Tomatoes on your butt

I was encouraged by Jen after The Amazing Race last night to post, on a limited basis, some of the things Noah and Josiah say. You can thank her or curse her! Sunday Josiah saw a young mom pushing her kid in a swing and she had a tattoo of a rose in some vines along the lower portion of her back. As I started pushing him in the swing he said in a loud, and somewhat shocked voice as he pointed to the young lady, “Dad, that lady has a tomato on her butt! That’s funny!” It took everything inside me not to burst out in laughter, but I just looked at her and said, “Kids!”

Standing at the door

I was standing at the door of my office last week and I saw something for the first time. I looked out and saw three new people sitting at their desks working that weren't there last year! Matt was working on the calendar for the jr. high ministry. Kelly was working on getting our i2i retreat homes lined up and Carey was cranking on stuff for the Amazing Race which is later today!

I just stood there thanking God for the gift of these three individuals. I am looking forward to building into these three gifted individuals over the next year. I am realizing that having three new people in the office changes what I do when I am in the office. My routines from the past couple of years are gone! I need to be there to answer questions, talk through issues, etc…

Standing at the door and seeing the change made me realize I can embrace the changes or fight them. Even though I stayed around it doesn't mean my old habits of doing things can!

Atv's and the Ramsey case

Yesterday we were up in Boulder with at my dad’s crib riding ATV’s and eating deep fried turkey! It was great to get away for a few hours and be in the mountains! We got all three kids on for the picture and Julie and took the boys up the mountain! Adah chilled at the house! We had to get home because Noah had his first soccer practice at 6! I officially feel suburban now that one of my kids plays soccer!

As we headed back home we drove right by the courthouse that was supposed to host Mr. Karr, the lead suspect in the Ramsey case, but he didn’t make it! As you know, he’s free because his DNA sample tested negative. We took this picture as we were driving by! The only other time I’ve seen this many media tents was during Columbine.

The Insider

Our pastoral staff just finished reading The Insider – Bringing the Kingdom of God into your Everyday World. This book is all about what it means to be incarnational, as one of God’s insider’s, in the community you’ve been blessed to live in. It is a must read as I think we can’t get enough encouragement on what it means to live incarnationally in our communities.

The authors suggest that there are six life patterns that make an Insider:

1. Taking little initiatives
2. Praying and responding
3. Serving and being served
4. Teaming up
5. Conversing the faith
6. Letting the Scriptures speak, and
7. Midwifing the conversion

All seven of these are great and it was awesome to listen to each person on our staff speak to which one of these caught their attention on the first read. For me it was taking little initiatives with people. I will read this book once a year!

Tiger Woods - Swing Portrait

In light of Tiger’s fourth straight win yesterday I thought it would only be appropriate to point you the Nike commercial that’s been running on television. Thanks to Dave, one of high school leaders, for pointing me to this amazing video (below). Trust me, it’s worth at least one look, if not four and from different viewpoints!

Watching this video made me stop and think about what it would look like to watch what I do in slow motion. I know it sounds weird, but I think there’s some great value in being able to film every movement of your “swing” to see where you need improvement. I can’t film all that I do, but I can seek the advice and counsel of those who watch me every week. I can take time to get away once a month to see where I’ve been and where I am headed. I can read books that challenge me. I've got close friends who watch over me. I've got a wife that sharpens me.

I never want to stop looking for my perfect “swing” in ministry.

Tiger Woods - Swing Portrait

What a weekend!

This weekend was absolutely GREAT! It started off Friday with a birthday party for my buddy Paul! Saturday morning I got the privilege to perform the baby dedication for my niece Logan. Saturday night we celebrated Jan’s 60th birthday with dinner at Hops and a night at the Heritage Square Music Hall. Sunday morning I got the privilege to preach in our summer series on Psalm 27. That was followed up by lunch with some families from the Adult Community Julie attends on Sunday mornings…and FINALLY, we ended the night with our nephew Tanner’s first birthday party! I slept REAL well last night!

Six months ago

We were given this gift!

A thirteen year old?

Tim pointed me to an article about this 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, who stands an imposing 6-foot-8 and weighs 256 pounds. You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s worth seeing to believe. He played in the Little League World Series.

My second office

I love my second office. It has four different kinds of coffee. It has free whole grain bread sliced that I can dip into olive oil. It has a huge table I can spread out all my stuff. It has ice-cold water that always has a fresh lemon in it. It has HIGH SPEED wireless. I can check my email. I can study. I can read. I can prepare my Sunday messages. I can meet students from our community. I can meet people in our community that don't go to our church. I can eat lunch...I always pick two. Basically, I can be ADD!

I love Panera Bread Company!

Is small the new BIG?

Seth Godin just released his new book which I have yet to purchase, but the title has caught my attention, “small is the new big.” The first thing I think of is the church and whether or not that that statement is true. Are smaller churches the new big? In an age of church growth and youth ministries with 100,000 dollar budgets, could it be that smaller churches and smaller youth ministries are the new big? Could it be that small now has the advantage? What are the advantages to being small? Thoughts from those who are small and from those who are big?

Yeah, I’ll be buying this book! Here’s a riff from Seth Godin’s blog on small being the new big!

Football, seniors and spiritual leadership

I had the privilege to grab Starbucks yesterday with a senior from our group who is gearing up for a run at the state championship in 5A football as the quarterback for his team. We had a great time talking about everything and at the end of our time I wanted him to know that I was praying for all of our seniors weekly by name. I asked him what what was on his heart for the up and coming fall. His answer, “Being a spiritual leader.” He went on to describe how he used last year’s team silence before games to inject praying into what his team does before games. It spread. Other guys wanted to start praying. One guy cussed while he prayed.

What a prayer request to start the year off! Today marks the start of school for the students in Jefferson County (the largest number of our students attend Jeffco schools) and I can’t think of a better request to pray for him and all of our seniors as they head into the new school year!

Einstein Bros. Bagels gets it

Yesterday marked the start of a GREAT relationship with Einstein Bros. Bagels in our community. Twice a month they are going to give us (AT NO CHARGE) bagels and breads for our high school and middle school students to consume before our teaching from the Word begins! They get it! They get that it’s not just about making a profit from those of us who show up early for a killer cup of joe, a bagel and a great time with a small group of guys! It’s not just about getting high school students in for lunch from Columbine, Dakota Ridge and Chatfield. It’s about them showing the students from our church that they care that they got out of bed and are in church! I am excited to start building more of a relationship with the managers and employees this fall!

