Sunday, November 18, 2007

YS day 3

I have a man crush on Doug Fields.

Slept in and got great seats to hear from Doug on ministry envy. Great message. I do deal with envy on a number of different levels. Not in the typical ways that I used to, i.e. guys in ministry, other churches, people speaking, etc. But in other ways that are just as deadly. I had big expectations for Doug's message and he delivered.

I left my seminar to update the blog. Now I'm caught up but truly dissappointed in the lack of creativity in my updating.

YS day 2

Started the day with a seminar about powerpoint which was so helpful. My buddy Phil knows my hisory of graphic design and when we were in Nashvile he gained so much from the workshop so that I didn't want to miss it and wasnt' dissappointed.

The next general session was with Phyllis Tickle (sp) and she was great. No wonder my SP really loves her stuff. I hope I'm still with it at 74 years old. I was scraping the bottom of the barrell (it seemed like) to keep up with her. Really really good stuff. A lot of emergent stuff and history.

Went to see Les and he talked me into staying for his seminar on creativity.

The last general session was Louie Giglio and I was so tired that I had a hard time really paying attention. His message was about how we can trust God even when things are hitting the fan. It was a good word and an intriguing story, I was just way zapped.

Bob, Nicole, Jen and I had a lot of laughs at the late night comedy.

and so ended a long day 2

Rest of Friday at YS

Went to Chap Clark's seminar about middle school ministry. Really good stuff. Also a good reminder of some basic things that I have been neglecting and really need to put into practice.

I was really looking forward to the second main session because of this guy who Nicole is crazy about Shane Clairborne (I think that's his name, I'm so dumb.)

Anyway, he took the stage, spat fire, did a back flip, and then said he was honored to share with us the greatest sermon ever.

Then he proceeded to read the Sermon on the Mount and closed by saying a prayer that God would give us the strength to really live it. And that was it.

I was really looking forward to hearing from him. I figured he'd tell some wild stories and I'd want to read his book. then he started reading. And I figured he'd either read it and be done or he'd read it and use it to jump off of for his talk. I figured the latter. but he did the former.

A lot could be said about this. However, I loved it. I thought it was the perfect compliment to Andy Stanley's message earlier in the day where he said, "What do you do when you know you are the most important person in the room? You need to leverage your power to serve others."

So what does this Shane guy do when he realizes he is the most important person in the room, when he could totally just say whatever he wants, use the platform to espouse politica ideas or to sell his book?

No. He humbles himself and lets the Word of God speak. Total humility. I thought it was beautiful!

After the main session I had three things I wanted to do. This is typical of YS. I can't do it all. I wanted to meet Jay Howver, I wanted to say Hi to Andy from Wheaton, and I am a sucker for magic tricks.

Between trips to all three I saw a few lame card tricks from the magicians, met Andy Jack in the elevator and he remembered me from Nashville when Kurt Johnston bought us all dinner, and got to meet Jay finally.

I also got to meet Len Evans, a guy I think a lot of, and totally made an ass of myself. Totally frustrating. I was exhausted and as what often happens, I speak without thinking. So Jay and Len probably think I'm an idiot, which is true sometimes. Hopefully I can make it up to both of them.

So glad to be at YS.

NYWC update

Evidently I'm an idiot and can't figure out how to get the internet working in my room at the holiday inn, so I'm finally at the digital lounge for my update.
 
YS is such a great place for me to come to be refocused on the little things that are so basic that I'm missing.  In a lot of ways it's been really rewarding and affiming of what we are doing in ministry.  In other ways I'm reminded of how far we have to go.  But i really love and appreciate YS and am so glad to be here, with my sweet wife no less, and two of our youth coaches.
 
I'll make this short:
 
Friday opening session:
~the sand guy was good.  Had huge expectations based on Marko's blog and Sean's.  but it was still really good.
~Andy Stanley lead the first session and Marko made a big deal about Andy's last talk and how he was never going to speak at YS again, but all got resolved.  Jen and I had been here for the last talk and we couldn't remember for the life of us what all the hubbub was.
~Andy talked about being humble...and it was great, especially later in the day.  I ALWAYS appreciate guys/youthworkers/speakers who are humble. 
~it was so fun to watch Bob and Nicole enjoy YS and all that it offers.  It's a blast to be here with all of them.
 
