The Animal Kingdom

My family is a sucker for the animal kingdom. Above is a pic of my sister's greyhound, Scooby (aka Cosby). Can you tell by the picture this dog is spoiled? He has it made. Everytime he goes outside and comes back in, he gets a bone. On occasion, Scooby will get something call Frosty Paws (ice cream for dogs...what in the world???) ... I wish someone would reward me with ice cream for going pee ... ok, maybe not. Despite having greyhound farts that can clear the room, this dog is loved.

Jenna and I's new roommate is Oliver. He is an adorable 6-8 week old kitten of a stray cat the MC students in the apartments has adopted. My furniture and my body are his personal jungle gym. The cat is a riot to watch. After he does a few flips off the couch playing, he loves to pass out on my neck ... go figure.

The Fog Has Cleared ... Maybe

Over the last couple of years I've felt like I've been in a bit of a fog ... honestly, not a real think one, but one nonetheless. Tonight while waiting eight cars deep in the drive thru line at McDonalds for a diet Coke (seriously, all of Dekalb county is at McDonalds at 1 a.m), it cleared a little ... or at least I think it did. Time will tell. More later ... maybe.

Vacation

I have photo's of my vacation, but of course left the SD card at home. It was nothing spectacular, but was totally wonderful nonetheless. I spent the first half of it at home in Indiana, hanging out with family and friends. I love them both...so very much. I barbequed with friends (actually Bob barbequed, we just ate), did church and Applebees with the family, watched baby Sarah with my sister, went and saw the 12:01 showing of Indiana Jones with some friends and family for fun, met up with Jeremy at Barnes and Noble, took care of some business/appointments and a couple of other things in between it all. Like I said, nothing very adventurous but fun nonetheless. I had a whole list of people I wanted to spend some time with, but only made it through half the list.

Actually ended that portion of my vacation at Oasis on Wednesday night after DC's invite. I totally had a blast and actually ran a small group of incoming 6th graders girls. One of the questions on the discussion sheet was "What is one thing you think would make Oasis great?" (or something like that). They said the expected for incoming 6th graders ... roller coasters, water rides, celebrities, etc. I then had them lean in, waited for the silence, and whispered ... "You know what makes Oasis great?" They all thought I was going to say something super profound, but instead I just whispered, "you do." They giggled. I told them that Oasis could have all that stuff, but if they didn't show up or they didn't have friends who truly cared about them there too, it wouldn't be any fun. They really are truly what makes it great. I then challenged them to dive in ... go to camp (guaranteed it would be the best week of their summer), told them to show up to Second Saturday, and anything else they could be a part of. It was great seeing all the students and leaders of days gone by. They're amazing as always.

I cut home in Indiana short to head back to Atlanta for some alone time. I always wanted to be that person that got recharged around people, but finally got honest with myself and admitted I need to withdraw to recharge. While I love being around lots of people, it doesn't recharge me. In the ATL, I spent a lot of time reading, hanging out on my deck, chillin' by the water at Stone Mountain and my apartment's pool, journeling and praying.

Tried to end vacation by filing my taxes and getting my license plates today, but good grief ... neither Turbo Tax or the State of Georgia likes me. Turbo Tax actually calculated my Indiana State tax wrong (nothing like paying for a service and getting the wrong bottomline and having to do it by hand anyway). And the State of Georgia, one word...UGH! First it was the DMV run-around a couple of months ago (honestly had to go there 4 or 5 times to get my stupid license changed), but now I'm on my third time at the trying to get plates. Seriously, I wish you could see the stack of paperwork I've accumulated ... title, old registration, driver's license, utility bills from Indiana, rental contract from Georgia, emissions inspection and proof of insurance... But oh no, not just any proof of insurance ... insurance cards don't work, declaration page doesn't work if it's over two month's old ... honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what works. Right now I'm thinking which is worse, the run-around which will drive me insane and cost me tax money .,.. or ... an improper plates ticket in the event I get pulled over. I guess I'll keep trying ... you know what they say, you don't want to get pulled over in Dekalb county. The lesson in the deal is for me to quit waiting until the last minute to take care of personal junk. To top the day off, I owe Uncle Sam $1,148 (so much for the Stimulus check and state refunds). I've never owed, so didn't think it would be a big deal to not make the April 15 deadline ... forgot the small things like no longer having mortgage interest to deduct...oops.

The Shack ... Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William P. Young

Eugene Peterson says, "this book has the potential to do for our generation what John Buyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!" While that might be a little bit of a strong comparison, the book is really, really good. Read it! Especially, if you've ever gone through a tragedy and didn't know how to wrestle through it in your head and heart. While I hate to read because I immediately get tired the second I start, I love to learn ... so I read a lot ... slowly. Read this whole book in a day.

You would be insane not to read this stuff

Mark Beeson is blogging the stuff he is learning out at Saddleback. You'd be insane not to read the stuff.

Here's a couple of my favorite quotes from the last post.

I love those moments. For me, it is a personal sweet spot. A time of crisis allows the reconsideration of previously held assumptions. - Erwin McManus

In my book I wrote of a God who allows good people to die in towers. We should be aware, in those moments when everything is unstable, we have opportunity to help people wrestling with crisis. - Erwin McManus

Hitting the Pause Button

I feel like I've ran at Mach 5 for over a year. So, right now at this very moment, I am hitting the pause button. Over the next seven days, I have three agendas...
1. Hang out with Jesus.
2. Hang out with family (including my great niece, Sarah, below)
3. Hang out with friends.