The Jesus Creed

I read this book in July and I’ve been reading it again this past week. Does this tell you what I think of this book? I bought this book for my staff and I can’t wait to get their feedback. The Jesus Creed is about loving God and loving others. This book is about spiritual formation and it points us on every page to the One we are being formed into! It’s a clarion call to every youth worker to make spiritual formation about loving God and loving others first! What’s more, it’s the book that I think articulates what I want our high school students to look like when they start college. We want students to possess a Great Commandment Heart and live a Great Commission Life!

Here’s the clincher…after I read this book I emailed Mr. McKnight to thank him for writing this book and he emailed me back the same day! I can't get people down the hall in the church to do that! :) Buy two copies of this book! Buy one for yourself and one to give away! You can also check out the Jesus Creed blog under my links!

Is Starbucks starting to lose?

Jon the Canadian points us to the reason he fell in love with Starbucks (he doesn't like their coffee) and the reason his love is fading in an interesting letter here.

Starbucks was ahead of the curve when it created an "experience" for everyone, even those who don't like their coffee. They nailed the right brain function of design which Daniel Pink believes is going to be crucial to possess if you're going to make a difference in the future. It made a difference for Jon, but is it possible for Starbucks to start losing people because they are seeking so many avenues to make an influence in? How do you stay what made you who you are while seeking to grow? Jon proves the point that design matters and it can create tremendous amount of loyalty.

I love my day off

Can I just tell you how much I love having Saturdays off? It's the one day where I feel like I get to be what I love the most, a husband and a father! I get to wake up with my boys, we make coffee, get breakfast, play friends, I read the paper, get some reading done in some books, get the kitchen cleaned, laundry downstairs, play some legos, play some more friends, wrestle, turn on some golf, look forward to a Broncos game and it's not even 11:00 a.m.

I love Saturday, but Sunday's coming!

Practicing Greatness

Fritz gave me this book in Minnesota two weeks ago and I finished it yesterday. McNeal suggests that there are seven key disciplines that make up extraordinary spiritual leaders:

1. Self-awareness, 2. Self-management, 3. Self-development, 4. Mission, 5. Decision-making, 6. Belonging 7. Aloneness.

On the whole, I didn't take much away from this read. Although, the chapter that spoke most to my heart is the need to practice being alone, but this isn't anything new to me or anyone who knows me well. I realized that I need to plan being alone in my calendar or it's never going to happen.

I'll keep this book because I can forsee that in the future I'll need reminders from all of the chapters about what I should be practicing as I lead.

Mousetraps and makeovers

Daniel Pink suggests that one of the six senses we are going to have to possess to make in the future is the sense of DESIGN. It’s not just about functionality; it’s also about whether or not it’s beautiful and whimsical.

“Ralph Waldo Emerson said that if you built a better mousetrap, the world would beat a path to your door. But in an age of abundance, nobody will come knocking unless your better mousetrap also appeals to the right side of the brain.”

“A study at Georgetown University found that even if the students, teachers, and educational approached remained the same, improving a school’s physical environment could increase test scores by as much as 11 percent”

How is our mousetrap (student ministry) appealing to the sense of design? Would a change in the physical environment in the room I teach in on Sundays allow students to remember 11 percent more of the message from the Word?

A theology of hell

The more I do youth ministry the more I am convinced that we need to be teaching a proper understanding of what hell is to our students, especially to those who have grown up in the church. I am finding more and more that if you’ve been a Christ-follower since you were 5 and your 17 now, there is no understanding of being "saved" from a lifestyle that leads to eternity separated from God. Sure they know that Jesus paid for their sin on the cross, but most don’t feel the weight of what that sin leads to…eternity in hell if they didn’t have Jesus! How can you when you're five. I am sure that Noah understands that there is a problem and it's name is sin, but I wonder if he feels it? I think this is one of the reasons high school students who’ve grown up in the church don’t share the gospel. They’ve never felt what it was like to be lost in their sin and then ambushed by the love of a Savior who found them. They've never felt the darkness and been stunned by the light. Thoughts?

A Whole New Mind

I absolutely loved reading this book by Daniel Pink. Man has it got me thinking about myself and my high school ministry! The quick overview today and then some specific applications later in the week and next as I see them in student ministry! Pink suggests that we are moving from the information age to the conceptual age, or moving from a left-brain dominated world to a more right-brain dominated world. He suggests that there are 6 aptitudes we should be exploring, in addition to what the left-brain offers, if we are going to make a difference in our high-concept, high-touch world.

1. Not just function but also Design.
2. Not just argument but also Story.
3. Not just focus but also Symphony.
4. Not just logic but also Empathy.
5. Not just seriousness but also Play.
6. Not just accumulation but also Meaning.

Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning.

Skipping on

This week marks the official start of our skipping on from our summer program to our fall start up. I get the privilege to meet with the middle school leaders and the high school leaders to talk about what's happening this fall. The picture above was taken while we were in Poland...I mean Chicago, at Millennium Park! We were skipping as a group and it's a great memory.

I am excited to partner with the leaders in both ministries this fall to help our students become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. It's a privilege to be in a position of leadership where you get the chance to work (skip) with so many people, from such diverse backgrounds to live the gospel out in front of students. It's going to be a great semester!

Jay Cutler & BroncosMANIA

Lets get one thing straight, there's a reason Jay Cutler was a lot of people's number one quarterback in the draft, HE IS! Oh my, the dude was just simply amazing in the first preseason game of the year! This should be horrible news for anyone who hates the Broncos! We are going to be around for another 15 years! I can just see my kids wearing their Cutler jerseys now! I think I might shed a tear!

And for those of you outside Broncos Land here's an article detailing how BroncosMANIA has arrived! I love football!

Getting their spiritual attention

Seth Godin had an interesting post about a story in the L.A. Times, "Overwhlemed By it All" For the 12-to-24 set, boredom is a recreational hazard. The LONG article in the L.A. Times is worth a read this week, but it's what Seth said that caught my attention, "If you're busy marketing like you've got my attention, you've already made a huge mistake."

