Sunday had a wonderful start - with no real “have to see” programming - I was able to sleep a bit. The general session with folks from my church, Len, & Matt was terrific. There was a comedian who “kicked” the morning off and I have to admit it had me chuckling! They had a “stage in the round” that was used very effectively throughout the week. And video screens galore to give everyone a feeling of a front row seat. One thing that is really unfortunate meeting in convention centers… there is no slope. So line of sight to the main stage was always tedious at best for this 5 foot 10 inch guy.

Jeff Johnson (with two violins and a bassoon) put together a reflective and meaningful set of worship for getting the session going. The art work that supported the Taize’, Celtic and Traditional hymns and chants was so powerful. The beauty was almost overwhelming. But the pacing/progression of music, prayer, silence and singing definitely drew me into a place where I was able to rest before God.

The general session speaker was Doug Fields (on the big screen Matt and I thought he definitely resembled John Elway - anyone else catch that?). He spoke on envy and did a great contrast between our tendency for envy (like the brothers of Joseph) exemplified by the multi-colored coat and the way that God see’s us exemplified by those dressed in white robes in Revelation 3. A helpful and healthy reminder.

The session closed with Crowder. That is almost enough said, but a couple observations. Can anyone grab a crowd quicker than this guy? Crowder is able to move from fun to intense focus on the things of God effortlessly, authentically and immediately. Remedy live is glorious. The band is TIGHT - every time I see them I go away thinking, not only are they unique and presenting great songs… there musicianship is quite good. Final thought - the NFL Fox theme… great encore!

After a quick bite - Chris, Matt and I got the room set up for Chris’ final seminar. A good crowd who I think enjoyed themselves. It was much more of a “presentation.” Good stuff on “Living, Loving and Leading in the Way of Jesus.” The crowd liked “free stuff” (everyone signed up for free goodies to show up in their in-box).

Enough NYWC - I was at my limit. So… Matt and I watched the NFL for far too long. It was great (Chris joined us after some of his final obligations)… we ate, laughed and I reminded everyone that the Bucs had won (31 to 7) down the street at the Georgia Dome!!

Wonderful day.

Later today I head down to Atlanta to begin my time at the National Youth Worker’s Convention. I have been anticipating this time with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (1979):

O God of Peace
Who has taught us that in returning
and rest we shall be saved,
in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength;

Amen.

What has struck me from this wonderful trinitarian prayer are the wonderful words that so often we desire yet are so often missing from our 21st century lives… the words like:

Peace.
Rest.
Quietness.
Confidence.
Strength.
Stillness.
Presence.

So, my prayer for NYWC ‘07 is to make these words part of my autobiography…

Mike King, President and CEO wrote a prayer for the new relationship between YouthFront and SonLife. This is pretty fitting I remember 3 or so years ago as SonLife was undergoing massive change and re-culturing we invited others to pray a prayer of blessing with us as we labored on a new day in our history.

So again, as YouthFront and SonLife join together to be one - will you pray with us?

Lord God, we believe that you have initiated a new path for us to take—one that fills us with not only expectation and wonder but also uncertainty and questions. Lead us by your sure hand and steadfast love. May all that we do in this endeavor bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I am so glad to be seeing this day (two organizations with a great history and that I am very fond of) - as Sonlife and YouthFront announce a merger!! Celebrate - and read the press release below.

Press Release Thursday, September 20, 2007—For Immediate Release

Sonlife Ministries Merging with YouthFront

Sonlife Ministries, Inc. has merged with YouthFront, Inc. effective September 1, 2007 in order to “maximize ministry effectiveness” of the two organizations. Formerly a Chicago-based ministry, Sonlife will relocate to Kansas City. For more than six decades, YouthFront has brought young people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ through camps, campus ministries, mission trips, creative programming, and leadership development. For nearly three decades, Sonlife has provided Christ-centered training for students and adult leaders through training seminars, conferences, and creative resources.

YouthFront President Mike King and Sonlife President Chris Folmsbee share a conviction that “the youth ministry community is pregnant with expectation and desire for fresh and innovative approaches to youth ministry that are both creative and also theologically and ecclesiologically sound,” says King. Folmsbee adds, “We see youth ministry paradigms shifting away from an overemphasis on programmatic/event-oriented and information-focused styles toward a more robust and holistic understanding of Christian formation. The need is greater than ever to guide young people in discovering how to live as Christ in all areas of their lives.”

