Presidential Race - 2008

OK...since everyone has virtually conceded that a democrat will win and all the media talks about is the dem candidates, it's time for the other side.

If he chooses to run, and if he stays Reagan-esqe, my support is leaning towards Fred Thompson. Yes...Fred. He is in your face with his opinions. So far he has been conservative in his stances. And heck...he is my favorite character on Law and Order (next to Elliot Stabler).

There is a lot of energy around Fred that doesn't seem to be around most of the GOP candidates. Rudy has a lot of ghosts in his closet and leans moderate. John McCain, though an American hero, is too moderate and obsessed with the spotlight. Mitt Romney is a great guy, but he's not the type to beat any of the Democratic candidates. This has been a huge disappointment for candidates. Fred is the first guy I've heard about that has raised my eyebrows and made me go "Hmmm..."

I think the Dem's are going to be going so crazy at killing each other for the nomination, that if the GOP lays low, they may be able to pull off a surprise. Simply, the Dems will do all the dirty work to each other and the GOP comes out clean. We'll keep watching...

NFL Draft Thoughts

Wow...the longest first round ever. A few of my thoughts-
-Of all people do be talking about disciplinary/behavior issues, they have Keyshawn Johnson on the panel????? What a joke
-The Eagles...trade away their number one pick....I never try to understand them.
-Brady Quinn gave me mixed feelings...you feel bad for him not getting picked early, but then again, he's from Notre Dame so it was somewhat enjoyable.
-Paul Posluzny isn't going to Philadelphia...sigh...Buffalo took him. He is going to be special.
-Detroit took ANOTHER Wide Receiver? That's the kiss of death to Calvin Johnson's career. Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Roy Williams anyone?
-And the Eagles take...Kevin Kolb????????? WHO IS THIS GUY!?! Good grief

Mistake: Watching What Not To Wear

I have gotten caught up in What Not To Wear on TLC. Talk about a show that makes you feel like a slob! They make fashion look so easy. I already know what they would ridicule about me:

• I dress like I'm still 16
• I wear too many soccer jerseys and sport's apparel
• I have a dangerous passion for black T-shirts
• I have 2 pairs of shoes
• I have clothes I haven't worn in years

Keeping the Blue Flag Flyin High

What a rough year it's been for our Blues. Chelsea has been beatin up all year and find themselves 4 points back of the evil Man U Devils.

Champions League is rolling along. Chelsea beat the scousers of Liverpool 1-0 on the first leg at the Bridge. Joe Cole is a terrific player! I love that guy!!! Hopefully we put them out this Wednesday at Anfield. I am praying for Milan to bump off ManU. I am sick of that team.

The Premiership is pretty much out, but I will take Europe and the FA Cup!

NFL Draft less than 24 hours away

Yes, I'm die hard enough of a fan of the NFL to actually sit and watch hours upon hours of oversized men in suits while eating nachos. It's always interesting to see who gets taken and how they do through the season. It's interesting that some of college's best and brightest players sometimes are flops in the NFL.

My guys to watch the next few years? Calvin Johnson is a stud. Paul Posluszny is a born linebacker that will have an immediate impact on a linebacker corp. Jamarcus Russell will do OK, but they are hyping this guy too much.

As for the Eagles, hopefully we'll get a dominant linebacker and the replacement for Dawkins as he is getting up there. Those are big boots to fill! I'M READY FOR FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!! E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Some cultural thoughts I am trying to figure out...

As I sat talking with other youth leaders today at the Baptist Conference, I had some thoughts:

-The church has for the most part been taking the seeker sensitive approach. Willow Creek made it popular. It consists of us not saying things that are so strong that the unchurched would be offended and not return. This may include hell, depravity and the like. (edit- I'm not singling out Willow nor do I believe they are a non-hell church. I'm talking broadly about the seeker sensitive approach that has been taken advantage of in some churches.)
One cultural development this past year was the Blasphemy Challenge, where students proudly video themselves denying the existence of the Holy Spirit. Many of them were proud of their declaration. With this kind of attitude growing in our world...can soft Christianity have any effect anymore? Shouldn't we be even stronger and bolder in our beliefs instead of softening that which we believe to be true so no one will be offended?