 
I'll update the rest later!  promise!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

My kids will get a kick out of this!

I'm sure I may get some grief about this and I have more stuff I need to update, but when I saw this on Sean's blog, I knew I had to have it.

Click HERE to see it full screen and make one yourself!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Off to Oklahoma City

Dove is doing a really interesting campaign to help teen girls.  Here’s an article about it here and their website.

 

Dove is teaming up with another organization called Step Up Women’s Network and they are doing nationwide events to help teen girls.

 

So I’m taking Jen down there to today’s event to check out what they are doing.  It should be really interesting and provide good article fodder for Jen’s books coming out in the Spring.  Are organizations really doing something to help teen girls, or are they using it to hawk more stuff?  Are they really addressing the issues of identity? 

 

And it may give Jen some good contacts on a nationwide level.

 

Monday, October 08, 2007

When it rains...




Actually, rain has nothing to do with the trials of the last few weeks. It began with me wrecking my truck. Then Jen got hit. Now this...





About five hours ago I decided to fill up our water "jug" that goes in the fridge. while it was filling up I'd go and tuck Jen in. while I was laying in bed, I fell asleep.





Fast forward 45 minutes...the smoke alarm is going off. I wake up, notice there isn't any smoke, and take the smoke alarm outside to make it quieter and let the smoke dissipate...remember, I just woke up...





I go in the kitchen and there is water all over the kitchen cabinet where the jug has overfilled and spilled on the ground. Only, not a lot of water is on the ground.





Jen goes downstairs and calls me down, where water is dripping through the ceiling. I'm imagining who many gallons are being held up there on the drywall.





We decide to punch some holes in the ceiling to let the water drain...and drain...and drain. Two hours later and we're just letting it drip out.





Don't know what to do now. I can fix the wholes...but I don't think I can do a whole ceiling! Hopefully it's just a few sheets. It could have been a lot worse. Everyone is safe...everyone except my pride.





good times....The smile is fake but the water seeping down from the ceiling is as real as it gets.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Hanging out in Grand Rapids, Michigan

I was warned before I left that Chicago O'Hare is terrible. How they mangaged to miss my one bag during a 2 hour stop in Chicago on my way to Grand Rapids, is hard to understand. Nevertheless, my stuff isnt' here. So I can have them "deliver" it to me 90 minutes away or I can just wait it out.




So I decide to hang out for a couple of hours and go check out Zondervan's headquarters.




The place is HUGE! It was so cool. I went in there and was so dumb. The lady asked if she could help me...so I say, "Yeah, my wife is one of your author's and I was in town and I just wanted to see the place where her books are going to be made." (They don't make them there. But they do store them and distribute them.)




The receptionist was so nice. She called down a lady named Joyce from the Author Care division and she gave me a tour of the whole place!




I got to see the warehouse where they have just tons and tons of books and got to see them wrapping up some books and putting tons of cases of them into a UPS truck. They had these huge conveyer sytem and everything. It was really cool.




Because Jen's books and my books are being done with YouthSpecialties, no one in Grand Rapids actually messes with our books. Everyone with YS is in San Diego or Colorado.




Got to see the offices including the history of Zondervan. Also got to see the big head honcho room, the board

room where every new release is showcased for a couple weeks for all the big wigs to see them.




Joyce said that if she knows an author is coming she makes sure to put thier stuff out there too.




Probably the coolest part was when Joyce took me to meet the contact with YS. And while he isn't working on the team yet with our books, he had seen the prospective covers and he said that everyone is really pumped about how cool they look.




It was so cool. It really is a dream come true for me to be published with YS and it is all to Jen's credit so it was fun to have her be the high light.




At the end, Joyce took me by her office and hooked me up with some free pens and paper as a thank you for Jen being in the Zondervan family.




Good times.




Now, I'm off to pick up my stupid dufflebag...

Thursday, September 13, 2007

More Karaoke

Ah, I couldn't resist. Here was tonights "Set"


I think we're alone now, by Belinda Carlisle
We're not gonna take it, by Twisted Sister
The Greatest Love, by Whitney Houston
Mickey...I don't remember who it's by.

