Fieldnotes

In case you need a bookmark

2011-05-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

A couple from our church is kicking off a new Sunday School series in June with the Louie Giglio video How Great is Our God. If you haven't seen this video, it is definitely worth watching. In it Louie looks at the size of the planets, stars, and galaxies ("If earth were a golfball...") and considers the passage 'who is man, that you are mindful of him'. Then he turns it around and talks about a central figure in cellular structure: laminin. This is a cohesion protein that functions as the basic 'glue' for cells (that's what I understand, correct me if I' wrong here, Jon).

So, they asked about making a bookmark and I offered to put one together for them. Just in case you are in need for your own printed bookmark, here it is:

Yes, I admit, I just ripped images from google.com. And no, 'Wiki' is not the most credible source of information, but it gets the point across.

New Meaning in Old Places

2011-04-07T14:31:00.002-04:00

I just thought that picture was a great illustration.

I used to look at Psalm 23 as the second most cliche passage of scripture (right behind Jeremiah 29:11 and just in front of John 3:16, yes in that order). Its cause was never helped when people used the translation of that particular Psalm as their litmus test for the readability and accuracy of any given translation of the Bible, but to each his own. And I'm just going to say that it doesn't help that the Psalm is nearly always paired with pictures of lambs or a very European looking Jesus who looks more like a 'city boy' in a robe than a shepherd or farm hand. But while the cheesy imagery has remained the same, the felt meaning has begun to change for me.

Recently the second part of Psalm 23 has begun to take on new meaning for me. I have always felt that the first part about not wanting, quiet places, still waters, not fearing evil and such made sense in the storms of life. There's a lot of that that can be taken to heart by the average Middle School and High School student, and especially a college student as they begin to look for a job. However, the second part of the psalm that talks about preparing a table, anointed with oil, cup overflowing never really made sense. It honestly seemed to be a disconnect for me and I never liked the psalm because of it.

In light of life and its many lessons verses 5 and 6 have begun to take on new meaning and purpose for me. They have helped me to recognize the tremendous blessing of love that we have experienced from the people here at BG Naz as a blessing for God. The waters are certainly not still, the pastures don't seem quiet or green, and the path does not appear very straight but still we can easily recognize the table of blessing, the anointing, and the overflowing of our cup that God has provided for us in the midst of this time. And the words of rejoicing written centuries ago can become our own as we look ahead.

The Geezer Club

2011-03-10T21:20:00.003-05:00

This afternoon I was thinking about the next three months and what we would be talking about in Youth Group after Easter. Upon considering a conversation with Pastor Joel about the general biblical illiteracy that seems to be so common (even among teens and young adults raised in the church) I decided to do a unit looking at the lives of the Patriarchs. So we will be taking a week for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. While Moses isn't normally listed as a Patriarch he still plays a significant role in the life of God's people, and especially in how they understand their relationship with God.

And so, like all good series, I need a clever title.

Counter-intuitive

2011-03-04T10:21:00.004-05:00

In a few weeks we will begin a four-week series on Spiritual Disciplines and how these practices help us move into a posture to encounter God and receive his grace in our lives. The first week we will be considering what Spiritual Disciplines are and why we practice them. For most the very mention of 'discipline' conjures images of strict 20th century school masters wielding deadly rulers or relentless drill sergeants demanding more that physically possible.

The theme verse for this series will be Paul's assertion to the Galatians that, "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free..." (5:1). Richard Foster, in his classic Celebration of Discipline, points out to the reader that spiritual disciplines are meant to provide for us a means of freedom. The gist is that when we consistently and intentionally submit ourselves to seeking Christ, then we will find true freedom.

I think that these practices are very important to talk about, because my suspicion is that most Christians believe that practicing their faith means going to church, reading the Bible, praying, and, if they are really spiritual, tithing. It is important to paint a picture of the broad landscape of spiritual practices that help us to seek after and encounter the presence of God. We need to understand the tools that help us to get there.

Above all, I would be willing to bet that students walk away from their Christian faith because they never truly lived it or encountered the living God that they proclaimed to believe in.

So, we will be discussing practices and then actually doing them in Youth Group. I will be making handouts for them with very do-able practices and exercises, as well as suggesting more in-depth practices for them to test out if they are so daring.

We will be covering prayer & meditation, rest, sacred reading, journaling, silence & solitude, hospitality, fasting & giving, and forgiveness.

This should be a fun time.

Imagining too small

2011-02-01T22:35:00.002-05:00

Well after a change of plans last week (January 23rd) when only 4 students came to Youth Group, we did our second lesson in a three-part series on Faith, Hope, and Love.

Again I talked a bit about the Kingdom of God breaking into the world around us and that God uses us as his instruments to do that. We compared the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God and asked 'what do we have to hope for as Americans who seem to have everything?' So I asked them a simple question: what would the world be like without all of 'this' (i.e. the defining characteristics of the kingdom of the world)? I asked them to think specifically about what their school would be like without hate, fear, ugliness, selfishness, corruption, etc. The answer I got was disappointing.

They said it would be boring.

Boring! Boring without all the arguing, bickering, and fighting. Boring. The plain assessment of these 'good' middle class Christian kids is that the world would simply be boring without the affects of sin.

This has bothered me, and I've heard this same answer before. I began to think about why. Why is it that we think the best entertainment we have is strife? Why is it that the junk of this world is what we find most exciting. Now, yes, I recognize that as people with sinful natures we find sin enticing. But why do Christians seem unable to see beyond that?

I guess we could get into a conversation about sanctification or something like that, but I think that it has to do with our imagination. I think that our imagination of what God can do in the world around us is simply too small. I think that maybe, just maybe, we find others bickering entertaining because we can't, or haven't taken the time to, imagine what life would really be like if we genuinely loved one another.

The last week in the series is talking about love (but I'm going to use the good 'ole Catholic 'charity'), and it seems that I have quite a task in front of me this week. How do I begin to paint the picture of the Kingdom of God as a world more real and more beautiful than our present home? How do I cast a vision of a possibility for a life that is full and rich and worthwhile when my students may already believe that there live is already pretty good?

Acronyms and Eschatology

2011-01-16T21:51:00.006-05:00

Tonight at Youth Group we began a new three-part series talking about faith, hope, and love. This year we are spending more time focusing on what it means to be a disciples of Jesus in a practical and hands-on way. For this series I am looking at it from the angle of comparing the Kingdom of God (KOG) and the Kingdom of the World (KOW).

We talked brielfy tonight about how the Jewish people were expecting God to establish his kingdom on earth in one-fail swoop and usurp the contemporary government to establish his reign with the Jewish people on top. Instead, Jesus showed us that God is establishing the KOG in the midst of the KOW, and that the KOG is infiltrating the KOW through us. So, there are certain characteristics that we as Christians, and members of the KOG, are called to exhibit.

Then we talked about the question that Jesus asks us, "do you trust me?".

Last night a junior, Alyson, from Bowling Green was driving way too fast down a country road, hit a patch of ice, lost control of her car, and slammed into a pole. Alyson is in the ICU with pelvic and rib fractures, internal bleeding, brain bruising, and might need a spleen transplant.

So the question is asked, "do you trust me?".

I told them the story of Heather Preston. She was a freshman girls RA at ONU during our freshman year. On the way back from winter break a driver ran a stop sign and t-boned their car. Heather was in a coma while everyone else walked away. After much prayer from the campus and talks about God as the great physician, Heather died.

So how do deal with this?

We talked about the man who brought his demon possessed son to Jesus, asked for healing, and was asked "do you trust me?" Instead of giving the expected resounding 'yes' that we so often tend to believe God expects from us, he answers 'yes, but help me over come my unbelief'.

Faith, sometimes, is very hard. God knows that he is asking a difficult question and that our tendency is to want to keep control in our hands. Faith asks us to relinquish that control and to deal with our doubts and to have room for our faith to grow.

I think it went well. The students seemed engaged, and our visitor gave the best answers and actually prayed out loud for Alyson when we prayed.

And to top it all off I used 'buying cigarettes' as an example of either/or things in life. Yes, I told them that they shouldn't smoke and that it's bad for them. Then I quickly moved onto 'your insurance is reduced when you turn 25 and get married'.

Signs of the Times

2010-12-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

"Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather—why can't you read the signs of the times?"
Matthew 6:1 (The Message)

Earlier this week I posted a comment from Mark Oestreicher on the status of modern Youth Ministry and its relevance in the current religious climate. I've also been reading Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean. It's a discussion of the form of 'Christian' faith that most teenagers hold today. Basically she asserts that much of contemporary Christianity is hardly Christian. Other authors, scholars, and pastors have warned against the path towards irrelevancy that the church, and youth ministry, might be treading.

All in all, there are Christians who suggest that we need to be careful and pay close attention to what we are doing and the faith that we are passing on.

But are these nay-sayers really to be listened to? Or are the nay-sayers of these nay-sayers the ones who ought to be ignored? When the climate of Youth Ministry as a profession and an academic pursuit becomes a heated battlefield, who is to be listened to? Do we trust the findings of sociological studies or do we trust what our gut-instinct is telling? Should we heed that call of 'watch out!' or brush it off? Hasn't every generation had their nay-sayers who make much ado about nothing?

How ought we to interpret the times?

Lessons from the Astrologists

2010-12-16T12:02:00.005-05:00

The children's Christmas musical is finally over! It was a fun time with the kids, and it was great to have Mom, Dad, Jon, Brit, and especially Logan around for the day. This previous Sunday night I canceled youth group due to a severe weather alert lasting from Sunday at 1pm through Monday night. So the schedule of Journey Into the Story is now missing its second night, but the story must go on!

This week we are having a White Elephant Gift Exchange and will be talking about the Magi who visited Jesus. I've been doing some research and it is interesting: the Magi were a religious and political caste in ancient Zoroastrian Persia. They were highly respected for their powers of discernment by reading the stars and nature, and were sometimes also Kings. In fact, all modern day astrology (as well as some Wiccan practices) come from the Zoroastrian astrology practiced by the ancient Magi.

Perhaps the most incredible thing about their appearance in the story of Jesus' infancy is that they knew that something important had happened, while God's own people had completely missed the signs. They came looking for a new King and they brought their best treasures to honor him with but his own people didn't notice.

How often to we miss the things that God is doing in the world around us? It reminds me of the parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats ("when did we see you?").

In preparing to teach this lesson I wanted to do something a bit different, and so I went to the library to find childrens books on the Magi. I was only planning on beginning the lesson with the books, but as I looked through them I found four books that communicate exactly what I was planning on talking about. So I will be talking briefly about the Magi and then reading the children's books for the students.

Somewhere in the mix will be a few cans of shaving cream, and a White Elephant Gift Exchange.

Something to ponder

2010-12-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

" We are doing a really good job of creating youth ministries that, when they are done well, create an active faith that works as long as the teenagers are in our youth groups, but isn't sustainable outside of it. I think that we are really going to have some significant soul searching to do in the next decade of youth ministry, or we are going to be inconsequential in actually having an impact in the lives of teenagers."

