The Life of JaWS

I'm moving this show...

2007-04-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

So I have decided to move this blog to a new place. You can check it out now here.

Sports Top 10

2007-04-09T21:11:00.000-05:00

Here are a ton of random sports notes:
1. The Masters. Sometimes Tiger kicks the course around and sometimes it bites him and everyone else. No rain means crazy fast greens and a tougher course.
(Personal Masters moment: parking cars for Young Life at the Olive Garden and some kid getting practice badges from little old ladies and re-selling him. I believe our $3500 take for the afternoon shift still stands as a record! Gotta love cute, undersized 7th grade guys with business acumen.)

2. Joey Harrington as an Atlanta Falcon. Believe it or not, I like this move. Harrington suffered in Detroit for a long time with a bad team and now he will be in a good system, with a good QB friendly coach with a starting QB who tends to get himself hurt. Joey Harrington for Pro Bowl 2009! (Sorta)

3. Can I tell you how much I am going to freak out if the Hawks don't have their lottery pick? Unless it is one of the top two (I'd take Durant over Oden) then Phoenix gets it just to make the Boris Diaw trade look even better for them!

4. I find myself sometimes drawn to NASCAR races. And occasionally I find myself stopping and listening to country music. Tennessee is really like rubbing off on me in bad ways. If I moved to Chicago, would I become a big fat guy who eats sausage pizzas? Oh wait...

5. Pac-man Jones won't be a Titan this year. Now, if he was Q-bert Jones, then that is a different deal entirely...(And in 10-12 years are we going to have some guy named Master Chief Smith playing QB?)

6. Living closer to Kentucky has meant I have a new appreciation for how crazy those basketball fans are...

7. Calvin Johnson is going to be the best player in this year's NFL draft. Imagine if he hadn't lost his mind and gone to Georgia. The Dawgs would be like 2 time defending national champs.

8. Baseball. Ugh. I just don't bring myself to care.

9. A way to make track meets more interesting: allow all the events to happen simultaneously. Imagine a javelin throw happening in the same space as the hurdles. Hilarity ensues.

10. I miss Atlanta sports radio. The Nashville scene is full of older sounding gentleman who want to talk about how great 1970 was.

Easter Sunday...

2007-04-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

Wow. I am tired...
Saturday night my recent stomach aliment went completely goofy on me, which meant I was up and down all down pretty much every hour on the hour. So needless to say, when Sunday morning arrived I was already exhausted. The big man needs his sleep!

Sunday morning at church I had to vacuum because the Easter Lillies that we set out made a mess. So I got early and knocked that out. During the two services, I was the children's moment guy. Now, I have to tell you this: being the children's announcement guy isn't my favorite thing. I just feel like it is awkward and not in my wheelhouse, but I have come to realize it is also a place where I am seen and can raise my appearance in the church. But I also, and way more importantly, try very, very hard to make it something that a 4-7 year old can understand. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This week, it worked and I felt really grateful for it. You know you have hit a homerun when the pastor works part of your kids moment into their hard work of delivering the sermon. So, I did that.

We were packed at both services and I was very thankful for that, especially for the two pastors I work with. They have and are under a ton of junk lately, stuff that I think has been extremely unfair to them both. So I was glad that people ended their petty issue stuff enough to show up and worship on Easter.

Then I had lunch with the pastors and their families. They are good men, with good families and I am honored to serve with them and call them friends. June is going to be a really difficult time for me and I ask for your prayers for me and for them. Wounds will heal in time and I pray that we somehow each find ourselves stronger in the broken places.

Then my starbucks buddy Jack had invited me for dinner. His family just moved here and I hadn't met them. So it was a little weird to show up and find that Jack was just put on 2 weeks of total silence to heal his throat and voice, which has been bothering him for over a month. So, I had to work a little making everyone feel comfortable. He has a great family with four kids and though they were a little hesitant at first, they really were warm and welcoming to me. I look forward to hanging out with them some more.

Lastly, I decided to head over to Cumberland Church, which is a start-up church in the Franklin area that is an affiliate of Northpoint Church in Atlanta. I got lots of thoughts on it and will probably write that in another post in the coming days. Just stuff stirring around in my head. One thing that was cool was bumping into an Augusta guy, who nearly 10 years ago played guitar with me in a praise band for Trinity on the Hill's SoulScape service. (RIP). David is in Nashville trying to make a living as a musician and it turns out Adam, the guy who drummed with us, is living up here too, working for a music publisher. Look forward to maybe hanging out with them soon. Strange how God moves us into different places, times and opportunities. I will say it was nice to be able to pray, sing and worship at Cumberland. Probably my last time because they move to Sunday mornings in May, which is totally out for me. Church work has many assets but a flexible Sunday morning schedule isn't one of them!

The Edge 2007...

2007-04-06T11:36:00.000-05:00

For the last few years, I have been so incredibly fortunate to partner with Jeremy Wilson and Jessi Ford from Forest Hills UMC in Macon, GA in doing an event we call "The Edge." Now, the Edge has a bit of a story. It started as a middle school event and was loosely related to the North Georgia Conference. And days before the first one, the leader of the event bailed out and Jeremy and I stepped in with some other people to clean up the pieces. And in doing so, we realized that we think and work alike and started partnering on more and more things.

So, the next year, we decided to keep the Edge event alive, despite it moving away from being a conference event, etc. So we bought the logo from Matt and kept using the name. And every year since, the Edge has been a great middle school event for our two churches. We have never tried to grow it larger and are happy with it.

So last weekend, we held the Edge 2007 at Whitewater Express. And it was great. Here are some of the key elements and ideas of it:
1. Whitewater Express. I hadn't been there since 2004(?) and they have done some great improvements. It really is becoming a world class camp for the kind of retreats we do. It isn't Young Life level but really nothing is. But it doesn't come with the headaches that renting a Young Life Camp comes with (work crew, etc.)

2. We used material from the Simplyjuniorhigh.com website and ordered the curriculum Action Heroes. It looked at different Old Testament characters and was very good and adaptable. It saved us from bringing in a speaker as Jessi and I covered the talks. Jessi has come a long way and is becoming a really solid communicator. One day we may be able to say we knew her when...
(And personally, I haven't had a speaking experience where I really felt in the zone in awhile, which has made me nervous because I have some speaking gigs coming up. And Saturday night, God was merciful and moved me into the zone and I just let him speak through me. Great joy when we are doing what God made us to do.)

3. Activities. Most of my kids decided to play paintball and it was fun. I got tore up and I am still nursing some bruises. But it was a great bonding time. And my high level pain threshold has won me street cred with my middle school guys.

4. Worship. Jeremy is really the best worship leader you have never heard of because he has been so dedicated to serving the people of Forest Hills. He has talent but works hard and knows how to build a great worship team, even if it took his church until this year to figure out that they need to just hand him the ball and let him run with it. I always know that when Jeremy is leading, we are going to have a moving, meaningful worship time.

So we are already thinking and praying about next year. It is amazing when God calls people together and all their gifts move in unison to do his purposes...

Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 4)

2007-04-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

So this week's flick is what could be a the start of a lucrative franchise. (Sorry there wasn't more, but it has been a busy week.)

So Sunday night after returning from the middle school retreat, I decided to catch a movie before heading home to crash hard. So I knocked a film off the list I have been wanting to see and just haven't had the time: Shooter.

Now, here is the truth, Shooter is a decent action movie that I can definitely see becoming a franchise along the lines of Die Hard for Mark Wahlberg. It has the pieces there: a loner who loves America but hates the system, action sequences, crazy sniper shots (man, I need to dust off my copy of Halo 2) and more. But the movie does suffer from some bad directing and one really bad performance.

For starters, the movie's set-up is good. A sniper who quits after being abandoned by the country on an operation that kills his friend and spotter. Three years later, he is asked to evaluate a sniper scenario and gets implicated in a failed assassination attempt on the President. From there it turns into your typical man-on-the-run movie, where he picks up help, a sidekick, etc. And a lot of the movie seemed to be throwing action scenes upon action scene just because there is a budget for it, without doing much for the plot. But Wahlberg is believable as a hero and I could see this becoming a franchise, especially because the novel it is based on has several others books that follow it.

What was bad: Kate Mara. Like, I generally don't write and call-out people for being terrible in movies, but Mara is horrendous in this film. Admittedly, it is your typical damsel in distress role, but her bad acting and fake southern accent made me cringe nearly every moment she was on screen. It just was really, really badly done, and exploitative. (That isn't to say she is simply a terrible actress. I felt her work in We are Marshall was pretty good.)

On the whole, Shooter is a "wait for the DVD" or when it makes the jump to heavy rotation on USA or TBS.

You Might Be a Redneck...(Vol. 1)

2007-04-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

So I have a calendar where you get a different "You might be a redneck if..." jokes every day. Here are two of my recent favorites, mainly because they are true of me:
You might be a redneck if you've ever been injured playing ping-pong.
You might be a redneck if your idea of "getting lucky" is passing the emissions test. (Oh boy that one is true of me every August.)

Maundy Thursday...

2007-04-05T18:20:00.000-05:00

From one of my favorite bands that I am rediscovering. I thought especially meaningful this Holy Week.
Lyrics from the song Around My Neck

The cross I wear around my neck, what does it mean
if it does not mean death? Please tell me
if it doesn't mean blood
or nails or crying
or loneliness.

The cross I wear around my neck, what is it for
if it is not for breaking?
If it's not for pain
or nakedness
or hammering.

The cross I wear around my neck is being raised above my head
and I think this time it's wearing someone else
I see it drop into the ground
and when it falls I hear the sound
of someone crying
"I love you"

The cross I wear around my neck, what does it mean
if it does not mean love? Please tell me
if it doesn't sing
of hope and healing
and forgiveness.

The cross I wear around my neck, who is it for
if it is not for me?
If it's not for sin
and all my searching for the innocence.

The cross I wear around my neck is being raised above my head
and I think this time it's wearing someone else
I see it drop into the ground
and when it fall I hear the sound
of someone screaming
"I love you"

The cross I wear around my neck, who is it for
if it is not for us?
The lame and the blind
the ones held captive
and the fatherless...

Brain Dump...

2007-04-05T17:21:00.000-05:00

Man, it has been a long and sometimes very frustrating week. I am slap wore out and there is still a big push yet to come on stuff to do. I am very thankful for having Monday off, if for no other reason than I get to do my taxes, which I have been putting off needlessly for far too long.

Today I learned that someone I respect and that has been a huge help to me during my time here is leaving the church. I honestly don't know what to think. I respect him a ton and his leaving will be a big loss for us as a church.

I am way behind on my viewings of Lost and Battlestar Galactica. I need to get caught up...especially since BSG is done for the season. I have heard a bunch of spoilers already about the end of the season.

Not msny movies this week, just too much going on. Easter may be a good day to play some catch up.

Being far from home on holidays really stinks.

The Easter Haircut...

2007-04-04T17:44:00.000-05:00

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

2007-04-02T18:01:00.000-05:00

Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 3)

2007-03-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

So this week there are a few more reviews than last week. But I didn't make it out to all the movies I wanted to see. Blame? The middle school retreat I am on this weekend. (Hopefully next week I can play catch up with Reign Over Me and Shooter. The current Netflix selection is Casino Royale, The Heart of the Game and Buffy, Season 2, Disc 4.)

Saturday afternoon I saw the new film Pride which stars Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac. And to tell the truth, I am biased for films like this. I guess the idea of a person who comes in and inspires a group of people towards a common goal rings a little too close to home for me to be objective. That being said, here is my review.

I think Pride is an good film with some great performances that tells a true story. The story is of Jim Ellis, a collegiate swimmer during the Civil Rights movement who moves to Philadelphia and serves at a run-down, soon to close, public recreation facility. From there, he grows a team and teaches them about swimming, competition and pride. On the whole, I think it is a good film worth watching. Howard gives a great performance and continues his streak of picking good roles. (Though, he is scheduled to play Jim Rhodes in Iron Man, a film I am skeptical about because of Robert Downey, Jr. playing the lead. But, hey, everyone's got to get paid sometime...)

Saturday night, I opened up a Netflix envelope and watched the film Stranger than Fiction. And I have to say, it is a very, very good film with some strange-ness that could be distracting but I found to be immensely endearing. For starter, Will Ferrell plays a comedic role that is a far cry from the kinds of characters he has played in films like Talladega Nights and Blades of Steel. And he does it extremely well. Additionally, I now think that Maggie Gyllenhaal was jobbed out of an Oscar nomination for her amazing portrayal of a woman that is smart, funny, sexual and intense. (And as long time friends know, I have always had a little thing for the ladies that are a little odd. She fits the mold.)

The premise is that Will Ferrell plays an IRS agent who can hear a woman who is writing a story about his life and his impending death. It feels a little bit Ground Hog Day-ish but it works and is smart. The author, played by Emma Thompson, eventually comes to realize that the character is a real-life person after he has fallen in love and begun to live a life outside the mundane life that he had lived. I highly recommend this one, as it shows Ferrell has some better chops that we give him credit for, and the story is smart, funny and odd, which is unusual from the Hollywood establishment.

I also saw the recent film A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe. It is a decent film, but not great. I generally file it in the category of movies where the "adult-you" is somehow confronted by the "child-you" and comes to the realization that you are a jerk. Pretty basic and simple. There are some interesting plot twists and turns but on the whole, catch it on cable.

Yeah, he's THAT good...

2007-03-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

So my buddy Turff, who has accused me of ruining his life by giving him the youth ministry bug (I plead guilty...) is now the youth director of a start-up UMC in Peachtree City, GA. And in addition to being my friend, still a partner in ministry (He has mad drama skills) and more...he is a great youth worker. Want proof? This picture ran in his local paper...of him and some kids, all muddy from their recent retreat.

So here is a shout-out to all volunteer youth workers, who let Jesus "ruin" their lives , who put up with idiot youth directors and more. And even more so, a HUGE shout-out to volunteer youth directors who lead a youth ministry. No one rocks harder than you all....

Awkward Youth Ministry Moments...

2007-03-29T13:04:00.000-05:00

So on Mondays, I go pick up about 10 students from the closest middle school, bring them back to the church, have a snack with them and about an hour later, we have Confirmation class, once some kids from other schools arrive. In the meantime, we play basketball some.

So this week, I am playing with the kids and generally goofing off. One kid in particular talks a bunch of smack, so I talk a little with him. So this kid somehow got a rebound and ball faked me. And, unintentionally, I mugged him. Like had to hold him up by his shirt or else he would have smacked a wall kind of mugging. (It was a good fake.)

And of course right as this is happening, a mom is dropping off her kid. Yeah, I am the youth director that assaults 6th graders...

Jason's Productivity Tip #3: Firewalling...

2007-03-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, again this isn't a new idea. I think I first learned the term and explanation from Merlin Mann. But firewalling has become a regular part of my approach to getting projects finished. So what is firewalling?

Essentially, firewalling is when you clear your space and work from all distraction and knock things out. Essentially, you unplug from the world, remove all the outside influences and get to work. Here is how it works for me:

I have found that the best time for me to firewall is early in the morning. I beat everyone to the office, look at or make a to-do list and get to work. I make sure the wifi is off on my computer, make sure my door is shut and set aside a certain amount of time to be firewalled. For me, I find an hour usually gives me the most productivity. And then I get to work taking on tasks and getting things done. So what do I tend to do in my firewall time?
- Plot calendar stuff for the next stretch. What is important that I need to be at and what things can I remove?
- Brainstorm lessons and series. I am in a venture where I write stuff not only for my youth ministry but for others as well. So I am constantly draining the brain-juice working up ideas for my youth group, the curriculum company or speaking engagements that I have coming up.
- Write cards and letters. I owe lots of people thank-yous and I use firewall time to get caught up.
- Clean and organize. As hard as I try to keep my work areas clutter free, I always need to revisit, clean and throw away.
- Busy work, like calendars, newsletter articles and more...
- Pray. Especially during firewall time in the mornings, I pray about what is coming up on that day and that God will give me wisdom in knowing how to deal with each situation.

And of course I have some advantages over others in regards to firewalling. I have my own office, I control my own hours and I have the ability to un-plug from things for short periods. I imagine if I shared space or worked in a cube farm, it could be a lot more difficult. But it is one of the ways I get things done.

Hurt...

2007-03-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

So I am getting ready for a summer speaking engagement where the Big Idea is that while life is sometimes painful, God is with us throughout it all. I thought the video clip of Johnny Cash's rendition of the song Hurt might be a useful media piece for the talk. And in the search for it, I found this. Which made me laugh...and it does contain some language...

More on Horror Movies...

2007-03-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

So I had no idea that this would break this week, so it is interesting that my post hit this week. A movie coming out soon falls into all the negatives that I mentioned about horror movies and set off quite the firestorm with its advertisement. Jill Soloway has an excellent post about it here.

And like Clave posted in the comments on my post, Joss Whedon weighed in as well. Now, I am a Joss Whedon fanboy. Pretty much everything of his I have ever seen has been pure gold, from Buffy to Angel to Firefly and even Toy Story. So it was awesome to see this in Soloway's post:

From: Joss Whedon
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 10:17 PM
To: Advertising
Subject: CAPTIVITY BILLBOARDS/REMOVE THE RATING

To the MPAA,
There's a message I'm supposed to cut and paste but I imagine you've read it. So just let me say that the ad campaign for "Captivity" is not only a literal sign of the collapse of humanity, it's an assault. I've watched plenty of horror - in fact I've made my share. But the advent of torture-porn and the total dehumanizing not just of women (though they always come first) but of all human beings has made horror a largely unpalatable genre. This ad campaign is part of something dangerous and repulsive, and that act of aggression has to be answered.