The kids have so much fun. My voice is so bad! Lots of fun.

Jen's surprise gift today


So Jen called me earlier in the day and told me that she picked me up a surprise! And after totalling my truck, I could use a pick me up. (pun not intended)


Enter: "Tunes From the 80's" 32 songs from House Party Karaoke.

I finish brushing the teeth and run down to my daughter's room and toss disk one in her karaoke machine.


I start out with "Take on Me" by A-HA.


Ciera and Noah come down and they are just cracking up!


Jen comes down and we perform Dionne Warwick's "That's what Friends are for."


We can't stop so we do the Go-go's "We got the beat."

And our kids are getting pretty wild, I'm sweating like Jack Black in School of Rock, so we decide to slow it down a bit with a religious song...How about "Faith" by George Michael.


I remember the fun organ start and then it goes into a cool pop sound. Jen and I barely got the first line out, "Oh, I thought it would be nice..." before we both made a mad dash for the stop button. I didn't recall the next line, nor did I want to start the conversation at bed time that begain with, "So dad, what does it mean when they sing, 'I thought it would be nice, if I could touch your body?'"

We ended with "Alone" by Heart which isn't much better, or quieter...especially when I'm rocking out.


The kids had fun and i forgot about the truck. so that was nice.

Tomorrow night: Twisted Sister's, "We're not gonna take it" NO!!!












I can't believe this is the city I live in...

Here's a link to the front page of the web page for the city we just moved to: Ark Valley News.


In case it gets moved...here's how the article opens...


If all you saw was the color of his skin, you may have never discovered that Jay Grayson was a cheerleading coach. That he played football in high school and college. That he was a guest instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. That his father was a decorated Marine.


If that’s all you saw, you may have never known Jay Grayson.Though his skin color represents a milestone in the history of the Valley Center Police Department, Grayson is more than the department’s first-ever black officer.



Dude, where the heck do I live?! When I moved out to the midwest from California, I was amazed at how white everywhere was and how much it was like stepping back in time. How, in this day and age. are people still being judged by the color of thier skin?!


Of course, my brother spent a night in jail last week where he was "encouraged" to sit where the "rest of his kind" was sitting in the holding cell. So it goes both ways...I suppose...


I didn't read anymore of the newspaper for fear of finding an announcement of a lynching or a Klansman Anonymous meeting...

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

R.I.P. Jesse Duke

Long story short, my brother-in-law Jay owned his own auto shop where he often acquires vehicles. He asked me one time if there was a car I was looking for. I told him a sweet truck, but not too big, not like Jesse Duke's truck, a big white ford or something.


So he calls me up and tells me he has acquired a truck for me. He drives it out in the dead of winter from California to Kansas and gives it to me. A 1977 Ford F-150 with a 460 HUGE engine in it. The truck is great! Only it gets like 5 miles to the gallon...ah, the days when gas was only $2....and my sister made sure that it had a custom toy licensce plate in the back window that read "Jesse Duke."


After consuming a ton of gas and repairing the radiator and some other stuff, I sold the giant truck. My buddy Pat was upgrading from a 1991 Nissan that he actually drove off the factory. It was truly his baby. And he gave me a GREAT price of what I paid for the other truck.


Anyway it was a great truck!!!


And today, it lies in my driveway, with a twisted metal hood.


I got into my first real accident. I've had a few fender benders before but nothing like this.


It was surreal.


Here's what happenned:


In this pic you'll see on the right side a big white building...Walgreens. There is a driveway in and out of the Walgreens parking lot.


Directly south of that driveway is another driveway for a strip mall.



I'm trying to exit from the Walgreens parking lot. I'm going to turn left and proceed south on the street.



I look left...it's clear for a while.




I look right...two vehicles...the first one is White truck. Both vehicles are heading southbound, the same direction I'm trying to go.




I look left again...still clear.




I accelerate...and hit the white truck.




I didn't see a blinker, but the white truck moved from the left lane (Five lanes with a turning lane) to the turning lane and was turning left into the driveway just south of me.




I didn't even see it. And it was all so surreal. It all happenned and I didn't even hit the brakes. I just hit him. As you can see...very little damage.