~ Mark Oestreicher

see the full video here

Work day

2010-11-30T15:21:00.004-05:00

These were some of my projects for today. Not the greatest, and not exactly how I wanted them to look, but they get the message across.

(Lock-In Poster)

(NYC Fundraiser Update)

Let me say that I am so very very happy with our new printer. It lets me have so much more fun than I could have before, and I don't have to pay Staples to print anything anymore!

Nazarene Youth Conference

2010-11-29T20:11:00.003-05:00

The registration deadline for the 2011 Nazarene Youth Conference has passed us by (unless they extend it). As of this weekend our district has approximately 85 students who have registered to attend, and 13 adults who have expressed interest (including both Emily and me).

So now the registration payment of $450 is due in the next few weeks and we will be locked-in and along for the ride.

Friends and family: if you could be in prayer for the fundraising efforts for our students, and also that Emily is selected as an adult leader to go on the trip. If that does happen, then we could use your prayer to help us determine where the money is coming from. As far as I know, I will be attending with our 6 students and the church will be paying for my cost. Other than that, we will find out!

Cuccidati

2010-11-22T23:32:00.004-05:00

Cuccidati: Italian Christmas cookies

I made cookies for the family over Thanksgiving. Think of homemade figs newtons, but way way better, and that's what you get! I regret to think that I didn't make nearly enough.

The big lesson from these cookies: wax paper is awesome! They really aren't that hard to make, but they do take time.

Why Not?

2010-11-18T12:32:00.004-05:00

Our first attempt at a Wreath Sale fundraiser ($20 per wreath, students earn $10) didn't turn out as well as we could have hoped. We sold less than 40 wreathes, and only one student actually sold any wreathes (17 of them). None the less the 'Wreath Pickup Day' is still scheduled Saturday November 28th from 10am - 4pm.

I recently ordered for the district NYI a very nice and expensive set of flag football flags. The district is reimbursing us for them, but the district NYI president told me to hand on to them until they are needed so that we can use them. So we are.

I realized that I'm not going to have 6 hours worth of stuff to do on Saturday, so why not plan something to do. We will be having our first ever Flag Football Day at the church from 1-4pm. And just because I get a kick out of making my own mailers, I made up a post card to send out as a reminder to all the students. (Shout out to 'Mom' for help with the mail merger business).

It will be even more fun next week after we get our new wireless color copier/printer!

After printing and mailing 24 of these postcards, it was pointed out to me that Saturday in the 27th, and not the 28th. I'm going to make myself a shirt that says "Typos hapen".

Advent

2010-11-09T10:08:00.010-05:00

'Sometimes I doubt your coming...'

That's what I said to God during the first worship service at Fall Retreat this weekend. Sometimes it's true.

After sitting through so many retreats and camps and revivals there is a doubt that subtly sneaks into your mind and patiently waits in the corner. It isn't loud and doesn't announce itself, but when the time is right it creeps up and whispers 'maybe not?' into your ear.

At the beginning of a weekend that I was truly hoping would be great, where I was honestly expecting God to do and say great things to us, I found myself in the company of doubt.

In my honest prayer of doubt the Holy Spirit said two words to me: advent Immanuel.

I have been preparing for preaching in a few weeks and the message is on the story that we often skip during the season of Advent, and I really believe that we have done it a dis-service by ignoring it. In the season of advent we celebrate the coming of God in Jesus, Immanuel, but I think that we miss a very important part of how that story is set-up. But you'll have to wait.

The weekend was a great time, and God truly did and said great things to us as we listened. I got to talk to several students at the beginning of the retreat about their expectations, and then at the end about how God spoke to them. It was really awesome and refreshing to hear about the things that God was doing and saying to these teens.

It was a good retreat because of advent Immanuel.

And another thing...

2010-11-08T21:14:00.006-05:00

Hint: the pictures are also links

Been meaning to put these on the list for a while now

(And now I'm just being absurd)

It's About Time

2010-11-04T09:10:00.004-04:00

Well, Fall Retreat is finally here. Tomorrow afternoon Emily and I will be picking up two students and heading to Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, OH for a crazy weekend. It is supposed to be cold, and possibly wet. Regardless, we are excited for a great event!

I volunteered to serve as the 'Assistant Director' and coordinate the free-time activities. Basically, I am making sign-up lists, constructing brackets, and gathering up supplies and games for the students to fill their Saturday afternoon with. We will have flag football, basketball, volleyball, paintball, board games, a euchre tournament, and some movies to watch. My hope is that everything goes smoothly, and that enough adults (who know what they are doing in the given sport) will step up and 'staff' the different events. I was told that asking for volunteers before the event is basically useless, but that enough people should sign-up when we are actually there. Fingers crossed.

If you could keep us in your prayers for safety, a good time, and most importantly that the students would be sensitive to how God may be speaking to them this weekend.

You can't say I didn't

2010-10-27T13:22:00.009-04:00

Since I am so bad at providing 'wish lists' when I am asked for them, and Christmas is only 2 months away, I am providing a partial list here and now.

Enjoy.

Click on the picture for more details.

(the cardigan. grey. size small.)

Into the Rabbits Hole

2010-10-21T09:40:00.002-04:00

I haven't given it too much thought, but it's possible that one of the most 'pandoras-box' like questions to ask is "Who wrote the Bible?". The answer to this question tells you a lot about what you believe, because there are so many options.

Was is God? Was it men inspired by God? Was it men in a trance being dictated what to write by an angel or the Holy Spirit? Was it very spiritual men who loved God? Was it regular men who wrote down what they saw? Was it a collection of old stories and fables that morphed into religious myths over time and then were recorded by professional scribes? Was it men pretending to be other men in order to give authority to their writings?

These are all possible answers that come from the field of Biblical Hermeneutics (the art of science of interpreting the Bible), but they aren't all widely accepted. Some of them aren't even as blasphemous as they sound.

Any which way that you slice the cake, this is a loaded question. It's also the one that we are talking about tonight at Grounds for Thought with the teens that show up.

Ultimately, I believe that whatever theory of inspiration and authorship you accept God, through his own creation, has stamped his approval on what we call The Bible as his written revelation of who he is, who we are, and what the proper relationship between us and him and us and us ought to be. It clearly defines sin and our desperate need for God's grace, and that is the ultimate aim of Gods self-revelation in both Scripture and in Jesus.

It should be a fun time!

Finding its root

2010-10-19T21:34:00.003-04:00

Emily and I recently joined a small group that we were graciously invited to. Almost all of the other families are parents of elementary age or younger kids. It's so much fun to hang out with their kids and to make connections with adults!

*Note, I realized as I was writing this that I need to clarify an important point: I am not talking about Emily in the blog post below.

Tonight we were talking about anger and I was in the midst of being angry at someone for their reaction to me. Long story short (from my perspective): I was trying to be helpful but didn't tell them that before they found out and they became angry at me for it. Absurd.

I was thinking about something my dad has said a lot: anger is a secondary motion, and is a reaction to other emotions. As I was listening to the discussion and reflecting on why I was really feeling angry at the situation (which wasn't a first event and was very minor) it hit me. This is an anger that I feel I have been carrying for a while now, and I do not like. It's not that I've never thought about the real reason why it causes me to become so angry, but I feel as if I have never really accepted. Sure, I would have told you that I had accepted it before, but now I'm not so sure.

The real emotion that I am feeling behind my anger is an extreme disappointment and sadness. It is a grief for a healthy relationship that will never exist, and not because I don't want it to but because the other seems to have decided that it isn't important enough. I know what is possible, and even what should be, but it simply will not happen and I am so deeply disappointed by that.

I feel cheated.

Now comes the journey of genuine, and silent, forgiveness. I'm not sure how.

Unanswered Questions

2010-10-14T10:51:00.002-04:00

"How many times did they edit the Bible before it was printed?"
"Is swearing a sin? Will I go to Hell for it? Why is it bad?"
"What's with Revelations?"

Emily is working with 1st graders, and they tend to ask things like 'how do you spell ______?' or 'can you help me?' Every once in a while they will ask you a question that stumps you, and more often than not it is because you don't know how they learned about the thing they are asking.

One of the most remarkable (and frustrating) parts of the teenage life is the insistent need to ask difficult questions. They are a mix of extreme ego-centrism, which is a normal thing for them, and extreme ideologies. They refuse to take simple answers like "you have to have a drivers license for that", and they want to know the why behind the why. Maybe this is why small group discussion can be so critical and forming in the faith journey of students.

So, under the recommendation of the ever-insightful Mark Holcomb, I am meeting today with a group of students at the local coffee shop Grounds for Thought to simply listen to and talk about their big questions. I have no idea how this is going to go, but my hope is that the students will do a lot of the talking and I will mainly lead them in thinking through the topic. Tonight we are going to tackle the swearing question.

Hopefully, this gain enough momentum to become a weekly activity, and then it might grow enough to turn into multiple small groups? Who knows...

A Finished Wall

2010-10-11T19:12:00.004-04:00

Ron, Shelly, and Hannah visited this weekend and it was great to have them around. Ron helped me replace the EGR valve in my car and now it isn't sputtering and dying! (It's amazing that approximately 40 minutes of work would have cost me $130) They also came bearing gifts in the form of an IKEA chair and then buying as an ottoman and a futon (not shown here). After hanging a few pictures and adding some finishing touches we have a complete wall! Now we just need to get our wedding pictures and put them into the frames.

A huge thanks to the Jacobsons for all of their help in making our apartment feel like home!

(Our living room - click on the picture and it will open up REALLY BIG)

(In case you were wondering what Sam thought about all of this...)
(She actually loved having all these people to give her attention)

Well that was horrible

2010-10-05T09:33:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while I get an evening of youth group (mostly the lesson and/or small group time) that feels like it has spun out of control and gone down to a fiery doom. It leaves me with the only logical feeling: well that went horrible. It isn't necessarily a lack of having thought through the lesson or the activities that week. Some times it's just the right combination of people who are either antsy, squirmy, or obstinate that week and everything seems to fail.

That's what this week was like.

It's a little bit frustrating for me, but I have enough sense to recognize that this is part of reality and it does not necessarily reflect the state of the Youth Ministry here at BG Naz. However it does help me to remember to be rethinking why we do what we do, and that is exactly what I've been doing the last two weeks.

Sharing Sketches

2010-09-30T15:04:00.003-04:00

This week has been very busy with finishing the October - December BG Naz Youth Newsletter. I have also been working on a series of graphics for the various fundraisers that we have coming up. Today I explored Painter Essentials by Corel with the graphics tablet I am testing out. Here is my sketch for the Trunk & Treat that we will be hosting for teens before the Costume Party on Oct. 30th.