As a believer not only in the First Amendment but of the necessity of horror stories, I've always been against acts of censorship. I distrust anyone who wants to ban something 'for the good of the public'. But this ad is part of a cycle of violence and misogyny that takes something away from the people who have to see it. It's like being mugged (and I have been). These people flouted the basic rules of human decency. God knows the culture led them there, but we have to find our way back and we have to make them know that people will not stand for this. And the only language they speak is money. (A devastating piece in the New Yorker - not gonna do it.) So talk money. Remove the rating, and let them see how far over the edge they really are.

Thanks for reading this, if anyone did.
Sincerely, Joss Whedon.
Creator, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Lastly, there is a campaign at work against this particular movie and how they violated MPAA standards. (The MPAA gives movies their ratings and has to approve advertisement for films.) You can find out more at the Remove the Rating blog.

Horror Movies Bore Me...

2007-03-26T14:21:00.000-05:00

So Turff sent me an interesting article from MSNBC about horror movies that you can read here. And I am using this as an opportunity to do a little rant on the state of horror movies and the general dung being produced by the current Hollywood establishment.

For starters, there is something horribly wrong when horror movies that are incredibly violent are being marketed to teenagers. Don't believe me? Weekly Entertainment Weekly does a best guess as to which movie will win the box office each weekend. Many, many weeks they pick the current horror movie and follow it with the thought of "that is where the kids' money will be." And to that I say, do we really need to be working hard at screwing up kids even more than the world already does so? Marketers need to be forced to deal with real kids in real circumstances. Too much of their "plans" are at the expense of real kids with real problems that don't need to see the latest film where we watch blood get splattered on whatever hot WB star is in it. I guess that is what happens when you live deciding how to live based by the dollar.

Second, horror has degenerated into gore-fest and has nothing to do with suspense. Now, one of the last truly great, adult (non-porn) horror movie was Silence of the Lambs in my opinion. What made it great? Suspense, not gore. Is Hannibal Lecter scary? Yes! Want to know why? Because he isn't the raving psychopath running around with a chainsaw. He is a scary because there is a part of him that could be the guy down the street from you who just goes off the deep end. Know why suspense has fallen from the genre? Because it is easier to play the t-and-a card, splatter a bunch of blood on stuff and cash a paycheck. I am waiting for the first film that forgoes any semblance of plot in favor of just saying "Hey, let's watch smoking hot girl get chased by a psychopath and have some wet t-shirt contests with blood." Some would argue that this already happened.

So how would I fix it:
1. Hire smart writers. Seriously, make the plot be what drives the film. Tell a good, interesting suspenseful story. If you can't tell a good story, then don't make the film. (Examples of a "horror film" with smart writing: See 28 Days Later.)
2. Move away from hiring cheap starlets. There is almost the theory that if you can survive until the age of 35, then nothing scary will happen to you according to Hollywood. Someone ought to write a smart, intriguing movie about a nursing home. (In fairness, I hear the independent film The Descent broke this mold somewhat but I haven't seen it yet.)
3. If you want to go a gore-or fest, then don't market, sell or allow kids to see it period.
4. Quit making the evil people the heroes. This means quit doing ridiculous sequels where the only loose thread connecting them together is that the same killer is present in them. Be intelligent enough to

Other notes:
-If you write a good horror flick, don't sell away your sequel rights. Some interesting films (Blair Witch Project for instance) was doomed to a horrendous sequel that had little input from the original film makers.
-If you are a parent, refuse to let your children participate in this culture of gore and misogyny. I know middle schoolers who can't sleep at night because they have seen stuff that there is no way they should have ever seen.
-If you are fan of this type of movie, can you tell me why? I mean, seriously, do a deep self-inspection and ask yourself why do you find pleasure or joy or entertainment from such profane things?
Getting down off my soapbox...

Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 2)

2007-03-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I am a day late. But I was in Macon hanging with some friends and then on the road last night. But here are the reviews for this week, which was slow, as I only saw two movies.

First up, on DVD I watched the film Idiocracy. Now, first off, you need to know that this film has a bit of a controversy attached to it. The film was made by Mike Judge, who is the writer, director of the cult classic Office Space and the creator of Beavis and Butthead. So on the buzz created by that film, Judge directs this film, which then was essentially buried by the company that paid for it, released in as few theaters as possible and then sent to DVD. All of which is interesting when you realize that the film's content probably irked some higher-ups.

The basic plot of the film is that a do-nothing Army soldier and a prostitute are part of an experiment where they are supposed to be frozen for a year and brought back. What happens is that they are forgotten and wake up 500 years later. And the "evolution" of the world is actually de-evolution. So suddenly, they are the smartest people in the world. Hilarity ensues.

On the whole I liked the movie and its approach. It has some pretty stinging commentary about how our society caters to the least common denominator and where that ends us. (For example, the favorite television show of the future is "Owww, My Balls" where one man is put in as many different positions as possible to take a shot to his male regions.) It is crass in some places, which would rule it out of youth ministry film but it definitely is a decent comedy that makes you think.

Next up, on Thursday in Macon, taking a break from writing curriculum, I went to see the film The Last King of Scotland. Now, Forrest Whitaker recently won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this film and I have to say it was well-deserved. His portrayal of Idi Amin and his descent into madness is amazingly well done.

The movie is about the following of a fictional Scottish doctor who comes to Uganda during the coup that leads to Amin seizing power. Soon after, through circumstances, he meets Amin, fixing his wounded hand and from there begins a relationship which grows as he becomes the doctor and advisor to the the leader. Slowly and surely, he becomes aware of Amin's failing mental health and gross human rights violations. (It is estimated that during the 8 years Amin had power, some 200,000 people were systematically killed.)

I would say it is a good film, but not a great one. The failings of the main character at times made me want to root against him and the unlikely turn at the end of the film was too unbelievable for me. A decent rental movie.

For next week: The theater is suffering from a glut of good theatrical releases this week, so I will be hoping to see Pride, The Shooter, Reign Over Me and TMNT. Anyone want to fund this movie habit of mine?

Quote of the Day...

2007-03-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

My brother Will in reference to Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, in reference to Pat's ridiculous claims to leg press 2000 pounds, as told in his attempts to sell you his protein shake:
"Geez. I hope I get to see Jesus pimp slap him."

Vision in a church...

2007-03-19T17:21:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I think is so incredibly important in the life of a church is the need to continuously put a vision in front of people about what the church is called to do and to be. It is admittedly one of the harder jobs that I think pastors have. How much is too much? How far do you push your people? Where is the healthy balance between loving the people in your care but being driven to reach those outside your church? Tough questions all.

But one of the big things that I think helps is having people share their stories. The more we can draw the lines between people being broken and wounded and their finding help through God's work in the church, the easier vision casting becomes. So, when I stumbled into a website recently, I was amazed to see what a Granger Community Church in Indiana was doing.

Now, I am not sure that GCC got their idea from here or not, but I think they may have. A popular blog on the internet (which has since become at least one book) is a site called PostSecret.com. The site is designed that people write their secrets on to postcards and send them to a PO Box and then some of the cards get put on-line on Sundays. I will say, at times it is a heart breaking site to read, as it is full of pain caused by some of the most evil that there is in the world. It is raw, graphic and sincere. (And not safe for work most weeks.) So when I do check it, it has always been a source of prayer for the people who write in but even more so for the people who are going through the same things but not writing in.

So, in the midst of trying to cast vision, GCC took the same kind of idea and wanted to flip it. People can pick up cards at their church and share what life has been before they came to the church and after. And out of it have been some amazing, powerful, creative expressions of the truth of God using their church to build his kingdom in the lives of people. It is really amazing and you should check it out.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2007-03-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

This weekend marked the start of Spring Break around here. So in the massive wisdom of our church leadership, we scheduled helping a food drive on the first day of Spring Break. Now, you need to know- EVERYONE around here heads out for Spring Break. Second, the last time we did this, turnout was horrible and that was on a good time. So what happens? Our people prove us wrong and show up in droves to help sort and pack food for the poor in Williamson County. It was really amazing watching everyone get after it and knock it out. And about half the folks were youth and youth families, which was encouraging. So we packed 217 boxes of food that are going to be distributed closer to Easter. And some of the guys even stuck around for a long time for the pick-up trailer to arrive.
Sunday School was uneventful. Small crowd due to the holiday.
Sunday night we played some hoops for MYF. I once again amazed the kids by having a Charles Barkley (post-retirement) body and a Reggie Miller jumpshot. It was fun and I was proud of how my older guys included and encouraged the middle school guys who were playing with us.

A couple decent youth ideas...

2007-03-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is a couple decent youth ministry ideas/stuff that I have done recently.
Game idea: Make up a bunch of clues that you would use for the games Charades or Pictionary. Mix them all up. Then divide your group into teams. As each kid comes up, they pick a clue and then roll a dice. Odd = Pictionary, Even = Charades. It can be fun when they get a clue that would be easy in one and hard in the other and crap out on the roll. Just a fun game.

Bible study idea: I had my high school students write down at least 5 things they would say or describe themselves as. Then on the other side I had them write at least 5 things they would like to be in 10 years. One, it provided me some good insight into kids that I wouldn't have gotten without it. Second, I did the exercise and they gained some insights about me. Lastly, we wrapped it up with a discussion of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and how to work and ask God to grow those fruit in our own lives. I also liked it because it was pretty low commitment level for kids, i.e. it was easy for every kid to participate and be genuine.

Just thought I'd share.

Friday Movie Reviews (Vol. 1)

2007-03-16T11:42:00.000-05:00

So rather than spreading out my movie and DVD reviews over several posts, I am going to start trying to consolidate them into one post each week.

So this week, we have a movie with a surprising twist, an overrated gladiator movie, a funny film that I don't think is as funny as everyone else and some dang fine television.
For starters, Billy Bob Thornton has an amazing gift of picking roles. Now, obviously sometimes he does movies that are downright rancid (see: Bad Santa) but sometimes he does incredibly moving, well crafted roles that tell a good story. In the film The Astronaut Farmer, Thornton leads a great cast that tells the amazing story of a former NASA level worker, who left the program to take care of his family and wants to go into space. And out of that framework, there is a great story about dreams, family and small town life. And it isn't Disney-fied. It has some sudden twists that I wasn't expecting and because of that unpredictability, it may be the best movie I have seen so far this year. Thornton deserves some Oscar-buzz for his role but likely won't see it because of the film's early release date. The rest of the cast also does remarkable work, including Virgina Madsen who plays Thornton's wife. I definitely think the film is worth watching and (for you youth ministry folks) it would be a good film for the dreaded long bus rides on trips. I am hoping it will release on DVD before our annual choir tour.

Next up, on the advice of a friend, I went to see the film 300.Now in the interest of full disclosure, there were many things going into this movie that would bias me in favor of it. For example, I find this genre to be home of some great movies (Braveheart) and some good movies (Gladiator). Second, way back in the day, I was a comic book nerd and would be again if I could afford it. And this movie is based on the work of Frank Miller, a well known comic writer and artist. (For my money Miller's work on Daredevil in the 1980s is unparalleled and I can still remember the joy I had when I found the complete run in a bookstore in Panama City, Florida for like $10. The guy had no idea what he had...) That being said, I think the film 300 is good but flawed.

This film does an amazing job of explaining itself in historical contest and then deriving itself down to a story that everyone can relate to. Some of the buzz of the film has been that the film is a current political allegory, which I dismiss. I just think it is a story where you can read more into it if you like but don't have to.

So the flaws of the film? A complaint I have with a lot of modern movies, which I call the "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to" rule. In essence, sometimes technology and the world's skewed sense of decency means that you can get away with far more in the movie-making industry than ever before. And because artists feel like they can, they sometimes needlessly push the boundaries, calling it realism. And, in my opinion, this movie falls into that trap. For example, there are a couple of brutal beheadings that are shown in graphic detail and their inclusion doesn't strengthen the plot. Additionally, there are a couple of odd 90 second runs of nudity that don't seem to answer any plot issues or further the plot along. And, for me, it distracted from the general essence of the film. (Youth Minister's note: Take 300 off the list of films you can watch with kids...)

Next up, via Netflix, I watched the critical darling comedy Little Miss Sunshine. And I have to say: Eh. It isn't the worst comedy I have ever seen, nor is it the smartest comedy I have ever seen. It is definitely a dark comedy and lives and dwells in its darkness. The closing sequence is funny but in a weird way. RANT ALERT: I did find it interesting that the closing sequence is made in such a way that condemns the beauty pageant culture (and deservedly so) but juxtaposes that culture by having a little girl do what is in essence a strip club routine (taught by her grandfather!) to the song Super Freak by Rick James. Talk about confusing and mixed messages. I mean, I realize that we live in Bizarro world, but do we really have to glorify it?

Lastly, I am a couple discs deep into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2. Again, I must say that I am deeply impressed with the show. Season 2 seems to be when things kick it up a notch. For starters, Spike, a long running character, gets introduced. Second, the characters seem to really come into their own. My personal favorite is Xander, who is average in every way, except heart. No powers, not smart like Willow or wise like Giles but still seems to be the one who pushes and moves the Scooby Gang on. If you haven't seen the show or thought it "kiddy" I can't recommend it to you enough. (PS- Season 8 of Buffy, as told in comics hit the open market this week and promptly sold out. Joss Whedon is the idol of nerds everywhere...)

Uh, my church isn't like this...

2007-03-15T16:43:00.001-05:00

But maybe it should be...

Random things from me...

2007-03-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

My Final Four picks- Texas (because of Durant), Florida (because the NCAA couldn't have given them an easier bracket unless they put them in the women's tournament), Pittsburgh and Ohio State (because of Oden and Conley, Jr.) Team that will make some unexpected noise: Davidson will make the Sweet Sixteen.

Books in my Amazon to get basket: 42. I miss my book allowance from the ATL.

Upcoming speaking gigs:
April- Panama City, FL- youth group retreat
May- Macon, GA- youth worker training
June- Cocoa Beach, FL
August- Minnesota it looks like...

Things I wish I owned: A video ipod.
What I am doing with my money instead- paying down debt.

Why I Will Never Be Addicted to Smack...

2007-03-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

So in the midst of having some tests run, I realized yet again that I will never be able to be an IV drug user. Stupid veins! (PS- The other arm has holes too.)

Prophets or Priests?

2007-03-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I have definitely been wrestling with is the idea of being a prophetic voice in the midst of a church culture. Sometimes I have thought and heard that it would be easier to lead as a general congregation member than as a paid staff person.
In my blog reading, I stumbled into this great article which has some fantastic gems like this:
A prophet by definition is going to disturb the status quo, make people uncomfortable, and rock the boat. But when a pastor with a prophetic function is completely dependant upon the congregation for his/her livelihood it creates a conflict of interests.

Buffy...10 years ago today!

2007-03-09T20:58:00.000-05:00

So in a strange coincidence, I just started Netflixing my way through the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had seen parts of it on and off again and always thought it was good. I mean, it does have Joss Whedon, who is like the modern day guru of funny, well written shows. (See Firefly and curse Fox for canceling it.)

So I just finished season one, which is a 12 episode run because Buffy started as a mid-season replacement on the WB network. And it started 10 years ago today.

(And FYI, just for fun, I am writing some Bible studies based on some of the episode, though as Turff has pointed out, it will get kinda strange when the pagan lesbian issues arrive...)

Trading the queso for Starbucks...

2007-03-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

So back when I lived in the land of Georgia, I had an awesome group of people that I met with for lunch pretty much weekly. It was full of folks like this guy, these guys and this lady. And ever since moving to Nashville, I have really been struggling with the camaraderie, the support and the love that came from that group.

Well, this week, I took a break from my gastrointestinal issues to hang out with a couple guys that I have meet. And it was great! It felt like the same sense of being in the same trench together that I used to have. So, instead of the Chili's Skillet Queso, I guess I will be drinking Green Tea Frappucinos every week. And I think the change will be worth it...

I used to write funny songs like this guy...

2007-03-09T20:19:00.001-05:00

Mark DeVries- Youth Ministry Guru...

2007-03-09T20:13:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the last year, I have had the chance to read, interact and talk to Mark DeVries, who both serves the local church at First Presbyterian Nashville and also heads up Youth Ministry Architects, a fantastic consulting group that did and has continued to do some work for the congregation that I serve.

Mark was recently interviewed at Church Central and had some great things to say like:
Most churches are vastly undercapitalized in their youth ministry and are getting the results they pay for. They don’t have a long-term plan, only short-term hires. Churches think the secret to a great youth ministry is to hire a great youth minister—a superstar. Sometimes they hit on a superstar, but in between times they have nothing. Often, even if a church hires a great youth minister, they have no infrastructure for a ministry that this staff member can work with—no floor for the superstar to dance on.

For more of his awesome wisdom, you can read the rest of the article here.

Church builds...

2007-03-09T20:02:00.000-05:00

Recently in the magazine Fortune, they ran an article that dealt in part with Apple, Inc. and their initial push into having their own retail stores. From the article, I found this passage particularly interesting:
"One of the best pieces of advice Mickey ever gave us was to go rent a warehouse and build a prototype of a store, and not, you know, just design it, go build 20 of them, then discover it didn't work," says Jobs. In other words, design it as you would a product. Apple Store Version 0.0 took shape in a warehouse near the Apple campus. "Ron and I had a store all designed," says Jobs, when they were stopped by an insight: The computer was evolving from a simple productivity tool to a "hub" for video, photography, music, information, and so forth. The sale, then, was less about the machine than what you could do with it. But looking at their store, they winced. The hardware was laid out by product category - in other words, by how the company was organized internally, not by how a customer might actually want to buy things. "We were like, 'Oh, God, we're screwed!'" says Jobs.