What's the correlation in youth ministry? Are we busy teaching the Bible week in and week out like we've got their attention, or are we making a huge mistake? What does it mean to teach like you don't have their attention? How much will this multitasking generation change the way youth pastors communicate? How much more, because of their multitasking, do they need to be consistently fed from the Word of God week in and week out?

The thought that's continually running through my mind as to the first place begin is that the Word isn't going to get their attention until it has mine!

A moment of silence please

Today the Broncos begin their summit towards winning the Super Bowl. Who cares if it's preseason?! It's football and if you don't know this about me, I BLEED ORANGE! I love football!!!!!!!!! It's Adah's first game today! I can't wait to take her to a game in 7 years!

I am pumped to see Cutler get a lot of snaps tonight. I am excited to see Mike Bell, our undrafted running back, start the game and get a lot of snaps!

Dorm room essentials

MSN ran a short article on the top 10 things college students must have in their dorms. All this stuff is fine and dandy, but I am praying that the students that graduated from this high school ministry will consider the Word of God as the most essential thing to take to school. I am praying that they will use it in their dorm room! I am praying like mad this week and next for our new freshmen heading to school in the next two weeks that they will make the Bible the apple of their eyes when they get on their campus (Proverbs 7:2). I am praying that God would open their eyes to see WONDERFUL things from His Word (Psalm 119:18). I am praying that their Bibles will be worn out by their fingers flipping the pages as they seek to know His will for their four years in college.

Foolish Things

I finally downloaded Foolish Things first full album release off itunes yesterday! These fellas are straight out of our denomination from New Life in Aurora. I’ve been working with them for over 6 years now and I am pumped to see this album come to fruition! “Who Can Compare” is my favorite song off the album! I still remember the first time I heard them sing this song at our winter retreat as it led me to read Psalm 19. These guys have served alongside me in our community worship gathering times and done a few winter retreats for us over the years! Sure this is a great CD and you won’t be disappointed that you dropped $9.99 on itunes, but what makes them great isn’t just their music, it’s who they are! These men have been absolutely ambushed by the love of Jesus Christ!

Check them out!

A letter from 1995

I met with an old friend from 1994. Mike came to our church as intern and then left for Florida. I caught up with him yesterday for lunch in Castle Rock. As we were walking in he handed me a letter I wrote to him in 1995! It was crazy to read the letter. We had a great time catching up and sharing what our passions in ministry are and how we are doing at saying “NO” to our ministries by choosing to do a few things and do them well.

Seeing that letter reminded me that I’ve got things in my life that I’ve kept to remind me of people, times and places. I still have the journal I wrote when I met my birth parents in the 1993. I still have the first letter I wrote Julie that moved our friendship into a dating relationship. More recently I have three rocks sitting on my desk that I collected at a retreat I was speaking at in Olympia with Seth. I spent part of my solitude on the beach praying for my three kids. Adah was in the womb. I remember God touching my heart in a special way about the privilege it is to be a father. I grabbed three rocks off the beach so I would never forget that time!

What do you have lying around and what's the story behind it?

Competitive Parenting

I was catching up on my Sports Illustrated reading yesterday and found Rick Reilly’s Piece, The Parent Trap, to be a wonderful read and extremely thought provoking. He makes this statement about what he learned from his neighbor, whose life is being taken over by his kid’s sports commitments, “I learned that the most viciously competitive sport in the world is parenting.”

In the context of this article the neighbor starts complaining about how he needs to get “performance-enhancement specialists” for his kids!

These two thoughts have led me to this thought. Since parenting is the most viciously competitive sport and the hardest, but potentially the most rewarding thing you’ll do in life, why don’t more parents see youth ministries and youth pastors and “heart-enhancement specialists” for their kids? Why will families pay big bucks for athletic performance and neglect the performance of their children’s hearts by allowing on a consistent basis their children to "skip" church?

Sure we want our kids to thank us for everything, but included in that thanks must be a grateful heart towards what we did to proactively shape their spiritual lives.

I want to be part of a youth ministry that is taking the most viciously competitive sport and screaming from the sidelines, “We’re here! We’re right here walking alongside of you, behind you and in front of you as you compete. We’re teaching the Word of God when you drop your kids off! We’re making prayer a priority! We’re encouraging your students to develop and intimate love for God and others! We're working hard at making a difference in the school system and our community. And most importantly, we want you to know that because you’re going to stand before God and answer for what you did to spiritually train your kids, we’re here to serve you!”

Eternal Laundry

Someone forgot to mention to me how much laundry there is with three kids. Holy cow! What’s more, no one told me that when our third was a girl she would have the exact same amount of clothes as her two older brothers combined! When we let the laundry go it takes an entire weekend to catch up! The great part about doing laundry is that I have to be at home! The boys get to help fold clothes, we play games, eat, laugh and have a great time. I thought it was going to be the eternal project, but it turns out on Monday morning I am home free...almost, it's all folded on the couch and we've still got to put it away.

An old friend and being a Watchman

This weekend I got the privilege to hang out with an old friend. Phil brought his family out from Minnesota for the weekend. He’s a movie buff and works in the food industry. He’s also the brother of my friend Tim. Seeing him this weekend reminded of my senior year in high school. Phil, Chris, Frohl and myself met every week (almost) for our Watchmen prayer group. I still remember leaving Frontroom Pizza late on Fridays or Saturdays and heading to Chris’ house for prayer and accountability. I remember this verse grabbing my heart to start this group,

Isaiah 62:6 “ 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest,”

I am praying for watchmen in our high school ministry this fall!!!!

Seeing seeds sprout

I was reminded this week that we can't expect growth in our lives and in the lives of the students we are leading unless we faithfully plants seeds with the hope of it growing. We've got to faithfully plant the Word of God, the priority of prayer, community and serving one another, etc...all of the time if we expect to see something sprout. The faithfulness in our ministry is a faithfulness of planting. Too often I want to see the sprouting and forget that it takes time to prepare the soil, find the right seed, plant it right, pray for rain, and wait for the harvest.

I've seen it play out in my life since I've been home from Poland. I've been planting the priority of prayer, and time in the Word and I am starting to see patience sprout instead of anger. I'm barely above the soil. I'm grateful to see some light. I can't wait to see which students in our ministry are going to get above the soil this year!