-We talked about service orders having to constantly be mixed up to keep kids from tuning out. Several other things were mentioned and I keep thinking to myself- this is the Ipod generation. Everyone customizes their music to their tastes. When they get tired of it, they switch to something else. I've seen this attitude reflected in religious beliefs and teaching methods. People are customizing their theology, their worship experiences, even the way we do services. The most effective churches are the ones that have adjusted to this mentality. At the same time...how long can that last? Is it entertaining or creating heart change?

-I am convinced that we are moving closer and closer to the post-Christian era in the US. Atheism is becoming trendy. Bashing conservatives and Christians is an everyday occurance. It is showing in our students when they graduate from the faith. It's showing as they accept cafeteria religions or accept other non-Christian religions as a way to God.

This day...8 years ago

My direction in life was hugely impacted this day 8 years ago. The Columbine shooting was one of those events like 9-11 that changes you. I remember that the initial impact was minimal to me. I hear about the shooting and thought “Oh, that’s terrible.” When I saw the news footage,it began to settle in more. When I saw the funeral ceremonies and the video of students weeping, it only moved me more.

The thing which blew me away was the first story I heard about a girl named Cassie Bernall who had been asked if she believed in God. She said yes and the shooter blew her away. She could have been any girl in my youth group. She had the guts and the commitment to risk her life for her belief. She was, what I desired every student to be like.

The story which sealed it and influenced me to go into full time youth ministry instead of coaching, was the story of Rachel Joy Scott. She too had been asked about her belief in God and was killed instantly. As stories came out about her life, I saw the impact the faith of one student could have on the world. She had her struggles, her battles, but she refused to be average as a Christian. THAT inspired me.

Without a doubt, I owe a lot to those two girls. They inspired me that all students ave the potential to change the world. Age doesn’t matter. I look forward to meeting both of them one day.

Denver - Day 5

Denver – Day 4 (the final day...I think)

I woke up after a long night last night. Major props to New Life Church. I was there till 10:30 last night. They were having their Sr High program called _tag. They had a special night focused on the prom and how to handle it. It was really cool! I have a lot of video of it (I had no tripod…forgive me). They have around 1400 students. I met with Jarrett, the middle school pastor afterwards. What an awesome guy!!! He was a big encouragement to me and it thrilled me to just talk ministry. No matter the size of it, the heart is the same. Worship was AWESOME! I have video of it and how into it everyone was. Check it!

My passion for student ministry has been heated up a bit. I was praying for that. After Columbine and New Life, I guess my hope, my passion and my focus got back on track a bit.

This morning I awoke after a late night. I got my Eagles jersey on and went to Invesco Field. I got to tour the football stadium. Good stuff there. It was a pretty nice place…not as cool as the Linc though. The tour guide was great. Most people were Bronco fans, but there were Rams, Browns and Steelers fans too. There was also a family from Monterey Mexico who brought there grandma who doesn't like football. Yes…I was on the field Tom Brady had his first playoff loss on…HA!

I ventured out from Invesco in pursuit of Taste Of Philly. It's a cheesesteak shop owned by a guy straight from Philly. I got there (it was pretty small and rundown) and ordered a cheesesteak with American and a Tastykake. All I have to say is….WOW! Just like a Pat's cheesesteak! It was one of those rare exceptions of a place where you can get a good cheesesteak outside of the city. They use Amoroso rolls (one of the only rolls you can use). It was a great place!!!

After that…off to Red Rocks Amphitheater. The first time I saw this place was on an old U2 video for Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was a live performance and the place has been burned in my mind since. Hundreds of legends have played here. It was an amazing sight to behold!

Finally, I went to the Colorado Mills Mall. It is the sister of Arundel Mills (Baltimore) and Franklin Mills (Philly). I bought a new Chelsea jersey. It's a cheap replica of their new one, but it works! I hit Starbucks and headed back to the hotel.

We are expecting 6-12 inches of snow through tomorrow noon. I am expecting to be delayed getting out of here. I was already supposed to get in BWI at midnight. I am thinking it will be more like 1 or 2AM with an additional 2 hour drive…it's going to be a LONG night.

