Uncensored and General Council

I've only been in Atlanta 5 weeks and already got my name in a book (Jeanne's Uncensored). How cool is that? Ok, it's only on the "Thanks" page, but still fun stuff:)

General Council in Indy's RCA Dome was fun. Met some great people. Reconnected with my Cadre peeps. They are way too cool and so much like family. My sis got to attend the closing session with Jeanne, that was awesome. About 30 of us closed down PF Changs afterward where I got the opportunity to put a face to a voice. Josh Mayo and I have been talking daily in an attempt to help Brett get the youthleaderscoach website up. It's still got some work, but is well on its way.

Jeanne knocked it out of the park in the RCA Dome, which is pretty amazing considering it has the most horrific accoustics (everything echos) and sense of closeness (imagine being the person in the middle of the field trying to penetrate the heart of someone in the upper deck ... good thing that was God's job).

I've come to some conclusions on stuff I saw there...
1. Jeanne spoke about the need for senior pastors to be "dads" to their youth pastors. As I listen to youth pastors across the country, it is so evident that's the cry of their heart. However, I don't think it's limited to youth pastors. I think there are countless people out their longing for a spiritual mom or dad, which is something more than a mentor, coach, etc.

2. There were a lot of really old pastors at the convention and a lot of really young ones. It looked like there may have been a missing age gap in their 40's. Maybe I just missed them, but it made me wonder if the church world burned them out ... I hope I just missed them.

3. I think revival will one day be redefined. Planetshakers sang a revival type song right before Jeanne spoke and it seemed so appropriate. Revival stories in days gone by have centered on a particular location where an outpouring occurred (examples might be with Edwards, Wesley or, more recent days, Kilpatrick). I just have a sense that it's going to look different in the coming days. I feel like we're only beginning to fully realize the multiplication factor that occurs with the holistic linking of arms locally and globally. It's a Pay it Forward strategy - I'll teach you, now you go teach others. I think of what Jeanne is doing with the Cadre, Mark is doing with Innovate, Rob is doing in India, Rick is doing with Purpose Driven...and the list goes on. The beauty is that they are all significally, not loosely, tied to a LOCAL church where they are living life in the trenches. I'm still in the early stages of the thought process on this, but thought I'd throw it out there.

4. Coming from Granger, we've always championed and done well with the reclaiming of the arts for the glory of God. I don't know how well it's doing with big church, but the Assemblies of God is knocking it out of the park in this area when it comes to its young people. They do this thing called "Fine Arts" where kids from all over the country compete on a state level, then national level, in categories like drama, human videos, short sermons, long sermons, a gazillion music categories, etc. It's like Indiana's ISSMA (a public school competition for bands and choirs) on steroids, with the sole purpose of glorifying God. I'm told that some churches take it way too serious (they lose sight of the purpose), but from an outsider looking in ... it was amazing ... seriously, amazing!

Hot off the Press

Jeanne's new book - Uncensored - came out yesterday!!!!! If you have a teenager, it's a must read.  It's straight talk on Dating, Friendships and Sex.  Some of the chapter titles totally crack me up.  I've read too many dating books when it comes to sermon prep, most of which bored me to death.  This one is series worthy!

That's a lot of emails

Technology...it's a crazy thing. I've been officially in Atlanta one month, 23 working days. During that time I've sent and received a totally of 933 emails. Maybe a dozen of them were personal...maybe. That's 40 per working day.

I don't want to sound old, but I remember when we didn't have email. In fact, we didn't have personal computers. I took one of the first computer classes offered at Penn High School. And, every once in awhile when the computer was acting up my teacher would pick up the corner of it and drop it to make it start working again. Hmmmm. We've come a long way baby!

SUNDAY CHURCH

Today in church we had a guest speaker by the name of Dr. John Bosman. He did a great job. He was talking about Going over to the Oher Side. The passage he used was at the end of Mark 4 where Jesus has the disciples go to the other side of the lake and in the process they hit a storm and He calms it. Here were some of the points.

There was and is a purpose. The Other Side is the Promise Land of Provision. However, to get there you have to lift the anchor, untie the boat or cut the rope of where you are to where you're supposed to be. You'll have to get out of your comfort zone.

If you want to get something you've never had you are going to have to do things you've never done.

You can't get to your future destiny anchored in yesterday. Forget the past and what parents did or didn't do, said or didn't say, leaders did or didn't do... Cut the hurt, pain and failure, even victory and success (wish you would seen when ....) Bitterness can grow like cancer.

Do something that will disturb all of Hell and bring all of Heaven to its feet.

Even though Jesus told them to go to the other side, they still faced a storm. You can be in the center of God's Will and still hit a storm. In fact, you'll face more storms than you ever thought. Satan attacks those who are next in line for a promotion. If Jesus commands you, He will pull you through. Storms of life aren't meant to destroy us but to give us a fresh revelation of who God is.

FIRST PODCAST IS DONE

Youth Leader's Coach Podcast #1 - The Launch is finished. The goal is to have it available for all within the next two weeks. Jeanne, Jodan, Alex, Dave and I are on it talking about Jeanne's new book - Uncensored about Friendships, Dating and SEX. I've read three chapters and guarantee you that there is no book out there like it. It's ... one word ... DIRECT! Some of the chapter titles will crack you up.

Leaders are Bleeders

Leaders are bleeders! If you want to lead you have to be willing to bleed. The world is looking for peoople who are willing to pay the price.

That was one of the quotes that stuck in my head yesterday when I was on a conference call with Dr. Samuel Huddleston, the Assistant Superintendent of the North California and Nevada District of Assemblies of God. The topic of the month was "How to more effectively minister to African American youth."

You could tell that it was a subject matter that the predominately white youth pastors on the line wanted to discuss but never really had an opportunity to talk about out loud.

He began by making it clear that in some areas of the country you can't be diverse. If you live in a town that is predominately white, you might not be able to become racially diverse but maybe you should focus on being economically diverse ... you probably have some poor people. A couple other key points he hit on...

It's not about the color of skin but our sin.

If you're not doing well on diversity, take a look at your leadership team. What color/gender/etc. are they? Be HONEST when it comes to building your team. Tell them what you are trying to do. But personally, just be yourself ... don't try to conform to try and fit in. People, in particular kids, can tell a fake.

People will follow where the leaders lead. Be intentional about building relationships with people who are different than you.

Don't harp on race. But when racial issues pop their ugly head up, deal with them.

Once again, you have to be intentional. When you get serious, it becomes painful. It takes relationship.

He told a great story of about how two of the largest campus groups in the state were being run by woman, but the only woman on the leadership team that gave oversight for the state was taking notes. He asked "why?" When they didn't give a good enough explanation, he got the women's numbers and made it happen.

When dealing with racism, he gave a great idea on how to bring it up in such a way that people get it. Instead of just talking about a particular color of skin like black and white, he said have some kids share about negative experiences they have had being a man, woman, black, white, etc. Take it beyond race. After a couple of people share their story, ask the question "Now, what can we do about it?"

Give permission for people to tell you if you do something wrong or offend them. When we're honest and talk face to face then we can deal with it.

It's not about you ... you've been called to lead the parade, not be the parade.

Podcast

So Jeanne records her first podcast tomorrow, based on research here are a few things she needs/might want to try...

· Need techno, rock style or digital juice and tag line
· Need transition music, so that you can divide it up
· It's ok to mention the website two or three times
· Interviewing people seems to be a nice trend
· Record everything, then play clips and talk about them
· Talk about current events
· Use lots of humor
· Have some kind of mailbag (i.e. way for listeners to ask questions)
· Play music/song every once and awhile
· Maybe a competition of some sort before NYLC or when Uncensored comes out.
· Some podcasts you can't fast forward or rewind. It's very annoying.
· Close with the same or different tag line and theme music

I loved Catalyst's podcast, but Relevant's wasn't for me (however, it has 30,000 listeners so it must be for someone). I thought they did a great job with the most recent Countdown to Innovate. I laughed at the use of Bart Simpson's voice on the #1 Catholic Podcast - Daily Breakfast.

Thanks Karen for your help with this! You rock friend! Hang in there, that wrist is almost healed!

Spaghetti Junction in Atlanta

I live about a mile from this intersection in Atlanta. It's known as the Spaghetti Junction. I've been driving it less a month and have figured out one thing for certain. I'm grateful I go south on 285 East in the mornings. I wouldn't want to be going the other direction, nor would I want to have to get on 85. That would be a new definition of traffic jam nightmare. I think the average rate of speed going those directions is 5mph...maybe, some days I don't think they go that fast!

