The "New Van Pose"

Mikella's modelling in front of our new van

 

Bella and Mikella

Watching The Letter Factory at the house

 

Bella on the Stairs

Bella loves to play on the stairs, but Mom and Dad try to limit it as much as possible

 

Mikella on the Stairs

One of Mikella's favorite places to be is climbing on the stairs

 

Snow Crash

fun in the snow...

 

READ IT DAILY

I just read my good friend, Joel's, blog for the first time. It is an experiment of a youth group he is working with out in Washington state. Check it out here: http://readitdaily.blogspot.com.

Joel posts weekly Bible reading plans and then writes out his daily thoughts as he reads the daily plan. He then invites students to read and post comments after having their own devotional time. It is the group's way to provide some continuity and accountability to each other in the youth group. Are you looking for that in your personal devotional life? Maybe this site will work for you. Give it a try!

LORD OVER ME

I read the following verse in my devotional time today:

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God…for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. — Romans 14:4, 6, 8-9

It got me thinking about how we are really not at all familiar with the term "lord" as they were when this was written. A lord had complete and sovereign control over everyone in their land -- no questions asked.

In light of that, is Jesus really the Lord of my life? REALLY? I can confess that He is NOT the Lord of my life in some areas -- the way that He should be. I like to "lord over myself" sometimes; and probably even more than I'd like to admit.

Today, I ask for the courage to allow Jesus to be the Lord of my life, in every aspect.

PLAYING WITH PICTURES

Wow! Until now, I didn't realize that posting pics on my blog was so easy. I'm going to have to start doing this more!

I was feeling a little nostalgic today, realizing that Mikella is almost one-year-old already. She was born on Christmas Eve. Here is a pic of Mikella, Bella, and myself on January 1st at Mom and Dad's house.

SIX AWE-FILLED DAYS

I just came back from six very powerfully exciting days on the road. First, on November 4th through the 6th, a busload of us went to the Advance Youth Convention in Pierre, SD, an AOG-sponsored district event that we have been a part of for the last couple of years. This year was a little different, though, as me and a few of the guys from the Destiny worship team had the opportunity to lead the worship services. It was a total blast from start to finish. The sound man was the best we have ever worked with, and the stage -- with smoke, lasers, lights, and four large-projector screens surrounding -- was like a rock star’s dream.

That wasn’t the only cool thing. Our students were experiencing God in very powerful and real ways. One student, in particular, experienced physical manifestations of God’s presence -- reportedly having “hot hands” while he was praying for someone and then seeing some pretty awe-inspiring visions later on in the evening. Twice, I came into my room late at night after all of my responsibilities were done for the day and found the guys in my room reading the Bible, journaling, and praying. How cool is that? There were several other cool stories that I heard from students and it is always awesome to watch and be a part of the ministry times.

As far as the worship times go, it was such an easy and “ready” atmosphere. Many times I felt more like I was part of the worship crowd than a worship leader (which is probably the way it should be anyhow). There really is no way to describe the atmosphere of those three nights without just being there. All I can say is that it was incredible and it was an immense joy to have experienced it.

The group of us came back on Sunday evening, where I left the PM worship service at Destiny early so that I could pack for my Monday morning departure to Oakland, CA. This was hard to do, leaving my family behind for another three day venture, but I knew in my heart that God had plans for this journey, too.

As soon as I arrived I was made to feel welcome by several new-made friends. Tim, Jeremy, and Danny all blessed me with a very memorable first time experience at the famous In’N’Out Burger joint. Several of them pooled some money together and bought me my very own In’N’Out T-shirt. Not to mention, when the In’N’Out employees found out it was my first time, I was given an official In’N’Out baker’s hat and a handful of In’N’Out stickers. To say the least, it was very good food; I’m a new fan of the franchise.

The meetings with the national leadership team were all overwhelming for me. Overwhelming mostly because I couldn’t believe that I was there! Here I was sitting in a room with the nation’s leaders in the field that I am working in and I have no idea how I got there. A word was given shortly upon our arrival about that same “fear” or “feeling”, if you will. God said that there were some at the meeting who couldn’t figure out why they were here. To them His words were “I have prepared a place for you at the table; this was meant for you.” Those words blessed me beyond measure.

Ron Pinkston, the pastor of East Bay Fellowship, James Craft, the national Foursquare youth director, and Larry Spousta, were the three main speakers at the meetings. They facilitated discussion about the national youth ministry movement and helped steer us towards new direction and renewed vision.

They also rolled out the red carpet for us. The meetings took place at East Bay Fellowship’s brand new, 5-million-dollar youth facility, featuring a game room, café, and large, media-rich service room. All of the meals were home cooked except for the last, when they drove us all to San Francisco’s pier for a fantastic meal at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., fashioned after the infamous character from Forrest Gump. The food was great and so was the atmosphere. The youth and Foursquare leaders that I met over those two days will long be fondly remembered and I hope to keep them as long-time friends and ministry peers.

The next morning, Wednesday the 9th, I got up at 3:00 am and caught a taxi with Aaron, Jon, and Charles, some other new ministry friends. I made it home at around 3:00 pm, took a two-hour nap, woke-up, showered, and made it to youth group for a wonderful time with lots of people that I love.

SINGING

SHAWN @ ADVANCE YOUTH CONVENTION

NYWC: Day 4

We just finished packing up the majority of our stuff for the last day at convention. We have to get up early tomorrow to catch our plane back to Denver, CO.