And I have to say, though I know it is almost entirely not possible, this is some advice that churches ought to consider before building new projects. In large part, churches try and take ideas from other churches, without understanding why they work. Now, I am a fan of church architecture and even what it says about our theology. However, I also think that at this point, function is more important than form.

I have said on occasion recently that if I were ever to start a new congregation, that a building wouldn't be on my radar. I would much rather buy a large old retail space and adapt it to our needs. Here is why I think it would work:
1.Large retails spaces have high ceilings and few walls. Which means in a given season of the life of the church you put up and take down walls with ease. A few pieces of lumber, some drywall and paint and you can adapt it as you need. And if you build and decide it isn't working, it is easy to fix.
2. You would have storage. Every church I have ever served in had a storage problem. Now, admittedly, some of that issue is because churches hold on to things but a large retail space would give you the flexibility to store a ton of stuff.
3. Parking...duh! Taken care of...
4. Community-wise, it takes a vacant building and renovates it and puts it to a good use. Retail stores are built in high traffic areas, so people will know where you are!
Just some thoughts...

Thankful...

2007-03-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

I am very thankful for places like this. Particularly in my own current circumstances.

People Who Don't Work that Hard (Vol. 1)

2007-03-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

The guy who close captions "Jeopardy."

Jason's Productivity Tip #2

2007-03-06T18:13:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I am generally considered a somewhat organized person. People admire the organization of my office, of how I keep things, etc. And because of that I was recently able to help a mom of a student out. She was overwhelmed trying to keep up to date with all her kids' stuff, etc. So I shared with her a key element to being organized and keeping things together:
One list and one calendar.
Now, I am certainly not the first person to espouse this idea but the best way to be organized is to limit yourself to these two key ideas.

What do I mean by one list? I know of tons of people who try to manage their lives by listing out all the things they have to do. And then stockpiling lists upon lists and can't manage them. You need one list.

What do I mean by one calendar? Simply put, one calendar. Your life doesn't really have compartments. Your work, your kids, etc. all exist in the truth of your time. Trying to manage life with multiple calendars is a terrible idea because you can never juggle or manage them all. You will ultimately lose something. So you need one calendar that contains it all.

So how do I do this? I use Microsoft Outlook, not because I think it is the best option but because it works with my phone, which makes my list and my calendar mobile . There are some great other tools out there to use if you are just starting.
For example, you can set-up your own Google Homepage: www.google.com/ig and then use various "To Do" lists and Google Calendar and set that as your homepage for your web browser. Or get a nice moleskine notebook and divide it into two sections. Like I said, there are many, many ways of doing it but you want to get it down to this: one list and one calendar.

So I helped a mom learn that principle and she reports it is really helping her and her family manage all that they have going on. One list, one calendar and way less headaches!

Random Quotes...

2007-03-06T16:46:00.000-05:00

In my job, sometimes you run into the funniest quotes:
"Are all these kids yours?"- the very helpful waitress at the Nashville Pizza Company as I hung out with 7 of the sixth graders in our Confirmation class. I was somewhat thankful that I could be considered enough of a playa to have 7 kids within a year of each other as my kid.

"Jason- you are the beastliest youth minister" which is the current middle school way of saying "You're cool", at least around here.

"You have an enormous capacity to love" which came from a friend in admiring my work in some recent situations. (And which may be the best compliment I have ever been given.)

"It's okay that you can't park the church van, you do other stuff great" from a sixth grader who watched me try and park the church van for 5 minutes with little to no success at the Bishop meet and greet for Confirmands last weekend.

Conflicted about Confirmation...

2007-03-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

As I write this, the church I serve at is about 1/3 of the way through its annual Confirmation program. Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Confirmation, it is a program designed to help students understand the faith and ultimately make the decision to become an adult member of the congregation. Some would say it is also to help students embrace the decision to be a follower of Christ, though I definitely have my doubts about that aspect.

So here are some of my most random thoughts in regards to Confirmation…

1. We do it too young. Most churches take on the task of Confirmation in early middle school. So, we are trying hard to teach 11 and 12 year olds some important things (baptism, sacraments, worship) and some less important things (denominational heritage). And I have to say that this approach seems incredibly backwards to me. As it stands now, in a couple weeks I will be teaching the students in Confirmation about the denominational heritage. It is an interesting, fascinating history and one worth knowing; just in my opinion it is worth knowing when you are older and care about these things.
This week, I also taught some high school students (mostly 11th and 12th graders). In the midst of our conversations, they are extremely confused about what we believe and even more importantly, what they believe as individuals. The juxtaposition of the two groups was pretty evident to me. Maybe Confirmation should answer questions when appropriate.

2. We treat Confirmation Sunday like graduation. In my current position there are two things we do banquets for: Confirmation Sunday and honoring high school graduates. That isn’t to say that these things aren’t important. But, we have seem to run the ship aground in having kids experience Confirmation as a rite of passage and less as an affirmation of faith.
For example, this week as I drove some of the students from the middle school to the church facilities, several of the regularly involved students were asking some of the less involved students “Why don’t you come to youth or Sunday School?” And the answer was generally “It isn’t important to me. I am doing this Confirmation thing and my mom said she would get off my back.” The structure of Confirmation makes it too easy for us to treat it like a thing to check off and less about a relationship (with Christ and His church) to be entered into.

3. We set the bar too low. Let’s keep it real here- we are asking students whether they want to enter into a relationship that will continue for their entire life, change the course of their life and ground them for the rest of their days. And we do it as a 10 week course. While I am all for the idea that admission into the kingdom of God has been made easy through the love and sacrifice of Jesus, I do think we are maybe giving it more than a little disservice when we place so little importance on it. The process of Confirmation ought to cost us something because following Jesus costs us everything!

4. We do it as an age based thing. Simply put, we treat it as something everyone is ready for when they are a certain age, which I can’t find contextualized anywhere in scripture. I went through Confirmation as a 16 year old with a bunch of sixth graders. And I am thankful that I did. Because Confirmation helped me answer and deal with some questions I had a young person investigating Christianity. Was it awkward for me? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. (And why aren’t there adult Confirmation classes? If we think the things we teach and share are important in the lives of young people aren’t they important in the lives of adults as well? Seems to me that there should be similar processes.)

5. We ramp up and create “special” items out of things that ought to happen well past Confirmation. For example, at the church I serve right now, there is a Confirmation “mentor” program. Essentially students are asked to find an adult that can mentor them, share with them and help them contextualize their experience. At the same time that this “mentoring” is happening, I am having a tremendously difficult time in finding adults that will do those same things with other students involved in the youth ministry. I feel like we are having a major failure to communicate because after confirmation, students need just as much shepherding, caring adults involved in their lives, if not more. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.

6. We don’t extend Confirmation involvement. If I have done one thing really well with this year’s confirmands, it is that I have used the class to expose them to and encourage them in some things that are happening in the life of the whole church and its youth ministry. In fact, it looks like around half the class will be going on our upcoming middle school retreat. But I have also had parents say things like “She won’t stay involved” or “Their family will go back into the woodwork.” Now, I am the king of the pessimists but can’t be work hard and assume that maybe the Holy Spirit can use something like Confirmation to change people’s hearts? Do we have to assume that the end of it is boys in men’s suits and young ladies in white dresses that return from whence they came? It is disappointing…

So again, my random, thinking out loud writing about what conflicts me about Confirmation.

Movie Review: World's Fastest Indian

2007-03-01T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have long been a fan of Anthony Hopkins and for the most part, he does a remarkable job in picking films that allow him to use his acting skills in amazing ways. The film The World's Fastest Indian is no exception to that rule.

In the film, Hopkins plays real-life New Zealander Burt Munro and his quest to set a world landspeed record on his 1920s motorcyle, an Indian. It is a really well done film that demonstrates the determination Munro had and the adventures he had on his quest.

Set in the early 1960s, the movie is a bit preachy at times. For instance, Munro has an encounter with a soldier home from Vietnam that is a bit over the top in terms of its "We all know that doesn't turn out well" node to the film's modern audience. But on the whole I did enjoy the movie, the roles played and the true life nature of it. I definitely recommend it. IMDB gives it 8.1, which in this case, I think it pretty on the money.

Jason's Productivity Tip #1

2007-02-28T14:43:00.000-05:00

If you want to get work done, don't enable the Netflix feature where you can stream movies directly over the internet on your office computer.
Now playing: Anthony Hopkins in "The World's Fastest Indian."

Movie Review: Amazing Grace

2007-02-26T18:44:00.000-05:00

So this weekend, I went to see the film Amazing Grace. The buzz on the film has been fairly good in the circles I run with, though sometimes my circles are guilty of buying into hype machines. The film is the story of William Wilberforce, who was an abolitionist in England around the turn of the 19th century.

And I have to say, that while the film will win no major awards, it is a very well film about a very good character. It does a remarkable job of studying the choices that Wilberforce had to make in regards to his faith and his convictions, as well as the burden that came with those choices.

I thought the end was especially well done, including an amazing speech at the end that found me crying. Because that is how I roll, I am a movie crier. (Worst example of my movie tears- Mighty Ducks 3, because the fat kid scores the winning goal. FYI- It has been over 10 years since the last Mighty Ducks film...crap, I am getting old.)

Craig Ferguson Speaks From His Heart...

2007-02-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

One of the most interesting things I have seen lately. I really have admired Ferguson, especially his eulogy to his dad last year on his show and now this:

Movie Review: The Prestige

2007-02-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

So in the midst of everything happening last summer, I completely missed seeing the just recently released on DVD film, "The Prestige." Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, the film has an imdb rating of 8.2, which I would bump to at least a 9. The film is about two rival magicians and their quest to be the best. It involves several twists and turns that I don't want to give away. I will say that this is the first film that I was surprised by the ending in some time. It is definitely worth a watch.

Nolan has a tendency to play with how a story unfolds and he does it again in this film, using flashbacks that aren't obvious flashbacks. This is the kind of movie that you have to watch with your full attention or else you wind up out of sequence. But I would also say that is part of the film's strength. The technique helps to make you focused on the plot and the characters.

Again, it is a very strong film and worth watching. Due to the fact that it is set in the past, it is remarkably free of language and gory violence. I am considering adding this to the Youth Choir tour list of movies but think I would have too many middle school kids who would be whining "What is happening? I don't understand" even though they can tell me every step of life of Paris Hilton. (Note: I am feeling a little jaded today.) But it will/could make an excellent example of the damage of the sin of envy and the cost it takes on ourselves and those around us.

"Breach" and "You Can Count on Me" movie reviews...

2007-02-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

So over the weekend, I took in two movies...
"Breach" is a new film out in your local theater that stars Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe. It is the story of an FBI employee who is given the task of shadowing an older agent, who turns out to be one of the biggest spies against America ever. It is based on the true story of Eric O'Neil and Robert Hanssen.

I have to say that I was very impressed by the movie. It does something that is difficult to do: build intrigue when you ultimately already know the end result. Chris Cooper is amazing as Hanssen and should get some consideration for the Oscars next year. Phillippe, the former Mr. Reese Witherspoon, gives another great performance. (Another excellent Phillippe film is "Shattered Glass." which is another true life story.)

The imdb rating for "Breach" is 7.4 out of 10 and I would score it slightly higher, an 8.3.

Via Netflix, I rented the movie "You Can Count on Me" which stars Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney, as well as being the debut movie for Rory Culkin, who shouldn't have his family relations held against him. The movie won tons of awards in 2000, when it was the darling of the Sundance film festival. I really liked this film and would rate it higher than the 7.7 rating on imdb.

The film centers on the relationship between a brother and a sister who lost their parents as young children. Now as adults, they have very different life. The older sister, played by Linney works in the same town they grew up in as a bank loan officer. The brother is essentially a drifter who comes home to get some money from his sister. In the time he is at home, he builds a touching relationship with his nephew, who doesn't have a male role model in his life because his dad abandoned them. It is a really good story and well put together film. In particular, the more I see of Ruffalo, the more I like his work. He is rapidly moving up my list of favorite actors, in part because he does good work and in part because he chooses good films to work in.

Quote of the week...

2007-02-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

From Seth Godin

"When the pain gets so bad that you're ready to quit
you've set yourself up as someone with nothing to lose.
And someone with nothing to lose has quite a bit of power.
You can go for broke. Challenge authority.
Attempt unattempted alternatives.
Lean into the problem; lean so far that you might just lean right through it."

Random Sports Notes...

2007-02-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Some completely random sports thoughts:
1. Attention Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons...whatever you do, do not draft a wide receiver unless his name is Calvin Johnson. We know you need guys who can catch the ball. It's called free agency...check into it.

2. NBA All-star weekend in Las Vegas. The record for hoochies will be broken and possibly set for all-time this weekend.

3. Hard to believe that it has been nearly 20 years since 'Nique was robbed. You can watch it here on YouTube.

Things we have come to accept in youth ministry...

2007-02-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

A tip of the hat to Marko for pointing to this post, which lists some things that Mark Riddle thinks we have come to accept in youth ministry.
Mark Riddle's Post

Here are some that I have experienced or am experiencing:

2. That the success or failure of the spiritual nurture of our kids is based primarily on the giftedness or lack thereof, of a person filling the youth position.

8. That we give lip service to parents being the primary spiritual nurturers of their children, but do absolutely nothing to actually support parents in our church.

13. That having a youth pastor means the youth ministry is taken care of.

Really thoughtful and provoking ideas. In my time as a youth worker and as someone who provided some care for youth workers at time, some of these are definitely spot on.

ELCA Study Emails #2: Adults that Care...

2007-02-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I sent out an email talking about the recent study of youth and involvement that was done by the ECLA church. In that email I talked about how the number one factor in predicting involvement of older teens in the life of a church was the level of involvement of their whole family in the faith experience.

This week, I want to look at what the second factor is: the involvement of 3 or more adult mentors from their faith community in their lives. These adults were over and beyond the paid religious leaders and their parents. These adults played a significant role in the ministry of helping students feel connected to the life of the church.

When I made the decision to follow Christ as an almost 16 year old, I needed support and involvement in my life from caring adult Christians. When I look back on that time, I think about people like:

Chip, the youth director at our church
Jeff, my Young Life leader who started a Bible Study for all the geek kids who didn’t fit in anywhere else. (Yes, I am a recovered(?) high school nerd…)
Steve, a dad from my church who just loved us high school guys by being at youth group every week
Nancy, a mom from our church who did whatever was asked of her, including shuttling ten of us home every week after youth group.

And there are many more. And I needed those folks to help me navigate my teenage years as God continued to work on me and help me grow in faith. Because of their willingness to share their lives, I grew deeper and stronger in the faith than any of us realized. (When I go to my home church, they all shake their heads and wonder, because I was the quintessential problem kid in the youth group until I was college aged.)

And the truth is, some of you are making a difference in the lives of the youth here at Bethlehem. In one of the first combined Synagos at the first of the year, we talked about people that the students look on as examples of faith. Many of your names came up and as we shared, I realized how much an impact you all are making in the lives of students, both now and in the past. In a world where the extended family lives hundreds of miles away, the local church is helping students to grow strong and deep in the faith.

I want to encourage you to realize you can make a difference. We have some really amazing adults that are serving students right now- as Sunday School leaders, as Youth Choir helpers, as small group Bible study leaders. At times, I know that those of you in those roles are frustrated, aggravated and you wonder if you are making a difference. Trust me- you are! Students know they are loved and cared about because of you faithfully giving your time and energy to them!

But there is always room for more! One of the things that I am most passionate about is helping more people discover the joy of serving in a place where they really fit. I get the most excited personally in seeing God change the lives of students. It is what I am gifted at and called to. But you think about putting me in charge of some 4 year olds and I break out in hives and cold sweats: it just isn’t my gift or my call. Some of you may be missing the call and I want to encourage you as Lent moves closer and closer to beginning to consider getting involved in a ministry with youth or children. As much as Lent can be about us giving up something, it can also be about us adding things into our lives, both inside the life of the church and outside its walls.

As we want to grow and expand as a youth ministry, it is going to mean more hands and hearts being willing to love students. Right now, we have some great folks involved and we need more! So, if God is tugging on your heart, please consider calling me and seeing where you may fit. In particular, we could use some adults to come be a part of what we are doing on Sunday nights at MYF. Just being present, loving kids and being with us as we play, worship and learn together!

ELCA Study Emails #1: A Family of Faith

2007-02-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

So, I recently was at a seminar where the speaker shared a list of factors that the ECLA found in a study of students from their 7th grade year to their senior year. Essentially, they wanted to look at the factors that kept students engaged in the faith. I found some of the finding to be spot on to my experiences and wanted to share them with parents as we rebuild our youth ministry. I thought I would share the emails here for the other youth ministry folks that read here. Maybe it will spark something in you for your ministry!
Here is the first email I sent parents:

Dear parents,

As part of Warmth in Winter, there are workshops and some of those workshops are designed to help adult youth workers to grow and become better youth workers. I attended one session that was particularly good and is making me think a great deal.

In 2002, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) finished a study where they looked at one class of students from the 7^th grade through the 12^th grade. Their hope was to look at what things help keep students involved in church as they get older. What the study did was then look at what were the common factors for students who stayed involved. They found 8 key things and I would like to send some emails over the coming weeks to look at each of those factors and talk about what we as a church, a youth ministry and as followers of Christ can do to help students mature into adult disciples of Christ. (If you want to opt out of these emails, just send me a note letting me know and I can pull you off the email list that will get this specific series of emails. You would still get the weekly emails!)

First, 80-90% of these students were active in their 7^th grade year. As 12^th graders, that number dropped to 30-35%.

The number one factor for students who stayed involved in the life of the church is that the Christian faith was deeply embedded in the families of those students.