Today's Top Podcast

Youth Leader's Coach is launching a podcast within the next two weeks, so I was asking Kem the 411 on what she knew about great podcasts. Among some brilliant advice, she encouraged me to take a stroll through the top ones and see what I could learn from them... "after all they are number one for a reason." If you're curious, the top twenty-five today in the category of "Religion & Spirituality" are below...

1. Joel Osteen Audio Podcast – Joel Osteen
2. Joel Osteen Video Podcast – Joel Osteen
3. Joyce Meyer Radio Podcast – Joyce Meyer Ministries
4. North Point Ministries – Andy Stanley
5. Desiring God Sermon Audio – John Piper
6. Mars Hill Bible Church – Mars Hill Bible Church
7. Insight for Living – Church Swindoll
8. Nooma – Rob Bell
9. Focus on the Family – Dr. James Dobson
10. 1 Year Daily Audio Bible – Brian Hardin
11. InTouch – Dr. Charles Stanley
12. Zencast
13. Let My People Think – Ravi Zacharias
14. Living on the Edge – Chip Ingram
15. The Relevant Podcast – Relevant Magazine
16. Mosaic – Erin McManus
17. Mars Hill Church Sermon – Mark Driscoll
18. Joyce Meyer TV Podcast – Joyce Meyer Ministries
19. Truth for Life Broadcast – Alistair Begg
20. Creflo Dollar Ministries – Dr. Creflo Dollar
21. Renewing Your Mind – Dr. R.C. Sproul
22. Hillsong Church – Hillsong Church Sydney
23. The Village Church – Matt Chandler
24. Joyce Meyer TV Audio Podcast – Joyce Meyer Ministries
25. A New Beginning – Greg Laurie

I find it interesting that Joyce Meyer is in there rippin' it up. Joel Osteen actually came in #13 for all podcasts.

Mark Beeson Wisdom

Great wisdom from a brilliant senior pastor here! Don't miss it!

Story of Ruth

After a service Sunday morning that was AMAZING, but went until 1:30 pm (yes, I'm in the south), Jeanne went from there straight to Alliance and rocked! Then had a meeting and went straight into teaching. She spoke about Ruth. My hand was writing so fast I was having a hard time keeping up. Here are my notes, make sense of what you can.

Reverse the Curse of Generational Patterns

Jeanne: I’m not one that would attribute everything bad that happens to a demonic work, but the Bible does talk about warfare.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Principality – ruling satanic spirit over certain geography or grouping (ex. family).

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." Matthew 12:43-45

Never pull weeds without planting flowers. Have a weed of worry/fear, replace it with good thoughts. Always replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Whatever you focus on you fuel. Break life defeating patters of earlier generations.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me… Exodus 20:4-5

Deal with generational stuff naturally and spiritually. Be a conduit of blessing.

Story of Naomi and Ruth.
Their husbands died - back then your husband was your means of survival.

Naomi was in Moab. Moab was a land loathed by God

Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule. Jeremiah 48:26

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. Deuteronomy 23:3

Ruth went with Naomi back to Jerusalem. God is looking for women to be big sisters or moms to this generation. If we just mother our biological kids, there are a whole lot of girls in this generation that will not have the spiritual covering they need.

"Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband." Galatians 4:27

How did they reverse the curse.
1. Got out of Moab (place of known sin) and returned to Bethlehem (place of obedience).
Word of God has nothing to do with emotions but choices. Naomi and Ruth chose.

2. Whatever you mentally focus on you’ll fuel.

"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” Ruth 1:20.

Almighty means El Shadai which means All Sufficient.

3. Got a Kinsman Redeemer (relative comes to redeem a woman) – Jewish law, this was the only way to get back into a family.

Four Qualifications of a Kinsman-Redeemer
1. Related by blood to person he’s redeeming
2. Had to pay the price of redemption
3. Had to be willing to redeem
4. Had to be free himself
Boaz is a picture of Jesus Christ. Ask God to help you not ever take your redemption in life for granted.

Remind Satan he has already handed over the shoe. The shoe was symbolic of legal claim/right to a person. Jesus bought the property rights…no trespassing.

So the closest relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal. Ruth 4:8

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. Joshua 1:3

Christ redeemed us… Galatians 3:13

4. Make a spoken proclamation of faith in Christ Words.

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16

In the last days Jesus will pour out a sense of spiritual adoption.
Boaz and Ruth had Obed (worshipper of God), then Jesse, then David…then Jesus.
Ruth is mentioned in Matthew 1.

That was weird

Ok, I'm not going to lie, that last post was a moment for me. In particular, when I said "our youth group Oxygen." I realized I've never said the words, "our youth group..." with any other words behind it than Oasis or Lifeline. Weird.

Jeanne Wisdom

Sat through my first Alliance leadership meeting today of our youth group (Oxygen). It was amazing. Here are a few of the Jeanne wisdom nuggets I took away from it.

1. Profound truth can be best understood through profound relationships.
2. Our loudest sermon is loving someone deeply.
3. There is a problem when you are busy in ministry, but not busy in Jesus.
4. The more you give into sin, the more Hell energizes it.
5. ______ is a choice (you can fill in a lot of blanks there).
6. No matter how much you liked or disliked Tammy Faye, she passed the adversity test. With her dying breath she was pointing people to and praising Jesus.
7. One of David's might ment was Ahithophel, which means my brother is foolish. He was one who ultimately betrayed David. The point is that even the greastest of Davids can put the wrong people up close to them - watch who you surround yourself with.
8. Friends are like elevators, they can take you up or down.
9. We entertain angels unaware.
10. She tipped her hand just a little on what she was speaking about at the closing session of the Assemblies of God General Council in August. It's a big deal - 30,000 of the denomination's key influencers from around the world in the RCA Dome. I'll save that for later.

Life...together

Congrats Karen...today you got your pins out of your wrist...no more sleeping in the chair with Mugsy!

My Move In Crew

It's hard to believe I've been down in Atlanta for only three weeks. Wow! It's seem a lot longer than that. My brain feel like it's about ready to explode with all the new information it's trying to process. I love it but am looking forward to taking a deep breathe when I go home the weekend of August 4 for a bunch of birthdays. What a ride! Hats off to my move in crew. Sorry Sherri but the half put together tv stand is right where you last saw it. I promise I'll finish putting it together...just not today:)

Sheer Brilliance and All Heart

Just finishing reviewing the edits of the next Source and Youth Leader's Coach (new website will be up August 1). It's the third time in three days I've heard the wisdom of Jeanne Mayo - once live and twice on Memorex. Besides being freakishly brialliant, she's all heart. I didn't type it verbatim, but she ended her last Youth Leader's Coach saying something like this...

Some day I would hope that when I’m promoted to be with Jesus there will be a bunch of people who will authentically be able to say in their heart of hearts, “Jeanne Mayo believed in me, she saw the best in me and she told me about it.” What a signature. How good are you at telling people around you legitimately what you see positive in them?

How good am I? Not bad but there is a lot of room for improvement.

On the Home Front

Here's a very cool story about a very cool thing going on at my church back home in Granger. Way to go Rob, Jack and the Home Team. You're setting the course!

Sacrificing the Bottomline for Kingdom Causes

Emailed back and forth with Andy Brazelton of Purpose Driven Youth Ministries today. We're working on linking to his website from ours. We were talking about something and he said "there are instances where we will lose money on this but it is worth it in the long run to make healthy relationships with each mentor."

Then talked with Josh Mayo and he said something to the effect, "often times we sacrfiice the bottomline because equipping and mentoring youth pastors is such a big deal for us."

Then I read on Tony Morgan's blog where the profit margin for the Unleash Conference was $1.28 per person. He went on to say, "By the way, we're not idiots. We realize having a profit margin of only $1.28 per person doesn't make good business sense, but we think it makes great Kingdom sense. We can't wait to see how lives will be transformed because of this event."

Seems to be a theme there...I like it.

Atlanta vs.Granger

Three things you will find in an Atlanta gas station that you won't find in Granger...
1. A gas station that sells HUGE pocket knives that has bars on the windows and bullet proof glass in front of the cashier.
2. A gas station that sells cigarettes individually for 35 cents a piece.
3. A gas station that sells beers individually on ice.