The last day was like all the others –- we only wish this week could last longer. Deanna and I had the opportunity to interact with Tic Long, one of the convention hosts and YS execs. We told him that the convention is our favorite week every year. He commented about my hair (he said that it looked like I had been "rocking out") and asked Deanna about her 1-Life Revolution experience (ask her about it). Then he welcomed us back for our sixth year next year.

I attended a great seminar on Creative Bible Teaching by Jim Burns, the founder of HomeWord, this morning and attended another one by Doug Fields on Developing Student Leaders in the afternoon. I can't wait to start applying some of the things that I learned this week into play at Elevate Youth Ministry.

This day was my favorite day of worship as David Crowder took over the general session worship times. What an incredible band and great lead worshippers. I got lots of good footage from side-stage and front-stage of several of the artists. (Enough, I hope, to make our friend Barry Edwards come next year.)

Ted Dekker read his newest book with a multimedia backdrop at the morning session and the true-to-life Sue Thomas from the F.B. Eye detective show spoke in the afternoon session. Shane and Shane did a short but powerful worship set.

The day ended with a big concert featuring the Canadian boys from Starfield and everybody’s favorite southern rocker’s, Third Day. KJ-52 was supposed to be there to perform, too, but the promoter said that he never called or showed up. We never heard anything more about it.

We ran into a new youth worker friend, Paul Kind, from Rapid City, too. He is a new youth pastor taking over a youth ministry position at a church which I can't remember the name of right now. (Sorry, Paul, if you're reading this.)

All in all, the week was too much for words. I feel refreshed, renewed, re-energized, and re-filled with passion for the calling that we have to Destiny's youth. I hope that we can bring more Team Elevate leaders with us next year. Thank you SO MUCH to all of those who supported Amy this year and our other volunteers in years past! It means so much to us!

Time for bed. Got to get up at 5:00 am. See you when we get back!

NYWC: Day 3

We started out the morning all splitting up into different workshops, which is what we normally tend to do at workshop time. That way our team gets three different workshops in one hour and a half period. I attended a seminar by a young man by the name of Chuck Bomar that started the collegeleader.org web site and ministry. He was a deep thinker, but really helped me get a first-timer's grasp at how to disciple college-age volunteers. Very cool stuff. Deep, but cool.

The morning general session featured a former pro football player turned youth speaker, Steve Fitzhugh. He was a big guy with a Pentecostal flavor to his preaching style. Very fun and encouraging. Steven Curtis Chapman was there, too but we’ve seen him so many times, we skipped out on him. Lunch was at a small Mexican restaurant with really good fresh fruit drinks and salsa, but not-so-good enchilada sauce.

We took a long afternoon nap to catch up and keep up with taking care of Mikella. Having her along definitely has kept us busy, so the two-hour nap was very welcome.

We took a walk to a far-away fish and chips place for dinner. It was worth the walk; good fried food – yum! We did pass by a passed out drunk on the way. I don't think it was the best neighborhood.

The last general session of the day was our last night with Chris Tomlin and his band. It was good to have them back with us again this year. We got to see them last year, but it was for only one night. Those guys really know how to shine the spotlights on God and lead a group into worship. I’m even more excited for the David Crowder Band tomorrow.

Louie Giglio also spoke at the evening general session and blew me away as usual. He used the best definition of worship I’ve ever heard: us in God’s hands and our life in His plans. Incredibly inspiring. Deanna and I actually spotted Louie taking an afternoon job earlier in the day. He looks like a really fit guy.

Afterwards, we stopped for a while at the late night comedy club with Taylor Mason, Thor Ramsey, the Village Idiot, and Darren Streblow. We bought a bunch of their DVD's so that Destiny can host another comedy night. I’m sad that tomorrow is our last day. We are going to have to miss out on the last day in order to make it to Colorado in time for the district convention. We are looking forward to that too, of course, but YS is very close to our hearts.

NYWC: Day 2

Tonight, we thankfully have a little bit earlier bedtime. Funny thing is that it was the first night that the girls wanted to try a late night event: Fear Factor – Youth Worker’s Edition. The group that was coming to do the event was not able to make it for whatever reason. I think we were all somewhat relieved. Sleep is always welcome at the end of a long convention day.

We woke up this morning and went to the La Boo for breakfast. Very good iced chai tea and breakfast pastry. The first general session of the convention we all attended together. It was a “Rant by a Runt on What’s Wrong with the Church” by Marko, the president of Youth Specialties. I liked it because he asked a lot of tough questions that made me re-think my own personal philosophy of ministry.

The first general session featured Mark Yaconelli, who I hadn’t enjoyed much in the past, but did an incredible job today. In fact, I would like to hear him again, if I have the chance. The Skit Guys were absolutely hilarious and the Swift were mediocre.

We all shared dinner at a loud restaurant called “Pizza by the Slice”. It didn’t pass all of the inspection codes by the health department, but we didn’t see that until we were leaving (smile).

I attended my afternoon workshop with Doug Fields on “Small Groups from Start to Finish”. I have been really praying about starting some kind of small group ministry within our youth group for a long time now. This class was super-practical and eye-opening when it comes to the effectiveness (and toughness) of doing small groups ministry. It doesn’t hurt that Doug Fields has always been one of my convention favorites.

The evening general session went just as well with featured speaker (drum roll please) Doug Fields. He spoke on the importance of saying “no” to ministry (yes, ministry) and keeping family and other more important things first. Kendall Payne was a surprising treat (better than I thought) and One Time Blind was a pleasant mix of rhythm and drama.

Mikella has been doing fairly well, although, Deanna and Amy have taken some time out a time or two to take her to the kid’s play room, which features a live video feed of all of the action on the main stage. Otherwise, she loves the music and the clapping the most and really seems to dig the party atmosphere!