Clarity for semantics sake

2010-09-28T21:49:00.002-04:00

I love dialogue, but over a computer screen, it can get funny. This was just too long for a comment window. So, I'm dedicating this post-comment to my lovely twin:

Let me clarify my understanding of two things. Perhaps the disagreement is based on a different understanding of what 'church' I am talking about and how a Pastor represents that church.

First:

When I say "church" with a 'C' and not a 'c' I mean the apostolic, historical, orthodox Church that was established by Christ and has preserved and handed down the Christian faith throughout history. The Church believes the fundamental truths of the Christian faith (reference the creeds of the early church for a cliff-notes form). Yes, there are various forms of this apostolic, historical, orthodox Church but in reality these churches are apart of The Church. Furthermore, it is more than just an arrangement of people who have agreed to a certain creed. This Church is the very body of Christ. It is a living embodiment of the Spirit of God re-manifested in his own people, who are caring on the redemptive work of Christ demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. (thanks for letting me use terrible grammar). And yes, sometimes we do a horrible job at this work.
When one speaks against The Church they are in fact speaking against Christ. This doesn't mean that people can't have a problem with how churches do things (I would be in big trouble). Further furthermore, this means that when a person speaks on behalf of The Church they are speaking on behalf of the Body of Christ and Christ himself. And vica versa.
When a street preacher tells you that you are going to hell they sincerely believe that they are speaking for Christ himself and representing his church. I however, do not agree with this assumption. (They might be right, but that was a different letter to the editor).

Secondly:

When I say that a Pastor represents The Church I do not believe that there is a difference between an 'official' and an 'unofficial' representation. They are not a spokesman or lobbyists who is able to go 'off the record'.
Yes, they can take a stance and choose not to 'officially' represent the specific church or denomination that they are currently serving. However that does not mean that they are able, at any time, to do the same when the represent The Church. They are always representing Christ and his Church.

I understand their argument about their faith moving them to action. Honestly I agree with them on all parts accept for the topic of gender identity and expression. No I do not believe that these people should be discriminated against, but I do not believe that God's idea of justice is 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'. I am being very unhelpful by not offering an alternative of any form, but that's not what I'm addressing.

Again a Pastor can not speak out without representing The Church. And one cannot represent The Church without representing Christ himself. There is no easy distinction between the two.

That was very long, and had lots of references to several Dr. Q classes.
Please don't think that I am in favor of discriminating against anyone whose gender identity and expression I disagree with. Again I'm not offering any alternatives, because I'm still not sure how I feel about secular politics and the Church. I'm really only annoyed at the posture that these Pastors have taken in writing the letter.

Yes, it frustrates me that their letter seems to imply that any Christian who disagrees with them is somehow a lesser Christian. But that's less frustrating to me than their approach.

Speaking Not in the name of the Church

2010-09-24T11:53:00.003-04:00

On November 2nd Bowling Green, OH will hold the attention of the GLBT population in America, because we will be the only city who has on their ballot an ordinance that prohibits companies and organizations from denying help, hire, or housing based on many things (pregnancy status, veteran status, etc.) including gender preference, identity, and expression. Now technically all religious groups, organizations, and affiliations are exempt from this ordinance.

In response to this upcoming ballot, a group of Priests/Pastors/Ministers from the Bowling Green area wrote a letter to the editor of the Sentinel Tribune in favor of the ordinance. They very clearly stated their profession and clarified that they were not representing their churches or denominations, but only their personal opinions.

I have a HUGE problem with this (the letter, and the ordinance, but I'm talking about the letter).

As I understand it, ordination is a two-fold deal: first it is a call to help the church be the church. Secondly it is a call to represent the Church of Christ (not the denomination) in everything that you say and do. When a Pastor is invited to pray at a family picnic it is with a certain expectation. When a Pastor is allowed into a hospital room, even though everyone else must wait outside (that's actually legally allowed), it is because of their ordained position within the church.

When these Pastors chose to write a letter to the editor and to invoke the title of 'Ordained Christian Minister' they were essentially invoking the name and the authority of Christ to express their opinion. That is simply not acceptable.

It is fine for them to have an opinion, and even fine for them to express this opinion as a Christian. However, I can not be fine with them invoking the authority of an ordained Pastor to express that opinion while also claiming not to represent the Church. It simply doesn't work that way. When you claim to be a Pastor you are simultaneously claiming to represent Christ.

I really wanted to write this to the Pastors who sent the letter, but I decided against it. It's not worth making enemies over, and it probably wouldn't be useful.

Thanks for letting me vent.

As a Note: I do not think that I'm any better than anyone else because I'm going to be an ordained pastor, but I do understand the gravity of that position. It is the same thing that Paul talks about for elders, deacons, teachers, and any leader in the church: you are representing Christ and not just yourself.

The Purple Potty

2010-09-22T21:08:00.002-04:00

We are in a fund-raising frenzy for the next year as we scramble to raise the money for Nazarene Youth Conference (and about 40% of those funds to be raised before December 3rd). Upward Basketball season is just around the corner, and that means that every evening little up coming 'athletes' will be running the courts and every Saturday will be an exhausting day of basketball, devotionals, concessions, and then setting up for Sunday morning. Which means that fundraisers are hardly on the menu. Possibly, yes, some students will be able to earn some money working at the concessions stand, but I'm not sure about that...

I've heard of a fund-raising scheme that typically uses one of two items: either a flock of pink flamingo lawn ornaments or a real-life toilet. This item suddenly appears in your yard and you have to pay to get it out, you can pay to send it to someone else's yard, or you can pay for 'insurance' to guarantee that your house wouldn't be 'hit'.

Today I got a free toilet and soon I will be painting it purple.

Turning Everything in Easter

2010-09-17T11:45:00.002-04:00

You might think that you only receive junk mail at home (it's amazing how every other car insurance company knows that we recently updated our insurance with Frankenmuth), but churches also receive lots of junk mail. What's better than one piece of junk mail? Multiples of the same item.

This week I received an advertisement for a small staple-bound childrens book called "Love Came Down at Christmas". It's the classic Christmas story book set to a poem where every page ends with the line "yes, love came down at Christmas." It get's better: near the end of the story you read to your child how little baby Jesus will one day be crucified for our sins, and then be raised from the dead.

Ok, I know that Jesus' death and resurrection are pinnacle moments in the history of the universe, but can't we also just enjoy the incredible moment of God incarnate in a helpless baby boy without jumping ahead in the story? Why does everything Christian holiday or celebration always come back to Easter?

When the story of God-made-manifest in Jesus is so rich and full of meaning why do we tend to create a unilateral interpretation of everything that has to do with Jesus?

That's my rant for today.

Failures out of focus

2010-09-08T21:09:00.006-04:00

Within the next year students from North America and Canada will be flocking to exotic Louisville, KY for the highly (maybe only slightly) anticipated Nazarene Youth Conference, and I hope that some of them are my students.

To make what feels like a complicated story short: I've not done a good job promoting this event with the absolutely minimal information that I have received, and now any interested student has to be able to cough up a $450 deposit by December 3rd. Which by non-Naperville-high-school-student standards is a ton of money. So, a group of parents have decided to form a committee to organize the fund-raising because I wasn't doing enough of it to help the students pay their entire way (freebie: which I didn't know was an expectation until 2 days ago).

I know that I hate failure and disappointing others, and this pretty much feels like both. I know that failure and disappointment is a part of life, but now I'm having a hard time being excited for an incredible event because I'm not sure what emotion to associate with it.

So now I'm processing this and trying to discern how much of a failure this actually was and where to begin again. It is difficult when in the middle of a failure to follow the line back to the start and then to turn around and follow it to the end. It all looks like a jumbled mess of knots and twists and that are slowly coming into focus.

Maybe it's the cafeteria food.

Shirt Sales

2010-09-07T10:18:00.003-04:00

Fundraisers are just a part of life when it comes to youth ministry (unless you live in Naperville and everyone expects all parents to be able to pay for everything). This was one of those "Duh! Why didn't I think of that?" ideas. One of my parents suggested to me that the Youth Group sell shirts as a fundraiser. So we are. The students will make about $5 per shirt/sweatshirt that they sell, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make a little money.

Imaginative Listening

2010-08-30T10:00:00.005-04:00

I recently came across a possible new fad in the world of Youth Ministry called 'storying'. The idea is that students are invited to engage with the scripture by using their imagination and taking on the perspectives of the characters in the story. I have been wanting to move towards a different style of doing the lesson/talk/message during Youth Group and I thought I would give this a shot.

The passage for the night was Luke 14:1,7-14. Jesus is at dinner with some Pharisees and tells them to take the lowest place at the table and to invite the social outcasts instead of the rich and famous.

So I told the story and then asked some questions about what the students thought some of the people might have been thinking or feeling. The response: blank stares. It was exciting! Actually, it wasn't. I ended up asking students specifically and they offered their thoughts when asked, but rarely volunteered an idea. Later we broke down into small groups and had a series of 'connecting' questions. Emily and I went with the Juniors and Seniors and I felt like the conversation went well. You know that they are beginning to understand what Jesus was talking about when they make a comment about feeling guilty.

The challenge for the week: invite someone to Youth Group next week who you've never invited before. I even made it easy for them: we will be watching the movie 'To Save a Life' for Youth Group and then talking briefly afterward. I showed the first 8 minutes of the movie and now the students are actually excited to invite friends to see a Christian movie during Youth Group!

31 Days

2010-08-18T15:31:00.006-04:00

After the positive response from the students about the 'Quiet Time with Jesus' on the Wisconsin Trip, I decided to make another devotional available to them. Instead of buying a full year-long devotional (which is a lot to commit to, if you're new to it), I found a free 31 day devotional that goes through the life of Jesus as told by the Gospel of Matthew. I printed them out, doctored the cover image (above), and made them available to the students. As an added bonus I made a companion Facebook group with a discussion thread for each day. I have been encouraging the students to do the devotional for the day and then post a thought, comment, question, or observation on the thread.

I have had 9 students who have agreed to do it, and so we began the first day on Sunday. Other than me, maybe only one student has actually done a couple days worth, but that's ok. I plan on being a nagging Youth Pastor and continuing to encourage them. My hope is that when they half-way participate, this just might create an itch that needs to be scratched.

Wedding Pictures

2010-08-16T18:53:00.006-04:00

Ok folks, here are a few of the wedding pictures that Emily and I have received from our photographers. (click on the pictures to see a bigger version)

We love this one, and will probably get a big print of it.

We are planning on sending this one with the 'Thank You' cards

Jon made a funny!

We hope to be getting more soon, and then putting together some albums.

Not as bad as some people...

2010-08-02T20:35:00.001-04:00

Yes,

I'm aware that I haven't updated my blog since before I 'got hitched', but it has been a little busy.

At least I don't take 2 months between my posts.

Gettin' Hitched!

2010-07-04T21:16:00.005-04:00

I'm getting married in 6 days and that is super exciting!

