My friend, Myron the Rat, shared this music video with me. It's fantastic. I might just use this for walk-in during one of our programs this year.
Saturday
NYC 2011 ::Nazarene Youth Conference::
I went to NYC when I was 16 years old. It was the first time I had flown on an airplane since I was four. We didn't have cell phones. I heard a sermon there that changed my life. I have memories with friends that I'll never forget. I shared a gummy bear that had been lying on the floor of an elevator...with a cute guy. He's now my husband.
If you asked me if I'm taking teenagers to Louisville, I'd ask you if the Pope is Catholic, then invite you to come with us too.
If you asked me if I'm taking teenagers to Louisville, I'd ask you if the Pope is Catholic, then invite you to come with us too.
Tuesday
Pre-School Theology 101
Simply put by my 3 year old to her ballet teacher...
Where does your mommy work?
Church
What do you learn about at church?
God.
Who is God?
Jesus.
Where does Jesus live?
Up in Ohio with grandma and grandpa.
Where does your mommy work?
Church
What do you learn about at church?
God.
Who is God?
Jesus.
Where does Jesus live?
Up in Ohio with grandma and grandpa.
Monday
The End of The Road
Another title might read: How to know God is listening.
I was sitting in a church van with eleven teenagers and a leader in the passenger seat. We had been working our tails off painting a house for three days. The van smelled like a mix of middle school locker room and Doritos. At some point in the trip, I had switched the radio from the local Christian station to the local party station. Mission trips cause mild insanity which leads to the need for songs that take a person to another place. Some of you know what I'm referring to here. The rest...you just need to volunteer on a youth trip.
Anyway, I shared with the leader sitting on my right that I really believed that music is the thing that kept me from getting into a lot of trouble before I became a Christian. There were times when I would sit in a friends room and we would listen to power ballad / R&B music. We'd laugh, cry, memorize lyrics. For me, music was God preventing grace keeping me from a world of trouble.
Back to the camp.
Later that night, we were up late. I had to tell one student at least seven times to get in the van or we were going to leave a certain place without him. There was something really wrong with the shoes in our dorm room. I thought they might walk out of the place on their own. I overdosed on Oreos. I was mildly delirious and wondering why I didn't say "no" to the annual junkfest. The next morning, while I was feeling completely exhausted and sorry for myself I asked God, "throw me a bone...please just throw me a bone". Not sure why I prayed that prayer but I did.
I hopped in the van, turned the key. The radio was on from the day before. The song that started was "End of the Road. By Boys II Men. I had to laugh. Then I cried. I sat in the van by myself singing the entire song out loud and out of key. It was like God had been sitting right there with us the whole time. He's always known me and knows me still. Why do I forget that God is there for us too? He knows us better than anyone else and provides exactly what we need when we need it. For some, a silly old school song. For others....grace.
Thanks for listening God and for knowing me completely.
I was sitting in a church van with eleven teenagers and a leader in the passenger seat. We had been working our tails off painting a house for three days. The van smelled like a mix of middle school locker room and Doritos. At some point in the trip, I had switched the radio from the local Christian station to the local party station. Mission trips cause mild insanity which leads to the need for songs that take a person to another place. Some of you know what I'm referring to here. The rest...you just need to volunteer on a youth trip.
Anyway, I shared with the leader sitting on my right that I really believed that music is the thing that kept me from getting into a lot of trouble before I became a Christian. There were times when I would sit in a friends room and we would listen to power ballad / R&B music. We'd laugh, cry, memorize lyrics. For me, music was God preventing grace keeping me from a world of trouble.
Back to the camp.
Later that night, we were up late. I had to tell one student at least seven times to get in the van or we were going to leave a certain place without him. There was something really wrong with the shoes in our dorm room. I thought they might walk out of the place on their own. I overdosed on Oreos. I was mildly delirious and wondering why I didn't say "no" to the annual junkfest. The next morning, while I was feeling completely exhausted and sorry for myself I asked God, "throw me a bone...please just throw me a bone". Not sure why I prayed that prayer but I did.