NYWC: Day 1

I just got back from the first night at the National Youth Worker’s Convention in Sacramento, CA. I’ll tell you about it in just a second, but first let me tell you about the trip here so far…

We -– Deanna, Mikella, Amy, and I -- left on Wednesday morning from Rapid City. Our goal was to leave sometime between 10:00 am that morning and noon. Well, go figure, we left at noon. The milometer on our car as we drove out read “77,777.7” miles. We joked to each other that God was going to be with us even from the start of the trip. The day before we had to have some expensive repair work done on our car to prepare it for the trip. Something that we weren’t expecting when we took it in for an oil change on Monday.

Anyhow, we left town and drove to Fort Collins, CO to spend the night at the Hyatt. It was a gift from the church for last year’s Pastor Appreciation that we hadn’t used up yet. It was a wonderful evening in a wonderful room at a really nice hotel. The next morning, we got up and drove to the Denver International Airport to fly to Sacramento. It was Mikella’s first airplane ride and she did incredible. We had a short lay-over in Phoenix and a some-what unpleasant flight from Phoenix to Sacramento. There were two guys sitting in front of us who thought too much of themselves that were drinking, reading pornographic magazines, and making rude comments to the attendants and others.

We got to our hotel with no problems, meeting up with a neat couple from South Africa who were with a dance / drama company called the “Thirteenth Floor”. They happened to be exhibitors at this year’s convention. We stopped by once we got to the hotel and convention center to say “hi” and pick up their promotional materials.

We settled into our room and walked over to the capital building to see if we could spot "The Governator". We were told later in the week that he lives on the 15th floor of the hotel that we were staying at.

After our stroll through the capital, we headed over to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. We were all really hungry because none us had eaten since breakfast -- and Amy actually hadn’t had a real meal since lunch the day before (long story). After that, the girls went back to our room and I went to the late night option at the Sheridan Hotel featuring live worship from WorshipTogether.com. The featured artists were Johnny Parks, Brenton Brown, and Vicky Beeching.

It was an incredible evening and the best way I have ever had the pleasure of starting my time at the NYWC. I hope they do it again next year. It was like two hours of general session worship with Tomlin and Crowder, only a little more intimate and personal. I was in tears through most of the time as God ministered to me in places only He could know that needed it. In fact, I found myself getting filled up spiritually in places that I didn’t even know were dry or stagnant… and this is only the first night. I can’t wait for tomorrow! I’ve gotta sign off… it’s midnight.

TIME TO CHEAT SOME MORE

Okay it has been a long time since a post… so here ‘tis, the long lost post you have all been waiting for.

The highlight of my day was swinging in the back yard with my two youngest daughters. There’s something about their smiles that get to me every time. I can still remember a message that I heard at a YS convention a few years ago from Andy Stanley about cheating. “If you are ever gonna cheat on someone,” he said, “cheat on your job (or ministry) and not on your family.”

I’ve always tried to make my family a priority in life. It isn’t a task; it’s what I want. The thing is that sometimes all of the demands of life try to command out everything else without me noticing. That’s what I hate. That’s what I don’t want to happen.

Here’s something funny. I got an e-mail from myself a few days ago. It is from this web site called “FutureMe.org”. I definitely suggest giving it a try. Anyhow, here’s what I wrote:

(this message was composed on Tue, Sep 7, 2004)

Dear Future Me,

I thought I'd try this cool web site out. We just got back from NOT-WINNING at the LifeLight Festival [Battle of the Bands competition] in Sioux Falls this past weekend.

I feel pretty bad. I'm hoping you finally wrote and recorded some new material by now. If you haven't, stop and schedule some time in your calendar now. Don't waste the gifts that God has given you.

God bless you richly (you're a pretty cool guy),
Shawn

I like how I tried to encourage myself at the end (. Anyhow, there’s another thing that I’ve maybe cheated myself on: playing and writing music. It’s something that I love to do but hardly seem to find time for anymore. I know that I need to listen to my own advice and actually “schedule” it in to my day. That sounds sad. I love what I do. I love youth ministry. I love my family and my wife. Why do I have to “schedule” in something that I love to do? How come it doesn’t come naturally?

I don’t know. Weird question? Maybe even a weird thought. Maybe I spend too much time reading e-mail or surfing the Web. It takes up a significant part of my mornings and evenings. Maybe that’s taken over my “first love” of music. Who knows? Time to ponder some more on this. Maybe even time to re-prioritize. Maybe blogging should be on the list, too, seeing that this is the first post in how many months now?

BELLA'S TREE POSE

BITING THE TOE NAILS

Mikella trying her first taste of "foot". Maybe she's following in Bella's tradition of hourly foot cleaning.

BEAUTIFUL BABY

Mikella trying to stay cool on a very hot summer's day

ROUGH RIDERS

They look pretty relaxed considering that Cynthia is "driving".

CYNTHIA ON THE MERRY-GO-ROUND

CYNTHIA

RAGEDDY DOLLS

Aunt Helen and Autumn as Rageddy Ann and Andy @ Storybook Island

SLURPEE GIRLS

Bella and Cynthia @ Storybook Island

MIKELLA ENJOYS HER "RIDE"

Auntie Helen and the girls visit Storybook Island

SISTERS HAVING FUN

CYNTHIA: SKATE MASTER

Cynthia tears it up on the skate rink floor!

AUTUMN AND DEANNA SKATING

Mom is trying to teach Autumn the finer points of the skate rink.

