Update, I guess…

It has been such a long time since I posted last, I don’t even know where to begin! This is sure to be one of those posts that combines a bunch of stuff into one.

Health – the headaches remain but we think we are on the right track towards solving it. Between December and March of last year I lost almost 40 lbs. because of a diet change. I have kept that off and continue to stick with the diet (for the most part). We’re told that it will just be a long process towards complete health. If that’s correct we’re okay with that. I have to wonder though, what if they’re wrong?

We found out that my brother had thyroid cancer so they took out his thyroids and killed off the remaining cancer cells with iodine. As of his last body scan that seems to have worked effectively. He has a host of other health issues that are starting to get resolved too. Why do they seem to run in our family? My brother, a few years younger than me, is in the Navy.

School – I am still teaching at Lynwood Elementary. There are still problems with the room but the new administration seems to want to help with that. It is frustrating to constantly fight being sick because of those issues but I trust that it will all get worked out. I have found that I really enjoy teaching elementary music but I’m still working on my appreciation of the students in primary grades.

I completed an Orff class this summer that opened up a whole new world of teaching opportunities. Not only did I gain a brand new perspective on teaching music, but I also gained a bunch of new friends. It is amazing how a few weeks of intense time together will bond people so closely! Now all I need is the resources to purchase instruments for the classroom. I can’t tell you how many grants I’ve written so far!

One interesting change is that I trimmed back my tennis hours this year so I would have more time with my family and for my other job. I hope that works out well. I have also been invited to serve on the “Teacher Advisory Board (TAB)” for the Indianapolis Children’s Choir (ICC) so I’m excited about that. Getting back into elementary music has renewed all of my old interests from so many years ago.

Youth - What an amazing summer!!! It was fantastic. We had 2 great interns that did a fabulous job. Spring Hill was great as usual. Plus, we had a variety of trips and service projects in addition to our weekly meetings. I am praying that this is a kick-off to a fresh season with our youth ministry. We finished the summer with a Youth Sunday that went so well! I couldn’t be more proud of them. We had a terrific staff training a few weeks ago with a group called Cadre Ministries. Dave and Rennie did an outstanding job with our group. If you need youth staff training check them out! Our fall kick-off is the Sunday after Labor Day. There are so many exciting things that happened. You’ll read more about it later I’m sure.

Personally - I am feeling better physically and mentally and I have a new outlook on things. Although I don’t always understand it, I am more and more confident that God has us right where we are for just the right reasons. God has done (and is doing) a work in my personality that will help me to look more like Him. In addition, a friend and I have started up a small group Bible study and we’re anticipating God-sized things. Our family is doing great and I’m excited about this new season.

So there is the not-so-short “short” version of what’s been going on. I promise I will try to update on a more-regular basis!

Prayer as transition

One of the things that I love to do is lead music at our church. I play guitar, work with a band and singers, and organize the songs that we sing on Sunday mornings. Recently, though, something hit me as I was preparing to lead music.

I was working through our set list and I was stuck on a transition between two songs. There was some problem with the key or with the tempo that just didn’t seem to work with the flow. So I did what I always do. I decided to pray as a transition.

Then it hit me…

I was using prayer, conversation with God, as a transitional/musical element within a time of praise and adoration. I was taking the privilege of speaking with the Creator and reducing it to a substitution for creative arranging.

That has stuck with me and I’m not sure I have a good response to it. However, it has challenged me with several different questions.

1) Is it appropriate to use prayer transitionally during “worship?”
2) When we pray transitionally are we setting appropriate examples?
3) What does this reveal about my own prayer life?

For all you worship leaders out there, what do you do?

For everyone else, I welcome your comments!

New Sears Tower Ledge

From the AP article:

“The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building’s 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they’re floating over the city.”

New Sears Tower Ledge

Go on and follow the link for the new “all glass” ledge at the Sears Tower, soon to be renamed the Willis Tower.

This make a magnificent building even more amazing. Pretty scary too, even if you’re not afraid of heights.

This also has some amazing lesson possibilities for stepping out in faith!

What do you think?!?

Interesting post on youth ministry

Go check this link out. It is a definite must read for those working with youth ministry. I would try to summarize but I don’t think I could do his thinking justice.

Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

“What are your thoughts on a biblical youth ministry?”

His posts are almost always insightful and challenging.

Spring Hill 2009 – VI

Final installment, for those of you following.