I hopped in the van, turned the key. The radio was on from the day before. The song that started was "End of the Road. By Boys II Men. I had to laugh. Then I cried. I sat in the van by myself singing the entire song out loud and out of key. It was like God had been sitting right there with us the whole time. He's always known me and knows me still. Why do I forget that God is there for us too? He knows us better than anyone else and provides exactly what we need when we need it. For some, a silly old school song. For others....grace.
Thanks for listening God and for knowing me completely.
Friday
Handy Cell Phone Banter
Last year I commented in a blog about our annual "tick-a-teen off" event at the start of last year's mission trip. (The event is the explanation for our "no phone zone" commitment during youth trips. They read it on the event flyer but are baffled when we actually follow through. Go figure.)
During the last ten years, teenagers have given me more than a few reasons why taking cell phones away on trips is a good idea. But this year, while speaking at a camp in Pennsylvania, I saw a few good reasons for students to have their phones too. At the camp students were encouraged to have cell accountability and practiced sending verses to each other as well as words of faith and encouragement. From what I hear, this continues long after camp ends. Hmmmm, doesn't sound like a bad idea.
While on our mission trip last week, I used my phone to upload pictures onto facebook. Instead of tagging the teenager, I tagged their parents in the photo. I received a ton of positive feedback from parents who got to experience the trip from a distance--peace of mind that their kiddo was doing great--and a feeling of shared community even though they weren't with us. I also found out that some parents had an easier time talking to their teenager when they returned because they had some specific questions and comments to share.
At the same time, I enjoyed yet another week long mission trip without the interruptions of twitter, myspace, facebook, DRAMA, pranks, and more D-R-A-M-A.
The following Wednesday night I was hanging out with some students in the foyer. Standing in a circle, everyone including me, had a cell phone in their hand. Three of the five were texting, tweeting, and tagging in another world. I thought, "I wish no one had cell phones on Wednesday night." The next immediate thought was, "they would kill me!".
But would they?
What if we made it en vogue to unplug at youth group? I'm entertaining the idea. If you don't see me around this fall, it's probably because I'm in hiding from the rebel insurgency.
* Das Handy is the Denglisch word some German's use for cell phone. Das Handy" comes from "handgehaltenes Telefon" or "hand-held telephone." Just in case you were wondering.
During the last ten years, teenagers have given me more than a few reasons why taking cell phones away on trips is a good idea. But this year, while speaking at a camp in Pennsylvania, I saw a few good reasons for students to have their phones too. At the camp students were encouraged to have cell accountability and practiced sending verses to each other as well as words of faith and encouragement. From what I hear, this continues long after camp ends. Hmmmm, doesn't sound like a bad idea.
While on our mission trip last week, I used my phone to upload pictures onto facebook. Instead of tagging the teenager, I tagged their parents in the photo. I received a ton of positive feedback from parents who got to experience the trip from a distance--peace of mind that their kiddo was doing great--and a feeling of shared community even though they weren't with us. I also found out that some parents had an easier time talking to their teenager when they returned because they had some specific questions and comments to share.
At the same time, I enjoyed yet another week long mission trip without the interruptions of twitter, myspace, facebook, DRAMA, pranks, and more D-R-A-M-A.
The following Wednesday night I was hanging out with some students in the foyer. Standing in a circle, everyone including me, had a cell phone in their hand. Three of the five were texting, tweeting, and tagging in another world. I thought, "I wish no one had cell phones on Wednesday night." The next immediate thought was, "they would kill me!".
But would they?
What if we made it en vogue to unplug at youth group? I'm entertaining the idea. If you don't see me around this fall, it's probably because I'm in hiding from the rebel insurgency.
* Das Handy is the Denglisch word some German's use for cell phone. Das Handy" comes from "handgehaltenes Telefon" or "hand-held telephone." Just in case you were wondering.
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