MIKELLA ON THE COUCH

...looking pretty in pink!

AUNTIE HELEN AND MIKELLA

AMY'S BARBIE PARTY

We threw a Barbie Birthday party for our good friend and constant companion, Amy. This was "the look" on her face at the party!

CYNTHIA AND AUTUMN

Cynthia and Autumn at wedding reception

SHOUP FAMILY

Family picture at our first wedding (as pastoral officiators)

MIKELLA AND ASSORTED FRIENDS

AUTUMN IN GOLD

Autumn playing "dress up" at a children's church fundraiser

ROBYN AND MIKELLA

Robyn has been a good friend of the family for several years; she is at every birthday party and big event for our girls.

CYNTHIA'S 9th BIRTHDAY

Always the animal lover, she had a horse-shaped b-day cake made out of cupcakes frosted together.

NERVOUS FOR ALL OF US!

This is Friday... the Youth-led Service is Sunday. I'm getting nervous for all of us!

One thing's for sure: we are never gonna do the Youth-led Service two weekends after the Youth-led Good Friday Service again. They are just too close together.

It's a good thing that we have such high quality, spiritually hungry, super-charged youth and volunteers, or I'm afraid that this weekend wouldn't minister much to anybody. But from what I have seen so far (at the one practice we have had so far -- smile), I know that God is going to move and minister to those that are there this Sunday morning. I can't wait to see how God works through us.

His grace is enough... WHEW!

ORANGE IS MIKELLA'S FAVORITE COLOR

TONKA'S LAST DAY WITH US

We all loved him -- and he loved us -- but he was just too "high energy" for us to handle with Mikella and Bella. We found him a loving family here in town and he is doing great!

MIKELLA'S SMILE-IN-A-SWEATER

BELLA IS ALL SMILES

AUTUMN'S EASTER EGGS

CYNTHIA'S EASTER EGGS

CYNTHIA AND PRINCESS ISABELLA

She rules the house with grace and beauty

PLAYING WITH HAIR

Cynthia looks so serious in this picture...

CYNTHIA AND "BLONDIE"

I am messing with my eye because it took two hours of bleach on my head to get it that white!

IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

Mikella in the flower garden

MIKELLA AND THE BUTTERFLY

CYNTHIA AND MIKELLA

MEMORIAL PARK POND

Autumn on a Memorial Park stroll around the pond.

BELLA'S CHEER!

ADMIRING A BABY DOLL

Bella admiring a doll @ Mikella's baby shower

MIKELLA JOINS THE FAMILY

...the perfect stocking stuffer! I had to wear a face mask because of a cold that I was fighting. I also kept my leather coat on (and zipped up to the top) because it was freezing cold by the window -- where my "bed" was.

ALL RIGHT, ALREADY!

The due date (December 27th) is quickly approaching, but not fast enough, or so it seems.

We have been in the hospital a couple of times this past week hoping that each time we would be leaving with a baby. Deanna has been dilated to 3 and the baby 50% effaced for at least a week now. She has been having contractions less than five minutes apart almost continuously for the past two to three weeks. They just haven't been strong enough.

Or course, by now, we are both more than ready to have a baby. Deanna, more than likely, even more so than myself. Please pray with us for a quick delivery... "quick delivery" meaning that the "delivery comes quickly"!!! (Smile)

STILL BEING THANKFUL

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I've been thinking about the pilgrims lately. They went through a lot of tough stuff early on in their American history. I think that the pilgrims really understood what is meant by the above verse found in 1 Thessalonians. Perhaps what they understood is that the Bible does not call them to be thankful for all things, but in all things. We can always be thankful that God is with us and has a greater plan in mind than we can see or imagine.

I'm writing this coming from the hospital. Deanna and I went in again to have her contractions monitored (the second time this week). Everything ended up okay, I guess. They ended up putting her on bed-rest and changing her prescription drug to slow the contractions. The thing is that, no matter how insignificant or quick the visit may be to the doctors and nurses, it always seems like a big deal when you are the "Daddy" and you are concerned for your new unborn baby and mother.

I'm also writing this as I see a lot of people that are surrounding me going through some pretty tough stuff.

Thankfulness is an attitude. It is a condition of the heart.

I am thankful for my soon-to-be newborn baby and Deanna. I am thankful for Amy, who stayed at our house and watched our girls while we were there. I am thankful for my parents who, I know, have been praying for me since I was a baby boy. Come to think of it, there is a lot more thankfulness in my heart than I maybe give myself credit for.

I do want to be careful, though, and make sure that I always do my best to keep my heart conditioned to be thankful. God help me...

THANKSGIVING SERVICE

For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you. Luke 6:38, Living Bible

Last night, our family attended Destiny Foursquare's annual Thanksgiving Service. I was blown away by the spirit of joy and thankfulness that was present; especially since there has been some pretty "tough stuff" going on in a lot of people's lives as of recent. But, then again, I think it was an awesome picture of God's grace and mercy. I teared up so many times, there was no reason to try and hide it. God is so amazing!

I also read the following today; it impacted me more than the other times I had read it in the past:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest anyway.

The biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may turn against you if you help them. Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you may get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you've got anyway.*

I really saw a clear picture of what I believe is a healthy, "servant-hearted" church last night. There were so many people there that, as I looked out across the audience, I know were world-changers. Not just in title, but in reward. They have sown and they have reaped. What a blessed life it is to serve with a bunch of people like those at Destiny.