Building a new team

We’ve got two out of the three positions hired to help us create out new team in student ministries. We’ve hired an administrative assistant (Carey), and a ministry assistant (Kelly)! Both of these ladies have hit the ground running and I am so excited to have them as a part of our team. What’s more, we’re looking for a new Middle School Director which we are hoping to complete in the next two weeks.

It’s a new era and I am excited to build a new team. There are three things we are looking for: character, chemistry and competency. Character is who you are when no one is looking. Chemistry is your personality and what drives you. Competency is being able to git r done with a high level of excellence and achievement. It's going to be an exciting year!

One little two little three little youth pastors

I just realized this week that we will have FIVE new youth pastors in our southwest connection of youth pastors this fall. Five of our churches have new guys! I am so excited to get to know the new guys that God has called to partner with me and the other brothers and sisters in this community.

Why is there so much transition in youth ministry? When is it time to go? How long should you stay before you know that it’s not a fit? I know there are definitely valid reasons to leave but how impressive is a resume of a youth pastor that’s been to four churches in 9 years? Thoughts? I'll post some thoughts later, but what are yours?

One Year of Blogging

A big thanks goes out to Charlie for imploring me to blog. I love it. The 362 posts have given me a chance to talk about my family, sports, movies, books and what I am wrestling with as I get the unbelievable privilege to shepherd high school students in Littleton, CO. It's been great to have my family and friends around the world keeping up with the chronicles of my life by just simply reading these posts. It's also been great to have an avenue to allow the parents of the students in our ministry to get a look into what I am thinking, feeling and processing as the pastor of their students.

I am looking forward to another year!

Dreaming about the direction of youth ministry in the EFCA

I’ve had the privilege yesterday to talk about where we want to see student ministries head in our denomination over the next 3,5 and 10 years. It was invigorating, exciting, humbling, overwhelming, scary and downright wonderful to ask God for what He would want!

One of the many things we wrestled with is how to we take our denominations 10 Leading Indicators of a Healthy Church and merge them into student ministries. The discussion was lively and engaging. We spent a lot of time talking about the value of creating training that would address how to implement each of the indicators into student ministry in the local church. Take a look at the indicators here. These indicators fall into one of the three areas we would like to address across the nation: Ministry Health, Personal Health and Leadership Development. We want all of our leaders in the 19 districts to be thinking in these categories as it relates to having healthy youth pastors in healthy youth ministries across the country. Here’s how it breaks down.

Ministry Health
10 Leading Indicators
Personal Health
Connect w/ God, self, spouse
Leadership Development
Multiplication
Training and Coaching

As I reflect more on these areas I’ll “throw up” some thoughts! It was good to be here in Minnesota but I am looking forward to being HOME tonight!

What I am teaching my kids about prayer

I realized this Sunday that I am doing a HORRIBLE job of modeling prayer for my kids. I pray before meals and before they go to bed. That's it. I am not saying this is bad, but I know deep down in my sould it's not enough. Nehemiah's priority of prayer has really challenged me this week to model it more for my kids.

Thankfully, I've got Julie. She prays. It's wonderful. I have so much to learn from her. The other day they were out at lunch and an ambulance came to pick up a lady. Julie grabbed the boys close and said, "Lets pray for that lady." They prayed. I know they prayed because when I got home Noah didn't tell me about the toy he got at lunch he talked about the ambulance and how they prayed for the lady who went off in it.

The first thing you should do to prepare for school

This past Sunday I had the privilege to teach on Nehemiah chapter one and I challenged our students to make prayer the first thing they do to prepare for the start of the school in less than four weeks. There are so many things to do: shopping for new clothes, new pencils and pens, folders, binders, etc... But what about our spiritual preparation? What are students doing to prepare themselves spiritually before school starts. Nehemiah models for us that prayer is a priority before we act!

It's interesting to note that other than the opening prayer this past Sunday I didn't stop and give the students time to pray. I talked a lot about it. We didn't do it. I was reminded this past Sunday that I needed to model what I was teaching. Sure teaching on it is fine, but how much more would our students received from God's Spirit had they been given time to just commune with Him?

A picture says a 1,000 words

Here is the latest picture of the three kids taken yesterday. I am so thankful for these three gifts! Trust me, this wasn't the first shot we took! It was like herdingg cats to get them all looking at the camera.

If all things going according to plan you're looking at the graduating classes of 2020, 2022, 2024. It seems so far away. It's funny because when you talk to the parents of seniors in the hallway of the church or in the welcome center they can remember their senior being this age just like it was yesterday.

We are excited for another year of life and we'll wait until they all are in elementary school before we start thinking about the commencement ceremony!

Camping at Carter Lake

Today we head out on a short little vacation. I am a little embarrassed to say this but we are going camping for the first time as a family. My dad is bringing his boat and we are heading up to Carter Lake all day today and tomorrow. I am pretty sure the snow in this picture will be melted! The Batman and Spiderman beds are packed!!!

Broncos Training Camp Begins

Can I get an “AMEN!” Today training camp begins. It’s been over six months since I walked out of Invesco Field at Mile High absolutely bitter that we lost the AFC Championship game at home. Today, there’s a smile on my face and a renewed hope for the up and coming season. I will be taking Noah to camp in a couple of weeks and I’ve got my tickets lined up for the year – Chiefs (home opener), Ravens (Monday Night) and Seattle. I can feel the Rocky Mountain Thunder rolling through the stadium!

Littleton, Denver & The World

Yesterday our high school ministry served alongside a ministry in downtown. Jesus to the World is clothing bank and a place to get a hot meal. But it's more than that, it's a place where our students get the chance to sit down and talk with the men and women who come in and need a new shirt, or need a hot meal. It was great to see our students serving. They cleaned, talked and stuffed and stapled 5,000 brochures. It was great to see them smiling and interacting with all everyone they came in contact. What's more it was great seeing them serving in the inner city of Denver, which is one of the three places we want them to serve along with Poland and in our community. It is our hope that when they are adults they will be serving in their community, the poor and homeless of the inner city and supporting missions through prayer, financial means, or by participating in short-term or life-long calls. It's so exciting to be a part of God's work around our community, city and world!

What are you doing in your community, city and world?

