Friday, December 31, 2004

Copies EVERYWHERE!

Well, feel free to look at the time of day I'm posting this... 5:15 AM on Friday morning... that's early.. no wait, that's late! I've been working hard on the notebook (replaces the little program from years past) for NCYM, the National Conference on Youth Ministries, which starts this next Sunday. The notebook has 70 pages (front and back, so actually only 35 pieces of paper)... and I have to do 600 notebooks! You do the math to find out how many copies THAT is!!! I started at midnight last night with 27 reams of paper and I'm almost out. I have to go to Office Depot first thing this morning to pick up 15 more reams!!! And, I have to beg some of my youth group kids to come help me insert the printed materials into the binders.

Of course, once I'm done with that, I get to work on the videos of the pioneers of youth ministry that will show each night of the conference (beginning Monday night). And, I get to load up 18 eight foot tables a giant corkboard and the NCYM banners to take with me when I leave after church this coming Sunday morning.

While all this is going on, my poor, yet still lovely wife, Kristi, is still fighting being sick. Fortunately, last night, Jake spent the night at a friend's house and all she had to do was deal with Molly.... which is a task for anyone! HA!

Why do I do this? Because I love what I do for a living. I love challenging kids to love God. I love to challenge youth ministers (most of whom are MUCH younger than me) to quit whining about their lot in life and do what God made them to do! It really is true that the grass really is NOT greener on the other side. I've been there and done that one.

Lastly, I'm pumped about the upcoming college national championship football game.. you know, the Orange Bowl, with my mighty OU Sooners taking on the hated freaks from the west, the Trojans. Do I even need to comment on THAT mascot??? Please... anyway, keep me in your prayers so I'll have the stamina to make it through the next week and that many lives will be touched because of the hard work of ALL of the NCYM board.

Feel free to make a comment... so far thanks to Tess, Carrie, Gabe, and Mike are the only ones to leave comments so far... gee, am I that bad at trying to stir up your emotions? Oh well...

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Snow rocks!

Sunday was a great day in my life. You probably know that I'm a HUGE fan of the Denver Broncos football team... actually, I have been since the old Orange Crush days of Craig Morton and the like. You see, I grew up in a Dallas Cowboys household... so, being the rebel that I am, I HATED the Cowboys and still do, except for the few years when they were smart enough to hire Barry Switzer to be the head coach.

Anyway, it DUMPED snow on us in Denver last Sunday... all the season ticket holders were trying to find anyone to take their seats... so I got to go with three of my buddies. We lost, but it was an incredible experience. Here's a story from the game here, but after you click on it, scroll to the bottom and click on the Raiders-Broncos photo gallery. CRAZY STUFF!

It's amazing to see nearly 70,000 people go completely nuts over grown men playing a game. I certainly admire the athletic abilities of the guys who CAN do that, but I have to wonder about those of us in the stands. What is it about sports that makes us mortgage our homes, time with our families and jobs to get hold of a season ticket? Why do we cheer until we lose our voices for a game? Why do we go to so much trouble to do something that ultimately doesn't really matter?

Every Sunday, our churches are filled with droves of "fans" in church who would no more applaud and cheer in church than they would sit and be silent at a Broncos game. Friends, God has done WAY more for us than John Elway, Barry Switzer or any other athlete or coach could ever do. He saved us from our sins, from hell and most importantly, He has saved us from ourselves. is there anything more worthy of a huge cheer and "the wave" than that? I think not.

Monday, November 22, 2004

Hangover

The word "hangover" is defined by the Heritage Dictionary as:
  1. Unpleasant physical effects following the heavy use of alcohol.
  2. A letdown, as after a period of excitement.
  3. A vestige; a holdover: hangovers from prewar legislation.
Can I say it? I have a hangover.

Not from massive (or even slight) alcohol consumption, but more along the lines of definitions number 2 and 3 above. We just returned from our annual fall youth group retreat at the Deer Creek Christian Camp in Bailey, CO yesterday. We had over 80 teens and adults yesterday that heard phenomenal messages from John Ricketts, the youth minister from the Del City Church of Christ in Del City, OK and worship led by Seth McDowell, the Worship & Family Life Minister at the Mayfair Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, OK. The theme of the event was "got mission 5:16?" which refers to Matthew 5:16. Numerous kids shared the desire to change their lives, whether by wanting to study about becoming a Christian, or to reorder their lives to give their God-given mission top priority. On top of all that, we had nearly a foot of the most beautiful, champagne powder snow I have ever seen. It was simply beautiful watching it sparkle and fall among literally thousands of aspen trees at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet. WOW, how can people be atheists when surrounded by this? I don't know.

Of course, like I do every retreat... I've lost my voice. Sometimes when that happens, I wonder if that's God's way of telling me to SHUT UP and start using a different "sense"... my hearing. When this happens to me, I think of Psalm 46, which tells us to be still and know that He is God. Not only that, but I certainly need to just listen more to what other people have to say... my wife, my own kids and my youth group kids. Let he who has ears, hear! HA!

Pray for Cameron, one of our high school guys. He broke his arm last night and is likely gonna have surgery today. Also, pray for Matt and Jeff Mastalka's cousin and grandad... they were in a serious car accident last Saturday night... their cousin is in a coma.

Write a comment if ya want to. It'd be nice to know you read this stuff.... but not necessary. I can get my self-esteem from other sources, if I have to! HA!

Monday, November 15, 2004

It's Retreat Week!