As someone who has been involved in youth ministry over the last 12 years, that factor doesn’t surprise me. I truly believe that the birthplace of faith and the people most responsible for nurturing it in the lives of children are parents! I think it is the way that God designed the faith to be shared, lived out and expanded. Listen to what God spoke to the earliest families of faith in Deuteronomy 6:6-10 (The Message):
“Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”

Basically, God is calling us to be living and sharing the faith with our children as much as possible, in the things we say and the way we live. The desire of God is that we would see all of our life as a walk with Him.

So as the youth director here at Bethlehem, I want to encourage you. It would be easy for us to read that finding and feel frustrated that we may not be doing “enough”. I know that sharing the faith in our families is sometimes the hardest place. (It has been for me!) But it is worth it so much! So here are some practical ideas to help you share your faith with your students:

Talk about what being a Christian means to you. Look for opportunities to talk about decisions you have made or things you have done that were directly influenced by your faith. If you grow up in a Christian church, share that experience and if you didn’t share what helped bring you to Jesus.
Encourage your children when you see them living out their faith! They deeply need to be reminded of who God has made them and called them to be!
Pray with and for your kids. Prayer is deeply personal, but it isn’t always supposed to be private! Be willing to pray with your kids and pray for them as well.
Read spiritual books or books of the Bible together. I would be more than willing to help find books that are age-appropriate that could help foster some conversation between your child and you about the faith.

Again, I want to encourage you. Simply by having your student here at Bethlehem is communicating that following Christ is something important to you. But let’s continue to partner together to help students grow strong in the faith!

Real Life Conversations That Didn’t Happen This Morning….

2007-02-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

Scene: The Oval Office, the White House, Washington, D. C.

Characters: Condi Rice, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney

GWB: So did you guys see the Grammys last night?

CR: Absolutely! That Justin Timberlake has definitely brought sexy back.

DC: I was tired. My pacemaker needed a break. You know me, in bed by 6 PM. Besides, when Lionel Richie is singing a song from before the first Bush was in office, it isn’t exactly a cutting edge show…

GWB: Seemed like the Grammy voters were pretty upset. Those Dixie Chicks people won a lot of awards. Didn’t they hate on me at some point?

CR: Haters! Go on and brush your shoulders off…

GWB: What did they say exactly?

CR: That they were ashamed to be from the same state as you.

GWB: Dude, Texas is huge. Tons of people are from there…

CR: Including them.

DC: You know who else is from Texas? The one, the only Gambler…Mr. Kenny Rogers! If Lionel Richie can be on the show why couldn’t they reunite Kenny and Dolly to sing “Islands in the Stream”?

GWB: So their album won a lot of awards. Seems like the music elite would be sending us a message. Maybe they are unhappy?

CR: Yeah maybe.

GWB: I guess that we really need to rethink our entire foreign policy and do everything we can to pacify Natalie Maines and the Grammy voters. Let’s get all the advisers together and completely rethink this whole Iraq situation…

DC: But only if they go back to being blond again. That is the only way we should make nice.

CR: I’ll see if I can make it happen. I'll get Shakira on the phone...she is an excellent negotiator. Her hips don't lie...

Prayers for the saints...

2007-02-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

At my last church, there was an annual mission trip with Honduras Outreach International in the late winter and early spring. This week, a group from Cornerstone UMC in Newnan, GA took the retreat and the group is full of parents of kids that I had the honor of ministering to for 4 years.

Two days into the trip, there was a major accident. The long and the short of it is that the brakes appeared to fail on a vehicle, it went over a ledge and several people lost their lives. The people who are gone were from some other Atlanta area churches. My heart aches for them and their families. In the same accident, several people were injured and hurt and are making their way back to the States to receive medical care. So pray for Karen, Nolen and Frankie, who were all veterans of the trip and were there to share the love of God with the people of the country that have become very dear to them. Let's wrap them in our prayers...

(Here is a story about the accident from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.)

Warmth in Winter 2007

2007-01-29T12:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I was with 10 of the high school students from the youth group at the Tennessee Conference's Warmth in Winter event. It was a really interesting weekend for me because it was my first large conference event as well as my first retreat with these high schoolers. For us, it was a good time, even though we commuted to the event from our church, whereas in the past, they had stayed downtown at a ridiculously swank hotel.

Here are some things I have learned:
1. I can't turn off my critical meter. I am now about 18 months away from having helped plan, lead and been in ministry through large events but I still look at things and go "I wouldn't have done that" or "I would do that differently" etc.
2. The students God has placed in my care are a little spiritually gun shy. What I mean is that when we would reach a particularly meaningful spiritual moment, their initial instinct is to run, flee or shut down. I am praying hard that they would realize that fear and fleeing is keeping them from deeply understanding the love of God. And I still love them and see God working in them...
3. I miss having close relationships with students. I am only 7 months in here and I came in a time of immense challenge for us as a church. It has hindered me in regards to building relationships with students. (I will freely admit that this is a bit of a cop-out.) But it was good to get to know them more and deeper and I am praying God will bring some fruit out of it.
4. Warmth in Winter has a legacy. It has been going on for 26 years and it shows. There were some fantastic things that I really loved and the chances that the event planners took. And there were things that felt like they were just holding on to because "we've always done it that way." On the whole it was a good event and I thought the speaker was very good for the most part.
5. It was the right call for us to keep our junior highers at home. I just think the large and the big would have so overwhelmed them that they would have lost the spiritual significance. Our own junior high retreat is a much better option for us.

Well, I am already back at it. A friend of some of my students died in an accident over the weekend. So please be in prayer for us and for the family of Alex.

Living in Big Orange Country...

2007-01-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I do indeed very much dislike the Tennessee Volunteer fans here in the great north of Nashville. It is just wrong to go to Cracker Barrel and see rocking chairs that are in that heinous orange color. However, I do have to say it was kind of cool to see that the UT head men's basketball coach got together with some of his players and went to a UT women's game. Shirtless.

That's right, Bruce Pearl, a grown man went shirtless and painted orange. And I got to say, I admire that. Here is why: it means that he is a real guy, capable of goofiness, fun, excitement and doesn't take himself too seriously. If I was an 18 year old kid trying to decide who I would want to play for, this guy may be the one. You can read about it and see a picture (if you are into that sorta thing) here.

And speaking of SEC basketball, did anyone else see the end of the UGA-Alabama game? Holy cow, that was some horrendous officiating. A shot clock violation that wasn't, a jump ball that wasn't called and the final basket involved one player having 3 different pivot foots without dribbling. (We generally call that traveling...) Regardless, I do love Georgia's coach and team and grit. They make me proud to be a Bulldog.

Movie Review: Children of Men

2007-01-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

Ever since I saw a trailer for Children of Men I have been waiting to see Alfonso Cuarón’s latest film. (His previous work includes films like Y tu mamá también and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.) And I must say, it has been well worth the wait…

The basic premise of Children of Men is that the world has plunged into chaos, with Britain being the only place where some form of civilization and government has survived, though they are waging a war against illegal immigration. In the midst of this (and perhaps the cause of it) the human race has gone infertile. There have been no new children born for over 18 years. And in the midst of that, Theodore Falon, who is played by an amazing Clive Owens, is suddenly finding himself in a situation with what may be the first human birth in two decades. I don’t want to say too much else, as I don’t want to ruin the plot but the movie is amazing on several levels.

First, the movie does a healthy balance of giving details but not too many on how the world is and has descended into chaos. Some reviews of the film I read complained of wanting some more back story on how the world got to its state. I simply think that such a desire is too overreaching. What matters is that Cuarón through his lens makes us believe that such a descent has really happened. Imagine if suddenly we knew the human race would die out in 100 years, at best. Lots of things would stop happening- things like environmental concerns, cleaning up after yourself, etc. The world portrayed in this film is frightening because it is so realistic in regards to human nature. Simply put I found myself watching the film and realizing the far reaching implications of the state of humanity through the images that are shown. That move in storytelling has to be a remarkably difficult one to make work but it is done flawlessly. So while we may all want a clearer and stronger idea of what got the world to this place, I think the focus on showing what the world really is like was the right and most excellent focus.

Second, there are some remarkable performances in this film. In particular Michael Caine’s portrayl as a recluse with a silent, near catatonic state is really, really well done. It is a stellar cast of both known and relatively unknown actors that works well .

Third, while some of the film deals with some political statements, it isn’t done in a way that overwhelms the content of the story. The statements made are part of the larger story and in way feel like propaganda pieces that divert one from the story.

Lastly, there are scenes that are particularly moving. I don’t want to say much about those scenes as some talk would ruin parts of the film. Needless to say, Cuarón is an amazing storyteller and filmmaker. I think this film may be among my top 10 of all time and certainly is the best movie I have seen in theaters or on DVD this year. So I would thoroughly recommend this one for your viewing.

A Youth Ministry Moment: the Barefoot Disciple...

2007-01-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

So I am going to start a new series of posts about different youth ministry memories. Having been called by God to make a living doing youth ministry for nearly a decade now, I have quite a few memories. Sometimes these posts will be funny. Sometimes they will be sad. All will be true. And I hope they help me process some of the things that God has called me too. Something that happened this week sparked this memory…

I moved to Waycross, GA in the spring of 1998. I had just graduated from college and after having barely lived on the salary of being a student intern for Young Life, God gave me a great opportunity to move to Waycross and work at a church doing some of the relational work of Young Life and the discipleship work of the church.

One of the students who was in middle school then was a young man named Joshua. And to say that he was shy would be a massive understatement. In fact, Joshua was so shy that when his parents would come to Sunday School and drop him off, he would go hide in the empty carport of a house that our church owned. And it stayed like that for a couple years…He was nice enough to me, I was nice enough to him and he didn’t really connect or fit in.

Then suddenly, it changed. I mean, radically. Joshua went from being this kid on the sidelines to being the dream youth ministry student: real, God-seeking and open to others. He became one of those lynch pin kids that God uses to build and grow a group, just like God sometimes uses adults. It was out of the blue.

So about a year into this conversion of Joshua, we had an experiment going on in the church's Sunday night service. Once a month, the youth band would lead and I would speak and it was radically different from the other three weeks. (This service was a vestige of days gone by. Cokesbury hymnal singing and lots of other traditions. And it was all retired senior citizens (20 or so) and youth (40 or so.). One time a youth asked the pastor why he sometimes talked about living your faith out in the workplace on Sunday nights because all the people there were either in school or retired. The pastor had no good answer and not long after that we started doing the once a month youth nights.)

So on one of these Sunday nights it is really clicking. The worship is amazing, students and parents are really getting into it and, as I play guitar and lead from the front area, I see Joshua in a conversation with TC. Now, TC was notorious among the youth group and church because he was the classic “it should be like the good ole days” guy at this church. Any change, anything different, anything that stretched us and TC was grumbling. (And sometimes yelling at me in front of the youth group. But that is a different story.)

So Joshua and TC are talking. Now, I am singing and worshiping and couldn’t hear what is going on. But essentially what I saw went something like this:

TC says something. Joshua replies. TC says something else, clearly agitated. Joshua says something else. TC starts talking with his whole body, clearly immensely frustrated. Joshua pulls out his Bible, reads TC something. TC goes ballistic and leaves.

So we finish the service and things were great. Afterwards, I ask Joshua what happened. And the story essentially goes like this:

In the middle of a worship song, TC came up to Joshua and asked that Joshua put his shoes back on. Joshua politely refused and went back to worshiping. TC tried to explain to Joshua that “good kids” wore shoes. Joshua again refused. TC begins berating Joshua for not wearing his shoes indoors and for desecrating the church fellowship hall, etc. Joshua pulled out his Bible, did an short Bible study on Exodus 3, where God calls Moses to remove his shoes because the ground he is on is holy. Joshua explain that for him in these moments of worship, it was holy and he was choosing to do likewise. At that point, TC wigged out on him and Joshua ignored him.

So on that day I was reminded that wisdom isn't an age dependent quality and that we should be careful because sometimes youth can lead us. And for what it’s worth- the next time the youth band led worship, we opened with a killer version of “We are Standing on Holy Ground” without instruments that led into Matt Redman’s “Holy Moment.”

Sunday Stuff for 1-7-07

2007-01-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

So I am going to try and do a Sunday report of what happens each week in youth group!

So this Sunday was what I am going to call “The Gambler” Sunday, because sometimes you have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. What I mean by that is that in the life of a youth ministry, you have to know when to push a little bit and when let it ride. I felt like this Sunday was a Sunday to push a little bit. At the start of a new year, there is a natural opportunity to ask students to evaluate. So for my push, I decided to try and shake up their idea of who Jesus is.

In the current context where I do ministry, the students seem to have a “Jesus and...” worldview. What I mean by that is that we like Jesus and if Jesus wants to come alongside of us and be a part of our lives, that is great. But a Jesus who moves and changes us is a little scary and not quite the Jesus that we like.

So for this week’s lesson, we focused on the story of Zaccheaus from Luke 19. I talked about how Jesus surprised the “churchy” people that were around him and doing what God called him to do. Then, I read a short piece from C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe where the children are trying to figure out who Aslan is before they meet him. The long and the short of it is He isn’t safe but He is good! And then I read a piece from Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution where he talks about making the decision to follow Jesus wrecked his life, meaning he suddenly was challenged to live life in a powerfully different way.

All in all, message wise, I thought it was good, solid through and through and had their attention.

Other elements:
We started playing a game in the gym. It was pretty cool and I probably let it go on a bit too long. I am working on my game list for the next 10 weeks or so and then buying the stuff I need. Been winging in a bit too much lately.

After the talk, I also budgeted 15 minutes to have them share ideas for this year. I want to move us from a place of this being a youth group that they attend to being "their" youth group. They need a little more sense of ownership than they have had. Somewhat fruitful...

No music. I have to figure out a way to effectively bring in worship to what we are doing. The lack of technology (we can’t even find a bulb for our overhead projector) is probably something that I am letting be more of a daunting task that should. (Plus today, Woot.com had a projector that looks like it could have worked for us and with a price point I could buy out of my pocket but I didn’t find it in time! Dang!) I miss worship with students…something I am working on.

What’s next: Lots of basketball games to attend this week, which I am looking forward to. They have been great networking opportunities with some parents who don’t have church families. Plus the kids have really noticed my presence at them. This week I have to sort out confirmation stuff and get it out to parents once it has been run through the clergy. Next Sunday we start a series called “God Who?” that looks at the Trinity, a concept some of the students here seem to be a bit fuzzy on. Working hard to find video clips to help with those lessons, so if you have any ideas, send them my way!

Ah yeah...Friday randomness...

2007-01-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

Some random Friday thoughts...
1. Been growing a beard. I will have to shave it for Sunday but I have learned that I theoretically could have a beard if I had like 6 months to let it grow. One day I may be like a Grizzlie Adams youth pastor. It could happen...

2. Starting a new series this weekend called "God Who?" My partner in crime wrote this first two lessons and I am working on the last two. Week one is a great beginning where we talk about the doctrine of the Trinity. The next three weeks will be be about the Father, Jesus and the Son. It is a back to basics series but I am hoping it will be a great fire starter for our group.

3. Coming off vacation and having spent time with some of my family, it is always tough to get back in the flow. So today I just made me a list of stuff that I can do without much thought, just in order to be productive. Seems to have worked some. And today I got a fantastic poster from some middle school girls who had a sleepover at their Bible study leader's house. It was a great pick me up and a reminder that I am making a difference. (And lately I have been doubting that last part.)

4. Warmth in Winter is coming! The church I currently work at is in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church and the largest youth event they do is called Warmth in Winter. So this year, we are taking high schoolers. I am really looking forward to the event because I have no real responsibilities other than keep everyone "safe and sound" and I am hoping to bridge the gaps between some of the kids going and myself. That happens January 26-28, so I'd appreciate some prayers.

Shocking Revelation...

2007-01-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

I just discovered that the kitchen down the hall from my office has a coffee maker that is hooked up. And there is a spigot that gives hot water all the time.
The feeding of my hot chocolate addiction just got easier...

Praying for Passion

2007-01-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

So first off, happy New Year everyone. I started 2006 thinking I had a fairly accurate idea of what I would be doing over the course of that year. Boy, was I wrong! But I enter 2007 confident in God's ability to lead me and my willingness to follow.

But this post is about something totally different.
When I started as a youth minister in Waycross, GA, I was hit hard with the reality that I wasn't really connecting and growing through the worship experiences at my church. And somehow, I stumbled in the website for the Atlanta-area singles ministry called 7:22. And through that I began to be exposed to the teachings of Louie Giglio. And God used that to encourage me, challenge me and make me different from what I was.

Louie doesn't teach at 7:22 anymore; but his heartbeat has always been for college-aged folks. And one of the main things he does is leading Passion, a movement that targets college folks and challenges them to grow in faith and to ultimately become the force that God uses to change the world. I have been blessed to be involved in several Passion events, including One Day in Texas, where I went with a couple of my old youth from Waycross and their new youth director in a rented Cadillac. It was an amazing experience.

All of that to say, this week, 20,000+ students and college-aged folks are gathering in Atlanta at Phillips Arena and the World Congress Center to celebrate who God is and to turn their hearts back towards Him. So let's add our prayers to the prayers of those that are there, that God will continue to raise up and change people who will ultimately change the world.

(PS- they are posting the main session from Passion '07 for people to view. The videos are up for a day and can be watched at www.268generation.com)

Random Christmas Eve stuff I am thinking...

2006-12-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

Some random Christmas Eve thinking, written listening to Sufjan Stevens' Songs for Christmas, which rocks my face.