Thankful for Deposits

There are so many people along the way who have been a part of making me who I am as a pastor of students. Everyone’s made a deposit. Yesterday I got the chance to play golf with one of those men and his son. Al was the Jr. High Sunday School teacher while I was volunteering in the Jr. High ministry and when I first took over the leadership of it in 1996. I watched him week after week. I listened. I learned. Eventually he left and I assumed the role of teacher and haven't stopped teaching.

I got the chance yesterday to say “Thanks” to Al yesterday for being a part of my story as a developing pastor of students. There are so many people who have made deposits in my life that have had huge returns. It reminded me that we must be willing to have those who have gone before us making deposits in our lives. It reminded me that one of the passions of youth ministry should be getting leaders motivated to make deposits in lives of students. Our leaders must be depositing a love for God and a love for others.

I can’t wait to see who God will bring through the balance of this year to make a deposit in my life!

Spiritually Ready for College?

Msn ran a story they published the week of May 8th on what makes a high school great yesterday on their home page. The best schools are the ones that do the best job of preparing average students for college. What caught my attention was part of the blurb at the top of the page

“…NEWSWEEK honors top schools that help regular kids succeed in college.”

I love this! The focus is on them succeeding in college, not succeeding in high school! I wonder how many people are doing high school youth ministry this way? A successful youth ministry is preparing students to be spiritually ready for college.

If our focus is on their next step in college it’s going to change how we walk through high school with them. For example, what’s the one thing they are going to take from their spiritual journey in high school with them into college? Not their parents. Not their youth pastor. Not their small group leader. Not the programs they attended.

Their Bible!

Therefore we must make all that we do in youth ministry point to this BOOK that the writer of Proverbs in 7:2 says to keep as the “apple of your eye.” Keeping this as the apple of their eyes in college is going to help them make it spiritually! Part of our plan for our students being spiritually ready for college means our ministries must be saturated with the Word of God because the Bible they are studying with us on Sundays is going to be the Bible by their bed in their dorm room one Tuesday morning in college! Making things fun isn't going to help them succeed.

Part of students being spiritually ready for college is youth pastors being ready to make God’s Word the focus of their ministries. Paul told Timothy to guard the deposit (Word of God) entrusted to him! I want to be able to say this to every senior graduating!

Treasure Hunters

I am finally caught up on watching all the episodes of Treasures Hunters (I love my DVR)! I love this show. Both Julie and I want Air Force to win! The pastor and his family got booted last night. You can’t serve God and money :)!

Superman Returns

I saw this movie late last night and I loved it. Quick fact - I played golf with Singer's dad five years ago in Phoenix. Noah loved the movie too. Noah’s favorite part was when “Superman got more energy from the sun.” Then Noah was a little puzzled to see Superman drinking a beer. He leaned over and whispered, “Superman doesn’t drink beer mom!”

For me, I woke up this morning with this dialogue between Lois and Superman on my mind:

Lois Lane: The world doesn't need a Savior...
Clark Kent: Listen...
Lois Lane: I don't hear anything.
Clark Kent: I do. I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a Savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.

Many things are going through my mind as it relates to this dialogue, but as I head into my week I am reminding myself that I need to listen and hear everything that’s going on in our students lives because they are crying for a Savior. Behind the “I am cool, life is great” attitude that they display on the outside there is a loud cry on the inside that can only be stopped by the amazing love of God. Every time we meet as a community of students someone’s crying. The question for our leaders and myself is, “Do we hear them?” Once we hear their cry, we have nothing more to offer than the Gospel which when responded to, will change their tears of fear into tears of joy!

The Everlasting Tough Call

“Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that’s a tough call. That’s rebellion.”

- Alice Cooper

"We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God."

- A.W. Tozer

I came across these quotes this week as I was preparing my message for Sunday out of Luke 10:38-42. I've been thinking all week about Jesus' words in part of verse 42,

"...but only one thing is needed."

I've been looking this week at the "What it takes to be a disciple list" I've created over the years and it's just that...A LIST! And everything is out of order.

I am wondering how I got here? Who gave me this list? Why do I have it? Who told me the order? How many things need to be on the list? How did things get out of order? And what scares me the most, if I am honest, if this list was in order of what I think is important (based on what I actually do), what Jesus praises Mary for is way down on the list,

"Mary...who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said."

This ONE THING, which should be at the top of the list, is the everlasting tough call of life.

6K on a 5 Year Old Birthday Party?

In light of having just thrown a jet party for my five-year-old son the headline on MSNBC caught my attention. This article details how kids birthday parties are not just a party for a few close friends, but turning into events for whole families. From renting ponies, magicians, food for 150 people and decorations that are specific to the party parents are spending thousands. Kids birthdays are starting to cost what a small wedding costs. Julie and I spend just over 6K for our wedding and I was cringing at that! That was a lot of cash!

I can’t even imagine what message this would have sent to Noah on Monday. I should have had United drop a plane on the street! This article highlights the reality that our kids are growing up in a culture where money gets you what you want at any age. Can you believe what some of these kids weddings are going to look like?

What if our kids marry a girl whose grown up having BIG MONEY birthdays and she gets to our rehearsal dinner at the church with better than average lasagna, pink lemonade out of a five gallon jug and Klondike bars for dessert? She’s going to flip!!!!! I can see her fidgeting thinking that she dropped 6K on the dress and all she’s getting is a Klondike bar! Hey, I’ll buy the Reese Peanut Butter Cup ones!!

I agree with this quote in the article, “Social psychologist Susan Newman, author of "Little Things Long Remembered: Making Your Children Feel Special Every Day," believes parents of young children are doing more of these extravagant parties as a way to impress their friends and validate their own self-worth.”

Amen!

Bringing Up Boys

I read this book on the plane from Krakow to Chicago! I really enjoyed the book. I kept thinking of the boys we are raising and I would just start laughing out loud as a memory would pop up. The Polish lady next to me was a little perterbed by my outbursts but I couldn't help myself.

The thing that sticks out most to me today about this book as I think back on it is the simple fact that we need to celebrate the aggressive natures God has placed in our boys! We need to embrace the purposes of their natures and enjoy them! Ultimately, we need to thank God for the way Josiah can make a gun out of a hanger and kill the bad guys, and for the way Noah thinks he can swing on everything to escape death!

But with all this comes the challenge of shaping it and molding it more into the image of Jesus. There's no doubt about it, the next 15 years are going to be pure excitement! There's no doubt about this either, its going to have to start with prayer.