Today we had out 4th of July picnic following an outdoor worship service and it went well. After 10 hours of setup yesterday things went smoothly today. (I stayed out of the kitchen)

Just passing along a picture of me taken by someone I don't know, and yet another demonstration why Photoshop is awesome.

(Original)

I Really Should be in bed...

2010-06-30T00:22:00.004-04:00

but I wanted to share this with you all. I met with the director and other co-director (worship coordinator?) for the NWO District Fall Retreat coming in November. I'm in charge of the free time on Saturday.

Long story short: we got to talking about the logo for the retreat (the theme is 'Supernatural', no, not like the show) and the fact that we need one. This was me messing around on Photo shop with a concept that first came to my mind. And before you all comment, I didn't finish it because I was just testing an idea.

I found another way to do smoke that works better with my idea. Here is a sample:

The first sample has the smoke behind, and the second with the smoke in the front.

How to freak-out your cat

2010-06-19T18:29:00.002-04:00

As of today I have moved nearly everything into my new apartment with the help of my Dad, Josh Woods, and Mitch. There is about three times as much storage space than in my one-bedroom apartment and that is going to come in very handy soon. We were fortunate enough to avoid all of the rain that hit BG in the past 48 hours.

The last thing that I moved into my/our new apartment was my cat Samantha. It took her about 45 seconds before she began exploring and smelling everything. She seems to have taken to the new place rather well but has been very skittish.

Now to clean my old apartment and turn in the key on Monday.

Pictures to come soon.

Face-Lift

2010-06-15T11:27:00.003-04:00

Today marks the first day of my second year as the Youth Pastor at Bowling Green Church of the Nazarene. In honor of that I have changed the template and title of my blog. Honestly, it just became a new and cooler option so I gave y blog a new look for the fun of it. Wasn't that cathartic.

I realized that it has been almost an entire month since I last posted, and I am sure that my incredibly small audience is desperately curious about the going-ons in BG since the time of said post. In light of my long absence, may I point out that my brother is a worse culprit than I at keeping up-to-date posts.

Well, since the last time I posted we have:

Finished the 'I Believe' series in Youth Group
Finished the 'John's Jesus' in Sunday School
Attended District Assembly (not as boring as I expected it to be)
Attended Regional BLAST on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Prayed with Mitch as he accepted Christ into his heart (cool testimony that he is going to share in 2 weeks at Youth Group)
Signed the contract for my new 2 bedroom apartment
Preached a sermon
Sang in the worship band
Had a parent meeting
Led communion during service
Attended 2 sessions of Pre-marital counseling with Dr. Micheal Benson
Had class at ONU
Attended 2 graduations
Attended 1 graduation party
Helped with an Eagle Scout Project
Sent 3 late birthday cards
Made lots of mailers/postcards
Updated the church website several times

And I'm sure that I've left something out...

Basically, summer is here and it is getting busier. Tonight we start our first ever Tuesday Night Cookout here at the church, and it is supposed to rain but we will meet anyways!

This weekend I will be moving into my new apartment with the help of my Dad, Josh Woods, and a bunch of people from church (some of the students are very excited about the idea of moving things from one apartment to another?).

And then, just when I thought I had life figured out I'm going to be married in less than 4 weeks, and that is both scary and very exciting!

Well, I think I should stop there before this post becomes absurdly long.

Phun with Photoshop

2010-05-20T20:44:00.002-04:00

I'm working on a mailer for a summer event for the students. Using a picture I 'borrowed' from Google images and added some text over it. I'm not finished with it yet, so spare me the comments, but I just wanted to share it because it was my fun project for the day.

One of Those Moments

2010-05-14T09:13:00.001-04:00

I had one of those moments last night. It was one of those moments when my heart began to swell and hopes and desires began to grow in a way that can only be expressed with a grin and seemingly irrelevant giggle. Honestly, no, I wasn’t thinking about being married or the night after…

As a child, and no more than I care to admit, I would daydream wild fantasies of adventure and fame. Make-believe is the training grounds that God has given us to dream the dreams of the Kingdom of God.

I had one of those moments last night where the hopes and dreams, which can only be called ‘holy’, began to flood my mind as I thought about my students. The type of dreams that bring tears to your eyes as you hope and pray.

That they would begin to be formed into young men and women who truly loved God, loved others, and were servants to the world around them.

That they would begin to live holy lives of self-less love, joy, and peace.

That their words would bring comfort and that their presence might be mistaken for the Lord and Savior himself.

That the hallways of their school would be shaken by an unmistakable sense of the presence of the Spirit of God.

That their energy and vitality would breather new life into the local church and that the Body of Christ would live and move as the Body of Christ.

That ‘communion’ would not simply be a monthly ritual but would become the sole descriptor of their very lives.

But how often have these dreams been dreamed before and only handed down as that: a dream.

Fun with Chemistry

2010-05-12T16:30:00.006-04:00

Here is a picture sample of the visual illustration I will be using for Youth Group this Sunday.

The timing on the pictures was a little bit off, but you get the point.

Graduation

2010-05-09T10:17:00.004-04:00

Since I've been doing a bunch of long posts, I'll keep this one short.

This week I went to Naperville, Dixon, and Bourbonnais.

We got our cake ordered and finalized how we want it.
We got our name in for the tuxedos.
We figured out how we want to do the invitations.
We decided on our dinner for the reception.
We double-checked the rehearsal dinner location.

And, Emily graduated.

Much thanks to my friend Tim with the good eye for photography.

I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins

2010-05-04T12:24:00.004-04:00

Last week we talked about Jesus as 100% God and I asked the students if it is just a little bit crazy to think that Jesus was God and that God became a human being. I has two interesting responses:

The first was from a student who has been visiting with a friend for several weeks. His response was, "Yes, because he was just a man".

The second interesting response was to the question, "Could Jesus save us if he wasn't God?", and it was "Save us as in...?"

I then proceeded to very simply explain what salvation meant, and this highlighted a big problem that the Gospel faces today: everyone thinks they are fine. What can we possibly need saving from? The difficult is that we tend to present students with propositional truth and expect that they accept it as such (you need to be saved). However, they aren't interested in listening to an abstract propositional truth that seems to hold no relevance to their happy middle-class-my-parents-buy-me-what-I-want life. Honestly, aren't we all like that at some point?

So I'm rearranging my lesson plan and am going to talk about what salvation and forgiveness means. I'm going to do a cool visual trick with phenolphtanlein (it's used for the 'water into wine' magic trick and some children's toys) but right now I'm working on my opener.

The problem of how sin has affected our world must be presented clearly and understandably to us before we can possibly begin to accept the idea that we need to be saved. I need your help brainstorming. I'm working on a long list that illustrates how 'seriously messed up our world is'. It goes from big and impersonal to small and personal. Add in the comment section parts that you think fit in.

Here it is:

Earthquakes that leave hundreds of thousands homeless and orphaned

Tornadoes rip through towns and leave families devastated

Hurricanes and tsunamis destroy cities in seconds with unstoppable force

Fires rage out of control, burning houses and running lives

15,000 children will die today because of hunger

The average American throws away ½ lb. of food per day (150 million lb.s per day)

6,000 children will die from dirty and infested water today

The average American uses 200 gallons of clean water per day

Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro

People who are afraid of their governments and fear for their lives

Corrupt governments that take aid money and keep it for themselves

Governments and nations that allow whole people groups, whole villages, to be raped and murdered

The holocaust

Business owners who look out for themselves and then reward themselves with other peoples money

Companies that black-mail each other and then claim no responsibility for the resulting mess

CEO’s that allow faulty products to be sold to unsuspecting customers

Stars who are considered ‘idols’ and ‘role models’ but act like idiots and have all of the wrong moral values

Mothers who drown their children

Fathers and uncles who molest or rape their daughters and nieces

Parents who abuse their children

Husbands and wives who use their children as ammunition to get back at each other

The girl who cries herself to sleep because her friends have stabbed her in the back

The guy who cuts himself because he doesn’t know how to deal with his anger

The girl who is treated like an object by every guy at school

The guy who is too ashamed of himself that he lies about who he has and hasn’t slept with

Your peers who cheat and lie to get ahead in life

Adults who turn a blind eye to cruelty and bullying

The pushers, the posers, the drunks, the druggies

Your peers who think it isn’t possible to stay a virgin past the age of 16

Have a great day!

I Was Such a Dork...

2010-05-03T09:32:00.002-04:00

Last night Mitch showed the slide show that he made for my birthday. As the opening credits were rolling I realized that he didn't have very many recent pictures of me, and I thought 'O crap'. I realized that the largest stock-house of pictures available to Mitch would be on Facebook, and those are not all the most flattering pictures in the world (though none are in appropriate). The most recurring comment that I got after the video was about the cowlick and comb-over that I had for 20 years.

Thanks, Peter, for doing that to me.

It just so happens that I was thinking about myself when I was a freshman in High School. I was a dork.

We have a lot of athletes in our Youth Group, and some of these athletes tend to act like the stereotypical athletes (i.e. making fun of other people). Of course, they are also just adolescents so that probably explains it. But I realized that if some of my students knew me when I was their age they would probably make fun of me, and I would probably not like them.

Isn't it interesting how much people change?

Building Broken Faith

2010-04-25T20:56:00.002-04:00

Happy World Malaria Day to me!

*NOTE: this is the 5th year in a row that it has rained on my birthday.

We are part of the way into series using the Apostles Creed to examine the core doctrines of our faith, and tonight we talked about Jesus as fully human. This is the scandal of our faith: that God became a man and dwelt among us. Even more so that Jesus Christ is our High Priest who has suffered and been tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin.

It is cool to see and hear feedback from the group leaders that the students are beginning to be more engaged and to answer and ask questions. There is even an interesting trend that our visiting students often are more likely to engage in conversation than our 'regulars' (both and good and bad thing). It is exciting to see this process beginning to unfold in the lives of these students in different ways.

But even in the middle of this I am reminded of the deep burden of reality by a simple phrase: 'Broken Faith'. One of my students wandered into the youth room during our free time and with a marker and Styrofoam plate began to doodle. She drew cracks and partially split the plate down the middle, through the words 'Broken Faith'. I found this as I was cleaning up and had learned that a friend of hers is in a terrible life situation. It hasn't hit the papers yet, but her friend was out of school and there is a criminal investigation against her father.

The aim of Christian ministry, especially to students, is that we are trying to help them rightly understand God, ourselves, and the world around us through the lenses of the truth of Christ as he is revealed in scripture, but tin the midst of a very deeply broken world.

There are times when our hurts are so profound that we question how faith is possible.

God Incarnate: God became one of us in every way, yet without sin.

Famine

2010-04-18T21:35:00.002-04:00

The 30 Hour Famine was a huge success. We had about 65 students from all 3 churches participate in the event. I took 8 students, but 2 had to leave Friday night and 1 left Saturday afternoon.