YouthFront will continue its tradition of developing innovative youth ministry around the world through its commitment to the development of youth ministry philosophy, theology, and practice. Sonlife will continue to move forward as a church-assisting organization serving youth workers by facilitating networks; developing and providing training; offering coaching, consultation, and spiritual direction; and creating resources and programs for youth workers and students. Through the new YouthFront organization, all present Sonlife training and development programs for youth workers will continue, including Enroute, Shaping a Missional Community, Shepherding in a Culture of Change, Refresh, and Leadership of the Heart. All training experiences for students will continue, as well, including Merge, Awake and Reveal.

“This merger seems natural because of the alignment we have, not just between Chris Folmsbee and me, but also between the organizations that we have led,” says Mike King. YouthFront sees Sonlife’s innovation of a new wave of youth worker participation in training and formational experiences. Sonlife sees YouthFront as innovating new ways to do youth ministry and spiritual formation of adolescents. Consequently, merging together will allow each organization to realize greater ministry impact. Folmsbee states, “I am expectant that God is going to do amazing things through our coming together. I believe we will look back a few years from now to identify many things God has done to strengthen the church through the development of youth workers and students.”

For questions regarding this merger or to seek more information about the ministry of YouthFront and Sonlife, please contact Andy Garlich at 800-770-4769 or AGarlich@YouthFront.com

I had never heard of a “digging bar” till my 39th year. No excuses - I guess I never spent a healthy amount of time on the other end of a shovel. I grew up in Florida and digging there after a minute or two and you struck water… so digging deeper was not much of an option. After Florida I spent 6 years as a professional student and then headed to pushing pencils and keyboards behind a desk (and often a tie). Anyway, digging had not been a regular occurrence.

Then I moved to Pennsylvania and acquired a mini farmette (a little less than 7 acres). Up first was putting in 250 feet of water line from the house out to the stable. During that “project” I was provided with my introduction to the digging bar. And now this past weekend I got re-introduced to my favorite tool as we are putting in fence posts for a future pasture. In both of these projects the magic number was 36 - 36 inches deep, to be more precise. In digging a 3 foot hole (or ditch) - a shovel is great for going through the topsoil and the layer of clay or dirt, but then comes the fun (and the point at which the shovel becomes ineffective) the seam of shale or rock.

It is at this phase where the digging bar gets a work out. The chipping and concussion of the digging bar makes “easy” (or easier) work of progressing through the shale and rock to reach the magic depth of 3 feet. It is hard work, but work made easier with a digging bar. It is great to have the right tool for the right job (I know some of you are thinking - have you heard of a post hole digger - but sometimes it is good to do work that makes you sweat and strain with your own hands!).

As I was pounding away at a particularly stubborn seam of shale with my digging bar I began thinking, “This is why we don’t often progress deeper in our spiritual lives.” It is hard work to go deeper. It can be frustrating. It can be “slow-going.” It can just be flat out rough to progress. It may be made even more difficult without the right guidance and without the right “tools.”

We fly through the topsoil, we sweat through the clay and packed dirt and then we just hang up our shovels in frustration and exhaustion when we hit the shale.

Let me introduce you to the digging bar.

A touch of fall this morning in Western PA - waking up to temperatures in the high 40’s. Most youth ministries have ramped up a new season - the fall kickoff has taken place (even though the Autumnal Equinox is still more than a week away). Yet this is that time for new school years, new fiscal years and new seasonal calendars bringing increased activity, more rigorous schedules and new hopes, goals and expectations.

We need to guard against being carried away by the flurry of activity. We need to be wary of becoming focused on all that we are doing. Just as an engine needs a periodic check-up and rest from being run at full RPM’s, and words only make sense with end marks and punctuation - our lives become absurd when they unravel to become merely a flurry of activity. As we “ramp up” the fall season it is important for us to also put time in our calendars for rest, reflection and unhurried time with family, friends and God. It is interesting that Jesus seemed to follow this pattern - a pattern of intense ministry/activity followed by time withdrawn in solitude or pulled away from the crowds with the twelve.