Friday night was our final night at Spring Hill. After working all day on various projects like building a bridge, cleaning bathrooms, setting up a big tent, and washing yet MORE dishes, we finally settled in for the evening.

We wrapped everything up by focusing on a strategy for making good decisions. Our strategy including committing our ways to the Lord (Proverbs 16:3), asking for help on difficult situations (Proverbs 15:22), and not being quick in making life changing decisions (Proverbs 21:5).

Following that we talked about making decisions using situational ethics (basically reducing a decisions down to one principle – such as love – that trumps other truth) and majority ethics (if everyone is doing it then it must be okay).

Then we gave them a chance to think through everything from the week and apply it to their own personal decisions.

Overall it was a pretty good series to use for the week but I’m not sure if I would use it again. There were parts that were confusing and redundant (and repetitive). I wonder if more could’ve been covered. I did like the various quotes and stories that it used. I don’t always spend a good deal of time on those when I’m writing my own stuff. For the past 4 or 5 years I’ve written our own quiet time and lesson series for Spring Hill. This is the first canned curriculum I’ve used in a long time.

After our teaching we had an extended time of praise and adoration that was really sweet. At one point one of the boys fell asleep and started snoring. That was pretty funny (and definitely expected after a long week).

Then came the long-awaited game of “Capture the Flag.” I’ll just be straight forward. It didn’t go well. Our group is too competitive and has too strong a sense a fairness to just let things be. Add to that being very tired and having a bit of a restricted area to play in and it just made for a rough game with a lot of emotions out of whack by the end.

Saturday morning left us tired with a few more hours of work to knock out. We left after lunch and enjoyed a quiet, uneventful ride home. Many thanks to the parents who helped out by driving.

But, all in all it was a good week. There were a lot of significant conversations that took place and many were challenged. A lot of work was accomplished at the camp. Relationships were built, strengthened, and renewed. And, no one got hurt too badly. That’s always a plus.

As always, it was a good kick-off to our summer.

Spring Hill 2009 – V

Whew! We are dragging today! It’s been a good week but I think I will be ready when we go home.

Yesterday afternoon was a good hard work day. It got nice and warm and most of our group spent the afternoon down by the lake digging deep holes with a huge auger and putting large posts in them. They must’ve dug 20+ holes! They were all hot and tired. Towards the end they got to test out some of the water games though so I think it made up for all the hard work.

This morning they’re out at it again in three different groups. We have a bathroom crew, dining hall crew (dishes, all things kitchen), and hole digging crew. Later on they are going to set stakes and put up a tent. They may not always like what they are doing but they have been doing a reliable job. I continue to hear positive comments from all the different staff that I talk to.

Last night was a good night. We changed the location of our meeting place so everything seemed to go more smoothly. Our time of praise and adoration was sweet. If only the church, as a whole, could have opportunities to praise like this all the time. I know it’s available but we just don’t give our best when we do it normally. Why don’t we (as a church)?

Our lesson last night was on taking the “road less traveled.” We took a deeper look at Titus 2:12, our theme verse for the week. Our goal was to challenge the youth to take the road that led to self-controlled, godly, and upright lives. One of the pictures that I kept painting was the picture of a “choose-your-own-adventure” story. Every decision we make leads us down this path where we choose our own adventure.

Following our teaching time we set out on our own little adventure around the camp. We were split into four groups and we visited four different people. Each person played out a different scenario where the youth had to make decisions.

The first scenario was a guy who was really struggling with his connection to God and the church and he was trying to get some advice from the different groups about how to connect.

The second scenario was trying to decide what a youth group should look like to a new visitor. What would the youth want their friends to see if they came to visit? One of the things that could carry over for those reading this is “what do you want your church to look like?” The next question that followed that was “what are you willing to do about it?”

The third scenario was pretty interesting. The group “accidentally” stumbled upon a homeless man while they were walking down a dark gravel road. He talked to them about making the decision to love all people as Jesus loved them and he challenged them about their responsibility.

The fourth scenario was a guy who had an interest in Christianity and needed help in how to make his decision…

So this was our goal last night – in all of this we tried to get them to think about a wide variety of decisions that they would have to make.