Cop gets there and reads both of our reports. He says that in his opinion it's a clear case of in attentive driving.

He asked me lots of questions about whether I was trying to dart out between cars. He didn't understand how I could cause so much damage with my little nissan just by pulling out.

I didn't have an answer at the time, but I did tell him later that I didn't even hit the brakes. It was all happening so slowly...so quickly...the only thought was that I was going to really hit this truck, this is my first real accident, I can't believe it's happening, I should hit the brakes, CRASH!

The police officer was SO great. Again, he said that I was at fault but that he wasn't going to charge me with inattentive driving because it's a $160 fine that really doesn't do anything but make the county richer. So he wrote me up for not having my proof of insurance with me!

DANG! That is so sweet.

Now I need to find another vehicle...I'm going to try to get an estimate on getting it fixed. With the vehicle dripping oil...i'm pretty hesitant.

Do I pay a couple grand to fix it up or pay a couple grand for another used truck...

Irregardless...R.I.P. Jesse Duke...


























Thursday, August 30, 2007

Two Great Reasons You Should Write About Your Ministry

A little over a year ago, I suppose, our church started doing a sweet weekly newsletter.  It’s like a mini-newspaper.  You can check it out here. The staff was “encouraged” to add content and use the paper as a resource.  But seriously, I have really fought it because:

1.  Writing articles for the church newspaper is not my idea of a good time

2.  I have a really hard time writing
3.  Writing takes me sooooooo long

However, our Director of Education, Libby Eaton, from the start has tried (and I think succeeded) in having something in the Light (our newspaper name) every week.  And being a dad, I love to see my kids in there.  And I was impressed at how much response she got out of the paper and what it communicated to the people who never even step foot into her ministry area.

So maybe 6 months ago…probably less…I tried to steal some of the spot light from Libby.  I have definitely not been as diligent as her but I have tried, especially all summer long, to get something in the Light once a week to spotlight middle school ministry.

Then two cool things happened:

A couple weeks ago I was having lunch with one of the people from our congregation and he says, “Man, your student ministry is really booming!!!”  How did he know?  Had he been with us on a trip?  No.  How about in Sunday School?  No.  Had he heard from a parent?  Nope.

He read it in the Light!

Here’s the second cool reason…it’s a bit longer.

I get this phone call yesterday from this sweet little old lady named Carol.  She tells me that her daughter doesn’t attend church but has two boys and mom is considering bringing them to the parent meeting later that evening.  Carol is obviously sad that her daughter doesn’t attend church and has “fought and fought” to keep her daughter on the mailing list and now that she’s coming she wants to make sure they have a very pleasant experience and that she’ll be praying the whole evening.  Nothing like a little pressure.

So we’re eating dinner before the meeting and there is a woman there with two boys I’ve never seen before.  Low and behold it’s Carol’s daughter and her two boys are in middle school!  So I’m talking to her and she offers up this statement:  “Every week I read the paper and there’s something about middle school.  Middle school this and middle school that.  I figured that I needed to check out this middle school thing for myself!”

Wow….As someone who readily understands the pain and prayers of having a loved one disconnected from the church, it’s humbling to think that my toiling out stories about middle school for a couple hours each week could result in a doorway to reconciliation with the church and an elderly woman’s years of answered prayers.

Pen Tricks

I still remember one of my best friends Jeff Threet practicing and practicing two of these pen tricks. I never had the patience to learn them, so I'm posting this for him as I know he'll want to learn the other three on this video.

My buddy Bob Tinker has the same pen trick OCD.

Maybe some day I'll get the hang of it...

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

On a Mission From God

No, this isn't simply a quote from Blues Brothers, although while a Sophomore in High School my offensive line coach dubbed me, "Belushi" for my messing around during practice and an alleged spitting image of the famed heroin overdosed comic.

No, this was told to me tonight while on a middle school youth event.

We took our middle school students down to Oklahoma City for an NBA game. The New Orleans Hornets (formerly from Charlotte) have been displaced the last two seasons from thier home because of hurricane Katrina. So last year they played all thier "home" games in OKC and this year they are playing half thier home games here. Next year, they'll be back in the Big Easy.