I basically became 'the guy in charge' for most of the time that we were at the church. I planned the games and all of that fun stuff, and everything went really well. The students were randomly divided into 5 tribes and had games that simulated life changes that the people in Ethiopia face on a daily basis. As we were driving back from the Famine I asked the 5 students in the car what they learned from the event.

Here is a sampling (paraphrased as close to their wording as possible):

'That passage that kept popping up, I've never heard it before and it was really surprising to me. I've never thought about that, and it made me think about what I do in a different way, and that it actually matters.' [Matthew 25: 31-46, "For when I was hungry you fed me, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink...']

'I learned that homeless people are real people and that we shouldn't make fun of them. That they need help just like us.' [We did service projects at 3 different missions in Toledo]

'I really liked getting to help the people find the clothes that they needed, and knowing that it made them happy.'

'Doing the games really made me think about what it is like for other people, and it made me think about how much we take advantage of in our own lives.'

'Why don't we help the people here in America? Why are we only sending our money to Africa?' [This sparked a great conversation]

We also had an awesome conversation about helping others, and when asked if they think that we should do more service projects in our youth group they all emphatically said 'yes'. Between each game they had discussion questions that had to do with the topic of the game and I was asked several times to give them more time for discussion. It was an awesome event.

We played this video to end the event, right before they ate.

My hope is that this event will work as a spring-board in the lives of these students, and that it might cause a slow ripple effect as they begin desire to love God and love others with their whole hearts.

NYI Secretary

2010-04-13T10:33:00.005-04:00

I have been asked to allow my name to run on the ballot for the district NYI (Nazarene Youth International) Secretary for this coming year. The NYI Conference will be held on May 1st, where the voting will take place. Marcus Duff, our district NYI president has asked both candidates to create a one page flyer introducing ourself and explaining why we are the better candidate. This is mainly for my benefit because I am new on the district, and my competition has been here for awhile.

Well, as you have probably guessed, I don't really care if I lose. Yes, if I am elected I will do my best and I do think that it would be a great opportunity to meet other Youth Pastors and students on the district. So, I decided to create an entirely satirical flyer to be given to the students entitled '10 Reasons why Alex Connell Wants You to Vote for Joel Heald'.

Here it is:

Journey's End

2010-03-28T21:11:00.004-04:00

I mentioned awhile ago that I was apprehensive about how my students would receive something so different from the normal Youth Group schedule like a Holy Week Prayer Walk.

For me the bottom bench mark for 'not a complete failure' would be if no one was disruptive. Maybe my expectation was a bit low (I was expecting more from some students), but you never know with something so different like this.

I began gathering materials this week, and had nearly everything organized last night. I came into the church at 3pm and 3 of my leaders came in at 4pm to help me set up. Everything was ready to go by 5ish.

The students got here and were very very antsy because they couldn't go in the gym. I had given a bit of fair warning to those who would complain the loudest, but no one complained. We played Catch Phrase and the students came in one-by-one if they were they were holding the device at the buzzer.

It went well. After I explained in detail what we would be doing, and mentioned 'over 130 candles', 6 or 7 students asked to be first.

I had them answer two question on paper at the end as a personal reflection, and I'm going to read those later tonight. These were really more for the students to 'debrief' before the left the room and completely forgot about everything that happened.

My one senior asked me for a copy of the material so that she could show her Young Life leaders and they can do it too.

Another student called me after he left and said that he 'had some doubts' but that it was 'pretty sweet'.

The lesson: it was the Holy Spirit that gave me the idea in the first place (duh Joel) and it was the Holy Spirit that made it work.

The candles and awesome music may have provided the environment, but it was clearly God who did the heavy lifting.

Sorry, no pictures.

A True Sixth Sense

2010-03-24T23:57:00.003-04:00

I genuinely believe that the domesticated house cat is the embodiment of arrogance.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kitten. She is super cute and a ball of trouble. However, I have come to another conclusion about cats.

It is often said that cats and dogs are able to sense dramatic changes in weather, and this is sometimes called a 'sixth sense'. Just because an animal has a built-in barometer doesn't mean they have a sixth sense.

However, I have discovered the true sixth sense of cats, and it leads them to the gift of inconvenience.

Whenever I intend to be sitting for a while and I want Sam to come sit with she obstinately stares at me from across the room. However, the moment I sit down only for a few minutes or am about to get up after having sat for a long time, THEN she comes and sits on me.

Amazing.

A Tale of Two Schools

2010-03-23T15:22:00.003-04:00

I just got the schedule for the May Module courses. It looks like I will be taking Spiritual Development of Students with Professor (Chaplain) Mark Holcomb. I'm looking forward to it, and it will be a good class. Of course, I will have to be on my best behavior or I will really give Mark a reason for revenge as the officiant of our wedding. So, I will soon be making a reservation for the Britney Suite in Hotel Reddick for May 24-28th.

On the other hand Mount Vernon Nazarene (BG is on their region) is offering a brand new lock-in. This lock-in is called 'Middle School Only' and is probably as close to insanity that I will ever come: drive 2.5 hours to a lock-in and then drive back. Guess what weekend the new MSO event is on...

No really, just guess.

May 28th.

Sure, you can say, "well, just don't go to it". That would possibility, had I not already been telling my middle school students that there was going to be an awesome lock-in just for them at the end of May. So unless I don't have any students sign up for MSO, it looks like Friday May 28th will involve a lot of driving.

It's time to recruit another adult to go with me so that they can drive instead.

A Journey Through Holy Week

2010-03-14T16:40:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to do something special for Holy Week.

I really appreciate the rich liturgical Christian traditions that take the time to pay special attention to all of the Christian holidays (holy-days) and their meaning. Yeah, we Protestants celebrate Christmas, we do an decent job with Advent, we make a big deal out of Palm Sunday, and normally we do pretty good with Easter Sunday.

NOTE: I have been to some pretty lame Easter Sunday services.

But we miss so much else by ignoring the Christian calendar. There is a beautiful history of honoring Jesus' last week before his death and all that it means for us, and I really want to do something special as a youth group.

So, we're going to do something completely different for Youth Group on Palm Sunday.

We are going to do a Journey Through Holy Week. It will be a multi-sensory experience of what happened in the life of Jesus from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday (no one will be scourged or nailed to a cross). The journey will look at a significant events from each day of the week and what the implications are for our life. It will be a quiet and reflective time where the students will move along the path individually to each consecutive station.

I've done events like this with 50 Jr High students and they loved it (granted, that was at the end of a retreat). This will be a total departure from normal, but I really hope that the students embrace the idea and are willing to encounter God in a totally new way.

We shall see.

If I Can Dream

2010-03-03T09:48:00.002-05:00

Ok this is just a strange mix of really weird.

Simon Fuller, the producer of American Idol, has taken it and mixed it with the Truman Show. 5 young aspiring actors, actresses, models, and musicians are living in a house in Hollywood and are getting a chance to make it in 'the industry'. The catch: there are over 60 cameras streaming live over the internet watching everything they do and say. When they are in the house they were mics to pick up what is said, and yes, the bathrooms are 'tastefully' filmed as well.

There is also a weekly show on hulu.com that follows the five from the previous 6 weeks that they spent traveling the world advertising this show. It is a strange mix. It would be great for them (all 21 or 22) to actually make it, but I'm guessing that isn't going to happen in any significant way. This form of reality TV is probably only going to appeal to a younger audience, and that audience just doesn't have the resources to make anything happen for the cast. Yes, they say that teenagers have the largest disposable income of any group (i.e. there parents spend lots of money on them), but they spend money on the finished product and not investing in potential talent.

This should be interesting.

Check it out here. Kinda creepy huh?

Rescheduling Easter

2010-02-26T11:45:00.003-05:00

Today I was thumbing through the January/February edition of Holiness Today (the official magazine of the Church of the Nazarene), and I came to an illustrated calendar. I can understand when there is a typo or a misprint that is corrected in the next issue, but this was different.

According to HT, Holy week begins on April 5th and ends on the 11th, with Easter falling on April 12th.

Go look at a calendar.

When was the last time in history that Holy Week began after Easter (actually on April 4th) or that Easter fell on a Monday (never). I double and triple checked to make sure that I was actually looking at the 2010 issue, and I was. How can a Christian magazine, let alone a flagstone magazine for an entire denomination, possibly screw up the cornerstone holiday of the faith?

Makes me proud to be a Nazarene.

Sunday School

2010-02-23T09:51:00.004-05:00

For many years I have thought that Sunday School was largely an out-dated model for Christian education for students. I believed that it was repetitive, cheap, and largely existed in Youth Ministry because the older generations expect it to be there. In fact, I had intended not to teach Sunday School as a Youth Pastor because of my extreme dislike for it.

However, my opinion has changed. It seems that my generation is largely a biblically-illiterate group of Christians who can't do a very good job explaining why they believe what they believe. It seems that our understanding of Jesus is limited to the stories that we are told as children, and our understanding of who Jesus is and what he calls us to is very limited. So, here comes Sunday School.

What would happen if we took time each week to look closely at the life of Jesus, what he said, and what he did? What would happen if a student, over the course of several years, was exposed to the entire story of the Gospels in one bit at a time? Perhaps if we knew better what it was that Jesus did and taught, this might actually make a difference in the life of the church?

Even though the Nazarene Sunday School logo is incredibly indistinct, lame, and very old, I still have hope that Sunday School can once again become a useful part of our Sunday morning.

Now, how to get students to show up an hour earlier...

(Dad, thanks for pointing out my completely stupid error in the last paragraph. I must have not been paying attention as I typed)

Filling in the gaps

2010-02-16T13:14:00.002-05:00

For the past several weeks I have been trying to figure out how to publish a podcast of our weekly sermon so that people can access it via the iTunes store. You might think that apple.com would have clear instructions on how to go about doing this, but they don't. I Googled this about 10 different ways and it seems that creating a podcast is easy (which it is), but that publishing a podcast is a dirty little secret. Every website fell into one of two categories: excessive or vague, and sometimes both.

Apparently when people sit down to write instructions on how to publish a podcast, they find it amusing to leave the important details out. Sure, they will tell you the steps that you need to take, but they would actually tell you how to take those steps! It's like giving you a recipe with only the list of ingredients while leaving off amounts, times, mixing instructions, and every other important piece of information!

Fortunately the kind people at publishpath.com (who host our website) created a very simple set of instructions that told me what I needed to know.

Also, I just found out that our website has been public since December. Looks like I really should get around to finishing it.

Really Ohio?

2010-02-10T13:19:00.002-05:00

That's the best you can do?

Perhaps I'm a bit bitter for having only had 3 snow days my entire High School career, and only 2 in 5 years of college. Perhaps my expectations are just a bit too high, having lived in Naperville, IL for so long.