Following that we went to our campfire. And you really can’t have a campfire without smores! Out by the campfire there was a white sheet where they wrote out all the different decisions that they wanted to make when they got home. After they had gotten a chance to write out their decisions we took the sheet and threw it on the fire. We threw it on the fire for a couple of reasons. First, the fire represented the purifying process that we all want to go through with our decision making. We prayed that our motives would be made clean and holy. Second, I read from Hebrews 12 where it talked about God being a consuming fire. I prayed that we would be consumed by the holiness and awesomeness of God. When we are consumed by God then our decision making takes on a different perspective.

Finally, we gave the youth an opportunity to talk one-on-one with any of the youth staff regarding questions or decisions they were dealing with. All-in-all it was a great evening. People were challenged and I can’t help but think lives were changed. I’m praying that this doesn’t stop as they leave tomorrow.

Your prayers this week have been invaluable. Thank-you! I don’t know what the rest of the summer holds when we return but I do know who holds the summer. Our goal is authentic, godly relationships that reflect biblical values.

Last night coming up! Please pray for us…

Spring Hill 2009 – IV

It is about lunch time and it has been pouring all morning. It is so wet that we are sitting in the dining hall watching “Kung Fu Panda.” I’m getting some good lesson material from the movie but really not much else is happening. The YFC camp finished up this morning and they are all gone. I’m wondering if the next few days will bring a bit more normalcy.

Last night we talked about the battleground of decision making. We looked at black & white and gray issues. To address those things we talked about using biblical facts for the black/white situations and biblical principles for the gray areas.

I think many times we know the answers to black & white situations but just don’t do it. When it comes to decision making we need to take advantage of the objective truth that the Bible offers and use it to make decisions based off of those facts (and not our feelings). That can be so difficult sometimes!

Last night 2 of our graduated seniors joined us and this morning 2 of our freshmen joined us. That brings us up to a grand total of 16 which includes our 2 college interns, myself, and Alison (one of our female youth workers).

We had another visitor yesterday as well, one of our pastors. He came down after lunch and spent the afternoon with us. He enjoyed a bit of dinner with us and then took off. Seems that he didn’t want to spend the night in a cabin with no air conditioning or electricity. I can’t understand why he would not miss the creature comforts of home!

Our group is definitely tired. They’ve been working really hard and staying up really late. Seems like we just can’t figure out a way to call it a night at a decent hour. I continue to be proud of them. They are doing a great job. They are flexible, willing to go with the flow, and ready to jump in whenever a new task arises.

Please continue praying for us. Tonight has the potential to really challenge them. Pray that they would receive a second wind and be open to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to them through the Word and other conversations. Pray that they would continue to show patience with each other. And one other thing… Pray for Alison’s foot. I just ran over it with a whole big rack of tables. Oops!

Again, thank you for praying!

Steve Harvey introduces Jesus Christ

Spring Hill 2009 – III

This is what it’s all about (and I ain’t talking ’bout the Hokey Pokey).

Yesterday was an off-and-on rainy day. There wasn’t as much work for us to do so we ended up with a few extra hours of free time. So far, in our free times, we’ve been playing Farkle, ultimate frisbee, and six-square. Six square seems to be a Spring Hill tradition.

Last night was supposed to be our skit night with the guys versus the girls. It became apparent as the evening wore on that the skits were only going to be mocking each other. The guys were going to mock the girls and the girls were going to mock the guys. It also became pretty clear that a few people were getting their emotions hurt because of a lack of unity. Because of this we decided to cancel our skits and have a “family time.” This family time was exactly what we needed. We were really able to address some things and, I hope, set a foundation for building a deeper loving, caring community. This, in my mind, is what youth ministry is all about; helping the youth to learn how to love each other authentically using biblical principles.

Last nights lesson was on “compromise, the enemy of decision making.” Here is the definition of compromise that we were using; decisions based on setting aside the objective truth of God’s Word and basing them on subjective evidence. After coming to that definition we began to work through what objective truth and subjective evidence were. Then we took a look at 3 stories from the Bible and asked ourselves whether the decisions presented were based off of objective truth or subjective evidence. Then we closed with some time of personal application.

It turned out to be a really good day. Our evening ended with a couple hours of stimulating political conversation (for most of us) and a few hours of rest.

For those that are praying, thank you! Your prayers, the prayers of righteous people, are accomplishing much. This kind of evening doesn’t normally happen on a Tuesday, if ever!

Keep praying… Tonight we look at “black & white” or “shades of gray.”

Now this is a saxophone!