So this is pretty much a last shot at seeing a real NBA game, of which I've never had the opportunity along with most Kansans. Long story short, we took a couple vans full.

Before the game we stopped at the world's worst McDonald's. I don't know if it could even qualify as a full McDonald's experience. In fact, one of my students', Jonathan Buster, called it "McConoco" because it was half Conoco gas station and half McDonald's.

I finished eating and went to the gas station part and picked up a Reese's Big Cup. Put it on the counter and the clerk asked, "Are you in charge of the church group?"

Reluctantly I looked down and said, "Yeah...." And then it happenned.

I thought, I should say what I want to say, "FORTUNATLEY!" But, I thought that would be too awkward and wierd and I thought the typical thing to say is "Unfortunately" because, after all, who likes working with middle schoolers?

Except that...I do. In fact, my buddy Kirk affirmed just that afterwards when we were gassing up the vans."Man, I'm so glad that you love being with Middle Schoolers," said Kirk. "Because I was ready to leave half of them at a rest stop in Oklahoma" he said with a grin.

Not me. I love working with middle school students. But, that is the wierd answer. Plus, I was pretty stressed out because the McDonald's had gotten numerous orders wrong, was super slow, and I thought we were going to miss the start of the game.

Of course, the Holy Spirit was whispering in my ear, "Don't worry. Don't hurry. Don't be anxious about anything but in prayer....that's when I shut him off. Cause I was STRESSED. And angry. And worried. And who needs to hear from God when you have all of that going on!

So I answered the polite clerk with what I thought was expected, "Unfortunately."

Nanoseconds before I muttered the 5 sylable word, I thought, "Watch, you are going to say this and this guy is going to call me on the carpet." But of course, what are the chances of that? Yeah right.

The word dripped out of my mouth, "Unfortunately."

Right away, I was doomed.

Delightfully.

"Nah man, don't say that." The tall and athletic looking clerk said to me behind the counter. "You are on a mission from God. When I was kid I had a guy just like you who took me to games and hung out with me and..."

The guy said a couple other things that I'm sure were very encouraging, but I was so busy trying to get my jaw untangeled from my shoe laces that I missed the rest of whatever he said. I think I said, "Thanks," smiled, and made my way out the door.

And once again, God spoke to me. He affirmed my calling. And from the lips of a 20-something, African-American Brother, He said, "I love you, Ken. Keep doing what you're doing. I'm with you and love you."

Like Chariots of Fire, really, gosh this is so tacky and lame, but when I am with Middle School students, it is one of a few things that when I do it, I feel God's pleasure.

Who knew that today, on my way to take a group of students to an NBA game, that I would come face to face with Jesus.

Freaky.

Cool.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Stuck In The Middle 2007 Rocked






Driving through the Flint Hills, eating at different restaurants, staying up late, waking up early, crazy guys in tuxedos, inflatables, mechanical bull riding, video games, Karaoke, the band staying in the same hotel, on the same floor no less, and giants burgers at Red Robin. All of this was part of an incredible weekend our middle school students spent just a couple weeks ago in Kansas City.

On March 9th, eleven middle school students and three adults headed out for the 2nd annual Stuck In The Middle Conference, being held at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

Stuck in the Middle is a dynamic three day experience created for middle school students to experience God’s love and grow in their relationship with him. This year’s theme was “Encore” and it didn’t disappoint.

Stuck began with an incredible video opening along with recording band Jackson Waters leading worship. Nearly 700 students filled the youth room where most of them swarmed the stage during the worship as they sang their hearts out to God. The worship was set up so that we sang before the message and also after, in response to the message.



Each session also featured a comedy improv group, led by comedian Billy Brame and his buddy Brian Lechner, which had our students cracking up! From their two headed juggling where the guys shared one shirt and juggled, and their games throughout the audience before each session began, to their improv games before the main speaker, Brame and his Lechner were great.

One of the aspects that sets Stuck in the Middle apart from other events is their style of having some type of sketch in the middle of the main sessions. So a main speaker will be in the middle of their talk, and the improv group will come out and do a sketch that gives students the break in the action that they need and nails the point home that the speaker is trying to make.