Happy Birthday Josiah

Today we celebrate Josiah’s three years of life! He’s having a Frog Party for all of his friends today! Again, Julie cranked out a great cake! Each of his friends gets one of the frogs in the picture to take home! You heat it up in the microwave and it will warm their bed this winter! We aren’t quite sure why he chose a Frog party. We think it’s because they are green, make funny noises and he can hop like one all day!

It was Pirates of the Caribbean, a coke and a large tub of popcorn that induced labor three years ago and what a gift we were given. We like to say this about Josiah, “When you meet him you don’t just get to know him, you experience him!” He’s bright, funny, has a million facial expressions, loves babies and absolutely loves and cares about people.

Just the other day he saw his Grandpa Dave for the first time in three weeks and the first thing he asked him about was the condition of his back. “How’s your back grandpa?” He knew Grandpa had surgery a while ago and he just was checking up on him! We didn’t teach him that, it’s just who he is! And we like what we see!

Whatever YOU DO...The Fray Gets IT!

I came across a great article on The Fray, a local band, that is striking IT BIG with their debut album “How To Save a Life” on CT’s website. I found them in September 2005.

It’s a very insightful look into the bands faith in Jesus Christ, who they are as a band and why they write their songs. It’s a must read! One short section captured my heart and it’s what I want all of our high school students to say about their profession when they are living in this world as Christ-following adults using who they were made to be for God’s glory. I think the lead singer captures the essence of who our professional lives should point to.

Here is a short take from this article,

Slade says he used to "write all Christian lyrics" until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: "None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary," he says. "So I went home and threw away all those songs." He adds, "If I handed somebody a double grande mocha latte and told them, 'Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,' they might throw it back on me.” Slade likens his job to any other. "If you're a painter, paint, but you don't have to have Jesus in every picture. Paint well, and if you paint well enough, they might ask you why you do that."

Colossians 4:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Whatever YOU DO…” I think The Fray gets it!

An Unrepentant Youth Pastor

I think this should be my new title at the church after hearing Sunday’s sermon. All I can say is that Pastor Nelson “BROUGHT IT!” It was the second sermon in our summer series on Great Prayers in the Bible. He preached on Ezra’s confession in chapter 9. I was deeply moved at several points during the sermon and realized how little TRUE repentance plays a role in my life as Christ-follower. Here’s one quote he used to describe repentance and faith being two sides of the same coin,

“Repentance and Faith are twin graces, both implicitly contained in the gift of the new heart; and they cannot but co-exist…Repentance feels the disease, faith embraces the remedy.” Robert Dabney

I realized I have been living a lot without feeling the disease and only embracing the remedy.

Choosing To Cheat

I read this book on the plane from Chicago to Krakow. I love the subtitle “Who wins when family and work collide?” So I had to answer the question before I opened the book.

I really loved this book and it challenged me again to remember that more than I want to admit my work cheats on family time and my marriage and children lose because of it. I think the book is biblical, practical and extremely convicting. It will be one I recommend every youth pastor read in our district this up and coming year. In fact, I will probably go through it every summer to remind me of the point! This book is a must read, plus it's short fellas!

Here’s my big take home. After I read the book I realized that I couldn’t be the one to answer the subtitle. Rather, when the question is asked I need to think about how my wife would answer it and then ask her!

Happy Birthday Noah

Today he turns 5! He’s celebrating the day by having a Jet Party for all of his friends. The cake Julie made is AMAZING!! There’s no doubt this boy will always be first noticed for his eyes. We gave him Hebrews 12:1-3 as the verses we would like his life to built around. Specifically, verse two is for his eyes!

Hebrews 12:2 “2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

His fifth year of life was huge. He started pre-school. Really started nailing his memory verses. He's riding his bike without training wheels. He's swimming without floaties in the pool. God gave him a little sister. He's helping around the house with chores. He knows all of his letters. Obviously, there's more!

We can’t wait for his sixth year of life!

Redeeming Time

One of my former Professors from Denver Seminary has a written a great post about redeeming the time HERE.

It was a good reminder to me that when I am waiting for something it's an opportunity for me to catch up on some reading or an opportunity to talk to the person next to me and hear their story.

Reece Davin

It was so exciting to get home from Poland and know that I was going to be able to see the birth of the fourth Hodges kid. Tim and Eryn are our "bestest friends" and serve alongside of us in our high school ministry! Poor little Emma now has three little brothers to help through puberty!!!!!

Can you figure out what the common factor is in all of Hodges kid's names?

Emma
Kellen
Maddox
Reece

By the way, Tim is a Denver Firefighter!

Inspecting What You Expect

I learned on this trip to Poland that I must be on top of every detail that everyone does. I think this is the most draining piece of leading this trip. You have to be thinking about what 15 other people are thinking about, doing, saying, thinking about saying, and the stuff they should be saying. You have to double check and triple check almost 50% of the stuff that happens and at any moment you let your guard down huge things can go wrong. What seems to be like little “oh wells” turn into…well you put the phrase in! This is why being ultimately responsilbe on a trip of this magnitude can make you cranky in about a half of second!

It’s also reminded me that as I approach a new season of ministry this fall I need to pay more attention to detail. I need to pay attention to the little things no one sees. It’s tempting to just pay attention to just the big things, but I must be persistent about inspecting the little things well. In the words of Mr. Knapp, “You can’t expect what you don’t inspect!”

Measurement Forces Us to Admit Failure

It's been good to be home for a couple of days as I have been catching up on my reading of blogs! I was reading this post on Seth Godin's blog and he made a statement that got me thinking, "...as soon as you measure, you need to admit you failed."

I want to be a part of a ministry that's always measuring and always looking at where we can improve. I don't want to put "the blinders on" to avoid feeling the pain of failure. I know in my ministry this Spring I have been doing a lot of measuring and I've found out I'm not as good as I thought I was and I am grateful for it!

I think this principle is invaluable in ministry, especially when leading a group of leaders. We need to be able to look at where we've failed and view it as an opportunity to grow into something better and not get discouraged. There's a lot of good stuff going on, but we can't just keep measuring what we're good at.

One of things we are doing in our ministry this year is taking a hard look at what a faithful follower of Jesus looks like and using it as our measuring stick. After about 100 glances in the last three months, I, and the rest of my team have a long way to go!

