Long Way Down

Do you ever hear a song that just ROCKS your socks... kicks you in the teeth... makes you wanna mosh? There is a song that totally does that for me. It's called "Long Way Down" by Haste The Day. I've never seen these guys but I really want to! Dude, they just ROCK... if you don't have the CD, go buy it. That's what I'm listening to right this second, as I sit here in Panera Bread using their free wireless connection.

You see, our church office is closed today, as they are switching the gas main from the old part of the building to the new. So, in his good wisdom, Brother Mike Myers (yes, the real one, not the guy from Halloween, Austin Powers, or anyone else) told us to not worry about coming into the office today. So I thought I'd take 5 minutes and update my blog, which is the longest period between updates in the universe I bet!

I am sitting in the corner of a really busy Panera Bread while my wife is hosting all the women from church for a luncheon. I am looking out the window at the best thing I like about Colorado... the snow! It's been snowing for a good hour and the streets are almost covered. I am proud to be from Oklahoma, but man pretty much every day is a good day to live in Colorado. It cracks me up that people that don't live here think it's miserable, like living in northern Canada or something. That's ok with me... and I think the state of Colorado has an anti-tourism campaign to keep all you Texans from moving here. It seems to work pretty well!

Lots of things are changing at our church... we announced Sunday that Emily Tomberlin will be hired as a co-youth minister. It's only taken 3 years to get this in place. Lots of prayers, discussions, proposals, visions and dreams have laid the ground work for what I believe will be a momentus addition to our student ministry. Emily interned for me four years ago and just has the heart of a servant to match her passion for sharing Christ with God's kids. I think also, it will extend my career a few years, letting a youngster keep an old guy connecting with kids. Let's see, I'll be 58 when our daughter Molly graduates from high school.. that's a good 14 years from now! If I can figure it out, I'll try to post a poll to let you provide your input as to how long I'll last!

Speaking of such things, I got an email from an acquantence last week. I had mentioned to him about us old guys needing to stick together and man, I guess I hit a nerve. He sent me a reply three email pages long! He's got some parents, some elders and just random people at his church asking him when he's gonna go do something else... that just kills me. I told one of my elders a couple of weeks ago that I truly hoped to be a youth minister for the rest of my life. He told me that we need more 60 year old youth ministers... at least I've got one guy in my corner. And it doesn't hurt for my preacher (see Mike Myers above) to be the ex-youth minister here... he lasted until 50, then went to the pulpit. Man, I don't know that I could ever do that. I just don't think it's my gift. I think I'm too opinionated and not compassionate enough to keep a whole church happy! YIKES!

On another note, I really, really, really want to write a book. My problem is that I just can't figure out what topic/subject to write about. I'd love to be one of those guys that can crank out a book that people actually care about reading, shell out their money, so that I can make a lot of money and repay the churches for my back salary... how cool would it be to be self-supporting! WOW! If you do have any suggestions for a book topic, let me know. I'll give you some credit if I write it!

Keep me in your prayers. NCYM is less than 30 days away. From the core of my soul, I really want it to be one that totally affects positively every single person that shows up. We have a HUGE number that have registered... maybe the most we've ever had. Now is the crunch time. Finalizing schedules, meals, speakers, schedules, etc. Pray that no matter how focused I (and the entire board) get on all the details, that God will do what HE wants to do... not what I (or we) want Him to do. I desperately want NCYM 2006 to be one that some YMs can say "dude that's where I really sold out to God and to the ministry for kids He prepared for me." How cool would that be?

I miss my friend Ronnie Langton. If you know him, you understand. If not, you don't. Leave me some comments!