Perhaps Ohio just doesn't know how to clear snow. It's just a little surprising to me that school has been canceled two days in a row and it hasn't snowed for the last 3 hours. Granted the winds make it a little more difficult, but it seems as if we treat every snow as if it is a blizzard. But then again there are a lot of students coming from country roads that don't get cleared, so that might have something to do with it.

the bible-thumping-scripture-innerancy-the-whole-counsel-of-of-God-take-it-as-it-is-or-your-not-really-a-Christian understanding of the bible.

2010-02-04T10:34:00.004-05:00

I've been using the One-Year Bible reading plan and I am currently in the middle of Exodus. I really like the story of the Exodus because it shows how infinitely patient God is with his people who continually disbelieve and disobey him after seeing the many miracles that he performed for them. Yeah, they get some major punishment, but you have to read the whole story to understand what is going on.

Today the reading included the beginning of the giving of the Law. The classic '10 Commandments' are in chapter 20, but then you hit chapter 21. Let me quote a few verses for you:

"When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign person, since he has broken faith with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. Is he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, of her martial rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money." (vv. 7-11)

Granted, this passage is talking about the rights of a female slave, but it is also talking about a father who sells his daughter to get out of debt. In essence the woman's fate is tied to the decisions of the two men and she has no say. Male slaves, at the least, are guaranteed freedom after 6 years (but if they acquired a family while in slavery, the family belongs to the slave owner).

So now comes the argument about the innerancy of Scripture in all parts (which implies a very literal reading of all Scripture) and the argument that God does not change and is the same 'yesterday, today, and tomorrow' which implies that every commandment in Scripture is an accurate portrayal of God. Do we need to deal with this text differently than something as authoritative to our understanding of who God is? Can we toss out Exodus 21:1-11 just because they are unsavory, or does our whole paradigm of interpretation need to be revamped?

Who is right? Is slavery acceptable? Is this just a reflection of social norms that the Israelites adopted, but aren't really what God wants? Are women really meant to be treated as chattel? Or did the bible-thumping-scripture-innerancy-the-whole-counsel-of-of-God-take-it-as-it-is-or-your-not-really-a-Christian crowd get it just a little bit wrong?

I can't help but think that this mind-set has done the same thing to Scripture as the Pharisees did to the Hebrew law.

Just ranting.

Aftermath

2010-01-29T15:52:00.003-05:00

This week I finally got Sam to Humane Ohio to be spayed. She was not a happy kitty when I picked her up but she was very glad that I was taking her home. Besides missing a few internal pieces, she also has tapeworms and ear mites. That means I get to by more medicines for her and fight with her to administer them. The tape worm drops are the easiest because she doesn't mind them on one of her favorite treats. Giving her a treat 3 times a day for 2 weeks isn't what I would prefer but it will work.

Sam also has to wear a nice Elizabethan-style collar to keep her from licking her wounds. All cat owners know that the one word that most accurately describes the feline species is arrogance. So, not wanting to depart from the long-held traditions of her species, Sam pouts whenever I have to put the collar on. Her head suddenly becomes limp whenever I pick her up and she is over come with weariness that she must walk around as in a fog. It's pretty funny.

However, to allow her some dignity I take the collar off for about an hour and watch her carefully so that she can clean herself (except her belly). Otherwise she would just be gross after a week without cleaning herself.

Here are some funny pictures for you.

Let the games begin!

2010-01-22T22:04:00.002-05:00

I have officially created a label for Upward Basketball, which means one thing: it is about to consume my entire life of Saturdays. Games begin tomorrow, and other than my own game for the team I am 'coaching', the students are working at the concessions stand at our church to earn money. So my Saturdays for the next 10 weeks will consist of lots of driving around between Upward events in town. It's going to get hectic.

As for our first game, we play the team that we share gym space with on our Tuesday night practices. I feel like this is a bit awkward to play them first (and last), and I can't decide if it would be better to win or lose to them?

As for 'coaching', well, I'm trying to remember what it was like when I started playing basketball in 3rd grade. There is only so much that you can actually go over in a one-hour practice each week that also includes a mini-devotional and most likely a scrimmage with the other team practicing at the same time. Getting them to learn a simple drill is difficult, and then learning a play? Well just try to get them to implement the play in the real game!

I think that 'anarchy', as organized chaos, was probably defined after watching 3rd grade boys play basketball.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

Buts it fun.

Dating and Youth Group

2010-01-16T17:28:00.002-05:00

It seems that in the Youth Ministry world there are two things from the dating world that are feared: inter-youth group relationships (breakup can often divide the entire group and drag the Youth Pastor onto either side), and asking about someones relationship without knowing that they had broken up. However, technology has changed that. Well, the second one at least.

Not only do students constantly keep the entire world up-to-date via Facebook relationship status, but now we can get a play-by-play. The new trend is to identify your 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' with a text signature. Now the easiest way to find out who is dating who is to simply text them and wait for a response. At the bottom of their text will, almost without a doubt, be a smiley face, :), or a heart, <3, preceding their current 'special someone'. Of course, this tends to be more popular with the Middle School students, but it sure makes things interesting.

It seems that wearing someones sweatshirt or class ring is just too old fashioned nowadays.

An Easter Play, NYC, 30 Hour Famine, and so much more

2010-01-13T14:55:00.003-05:00

Well this year is starting off crazy. On the 8th I took 7 students to the New Years Revolution (a district lock-in at BGSU) and it went well. However, two lock-ins in 8 days is a bit rough.

This year has already begun to get hectic. We have started new Sunday School and Youth Group curriculum's which both require less prep-time for me and I believe that both of them will be great for the students. In Sunday School we are doing a 12-week survey of the Bible, and in Youth Group we are having gender-based discussions on 10 different issues. Now before you accuse me a 'going soft' and doing curriculum's that require less work on my part, at least hear the rest of my news for the first 2 weeks of the year.

Pastor Joel has given us the 'all-clear' for our Easter play and we determined today that, due to logistics, we will be performing in on the evening of Sunday March 28th instead of on Easter morning. Some of my students are incredibly excited that we get to do this, but now I have a TON of writing and editing to do in the next week-and-a-half because I want to begin rehearsals in 2 weeks. I'm just hoping that is enough time.

I also got a big packet in the mail for the 30 Hour Famine. Last year our students partnered with several other churches in Toledo, OH and had a great time. This year I am considering requiring that they raise a minimum of $30 without the help of their parents in order to go. This $30 would feed one child for one month. I'm also considering giving them a challenge to raise something like $2500 and then they can give me a Mohawk or dye it some strange color. However, I would have to set the deadline before the event (April 23rd) so that I know that my hair will be back in time for July 9th (I can always just re-dye it, right?). Need to run this one by Emily first...

Also, there is finally some information coming out about the Nazarene Youth Conference held in the summer of 2011. They are really late in giving out any information, especially since this event will probably cost upwards of $1,300 per student. I've been talking about it a bit and we are working on providing constant fund-raising opportunities for it. This is pretty much one of the watershed events for many Nazarene Students and I am excited to be getting some information about it to pass along to the students.
They have released a youtube video, but the website doesn't work. It's a start.

I also spoke with Stadium View Apartments today and I am able to move into a bigger apartment as soon as one is open. Of course, I can't afford an additional $100 of rent, but maybe I can convince them to let me move into early without increasing the cost until the contract is up? This way they can put another tenant in my 1-room and still keep me? Probably not...

And then there is the wedding planning, leadership meetings, going to basketball games, and I need to start doing some serious thinking about what things will look like in Sunday School and Youth Group for us after March. Oh yeah, and then there is summer plans, and how to start up discipleship groups in the fall, and developing the student leadership core...

You get the picture.

But seriously, I'm loving it here.

One down...

2010-01-05T12:58:00.003-05:00

... and one more lock-in to go! Last Thursday night we had our New Years Eve lock-in. I had Peter with me all week and he was a huge help in getting everything accomplished. 28 students show up, and we had WAY too much food. Most people would think that that isn't that big of a deal, except that it also means that I spent more money that I needed to or should have. However, I've never planned food for 25+ people, so I can comfortably chalk-it-up to a rookie mistake and now I have a better sense of how much is too much. Of course, our pantry is now very full of chips.

This Friday we have the New Years Revolution here in BG. This is the district lock-in and I don't have to do much more than show up! I am excited for it because it will be a good and crazy time. There will be a ton of stuff to do and I think it is going to be awesome. Afterward, however, I will probably take a year-long break from doing lock-ins.

Also this week we are beginning a new Sunday School curriculum and a new discussion-based curriculum in Youth Group. I really think that the students who come (and participate) will enjoy the interactive approach to both of these curriculum. Also, this is a bit less weekly stuff that I have to be preparing, which means that I can spend a bit more time thinking long-range and doing some down-the-road planning.

Heroes of the past

2009-12-27T21:38:00.003-05:00

When we are younger we idolize people that we want to be like, and we hope to one day do what they do so well. Or at least we thought they did it well, and then we grow up.

Tonight was a learning experience: some things that looked fun and harmless just shouldn't be repeated.

One of our activities tonight was what could be called the "gallon challenge". The goal is to drink and hold-down a gallon of milk within one hour. The body simply cannot handle this much fatty liquid and will inevitably vomit it up. I have always enjoyed seeing this activity when I was in High School (I've never done it), and thought that our students would get a kick out of it. Two of my students successfully demonstrated that the body simply cannot consume a gallon of milk, and after a full dinner sometimes a half-gallon is too much.

As the night was winding down I discovered from a 3rd party that my Pastors wife, who happened to be there tonight, was very angry that I chose to do this activity. My immediate response was to prepare my defense in my head, but then I chose to take a more rational approach. I considered, why would she be mad about this activity? Was she simply being over protective, or was there something actually wrong with the beloved 'gallon challenge'?

After having carefully considered the possible arguments, I had an epiphany: intentionally causing a person to become ill (vomiting included) by ingesting a substance is called poisoning. This is not a good thing.

Safety must be one of the highest priorities of any ministry that I am leading or participating in. As much as I have fond memories of watching my peers vomit after trying to drink an entire gallon of milk in an hour, I just can't do this to my students. No matter how fun it might be.

As much as I hate doing things wrong, at least it was only milk.

However, I do have an awesomely disgusting picture of one of them hurling the milk into the trash-can. It's a limited edition item now.

Caroling Fallout

2009-12-22T23:20:00.002-05:00

I just received this e-mail from one of the elderly ladies who attends our church. I thought my family would appreciate it, and that it would make my Mom cry. I will be reading the first and third paragraphs to the students and posting it on the bulletin board for people to read.

Here is the e-mail:

Hi, Joel,

I am writing to let you know that for the past two nights I have heard
and re-heard glowing accounts of the carolers from the Nazarene Church
who sang for the Schwambergers Sunday night. They were absolutely
thrilled! Caryl said she would have had something ready to give to
you had she known you were coming.

Caryl and Bob are very dear friends of mine, and I try to keep them
informed of some of the things going on at the church--all good, I
have shared with them about how good you are with the young people and
having them involved in activities etc. I assured them that they
would love you if they ever got to meet you, and I was right. They
were very impressed at how well the group sang and how "together" you
seemed to have it planned. Enough before I cause you to get a "big
head"--just kidding.