And you know what, that's not a problem!

9 Countries - 60 English Camps

Dan and I were hanging out one afternoon talking about all that is happening in Eastern Europe this summer with Englishi camps and I couldn’t believe scope of the ministry! 9 Countries are hosting 60 English camps in a 45-day period! It’s absolutely amazing! What’s even more amazing is that they could double that and and then double that number and not even make a dent.

And it’s not just the lives in Eastern Europe that are impacted; it’s the lives of the families and churches of the students who attend. Literally, 10’s of thousands of lives are being impacted by these camps for the purpose of shining a light on Jesus Christ and His redemptive work!

I consider it a privilege to be a part of this unstoppable movement and my goal this fall is to recruit to new youth ministries from Colorado to join me in this mission!

A Front Row Seat

One of the great joys of our trip to Poland is that I get a front row seat to watch God work in the lives of our students. Every person on this trip, including me, gets touched by God’s Spirit in a way that we know will make us different when we return. It’s an unbelievable privilege to be so close to seeing God work in amazing ways.

It’s hard to explain what this does inside of me. All I know is that for fifteen days I have the best seat in the house!

Roy Halladay

It was exciting to see another a local boy doing well in the Bigs for the Blue Jays. Roy Halladay is a local boy who is the first to twelve wins this year. I faced Roy in high school when he was at Arvada West. I'm proud to say I went 1 for 8 against him. My only hit came on a bunt! It was lucky! The other 7 at bats totaled 21 pitches. You do the math. I swung at all 21 pitches. There is a reason I am teaching the Bible and Roy is throwing Aspirin and on his way to his second Cy Young Award!

Jeremy Bloom

It was also exciting to get back from Poland and find out that a local Colorado boy signed a four-year deal with the Eagles! We loved watching Bloom with the Buffs and I will be supporting Jeremy as an Eagle!!!!!!!! As a Buff he had 4 touchdowns of over 75 yards before he had to choose skiing over football!

My Wife Owns This Trip!

One of the fascinating things about this trip that a lot of people don’t know is that my wife owns this trip. She went on my very first English Camp with Noah! She knows what happens. She knows the struggles. She knows the joys. She knows the purpose of the trip. She knows why I love it. She sees how if fits into our philosophy of ministry in our student ministries. She knows how much I love Dan, Laura and Alice. She knows that what happens in Poland changes not only the lives of Polish students, but God uses this trip to deeply touch our students and leaders. And it is because she owns this trip that she survives without me for 15 days!

It makes a difference here! Trust me! Our leaders and students know she owns the trip. Our students and leaders know that it’s tough for Julie to be without me, but they know that Julie is behind what we are doing 100%. She’s not at home complaining about the mission trip taking her husband away. She’s at home being a cheerleader, prayer warrior and GREAT MOM!!!!!!!

No doubt about it…My wife owns this trip!

Americans in Krakow Everywhere!

Our final two days were spent in Krakow and it was the first time in five years I heard American English being spoken all around me. I was shopping in The Cloth Market in the middle of the Krakow and everywhere I turned I heard English being spoken. My final meal was a Kebab and at the restaurant we were eating at there were three tables in a row of Americans!

Here’s the deal! Krakow is becoming the new Prague! I wonder what it will be like in the next five years.

Hearing My Wife's Voice

Last night I heard from Julie ever so briefly but it reminded me how much I miss hearing her voice. There is no question that I miss seeing her, but I miss her voice and that came from out of nowhere last night.

I remember when we first started dating and I would lay on my bed anxiously waiting to call her while she was at UNC and I was at CCU. Just hearing her voice back then did something in me; it created this sense of companionship and love that I can’t explain.

We talked about everything all night. Now, it’s not like we don’t talk, accept about working, raising kids, etc… This trip has helped me realize that I don’t take the necessary time away when I am home to hear my wife’s voice. I don’t take the time for just the two of us, with no kids, talking the night away and talking about everything. On this trip I can’t wait to hear her voice!

I am looking forward to walking up the escalator and getting a hug from her, hearing the words, “Welcome home babe!” Then, I am looking forward to getting away in the next week as Tierra, from our Poland team, is going to watch our kids!

I think Julie might call tonight! It’s kind of like she’s at UNC all over again!

The Fray in Poland

I am sitting here at Dan Hash's house and one the radio I just heard, "Over My Head - Cable Car" by The Fray! You've gotta be kidding me! These guys are from our area and one of our students on the team knows the band really well!

You've gotta love getting a little tast of home here in Katowice, Poland.

If you don't have there album download it NOW!

Brett Favre in Poland?

This one’s for you Brian! Brian was a vital part of our initial camps here in Poland five years ago. He married a woman who also loves Poland and served as an intern over a few summers.

Brian, I saw a dude wearing a Brett Favre jersey and all I could do is picturing you throwing your Princessa Bar up in the air, grabbing the guy, hugging him and screaming at me to take a picture of you and him. I am guessing when you got home it would be the first picture in your photo album that you would show all your friends as you talked about the trip. Finally, all I can picture us talking about the trip at the Greek restaurant we used to frequent and hearing you sum up the whole Brett Favre jersey experience with one word, “Classic!”

By the way, I spent the rest of the day looking for John! Everywhere I went I was looking for Elway’s jersey! Now that would have been EPIC!

My Screeching Daughter!

I heard from Julie on Friday morning around 12:15 a.m. Poland time. I was tired from speaking and leading our team meeting. From about 10:00 p.m. on the night was one constant emotional roller coaster for me. As I was talking to Julie I kept hearing this screeching, cute screeching, and I asked Julie if that was Adah. She said “Yes!” I couldn’t believe it…she’s screeching! Julie put the phone up to her and I felt like I was listening to in Dolby 6.1 surround sound!

When I hung up with Julie God reminded me of something I can’t forget. With my third kid here I need to get excited about Adah screeching and everything else she does for the first time. I can’t miss all the little things she does because I have been there and done that with Noah and Josiah. I can’t overlook her turning over, or eating cereal, or sitting up, or rolling over, over starting to laugh, or learning to play, or whatever! We already have less video and fewer pictures of her, so my prayer is that she won’t feel like there’s less love. Words can’t express in my heart what this little girl is doing to me. I can’t wait to kiss her sweet, chubby little cheeks on Wednesday morning.