Denver - Day 4

Day 3

I'm sitting in Panera bread in Colorado Springs (about 45 minutes south of Denver). What a beautiful town!!! Pikes Peak is in the horizon everywhere. I drove down this morning and went to Garden Of The Gods. Amazing place. Very pretty.




After that, I went and freeloaded some free bandwidth from a hotel and checked my email.

I went to Focus On The Family's campus and toured...nothing too amazing there.

I am now sitting and waiting about 2 hours before I go to New Life Church and see their youth group. they are having something called "The Prom" tonight. I think its just a fun night and they will be giving away a free ride for the prom to one student including limo, tux, dress, etc. Sweet! Stay tuned for video of that.
That's it. Till later tonight. Tomorrow I visit Invesco Field, a local cheesesteak place with a Philly owner, and Red Rocks Ampitheater (very popular concert venue). Love you guys

Denver - Day 3

Denver – Day 3

Last night was interesting. The Lakers and Nuggets played for a playoff spot and half of the crowd stayed here. Unfortunately…the hotel continues to plummet on the Dan approval scale. I had two guys next to me who were loud, annoying and probably drunk. Needless to stay it kept me up and I wasn't overly happy. They are gone now!

I woke up (thanks to housekeeping) and started back to Golden to find Cassie Bernall's grave. I had my directions on my laptop so I knew exactly where to go. Unfortunately, for some reason, my laptop was low on battery. It had the only directions I could use on it. I had to stop at Radio Shack just to buy something to charge it with. Anyway…

I got to Golden Cemetery finally. The only catch with seeing Cassie's grave was there was a funeral going on in the vicinity and I didn't want to seem rude. I waited for about 30 minutes and they cleared out. FINALLY I got to Cassie's grave. She was the first story we heard on the news about someone who stood up for her faith when asked by the shooters. At age 18, she was able to stand up for her faith even if it meant death. It was a pretty moving thing to be in the presence of. I've seen her face a million times, and for the first time was seeing where she was in person. Her grave read:

"Bunny Rabbit, We know you're in the arms of our living Lord and yes, Cassie, we're happy for you"

At the end it had a saying of Cassie's:

"Honestly, I want to live completely for God. It's hard and it's scary, but its totally worth it."

She wrote that in her journal the day before she was killed.

I left and headed for Rachel's grave. I got lost a bunch of times…again. It took me 30 minutes to find. At the end of the cemetery were 13 stone crosses, one for each victim. Wow. Looking over each was moving.

Seeing Rachel's up close was moving. She was the first one killed by many reports. There is rumor that she too was asked if she believed in God. She has so many journal writings that showed how sold out she was. One of her biggest sayings about her faith was "I won't be labeled as average." She too is a role model to me! I took some video of my thoughts at the time. They're nothing special, but I wanted to get what I was thinking and feeling on tape.

After a somber morning, I headed to Fado's Irish Restaurant to watch the Chelsea-Valencia game. I was again surrounded by British. However, since they were Chelsea fans, I was cool with it! I had my traditional Irish Boxty (potato pancake with sirloin, onions and mushrooms covered in a brown gravy sauce that is TO DIE FOR). I finished it off with brown bread ice cream…great stuff!

I am debating on just staying in this evening and doing nothing. I have a full day in Colorado Springs tomorrow. American Idol tonight….no Senjaya!

Denver - Day 1

After nearly 12 hours of travel, I am finally here. The football stadium is literally next door. I have had a steady diet of gummy bears so far today and am really hungry with a bad headache. I managed to buy a cheap pair of noise reducing headphones which was interesting. They cut out every noise around me including the screaming kid behind me….SWEET!

I arrived at the car dealership. They had terminated my reservation because I was late, but he had mercy on me. He gave me a souped up Dodge Durango for the price of a car. SWWEET! This thing has more bells and whistles than I will ever use.