Caryl isn't able to write any more as her tremors make it nearly
impossible. So, she asked me to convey their heart felt Thanks for
singing for them when I told her I was going to e-mail you tonight so
you could share with your teens the happiness they brought to the
community with their caroling. So, Thank you from them, and from me
for making them so happy.

Keep up the good work!

Blessings

Florence

The Elephant in the Room

2009-12-21T15:36:00.003-05:00

Last night the Youth Group went Christmas caroling and had a White Elephant gift exchange. The caroling was a good time, for me at least. There was definitely a group of the guys that were not excited about it and had no problem showing me that. Fortunately no one was disrespectful, or at least they were quiet about it. When we were going into the nursing home I told them that I wanted to be proud of them when we left, and not ashamed of them. I think that might have helped a bit.

Then we did our White Elephant gift exchange, and had hot chocolate and cookies. I think it went well and some of the gifts were funny. Some of the students were poor sports about getting a gift that wasn't totally cool, but we were doing more of a goofy White Elephant gift exchange. I got a pack of cranberry scented Dial body wash and hand soap. They are being used in my bathroom right now. I think I got one of the most useful gifts.

Toeing the line

2009-12-18T15:26:00.003-05:00

I just saw an article about an inner-city Anglican Church (the British form of the Roman Catholic Church) that setup a billboard which was attacked four times. While the image was designed to spark conversation, which I'm sure that it did, I'm not really sure how close this is to the line of sacrilegious.

Here is the image on the billboard:

The cat finally is out

2009-12-17T13:59:00.003-05:00

No, I'm not actually referring to Sam (who is becoming increasingly destructive with my Christmas tree). I had taken these pictures over a month ago, but didn't do anything with them for fear that Emily might find them and wonder why I bought an engagement ring. I don't have any engagement pictures yet, but here are a few pictures of the ring for those who would like to see them.

Snowflakes for 'game room'?

2009-12-07T09:35:00.006-05:00

First, one of the older members of the church referred to the Youth Room as the 'game room'. I wanted to correct him, but I didn't because he is a nice guy.

It's Christmas time (again) and our church building has been decorated, but there are no decorations for the Youth Room. I felt a bit saddened by this, so I decided to have the students help me make snowflakes to tape onto the red wall of our room. Yesterday morning during Sunday school we cut out snow flakes, and I might say that the imagination of my students has a bit of room to be stretched.

We cut snowflakes yesterday, and today it is snowing. Apparently I have the same power of the weather that my dad does when he washes his car outside, or if my mom grills. Here is a picture of the wall, and I also included pictures of the snowflakes that I've made so far (for you, Mom).

(that pool table isn't going to be there much longer)

(lots of little cuts)

(I always do one like this)

(Wasn't sure how this one would turn out)

(my oak leaf design)

(Getting brave and mixing points and curves a bit more)

(This one is based off an actual snowflake)

Finished

2009-12-04T10:03:00.004-05:00

After many hours of planning, painting, and mostly waiting or procrastinating the painting in the Youth Room is finished. I finally completed all of the coats on the red wall and I think it looks pretty good. Here are some pictures for you.

Old stuff finding new uses

2009-12-02T23:43:00.004-05:00

Most of you (my family) already know this, but I'm posting this for the Grandparents.

Olivet Nazarene University has a site that is dedicated to theological discussion and practical ministry application. The site is divided into specific ministry areas, including one for Youth Ministry. Mark Holcomb, a professor at Olivet, asked me to send him a paper that I wrote several years ago for his class. So, I sent it in and it is up on the website as the Youth Ministry article for this month. It is fun to revisit some of my old work (that I'm proud of having done) and to rehash some ideas.

Here is the link.

My Dad read it and requested that I write shorter papers. It's only 15 pages...

Indispensable

2009-11-25T21:35:00.002-05:00

Somethings in life are indispensable. Air. Water. Food. Sleep.

It's the same thing with cars. Gas. Lights. Steering. Brakes...

Today I went to Midas because I have been hearing some grinding in my brakes. With my civic I waited too long and had to pay almost $400 to replace the shoes and pads. I was hoping that the story would be something similar or have a nicer ending. It was quite the opposite.

The Spirit needed new shoes and pads on the front brakes, new pads and another part that is leaking on the rear brakes, a new radiator, and a little rod connecting to the right front tire. Total estimated cost: $1,400.

Now this wouldn't be so tramatic if it was simply cosmetic body work. NO, this is a matter of losing my brakes or steering while driving. I decided to have the front brakes replaced ($280), and am going to figure out my best option in the next week. Is it really worth pumping another $1,100 into a free car that is dying, or into a new (used) car that doesn't have major issues?

Either way, I need to make a decision in the next week or so. After I arrive safely home from Owosso, MI for Thanksgiving break.

Yes, Mom, I know that this type of post freaks you out. That's half the fun.

Interesting...

2009-11-22T21:24:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the ways that the whole "God causes all things to work for the good of those who love him" is just strange. Basically, one of my students became very angry at one of my leaders tonight. I stepped out of the game and asked what was going on. He was mad, and had been mad for quite some time (possibly months). So we talked after Youth Group.

The conversation was pretty much me asking, listening, and rephrasing for clarification. I asked him to try to cut my adult leaders some slack, but at the end it was a really good conversation about a potentially big problem.

I feel, based on him reaction and a text message, that the conversation helped him to be genuinely honest and understand that I seriously do care about what he thinks, and feels. It was good, even thought the circumstances where not good.

A Faux Finish

2009-11-20T15:06:00.004-05:00

Today I mixed the two glaze colors that I want to use for the faux finish. The primary red color (Roasted Pepper) was only a 1 to 1 glaze/paint ratio. For the Red Brick accent I mixed it 3 to 1, and it came out much more purple than I thought it would. So, after Jordan's brilliant recommendation, I put the faux finish on a part of the architectural piece in the Youth Room.

It's very difficult to take good pictures of a faux finish that accurately shows what it looks like, but between these pictures you get the idea.

Smorgasbord

2009-11-15T21:01:00.009-05:00

Well it's been a busy week.

Saturday morning we had the first Upward evaluations, and our service project. I had three students go with me to the food pantry (Nikki, Chloe, and Chris), and we had a good time. We sorted food and organized it in a shed and then poured sugar into 1 lb bags. It was beautiful weather for the work and I felt like it went really well. We also found a really old can of Corned Beef (made in Brazil) that the lady let us keep as a souvenir.

(Nikki, Chloe, & Chris)

(I really am having fun here)

On Sunday I had my parent meeting for Jan - March right after service. I ordered pizza and had chips, desserts, and pop left over from the Upward Evaluation. I had what my students would call a epic fail: I planned on having 2 pieces of pizza per person plus a few, but when I did my math I only did it for one piece per person. So the pizza ran out before everyone got a piece. It worked out that the students jumped in line first and some of the parents didn't get any. I apologized and explained what I did but none of them seemed upset about it. We talked briefly about the Sunday School and Youth Group plans for Jan through March, and then had a brief discussion about sex (the Youth Group topics are about what it means to be a man and a woman, including a discussion on lust and sex). It was helpful to get a feel for how the parents thought about us very lightly touching on the subject. For now we will only touch briefly on it, and once I have been hear longer and earned more respect and trust, then we can talk about the gritty stuff.

Finally, the Kurfess family invited me over to dinner on Saturday and Mike made lasagna. Josh (7th grade) asked me to bring Sam over, so I did. They have a small poodle named Abby and I wanted to see how Sam would get along with other animals. Well, it took awhile, but they ended up playing with each other. Sam did a bit of the chasing and even figured out how to 'play' with Abby by hiding in the chairs where she couldn't go.

Here's a video that Josh took on his phone.

One Small Step for...

2009-11-11T10:27:00.004-05:00

After many weeks of planning, waiting, and prep-work we have finally painted the Youth Room. On Saturday I had a small group of students (Josh and Jordan Kurfess) show up to paint a white primer coat to cover up the spackle and patchings. I had mentioned to them that I wasn't sure when we were going to be able to paint the final top coat and they suggested that we do it the following day. They were rather adamant about it so we decided to do it.

I'm happy to say that we have paint on all the walls, and not anywhere that it shouldn't be. The red color is a Behr paint called 'Mineral Red', but I was afraid that it would look a bit too pink. I'm just glad that everyone has come in and said something to the affect of 'I like that color of red'. One student said that it looks like the desert. We will probably still do the glaze finish later in the year one finances begin to become a bit more stable.

And now to figure out what to do with that pool table...

It's hard being helpful

2009-11-06T11:32:00.002-05:00

I have been attempting for the past 6 weeks or more to arrange a service project for my students. It is amazing to me how difficult it is to get a hold of people when you are trying to do volunteer work for them (especially when it is the Salvation Army).

However, I just spoke with the organizer of the Christian Food Pantry here in Bowling Green, and...

drum roll please

We have a service project to do! We will be doing an assortment of different projects at the food pantry depending on how many students show up.

Now the tough work is convincing the students to actually show up.

Being quoted

2009-11-01T22:24:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had our lesson on Hell and I felt like it went okay. Doing research this week was very interesting and I feel like I learned a lot. As a self professed nerd I must admit that it was fun to do research because I chose to and not because it was required by a professor.

I jumped in with the Jr. High guys during small group time and it was so much fun to have a decently deep conversation about life after death (remember, 'deep' is relative to the cognitive ability and developmental stage). After asking a few questions one of the students, Josh, began to describe a story of a sick boy who got better because he had hope. He described the story and applied it to what we were talking about.

So that's not that special. But what was amazing to me: Josh was quoting an illustration and the application that I used almost 2 months ago during youth group when we talked about hope.

That was cool.

Cliche

2009-10-29T12:34:00.002-04:00

Why am I not surprised that this came up on amazon.com:

Appreciation

2009-10-26T14:01:00.003-04:00

October is Pastor Appreciation Month (not sure who decided that and if they even had the authority to declare that), and yesterday our church presented the pastors with the cards and gifts that had been collected over the month. It was nice to get a bundle of cards and gifts from our church, but I'm still not quite used to being called a pastor.

Also, at youth group last night my adult leaders were very sneaky and had all the students sign a card without me knowing. Alex Glassford came up just as I was ending announcements and presented it to me. I remember having done things like that for Elizabeth when I was one of her volunteers at College Church and it is just strange to be on the other end of it.

As for Youth Group (I'm planning on changing the name sometime soon) I feel like we are at a good spot. I'm no longer frustrated and tired afterward and I don't feel stressed out the whole time. I believe that part of it is the set-up of it, and part of it is the fact that we have more adult leaders that I can trust to keep an eye out for stupidity and also to just engage with the students.

