Monday
Looking forward to Atlanta
Coy and I are making preparations to pack the car and the kid up for a roadtrip to Atlanta on Nov. 15. I'll be helping out at an event called Her-Story, a mini-conference for women in youth ministry the day before National Youth Workers Convention. I'm excited about the opportunity to lead others, but even more excited to see some friends and connect with people who are going through similar things. NYWC is a place where, from year one in youth ministry, I've been able to grow a little bit more in areas that I desperately need help in. Every year it's something new, but every year I go away comforted, equipped, and motivated. There's just something about the youthworker grind that only other youthworkers can fully understand and empathize with. The solidarity in which we worship together brings me to a place where I can see God clearly--aside from my calling as a youth pastor--a God who loves and cares for me deeply even when I don't measure up. I can't wait to worship with youth people from all over, even if it is only for one night it will be worth every mile it takes to get there.
Thursday
Why we love surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and skiing with students.
Our story:
My husband and I started working with teenagers in Brevard County a few years back, helping them through life and encouraging them to have a relationship with God. Our interaction with students really took off after we started hanging out at the beach with them. My first Christmas as their youth leader, I received a 7'10" custom made surfboard from them. I was humbled and blessed that they loved me that much to sacrifice so much money and time--when I didn't even know how to surf. So I decided that summer to have a surf group every Thursday where we would take as many kids as we could (surfer or not) to the beach to spend time in creation and learning about what it means to take care of it as well as taking care of our relationship with the One who created it. It revolutionized our ministry. Through our physical acts of being together--waiting on waves--laughing at our falls--traveling in cars with sand and sweat, we formed bonds that stuck.
We moved to Texas for a couple of years and I found myself in a place with no waves. It wasn't until our ski trip to Colorado--when I learned to snowboard that we bonded.
I started to see a trend. Through the physical parts of being together, learning together, and experiencing creation together we find peace, encouragement, friendship, and God.
Now that I'm back in Florida I want to continue this calling to creation participation--something that is collective in us. We're sort of land locked over here in the center of the state but we've got a ton of skateboarders and surfers who are just looking for an outlet. We hope by hosting a pro-skate event and taking some students to the beach that we'll make some vital connections with young people who can't see much farther than their boards right now. We hope that through our experiences outside we can make a difference on the inside. My husband and I feel called to do this, and our church is willing to do whatever it takes to make these relationships possible.
I'm stoked to be here at Highland Park, awesome things are happening.
My husband and I started working with teenagers in Brevard County a few years back, helping them through life and encouraging them to have a relationship with God. Our interaction with students really took off after we started hanging out at the beach with them. My first Christmas as their youth leader, I received a 7'10" custom made surfboard from them. I was humbled and blessed that they loved me that much to sacrifice so much money and time--when I didn't even know how to surf. So I decided that summer to have a surf group every Thursday where we would take as many kids as we could (surfer or not) to the beach to spend time in creation and learning about what it means to take care of it as well as taking care of our relationship with the One who created it. It revolutionized our ministry. Through our physical acts of being together--waiting on waves--laughing at our falls--traveling in cars with sand and sweat, we formed bonds that stuck.
We moved to Texas for a couple of years and I found myself in a place with no waves. It wasn't until our ski trip to Colorado--when I learned to snowboard that we bonded.
I started to see a trend. Through the physical parts of being together, learning together, and experiencing creation together we find peace, encouragement, friendship, and God.
Now that I'm back in Florida I want to continue this calling to creation participation--something that is collective in us. We're sort of land locked over here in the center of the state but we've got a ton of skateboarders and surfers who are just looking for an outlet. We hope by hosting a pro-skate event and taking some students to the beach that we'll make some vital connections with young people who can't see much farther than their boards right now. We hope that through our experiences outside we can make a difference on the inside. My husband and I feel called to do this, and our church is willing to do whatever it takes to make these relationships possible.
I'm stoked to be here at Highland Park, awesome things are happening.
Friday
Naked
Many of us are in hiding.
