Crazy Summer

Wow, two months since my last post. Wanna know why? This has been the craziest summer on record--big highs and some major lows:

- Our church got an intern. Finally, someone who's in their 20's and single on the OBX! Christa, you rock!
- I helped out with my home church's mission week, Highland Service Project. I got to serve with people who were youth when I was their youth leader. There's nothing cooler than that!
- My cousin, Jonathan, was killed in a car accident that week.
- Christa and I rescued three girls from Kyrgyzstan from an abysmal living and working condition here on the OBX. Nothing like social justice in action! We were able to find them places to stay (though two ended up returning home), and we found the other one two jobs for the remainder of the summer (I work with a ministry, Pathways International, who reaches out to the 2800 international college students who come to the OBX every summer). The girls are Muslims, but we were able to share the gospel with them. My hope is that they will soon accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Turns out that the girls live in the same town as my missionary friend, Kathy, so, she is trying to stay in touch with them when they return home! It's crazy how God brings people together.
- I went back to Raleigh for another mission week with three of my youth.
- I was the recreation leader for VBS.
- I got drop kicked by a 4 year old (actually, that's become a bi-weekly ritual with my buddy, Cooper).
- God reminded me that I am called to resurrection ministry. Sometimes churches can feel spiritually dead, but God has begun to raise mine to life. God's promise, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 11:19)
- 10 churches on the OBX came together for a local mission week called Impact Outer Banks. It was AWESOME! Now, we have 80 youth on fire for Jesus in our community, and they are pumped up about going back to school and impacting their campuses. The Christian youth on the OBX are beginning to be known for how they love and serve!
- My youth group is experiencing revival. We led the worship service last week, and our congregation was amazed at their spiritual maturity. We've come a long way in the last 2 years.
- A few of my key adult youth ministry leaders stepped down. :( We're struggling to find adult leadership.
- We are thinking about moving our youth group to the local youth recreation center on Sunday nights, but we still have to get it approved since they usually don't let churches use county buildings. On the bright side, our youth want to start meeting every week instead of every other week. That's HUGE!
- My young adult small group has decided to go retro and take on the Wesleyan model for small groups. That's right, we'll be using the 21 Holy Club accountability questions to guide our discussion. And . . . we've decided we want to meet weekly instead of bi-weekly!
- I got a new roommate, Amber, a few weeks ago. She's called to youth ministry, too, but she is still waiting to find out if she will get a job at one of our local churches. Again . . . hooray for single, 20 somethings on the OBX!
- I'm training for a 50 mile bike ride on September 13th.

Father's Day Stats

Here are some statistics my pastor shared with our congregation this morning in light of Father's Day (obtained from the National Organization of the United Methodist Men):

• Percentage of youth actively involved in their church's youth ministry remaining Christians in adulthood: 17%
• Percentage of youth whose mothers bring them to church who will remain Christians in adulthood: 35%
• Percentage of youth whose fathers bring them to church who will remain Christians in adulthood: 93%

Sobering statistic for those of us in youth ministry, and a strong call for men to fulfill their roles as the primary disciple-makers in their families . . . It makes me wonder if youth ministries should spend more time ministering to and equipping fathers to do what God has called them to do than planning youth programming.

To all the fathers who faithfully raise their children in the Christian faith . . . Happy Father's Day, and thank you!

Smokey Is Wrong: NC Wildfires

Eastern North Carolina has been fighting wildfires since a lightning strike last Sunday evening (June 1). Smokey, you say, "Only you can prevent forest fires." I'm not sure we could have prevented this one. Since it has not rained since June 1st, firefighters are having a tough time containing the flames. The fires have spread to 56 square miles (about 36,000 acres).

Though the fires are a county away, we are experiencing our own effects on the OBX. My house smells like smoke. My throat and eyes start burning when I go outside (it didn't help that I rode my bike in the smoke last night). There's a hovering smoke haze over the island. The picture below is from my back yard just before dusk.

Apparently, the local hospital is having a hard time filtering the smoke out of its ventilation system. Can you imagine what it's like for people who have lung and breathing problems? It must be pretty rough for those who actually live in Tyrrell, Washington, and Hyde counties.

It's windy here, and the ground soil in this areas is filled with flame-accelarant peat. Without significant rainfall (little rain is forecasted for the next 10 days), the fires could continue to spread and not be contained for up to two months.

