Acerca de los autores

Chris Folmsbee has served as a youth pastor for nearly 15 years, and now serves as a volunteer youth worker in his local church. He currently leads Barefoot Ministries, a youth ministry training and publishing company located in Kansas City, and is on staff with Youthfront. Chris is the author of several books including his most recent, Story, Signs, and Sacred Rhythms: A Narrative Approach to Youth Ministry. He lives in Overland Park, Kansas, with his wife, Gina, and their three children, Megan, Drew, and Luke.

Nate Severson has been in middle school ministry for over 15 years. He currently serves at Hillcrest Covenant Church in Prairie Village, KS. Nate is passionate about doing things out of the box in ministry, really good coffee, raising his four kids, and spending time with his wife, Kirsten.

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Ruin Your Life

ZONDERVAN

Contents

HOW TO USE RUIN YOUR LIFE.....................7DIRT..........................................9RULER.........................................13CLOCK.........................................17WAX...........................................21FROST.........................................25IMPRINT.......................................29LOVE..........................................33MIXTURE.......................................37HAIR..........................................41MISTAKE.......................................45FEAR..........................................49LISTEN........................................53WEAK..........................................57FOOD..........................................61PHOTO.........................................65TRUTH.........................................69CLOTHING......................................73SHOES.........................................77TABLE.........................................81GARBAGE.......................................85NOODLES.......................................89GLITTER.......................................93PUZZLE........................................97GRASS STAIN...................................101SHOE PRINT....................................105FINGERPRINT...................................109MUSIC.........................................113UPSIDE DOWN...................................117RECYCLE.......................................121FORGIVENESS...................................125BUCKET LIST...................................129TWO DOLLARS...................................133REQUEST.......................................137EXPERIENCE....................................141PROMISE.......................................145MAKE A LIST...................................149START A MOVEMENT..............................153SILENT STRENGTH...............................157SPLATTER......................................161PRAYER........................................165HEADLINE......................................169SELF-WORTH....................................173WATER.........................................177THANK YOU.....................................181HUMILITY......................................185SHADOW........................................189

Chapter One

You and your ideas matter a great deal. What you have to say to this world is very much needed. So we have created a book to help you say it first experimentally in a fun way so that later you can say it confidently for those you want to share it with. Ruin Your Life is our way to give you permission to take some risks in this earthly journey and get clear on what you're about.

Ruin Your Life is a fun process combining journaling, sketching, and scrapbooking. It features a fail-proof collection of activities and writing prompts, inviting you to record, create, and value the messiness that life often brings out.

It's a book series invented by two youth pastors with graphics by a young designer, all of whom know how to ruin their lives. This book encourages you to value your foolish, creative expressions as well: creating grass stains on a page, gluing on noodles, fingerprinting, collaging photos, etc. Ruin Your Life is a brand-new way of writing your first autobiography that only you can write! so with this book feel free to escape into the blank page by pouring out your life.

Ruin Your Life also can help you to behave like a little child again and discover what it is that fires you up, makes you laugh, or brings purpose and direction to your days. Ruin Your Life offers creative challenges, moments of comfort, and some deeper reflections as well. So have fun as you engage in this book, give generously to these pages and please give yourself permission to just Ruin Your Life!

DIRT

EXPERIENCE:

Using an unconventional tool and some dirt or mud, mess up this page.

Then trace your name in the mess you made.

REFLECT:

Consider all the messy things in your life. How does god call out your name amid the clutter?

PRAYER:

Lord, thanks for not waiting for me to get it all together before showing me your love in the ultimate way.

VERSE:

"But god demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

QUOTATION

"Our life is full of brokenness—broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives."—Henri Nouwen

RULER

EXPERIENCE:

Draw multiple boxes on this page with a ruler. In the boxes, write down all the ways you compare yourself to others.

REFLECT:

Consider why it's wrong to try to "measure up" to others.

what attributes make you special?

PRAYER:

God, help me to become the person you want me to be.

VERSE:

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of god? or am I trying to please people? if I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10)

QUOTATION:

"Define yourself radically as one beloved by god. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion." —Brennan Manning

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Ruin Your Lifeby Chris Folmsbee Nate Severson Copyright © 2011 by Chris Folmsbee and Nate Severson. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.