The Grand Finale - Cadre #9

After Wednesday the 2007-2008 Cadre Advances will be all over ... we will have closed out Cadre Advance #9 for the year. I have crazy emotions about it ... I'm happy and sad all at the same time. Sad because it will be all over and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the advances. Happy because I really need to focus on some product development, National Youth Leaders Conference (NYLC) and junior high stuff. I'm ready for a breather. Besides that, turn around twice and October (Advance #1 for 2008-2009) will be here.

Looking forward to June when Jeanne, Jordan, Alisha and I fly out to Dallas to scope out NYLC stuff. The speaker line up is going to be OFF THE CHART.

ATF comes to the Tab

Acquire the Fire was supposed to be at the Gwinnett Center this weekend, but for some reason switched arenas at the last minute and is at our church. It feels like a flashback into time. I think the story went something like this, Mark took one of his kids one year, then told Rob, then it became a GCC tradition. We did ATF's for years. For those, like me, who went every year it became a little too predictable and a little too easy to take jabs. For those who didn't (i.e. the students we served), it became a moment in time for them to point back to and say it was ATF ____ (insert year) where I gave my life to Christ or rededicated my life.

A year or so ago, I stopped the jabs. I decided that when I lead as many people to Christ as Ron Luce, I will have the authority to speak on whether I think what he is doing is hitting the mark or not. Until then, I will cheer him on. May the thousand or so students here this weekend truly "Acquire the Fire."

Another thing good for the soul ... Basketball

It's midnight and I am drenched in sweat. I know this is sick, but it feels great. Two nights in a row, Cherry, the dorm room boys and I played serious games of knockout. It's knocking me right up the side of this valley I'm in, which is a good thing. It's either the basketball, some great worship tonight or this natural made dietary supplement I started two days ago.

Tonight, Oxygen tore it up. It was testimony night, which consists of worship, a predetermined person from each 02 group who shares their testimony (voted on by the 02 group at the retreat) and a scene from the drama. We rocked out tonight and at the retreat to this Deluge song written by Jonathan Stockstill that is my new favorite...

Take this offering that I bring
Humbly I fall on my knees
To proclaim You're everything
My life's nothing without You
Take my hand and lead me through
You are my sustaining love

I live to worship You
I live to worship You

Here I am worshipping You
With all I am, worshipping You
I'm bowing down in spirit and truth
With lifted hands worshipping You.

We're not ashamed of You
We're not ashamed of You
We're not ashamed of You

I'm gonna worhsip You forever
I'm gonna worship You
I'm gonna worship You forever
I'm gonna worship You

I'm rocking to the song as I type tonight, but it sounds so much better live.

Things that I keep forgetting that I need to stick on a Post-It to my forehead...

1. Everyone wants "a hero" and "to be a hero."
2. Kids, and people too, need to be hugged (appropriately of course). It melts hearts and breaks down walls. Chantelle and Steve would laugh if they knew I wrote that.
3. Sometimes when you say or hear "I love you" (and it's not your immediate family) it feels awkward, weird and/or cheap...you know what I mean? Around here they've mastered it so it never feels that way. I'm still working on it. My boss probably tells me she loves me out loud at least two times a week and writes it at the end of every email. It's good for my soul and I know it breaks down walls as well. I probably will take a couple of jabs for this point, but I'm ok with that. I think the church has bought into some of the lies of the enemy and let him rob us of the power in those words.
4. Relationships take T-I-M-E ... a freakish amount of it. You can't skip that step even if you want to. The only relationship microwaves I know of are mission trips, retreats and camps.
5. People want to be heard, even if it's just for a few moments. They also want to be appreciated. They want to know someone is listening and someone cares. This one I've got down most days.
6. I learned this in the Cadre three years ago but need to forever remember it. I don't want to run or be a part of a youth group. Youth groups don't last beyond high school. I want to be a part of a family. Family will always trump dazzle.
7. Gossip is way too easy of an abyss to get SUCKED into. I'm pretty convinced people do it because their life is so boring there is nothing else to talk about.
8. I am going through a faith crisis right now that I will conquer, but pretty much bites. Me and Jesus need to spend some serious time together and duke it out ... yes, I did just say that and yes, I know I will lose that fight but at the same time win if you know what I mean. It reminds me that there are probably others walking around with their game face on. I know there are appropriate times to "suck it up," figuring out the balance in all of that is complicated. I need to learn how to help people be "real" but at the same time avoid unproductive rants.
9. Insecurities will burn a hole right through you if you never disarm them.
10. It's impossible to accomplish something you've never started.

BulletProof 08

We might be home from the BulletProof 08 retreat, but I hope it's not over. I hope the ministry that was started there, continues in the days ahead on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights and thoughtout the rest of the week. The goal of this retreat was to encourage, challenge and help people take off the bulletproof vest they/we wear that prevents people from see who we really are ... our dreams, our pain, our struggles. Too often because we've been hurt, had our trust broken or whatever, we put on this vest of protection never to take it off again.

The top two pics are of my middle school girls SWAT group (yes, the girl in the middle is a middle school students, she's crazy tall and a brilliant 7th grader). The bottom picture is of the middle school students at the retreat ... we were about 42 strong of the 200+ there which is good, but not a jump from the fall retreat which kind of bites. Still good times were had by all. It's amazing what life transformation that can occur if you just shut off the tv, drive to a location that is a cellphone wasteland and get out into God's creation.

BulletProof 08

I'm reminded every retreat how much of a "big deal" they are around here. Every youth ministry has their annual "things" that they bring out the big guns for, where it's an "all hands on deck" kind of deal. At Granger, it was Camp Adventure. In Atlanta, it's the fall and spring retreats. Here's just a small piece of the evidence of what a big deal it is. Above are just the jackets (and the massive team that made them) for the rap outlines (discussion group questions) ... catch that ... just the jackets for the outlines, not the outline itself which is a whole nother deal complete with Grade A graphics. Memories that mark the moment ... love them.