Cancelations

2009-10-22T21:54:00.001-04:00

I found out tonight that both of the two students who had originally signed up to go on the Fall Retreat have dropped out. That was a whopping success.

Cherokee Roofing

2009-10-22T12:42:00.007-04:00

This week we went to Cherokee, NC to do a roofing project. Cherokee is the central town in the Cherokee Native American Preservation and it is its own sovereign nation with a brand new Casino. We went to put a new layer of shingles on the Church of the Nazarene located about 7 miles outside of Cherokee and we managed to complete a four day project in two days. We had 1 contractor, 1 roofer, and 1 does-everything-construction guy with us and they were all surprised at how much we accomplished in two days. The entire project was underwritten by the Lima Community Church and cost about $5,500. The contractor who was with us (his name was also Joel) said that he would probably have quoted that job between $21,000 - $24,000 if he were to do it.

When everything was said and done it was a great trip with beautiful weather. No one was injured except for a few minor cuts and sunburn (I still don't remember that the possibility of sunburn and the temperature are not mutually exclusive).

Here are some pictures.

The Church building is in the background. Trying to give you an idea of the size.

Carrying up a 70lb bundle of shingles to the peak.

Up on the roof laying some shingles.

And this is why they are called the Smoky Mountains.

Buffalo

2009-10-15T22:36:00.001-04:00

I have been refraining from posting about my first trip to Buffalo, NY to see my Jon and Britney's new house. I was under the impression that it was going to be a surprise to my parents but apparently Jon ruined that already.

Thanks. You're obviously Tweedledum.

Latte on a Red Brick Wall

2009-10-15T09:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I finally started putting some paint on the wall in the Youth Room. I've taken everything off the walls, removed the red rope lighting, and spackled all the dings and holes (several times). I got some free paint from a couple in the church. It's a Sherwin-Williams color called 'Latte'. We will be painting three walls this 'latte' color and then doing a faux finish in shades of red on the fourth wall.

It should look pretty good when we are done.

A different Sunday

2009-10-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was a bit hectic to say the least, but I felt that it was a good Sunday. I preached in the service and I felt like it went well (aka I didn't stumble over my words or thoughts and I think I communicated what I was trying to say). Sunday night Youth Group also went very well.

Instead of having regular youth group at the church, we met at the Fairchild's house and just hung out most of the time. We had a bonfire, snacks, hot chocolate (3 gallons of it), s'mores, and games. Jadon did get hit in the eye but he was fine by the end of the night. Over all I felt like it was a really nice break from our 'usual' routine, and for some strange reason I walked away with an unexpected feeling: for the first time I felt like I really am their Youth Pastor, and we didn't even do anything very 'spiritual'.

For Jon

2009-10-08T22:26:00.003-04:00

That's right. She's cute.

Drunken Nazarenes?

2009-10-08T11:09:00.003-04:00

I couldn't help but laugh at this and I had to post it. I opened up our church gmail account and noticed how Gmail edited the subject of an e-mail from the Nazarene Publishing House. I know that it doesn't technically say 'beer' but it sure looks like it.

For a denomination that abstains from all consumption of alcohol, this is irony at its best.

An American Classic

2009-10-07T10:44:00.005-04:00

Kittens are always portrayed as having endless hours of fun with a simple ball of yarn, and apparently it is more than a cute thought. (Sam is trying to 'help' me type this, but I've decided to remove her additions)

Busy Sunday this week

2009-10-06T13:37:00.004-04:00

This is going to be a very busy Sunday for me: Sunday School, preaching during service, and then having Youth Group at someones house. I've got a lot of prep-work for preaching and a ton of organization for Sunday night (food, phone calls, directions, firewood, etc.)

But my parents and Emily are coming in and it will be fun to have them here. I'm not sure whether it will freak my kitty out or if she will be super excited to have more people to play with her.

A New Kitten

2009-10-05T00:01:00.002-04:00

Well I finally gave in and got a kitten. I went over to the Selders home tonight after youth group and sat and made sure that the kitten and I would get along. She feel asleep in my lap. Then I brought her home tonight and she was crying the entire way back. Once I set everything up and let her out I laid down on the floor and she came right up to me and started purring. She is exploring my bed room for tonight where I have here litter box, food, water, and bed.

The Selders' kids named her 'Bugsy' because of her big eyes, but I'm thinking that I'm going to change her name. Continuing with the female-cat-with-a-female-name-that-can-be-shortened-into-a-male-nickname trend that we started with Maxine, I'm thinking of calling her Samantha. I don't know why but I think it works for her.

Here is a short (sideways) video that I took on my phone a few minutes after she got home.

ONU and Ministry Fair

2009-10-03T17:16:00.004-04:00

It was really good to visit Olivet this week and get to see Emily, my Mom, and some old friends. Now I know what it is like to come back and basically answer the same question 100 times. I also saw the dress rehearsal for the Orpheus Variety Show and it is a really good show this year.

We are also having our Ministry Fair tomorrow and I have been thinking all week about my booth. I know that I'm really not going to get a ton of people who are interested in being Adult Leaders, so I've been thinking about the most practical way use this time and space. I'm aiming for one thing: information. Perhaps the most important thing that I can do with this Ministry Fair is to help the church understand what is going on in the Student Ministries. This is especially important considering the history of change in the 'Youth Pastor' position that has happened over the past years here at BG Naz. Hopefully I can demonstrate my passion for this area of ministry, my intention to stay, and get people excited and willing to support what we are doing.

So, I decided that I had to have a cool looking display. I pulled in a chalk board and made up what I think looks pretty eye-catching. There is also a table with information and I will be there most of the day. Probably answering the same questions 100 times, yet again.

my chalkboard display

We have a website!

2009-09-29T12:02:00.002-04:00

Pastor Joel and I just finished a bit of training with Ty, the guy with Collision Media who designed our new logo and website. It looks great and it is very user friendly. We are now just working on adding content and getting a new url, and hopefully launching the website soon.

Still figuring this out

2009-09-27T20:40:00.000-04:00

Tonight we did Youth Group in yet another format. We had announcements at the beginning and immediately broke into small groups where they did their good news/bad news for the week and then Pulse Check (several questions answered on paper annonymously). We then talked about how we share our faith and rotated between me talking briefly and the small groups discussing. I planned on the small group to go from 6:25-7:05, but they went until 7:25 only because I pushed them towards concluding with prayer.

So I'm trying to find the balance between having a place where they can talk about real issues with their peers, but not being 'churched out' on Sundays. I've officially got 4 adults helping me as small group leaders and I'm so thankful for them and their heart. 2 college kids and 2 parents with one student in the youth group and two students in their late twenties (veteran parents).

This is still an adventure and a crazy learning experience. How far is too far or not far enough? How much is too much or too little? I think this is going to take me a while to really get into a good groove on Sunday nights.

Contemplating a cat

2009-09-25T18:15:00.000-04:00

I've been contemplating getting a cat from one of the families in the church. No Mom, it's not one of the Nichols cats.

There would be an initial fee from the Apartment complex and a $20 increase in my rent, but I think I would really like some living company other than my herbs.

Right now my option is a black kitten with a little white spot on her paw. The temperament of its mother makes me think that it would be a good cat.

Just thinking about it.

The End of the Year

2009-09-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

I finished planning out the end of the year, put together the newsletter, and mailed it. For the first time I managed to not mess any up while printing and didn't waste any ink or paper. I proof-read through it several times and got the formatting exactly how I wanted it.

Needless to say I was very pleased with myself.

(see below)

And then I noticed that the image used for the December calendar is actually October.

Apparetly I'm Cursed

2009-09-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

For some reason every Bowling Green High School Football game that I have attended, they have lost. While several of the games that I have not attended, they have won. Jadon and Tyler B. have decided that I am cursed, and I am therefore cursed.

Jadon has demanded that I not come to his basketball games.

Lessons in concrete thinking

2009-09-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

Today I led the devotional in the weekly chapel service at the Bowling Green Christian Academy. I was talking to kindergarten through 5th grade about the story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and anointed them with perfume. After the service a little boy came up to me and asked in the form of a statement, "A woman just poured perfume on your feet." I realized that because I was reading the words of Jesus in the first person, the little boy thought that I was saying what happened to me.

At that age they don't quite have the ability to think in 3rd person, so that probably confused him. It might not have helped that I also told a story from when I was in 5th grade.

Well, live and learn.

Rethinking my thinking... again

2009-09-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

To be perfectly frank youth group can be exhausting. I've read it before in several pastoral books, and I now know it to be true. There is an adrenaline rush that naturally accompanies leading a service or event and Sunday's are adrenaline rush overloads. So I have to really be careful to not let any discouragement after a service take its toll on me, and I've read that this is common.

But last night I got to thinking about our youth group event. I began asking myself several questions: What do they (the students) want? What do they need? Where is the purpose of Sunday night youth group? Where is the balance.

It occurred to me that having Sunday School, Worship service, and then a lesson and small group discussion at Youth Group just might be too much in one day. Ultimately we are trying to help students connect with God and to love both God and others. Furthermore, discipleship is typically seen as the transfer of knowledge. That's not discipleship: that's education.

So if the students need discipleship, and they need connections with loving adults, and they need to begin to ask questions and discover answers about God, but they want to have fun and have a place where they can invite their friends to, then how do we 'do' that?

I have a creeping feeling that I'm taking things too seriously during youth group. I'll talk to Pastor Joel about it on Wednesday.

I'm a real boy!

2009-09-10T16:50:00.001-04:00

When I was thinking about what to name this post I couldn't help but think of Pinocchio's exclamation in Shrek as he goes hurtling through the air and is momentarily transformed into a real boy and back again.

Anyways...

Continuing to work with Collision Media we have final proofs for our new business cards. It's kinda cool to have my first official business card. Here is what it will look like:

the front

the back

Well, now I'm off to an 8th grade football game. CJ has asked me probably 7 times if I'm coming.

Just so you know.

2009-09-10T12:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not the easiest person in the world to buy for because I often can't really tell you what I would like as a present when my birthday or Christmas rolls along. But, this is something that I want.

The cheapest place to get it is at Walmart.

I hope that makes it easier for you.

Ancient Rome

2009-09-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had our first WakeUp Call (i.e. sunday school) for the students. There were 11 students, french toast, and we watched the first of 8 videos in 'The Jesus Experience' series. The reviews typically ranged from 'That wasn't as boring as I expected' to 'I wasn't really paying attention' to 'that got soooo boring'. About what I expected.

I'm doing a bit of prep-work for the next few weeks, and I'm set for this week. It is a bit easier to start off WakeUp Call with a low pressure thing like a video series, and it just makes it easier on me too.

Not sure this is legal yet...

2009-09-03T16:18:00.000-04:00

Pastor Joel Nichols and I have been working with Collision Media on a branding and website development project. Collision Media has been a great company to work with, and today we finalized a design for our new church logo. While I don't think that we technically have to rights to this logo yet, we will very soon.