Cultivating Family

Jeanne and I had a extensive phone conversation today. We covered a lot of ground on a lot of different things, but one noteable one was our conversation on signatures. In particular what people's signatures are. Not the thing you put on the bottom of a check, but what marks your life and/or ministry. When it comes to youth ministry, I think Saddleback's would be helping people to have a strategic track to run on through Purpose Diven Youth Ministry (PDYM). Helping youth ministries define and focus on what they want students to know by the time they graduate might be North Point's with its Seven Check Points. Reggie Joiner with reThink will probably put his name on the map when it comes to helping connect children and youth ministries, along with youth ministries and families. Hands down Jeanne's would be cultivating relationships and a sense of family within ministry. I haven't meet anyone who does it better.

Today she talked about how it's easy to find people who can individually create that relational or family dynamic well, but it's a whole different story when it comes to finding people who can authenticically create it in others. I'm looking forward to watching it in action come September when the ninety Master's Commission Atlanta students get here, until then I'm watching her life. She passed with flying colors today. I had sent off a quick email asking for prayer for my dad, who looks like he might be spinning into the manic side of his bi-polar. I told her it wasn't that big of deal, that he probably just needed his meds adjusted but that I would welcome the prayer. Instead of jetting off a quick email, she chose to call instead and started the conversation with "I read your email friend and that's too big of a deal for me not to call." It meant the world to me.

Mac Book Pro and Verizon

It's officially been a month without a crash. I love my MACBOOK PRO. I'm still trying to get used to some of the Mac vs. PC difference, but that's ok. The main frustration is the inability to right click.

I recently got this Verizon adaptor so that I can have internet anywhere. It's gold. Even on the van ride down to Florida I had internet access which proved helpful for the team. It does switch off every now and then, but not the point of annoying me yet. Fun stuff.

Mac and Verizon two thumbs up baby!

Meet Sofia and Ava

Meet Sofia and Ava. I would show you a picture of both, but they are identical twins so no need. The only difference between the two is that one weighs 10 oz. more than the other and one has a tiny birthmark on her toe. I have no idea which one I'm holding in this picture. The cool thing is that their parents do. They can be in the other room and tell which one is crying. Sofia and Ava are miracle babies. The doctors told their parents they wouldn't be able to have kids. I hope Sofia and Ava grow up to be as cool as Jeanna and Jerica...and...Bridget and Erin.

Their parents are Dave and Stefanie Brickey. Dave is one of the co-operational directors of Master Commission Atlanta. Stef helps to disciples the female MC students, in addition to doing a lot of the administrative stuff. They are an AMAZING couple.

Watch what you give away

Cindy emailed me a picture of an Oasis giveaway her kids still have from SIX YEARS AGO. She confessed that she wasn't very happy at first, but now the little guy is part of the family. Good thing I didn't give away a hamster.

Staff Retreat

We just got back from our staff retreat in Florida. Not sure exactly what city we were in but it was somewhere near Destin. I've been taking hits about starting my first week out spending time on the beach in Florida, but trust me...we worked. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of laughs while working, but for the most part only took time out for meals and one afternoon off. Just so you know, Florida is as hot as you think it is in July. Here are a few things I learned.

1. People wondered how I kept the pace I kept up north, but Jeanne makes me look like I was standing still. It was a sight to behold seeing the Oxygen (youth group), Master's Commission (internship program), Youth Source (youth pastor mentoring and resourcing company), the church (she's the senior pastor's wife) and her speaking schedules all on one calendar. One word ... WOW!
2. Working hard with people you love makes working hard not hard.
3. The structure of Master's Commission here is like something I've never seen. If it works as well in real life (which I'm told it does) as it appears on paper, they've got it goin' on big time. If I had implemented what I've seen here in two weeks up in Granger, I think we would have averaged 1,500 students in the middle school ministry, not 500...not to mention the 50-150 interns we could have easily prepared for ministry of some sort every year. I'm still trying to wrap my arms and mind around all of that...it's huge!
4. Master's Commission Atlanta is going to do some things in the future that will shake up this world. I think God has strategically located it in Atlanta for a reason.
5. The Cadre - the mentoring of youth pastors - is a big deal. I watched Jeanne, after we worked (9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and had dinner (7:30 - 9:30 p.m.) faithfully answer email after email. She takes care of people really, really, really well. I love that and hope it's very contagious.
6. Jeanne talks about Sam like Mark talks about Sheila. I love that.
7. I still love students like crazy. After driving 5-6 hours home, we had youth group that night. I was in an 02 group (like Eagle's Nest) named Chosen and totally loved it. We spent some of our time playing basketball. They have a gym here, so I'm a very happy girl. Guess what I found out? Kids in Atlanta are the same as they are in Granger. They're hungry to be loved, desiring for people to call them by name, carrying baggage they've picked up along the way, come in all shapes and sizes, wanting to know they matter and have purpose...

There are probably a couple of dozen other learnings, but some I'll save for later and others I think were meant just for me.

First post from the ATL (actually FL)

This is a little late for all my bloggin' fans. I made the move down to Atlanta with a WHOLE lot of help from my friends. We arrived in Atlanta at 5 a.m. (it was a really long drive) and crashed at the Marriott. My sister and I got up early to sign my apartment papers. We drove to the apartments which I had not seen yet. I was getting freaked out a little when we passed the nearby prison, graveyard and 4 out of 5 boarded up houses. I was trying to be a strong and fearless girl, but I was getting a little nervous (ok, a lot nervous). Turns out mapquest was wrong. We were totally in the wrong neck of the woods. After a 411 call to Jordan, we found out that my apartment was actually near where we were staying. It is nice...very nice! Better yet, it's less than 10 minutes from Perimeter Mall. I've yet to enter the mall, but have been in the bazillion stores around it. It's a pretty amazing area.

Mike, Scott, Loretta, Whitney, Roxanne, Sherri and I were met there by Jordan, Jay, Alex and Dave. Within 45 minutes all of my stuff was moved in. The power of team...actually family...it out performs an individual ever time. God had a great idea when he created family.

My first week has been amazing, a total whirlwind, but amazing. The apartment and job is everything I'd hoped it be and more. I'm still far from figuring everything out, but I'm getting it. They run hard and are so unified, I love that. They are the same up close and personal as they are from afar.

Right now we are brainstorming the upcoming year near a beach in Florida. I have no idea what town we are in, but it's near Destin. The condo is beautiful. We drove down yesterday and updated the manual on the ride down. Once here Dave, Alex and I giggled late into the night playing with the Mac's Photo Booth Effects. I think we were giddy from the long van ride. The beach is a stones throw but we haven't been there yet. We'll explore that later for today was a full day of brainstorming....seriously 9:30 a.m. straight until after 7 p.m.. I've learned so much in just a short time. We started the day by celebrating what went right last year, which sounds like there was a whole lot. We then moved into how to improve for next year. There is some pretty amazing stuff on the horizon. I can't wait to watch it all unfold. I'll keep you all posted.

Here's what I excited about so far...
1. I thought I worked hard...I found some people who worked harder.
2. The team is amazing. It really feels more like a family. Dave gave me a great compliment today when he said that me being here felt so natural.
3. We all took the Leading From Your Strengths test and got a good laugh. I'm still pure lion (with some Beaver), although I've tamed it a little (which is good). I think Jeanne's influence has helped me with that over the last two years. The rest of the team has a lot of Otter and Lion in them. I'm just an Otter wanna be. Alex tells me hanging out with them will bring the Otter out in me. I hope so.
4. I've got a way with babies that I didn't know about. Dave and Stef brought their twins with them. They did EXTREMELY well on the way down even though they both have double ear infections. The last 15 minutes they started getting fussy, but all I had to do was peek my head over the seat and they'd quiet down.
5. The Cadre (mentoring of youth pastors) will be my primary focus and I'm pretty excited about that. I will also have the opportunity to teach the 90 Master Commission students some stuff. That will be cool. Jeanne's also given me the opportunity to teach at Oxygen, but I think I'm going to hold off on that right now until I get grounded.
6. Mike and Scott are coming down for Master's Commission. We're all pretty excited about that.
7. Jordan taught me how to cook a great dish tonight. I now have two recipes.

We'll that's the scoop. I'll be home for my birthday, so I'll see a whole lot of my blogging friends then. Praying you are all well and CAMP ADVENTURE is as AMAZING as always.

Oh yeah...meet Alex. Alex is the Academic Dean and Discipleship Director for the Master's Commission down here.
He's fun, bright, has a great laugh and, as documented in the photo booth, straight pearly whites.

Camp Adventure Week 1 - The Greatest Place on Earth

I've been without the internet the last few days and it's driving me crazy. Took a few minutes and got caught up today. Word has it from the campers that Camp Adventure 07 was amazing as always. If you want to see some of the coolest highlights EVER go to Corey's blog...great, great stuff.

Who is yours?

So, my new boss (that sounds weird) and I have been conversing back and forth via email and phone. On her last email, she signed it "Your #1 Cheerleader". It meant a lot to me and I've have been thinking about it. I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs to have a #1 cheerleader in their life. In particular, one who is a few steps ahead of you on your faith journey and/or profession of choice, etc. Think about it. Who has got your back and is in your corner like no other? Outside of your parents/spouse, who is your #1 cheerleader? Better yet, outside of their parents/spouse, who are you the #1 cheerleader for?

My next question is how many people can you authentically do that for? In small ways, I tried to be that for three friends today. I think people would say Jesus did it for twelve and we're not Jesus. However, if you look at Jesus' life, I think He did it for a whole lot more than just the disciples - Martha, Mary, woman at the well, Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, etc.

Reality is setting in...and reality is good!

Today my heart started beating fast when I learned my new address in Atlanta (it's a sweet apartment near 85 and 285) and received my new email address (judy@youthsource.com). I am totally stoked about my move, but am not looking forward to all the junk I have to sort through. I've got two weeks to git-it-done, so that should buy me a little time. My first day on the job will be July 2, three days later I will be on the beach in Florida brainstorming with the gang for the fall...a rough life I will lead :)

I ran hard at GCC right up until the end. John, Ang and I just finished (2:30 a.m.) finalizing all the camp stuff. While I'm heading south, my roots run deep and my ties to Michiana will always be strong. Great days are ahead...for all of us.

It's a New Day

So what do you do when you've sold your house and you have a little extra cash on your hand? Here are a few of my choices...
Get some dental work done that you've wimped out on for years (this week)
Do the lasik thing (Monday)
Buy a 17" Mac laptop (I've had it with unfixable crudy laptop PC's, I'm up for something new)
Buy a house (I haven't decided for sure on this one, but where I'm moving you get a lot more house for your buck)

Oasis Wednesday Night

Wednesday night was nothing other than a miracle only God could have provided. The weather was absolutely perfect for inflatable city. The band did really well, Corey's Clash of the Champion video rocked, Dave's year-end video was amazing and bounced around with scores of middle school faces, Johnny had them leaping, my Leaps of Faith message engaged them and, of course, the giveaways were cool. Having Mark and Rob there made it all the more special.

It was a total team effort. The coolest thing was seeing our leaders lead. They are truly my heroes. Faithful is the number one word I'd use to describe them. So many of them have been with me for over five years, some nearly ten. It's truly remarkable. I've been blessed beyond measure. When the numbers came in, the first thought was that of gratitude for the scores of friends who spent their Friday afternoon with me putting labels on Jeff's postcards so that just one more might hear. Well, 300 more than expected show up. What a way to go out! In all my years, I will never forget it!

Jesus, thank you!

Last 2006-2007 Oasis

It was a great night! I am bone tired. Final Count 1066 middle school students and leaders.

There are enough cookies to go around

So, I got up Monday morning and realized my cat's litter needed changed. I have no idea why that was on my mind, but I jumped into the car and headed to Wal-Mart. As I entered into Wal-Mart's parking lot, I passed this lady holding a sign that said something like this, "Help, my wallet was stolen, and I can't pay my rent or feed my animals." I drove right by her and felt instant guilt or conviction, I'm not sure which. I went in and got my litter and came back out. I sat in my car and watch scores of people do exactly what I did, drive right on by. The story of the Good Samaritan came to mind. It's one thing to read the story, entirely different to watch it played out before your very eyes.

I decided to go and have her tell me her story. Her name was Sue and I'm not sure if what she said was true, but I'm not sure it mattered. Supposedly, she was a widow and had her Social Security check stolen at Meijers earlier this month. I told her I can't give her any cash, but wanted to help. So I went in and bought some animal food (and more litter too), loaded it in her car, gave her my cell number and told her to have her landlord contact me. I don't anticipate a call, but threw it out there if indeed the landlord could confirm her story. I envisioned her trying to pull a fast one and having one of her relatives call, as well as taking the animal food back and pocketing the cash. Both thoughts I pushed out of my mind. This whole scenario felt like it was more about me and how I would respond and less about her. I'm not going to go as far as to say that it was a "test" but sense that my response might help to keep my heart soften to "God ordained" moments and divine appointments. I'm not sure I handled the situation correctly, but know that I tried.

(Don't get the title to this post, watch Rob's message from this past weekend at gccwired.com)

Feelin' the Love

I wrote an article for my Purpose Driven Youth Ministry pals and they posted it here. Josh Griffin, who is amazing and hilarious, gave me props. What a guy!

If you could see what I see

It's our annual gathering of middle school youth pastors. We're at Forest Homes in California. The view, well, it's breathtaking. Mountains surround us. But there's not much time for the view, we're studying the brain. This year's topic is on the development of the adolescent brain. For the most part, it's not fully developed until 18, some parts not until 25. So, when you see a pre-teen or teenager doing something impulsive, doesn't seem to "get it" or has outburst of anger, there is a possibility it's linked to the fact that their pre-fontal lobe is not fully developed. It doesn't justify away the behavior, but lends help to understanding. We talked about the need for experiental learning and engaging the senses this morning, which we've always tied to different learning styles but I think it could be linked to brain development as well.

I realized we are on the right track with our discussion guides when we provide different questions and activities. The difference between a 6th grade boy and an 8th grade girl have the potential to be HUGE. We need to take that into consideration in our attempts to engage them in spiritual matters and transformation. In many cases, I think we may need to redefine a "win" in student ministry.

This is an amazing group of veterans. They are truly in the trenches.

Orange Conference - Part 3 - General Session with Reggie

Great stuff. You can tell Reggie is very cool, very smart and has a huge heart! Lovin' it! I had to type fast so there are a few incomplete thoughts and a whole lot of bad grammer.


Orange Conference Session #1 – Reggie

100 years from now the only thing that matters is someone’s relationship with God.

You’re here for one of three reasons.
You know what you are doing is kinda working but you don’t want to miss out on something that’s kinda better.
You know what you are doing is not working.
We think what we’re doing is working, but it’s not and you need someone to come alongside you and tell you.

Reggie saw 11th and 12th graders “checking out,” they heard the same thing the same way for so long that they don’t hear it anymore.

Reggie brings out a sound/beat machine. When we realize no one is listening we have a tendency just to turn up the volume.

We think it’s working because it’s working for “us”. We’ve mastered the art of blending in order to make everyone happy. We think if we can keep people happy then we’re doing well. The problem is that no one really loves it, no passion, no excitement.

Sometimes we can convince ourselves that something is working and the reality is it’s not. Are we making it easier or harder to turn to God in our style of ministry?

Acts 15. There is a principle that should challenge us to rethink if we are engaging a generation. Acts 15 – Knock out dragged out business meeting that the Gentiles were not becoming Christians the right way. Brought Paul and Silas in from the mission field. It was all about circumcision. After much discussion, “why put on a yoke that neither me or our fathers can bear.” We believe that it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we are saved just as they are. Therefore we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles to turn to God.

REAL ISSUE: ARE WE MAKING IT EASIER OR HARDER FOR SOMEONE TO COME TO JESUS!

Five different issues to think about.
STRATEGY of the song (drum track). Framework for the rest of the song. A plan of action with the end in mind. Aligned working toward common goal and common end. What would it look like if we were all on the same page – newborns through graduates?
MESSAGE of the son (vocal track). What values, faith and character are they taking with them when they graduate. Leading and teaching with an end in mind. We need to reduce the message down to the most important components. Teach them the most important parts of the Bible, not the whole thing. Recycle it in a way to make sure they didn’t miss it. Synchronize the different age groups. Whatever irreducible core curriculum, teaching the same thing at the same time. If you learn how to play together, you have synergy that you’ve never had before.
COMMUNITY. Supports, gives feel (guitar track). They need a place to belong and people to believe in them. We’re living with a generation that is hurting, need to belong and know we believe in them. We can’t have the kinds of production that compete with society, but the thing we need more than anything else is the idea of community.
FAMILY. Highlights message (backup vocals). When you have a master plan where everyone is on the same page, you’ve enabled the parent to know a way to participate in the plan. Parents are saying, help me with a plan. I don’t know how to do this. Give me a plan. Also, tell me what to say. I want to collaborate with you on what you say. It’s in me as a parent to be a part of the spiritual formation of my child. The greatest gift you can give to a parent is a plan, a specific thing to say. You are putting another person in their lives that is saying the same thing as they are.
INFLUENCE. Passion and energy of song (bass track). There is a missing component. We think the best thing is going to church, maybe we have created the mind of “going and doing something” than “being” something. They have a mission of “being” something, they are called to be the church. When we make the decision that discipleship for a teenager is as much as going and doing, as reading and praying we will have a breakthrough. Watch the 11th and 12th graders, are they checking out because they’ve heard it all. I need to know that I was created for something else.

4 Strategies of Student Ministry
1. Keep them from going to Hell
2. We need to stop them from raising Hell.
3. We can scare the Hell out of them.
4. To somehow give teenagers the kind of weapons they need to engage their communities, to rescue people living in Hell, called to a mission.

If the church doesn’t turn the dials, intentionally and proactively, then who will? The reason you are here and the reason you’re a part of this, if you don’t do this, no one else will.

There is a story in the Old Testament of a man that got extremely burdened for his home town. Nehemiah. A man who had a strategy, a plan of action, took the initiative. The Israelite people were in disgrace, they had lost their meaning, they had lost their purpose. He rallied the families to rebuild the cities. Don’t be afraid of the enemies, remember the Lord, fight for your family. When the wall was rebuilt, it was an amazing thing. When the people of God experienced not just what God did at that moment and God did through them, they were never the same. Once the wall was rebuilt, three things happened.
Those outside the wall changed their opinion of who Israel’s God was. They lost confidence in themselves, because they knew the God of the Israelites helped them build it.
Within the walls, the people listened to their God and listened like never before. Ezra stood in the court and read the word and they listened INTENTLY.
Celebration like never before.

People will criticize from outside, complain on the inside, you need to decide the stakes are too high NOT to make the changes. People may decide to leave, it may be difficult, it may be hard. Can you imagine the children of the people who saw the wall go up, they were never the same. Our prayer is that something happens in your church in such a way that children and teenagers will never be the same. They will point back at the experiences they have had at the church as a reminder of who God is.

Orange - Part 2 - Partnering with Parents

This session was INCREDIBLE...

PARTNERING WITH PARENTS
Parents want someone to come alongside them and help equip them. They have this overwhelming responsibility to raise their kids morally and spiritually, but they don’t know how to do it.

I. Problem:
1. We have come to believe that faith and character can be outsourced. It’s not serving us well. Average church has 40 hours with a kid each year, an average working parent has 3,000 hours.

2. In the past 50 years, even churched families have come to believe that dropping off kids is enough to guarantee the spiritual and character formation of their children.

3. As a result, we have raised several underequipped generations of Christian parents and grandparents who do not know how to equip their children in faith and character. They can’t teach them what they do not know (ex. A father with math)

II. The Growing Gap Between Church Leaders and Parents:
1. 85% of parents with children under age 13 believe they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children about religious beliefs and spiritual matters while 11% said their church is primarily responsible.

2. 96% of parents with children under the age of 13 say they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children values.

3. Only 19% of parents with children under 13 have ever been personally contacted or spoken to by a church leader to discuss the parents’ involvement in the spiritual life and development of their children.

III. The Opportunity:
The church may be sitting on the greatest evangelism opportunity in decades. Every parent has at least given thought to, if not spent time lying awake at night, is my child going to be alright.

IV. The Temptation
1. The number one temptation among church leaders is to view family ministry as simply another program that the church runs or a staff member the church needs to deploy

2. Family ministry synchronizes church leaders and parents around a master plan to build faith and character into their sons and daughters.

The master plan is focused on the five principles of Orange.
Integrate strategy – Is what we are doing transferable, easily accessible and irresistible?
Refine message – Teach less for more
Elevate community
Reactive the family
Leverage influence

3. We want to help you think through one aspect of that master plan that will help you move from information based ministry to influence based ministry as church leaders and parents partner together.

V. Moving from Information to Influence
1. Approximately 80% of children walk away from the church/faith when they walk away from their parents.

a. Our assumption: If children have the right information, their faith and character will be appropriately shaped before they leave home. Information alone is not enough (ex. Coke vs. water - go for Coke even though you know water is better, cigarette package warnings don't keep people from smoking, etc.)
b. Reality: Our attempts at information may not be addressing the life issues of children or their parents.
c. Reality: Information alone does not lead to transformation.
What happen to cast in Eight is Enough? How many elephants are in a heard? Who cares
Teaching the whole Bible to children may not be the best approach.
Moral failure prevention may not be our first and best strategy.

2. If an approach focused on information would give way to a strategy that engages the critical influences that shapes every child’s future, we believe our success will increase significantly.

3. (THIS IS REALLY GOOD) The six influences answer, or better yet, resolve six life six life questions that every child asks at some page of his or her development. By focusing on these six influences, six life changes, and developing a matter plan to deal with them, church leaders and parents are better positioned to shape and influence, the heart, mind, soul and future of a child.

Six influences that shape every child’s future, six life questions every child asks, default influences, Orange principles(s) and strategy.

1. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: A really big God I can trust no matter what.
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: Who am I?
Default Influences: It must be about me. It must be about me.
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Refine Your Message. Elevate Community. First Look.
1. God made me. 2. God loves me. 3. Jesus wants to be my friend.

2. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: A burning light that leads to truth.
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: What’s true?
Default Influences: Whatever
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Refine Your Message. Elevate Community. 252 Basics.
1. I can trust God (a really big God). 2. I need to make the wise choices (a burning light). 3. I should treat others the way I want to be treated (a compelling mission).

3. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: Nosey parents who make it their job to know where their kids are.
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: Who really cares?
Default Influences: Nobody, really, nobody
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Reactive the Family

4. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: Another voice that sayds the same thing my parents say.
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: Who else believe in me?
Default Influences: Whoever can use me.
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Elevate Community

5. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: Someone else who is going in the right direction.
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: Where do I fit in?
Default Influences: With the people I get to like me.
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Elevate Community

6. Six Influences That Shape Every Child’s Future: A compelling mission that lasts a lifetime
Six Life Questions Every Child Asks: Why am I here?
Default Influences: To get what I want? (Reality, when I get it I don’t want it anymore)
Orange Principle(s) and Strategy: Refine Your Message. Leverage influence. XP3.
1. Inviting wonder (a really big God) 2. Provoking discovery (burning light) 3. Fueling passion (a compelling mission)

VI. Maximizing Influence
1. At every level of your family ministry, think about how you can leverage all six influence that shape the life of every child for maximum impact at church and at home.

2. One example would be to rethink our Family Experience at a new level. Our strategy is:
a) Once a month
b) Off Sunday
c) Separate the parents and the kids (for a few minutes)
d) Talk directly with the parents (parents lounge)
e) Focus on one of the six influences

3. Parent lounge sample discussion. Ex. Favorite Five on cell phone. Who does your child have on their Favorite Five that would say the same thing you do? Rite of Passage. Spend one day with each mentor. At then end of the time, gathered together for a feast, kid wrote a card telling each one what they meant, prayed for son, gave each mentor a Bible.

VII. Your Challenge
1. Rethink family ministry strategy at a master level to move church leaders and parents onto the same page.
2. Rethink how the six life influences can be leveraged at every level both in content and strategy to prepare children for the life God has called them to.

Orange Conference - Part 1 - Unlocking the XP3 Strategy

Began the Orange Conference by learning how not to do registration. I truly felt for them. I would not have wanted to start a first time conference off this way. However things kept getting better as the day went on. This conference has already challenged me on a few things.

The first workshop was unlocking the XP3 Strategy. In my opinion, they should of kepted it locked until next year. According to the amazing Mark Waltz, you can't get a First Impression back. My guess is that this is GOING to be GREAT, GREAT stuff. However, I think they jumped the gun on the release. They had great presenters, but the material is just not complete or tested enough yet.

Here are my unedited notes...
Unpacking XP3 Strategy
XP3 - The Big Three
Incite Wonder
Provoke Discovery
Fuel Passion

The Heart Behind XP3
Move from information to experience. We need to move past the spectator sport mentality and approach, and let students feel like they have a chance to get the ball. They won’t remember what you say, but they will remember an experience.

Create a real sense of community. Let the small group be a place where students can ask real, tough questions. They can experience real dialog and receive authentic answers. We offer what culture can’t. MySpace is a false sense of community.

Give them responsibility. Knowing who you are unlocks passion. Don’t just tell them to be the church, but teach them to be the church.

Leave behind the “don’t” mentality. Instead of telling them what they can’t do, tell them what they can do. Write from filter of grace.

Work together with parents to create dialog and a connection at home. Instead of creating a culture that excludes parents, find ways to help parents and students “win” in their desire to connect with one another.

XP3
Small Group Dialog.
Your job is to set up discussion and create meaningful conversations.
Begin with “What did the speaker say tonight?” “What did you think about…”
It’s ok to create tension.
What’s the landing point? Give them a closing challenge.
XP = Experience
Home XP = Experience at home. Communicate, challenge and encourage parents.
Teaching Script
Video Elements
Creating the Experience
Middle School Adaptation

Life change happens best in circles, not rows.

Manowe

Rest, deck time, rest, Hope Garden, rest, trails, rest, deck time, rest...
that pretty much somes up my time at Manowe this weekend. It is one of the greatest places on planet earth to hear from Jesus. My head was swirling before I went and now it's stopped. I needed sleep and got it. I needed answers and got them. I needed Jesus and He showed up. Imagine that! It was most excellent!

I went back up there today to shoot some footage for tomorrow. There's just something about that place!

Karissa

Just got some pics from Karissa. She was in our youth ministry for years and is now a missionary in Malawi, Africa. I am so proud of her. She's gone way out of her comfort zone and taken it to whole new levels. Here she is with one of her Malawi friends.

Slow that Train Down

A friend gave me a great piece of advice that has been ever so helpful. It's one simple line that packs a punch, here it is ... wait for it ... wait for it .... "slow that train down". Slow that train down when you're sleep deprived and you can't think straight, sleeplessness only complicates things. Slow that train down when you have a influx of huge amounts of emotions you don't know quite what to do with. Slow that train down when you want to jump to conclusions faster than you can think logically. Slow that train down when... I'm not a counselor, but I've used that line with two other people and she just gave it to me.

Today at Oasis was a day of wonderful surprises. My pal Tristan stopped by and hung out. We reminisced about the days when he used to run the band and him, his sister and I would stay up talking to the early hours of the morning talking about anything and everything. I'd make him call his mom before he went home to let her know he was on his way and he'd always try to pass the buck to me. He's all grown up now, but some things never change. He went home about 1:00 a.m. Seems we still have a lot of stuff to talk about. This time we exchanged his sister, Karissa, for Chris. Karrisa is in Malawi for a second six month mission trip tour. Good times.

I had some parents stop by and give me an encouraging card and a gift. They waited in line for 20 minutes as I talked to a group of girls and a group of guys who wanted to chat for awhile about some stuff. The mom's words, "it's been on our heart to do this for awhile and it seemed like today would be a good day". Timing = perfect! I was deeply touched and totally encouraged. This card...after an appropriate time on my desk will be kept in my special encouragement file under "God's timing perfect, funny how He works that way".

I love this picture

I normally take HORRIBLE pictures, keeping my eyes open is a miracle in any of them, but this one I like. It was from Second Saturday last weekend. One day it will make the wall of fame. My prediction, at least three of these young ladies will play some serious college basketball one day. My other prediction, along with scores of other GCC students, all of them are and will represent Jesus well.

I asked Ashley who would win if they played their moms (who are ridiculously amazing) and she thought her and her friends could take them. Now that would be a game to watch...and record!

10 Years Today

Today was the day I crossed over into a new decade. I started getting paid for what I love to do ten years ago today. How does the saying go, "find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life" ... something like that. While the last few days have been a mental and emotional overload, youth ministry is still the love of my life. Great, great days are ahead. I think this weekend we got a taste of it. My family and I went to the 5:30 service, but chose to give up our seats for the house was packed.

Everything is easier with friends

I hate to workout where you go round and round on a treadmill, even with the new attached TVs it's boring to me. However, I love to play just about any sport known to man (or woman). I've been playing basketball for about two months now and, even though my pinkie hasn't recovered from week one, I absolutely love it! With the exception of a 5 minute break, we run from one end to the other for over an hour. It's sweet. Initially, I was fighting for every breath, but after about week two everything was good. What it's done for my mind is amazing as well. The group of women that I play with are fun, amazing and without drama. I'm enjoying getting to know them about as much as I enjoy playing. New friends, good times.

Wow – who changed the light bulb

Did you ever have something you couldn’t quite figure out or put your finger on, but then all of the sudden you got it? Like you had a 60 watt light bulb action going and all of a sudden someone exchanged it for 120 watts. That’s what happened in one split moment in the car going over to the Marriott after a great, but very long, day. What I realized takes a huge weight off my shoulders, but saddens me at the same time. I’m not sure what to do with this new found realization, but will figure it out in time and a whole lot of prayer.

This is what my day looked like:
8:30 a.m. Up and jumpin’ – I hate mornings, always have and always will!
9:30 – 3:00 All day meeting – On a “helpful” scale of 1 to 10, a strong 9.95!
3:00 – 4:00 Checked the Oasis stats that should be showing on email reports. Done and to the amazing Dave!
4:00 – 6:00 Worked on a project I was bent on starting and completing today – Finally!
6:00 – 6:45 Previewed service for tomorrow night – It’ll be a hoot!
6:45 – 9:00 Went to Ruby’s silent auction, got the bids up on a number of them, helped sis clean up (she totally hooked Ruby up with a great conference room) – Go Back2 Back! I will now have a Ruby Moyer wall of fame if I ever find a new house – two paintings and picture.
9:00 – 9:30 Went to see Karen and Bob at Memorial Hospital – both of Bob’s mom and dad are in at the same time – heart attack and possible pneumonia.
9:30 – 11:00 Had dinner with Karen and Bob at Steak and Shake – I love loyal and long-time friends
11:00 – 5:00 Processing a thousand things going through my mind while I finalize some Oasis stuff.
6:13 a.m. Still serious stuff spinning through my head, it will have to finish spinning tomorrow (or I guess, that would mean later today)

Bye, bye Gateway and Dell, make way for the IBM ThinkPad

Computers and me do not get along. I'm convinced there must be magnets in my fingers or something...maybe the Diet Mountain Dew flowing through my veins is really liquid Krypton and has an adverse affect on computers. Ed, in the IT department, is more positive. He thinks I must be doing something pretty amazing for the Kingdom and the Devil tries to derail me through my computer.

First, the Gateway died a slow death (after being wiped clean and having everything reinstalled 3 times), then Dell #1, then Dell #2. I treat them nice, honest I do. They work great for awhile, then they get slower and slower and slower, then they begin crashing and crashing and crashing. You would not believe how many hidden temp files (or whatever they're called) I have from crashing. Today, when I booted my computer, my pal Phil couldn't believe I still couldn't get to my email 10 minutes after hitting the "on" button.

Fortunately, I only needed to get on for awhile this morning, then I shut that thing off for the very last time and traded it in for an IBM ThinkPad. IT is convinced there is no way this thing is going to die on me. I hope they are sooooooooooo very right!

Roxanne and Dan

Roxanne and I have been prayer partners for over a decade. She loves her brothers fiercely. I cannot even count the times we prayed for her brother Dan. He won a huge battle with alcohol around two years ago. This weekend he came to GCC...and totally LOVED it! It was kind of funny actually, Corey was telling me today how his brother kept thinking "he's talking to me, he's talking to me" when Mark spoke. Tonight, Roxanne told me Dan thought the same thing. What a great weekend for all, especially a couple of brothers.

Just Under the Wire

Next weekend is a BIG weekend at Granger Community Church. It's when we take our first offering that will go toward the MyLife campaign. I was having a hard time looking forward it knowing that I hadn't completed my Come Together campaign pledge yet. I can come up with a thousand excuses why, like I didn't think I'd spent over a grand in December making improvements to my house in order to sell it. However, in the back of my mind, a commitment is a commitment. If you say you'll show up, show up. If you say you'll do it, do it. If you make a promise, figure out a way to keep it. No one should ever have to ask or wonder if something is going to get done that you said you'd do. In my mind, if I can't be trusted to make good on my commitments, that's a huge statement about my character and integrity (of course, there are those rare exceptions, but even when you have to back out of those, there is a way to do it right). So all of that left me wondering and praying, "How am I going to pull this off?" As God would have it, the tax check came in the nick of time! Come Together is OFFICIALLY paid off! Now, I can get stoked about next week!

Nothing Beats a One-on-One (or two) Done Well

I went out to lunch three times today.

The first one was with an amazing group of friends that I do lunch with every Thursday. I absolutely love it and the conversation - we talk about the Bible, life, struggles and ministry, in addition to venturing down 100 rabbit trails each week. Today, we talk about how some friendships are seasonal, you have them for awhile and then you move your separate ways. You're still friends, but the calls and gatherings become less frequent. There is nothing wrong with that at all, it's called life. However, I love the few that you do life with - no matter how chaotic, messy or beautiful life has been. It's both refreshing and necessary.

The second one was a one-on-two with a former Oasis student. When she got into high school she made some classic mistakes. We lost touch for awhile, but now she's back. She's making better choices. It was a great time. Her son, Trenton, is adorable. I hope she gets back into church for his sake and hers. She's an amazing young lady.

The third one was a one-on-two with a current Oasis student. She's a 13 year old who writes and speaks like someone twice her age. I was worried about her because of something I read, but didn't really know her that well. Before I talked with her mom, I wanted to get a feel if it was a "bad day" kind of thing or something more serious. So, I asked her and her Eagle's Nest (breakout group) leader to join me for a Coke. I knew having her Eagle's Nest leader there would make the both of us feel more comfortable . . . and I was so right. Turns out after about an hour, I found this young lady to be bright, fun and totally amazing. We talked and everything is good. I told her I had to tell her mom about what I read, because if I was a mom, I'd want to know. At that point, I could have gotten any reaction. But, like I said, she's amazing and was ok with it. Turns out, she has one amazing mom and a pretty cool little brother too.

Promo Video for Oasis

Corey did a fun video to promo the Chicago 07 mission trip this summer. You can see it here.

They are so much better than back in the day

Just got back from watching Ashley Lutz, Taylor Lutz and Alex Morton play basketball at MBA and ND ... they are off the hook. I don't ever remember girls playing that well back in the day. Last year at camp when they beat the guys at lunch, I thought it was a combo of skill and luck. After seeing them play, it was all skill baby. AMAZING. As of now both teams are undefeated this weekend! I hope they take the championship for their respective age divisions.

Last night I went and saw the 6th and 8th grade Schmucker bands and the 8th grade Discovery band play at Penn. Once again, I was stunned. I actually expected my ears to be bloodied after the event, but the bands totally rocked. In between band performances, we took in the 8th grade Schmucker Cinderella play (the other half of the 8th grade did Aladdin last week). Watching Ashley play the role of the wicked step-sister and CJ dance was a hoot. The whole class did incredibly well, but the sound system did not do them justice. I hope they get that fixed. The kids worked so hard and did so well, then to have the sound constantly crackle or inaudible made me want to scream.

People Must Have Thought I Was Insane

Just got back from the wrestling meet ... Discovery vs. Grissom ... where people must have thought I was nuts. One minute I was cheering for Grant on the Grissom team and the next minute I was cheering for Jerrod on Discovery's team. At one point Knute went up against Ryan. Zowee...tough stuff. Got a chance to talk with Knute afterwards, he's a pretty amazing guy. If you look up good sportsmanship in the dictionary, you'll see Knute's picture next to the definition. In the end, it came down to the final match when Joe (Grissom) pinned his guy in nothing flat. Great guys, good times.

Division + Drama = Draining

I hate division and drama, it wipes me out. I think Satan's number one goal in life is to get Christians to lose sight of the real enemy and shoot arrows at each other. He's doing a pretty good job in a couple of situations with people whom I love dearly. I'm hoping prayer and communication will clear the air. We need to guard each others hearts, have each others backs and cheer each other on.

Schmucker Middle School Play

Went with the amazing Jeanna Trip to see a handful of our students in the Schmucker Middle School play. Turns out we saw a few dozen of them. Wow, I think half of Oasis' Schmucker students were in or at the play. They did a great job despite the fact that the star broke his foot two weeks ago. You could tell students were having a good time. I know Jeanna and I did.

Afterwards Jeanna's comment to me was priceless. She said, "Judy you could tell it meant a lot to them that we were there." Thats one, among many of our leaders, who truly "gets it". I love it!

This week was the Jimtown/John Young basketball game and Schmucker school play, next week is the Grissom/Discovery wrestling match and middle school band extravaganza at Penn.

Basketball

Went to see my pal Kelsey's basketball game tonight and it turns out she's playing Chelsea and Rebeccah's team. Ugh, now that's just cruel. Chelsea brings the ball down the court and who does she go up against? None other than Kelsey. Who am I supposed to cheer for? Huh?

The Jimtown Jimmies took the game tonight over John Young. It was fun hanging out with Kelsey's mom. She's a riot. Good times. Good times. While I was there I did get to show off my basketball wound. Two days into playing basketball and I already have a injury, what is that? My poor little pinkie is bruised and swollen. Looks kind of like a purple popsicle. I love showing it to people and hearing the "Ewww, what did you do?" I didn't know I enjoyed sympathy so much, even if it's just for my poor little pinkie.

Ruth - The Band

Corey "the Mann" hooked Oasis up with a band on Wednesday night. Warning...Good Times Ahead!

Weekend Recap

FRIDAY
Friday morning I hit the court running...literally. Theresa invited me to play basketball with some of her friends. I had a GREAT time for a number of reasons. Because...
1. I love basketball.
2. Theresa's friends are cool nondramatic women who kick tail (mostly my tail) at basketball.
3. I love to exercise without realizing I'm exercising. On the court, I'm just having fun. On the treadmill, I'm working out. I like having fun, I don't like working out.

I know this sounds disgusting, but I was drenched in sweat when I was done and actually had a smile on my face. I found out full court basketball for an hour can give you quite the workout. They play three times a week. I hope I stick with it...I hope they stick with it. If that happens, it's exactly what I've been looking for.

Friday night some leaders and I went to see Kasie and Corey's high school play. I'm not huge on plays, but this one was awesome and funny. They did an incredible job. Afterwards a bunch of us went out to dinner at Chili's. The dinner was expensive but the chips were good...and the company, even better.

SATURDAY
I spent all day Saturday with Seth and the Five Star Crew in Chicago. A great time was had by all. In the beginning I didn't think it was going to be possible to make the seven girls I had all happy, but with a little strategic planning at the lunch table we pulled it off. The only regret was the $7 we all paid for the "Fun House" at Navy Pier. The Fun House was not so fun. My only other purchase was for "Jesus" bandaids. They were so ridiculously stupid I had to buy them.

I loved hanging with the girls. They're pretty amazing. More and more I realize the truth in Jeanne Mayo's statment "He/she who spends the most time wins." I want that to become the culture of our youth ministry and its leaders. I now have two of the girls in my group coming to Oasis without me ever inviting them, just their friends. Totally cool!

Saturday night I took a student to see "The Ultimate Gift". It was pretty good. I'd give it 4 of 5 stars. It's got a chick flick feel and a couple of great clips I'll one day use. I admit it ... I cried twice. I'm not sure if it was because of the movie or the fact that my muscles were screaming from Friday's workout and Saturday's shopping.

SUNDAY
Went to church Sunday morning 3rd service. I think 90% of GCC's forgot about the time change since 3rd Service was unusually packed. Mark did an amazing job and the video at the beginning was absolutely hilarious. I loved it! Afterwards, I went to lunch with my dad, sister and a couple of students, checked out a house and hit Lifeline. I had a whole entourage up in my office afterwards. It was fun catching up with some of my pals. We've got some of the most amazing students...EVER!

One Sweet Message and Other Stuff

Last Weekend
Last weekend (March 3-4), Rob knocked it out of the park...way out of the park. You can listen to the message here for a couple more days. The Domino Video at the end was sweet. In fact, it was right up there with Rob Bell's Nooma Videos. You've got to watch it.

Conference Call
Today on a conference call with youth pastors around he nation, I was counting my blessings. They were asking the question, "How do we become more missional?" I'm grateful that we've got that one covered, that it's part of our DNA.

Random stuff geeks like me only care about...
30% of our regular students are from Granger
29% from Mishawaka
14% from South Bend
7% from Osceola
6% from Elkhart
6% from Niles
4% from Edwardsburg
4% from various other places

Regular attendees (defined as making 5 of the last 8 Oasis) = 75%
(it could actually be higher, 2 of the 8 we had horrible weather)

Maximum Impact

There are way too many plays, games and concerts to go to given the number of students in our ministry. So, I've boiled it down to three priorities...

1. Jamborees and invitationals where all of our key schools play each other at one central location.
2. Any activity that our high school leaders are in that I find out about. If it's a sport, I at least try and hit one game/meet a year.
3. Any event where a student looks me in the eye and invites me to come.

Last month it was the ISSMA competition at Elkhart Central, this month it was the Wrestling Invitational at Grissom (#1). Last Saturday was Kara's play and this Saturday is Kasie's play (#2). And Friday night will be the middle school play at Discovery (#3).

It was cool seeing all the wrestlers. Our guys did well. However, it was hard to figure out who to cheer for. I have a feeling I might of cheered for an Oasis guy I knew who was competing against an Oasis guy I didn't know. So, about half way through I just started smiling and hoping for the best. After the match, I decided that was my time to go over and give personal encouragement.

John Young took the championship with Grissom coming in a close second. It went right down to the wire.

I had a good time. However, I can't get out of my head one of our students, had we not been there, had no one to cheer him on. Currently he's grounded from Oasis and outside activities for getting into trouble at home. I'm worried about him.

That's one for the encouragement file!

Jeanne Mayo has taught me a lot of things, but one that sticks out in my mind the most is that, when necessary, to ask for encouragement instead of waiting for it. I always need it and I know my leaders always need it. So when a dad came up to me tonight and was bragging on Oasis and the leaders, I asked him if he wouldn't mind saying it again in an email so that I could forward it to my leaders. His words were priceless! Now, I could of tried summarizing it for them, but if it came from him directly it would mean so much more. He went home and did just that. While I removed the names, here's what he had to say...


Dear Judy,

My wife and I want to say thank you for the ministry of Oasis. When we moved here from out of state, our biggest concern was how would our son adjust to the change. God has done so much to help him navigate the transition, but more than anything God has used Oasis to make this new place his new home. He is a sensitive kid and he can sniff out, fairly quickly, "mean" people or people who just don't care. At Oasis, he feels loved authentically and unconditionally. That is, he is accepted as that unique guy that he is. Oasis is fun for him--he insists that we bring him at 4:45 each Wednesday so he can have lots of hang out time and I don't think he has missed an activity since we moved here--but it is more than just fun. The middle school ministry at GCC is transformational for him. He is uplifted, challenged and changed through the worship, teaching and interaction. And by the way, he thought his first experience recently at the Monday night Bible study was "awesome."

Thanks to you and your team for providing normal (read "not religious stick-in-the-mud out of touch with the real world"), crazy, authentic, passionate leadership for him and thank you for helping him to connect with God through worship, scripture, community and outreach. Because you follow Jesus with your whole heart, he is learning how to be a fully-devoted follower of Jesus. As parents, we could not ask for more.

By the way, this is not mere flattery. I waited months to share this because I wanted to see if what you are doing stood the test of time. Any parent or child can be excited about a ministry after an initial impression or just a few weeks, but its the long haul that matters. Accordingly, the fire in him for Oasis, and more importantly for Christ, just grows stronger each week. What you are doing is for real and you are making a lasting difference! Be encouraged because God is using you in the lives of others.

Thanks for the sacrifices you make for all the kids, but especially for the most important kid to us--our son.

THE GIFT - Score

I love it! All the ministries across the church - adult, children, student and college aged - are on the same page. We're all talking about our upcoming opportunity to expand our church and reach out to the community to impact more people (through buying the rest of a city block in the downtown area and adding a commons area and childrens space to our church). We all have differrent names for the series, but all pretty much land on answering and praying through the question "How is God calling me to use my time, talent and resources to affect eternity?"

In Oasis, I wanted to make this an extra special series - something different. Frankly, I'm kind of getting tired of the whole preach a message and walk through some discussion questions "in hope that they'll take what they've heard/talked about and apply it to their lives." It's not bad, we've got hundreds of students that have been impacted in that way. I just think sometimes students need a little extra jump start. So, here's the twist for this series. We've allocated to every breakout group $120 (a total of $1,440). As a group (they can split it by gender if they want), they have to figure out a way to bless others. The only stipulations are that they have to work on it during their breakout group time, it can't involve an event (we are in a six week event blackout so we everyone can concentrate on the campaign) and they can't use more than the money that's been allocated. They are however invited to use their time, talent and resources creatively. In fact, the last week, we will do a video extravaganza of 1-2 minutes summaries of each group and award trophies.

I had no idea had excited the leaders would be about this. They are totally stoked. They all want to bend the rules to make it the coolest thing ever, but I've been keeping them in line. We've got everything from fleece hats being made for babies after they leave the hospital to canvas paintings for nursing homes going on. Fun stuff.

I'm Officially Homeless

Well kinda. I sold my house today!!!!!!! It's a great home, but it's time to move on. It feels like I just moved in yesterday, but it actually was 14 years ago. People have been asking what my plans are now. I have none. I'm still looking for a house to buy or land to build on. I'm pretty picky, that's a problem. The people that bought my house don't want to close on it until the end of May, so I have some time. If not, there's always dad's house for the in between times. However, while I totally love my parents, the thought of moving in with one of them doesn't amuse me. In fact, I think I'll go check realtor.com right now.

Mediocrity Attacks Excellence

At GCC we model excellence (not perfection, but excellence ... doing the very, very best with what you've been given). On occasion we take hits for it. A friend passed this quote along to me that will be a helpful reminder when the arrows start flying.

"Mediocrity attacks excellence."
This is because the person doing a mediocre job looks at those doing excellent and feels he/she should be dong that but is not. They make themselves feel better by attacking.

In a funk with great friends

Did you ever have one of those days - where the computer doesn't want to compute, the printer doesn't want to print, the cutter doesn't want to cut, you forget the post office thinks they should have President's Day off and, if that's not enough, you have these killer professionally printed postcards only to find out the ink is rubbing off on your hands? Basically, where it feels like EVERYTHING takes three times longer than it should, NOTHING is coming out like it should and it's just about ready to DRVE you nuts. That was earlier today.

Fortunately, my day did not end that way. I spent a couple hours this evening with some of my favorite people - Ruby, Jeanna, Jerica, Jeremy and Jason. Over eggs, pancakes and postcards, we laughed and we laughed a lot ... and then we prayed.

Hard days are easier when you're surrounded by great friends.

Too Old for the Terrain Park? I don't think so!

So, got the phone call on Thursday and decided to play hooky on Friday (not really, just decided to work Saturday instead). Roxanne called and asked if I wanted to go skiing the next day. I was cold at the moment and my first instinct was to say "no". But then I remembered that I was no pansy and that it would be fun ... and fun it was. We went old skool and hit the ditch (Swiss Valley). It was beautiful - the sun kept it feeling much warmer than the temperature guage recorded.

The funny part was her and I at the top of the Terrain Park (or whatever it's called where snowboarders look like they are trying to commit suicide). At the bottom was this little two foot jump that if you hit it just right would give you enough air that you felt a little on the extreme side, but not so much that your life would flash before your eyes. We went around all the other obstacles and must of hit that thing a half a dozen times. It was pretty funny, we were like two giggling school girls. So amongst these young bucks, stood two 40+ year olds having the time of their life.

Ouch - That Hurt

The last two days were great days - kinda. In great anticipation that they would not cancel school for a third day, I sat down to type up the message that had been marinating in my mind for a couple of days. Becasue of the marinating, it came easy. I had most of it typed up in a couple of hours. Basically, it was a message about "The Road to the Super Bowl." In it was a bunch of cool ties to the God's Word, the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy. I had it all mapped out. When our flight touched down at 1 p.m., I only had a little editing to do to the message and Eagle's Nest Guide, all of which I had done by 3 p.m. Then, some how the most horrific thing that could possilby happen ... happened. I saved the Eagle's Nest Guide right on top of the message and lost it. The unrecoversable...lost it. Admittedly I was stressed for about an hour and then Jesus and I had a one-on-one. It all worked out!

Bring on the Heat

Didn't get a chance to go to the Super Bowl, but did go to the Miami Heat basketball game against the Charolette Bobcats tonight. Dwayne Wade was amazing, the Shaq on the other hand seemed kind of lethargic. Good times, good times.

When we arrived Sunday night, it was like trying to break into Fort Knox. The hotel was swarmed with security and all roads into the hotel were blocked off by police except one. Up until then, I had never had my car searched in order to check into a hotel. There are first for everything. It was kind of fun. In order to get into the hotel, your name had to be on a list, at which time you were issued a a purple silicone wrist band. I wanted to enlighten them and tell them how the majority of junior high students in America has at least five purple silicone wrist bands, but they looked way to serious. ESPN had one floor, the Miami Police another and there were a bunch of old football players and coaches in between.

I wish I was up on my football players. I think I had breakfast in the concierge lounge next to Steve Young. If I was into autographs, I could have had a good time in the lobby Monday morning at check out. All and all, things in Miami have been fun. The highlights have been lots of sleep, 75 degree weather, the Colts win, the Miami Heat game, mastering the Metro People Mover, hanging at the Bayside Marketplace and getting 50% off NFL stuff for Oasis.