1. So I have been thinking about other things I could do for a living. Don't read anything big into that statement yet, but I have been thinking about it so here are some jobs that I think I could be suited for:
- the person who picks the music that goes into the jukeboxes at Waffle House. (Note: I am not saving I could be the person who writes music like "Special Lady at the Waffle House." I am just saying I could make some compelling musical selections for the Waffle House.
- a cool movie theater manager. Sadly, I think I would have to win the lotto and do my own thing. But it would be a cool job for me.
- a professor of youth ministry. Or a Young Life person whose primary responsibilities are training up the next generation of leadership.
- a sports talk radio personality in a mid-major market. The local guys here, wow, they are bad. Atlanta must have spoiled me.
- a writer for a sketch comedy show
- the host of "Waffle House Confessions." The idea is simple. Every week, we spend a whole week at a random Waffle House and ask people to tell us their stories. Then we edit those down and share them on the show. Kinda like HBO's "Taxi Cab Confessions" minus the naughtiness. Here is why I think this show would rock:
a) Waffle House is the great equalizer. It is truly one of the few places where you can see a beat-up pick-up truck, a Hummer and a Lexus in the same parking lot as a Toyota Camry. So the stories would cross socio-economic lines.
b) Every Waffle House I have ever been has someone crazy on staff. (My family has some serious Waffle House connections back in the day; in fact, we may have been the crazy person at some of the stores.) So you are guaranteed one good story every week from someone on staff.
c) Waffle House as a sponsor. While I am certain it would bring my death closer and faster, waffle sandwiches for free would rule!
d) There are Waffle Houses in lots of different kinds of communities. Upscale, suburbs, downtown urban, etc.
e) My brother had great ideas for titles of shows: Week One: Scattered, Week Two: Smothered, etc. Nothing like a shout-out to the hashbrowns of the Wa-Ho. Anyone want to front the money for the first shows?

- the person who revolutionizes high school ballgame concessions everywhere. Okay, seriously...has anyone tried any new food ideas in this market in 20 years? We can do better than hotdogs and nachos. Possible things I would put on the menu- quesadillas, tacos, egg rolls, Bubba Burgers, grilled cheeses, baked potato bar. Some would even say we could try something like sushi. Not me of course because I don't generally eat bait, but other people would say that maybe.

2. Sometimes you are absolutely certain of some things. And I am absolutely positive that my dad does not and will never care about this information: The New York Metropolitan Opera will be broadcasting some shows directly to theaters in high-def. Why am I so certain? My dad doesn't like opera. And my dad never will like opera.

3. It is hard to be single in a new area on the holidays. I am heading to Augusta tomorrow and will spend next week with some of my family. But in the meantime, it is tough. I especially feel for people who can't make it home for Christmas.

4. My niece is 2+ this year, so she is getting the whole idea of Christmas from what I hear. So tomorrow should be fun.

5. I wonder how many people will be at churches today and tonight who don't really understand what we are celebrating...to the One who is the visible image of the invisible God! And Merry Christmas to all!

A Christmas Story...

2006-12-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

Below is a piece that I wrote in 1991 for my school's section of the Augusta Chronicle. I thought I would share it with you all on today, Christmas Eve some 14 years later. (Gosh I am getting old...)

One Christmas will be forever firm in my mind. My family had splurged on a live tree, an item we could scarce afford.

And while it was in our home, we nurtured it with love and water, as it watched over our gifts with its evergreen eyes.

On Christmas morning, it shared in our joy, our laughter, our hope. The next day, we carefully removed the lights and ornaments from our new evergreen friend, and with loving kindness my father and I set about placing him in the frozen ground. Through that long winter we watered and cared for our friend.

But when spring came, our friend no longer received the love and needed water from us. We no long cared for him; we lost that Christmas spirit that brought him the water. Spring fever had replaced the love with a busy anxiousness and many errands that did not include care for the evergreen tree.

And as another harsh Georgia summer drought came, the tree became brown and wilted under the sweltering summer heat. Our evergreen friend was dying.

But when the fall came the tree slowly began its healing, shedding the brown needles and soaking up the autumn rain. As Christmas approached, the evergreen needles exploded once again and our pine guardian stood watch over the frozen dead yard we call home.

And we lavished in his love, placing tiny white strings of popcorn on his branches. And he embraced the birds, who sought a reprieve from the harsh winter in his glorious branches.

We are all like this Christmas tree. Through the rest of the year we deprive ourselves of the water of kindness that Christmas brings. And so we wilt and begin to die.

But Christmas brings us the magic back. We explode into that special spirit that makes Christmas so celebrated.

So, yeah…it’s Christmas…

2006-12-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

So to be honest this week has been a curious one for me. I really don’t have much to do at work. We wrapped up youth group on Sunday night and are now in the winter lull, which I hope ends when January and youth group time runs around. (But I am not sure that it will. Maybe more on that some other time.)

So, I have been thinking, praying, reading and writing. I thought I would share some randomness today with the blog world.

1. Back in the mid-1990s I discovered Andrew Peterson. At the time I spent an obscene amount of money on CDs, especially of those of the indie Christian acoustic variety. Andrew wrote a great song about Rich Mullins (“Three Days Before Autumn”) and has been writing amazing stuff ever since.

I have helped put on 3 Andrew shows, though he likely doesn’t remember me. One, I helped when the booking for an Augusta show went bad and we convinced Trinity on the Hill UMC to host it. Two, I brought Andrew and the family to Waycross, GA a year or so later. It was a joint youth group thing that Andrew probably shouldn’t have played but he did and I loved every minute of it.

Lastly, I was serving at a church near Atlanta when our senior pastor was activated and sent to Iraq as a reserves chaplain. One of the things that he said helped him make it through was Andrew’s music. So, as a homecoming gift of sorts, I helped bring Andrew to our church. Again, an amazing show.

All of that to say, I dig Andrew Peterson and while I don’t listen to him a ton, when I do it is always worthwhile. Right now, his Christmas album “Behold the Lamb” is streaming off his website. Worth a listen and purchase if you have that ability. The website is www.andrew-peterson.com

2. One of my favorite Christmas movie- Die Hard. For real. Also, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. For some reason, this movie makes me think of growing up on South Street, huddled around the gas heater and watching it on TV with a cup of hot chocolate. Life was simpler for me then…

3. All I want for Christmas: guidance and wisdom. I seem to need a lot of both of those right now. So if you got extra send it my way. Or ask the Giver of good things to help me out. That and I need some basketball shoes.

4. I got a Tennessee tag on my car now. What a long strange trip that was. And the tag office I went to was in the nicest mall in town. I felt like an impostor being there. You can get your $5000 diamond necklace and your car tag in the same place. Bizarre place this Nashville is…

Tomorrow- I will post the note that I am sending out to the church families on Christmas Day. Something I wrote for the local paper when I was a high school senior that was so well received that there were letters to the editor praising it. I am not sure that I think it is that good, but we will post it here anyways. It is a Christmas warm fuzzy...

Fantasy Football Update...

2006-12-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

So I made some dramatic moves this week in trying to win a key game. I made some great moves and I absolutely messed up my roster. But, if Carson Palmer can score 3 points or less tonight, I can still win. The reigning champ of the league definitely needs a little help...

Stomach Turning Coincidence of the Day...

2006-12-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

Reading on the AJC site about a house in Kirksville, Missouri where 7 bodies were found.
The sponsored ad: Jalapeno Steak Butter Rub.
Something just isn't right...

Review: Pursuit of Happyness

2006-12-18T10:55:00.000-05:00

So Saturday after we delivered and laid out the poinsettias at the church, I went and saw a couple movies, mainly because I needed some down time and veg out time from some stuff that is weighing on my mind.

The first film I saw was “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith. The basic premise of the film is a true story about Charles Gardner and his son as they struggle through poverty and homelessness while the father is engaged in an unpaid internship to become a stock broker. It is a very moving story and I thought the film was well done. It is set in the early 1980s and the film does a remarkable job of conveying the sense of poverty and hardship that existed in that era, especially among the working poor.

What I Liked About It:

The story telling is unconventional is some ways. While formulaic, there are some turns and moves that surprised me. I also think that the reality of the film makes it painful to watch. A lot of these kinds of genre films have a pace where the main character is pushed around, struggles, wins some small victory, and repeats at the climatic end. For the most part, this story’s pay-off is at the end and I will say the end of the movie is a tearjerker. (I cry at movies and have freely admitted it previously.)

Will Smith is a great actor and I think does an amazing job in this role. Though I don't think it is Oscar-worthy, it is a good performance and something that people should look on with a lot of respect. He has come a long way from being the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Also, the movie stars Will Smith’s real son as the son. He is remarkably good and effective in his role. He does good work but isn’t distracting the way that a child actor could be. And some of the things about his daycare are genuinely funny. (The Asian leader of his preschool has the students watch “The Love Boat” to learn about the Navy and “Bonanza” to learn about history.)

So I would give this movie 8.5 stars. It ran a bit long for my tastes or I would have rated it higher. It won the box office this week and I can understand why.

Temptation...

2006-12-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

So I am working today from a Panera Bread Company location, as the Sweet Pickle is down the street being worked on so I can pass emissions and get a Tennessee license plate before the end of the year.

And a guy is here working on his shiny MacBook Pro. And he has left it sitting on the table with no one anywhere near us for the last 30 minutes while he went outside. And I really want a MacBook Pro...

Do churches shape pastors or do pastors shape churches?

2006-12-18T10:13:00.000-05:00

So I am currently a United Methodist. (In truth, I would say I am a Christian first, an evangelical second, a Wesleyan third and United Methodist last. That is both in order of importance and truth I think.) And one of the things that I have been spending some time thinking on is the current Methodist system for pastoral appointments at our congregations.

For those of you non-UMCers out there, let me explain how it works. The Methodist church is governed in conferences, each headed by a bishop. These conferences are then subdivided into districts and each district is given a pastoral leader called a superintendent. The superintendents and the Bishop of each conference form the cabinet and that group largely shapes and directs where pastors are sent in a given conference. So a UMC pastor is affiliated with a conference and typically serves in that conference for the duration of his/her ministry. (For you polity specialists, I realize that this is an oversimplification...)

So there are some assets to this system and design. Here are some of them:

Pastors aren’t constantly on the chopping block. They know that at least for a year, they will serve a certain congregation. (Typically June of one year to June of the next.) So there is some freedom there.
The cabinet and bishops are free to help make the best fit between pastors and congregations.
There can be a diversity in the types of churches that a pastor can serve over his/her career.

All of that is theoretical though, as sometimes it clearly doesn’t work.

And this is where one of my thoughts has developed. How much do pastors shape congregations and how much do congregations shape pastors?

In the Methodist system and structure, we value laity. We think that wisdom is generally found in and among the many, not the few. We think that God uses committees and structures to help guide and shape things. The caveat is that in my experience, too many times the lay people of a church abdicate their responsibility to whoever their senior pastor is. So pastors essentially have open reign to do what they want. And in some cases, that probably isn’t a "end of the world" decision. It could help some churches that they take that approach and have a pastor who genuinely wants to move the church forward from its current position.

But, I don’t think this approach is best in most cases. One of the things that I have learned from my nearly 12 years in ministry is that the pastors I respect the most are the pastors that are learners and those pastors are rare in the UMC structure. To put it plainly, pastors have built this idea up that once one graduates from seminary, one has everything that one needs to govern, direct and lead a UMC congregation anywhere in America. (This is an extremely wide brush I am painting with…)

But in truth, most pastors are desperately in need of growth and shaping even after seminary, because truthfully, we are all in need of growth and shaping. But when the lay people of a congregation give away their ability to lead and govern in favor of the CEO pastor model, it falls apart. Suddenly they are making decisions based on trying to make a pastor happy rather than what is in the best interest of a congregation. This slippery slope is incredibly dangerous, as we can easily have congregations degenerate into cults of personality that lose sight of the Gospel entirely.

So why does it matter?

Pastors need to be humbled. Truthfully, all of us in ministry have a certain sense and edge of superiority. And we need the lay people of the church to be God's chisel in our lives. We need people who can ask us hard questions, deal with our rough edges and make us more and more whole. When a church ceases to have people who can lead alongside and even in front of a pastor, then it can end in some difficult places.
Churches need a clear, concise guiding vision of who they are, independent of who their current pastor is. When we say that we are going to allow pastors to singlehandedly determine the vision and direction of a church, then we are playing Russian roulette with every UMC congregation. A church needs a clear and better sense of who it is before a pastor arrives , during a pastor's tenure and after a pastor arrives. (The Presbyterian model of interim pastors who help the church through a visioning process while they are between senior pastors is a remarkably thoughtful and educated model. Could we create UMC pastors who specialize in helping churches rediscover their voice and appoint those pastors for short terms in churches that need it?)
Staff people. Okay, so removing the veil of secrecy…I am the victim of clergy abuse. My therapist says it is okay to say it out loud and to own it. So, I was a victim. I served at a church, was successful in most ways and when a new pastor arrived, I was shown the door in 9 months because I didn’t fit that pastor’s idea of what a youth minister should be. Now, I am not perfect, but I had served this church faithful and well for 4.5 years and suddenly, I am amputated from that body of Christ because of one man’s agenda. We need to treat staff people better than that. Sometimes a staff person will need to move on. And sometimes, staff people who understand and get a church’s guiding vision can help shape the pastors who are new to the congregation.

So what should we do?

Ask bishops and the cabinets they serve to examine some of the biases that they bring to the table. People talk about ladder of the appointment system because to a degree it is very real. But a certain number of years in a system don’t necessarily mean that the pastors are ready for new and different experiences at certain churches.
Consider interim appointment pastors to help congregations shape and get a clear sense of who they are before they begin another long term appointment process. And when a church is able to articulate its vision and who God is calling it to be, it will make the process of placing pastors easier, not harder. And salary won’t be as huge a deciding factor. (Under the current system the staffing committees tend to abandon the ideas of who they are to “woo” the right pastor to their church. This is unbelievably foolish and short sighted.)
Value educational experiences. Listen, churches contribute lots of money to the general coffers of the UMC and sometimes, we don’t get much back. Spend some money, energy and effort to train, challenge and provide environments for growth (personally, spiritually and pastorally) in all our pastors. Maybe each conference should mandate a convention or experience together each year. (Annual Conferences do not serve this purpose!)
Empower laity again. We need to encourage churches and listen to their people. When the lay people of a church think that their current pastor isn’t a good fit, we need to give that voice a lot of weight. Most church folks aren’t vindictive jerks out to shaft each pastor that they are sent. Sometimes a pastor just isn’t the best fit. I know of one bishop that is proclaiming pastors will be in churches for 5 years minimum, no matter what. And while I understand that decision is a desire to breed longevity, it also may absolutely kill some congregations who are told to “work it out” with a bad fit. Bad fits damage pastors, congregations and leaders in the congregation. Sometimes we need to realize that mistakes happen and changes are needed.

Just trying to win friends and influence people…

Review: The Education of Shelby Knox

2006-12-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

I stumbled into this documentary somehow in Netflix.
The basic story is that some documentary folks (who clearly had a very large agenda before they began filming...) followed Shelby Knox, a high school student who tried to get more comprehensive sex education in the school system of Lubbock, Texas, where STD and pregnancy rates are really high.

Some thoughts:
1. The agenda is clearly on display. At one point in the extras one of the filmmakers laments that at her son's school the sex education isn't comprehensive enough because it doesn't deal with abortion.
2. The story follows a young lady for three years. It is interesting to watch her change. If I had a solid adult youth team in place, it would be a fascinating movie to watch as a team and dissect. She definitely changes.
3. The youth minister in the film is a horrendous caricature. I hope he watched it and realized what a goofy tool he was. He drops all the standard fundamentalist catchphrases and never seems to really deal with a girl who is being exposed to new things and trying to move towards a more mature faith.

Taking a cue from Alge, the IMDB rating on this thing is 7.8. which is unbelievably high. If I wasn't a youth worker, this movie doesn't have much in it. Even as a youth worker, it is an okay watch. I'd give it a 4.

Two Random Movie predictions...

2006-12-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get this on the record.
1. Eragon is going to suck. Want to know how I know? The ads. The relentless money that they seem to have spent to make it the "cool" movie among the kids. (When you are buying ad placement in "Friday Night Lights," that ain't a good sign!) Plus it looks like someone said: "Lord of the Rings" would have been cooler with a young guy driving a dragon. Plus, a first time director that was previously a visual effects person. Bad combination. (I have never read the books, etc. that this is based on.)
2. The Pursuit of Happyness will be good. Will Smith. A true story. It has all the markings of a good, solid movie. I am sure I will cry, though in a manly way.

Being a "Free World-er"

2006-12-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

So Tuesday, the staff at the church I work at went to a maximum security prison and helped deliver gifts.

Honestly, I can say that I wasn't looking forward to the experience. For starters, I wasn't sure about what to do, say, etc. I mean, while I may feel like some of the folks in my church deserve jail, I don't routinely deal with folks in prison. (That was a joke people! A joke!)

But in the end, I am very thankful that I went. I delivered gifts to four different guys. Two were on death row and will never get out. They will literally meet their Maker from the place where they are right now. The other two had been in a long time, over 10 years each and neither was much older than me, if at all.

So what did I learn...

Guys in jail call folks like me Free World-ers
Things that I take for granted have immense value when you can't get them. (The things that the guys loved the most were socks and shampoo...)
Being "free in Christ" means something totally different when you are locked up in jail...
God is bigger than I think most days.

One of the inmates, James, shared with me his story and how God used jail to bring him to understand who Jesus is now. And now Jesus is using him in jail to reach other inmates. James' passion was startling and amazing considering the "world" that he could win is maybe 20 guys who are locked up in the same cell block as he is. Yet, he is convinced and believing that God has called him to win that world.

A couple of my guy wanted to know what church, etc. we were all from. I was so thankful to be able to say that we are all simply the body of Christ. Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventist, pentecostals. All simply together trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus together. I think it definitely gave him pause to realize that when the church is able to move past its denominational differences it really does start to be the Body of Christ.