WAITING

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. lsaiah 40:31 RSV

I’ve been learning a lot about waiting. I don't like to wait and I don't wait very well. I'm the guy who is always looking at his watch if anything is behind schedule. I can lose my temper faster by someone "making me late" over almost any other thing. I will probably even go and vote early to avoid waiting in lines on November 2nd.

But what I've been learning, and learning for a while now, by the way, is that slowing down offers us luxuries that our fast paced lives cannot offer us. I have a love / hate relationship with my Palm Pilot. Right now I "hate" it because the screen is busted, but there are times that I cling to the schedule displayed on that screen more than I should. It takes a concerted effort to put God and my family first in my life and in my schedule. It is not something that just comes easy because I am in the ministry. Sometimes, I wonder if being in the ministry makes spending time with God harder.

When I slow down, I enjoy playing with my daughters and doing crazy, unnecessary, fun things that will create memories to last a lifetime. When I slow down, I remember how blessed I am to have Deanna in my life; I fall upon the reasons that I fell in love with her and I fall in love with her again. When I really take time to slow down and wait... I find myself face to face with my Creator and find that He has been doing a lot of waiting on me, too. He talks to me, He tells me secrets of the hearts, and fills my life with purpose.

God help me today, to slow down. And even though this may seem contradictory, Lord, I think You and I know the wisdom of Palm Pilots. Can You "heal" mine, please? Thank you! Amen.

GOING DEEPER:

What's the message in Psalm 27:14?
I think it is very interesting that it reads, "Wait..." and then says, "...be strong and let your heart take courage". This implies that being strong is in letting go of yourself and letting your "heart" be the strength in your times of waiting.

PSALM OF PRAISE: I waited patiently for the LORD's help; then He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a rock and made me secure. He taught me to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God. Many who see this will take warning and will put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

WHAT A WASTE?

"Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." Luke 12:48b (NLT)

I read the following great story in my devotional time today:

The young people that made up this "blue-collar" youth group were seething at their youth pastor as he stood in front of them, burning a twenty-dollar bill. Repeatedly, he would set fire to the bill, let a bit of it burn and then blow out the flame. Repeatedly, he would ask the question: "Is the bill still worth twenty-dollars?" The kids thought their youth pastor was crazy! They begged him to stop -- to give the money to them -- before it was too late and the bill was worthless. The students yelled in frustration as the money finally disappeared into ashes. Then, the youth pastor asked, "How many of you are treating the life God gave you in the same way?" The atmosphere of the group changed immediately as the kids fell into an introspective silence.

Wow! What a clincher! What am I doing with the life God gave me?

I actually found myself asking this question tonight after watching "!Hero, the Rock Opera" at the church. The story is a modern-day depiction of Jesus as if He were born in Bethlehem, PENNSYLVANIA... It moves me every time. The presentation itself was ten-years in the making. Eddie DeGarmo, the one who originated the concept, has been working long and hard to make this God-dream a reality.

What am I doing with my God-dreams? I know I have them... but am I thinking about them enough? Do I need to challenge my flesh and let go of myself more than I do? Probably. Lord, help me.

LOVING LIFE

David said about him: "I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence." Acts 2:25-28

Today is Autumn's 10th birthday. I woke her up this morning with a playful hug and a cheerful "Happy Birthday". She wasn't so cheerful right away; she usually isn't... kind of slow at being cheerful in the morning. (I know that's hard for some of you to imagine!) But after she was up for a while, you could see the excitement in her eyes for the day. She couldn't wait to get to school, share the cupcakes Deanna had stayed up late cooking, pass out invitations to her weekend party, etc. She was living for the moment and everyone around her could sense it!

So what's Acts 2:25-28 speaking to me today? It speaks to me of the joys of life! Right now, I am an extremely busy man. The dates on my Palm Pilot are so full, I wonder if it is gonna crash the next time I open the software. But regardless of what the calendar says (or the piles of paper in my office), I have joy in life because of a greater hope. Because death has been conquered for me and the sheer fact that I have the presence of God living in and spilling out of me!

What keeps me going? It is not coffee... it is not music... it is not money... it is the joy of living out the life that God created me for. Breathe life in -- it smells REALLY good!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are there any areas of your life that you take too seriously? List them and give them to God.

It is definitely easy for me to get caught up in deadlines, to-do lists, and filled up calendars. Today, God, I ask You to please take these kinds of stresses out of my life. I don't want to call these tasks "futile" -- the things that fill up my organizational tools are mostly for the Kingdom or for my family -- but I do want to recognize that without YOU FIRST in my life, the pressures can easily weigh me down. Father, You are my JOY, my HOPE, and I put my TRUST in You. I love you, Lord. AMEN.

PSALM OF PRAISE: Protect me, O God; I trust in You for safety. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from You." How excellent are the LORD's faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them. Those who rush to other gods bring many troubles on themselves. I will not take part in their sacrifices; I will not worship their gods. You, LORD, are all I have, and You give me all I need; my future is in Your hands. How wonderful are Your gifts to me; how good they are! Psalm 16:1-6

BACK IN THE ACT

Well, we are now back in ministry and action in Rapid City, SD. The last day of the NYW Convention was just as good as all of the rest. We spent the rest of Monday evening with an aunt of mine that I hadn't seen in ages. We played in the ocean and went to eat at a nice seafood place on the shoreline. Tuesday morning, we got up at 4 am and flew half of the day -- to get us to Omaha, NE -- and drove the rest of the way -- to get us home. It was good travel conditions all the way and I also appreciated spending some time in conversation with my good friend, Dan. We were rocking out to some really loud music for the drive from Sioux Falls to Rapid City. Good times!