My hotel is a letdown. For the price I am paying, I’m getting ripped. The price is high because of the stadium next door…it’s not even the season! I am sitting on my bed and there is an odor of skunk coming from something. I haven’t figured out what yet and I’m too tired to sniff around the room to find out. If Pepe LePhew is under my bed, I would prefer to leave him alone. I have no internet in my room…WHAT? I have to go to the restaurant upstairs (14^th floor) or the lobby downstairs (7 floors down).

I haven’t decided what to do on Monday, but I will be sleeping in. I am debating on going to the Nuggets-Lakers game. I’m not a big NBA guy. Columbine will most likely be Tuesday and Colorado Springs on Wednesday. So much to do…so little time.

I miss you all! Easter service ROCKED. I listened to Inside Out, Came To The Rescue, Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble and Hallelujah at least 15 times on the way here. Inside Out is just clicking with my soul right now. What a great song.

Alright…going to bed. Hopefully Pepe LePhew will stay under the bed. View from my room below…Six Flags and the skyline

Denver - Day 2

Day 2

We started off with a bang today or should I say bummer. I had one of the worst headaches I've had in years. It started last night before bed, but I figured going to bed would kill it. It only made it worse. After waking up, I had breakfast (wireless isn't working in the restaurant…another strike against the hotel) and popped 3 Advil. I ended up napping until 12:30 and finally it broke.

Off to Golden Colorado. I saw the Rocky Mountains…SO COOL!

I love nature! It is such a worship experience to me. Golden was a cool town! It is small, but very developed. Unfortunately the town smelled of beer due to the Coors factory being there. Buffalo Bill's grave was there. I was actually looking for Cassie Bernall's grave, but the directions I got were faulty.

I stopped for dinner at Brother's BBQ and got a half rack of ribs…woot! They were OK. Their sauces were average and they were using a dry rub on the ribs that I could taste the Celery Salt. Who puts Celery Salt on ribs??? They are "the best in Denver." I was disappointed.

I got a second wind. I was going to go home and watch 24, but I figured I would go to Columbine tonight. There would be no students there. It took me near an hour to figure out where it was (no directions), but alas I found it.

Without a doubt, it was one of the more moving moments in my life. It looks like an every day high school. It isn't as big as I thought it would be. There was a student practicing driving in the parking lot. It was eerie to see it for the first time ever. I saw the Elementary School where all students were taken to be picked up. I saw the area where Rachel Scott was shot. I saw the new library and the glass front that I remember seeing a student being pulled out of from one of its broken windows. I had a flood of emotions and memories well up inside of me. I remember hearing the news and saying over and over "This isn't right. No teenager should EVER have to go through this."

Call it weird, but I picked up a rock from the parking lot to keep as a reminder to myself. It was the testimony of two girls in the midst of a horrific tragedy that motivated me to youth ministry. I saw the impact of their faith and it blew me away. I will forever be indebted to Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott. In their tragedy, God was given glory. They have impacted many in their deaths.

Tomorrow I will be visiting Rachel's tomb (and hopefully Cassie's if I can find it). It will be another emotional day for me.

I have run into a million English people. For some reason they all decided to come to Colorado this weekend. I have also seen two guys wearing cowboy hats with cowboy mustaches….they're freaking me out. It is such a different world out here. Everyone drives TOO SLOW

The Wild Unpredictable Road Ahead

I am entering my 11th year in youth ministry. Just when I think I have it all figured out, God reminds me that I don’t know squat. It’s a good thing. God keeps me humble with it. It’s crazy that no youth group is exactly the same. Not everything works with all three groups other than the gospel!

The first group I worked with was on fire and growing like crazy. The second was small, but was very loyal with each other. My leadership team was amazing at Hope. My current ministry is my first large group experience and my first experience with middle school by itself. I am walking through this. A gospel presentation that would have worked in the past has not seemed to have been effective so far. This can be discouraging, but I know it is another opportunity to learn what God is teaching me. So my eyes remain open. I’m still figuring this all out. My desire to see students change remains the same.

I have no clue what changes I am going to have to make for the culture I am in. I know there will be some. Who knows what AMPED will look like in a year. I leave it in His hands and follow His lead. Anytime I get in the way, things get bad.