Student Devo Website

A few youth pastor friends of mine and I have started a daily devotional website, www.studentdevo.com, for youth in 6th-12th grades. We take turns writing the devotions. Each day, we look at a different chapter of the Bible. For June, we'll be in the book of Matthew. It was a challenge to write a blog entry on an entire chapter, but it was fun. Our hope is that students will use this site to grow daily with the Lord. We also want to help students develop other spiritual disciplines, so we will soon be adding links and articles about prayer, Scripture memorization, tithing, etc.

Feel free to share this site with youth in your church. We want youth to not only read but also to comment on our devotions and share their stories with one another. I'm excited about this new resource for our kids!

Top 10 OBX Signs of Summer

10. The arrival of 2800 international student workers

9. The average speed on roads is 5 MPH below the speed limit.

8. License plates from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and Kentucky (I even saw Alaska last week . . . must be a rental)

7. Lifeguards in the stands on the beach

6. Low flying airplanes with trailing banners

5. The haze that hovers over the ocean

4. Drivers slaming on their brakes to check out a store or tourist trap

3. People riding their bikes on the left side of the road without a helmet

2. Lines at the seafood buffets

1. Awesome worship services! (people who go to church while they are on vacation have an amazing relationship with the Lord)

Jesus: The Next American Idol?

OK, I admit it. I'm a closet American Idol fan. I love watching the singers mature through the competition and seeing certain contestants shine. (For the record, I'm pulling for David Archuleta. Something about his amazing talent, his unassuming personality, and his young age draw me in. Maybe it's a youth pastor thing.)

I've noticed in the past few weeks that several of the artists have chosen to sing songs reflecting faith in Christ. Even guest performers sang Christian tunes -- Dolly Parton sang "Jesus and Gravity", and that other band (sorry can't remember their name) sang "This Little Light of Mine". I'm not sure about the quality of the theology in the lyrics, but Jesus seems to be getting a lot of air time on American Idol.

For me, the most shocking performance thus far was the finale for Idol Gives Back. The final 9 contestants sang, "Shout to the Lord". That's right, give a shout out to Darlene Zschech! However, I was a little concerned that they began the song with the lyrics, "My Shepherd, my Savior" instead of "My Jesus, my Savior". Were they trying to sterilize the song for primetime? Is Jesus too much for the Idol audience to handle? It turns out they did a reprise of the song Thursday night and sang the actual lyrics. Way to go, whoever did that.

So, what does Jesus think about being the next American Idol? I can't decide if I'm happy that people are being open about their faith, or if American Idol is trying to corner the Christian audience for their votes. Or maybe they are targeting our money to support the humanitarian efforts of Idol Gives Back. I guess it's good that people are using their influence for the Lord. At the same time, I'm not sure Jesus was a big fan of the stage or being the center of attention. He was about the small things, the poor and the meek, the cross. Perhaps, this is the kingdom secretly slipping into the entertainment industry. I'm not sure what to think.

Better Than Life

I've been reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne recently. The book has rocked me to the core and made me rethink just who it is I have committed my life to. Shane has challenged me as I consider Jesus' call to be in solidarity with the poor, seek peace, do justice, and love others. We've sterilized the gospel in the American church, and we've made Jesus to be as cuddly as a stuffed animal. I'm guilty, and I'm trying to figure out what the 180-degree turn of repentance looks like here. Shane shares an incredible quote from his professor about life in Christ (promise that you'll read it out loud, dramatically!):

"All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe."

I'm tired of tiptoeing. I'm ready for the big dance (and I'm not talking about the Final Four . . . we already saw how that turned out for the Tar Heels). One of my youth shared a song with us on Sunday night that has reminded me that this dance with Jesus should be extraordinary. Enjoy the words below, and download the song if you get the chance!

"Better Than Life", Hillsong United
Better than the riches of this world
Better than the sound of my friends' voices
Better than the biggest dreams of my heart, and that's just the start
Better than getting what I say I need
Better than living the life that I want to
Better than the love anyone could give, Your love is!

You hold me now in your arms
and never let me go!

You, O Lord, make the sunshine
and the moonlight, in the night sky
You give me breath and all Your love
I give my heart to You because
I can't stop falling in love with You
I'LL NEVER STOP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU!

O Happy Day!

I'm ecstatic!
I'm elated!
I'm overjoyed!

What is the source of my joy?

I just paid off my student loan! That's right . . . I'm debt free!

Woohoo!