Dynamic speakers invited our students to know Christ and gave practical encouragement on the best ways to make middle school not just bearable, but incredible!

Veteran youth pastor of the Kansas City area Alan Mercer from Christ Community Church in Leawood, Kansas kicked off the event challenging our students to live an “encore” type of life. They should desire to live the kinds of lives that make their friends want to keep coming back for more, just like an encore at a concert. This happens when we love God and we love our neighbors.

Saturday morning, Heather Flies, the Junior High Pastor at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, MN and an incredible speaker, taught from Psalm 37:4 about being content with where you are as a middle schooler instead of rushing to be older than you are and comparing your life with the lives of others around you. Lastly she dared our students to do ministry and not wait till their older to do something significant for Christ.

Chief Scientist of Discovery Channel, and member at Chapel Hill UMC and Epworth UMC, Steve Jacobs did a science show where he simultaneously told his story of becoming Wizard #4, blew things up, and shared from the second half of Psalm 37:4 where it says, “Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Saturday evening, twenty plus year youth ministry veteran Eric Venable told some great stories of God being actively involved in students lives and invited us to practice spiritual disciplines. He said, “Students who talk to God…connect with Him. Students who listen to God…connect with Him even more.”

Sunday morning, Owner and Founder of Stuck in the Middle Ministries, Sean Meade closed our time together reminding students to be real. Life happens quickly and before you know it, before you expect it, it’s gone. Sean shared about losing one of his best friends this year in an auto accident and a student in his youth ministry at Journey Church here in Wichita. His message was for students to not pretend to be something they are not, and to believe in Jesus.

After each session we met as a church youth group to debrief what each speaker talked about and our students didn’t miss anything. They were able to recall what stood out to each of them from each speaker. This immediate application helps students apply the lessons to their lives right away.

On Saturday our students were able to participate in workshops throughout the afternoon that dealt with guys only stuff and girls only stuff as well as many other topics that middle school students deal with every day.

The “Stuck” experience was incredible and left us with loads of memories: Katie Ahrens non-stop picture taking, Janelle Vulgamore’s mad foos ball skills, Bob Tinker winning a CD, Levi Ferris trying to buy candy bars at 1 AM, Frazer Rymph feeling Heather’s muscles on stage, Ken Rawson getting mocked on stage by Steve Jacobs, Aubrey Maxwell’s crazy bull riding, Deacon Lancaster’s crazy allergies, Taylor Wolfe’s wild hair in the morning, Kati Apsley soaking up every second of Stuck and didn’t want to go back to the hotel, Jonathan Buster’s “Stuck” gear and crazy dancing, Max Sherard representing our church with the hand slapping game, Micah Williams’ great van conversations about dating, and Jason Ream letting nothing get in the way of watching the KU/K-State game.

Stuck in the Middle was amazing! Thank you to the students who took part in Strive which made this weekend affordable for our students going. A thanks also belongs to the United Methodist Women who gave $500 so that no student would be unable to attend. Thank you also to Bob Tinker and Janelle Vulgamore who gave up their weekends so that our students could experience Stuck In The Middle.

The only thing left is getting the dates for next year and signing up! I hope you’ll be a part of that journey in either attendance and/or prayer.

For pics of SITM: go to our flickr site.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Open Course at MIT

This has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard of.  The possible ramifications of this are absolutely endless.  The effects this could have on society could be amazing.  Wow.

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/cmit

 

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html 

 

 

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Lame article

You’ve got to love the title of this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070102/us_nm/teens_drinking_dc

Teens binge drink, government study finds

In a related story, The Sky is Blue.

What I do think is ridiculous is that they take a questionnaire that most students probably don’t take seriously, have less than 15K teens take the survey, then make this ridiculous point that because of their findings, HALF of all HS students binge drink…uh, I don’t think so. Half? Why don’t they spend the government money on a survey that would give us some insight into students. The next headline will be, “Teens listen to Music.”

UPDATE: Okay, so evidently I'm an idiot. I did my own little survey and found that 5 out of 5 of us had drank before graduating HS but only one of us had gotten plastered.

So maybe there's more truth to the article than I was aware of. Maybe I need to be more aware!