fact, I got so ahead of myself that I was able to get the December newsletter for that year started in October! I had the layout totally planned and ready to go before November even rolled around. I had everything ready except my main article. Then I hit a brick wall. You know what I'm talking about: Writer's Block. I started trying to write this article like 50 times and got NOWHERE!!! It drove me up a wall. Finally, with only a week left before the deadline I suckered my husband into writing my article for me. I felt like such a hack. Now that I'm part-time its ever harder, because I don't have as much time to devote to writing a good quality article each month. Some months I'm so rushed that I shy away from my usual devotional type article and write and information only article just to save time. I've even gone so far as just putting in some famous theologians devotional on such and such (giving them full credit, of course!) because I do not have the time or the creative energy to devote to coming up with something original. I swore when I started this newsletter that I would not be that youth director who was totally inconsistent about putting out this important information in a timely reliable manner each month, but in the past year of working part time I've totally missed the newsletter TWICE! I should be hanged! Shame on me. So now I'm sitting here trying to write an article for November and I'm drawing a compete blank. So frustrating. It's times like this when I really miss working full time here. I never missed a newsletter deadline back then and I could actually meet the kids for lunch at school once a week. ::sigh:: Then again I was also expected to do twice as much and any overtime I put in was "just part of the job." So I should be thankful expectations are lower now...if they actually WERE lower...

So this was basically another venting post, but I'm curious, does anyone else struggle with being creative each month? Does anyone have any killer article theme ideas I could borrow? Does anyone else just want to vent about putting 40lbs of potatoes into a 20lb bag (an analogy I learned from my elder)?

Starting Over

It's been a while since I've been here, hasn't it? Ok, so we'll look at this like a fresh start: a do-over. We'll wipe the slate clean and just start from square one. Enjoy:

I was just over at my new favorite blog, Stuff Christians Like, and while reading through the archives I ran across a post about pastors talking about how "hott" their wives are. I immediately remember several instances of pastors and youth pastors I've known and worked for making reference to how great and amazing and attractive their wives are. I always thought it was pretty cute, but lately I did make the observation to myself that it has become a far more common occurrence than it once was. So I chuckled about the post and started reading some of the comments. As I went I saw more and more references to male youth pastors talking about their wives or even fiances to the kids in their youth group (my favorite was the comment about the fiance whose name was changed from Val to "The Lovely Val", very cute) and I tried to remember if Mike, my husband, ever did something like this. Then it hit me and I almost fell off my chair (laughing!). Sweet, unassuming Mike is not the kind of guy to talk anyone's ear off and doesn't ever give stand up messages to the kids, but he does like to lead by example. He's a doer, not a talker. So when the kids in the youth group caught him holding my hand at Spirit West Coast this year and called him out on our "no purple" rule (guys are blue, girls are pink, do the math) he got this wicked gleam in his eyes and pulled me into a full on lip-lock (tongue and all!)! I never saw it coming. What a goofball. Despite the screaming and gagging coming from the kids as we walked away (still holding hands) I actually got some discreet "That was actually really cute" comments from most of the girls later on in the day.

So what do you think? Did Mike go to far? Or is it important for a couple in leadership to reinforce that they are first and foremost a couple, THEN a leadership team? I'd love to hear your input.