In my own life, I need to take this advice. It is so easy for the calendar to fill up with an abundance of activity and appointments. In the midst of this I need to allow some days to have no ink, and other dates need to be in red saying things like - rest, retreat, and accountability.

Gordon MacDonald suggested in his book Rebuilding Your Broken World that we need to submit ourselves to a spiritual friend and periodically “check the gauges” of our lives by answering some or all of the following questions. It is crucial that we have a spiritual check up and when better than at the beginning or in the midst of the fall season. Let these questions provide a fresh perspective to the activity, priorities and relationships you invest in during this season.

1. How is your relationship with God right now?
2. What have you read in the Bible this past week or month?
3. Where do you find yourself resisting God these days?
4. What specific things are you praying for and who are you praying for?
5. What tasks/projects are you facing right now that you consider incomplete?
6. What habits intimidate you?
7. What are you reading?
8. How are you engaging in play?
9. How are your immediate relationships with family (nuclear and extended)?
10. If a person were to ask the person closest to you about the state of your mind, spirit and energy level, how would they respond?
11. Are you sensing any spiritual attacks from the enemy right now?
12. What is the state of your sexual perspective? Tempted? Fantasies? Entertainment?
13. Where are you financially right now?
14. Are there any unresolved conflicts in your circle of relationships?
15. When was the last time you spent unhurried time with a good friend of your own gender?
16. What kind of time have you spent with someone who is a non-Christian?
17. What challenges do you think you’re going to face in the coming weeks?
18. What would you say are your fears at this time?
19. Are you sleeping well?
20. What are you most thankful for?
21. Do you like yourself at this point in your pilgrimage?
22. What are your greatest confusions about your relationship with God?

Well, there is a lot there. I hope that some of these questions might help us as we check in with ourselves amidst a busy time of year. I hope you will schedule a time with a good friend to be honest about what is happening in and through us. I hope you will follow a pattern of advance and retreat, doing and being, activity and rest.

For years I have been searching for a bible that one could just read. Not another study bible or a bible that featured commentaries, just the black words (no small numerals or arbitrary chapter breaks) on a white page. I really resonate with Brian McLaren’s entry in A is for Abductive entitled, Versus Verses. I never cared for the breaking up of the text in verse thoughts - I understand it helps us get on the “same page” in the midst of the myriad of versions/translations, though. [Don’t even get me started that the publishers prevailed against Eugene Peterson’s wishes on not having verses and chapters as part of The Message.]

Imagine my surprise when I learned that the International Bible Society is releasing a new version of the Bible - with “readers” in mind! This is in my mind - a GREAT and greatly needed resource. An uncluttered version of the scripture with no extras (footnotes, translation notes, etc.), no chapter breaks, no verse markings in the text - merely a translation of the Older and Newer Testament. It is welcome to my eyes. Here is how the IBS is talking about this new resource entitled, The Books of the Bible:

The Books of the Bible project encourages better Bible reading, particularly by emphasizing the reading of whole books. The result is an inviting and clean visual presentation of the Bible, in Today’s New International Version (TNIV), that can be understood and enjoyed more easily. The Books of the Bible differs from the format of most current Bibles in significant ways:

Chapter and verse numbers are removed from the text
(A chapter and verse range is given at the bottom of each page)
Each book’s natural literary breaks are shown instead
There are no notes, cross references, or section headings in the text
Text is presented in one column rather than two or more
Books that have historically been divided into parts are restored
Books are presented in an order that gives readers more help in understanding

I think that this would be an excellent resource to help individuals, teens, and churches to approach the reading of the scriptures in a fresh and helpful way. Those in ministry desire for people to read, know, and live out the story of God and often complain about the lack of results. This resource holds promise for people to be able to approach reading the bible in a new way. As a result of its format and focus on the books, as wholes - it may encourage people to feel less intimidated in picking up the Bible (especially if they are exposed to it first using it in ministry settings - youth groups, small groups, christian education setting, etc.). I hope that many youth ministries will take the time to review the potential of this ministry resource. I look forward to experimenting with this new and fresh “readers bible” personally and in ministry contexts.