Random Top 10...

2006-12-07T18:36:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on in my little life since I last posted. Here is a quick review, in no particular order.

1. Youth stuff seems to be going well. I still am feeling like I am short handed and all, but the overall vibe of what we are doing is working. Sunday is our youth Christmas party and I am fairly stoked about that. Got some fun and goofy things planned. Plus, there will be presents involved and presents are always good.

2. The Sweet Pickle, cagey veteran road warrior that it is eclipsed the 150,000 mile marker. Very soon it will be completely paid off. If I can just manage to get it to pass emissions here in Nashville, I will be set. I need to do a Sweet Pickle tribute post this weekend...

3. Church stuff- oh boy. The long and the short is that there are some financial issues and the church is working out what it wants to do with next year's budget. I am simply praying for wisdom and discernment for everyone involved.

4. It is a strange feeling to be yelled at by a creditor on the phone and knowing that I have nothing worth them seizing. Very bizarre. And they are very rude. Like rude to the point of anger. Which they shouldn't be because a quick Google search provides one with their address. (I was looking to send one of those "Cease and Desist" letters to them, because they wouldn't give it to me, which is a violation of the law.)

5. It snowed this morning. Now, it didn't stick to the ground or anything but it snowed. Like enough so that in Atlanta, I would be swinging elbows, bowing up and fighting for eggs and bread and milk, even though I only use milk. Here it was like no big deal. And I realized that if it ever really does snow, there is no way I could make it to work with some the hills between my apartment and my office.

6. Went to the National Youth Worker's Convention. Long and the short- it was great, as always. Really liked Starfield leading worship, though I missed the Crowder moments. Heard some great talks and went to a really, really great seminar- Marko's "Leading Through Change." I owe him a "Atta boy!" email. (And I learned that other people have been punched by a senior pastor and fired because a handful of people didn't like them.)

7. Been reading. Slowly. Reviews forthcoming...

8. We had a programming staff meeting yesterday and it was fantastic. Worked on Lent and that time frame. Felt good to do some team planning and have some needed discussions. 9 AM until nearly 4 PM. On a Wednesday. At the end, I was severely brain drained and still had a full night of youth stuff, which when all of that is added to my convention crud cold, it made for a long night. Feeling better today and will request that in the future such meetings be Tuesday meetings.

9. Headed towards the end of the fantasy football season. Hasn't been a stellar season but I have had a good year, anchored by Steven Jackson and Warrick Dunn at RB and Tom Brady at QB. In the rising rookie report, Vince Young has been fantastic for me, and considering he was my last pick in the draft, that has been good. This week I battle the Mighty Edina Colonials, so we will see. Two men enter and one man gets a better draft position next year...

10. I love the TV show "House." I am about halfway through season 2 and it was great. I also tried to watch some "Entourage" and just don't get it. If it had a good cast, maybe. It is a show being carried on the idea that it is a good concept with no execution. Best thing I am watching is still "Heroes" and "Battlestar Galatica."

A Thanksgiving Spectacular...

2006-11-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

It is Sunday afternoon and I am enjoying a little time to myself, which is really, really unusual. It feels good to take a break though.

I spent Thanksgiving in Mobile, Alabama where my uncle and some other family live. Most of my Dad’s side of the family was able to make it and my uncle was a great host. A good time was had by all. A long trip home for sure but definitely worth it.

While there, I participated in my first Black Friday event. My aunt and I got into the Best Buy line around 4 AM in search for her a television. Mission accomplished as her family scored the plasma 42 inch television we came for. I scored a thumbdrive I needed and an external hard drive. So even as I write this, I am backing up tons of data on my new drive. My pack rat instincts mean that I have 12 years of youth ministry stored digitally and I almost lost it all, if my brother hadn’t been able to rescue a lot of it from an angry hard drive.

Had to make it home for Sunday morning, as I sung a song for the church offertory, which gave the Youth Choir a much needed break. I sang the hymn “Come Thou Fount” and Harry, the church musical director accompanied me on his resonator guitar (aka dobro.) People were fairly nice to me about it and complimentary and I got through.

Youth Sunday School…it just isn’t my thing. I can’t seem to muster any excitement or enthusiasm on any level. I don’t know if it is just morning or what. Thankfully, someone has agreed to take over in January, which will free me up to do some much needed PR work in some adult Sunday school classes for awhile. Spring focus is on building a youth leadership team of adult counselors and a few students. I need some support and back-up in making decisions and doing the work that needs to happen.

So this is annoying...

2006-11-29T16:26:00.000-05:00

Today I spent some time looking over my bills and realized that my Verizon bill has been over what it should be for several months. So I start digging and think that maybe I need to up my minutes because I keep running over. Upon further inspection, it turns out when I got my Motorola Q, I was signed up for a data plan. All of this occurs because Sparky at the Cool Springs Verizon store thinks I am an idiot and don't understand that I can't use the uber-cool internet functions if I don't have the plan. I didn't want to use that functionality yet. I just wanted to use it to sync stuff to my computer and as a phone. Oh well. So for months I have been able to check email, etc. and didn't know that I was paying for it.

Well, Sparky. Look out. The problem is that I have all my contracts, my plan rates and your business card. I am coming for you Sparky and I will get my money back and/or several free months of service. I will not be denied. I will rise early, I will listen to Rage Against the Machine and I will be there when the store opens. See you next Monday at the store. Better bring your game face...

(PS- Sparky is the generic name that I use for all sales-weasels who try and stick it to you.)

Youth Celebration = a great weekend!

2006-11-21T19:19:00.000-05:00

So this weekend I was honored to be a part of the team that was involved in shaping the South Georgia Conference’s Youth Celebration event. I was one of the two folks who helped write all the talks, devotions, small group times as well as recruit talent (worship leaders, speaker and drama folks.) This event is a great one that serves smaller churches in the conference extremely well. The average youth group there seemed to be in the 10-12 kid range and was ran by part-time or volunteer youth directors. I love those kind of groups and seeing God at work in them. All total there was just over 500 people there.

Some of the highlights for me:

Being able to partner with Keith, Brianna and Kevin. All three of them were put in my life path during my time at Cornerstone. All are excellent people and gifted. They gave up a weekend when there was much more for them to do in order to share their talents. It was bittersweet in the fact that I still wish we were all in one place, sharing life and ministry together. But who knows…. maybe our great God may pull us back into one place again. (Consider this a free opportunity for you all to move to Franklin at any point.)
Being in ministry with my friend Brian. He and I were once part of a fantastic retreat ministry that slowly fell apart, with my departure first and his second. There were some significant wounds there but over time, God has allowed us to slowly come back together and do ministry together. And he did a fantastic job in delivering talks and sharing his heart.
Watching people. It is very cool to be in an event where you aren’t carrying a lot of water yourself. I was able just to chill, worship and watch others worship. I was really touched by an older kid reaching out and encouraging a younger student in worship on Saturday morning. A little picture of what I’d like to see us grow into here at my church.
The band. These were all guys I knew from different places and they pulled together and made it work. All of them are involved in ministry and all of them put worship before performance. They connected with the crowd (both on and off stage) and they did well. Highlights: Seeing them perform “Jesus Freaks” and their Saturday rendition of Redman’s “You Never Let Go” which was a theme song for me from May through July.
Just being able to be renewed. This last stretch here has been a challenging one for a lot of reasons, without an obvious place for me to renew and refill. This weekend was a great one for that reason.
Knowing lives were changed. All weekend we looked at different people’s encounters with Jesus and how their lives are changed. We looked at Zacchaeus, (How do we see God?), the Rich Young Ruler (Are we willing to give up the idols in our lives), the woman caught in adultery, (Jesus changed her past, present and future) and the woman at the well (Sharing with others when Jesus changes your life.)

Sometimes I am blown away by how great and good God is to me and allows me to work with His people...

What;'s Going On?

2006-11-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

So, this weekend I was pretty lazy and good for nothing. Which is okay once in awhile I guess.

Sunday- Youth Choir sang. Sounded pretty good actually. It was Laity Sunday at our church and we had a lay speaker. He was very good I thought. Speaking when you aren't used to it can be tough. Sunday night youth went great except for an injury. More "We are here, entertain us" attitude. But it was better. Trying to keep my eyes on the long term goals and vision.

Monday- Hung out at Barnes and Nobles for the first time. It is nice. Regular old B&N. Read about 30 pages of a good book that I will be adding to my Amazon.com wishlist.

What is happening this week:
A road trip that I am definitely looking forward to. First, I will head from here to Macon, GA for a meeting/run-through/prayer time for a retreat this weekend. Then I will be on to Augusta to see my family. Mom recently moved into a house and I want to make sure to see it before Christmas. From there, I head to Saint Simons Island for Youth Celebration, a gathering of 500+ students and adults from the South Georgia UMC Conference. I helped write all the talks, seminars, etc. and some friends are leading worship, drama and speaking. It will remind me of my former life as a big time event guy. Now I am just excited to be hanging with my friends and doing ministry together.

Saturday night will be a head rush drive back towards Nashville. Crash is some cheap hotel and then on the Nashville because we have our church charge conference and a church-wide Thanksgiving dinner. Otherwise I would be staying through the weekend in Saint Simons.

Coming up: Thanksgiving in Mobile. Adult Leaders meetings. I need them bad and have been slack about it thus far. And I am really looking forward to the Charlotte Youth Specialties Convention. In fact, I will be making address labels and things so I can become the Exhibit Hall free stuff guy, which is completely against my nature.

Right now: Loading all kinds of sermons, talks, training and podcasts on to my Motorola Q. I like driving and listening to stuff that challenges me and makes me think. I am reading two books during my morning hours: Andy Stanley's book on communication and the Kara Powell and Chap Clark book on deeper ministry. Reviews will be coming shortly. The short reviews: they are both challenging.

Some Wednesday Randomness...

2006-11-08T16:50:00.000-05:00

Some really random thoughts on a Wednesday afternoon…

The Atlanta Hawks are 3-1, including a big win over Lebron and the Cavs. Since Georgia football is in the tank and the Titans aren’t quite good enough for me to jump on their bandwagon, I am all juiced up about the Hawks. Enough so that I bought tickets to a Hawks-Grizzlies game in December in Memphis.
I am very thankful that I won’t have to listen to another Bob Corker or Harold Ford, Jr. senatorial commercial. And they spend millions running those ads and you never once, ever see a “Thanks for voting for me” ad. Never. Jerks.
Speaking of which- last night in Nashville when I went to sleep at 11 PM there were still people in line to vote. (Polls closed here in Tennessee at 7 PM.) The best part was one of the Elections officials saying that they were satisfied with the waits and more people should vote early. They were unhappy when the reporter stated that there was no demand that people vote early; that it was simply an option.
I am so glad my “politics is going to save the world” phase ended about 8 years ago.
The coke fast. Still going. I have had an occasional lemonade from the machine down the hall from my office. But that is mainly because I am lazy and haven’t brought in new drinks. Still no cokes. Less pain than before. Feel like I am turning the corner.
Sunday update- I had one of those Sundays were I went home and looked at the ceiling and went “You think that was funny?” Just nothing worked, kids were belligerent, ornery, pains in the backside. I felt like I was a boxer pinned on the ropes and getting the crap kicked out of me. Thankfully, some good stuff has happened since that seems to be an answer to some of my prayers.
We have a temp secretary at the office. Today she asked me something fairly basic and I didn’t have an answer. I left proud that for 3 months I have kept myself out of fixing everyone’s problems and didn’t know the answer.
In two weekends I will be at a large youth gathering. I am looking forward to being in a place where I can sing, pray, listen, laugh and learn and have nearly no responsibilities. I need some worship where I don’t have any responsibilities that don’t relate to me. Side note: If anyone knows of a church that has contemporary worship on Saturday evenings in the greater Nashville area, I’d appreciate a heads up.
Fantasy football- I am slowly fighting my way back into contention. Riding Tom Brady, Steven Jackson and Warrick Dunn, along with either Marc Bulger or Vince Young as my all-purpose person I have been fighting my way back from a 1-3 start. Outside chance it could go my way. The team I am playing this week seems unmanned, as 3 of the players on his active list are out.
Football is over here. Both the high schools where I have kids lost last weekend in the opening round of the playoffs. It is always interesting watching the senior players, cheerleaders and band kids realize that for most of them, that part of their life is over. One of my kids came by randomly at the office after voting and it seemed because he didn’t know what else to do. (He is a football player being recruited. In fact, he got a recruiting call while sitting in my office.)
Random things I am digging: Heroes (one of the best shows on TV), Studio 60, 30 Rock (Last week’s interaction between Tracy Morgan and the intern was some of the funniest stuff I have seen in awhile), Battlestar Galactica (I may soon write a post about if Adama was a pastor) and Lost. Tonight is the last Lost before the 13 week break, so it will be weird to see what happens.

Catalyst: Andy Stanley and John Maxwell

2006-11-07T17:11:00.000-05:00

Catalyst: Andy Stanley and John Maxwell

In this session, Andy Stanley tried to re-create some early mentoring sessions he had with John Maxwell. I found it to be very great. One of the earliest training things I ever went to was a John Maxwell leadership event in Jacksonville, FL and I was impressed with his desire to train and raise up leaders!

Lead into your strengths. Don’t waste time focusing on your weaknesses. As quickly as possible lean towards what you do well.

On a 1-10 scale, you will only be able to learn and grow yourself up 2 points. People don’t pay for average.

Talk to your friends and if they give you a 5 or less in certain areas, that is a weakness.

Find people to cover areas you are weak in.

Focus!

10 leaders attract 9 leaders.

We attract who we are, not who we want.

Investment- crowd- 12-3

Jesus didn’t spend his time equally. He spoke to crowds, he invested in 12 and really invested in 3.

Jesus picked leaders, gifts to advance the Gospel.

Think like a coach: design plays for the best players to shoot and try and score!

Difference between attitude, competence and skill.

Skills can only grow so much. Think +2 maximum.

Attitude is a choice and can climb much higher.

The more choice you have (attitude over skill) the more change you can make.

Key- find potentially great leaders to develop.

Choices = big growth

Spiritual development versus leadership development: Spiritual development is a choice.

360 degree leader- the ability to lead in the middle of the pack. Lead up and down simultaneously.

“Follow me, I’m right behind you.”

Lead up, lead across and lead down.

People who have influenced the world the most have never had the highest position.

On ending well in ministry:

What should happen: “The closer people get, the more they love you.”

People who fail morally:

No accountability
Not in the Word of God
Never thought it could happen to them!

“Lead me not into temptation.”

-Accountability partner. Questions they can ask and probe you. The final question should always be “Have you been truthful with me in all these answers?”

Surround yourself with prayer partners.

Protect yourself, be safe and don’t get too close to the edge.

Catalyst: Rick McKinley and Donald Miller

2006-11-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

Catalyst: Rick McKinley and Donald Miller

Donald Miller and his pastor, Rick McKinley did a little Q and A forum about the community of faith that they are both invested in, Imago Dei.

Rick McKinley shared some of his earliest experiences with the church:

“I didn’t care that I didn’t fit in. I just wanted Jesus.”

Outreach isn’t a how-to, it is a want to.

Sometimes we treat outreach as a version of Amway Jesus, trying to sell people our commercialized version of church.

In the midst of their efforts, they realized that God was at work in the streets.

They don’t come back alive because they aren’t worried about safety.

Risk= transformation

Lead hard, be willing to risk and be wise about discernment.

Church= sent people of God.

Church doesn’t exist for itself, it exists for those outside of it.

Staff serve the hearts of God’s people as they are out doing ministry.

The culture feels like we hate them.

Media is always black and white, shocking, not nuisanced.

If you protect yourself from the culture, you lose your voice.

The church is the hope of the world and when it is on mission, it is transformational.

Catalyst: Donald Miller

2006-11-07T17:09:00.000-05:00

Catalyst: Donald Miller

First off, I wish I had listened to my brother Will and read Blue Like Jazz before last year. But after having heard Miller speak at Catalyst last year, I was definitely impressed and have since read all his works. He speaks in a language I understand: evangelical but not one of those evangelicals, smart but not perfect and stuck between the Reds and the Blues of both politics and the church’s politics. So I definitely appreciate Miller in general.

Here are my notes:
Dominant influences in Western Culture: Free market economic system, Darwinian theory and the Bible.

Formula that most marketing in the world attempts to use:

Convince you that you are not happy
Invest money in my product so that you can be happy

Favorite quote: “Like a home schooler discovering reality…”

Matthew 6, The Message

Spirituality works like reality

Jesus’ metaphors show how the natural world reflects God and spiritual growth.

Review: Orbiting the Giant Hairball

2006-11-07T17:07:00.000-05:00

Book review: Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie

So I have been working my way through my stack of books. This review is the first of a couple I should do this week.

MacKenzie is a very interesting person and writer and the book reflects as much. It is full of drawings and some interesting things that definitely compliment the work that he has written. In short, the synopsis of the book is that the “corporate” structure of an organization has the ability to suffocate your own inner creativity and ingenuity. The work is full of how ideas and encouragement to engage that structure (“the Hairball”) without getting sucked into it. (“Orbiting”)

It is a hard book to review but I would definitely recommend it, especially if you are as subversive as I am but struggling to live in a structure like the mainline church. Definitely a good read and encouraged me to think that I can survive in the “Hairball” I am orbiting.

Authenticity and Truth

2006-11-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

Sign O’ the Times

No this isn’t a post about Prince’s amazing album. But did you see that he is a Vegas act now? Soon or later I going to go to Vegas. Anyone want to bankroll a reality show about some youth pastors who spend two weeks in Vegas. (Funny Vegas story at the bottom.)