Wednesday morning, I was back in the office with a large To-Do List of things that need to get done before this weekend. I am still working on it... But that didn't shake my anticipation for last night's service. I couldn't wait to get back and see the youth and share some of the passion that had been rubbed off on us during the past couple of weeks. It was indeed incredible. Now, I am hurriedly putting together the last few week's of Elevate Electric, which were never sent out due to my not having internet access while we were away. I should probably get back to it...

SUNDAY WITH CHRIS TOMLIN

This morning, I got up and went straight to a very excellent Doug Field’s workshop that re-ignited all of my passions for youth ministry all over again. Lots of great, funny pictures, practical advice, and tools. The rest of the day brought a lot of fun with a great concert from Audio Adrenaline, in which I got to help Mark, the lead singer, along with one of his songs (he pointed the microphone in my face). We adjusted well to the worship led by the more contemplative, ethereal music of Something Like Silas. They are a tight band with what appears to be real hearts for ministry and worship. I even got to attend a seminar by one of my favorite all-time resourcers for youth ministry, Jonathan McKee, titled “Reaching the Unchurched Teenager”.

The evening ended with a concert from Chris Tomlin and Steven Curtis Chapman. I went for the Chris part of the show; we were joking around calling him “Christ Omlin” before it all got started. After the evening, we were all amazed at how full of God we felt after the show. I love to worship with him; what an incredible anointing he has for leading others in worship. WOW! I’m gonna recommend YS to bring him back again next year as one of the convention worship leaders. I missed him this year.

Of course, I am leaving a lot of other fun stuff out. Hanging out with youth workers is ALWAYS an experience in itself. I can’t tell you how many times we were all in tears from laughing at dinner conversations or late-night talks before we lay down for the night. There was also the ministry talk – sharing about our dreams and hopes for future ministry. Deanna and I were so happy that Dan and Amy were able to come along this year. We hope they – and some more of our volunteer team – are able to make it again next year.

MORE CONVENTION THOUGHTS

I ran out of time this morning, so now I continue… After we were finished at Disneyland, we ordered some pizza at the hotel room and eventually got to bed in expectations of all that was to come from the next day – the start of the convention.

Dan and I both chose to go to the “Training Volunteers for Middle School Ministry” as our first seminar. It was incredible, although I could say that same thing about almost every session I have experienced after it, also. Chap Clark has definitely become another trusted friend in ministry. There were so many practical things that I wrote down in the first seminar that it alone would have been worth the whole trip. I couldn’t believe that this was “only the beginning” of the convention.

The first general session was a great celebration and explosion of multimedia, music, drama, preaching, and JESUS that I have come to love and expect from every NYWC. The David Crowder Band has been faithful to lead us into heart-wrenching worship at every session up through tonight’s (General Session #4). I was in tears every time and I LOVED IT! Waves of emotion flooded over me during each time of worship and throughout several of the workshops. I could tell that this convention was exactly what I needed right now in my life. It has been one of those weeks where every speaker and every artist seems to be speaking just to me and to my personal needs. God has been speaking very directly into my life from the very start.

Sarah Kelly’s performance blew all of us away. She has an incredibly powerful voice and a very strong stage presence. I think we were all surprised by it. The Skit Guys also provided very cool, thought-provoking, poignant sketches during two of the four general sessions (so far). Rob Bell, the 1st general session speaker, spoke about making truth relevant to the postmodern generation. He did such a good job that he has become my favorite speaker of the whole convention up to this point. It was the first time I had ever heard him, but I hope it won’t be the last.

My second seminar was “Keeping Your Marriage and Ministry Healthy” with Jim Burns. He is a family ministry expert whose resources I use frequently in ministering to families and parents of teens. It was an honor to be in his seminar and hear his heart and personal stories about keeping my marriage a priority in my life. He stated that the three most highly stressful “jobs” in America, as of a recent report, were #1) those in the medical field, #2) those in ministry, and #3) stay-at-home moms. He pointed out that since ministering to children and youth are such an effective way to further the kingdom of God (over 85% of those that come to Christ do so before the age of 15), he stated that an obvious target for the Devil is families for those who minister in these areas. Everything that he had to say made a lot of sense to me. I am very glad that I attended and am going to put a few of his principles to work in my marriage immediately.

Notice that Deanna is involved in two-out-of-three of the most stressful “jobs”. She has been my hero this weekend. I know that the added stress of being pregnant on this trip has slowed her down, but she has been a real trooper, making it to a majority of the sessions regardless. A real feat considering all of the walking we have to do to get anywhere around here.

General session #2 highlighted ministry from hip-hop poetry artist, Judah Israel, and Mike Lewis, the Jesus Painter. Toby Mac was my personal artist highlight so far. It was the concert I had always dreamed of when thinking about coming to a Toby show. I had wanted to see him live ever since he went solo. After Toby Mac, Dan and I ventured over to rave worship artist, Andy Hunter leading a time of techno-rave worship for the Late Night Live event. It was quite the experience. It looked like and sounded like a dance club, but felt like a moving worship moment. Very touching!

In the morning, we got up and went our separate ways to several different seminars. Deanna had to rest a bit from swelling she was experiencing in her legs and feet. She stopped by Target to pick us all up some fruit and various snacks. The workshop I went to this morning – Saturday – was with Jim Burns for the second time titled, “The Role of Rites of Passage and Mentoring in Youth Ministry”. Again, tons of very practical advice that I can’t wait to integrate into our ministry. Very cool stuff.