Fear of intimacy is our subject for my next message. We've been talking about what it's like to fear rejection and to fear failure. But fearing intimacy is something you would think most of us could check off of our list of things overcome. All of us desire close relationships. Most of us have friends or family members that we spend ninety percent of our non-school, non-work time with. Some of us can't go to the bathroom without taking our best friends with us. We surround ourselves with people we've decided to share our lives with and yet many of us are still walking around scared to death that someone might see inside.
Shaun Groves sang a song a few years back called "Welcome Home". It was a song to God saying in a nutshell that it's OK for God to come inside and see what's going on. It made me think and made me wonder if I've left the hurricane shutters on my windows to long--if I've been in hiding from the one who could truly renovate this heart.
When we get really honest we find that we are afraid to be seen naked--not physically naked (which may be scary in it's own way)--but emotionally and psychologically naked. How vulnerable do we feel when someone discovers our weaknesses and our hang-ups? How frail do we realize we are when someone knows our temptations and our desires? When is it safe to allow someone to get close enough to see the ugly spots from our past and the struggling points of our present?
I looked back to Genesis 3:9-10 when Adam ran from the most intimate relationship he ever had. He flat out told God that he knew he was naked, and that he was afraid. So he hid.
The beauty of God's forgiveness in Christ is found in the miraculous thing that takes place in us by the Holy Spirit. We are being restored into the imago dei--the image of God. We were once free to run naked through the garden but sin has made us afraid of the most loving being that could ever know us.
I'm grateful for the restoration that is going on in my, day by day, minute by minute. I don't want to hide anymore. Imagine the space we would create for each other, to be free and to be freely known if only we weren't afraid.
Fear of intimacy is our subject for my next message. We've been talking about what it's like to fear rejection and to fear failure. But fearing intimacy is something you would think most of us could check off of our list of things overcome. All of us desire close relationships. Most of us have friends or family members that we spend ninety percent of our non-school, non-work time with. Some of us can't go to the bathroom without taking our best friends with us. We surround ourselves with people we've decided to share our lives with and yet many of us are still walking around scared to death that someone might see inside.
Shaun Groves sang a song a few years back called "Welcome Home". It was a song to God saying in a nutshell that it's OK for God to come inside and see what's going on. It made me think and made me wonder if I've left the hurricane shutters on my windows to long--if I've been in hiding from the one who could truly renovate this heart.
When we get really honest we find that we are afraid to be seen naked--not physically naked (which may be scary in it's own way)--but emotionally and psychologically naked. How vulnerable do we feel when someone discovers our weaknesses and our hang-ups? How frail do we realize we are when someone knows our temptations and our desires? When is it safe to allow someone to get close enough to see the ugly spots from our past and the struggling points of our present?
I looked back to Genesis 3:9-10 when Adam ran from the most intimate relationship he ever had. He flat out told God that he knew he was naked, and that he was afraid. So he hid.
The beauty of God's forgiveness in Christ is found in the miraculous thing that takes place in us by the Holy Spirit. We are being restored into the imago dei--the image of God. We were once free to run naked through the garden but sin has made us afraid of the most loving being that could ever know us.
I'm grateful for the restoration that is going on in my, day by day, minute by minute. I don't want to hide anymore. Imagine the space we would create for each other, to be free and to be freely known if only we weren't afraid.
Tuesday
Love wins...it always wins.
As I looked at this image it occurred to me that it doesn't really matter if you are for the war or against it. Human hearts are being broken at the sight of the losses. We rarely think about the children who are being torn from familiar places and even from their physical bodies...and the mothers and fathers, soldiers and fighters who bear witness to it. This picture captures a glimpse of our humanity-- the language of love, given to us from God-- pouring gently from one human to another.
It caused me to pause this morning and be truly grateful for everything we have been given.
This image was sent to me in an e-mail with no reference to it's source.
Wednesday
HerStory- For women in youth ministry.
I'm getting excited about a historic first-of-its-kind event coming up in Atlanta. HerStory is an event for women in youth ministry prior to National Youth Workers convention. My friend and colleague Jen Howver and I will be presenting a breakout session entitled, Your Story: How your life influences your ministry. Attendees will have the opportunity to write their own life tapestry and discover how both the positive and negative experiences culminate to make their own ministry setting. It's going to be good stuff and I can't wait to meet everyone!