In the midst of all the Ted Haggard stuff going on, there is an interesting dynamic at play. Mainly, that authenticity trumps truth. You see the thinking goes that the accuser is being “real” and “honest” so therefore what he has done gets a pass but he evidently sincerely and genuinely meant to be a gay prostitute who sold meth. And as long as you are “real” about it, then it is cool.

The flip side is that Ted Haggard is a bad man because he wasn’t being “real.” See, his sin wasn’t that he was visiting with a gay prostitute, it was that he wasn’t being honest about it. Saying one thing and doing another makes us bad people, not our behavior.

Let me blunt: sin is sin. That is the reality of it. Is it a terrible thing that Haggard has done? Yes. But mainly because it appears that at least to some degree he has betrayed his family, his church, his faith and himself. It isn’t that he wasn’t honest about it. It was that he did it. Things would not be better if he had stood in his pulpit and proclaim “I just want to be honest and real with you all…” and then told the whole sordid story. Authenticity is important but it doesn’t trump truth.

And now on a lighter note, my funny Vegas story. So my friend John was a youth minister at a Baptist church in a town near mine and one year the youth choir tour took them through Vegas. Just long enough to grab something to eat. So part of what John wanted to show was the evil of gambling and how easy it is to waste away money. So he buys a $5 slot chip and has all the kids stand at the edge of the casino line so they aren’t in the casino but they can see him. And he puts in the token, pulls the lever and…jackpot. He wins like $15,000. Kids are high fiving, the adults are cracking up and the music minister is not amused and John just won half his salary for a year. He managed to stay on staff and he donated all the money to a Rescue Mission in Vegas (that day) but I wish someone had been filming to get a glimpse of the look on his face…

Sad news...

2006-11-03T15:50:00.000-05:00

So beginning yesterday, the news was filled with news about allegations that Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs had engaged in a sexual relationship with a man and also did drugs.

People far smarter than I can deal with the truth of the allegations. Haggard is saying he bought and never used the drugs, got a massage from the guy but never had sexual contact. And evidently the one making the allegations failed the portion of the lie detector that said they actually had sex. So it is weird to say the least.

I don't think that what happened to Haggard is unusual. In watching the Dateline NBC's expose called "To Catch a Predator" last week, the announcer essentially said that they were no longer surprised when the suspect told that he was or had been involved in ministry somehow. So now in sting operations to catch child predators, we are finding enough people in ministry that it is now considered not unusual.

Leaders, either lead with integrity or take the time to walk away and deal with your stuff. One of the heroes of the faith to me is Reverend Billy Graham. His character, his integrity and his willingness to lead in tough times all speak volumes to me. And one of the lessons that I have taken from his life is this: he wanted to live in such a way that he is beyond reproach. And he has been. People have complained about Graham's theology, his politics and more. But no one has ever called into account his character. He put things in his life that insured that he was always beyond reproach.

And I truly think that from my experience that here are some of the factors that move people down this road.

We get wounded and never take the time to heal. I know as well as anyone that ministry sometimes greatly and deeply hurts. My experience of being “let go” from a church that I loved and served for 4 years was a deeply and profoundly hurtful one. Thankfully, I had a friend in ministry who enabled me to go to counseling and I still speak to my counselor from time to time. Even in the midst of that, there is still some healing that needs to happen in my life. Had I simply moved to another local church (which almost happened in my case) my anger, my rage and my pain would still be with me. When we don’t seek healing, we are asking for our issues to show themselves in deeply damaging ways.

So we need to cultivate a culture where it is smart and valuable for people to take a step away from ministry in order to seek healing for their own hearts. Ministry hurts. Healing takes time.

Too many people in ministry get damaged and then never spend the time needed to get well. More of us need to be willing to walk away from ministry for the sake of our own souls. But we become convinced that we are much too important to the kingdom of God to walk away from our posts. May God save us from our foolishness.

We don’t have real accountability. I have known and am friends with tons of people involved in ministry. And far too many of us have no real accountability in our lives.

Personally, I have always tried to grow accountability in my own life. I have some relationships with friends that are completely transparent. And there are some keys to why I think it works for me- there isn’t any competition, there is no chance of “exposure” and the care is for me first and my ministry second. So I have worked really hard to cultivate that. And most ministers I know don’t.

Instead we fall into the comparison game. Whose church is bigger. Who is making the biggest jump among churches. More money, more power, more connections and more egos. The truth is that we need people in our lives that can speak hard truth. If you are in ministry and you don’t have those people, then you may be headed for trouble.

Which leads us to…

We think it will never happen to us. Whenever you start to talk about this idea among people in ministry, you always seem to get a “Been there, done that” feel to the conversation. Everyone has an idea in their head that they would never head down that road. And while meth and weird massages might not be your beast, there but for the grace of God go you. (And all of us.)

We all have our weaknesses and our struggles. And when we become tired, wounded and don’t have accountability, we are already sliding down the slippery slope. We need to be able to realize that all of us could stumble and do everything we can to ensure that we don’t stumble.

So pray for leaders. Pray for Ted Haggard, his family, his staff and his church. Pray for healing to happen before the wounds manifest themselves in such damaging ways. Amen.

Catalyst Session: George Barna

2006-11-02T17:48:00.000-05:00

Catalyst Session: George Barna

So I am still processing and blogging about the Catalyst Conference, which was a while ago now I guess.

So in my reading of blogs, it was interesting reading other people’s reactions to George Barna’s session in particular. Right now, I am guessing I probably read as many if not more church-planter blogs than anyone. Really I am doing it for preparation to what comes next and as a reminder to myself that folks like that (pioneers) are out there. And Barna evidently stepped all over their toes to some degree. Several of them were really unhappy with what Barna said, which I found to be immensely interesting.

The essential thing is this- Barna did some research and wrote a phenomenal book called Revolution. And that work really, really challenges people to look at the reality that people are dealing with their faith in a much less instituationalize format. And whereas a denominational leader would push the panic button and start down the road of trying to prop up the institutional church, Barna seems to say “Roll with it.” And to people who are dreaming of planting the next megachurch, that is bad news.

So here are some of the interesting things that Barna talked about.

Transformation most often happens in the lives of children.

As I get older and as I have had opportunities to shepherd students in leaders in three very different churches now, I have come to believe that this is absolutely true. The students that I have seen grow the farthest and deepest in their faith are students that I inherited who were already well on the road to becoming disciples. That isn’t always the case but as a generality, it is true. The application part of that process would seem to me that churches invest more in the lives of kids and grow them up. And with the growing trend of teenagers becoming “mini-adults,” complete with overcrowded and overcommitted schedules, this may be the best time to reach them,

God doesn’t give a rip about our methodology; He cares about our hearts.

Here Barna began to really break down some key stats that I think are really intriguing.

He talks about how the American church if it continues on this path will lost ½ its “market share” by 2025/ He spoke passionately about how some of the things that are going to go the church- alternative forms, services, house churches. Things a lot of people would lump into the emerging context of church. For Barna, this is an amazing sign of latent spiritual energy being released in new ways.

I tend to agree. The last church I left had a difficult time with my leaving. I was asked to resign and at one point, about 50 people came to me and asked if I would help them start a new church. And I was and still am absolutely convinced that 50 people meeting in someone’s basement could make more of an impact than the institutional church that we were investing in. Because the passion is there and the hurdles aren’t.

I loved this statement: God never called us to go to church; He called us to be the church. (Put that on the head ushers head count sheet at your church…)

So if all of this is true, then we are called to evaluate things in a different way. “Working well” needs a new definition.

Amen and amen. Too many ministries I have been involved in settle and set the standard of success at “Enough Sunday School teachers showed up today” or “No one got hurt on the event” or “Everyone had a good time.” None of those things are bad things. But they aren’t the goal. Life change is the goal for the local church. Transformation in your congregation and through your congregation into the world is the goal. NEVER lower that bar. Because once you do, you have begun a slow, never ending spiral into mediocrity and maintenance ministry.

7 passions for revolutionaries.

A worshipping individual

Evangelism through relationships

Discipleship- enjoying time with God

Serving other people- blessed to be a blessing

Resources- how is your time, money and energy used

Building and sustaining community

Family being central to the church experience

Other thoughts he shared:

Don’t become a leader to be popular. Leadership is about change!

The people he classifies as revolutionaries are more committed to Christ than the average church goer.

How this ought to affect ministry:

Focus on transformation and what that means.

Don’t build buildings and hire people/

Bigness isn’t as important as spiritual depth and community depth.

The challenge is how do we use the tools (internet, media, etc.) to keep the focus on God.

In retrospect, I dug this session because Barna resonated back some thing I have thought and felt for sometime. It may be bad news for my long term career, as in being paid to be a minister, but it may be exactly what the church needs!

My body is ANGRY!

2006-11-02T16:26:00.000-05:00

So...nearly a week in and still no soda. Okay, I did slip up at the lock-out and took a swig off a kid's coke before I realized what I was doing. But other than that, I have held strong.
Some things I have learned:
1. Lunches and meals cost a lot less when you drink water.
2. I didn't have a caffeine addiction. I have a sugar addiction, which makes sense when you take in to account that I drank a lot of root beer, which is generally caffeine free.
3. I have better will power than I thought.
4. My body is going through a sort of detox and it is angry with me. I was okay until Tuesday, which was bad and today, which was bad again. Wednesday was good. No idea why.

So thanks for the encouragement and all. No signs of giving it up anytime soon.

A public Proclamation...

2006-10-26T16:05:00.000-05:00

I wanted to announce it publicly.
I am off of sodas. No canned or bottled drinks.
Farewell root beers, cokes, etc.
Been this way for several days. Drinking water, milk and water with the Kroger brand of Crystal Light.
And I decided to start the weekend I am pulling an all-nighter.
Pray for my sanity...

Exporting America's Finest...

2006-10-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my buddy Turff recently moved jobs and is now big time at his new company. One of the first acts that happened in his new job is that he is taking a safari to South Africa for business.

So today, he makes a very expensive phone call to me to say that at 11:15 PM he arrived back at his hotel, turns on the TV and on one of the 5 channels is the creme de la creme of American television. That's right ladies and gentleman, Joey Greco is global! Cheaters was on South African television. I wonder if they have seen the one where Joey gets stabbed yet...

So here's to Cheaters, America and learning of the evils of cheating on your signficant other!

Catalyst Day One, Session Two

2006-10-17T14:41:00.000-05:00

Catalyst Conference
Session #2: Marcus Buckingham
I just recently have become aware of the work of Marcus Buckingham. When I arrived at Bethlehem, one of the early things that I was asked to do was take the Clifton Strengths Finder from his book Now, Discover Your Strengths. (For the record, I scored as Restorative, Input, Intellection, Achiever and Connectedness.) And in my “To Read” pile is his book First, Break All the Rules.

The focus of Buckingham’s talk was focused on the idea of strengths. A great deal of what he talked about was the process of being a manager, which I took as being applicable to my work in helping volunteers discover their gifts and talents.

“The job of a manager is to turn one person’s talent into performance.”

“The best managers see small increments of growth in others.”

"Great managers find out what is unique about each person and capitalize on it."

Sharpen, refine, contribute.

Our people’s strengths are our greatest asset.

3 Myths:
1. As you grow, your personality changes
The truth is that you become more and more of who you are.
2. You grow the most in your weakest areas.
Areas of growth are really in the areas of our strengths.
3. What the team needs you do is to chip in at your weakest areas.

What I Took Away:
For me, it was a confirmation of the idea that I need to realize and focus on my strengths. My passion drives me to take the gifts that God has given me and to not focus so much on what I am not good at. In short, I cancelled my registration for the Dale Carnegie course on “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

So what is the take home?
I have been praying that God will give me opportunities to use my gifts and strengths in a way that glorifies him. Secondarily, I want desperately to help people discover their strengths and free them up for ministry. I am learning that a major part of my task and call is to help people be who God has called them to be. Lots of people have occupations and I think God wants me to help people to discover their calls.

Catalyst Day One, Session One

2006-10-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Catalyst Conference, Day One starts:

Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I was working on about 4 hours of sleep the morning of the start of the Catalyst Conference. I drove all night and had bad directions to the hotel and the night clerk wasn’t exactly Mr. Mapquest. So I arrived late, dove into the bed and it felt like 10 minutes later woke-up and grabbed a shower.

A Panera Bread run, a short drive over and we arrived at the Gwinnet Convention Center, which is an amazing facility. A few steps from the car, we jumped into a limo. Yes, a limo. Kevin and Shannon (from Lighthouse) and I shared a limo with some folks and got out to a red carpet welcome. Pictures were taken, including me doing an amazing high-five with like a 6’ 5” guy with long arms. Pride entered as we walked away and one of the Catalyst staff people said “Dang, the big fella really got up!”

Session #1: Andy Stanley.

I will say that for me personally this session was the most meaningful and directly related to me. The basis of the session was on leadership being a gift from God and Andy taught from Daniel 4. The key quote, which now hangs over my desk in the basement office is “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and he gives them to whoever he wishes.” From there he talked over the ideas that leadership is a stewardship given from God and he can take it away whenever he chooses. Real leadership is marked by diligent, fearless and humble.

What I Took Away: No doubt God spoke directly to me through this talk. As I have written about and shared with most folks who read this, I was asked to leave a church and youth ministry that I loved at the beginning of May. The pain of that situation still haunts me and I am dealing with it and learning to deal with it.

And in mid-July, God began to nudge me and a church in Tennessee to partner together. So, God led me to Bethlehem United Methodist and I am truly blessed to be here.

What happened was that there was a disconnect in my heart and mind between the leaving of Cornerstone and the arrival at Bethlehem. In my head and heart, God sent me to Bethlehem to fix a situation that was made by folks who were out to get me. So on the Thursday morning of Catalyst, I felt like God was saying “Moron, I moved you. Yeah, it was a bad situation with some less than understanding people and it was painful. But I am sovereign and I moved you. And I then moved you to the place where you are serving now.” And I felt like taking my ball and going home because I knew that would be the most freeing thing I would hear all week.

So what is the take home? In all honesty, I made the decision to pray that God would send Cornerstone a new shepherd. And everyday that has been my prayer. That he would give those people and those opportunities to whoever he wishes. Secondly, I began to really engage in the lives of the people at Bethlehem. Timing was probably critical and there was no doubt a ton of administrative stuff for me to do the first couple months at Bethlehem. But I made the decision that the bridge God burned behind me wasn’t worth trying to escape back over. He is God and he has sent me here to do his work. And that is incredibly freeing.

From the Message (Daniel 4:17)
The angels announce this decree,
the holy watchmen bring this sentence,
So that everyone living will know
that the High God rules human kingdoms.
He arranges kingdom affairs however he wishes,
and makes leaders out of losers.

Stay Classy Miami!

2006-10-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

Many of you may have seen video of the fight that occurred in the third quarter of the University of Miami and the Florida International University football game on Saturday. It is easy to find if you haven't. Needless to say, it was despicable. (Note the ridiculous comments of one Lamar Thomas, who I will discuss further later.)

Miami has a notorious reputation. It has long been the school of thugs, jerks and bad seeds. I mean, 2 Live Crew was on their sidelines at one point in their history. And all was forgiven because they won football games. Let's review the last 10 months of Miami football....

The 2006 Peach Bowl versus LSU. Miami evidently instigates a brawl. After get annhiliated on the field. And by all accounts, they lost the brawl. I mean, Miami can act like they are the filthy, dirty of the NCAA but a bunch of cajun boys from near the Big Easy smacked them around on and off the field.

So they clean out the coaching staff and declare the dawn of a new era. Larry Coker manages to survive as head coach. So the season starts. What appears to be a pretty bad Florida State team beats them. They beat Florida A&M.

They head to Louisville, make a big to-do about stomping on the middle of the field and on Louisville's logo. Cocky, brash, arrogant. And then, they get whupped 31-7 by a Conference USA team that is playing their back-up tailback and quarterback.

Then the brawl happens on Saturday. First, Larry Coker has lost all control of the program. I would like to think that had I been the head coach of Miami, I would have ended the game immediately. Forfeited. Explain to my team that if you want to play, then you act like men. Injured players using crutches as weapons isn't what I would want my team, my school and my conference to be known for.

Then, if I got any crap out of the players about it, I would end the season. Immediately. And if they fired me, then so be it. I hear all the time about how the joy of college football is the passion and enthusiasm because it is amaeur athletes. The truth is different and because it is big business, it will never happen. But maybe it is time to remind all student-athletes that their first and primary obligation is to behave like men. I would be ashamed to have anything to do with the University of Miami today.

(Side rant: Email CSS which covered the game and ask them to fire Lamar Thomas. There is dumb, there is stupid and then there is Lamar Thomas. Unbelievable. UPDATE: I got an excellent reply email from the VP of CSS and not long after this was posted on CNNSI.com)

A Massive Update!

2006-10-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

A massive update….

