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Super Youth Pastor and the Pit of Despair

It seemed like decades, maybe even centuries has passed. He remembered watching The Princess Bride as a child. The pit, that life sucking machine, yes it seemed he had been sucked into that very pit with no one to hear him scream. Darkness surrounded him. Mind numbing darkness that seemed to rob him of the memory of light. That word seemed foreign to him now. He tried to focus, to remember ... what color was, even the faintest glimmer, a spark, a part of the shadow that wasn't as dark. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, The Adventures of Super Youth Pastor

Music: The Gateway to the Mind

I think most of the Western world, if not the entire world, is aware of the saying, "the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." If I'm being to Americentric in my assumptions then let me briefly explain. Men like good food and will happily fall in love with a good cook. This might be over simplifying things, but that is the essence of most cliches. It doesn't refute the truths behind the concept though. It is an essential truth that good food can be a comforting thing and make … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Jesus Freak, Youth Pastor Tagged With: Music

I do, I did, I should: Weddings, Marriage, and Counseling

Almost 12 years ago I married the love of my life. We had been dating for 4 years and we were both so very young. I was 20 and my bride was 19. Just a couple of weeks before our wedding she picked her mom up from school (her mom is a teacher) and school officials tried making her ride home on the bus thinking she was a student. If this were a high school that might seem reasonable, but since this was an elementary school that seems quite disturbing. I had 3 years of college under my belt … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Husband, Youth Pastor Tagged With: counseling, marriage, wedding

Sometimes you have to learn the hard way

Most of the time being a dad is really cool. Watching your kids learn is an amazing, possibly even a frigintastical experience. Other times it can be really frustrating or even down right scary. I remember when my oldest son was born. He was 10 weeks early, and quite frankly I didn't really believe my wife when she told me we had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. Fortunately she convinced me and we rushed to the other side of town. He was born before the doctor made it to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Dad Tagged With: learning, My Kids, pain

Just a quick update on some stuff I’ve been planning. We are doing an event called “SlopFest” It is going to be crazy messy fun. Here is a short video from one of the games they play at the event we are patterning after. Those are eggs on the kids heads.

Apr

SlopFest is Coming #MyExperienceAs #slopfest #YouthPastor

SlopFest is Coming

The hardest thing is letting go

This week was youth camp. There were some unbelievable obstacles. The camp facilities we used were not exclusive nor Christian. In fact I learned that it has been used for many thing in the past. Back in the 50s it was a Jewish camp. Of course I have no issues with this, but it began changing hands and was used as a Wiccan camp, nudist camp, and general drunken idiot party camp over the years. Beyond the deep spiritual issues there were many other problems, likely due to the spiritual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Youth Pastor

Pleasantly surprised

So I'm a Christian, now what? That is what our series has been for the past several weeks. We have talked about baptism, communion, worship, prayer, reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and witnessing. Last week was about witnessing and the students were fired up and excited. I'm serious. They were shouting and wanting to get out and do it. This week I brought them into the main service and quickly went through the past several weeks for everyone so the "adults" would be caught up. Then I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Youth Pastor

The Greatest of these is Love

I'm finishing up a series with my students, "I'm a Christian, now what?" Basically I'm talking to them about what we can be doing as Christians and what the first steps are. I'm sharing with them some stories of Biblical heroes that did amazing things, and how we can start doing those things, but then sharing with theme some very real, practical first steps. We have talked about baptism, worship, prayer, and reading the Word over the past few weeks. Tonight we talked about the power of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Youth Pastor

Back from the undead

I am not dead, I tweet occasionally, but finding time to write more than 140 characters lately has been a stretch. It's been about two weeks since ATF and I still haven't done a follow-up post, so I guess that is what this will be about. Just to summarize, ATF was great. Now driving in Baltimore was evil, but worth it. Speaking of "worth it." They must have a bug on my computer that lets them in on my sermon notes. Over the course of the weekend they pretty much summarized everything I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Youth Pastor

Broken People Helping Broken People

I am a broken person. It might look like I have it together on the outside, but on the inside I'm totally broken. The thing is, I have a lot of people looking to me for the answers. It is tempting to try and put on a facade, to make it seem like I'm great. It would be nice if I had the answers, it would be nice if I could keep the juggling act going so that everyone would think I had the answers. I don't have it all together. I don't have the answers. I don't even know all the questions. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: All, Youth Pastor