November 15-16, 2007
Monday
October 8th
Comment below to guess my age. Winners get pizza this Wednesday night. (Unless you are in the 8th grade, then you get pizza on the house anyway).
Friday
Skateboard Ministry
The number of kids with skateboards who show up in our church parking lot each Wednesday night swells every week. I read a poll somewhere that said skateboarding has surpassed baseball as the most popular youth activity. I've been paying attention for a long time but have never really been in a place to buy-in with our time and our resources, to really invest in these students and what they are passionate about.
I just got the green light to bring in a group just for them in November. Pro-skaters, skate demo, sweet testimonies...I'm stoked and can't wait to see everyone who comes out. The org is kksm.org
I just got the green light to bring in a group just for them in November. Pro-skaters, skate demo, sweet testimonies...I'm stoked and can't wait to see everyone who comes out. The org is kksm.org
She thinks it's a party.
Our daughter Kirra will be seven months on the 11th. I'm a middle school pastor so whether it's a curse or a blessing she finds herself in the family ministries building at our church every Wednesday night being passed from teenager to teenager--volunteer to volunteer.
She gets poked, cooed at, talked to, bounced, giggled at, and kissed. Her toes get touched at an astounding rate of two to three times a minute. Her diaper gets neglected during the wave of middle school madness. Consequently she gains close to three pounds of liquid weight during the evening.
Our worship time starts close to 7:00 (I say "close to 7:00" because what middle school pastor doesn't have the last minute student crisis where two girls have four of their combined fingers stuck in finger traps?). Anyway, it starts late and ends hours after Kirra's bedtime. All this is to say that one would think she would be insanely ticked for all that we put her through but last Wednesday proved us very wrong. We stayed extra late and she was cracking all of the college students who come after our service up with her funny laughing and nose breathing trick. She was the star of the show.
When we finally got to the parking lot when her car seat radar goes off and she starts crying, she decided to start babble talking about her evening with friends. Yelps of joy and jubliation where on her tongue. She went home, at some bedtime cereal, and went to bed without a peep.
Last night, the same thing occurred. We kept her up late to watch The Office at our friends apartment. I knew I was taking a risk keeping her up late two nights in a row. However, as we walked home at 10:30 pm she starting having fun again in my husband's arms. Smiling, talking, and joyfully squirming around we decided that Kirra likes to party.
She went to bed perfectly and has slept this whole time (it's now 8:30 am...she usually wakes at 6:15 am). Kirra thinks our crazy nighttime routine is a party. I'm so glad. I don't want to mess her up. (It may already be too late for that...)
She gets poked, cooed at, talked to, bounced, giggled at, and kissed. Her toes get touched at an astounding rate of two to three times a minute. Her diaper gets neglected during the wave of middle school madness. Consequently she gains close to three pounds of liquid weight during the evening.
Our worship time starts close to 7:00 (I say "close to 7:00" because what middle school pastor doesn't have the last minute student crisis where two girls have four of their combined fingers stuck in finger traps?). Anyway, it starts late and ends hours after Kirra's bedtime. All this is to say that one would think she would be insanely ticked for all that we put her through but last Wednesday proved us very wrong. We stayed extra late and she was cracking all of the college students who come after our service up with her funny laughing and nose breathing trick. She was the star of the show.
When we finally got to the parking lot when her car seat radar goes off and she starts crying, she decided to start babble talking about her evening with friends. Yelps of joy and jubliation where on her tongue. She went home, at some bedtime cereal, and went to bed without a peep.
Last night, the same thing occurred. We kept her up late to watch The Office at our friends apartment. I knew I was taking a risk keeping her up late two nights in a row. However, as we walked home at 10:30 pm she starting having fun again in my husband's arms. Smiling, talking, and joyfully squirming around we decided that Kirra likes to party.
She went to bed perfectly and has slept this whole time (it's now 8:30 am...she usually wakes at 6:15 am). Kirra thinks our crazy nighttime routine is a party. I'm so glad. I don't want to mess her up. (It may already be too late for that...)
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