Okay, so there is a massive amount of stuff soon to come to this blog. Just been busy doing stuff. Like life. So here is some consolidated news and random thoughts:

Sunday report: Sunday was great! Youth Choir sang at the early service and I was again the children’s sermon person. (FYI- Children’s sermon isn’t in my wheelhouse. At all. Definitely place it in the category of Things Other People will Do for Me Soon.”) Later in the afternoon we had a service day where we did some work on a couple of people’s homes in the church. Turnout was WAY better than I thought it would be. We ended the evening watching “Remember the Titans” and eating pizza. A good time was had by all. (And I must say, people were very, very nice to me in regards to Georgia’s self-destruction and loss to Tennessee. I can’t stand that crappy orange. God make me colorblind if you want me to stay here for a long time.)
Important podcast news: NPR’s “This American Life” is now available on podcast from the itunes store podcast section. Also, Mars Hill Bible Church (Rob Bell’s home) is now podcasting directly and is available in the itunes store podcast section. Previously, you had to go directly to their site and download it so this is a significant improvement. Both items are now in my play list. Along with many, many others.
When I moved to Tennessee I was due a new phone and I got a Motorola Q. It has been great and there are tons of great websites to help you know how to use it. So far I have been very happy and this week I got some accessories I needed for it- memory card, car charger, headphones adaptor. It will be my only carry everywhere device, which is nice.
Gearing up for the first big event of the youth calendar. The Lock-Out. Much of the plans are still top-secret but I have the necessary chaperones and all things are booked. Sign-up deadline was this past Sunday.
My “old” youth group is on their fall retreat this week. Pray for them.
Tech nerds: I switched to the new Google Reader for all my blog reading. So far, good stuff and easy to use.
I ordered the season passes for “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” instead of ordering cable. I hope my neighbor with the open wifi spot doesn’t move anytime soon.

Stuff coming up:

· My Catalyst Conference report. It was a great experience and I want to break it down per session, especially what my take-away was from each session.

· My Atlanta Hawks preview. Seriously. And, yes, I know they are hopeless. But they have a special place in my heart.

· Movie review of The Departed. I am hoping to see it this weekend at some point. Haven’t really done much in the movie front the last couple weeks. Been watching Entourage and House on DVD as well as some new show: Friday Night Lights (okay and getting better), Studio 60 (Good but I worry about a decline), Heroes (Has some really, really good potential). NBC.com has most new shows online for watching if you want to kill some time at the office.

· Random sports thought: TO, quit listening to idiots (Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders) and demonstrating your own idiocy. Catch the football, score touchdowns and shut up. Go Falcons! Go Dawgs! (Mark Richt is a great coach and, more importantly to me, a good man who wants to build young men of character. I hope he is UGA’s coach for the next quarter century.)

· Fantasy football: Doesn’t look good for me to repeat as league champ. Trying, but it ain’t working. Next year, I will draft 4 running backs in the first 4 rounds.

New Church Plant labels...

2006-10-04T15:57:00.000-05:00

In the “what the heck” category of web-serving, I recently headed towards a conference website to read their update, as occasionally it has some good ideas and thoughts. I noticed that in the capacity to search for new churches, there is an Ethnic Code section.

So, as my blood pressure rose, I thought “Surely, this is some kind of error.” Then I decided to check it out. And sure enough, you can search for new churches by the following “Ethnic codes”: African-American, Anglo, Asian/Indian, Brazilian, Chinese, Haitian, Hispanic/Latino, Kenyan, Korean, Liberian and Multi-Ethnic. By selecting one you are able to find your appropriate Ethnic Code.

I am deeply, deeply saddened for a lot of reasons.

I personally think that folks that are looking for a new church tend to be pretty web savvy. What kind of message does this send to new folks who are looking for a United Methodist Church in this area that we are segregating ourselves? We need to be launching new churches because we know and believe that we need new churches. Can we not trust God to send us the people He wants to entrust in our care?
Heaven will be diverse. It is about time that we moved away from the whole “White people worship with white people, etc.” model of doing church. It grieves the heart of God that we would so divide ourselves this way. (And I am not one to throw around the idea that we are grieving the heart of God, but you can’t read John 17:20-26 and not see that.)
It is abhorrent to think that the new churches we are starting carry on some of the worst parts of who we are, namely our divisions. And let’s not get all happy because there is a Multi-Ethnic Ethnic Code…it only has 2 churches in that category and one of those isn’t exactly in a diverse area.
I doubt the church planters involved are doing church with this division in mind. If a white couple finds their way into a predominately African-American congregation, do we not welcome them, love them and minister to them? “Open hearts, open doors, open minds” needs to be more than a weak advertising slogan that makes church people feel better about themselves.

Come, Lord Jesus...

Movie Reviews: Kids and Hustle and Flow

2006-10-04T13:27:00.000-05:00

(Note: Both these films are full of profanity, some violence and other issues that kids shouldn't see and uptight people ought to leave alone.)

So over the past week, I saw a couple movies via Netflix. (The movie watching has seriously slowed down now that I have purchased an antenna for my TV and can get most broadcast channels.)

Kids. Ugh. Kids is one of those movies that tries very hard to be shocking and titillating and depressing. For my money it succeeds only in depressing. The basic premise is that it follows some New York City kids through their life, which is missing nearly any adult involvement. It tries to then show a bleak side of life, a young man who has HIV, doesn't know it and is set on conquesting as many virgins as possible.
Why it didn't work: It is a world I know. I know kids who are adult-less and, yes, they wind up in some messy, ugly, strange places. The film maker seemed to want to walk a line between condemnation and glorification. The end result is a boring movie with some now famous kids that I could use to shock the heck out of adults if I wanted to but real life does in a much better way.

Hustle and Flow. You should first know this about me: I fancy myself as coming up from a pretty poor background. Now, granted, South Street in Newnan isn't downtown Atlanta or anything but it isn't exactly Peachtree City, GA either. So I think I understand and feel a bit about the haunting of poverty. (And if you beg to differ, that is fine. Just take it up with me face to face.)
And Hustle and Flow is a tremendous movie about one man's attempt to make something with his life. Terrence Howard is an amazingly gifted actor who portrays a pimp trying to make it as a rap/hip-hop artist. The supporting cast are all outstanding and the film works. What I found particularly interesting was the "Making of" feature where it talks about how the director was unable to get funding for a very urban movie because he was white. Liberal Hollywood couldn't conceive that a white man might know something about poverty, depression and pulling yourself up out of it.
Why it works: The film doesn't try and glorify the characters. All of them have major flaws. Some massively so. But it strikes a chord because of that fact- all of us got our issues, our demons and our sins. But at our core, we all want to try and make ourselves into something better than we are. Hustle and Flow does a good job of it. I especially thought the ending was particularly inspired, as it sets you up for one thing and gives you something else entirely.

Sunday Wrap-Up, 10-1-06

2006-10-03T18:29:00.000-05:00

So as good as last week was this week was “ugh.” Not bad, just it didn’t work entirely.

First off, the game didn’t work very well. Dodgeball Dragon. Previously I have played it with kids and it has been awesome but it just never quite got there…oh well. I need a good game person and/or spend some time mapping out a long term game plan.

The talk went okay. We had a great turnout, which is awesome. The bad is that we still don’t quite have the space worked out well. So big crowd = less functional for talks, etc. Argh. Soon we will have built in bleachers, two LCDs and a nice sound system. (Folks- it is a dream. I figure dream big…)

This week I am headed back to the ATL for the Catalyst Conference. Turff, some folks from his church and their parent church are all going. I went last year and enjoyed it immensely. I am thankful for a church that will support me in my efforts to continue to grow as a leader. (And I suspect I will be blogging from there if I have wifi.)

Next Sunday is what I am calling Experiment Sunday. We are getting some kids together to go around visiting and doing some yard work for some of the elderly folks of our church. It is an attempt to motivate service as well as bridge some generation gaps that are present in our church. Word on the street is that the seniors are excited about our coming and cookies could be involved. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

And then because I will have been tied up all week doing office stuff and going to the conference (complete with the midnight drive on Wednesday) we will be doing movie night. The last 4 weeks I have been working on a series based in some part off of “Remember the Titans” clips, so we are ordering pizza and watching the movie. Should be fun.

Stuff you can pray for me about: high school small groups. (I feel like I am stumbling all over the place with them…) An administrative assistant. (The talk is we will be hiring someone come January. Pray I last until then…) Road tripping...

The youth website is live!

2006-09-29T16:07:00.000-05:00

The youth website is live!

Big thanks to my little brother, Will, who put together this great website for the youth group I lead. It uses WordPress and the picture section is integrated with Flickr.

Thanks Will! You rock!

Sunday Wrap-Up...

2006-09-27T16:22:00.000-05:00

This morning the youth choir sang at the early service, which meant a really, really early morning. There is a bit of a controversy going on at the church right now, so that showed up and was volleyed about. I just know that I am called to love God, love kids and find other adults that love both those things as well. Sunday School was interesting. We did our check-in (goods, bads of the week) and kids had to fill in the phrase “Sometimes Christians irritate me because…" There were some really thoughtful, deep answers. Then we looked at the Rob Bell Nooma film “Bullhorn” which dealt with a great deal of what we talked about. Then 11 AM church. Afterwards, I went home and watched some of the Titans game and played some X-box.

This week at youth group was one of those weeks where I took a deep breath and say “Thank you for putting me in this place and this job.” Nothing major stuck out, but it was just a good week. For starters, we played some serious “4 on a couch” a youth ministry classic. The high schoolers took both games.

Then I taught the third week of the Team series. Two weeks ago, I taught about the need of Jesus to be in control of our lives. Last week we dealt with the need to be involved in the local church and this week we talked about the need to be involved in a small group. It has been good stuff. Next week, I end it with the idea of accountability and being mentored. It is definitely the deep end of the ocean of what I have taught here so far, but it will be worth it if folks buy in.

Then we moved to the gym and played indoor kickball. Basic rules except regular bases, no foul balls and you can play the ball off the wall. It kept getting crazier and crazier until I just called it because of time. And kids were left wanting more, which is great. Things are coming more and more together. Slowly but surely…little by little God is rebuilding and growing us into something more. Senior high small groups start in a couple weeks and then our big outreach event happens at the end of October.

Maybe the greatest reality television moment of all time...

2006-09-27T16:19:00.000-05:00

Listen, I am about to admit to something that I am not necessarily proud of. But I am also not ashamed. I love the television show "Cheaters." It is a genius idea with a host that has just enough spunky sarcasm to make it awesome.
But his crowning moment as host can be found here:
Cheaters clip on YouTube.

Idea I never got around to: Youth Group Cheaters. A filmed sketch with a jilted youth director confronting some kids who went to another youth group. It had (has?) some potential. Just imagine:
"We put in a disco ball because you all wanted it! A...DISCO...BALL."

I broke the Friday rule...

2006-09-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

So as I have mentioned previously, I try and have everything done for youth group before I leave on Friday. (That is what the aforementioned Friday rule is.) Because of a variety of reasons, I didn’t get it done this week. So I am a couple hours away from kick-off and working on games. And I am using my usual list of resources: books, websites, a massive games list I made when I was on Crossfire (UGA’s Wesley Foundation's summer youth ministry team.) And suddenly it hits me. Bethlehem has a gym!

After years of avoiding large area games because of space issues, I can do any large game I want. So tonight, we are playing some indoor kickball and maybe some dragontail dodgeball. Now if only we could figure out how to fix the acoustics so you could explain the game in the gym instead of in another room and then playing.

The rare Saturday afternoon blog…

2006-09-23T13:53:00.000-05:00

So this morning I got up to work on one of the Lesson’s Learned From Cornerstone ™ into practice- working the public relations machine better. Now, it isn’t that I am doing it just for public relations purposes; I really enjoy the opportunities. But when I get busy (and thus become less intentional about it) it is a easy thing to put on the back burner and to quit doing entirely.

So, I rose up early and went with a senior’s group from our church out to breakfast. We went to a restaurant not too far away and it was great to get to know some of them and have them share their stories. It is a good mix of people, folks who grew up in Franklin or nearby as well as folks who are new to the area. Some of them have grandkids in the youth group but most don’t. But it was a great time just spending time with them and saying “I value the whole church, not just my piece of it.” Afterwards, they were all extremely gracious and expressed thanks. And they made sure that I knew when their next month gathering was, which I took as a good sign.

Then I did some work here at the church and waited for some folks to come pick up a foosball table. We recently came into some new gaming tables and rather than chuck the old ones or donate them to Goodwill, the conference youth coordinator was gracious enough to advertise. So, a small church now has a good foosball table for their ministry. And it turns out it was the church of one of the new friends I met on last weekend’s youth minister’s retreat. It made me feel good about taking the time to try and bless some other folks’ ministry rather than chunking it away. Hopefully this week someone is picking up a ping-pong table and someone else is getting an air hockey table.

Tonight, I am headed to Turff’s parents big annual BBQ shindig. I hope that we don’t get rained out, though it definitely looks ominous. Oh well, it will still be cool, come rain or shine…

Friday Randomness...

2006-09-22T14:47:00.000-05:00

So here we go…random thoughts from the week….

One of the churches that I had an interview with in has already let go the youth worker they decided to hire. I won’t go into details but suffice it to say it was an integrity issue but not like abuse. Just watch what you put on your myspace. And in the Jason Sansbury Sweepstakes, you snooze, you lose!
Next week I will do my Atlanta Hawks preview. Speedy Claxton broke his hand though. Dang! And I now have a Western Conference team I can route for. Just a couple hours down the road are the Memphis Grizzlies. Yet another franchise I can hopelessly cheer for!
Congratulations Chan Gailey! You finally discovered that Calvin Johnson may be the best wide receiver in the country and if you throw him the ball, good things tend to happen! And it is clear that the rumors are true…the Virginia Cavaliers are terrible!
Last year, Dan Hawkins brought the Boise State Broncos into Athens, GA and got spanked. This year Dan is bringing the Colorado Buffalos into Athens, GA. Same thing…looking at Georgia’s schedule it appears Dan may be moving on to Western Carolina for 2007. (And if you love me, pray that UGA beats Tennessee. I don’t know if I can live here if the Dawgs lose…)
My books have arrived. I think I am going to start with Deep Ministry in A Shallow World. Looks solid and challenging. Expect a review next week.
Proof some people don’t get it…The newest issue of Devo-zine has a Backstreet Boy on the cover. All the 25 year olds are swooning…if they read a devotional aimed at young teens.
Turmoil is never good.
This weekend’s movies: Hustle and Flow and Brick. I love my Netflix.
Quick mini-reviews of entertainment:

The Illusionist- Okay. A painfully obvious ending. Ed Norton reminds us of the fact that he may be the best actor in his generation. I mean, he makes Jessica Biel seem like a good actress. Paul Giamatti was excellent as well. Solid.

Veronica Mars, Season 2: My favorite show right now. Good acting, solid long range plot development and some great guest stars. I just love the show, even though every time I see Enrico Colantoni as Veronica’s dad I have to go “I can’t believe that is the guy from that crappy show, Just Shoot Me.” Plus the next season seems to revolve around Charisma Carpenter. Ain't nothing wrong with that...becasue she is a great actress.

Just a random update...

2006-09-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

The state of Tennessee is convinced that I am an illegal alien. Despite having a valid Georgia’s driver’s license, a current Social Security Card and proof of residency in the state, I can’t get a Tennessee license. Because you know all the illegals are coming to the States and snatching up the youth ministry jobs. Goofiness. I think it is just because I am a UGA fan. (And by the way, the Dawgs are killing people now that the Matthew Stafford era has begun!).

Youth is moving along. I had my first challenge to my authority by a kid. Everyone is still safe and sound. J (That’s a little joke folks…) Taught this week about the need to belong and serve in a local church. Not my greatest lesson but not my worst. Still using clips from the movie “Remember the Titans” so that is a great introduction device.

We have scheduled some service opportunities. Love and Justice (which is current church for “Missions”) is a pretty big deal around here, which is awesome. I am hoping to see some kids show up and help. I am blessed to have one couple that is really spearheading that ministry and handling details.

Also I got some new bookcases in the office. So all the books I had to put here at the office are now here and there is room for the 3-4 boxes I still have left at the apartment. Sweetness!

Well, back to life, back to reality.

Oh yeah- First Contest update: Turff was correct on his guess of the church with the weird singles ministry link being a PCA church. Awesome Aunt Shirlee also was correct but Kevin was first and can claim his prizes: a smoothie and he can select a topic that I must blog about within a week. Could get very interesting. And Lauren- I got some thoughts from my monk friends that I will pass along to you about the Apocrypha.

Keep on moving and don’t stop….

2006-09-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

So it has been a busy few days. Wednesday night I met with my middle school girls. I also had a high school girl join us who is interested in serving as a mentor. It will be interesting to see what happens with this group, as God isn’t really sending us a leader right now other than me. But a good discussion was had and great questions were answered. After group on Wednesday, I rolled on down the highway back to Newnan. (Arrival time: 1:45 AM EST.)

Thursday it was up early. My friend Jeremy and I are writing youth ministry curriculum. Over the last year, we have worked hard, edited each other’s material and used it in front our youth groups. Now it is the hands of some other people and we are looking at selling it reasonably to youth workers for their youth gathering or Sunday School. So Thursday Jeremy and I got together to work on a retreat we are coordinating (Youth Celebration for the South Georgia UMC Conference) and to make sure we have a full year of material done. Then we had lunch with my friend Brian, who is the speaker for Youth Celebration. It was a good time to talk, share and I realize how much I miss having those guys close enough to easily get together and hang out.

That evening, I hung with Turff and his family. They are awesome and great friends. Turff recently got a new job, which will keep him in Atlanta, much to my chagrin. I was hoping we could begin to reunite the dream team in Nash-Vegas. Oh well.

Friday morning up and rolling by 5:30 AM EST. Got to Nashville around 9 AM. Packed, cleaned the house some and watched some Veronica Mars. Then headed out to the Tennessee Conference youth workers retreat. It was good. I was disappointed that none of the larger churches seemed to support it. But it reminded me of some of the things I loved about doing events when I worked with Crossed-Up, loving volunteer youth workers. I met some awesome folks who are sharing with kids, fighting battles in their church and just keep on making it happen. I love folks like that! In all honesty, people like me (full-time paid youth workers) have it easy compared to what these folks make happen in small, stuck in their way churches.

Then I left that early, worked some more on cleaning up the apartment and did some more clothes. Tomorrow is another full Sunday so I am looking forward to some rest tonight and getting involved in the morning.