I spent some time reading some of the samples from this new resource - I would encourage you to check it out.

I have a dream for the churches that I have known - a dream that one day we will be known as a place not of words, great sermons, expert teaching and wonderful activities (not that this would be a bad reputation) but that we would be known for being a place of quiet, stillness and a place of tranquility.

I think one of the great spiritual needs of our world (anxiety, busyness and stress related sickness I think are symptomatic of this) is the need for quiet, silence, being, and stillness. I think this is true for teens, as well. Our students could wrongly walk away from our churches thinking that God is pleased by noise, busyness, and much activity. That God is found in the big, the event, the extravaganza and the emotional response. Of course (as well as being a bit overstated) we know this isn’t true.

So I have a dream that we would recover the muscle to reinstate periods of stillness, silence, and quiet into our church gatherings.

Why? (that is a fair question) - consider and think on these quotes extolling what others have found in the practice of silence:

Anonymous:
“Do not speak unless you can improve the silence.”

Catherine Doherty:
“True silence is sometimes the absence of speech–but it is always the act of listening.” (from Poustinia)

“Before you can find peace outside yourself, you must have silence and quiet in your heart and in your mind.” (from Welcome Pilgrim)

Henri Nouwen:
“It is a good discipline to wonder in each new situation if people wouldn’t be better served by our silence than by our words.”

John Michael Talbot:
“As long as the pond is agitated, it remains unclear. Only through stillness does the water begin to clarify so that you can actually see what is in the pond, and so that the waters of the pond are able to reflect an image. Our spiritual life is like a pond. Anxiousness about worldly things and possessions stirs the waters of our soul, making it impossible for us to see the reality of what we are actually made of on the spiritual level, or to really reflect the Divine Image as we were created to do…. We must still our environment, with its many possessions and cares, before we can really be reborn to a whole new way of life.” (from Come to the Quiet)

Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta:
“We cannot find God in noise or agitation. Nature, trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence.”

It seems as I look around this world we call home… that often what motivates action is fear, guilt, or vengeance - or some combination thereof. I know that is pretty cynical. But it seems that from congress to the school house too often (how about that) we hear underlying building programs and new initiatives this motivation mix of fear (someone is going to out do us), guilt (it has been a long time coming), or vengeance (never again!).

I know that few things happen from pure motives (meaning only one motive) - it is most often a mix of motivations - but it has me thinking, what motivates youth ministry in my church?

Is it guilt? Are we attempting to make up for some past failures by providing “the best” for the next generation?
Is it fear? Are we trying to provide an alternative to the world in order to protect our children?
Is it vengeance? Are we trying to prove something to someone?

What are the motivations that move us or our church into ministry with teens? I am sure it is a mixture of all kinds of inner forces. Though, I am coming to learn and be convinced of this - if love is not a growing factor amidst those other competing factors, it’s not worth much.

God, may a holy love infuse our desires and motivations as we minister to others. May the love which moved Jesus from heaven to earth be the mark of your bride. May love rain on your church and be the fragrance she is known for. On earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

This July is the first time in at least 15 years that I have not traveled on a ministry trip. It has been nice to be home as peppers and tomatoes ripen in the garden and to stop for ice cream with the family. It has been odd, as well. For the past ten years I had spent at least one week at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore with Merge. It had been a time to catch up with friends and colleagues and to watch God at work in my life and the life of teens. I really miss the late night conversations, the laughter, the stories, facing challenges together, solving problems and celebrating victories (small and significant).

I was talking with a close friend yesterday. We were reminiscing and dreaming toward the future. He mentioned something that I have been considering. It was a great question. During the summer in youth ministry many of us find ourselves as spectators for part of our experience. We often find ourselves at camps, conferences and the like going through ministry experiences with our teens (while others lead the larger experience). We can often put on our “evaluation hat” as other adults present or speak or facilitate ministry among us.

How do we know when we come across those issues that we don’t like or that we would handle differently whether it is the result of a personal preference or a deep seated conviction?

– does it matter?
– do we discuss it with others?
– is the Bible the final arbitrator?
– is there a gut feeling? intuitive sense?

Love to hear of your experiences and how you wrestled or are wrestling with your inner critic this summer.