The afternoon super seminar I spent with Al Menconi, who I feel is an old friend because I have been following his ministry since our start in youth ministry. This was the first time I had seen him in person, though, and now I admire his ministry even more. It was a good, albeit shorter than what was expected, seminar titled “Teaching Your Students How to Think, Not What to Think” in regards to media and pop culture. It made me want to go home and construct a similar seminar for parents and students. Maybe in the near future…

The evening general session (#4) was our last time of worship with the David Crowder Band (incredible as always). My personal favorite moment of the evening, though, was when Tim Hughes took the stage. He sang a new song off of his just-released album, “When Silence Falls” and two of his well-known worship songs, “Here I am to Worship” and “Beautiful One”. I found myself wishing he was leading worship for the rest of the convention.

Well, it is late and we have another very full day ahead of us tomorrow. I can’t wait!!!

NATIONAL YOUTH WORKER'S CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

So much has happened already that I am sure that I cannot recall it all. What a trip! Now I remember why this is our favorite trip every year.

This year added a little side-fun to the mix, also, with a trip to the across-the-street Disneyland theme parks (yes, there are two of them now). We arrived on Thursday at about 10 am (Disney time), checked into our hotel, found a cool place to eat, took a short nap, and then went to the “magical kingdom”.

It was an excellent day for visiting the “happiest place on the earth”. The weather was favorable and the lines were short. We were able to hit every major attraction within the park in our allotted four-hours that our twilight tickets would allow us be there. Of course, we made a stop into a gift shop to pick up mouse ears for our two oldest girls. We picked out a pirate’s hat for “Captain Bella”.

We do need to do it again sometime as Deanna wasn’t able to get the full experience because of our little one inside of her. She was unable to go on several of the bigger, funner rides. As for the rides, my personal favorite, by far, was the Indiana Jones themed ride – very cool! The scariest ride (I’m scared to bring up the memories of it even now) was “It’s a Small World After All”. This attraction was almost like a never ending hell of some sort. Aaaaack! It truly was the song that NEVER ended… and there were several hundred similar looking children singing that blasted song every time we entered each new room – all 7 or 8 of them!

I GOT A TICKET THIS MORNING & POST-POLE RALLY THOUGHTS

Yup, on my way to the office this morning I was pulled over for not having my licence plate displayed on the front side of my vehicle. The front licence plate holder had broken off one day on our low-clearance driveway (at our old E. Tallent driveway). Oh well, I have ten days to correct it before I get a "real" ticket.

Last night, we had an incredible post-See You @ the Pole Rally, as we teamed up with Bethel Assembly of God to celebrate what had happened through the prayers of the students that morning. Berry, Chris, Bill, and Stuart came to help with the worship. I threw together a quick video with Deanna's 1 minute and 40 seconds of footage, but I was disappointed by the final showing. My little laptop didn't have the display capabilities to make it run smooth. It ended up being pretty distorted.

Everything else went excellently. Pastor Greg and Pastor Deanna shared from their hearts, the worship took us into the throneroom of God, and the ministry time brought tears to student's and student leader's eyes alike. We all enthusiastically agreed that we should meet again.

Get this: there were over 70 kids at the rally! 36 of them were Elevate students and leaders! Wow!

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

It's been a while since I've felt like I've had the time to journal online. This is the beginning of another school year and hence, the beginning of my early mornings at work again -- my favorite time and place to spend with God and journal. My hopes are to be much more consistent at blogging once more.

Right now, my big spiritual desire (at least, I'm pretty sure it is spiritual) is to become better equipped at mentoring my own children. I just purchased Focus on the Family's book "Parent's Guide to the Spiritual Growth of Children - Helping Your Child Develop a Personal Faith". You guessed it -- with a title that long, you know the book has to be at least 400 pages (451, to be exact). I'm digging it, though. I'm excited about being both their father and spiritual leader. I believe there is a strong call of God on parents to do this and I am ready for the equipping.

I am thankful for everything that God has put in my life: a wonderful family, great friends, a great "job" / ministry, and lots of insanely awesome experiences. My prayer today is that my faith would continue to grow.

My desire is Him first, and everything else later...

DREAMS AND VISIONS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

When was the last time that I was in awe of God? The last time that He did something so awesome in my life that I had a reverent fear of Him? Well, to be honest, I can think of several times in the past month: the whole exchange between our new house and the renters (still praying for the old house to sell), an incredibly impactful Youth-led Good Friday service, and several moments in the basement with Autumn as she recounts to me visions and dreams she has been having during the night.

Dreams and visions? Yeah, really powerful, glorious visions of bright lights, Jesus, silky hands enshrouded in silky cloth, and people. Lots of people following her and Jesus. She was scared of these dreams at first, but after we talked about them and about what she thought they meant, she has now switched to more of a healthy respect for these dreams and she looks forward to more of them. Why? Because she knows they are from God. God is NOT scary but He can do some pretty amazingly scary-to-us things - including giving us some pretty intense dreams.

I have been in awe of how God is talking to Autumn and relating to her at her level. When she tells me each new dream, it usually brings me to tears. It seems as though God is really preparing her to evangelise. It makes me proud. It makes me fearful of the responsibility to raise them up to be lovers of God. It reminds me of how the disciples of Jesus were afraid many times, and that fear is one of the traits in their lives that made them good disciples.

EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTERS

MY TOP TEN LIST OF THINGS I GET EMOTIONAL OVER (in no particular order):

1) My wife
2) My family
3) Good music
4) A good dramatic movie
5) God speaking to me
6) God using teenagers
7) Calvary
8) Jesus' love for me
9) Praise and Worship
10) Loss

I guess I would say that I am a pretty emotional guy, in a very weird sort of way. I can lose my composure during the strangest of times (by being overwhelmed to the point of tears in either happiness, awe, or sadness). I lose it almost every time when I see teenagers worshipping God with all they have. I have a hard time holding back the tears at those emotional chick flick movies and I have also been known to laugh myself to tears when I find something particularly funny. Not everyone can say that.

On the other hand, sometimes I wish I could be more emotional. I do not have a "crazy", wild, spontaneous, energetic energy (energetic energy?) that some of my more outgoing sanguine friends have. Sometimes, it is easy for people to label me as stand-off'ish because I am somewhat of an introvert. My high points in the temperament tests are all in the melancholy and phlegmatic personality types. In other words, I am an artsy, laid back-type of person. I am creative, but in a quiet way - until I am given a stage - ha!

That can leave others flustered and confused. Today it is my prayer that God would use the good things about the emotional, creative side of me and chip away at the not-so-good. And even more so, my prayer is that God will open me up to share my pure emotions more freely with others - to not be scared of what other's think. Amen.

I DOUBT IT!

Just in case anyone is wondering... I am not feeling overwhelming discouragement, doubt, or any of the other characteristics that have been highlighted in this blog. I am still reading through the "devotion" book by Mike Yaconelli and dwelling on each trait as I get to them. Sorry, didn't mean to freak anyone out.

But, in all reality, I do have doubt in my life. Who doesn't? My biggest (and worst) doubts are about myself. I mean, I love who God made me, and I wouldn't want to be in anyone else's shoes (REALLY), but I don't always feel like I am being the best me either.

I like the response Jesus had for "doubting Thomas" (the poor guy got a bad rap). Jesus didn't shun Thomas for his doubting, but He appeared to Thomas and asked him to shove (literally) his fingers through his nail scarred wrists. Jesus doesn't want us to doubt, but he loves us through it because he knows our faith is so important. And I also think Jesus likes us asking the tough questions. He IS the Answer, right?

DISCOURAGED

Ever had one of those weeks? This one has had it's up and downs. This past weekend, we had the pleasure hosting the best Good Friday service I have ever had the priviledge of being a part of, a wonderful Easter celebration with family and friends, and three days with the kids for spring break. All awesome times...

Then there was some discouraging moments, too - like any other week. Misunderstandings between friends, trouble at the job, the Tallent Street house not selling yet... frustrating stuff. It makes me think of those that went to the empty tomb of Christ after He had risen. They were probably feeling pretty discouraged, too. But look at the outcome.

When I think back at some of the most discouraging times in my life, I see them as defining periods of growth in my life. Not all of us learn from our mistakes, but many of us do. I would even venture as far to say that the best characteristics of who I am grew out of discouraging times.

I guess that old saying, "A light burns even brighter in the midst of darkness", has some truth to it. Thank you, Jesus, that He does not want us to stay discouraged. He is our way out of the darkness, and for that I am blessed.

BE DARING

I've never been one to sing quietly in church because I am nervous about what others will think. In fact, I don't understand being scared about worshipping in church. Man, if you can't worship with other worshippers, how can one worship God out in the marketplace? To me, there is nothing daring about being Christ-like in the church.

The things I am more scared about is speaking my mind when what I have to say is controversial out in the unchurched world. What happens when I am talking to my new neighbor and he cusses every other sentence? Do I say something? Let it go? Give mercy? Laugh it off? I think disciples are daring... they carry paralytic friends on mats and dig through roofs, they quit their jobs and go for the unknown when they hear God's voice, they speak loudly and boldly. They are not scared of man; they are not man-pleasers -- they are God-pleasers.

I pray that God gives me the courage and boldness to make all those around ME nervous (who don't have a relationship with Jesus). I don't want to worry about what people think. I want what God thinks to be the only thing I am concerned about.

MY TOP THREE LIST OF THINGS THAT I DO THAT ALREADY SCARES OTHERS:

1. I am very free and daring with my hair style (smile)
2. The way I lead or teach when I am playing music (I have been told that I am scary -- go figure)
3. How I rant and holler about "respect" whenever it is "lights out" time at a youth event

What are some ways that I can be more daring for YOU, God? I want to be. Please, let me be. Please, help me be.

CONFUSED?!?!? UNCLEAR?!?!?

Bella, our two-year-old daughter has been going around singing (sing-shouting?) "Jesus loves me, this I know..." a lot the past few weeks. She has been reminding me in a round-about way that this truth, that Jesus loves me, is something that I need evident in my life. If I can wrap my head, my thoughts, around the fact that Jesus loves me, then I have grabbed on to a significant truth that I know is absolute.

All of the other things that I am not as certain about, such as seemingly "unanswered prayers", hurts, and frustrations fall to the wayside when I realize that I can put my trust in God regardless of how I perceive things. My confusion and lack of total clarity in ALL things is not necessary. I know God wants to fill me in on His plans (and I am constantly learning how to better tune in to what He has to say), but I am okay with the questions that have yet to be answered. Like, the BIG QUESTIONS in my life right now: "How come the renters had to back out of their contract on our E. Tallent Street property?" "What will we do if the house doesn't sell?" "How will we be able to handle two mortgages?" These are my tough questions.

But do you know what? I believe that we covered our path in prayer and that God will not lead us astray. I have this strange feeling of hope and an inner sense of peace that I know can only come from God. If I looked at this situation in the natural, I would be falling to pieces. May God help me be satisfied in the time-being with the "not-knowing". Help me, Father, to learn to trust You even more.