The Shock of Americans Being at Camp

There is another group with us here at camp. It was so funny to see their faces when they realized that there was a group from America at the place they were staying. They were shocked! Every time I see this group of girls they always say “Hi Dan!” I have no clue how they know my name. One little girl just started greeting me the other day and I was shocked! On Thursday they used their cell phone to type up a message to me in English and they read it to me. It said, “We don’t speak a lot of English Dan.” That cracks me up! It’s just funny how God has allowed me to talk to the other group and tell them about what we are doing here! I love planting seeds!

A Broken Team

Thursday night I watched person after person, adults and students, share how the Spirit of God is forcing them to face the reality of where they are in their relationship with Jesus. Words can’t begin to explain the tears I saw, the deep reflections each person had, the desire to want to find God in their own lives here, and their desire to be a difference maker here at camp and when they get home. I watched our leaders be vulnerable and I am so grateful that these ten students got to see the hearts of the adults on this trip. I want our students to see the adult leaders in our group as people on the journey towards maturity in Christ, the good, the bad and the ugly. I don’t want a fake, "smile everything is fine" Christianity put on display for our students as the picture of Christian maturity. I want our students to see that the mystery that God loves us based on nothing we do. I want them to see that pursuing this mystery is the hardest thing to pursue on this Earth and at the same time the greatest thing to find.

We closed our time looking at that attitude of our Abba, our Daddy, as he welcomed home his lost son. He welcomed him home not with a list of what he had done wrong, but welcomed him home with a hug and a banquet!!!!!! What a night!

When the Ministry Ministers to ME

Today we used Kelly Clarkson’s song “Because of You” in our morning program to get our students thinking about how relationships with people, especially our parents, can be broken. I’ve tried to write this blog 5 times and I can’t put into words what watching this video did to me. I’ve heard the song, but the video made the song come alive. I thought about my story. I thought about how many students are growing up with this as the cry of their heart. I thought about my parents. I thought about my sister. I thought about my wife. And at the very end of the song I thought about my kids. That picture will be in my mind the rest of my life.

One thing I can somewhat describe is that today was one of those moments when “the ministry” affected me. God used the picture of the husband and wife at the end of the video choosing to not be angry, choosing not to break like she was taught to, and hugging their little girl, to pierce my heart.

As I watched this video I began to weep over my sinfulness as a father. Who will my kids be “Because of Me?” What will the words be to their song about the home they grew up in? I know there are good things, but this song has caused me to stop and think again about my problem with anger and yelling. I don’t want my kids to grow up afraid because their dad lost it.

I lost it before I left with Noah when he threw Josiah into the couch and my heart is aching for what how I erupted. Being in Poland makes it all that more difficult because all I want to do is hug him and tell them I love him. I don’t feel guilt, I just know I need Jesus to heal my heart and make me more open to experiencing the unconditional love of my Abba. I’ll have other chances to not respond that way. I’ll hug him and cuddle with him on Wednesday, July 12th when he wakes up! I prayed for him tonight. I prayed for Josiah. I prayed for Adah. Then I just spent some time looking at the mountains reciting in my minds David’s 121st psalm.

At the end of the night I challenged our students in the midst of “doing” the ministry here to not miss what God wants to do in them personally.

Missing the 4th of July

It just hit me today that I am missing creating any tradition for my family celebrating the 4th of July except for the fact that I am out of town. I’m stuck. English Camps run for two weeks over three different sessions. We are in the first session, which means I miss the 4th of July. The second session is during the boys’ birthdays so I can’t do that session. The third session doesn’t interfere with anything.

I guess this is hitting me in a fresh way because I read Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley on the plane on our way from Chicago to Krakow. In some sense, I am cheating my family and the families of our church out of celebrating the fourth of July and that’s a big deal! We’ll see what happens next year.

Where Does My Help Come From?

These words that David penned in his journal have been going through my mind all day as I look at the mountains in Zakopane (I've tried to post a picture but the connection is to slow).

It is such a joy to watch our students and leaders serve here at camp. After a 9-hour bus ride and a short night of sleep our first day at the camp was great! Students and staff are building relationships with the Polish leaders and students and it’s a wonderful picture of relational ministry!

Today I got to go with Lee to the hospital. He broke his collarbone in two places. It looks like it hurts. He is doing great! The Doc got everything back in place and he has some good pain medication. What a privilege it was to walk alongside Lee today in a Polish hospital. I was grateful to have Kasia present to translate. Lee was great! Even the nurse commented on how brave he was! He is in great spirits and our team prayed for him tonight. Oh, did I mention, it’s Lee’s birthday?! Happy birthday buddy!

Between the mountains and Lee there couldn’t be a better word today than to remember that our help truly does come from God!

As the Internet is up and running in the kitchen I will post!

Finding Jesus When Your Tired - It's a MUST!

It's hard for me to believe I am sitting in the 5th floor flat of the pastor of the church we are serving alongside this week. We just finished watching Brazil loose to France. I am not sure why, but it's much more interesting to watch the World Cup here than at home!

Chicago seems like it was a week ago. The long flight, the long bus ride today to get to Zielona Gora and now I am preparing to prepare to preach...all of it reminds me that I won't be sleeping a lot in the next 9 days. I'll be up late and I'll be up early. It's one of the fascinating aspects of leading a trip. You stay up late to get the blogs done while the students are staying in polish homes. You stay up late to clean up. You stay up late having conversations with anyone who will listen because you want God to use every conversation for His glory. You stay up late thinking through not only what's going on at camp, but what's going on inside the hearts of the students and leaders that are with you. Even tonight I am scrolling through my mind how our students and leaders are doing.

You get up early. You have to or you'll just stay in bed all day! I get up and do some push-ups and sit-ups to get the blood running. Take a shower and head to the leaders meeting. I bought extra Nescafe today because I know by Friday I am going to need an IV of coffee just to walk to breakfast!

But none of this bothers me. It's what you sign up for when Dan Hash asks you to come to Poland. I wouldn't trade it for any other trip!

All of this loss of sleep reminds me what Jesus did on a busy day in his life. He got up early and went to be alone with God. I don't want to miss this lesson this year. I don't want to miss Him in my life personally on this trip. I am excited for the next week.