I love youth group retreats. Truly, they are one of my favorite activities we ever do. And it usually marks the end of my manic depression for the fall... you see as a youth minister, you get PSYCHED because of all the amazing stuff that happens in the summer. You really do live on a constant spiritual high. Then school starts... the youth group kids start forgetting all they've committed to do and be for God and with God. They get involved in football, fall baseball, cheerleading, band or go get a part-time job. They shift their priorities from having God be number one, to Him being, say, third or fourth.

There used to be an old country song called, "One Step Forward & Two Steps Back"... seems applicable in this situation. Many times teens (and even us youth workers) will rededicate our lives to God at a camp or on a mission trip, but then later make our own interests above what God wants for us. They'll quickly forget the incredible experience they've had, that was able to break through their hardened exteriors to get to where it can make a difference... a decision to change their lives.

I continue to pray for every kid that I work with to make a decision to truly live their life for Jesus. God will bless our retreat this weekend.

Thursday, November 04, 2004

The Election

This has been an incredibly interesting week. George W. Bush was re-elected this Tuesday to be our President for the next four years. I'm amazed at how crazed people get by this political stuff.

Frankly, I'm more concerned with how people at church equate being a Christian with being a "good, patriotic American". Or better yet, equate being a GOOD Christian with being a Republican. Now, understand that I am a registered Republican and I did vote for Bush. It does bother me a lot that many of "us" church folk tend to look down at Democrats, Independents or anyone with a differing opinion. In fact, our church had an insert in our bulletin a couple of weeks ago that said something about it being our Christian duty to vote! We even sang a verse of "God Bless America" last Sunday at the end of services. Are you kidding me?

Now, I'm proud to live in the USA and the freedoms we have in this country. But I don't think it's right or wise to try and "bind" being a Republican or being a voting American on people to prove their mettle as being a good Christian or not. I just finished reading a book for grad school by Robert Nash entitled, "An 8 Track Church in a CD World". He makes a statement that I've decided is my new mantra... "The church operates better in the margin than in the center of a society".

Are we stupid enough to think that if we ally ourselves enough with the government that God will EXTRA-bless our nation? Didn't the Catholic church and the Romans already figure out that doesn't work? Why do we think we, as the USA, are God's newly chosen people? What are we, Mormons?

I guess I've just begun to realize how much more effective the church can be now that I've moved outside the Bible Belt. I mean, do we really need more churches in Dallas, Texas? And how many of them actually reach people that don't know Jesus? In fact, how many people in Dallas, TX don't already have some relationship with Jesus? In Denver, Colorad, there is a HUGE majority of folks that really don't know anything about Christ. Why are we "planting" more churches in the south when there is mission work to do just a few hundred miles north?

In closing, my family went to a Bush victory party at someone's home last Tuesday night. I observed mostly... watched the election results roll in and watched the adults and kids at the party. The kids (about 20 of them below age 10) made up chants full of ugly comments about Kerry. I pulled my son aside (he's 8) and said, "Bud, what those kids are doing isn't nice and I don't want you to participate in it. I may not agree with John Kerry, but he's a human being and deserve respect as such." I think my son got it.

Are we more concerned with who is President (Republican OR Democrat) than we are who has decided to follow Jesus? Seems to me like we ought to leave it at this... 1 Peter 2:13-25 talks about the fact that we are to "respect everyone", to "honor the king". I think that's regardless of who the king is... God is in control. Who am I?

Write your responses to that one...

Friday, October 22, 2004

Friday - the day off

Maybe you don't know, but ministers actually DO work. It may not be shoveling dirt, dreaming up new architecture or governing a nation, but we are pretty busy. Sure there are those that get by as slackers in ministry (most of those are PULPIT guys, not youth ministers). In fact, most youth ministers I know work just about as hard as anyone. I did a review of my hours recently and figured out that my average work week doing ministry is about 75 hours per week. WOW! That is freaky on one hand, but when you realize that your entire life (whether you get paid or not) should be 100% ministry. I guess I'm a slacker!

We have started moving stuff back into our basement from the flood we came home to in August. We have new carpet and a new desk for the office which is nice. I'm so far behind in my homework for graduate school. I need to catch up, and a good place to study will help out.

Well tomorrow is the OU vs. Kansas game, 10 AM on Fox Sports Net. I can't wait to watch the thrashing. How unfair is it that OU is number 3 in the BCS? PLEASE let's go to a playoff system NCAA! You guys have to be smart enough to realize how much money you can make off it... and in my opinion, it will help ALL the bowls make more money, especially the second tier bowls. I rant on...

So hey, make some comments to my blog! I'd love to hear from you.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Welcome to my world!

My first blog entry. Hope you like it.. and welcome to my world!

Today's been a busy day. Working on a cool worship service for this coming Sunday morning. We'll see if I get into trouble with it.. I don't think I will, but you never know.

The Rocky Mountain Rescue youth conference was supposed to start today. I had a few groups cancel out on me in the past few days so we cancelled. The kids and I are so bummed about it. I'm sure with a few years of therapy, we'll all get through it.

Probably the most stressful thing on my plate is my work for this semester at LCU as I continue my MDiv in Youth Ministry. I'm 1/3 the way there. It's one of those deals that I love and hate at the same time. Anyone know of an easy way to learn Hebrew?

I really want to write a book. Any thoughts on a topic?

Here's my list for today... the first 10 songs I can think of from the 1980's... can you add your list?
1. Kokomo by the Beach Boys (that's me and Kristi's song)
2. Just What I Needed by the Cars
3. Brick House by the Commodores
4. 1999 by Prince
5. Come on Ilene by Dexy's Midnight Runners
6. Take Off by Bob and Doug Mackenzie and Getty Lee from Rush
7. Superfreak by Rick James
8. All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down by Hank Williams, Jr.
9. Call Me by Skyy
10. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd