moving on...

so after an amazing 6 weeks of blogging here as a "blogger" i am moving on to greener pastures. don't know why...just a wild hair of unrest. change es good...no? this will be the last post on this mighty fine little piece of web 2.0...

greener pastures can be found here.

pic-log

just a little bit of the last 24 hours at ys...


worship w/ Tomlinspent some pretty meaningful time here
morning worship - Jeff Johnson
inspired by the "be the change" author
a little crowder worship...

(have decided that i am very unsatisfied with the camera on the new palm centro phone)

doug fields was amazing. really spoke to my heart...gotta sort through some stuff after that one.

might have a response in a few days on the subject of youth group/life/people envy...we'll see.

not ready to go back to work, ready for the sweet embrace of family.

anyone reading this back home...? please keep me accountable to bringing this experience back with me, ask me about it, what new ideas were here, what kind of ministry introspectives did i experience. to our ministry team...you're coming with next year.

bb

progress of surrender

so today at ys was a pretty good one...yes i know, quite the intriguing opener. didn't do much today. i am finding myself avoiding the actual "training" part of this event. while i recognize the need to continue the education (that is the budget line item) it seems as though god is doing some other stuff through this time. i did however buy what seems like an exorbitant amount of credits to download seminar mp3 which lends at least a little integrity to my presence here this week. i think it'll be an interesting thing to download some good stuff for our ministry team...i suppose this is the beginning of a library dedicated to equipping volunteers. this excites me more than anything i could glean from a seminar while i am here. tomorrow i think i will check out a couple seminars on middle school ministry and spend some time doing some personal reflection and seeking.

on another note, it seems there has been a massive invasion of mid-riff bearing, short skirt wearing, blue eye shadow sportin' munchkins that are here for a cheer leading competition. two items of note here...while making the brief stop to partake of the insane acrobatic spectacle through the concourse windows, a buddy happened to ask a certain conservative univ. rep who was winning in the cheer leading match...she blankly responded "i don't know?", which in itself was amusing. some remarks were made about the late jerry fallwell and his relative positioning in the hierarchy of those who might be closest to the divine followed by a brief dating history of said rep and her relation the the late jerry fallwell's son...don't really know why i am sharing this, but i was amused. those who do not fall into the amiable personality category always amuse me in ways that lead me to an envious place, wishing i had the gaul to say many of the things i think. probably best as i would get into trouble if i opened my mouth as often as i'd like.

second item of note...in the cnn center for lunch. witnessed two of said cheer leading munchkins get up to leave. the girls did a good thing and began to clean up their trash...to our amazement, the adult that was present stopped them from picking up their mess and said these words: "don't do that...they have people who get paid to do that." astounding...what a tragically beautiful window of explanation into so many of my struggles with youth culture. we are teaching our students some strange behaviors...maybe i am just getting old.

long day...pointless post...still seeking surrender...glimpsed it through "worship" this evening with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin this evening. thank you god for hope...my hope is in you alone.

last thought...i miss my wife and daughter

where am i...? where i need to be.

so i am in atlanta this week at the national youth workers convention. it's a weird mix...part training, part vacation, part free stuff, part connecting, part frustrating and a whole bunch of god just showing up and dealing with me. so far this has been the experience...much walking, close talkers in the exhibit hall, andy stanley, the astounding waste of promotional materials, jared hall, 11:30 am wake up (nice treat after 14 months of getting up @ 7 with the baby), feelings of empowerment/inadequacy/conviction/ inspiration, the desperation band, the georgia aquarium, a really different feeling about being away from my family (baby changes everything) and currently the dog whisperer on my hotel tv.

god works through this time away in some crazy ways. as i sat this afternoon, listening to the opening stuff and hearing the same old opening stuff from years past I was moved to a leading that i am currently struggling with. i know this is something i need to do on a daily basis and struggle with on every level of my life and avoid like the plague...because i think i don't need to, because i can handle things, because i want to play god, because my way is better, because i have it all figured out, because...my imperfection leads me to the pride filled idea that i have obtained perfection.

i need to surrender.

this is a tough one...beyond the reasons i just noted, surrender has been lost in my life for a long while...it's effects have reached far and wide in both my personal life and the ministry i am allowed to play a role in. surrender is necessary and is stirring in my soul, but is a difficulty that i wrestle with until it is bottled up safely, not to be dealt with until the next time it escapes and needs contained once again.

this weekend i hope to find surrender...

the exhibit hall is out of my system, the worship has begun to soften my heart, the laughter has already healed, and i am ready to seek surrender.

until then...here's a few pics

small group heros...

i love our community group leaders. i thank god for them and their ministry to our students. i love it when i have the opportunity to sit in on a group and listen to the community and love that is happening. our kids are so blessed. i love it when i have the opportunity to really encourage and build up a leader.

this is what i should be doing more of...

decisions, decisions...

ever feel like this is a really tough call? i love my sleep as much as the next guy...beyond that it makes me wonder why this rings so true with my own perceptions of our church-going culture. does the commentary lie with the church or the go-er? are "we" (read: institutional church) presenting christ in a way that draws us from our slumber?

more from asbojesus soon...this place really hits home.

ivescrewedup.com

a few weeks ago i posted about the naked pastor. the same church also has a site all about confession that is pretty amazing.

for me it's a pretty crazy reminder of how broken and flawed we are and how much we need confession, forgiveness and god's grace in our lives. take a look, pray for some folks and maybe even make a confession yourself...they say its good for the soul.