Whew.

What a weekend.

Overview:

The National Youth Ministry Conference in Columbus was incredible.  Low-level, in the trenches, personal, not pretentious, not full of itself.  The people who spoke seemed like they they knew ministry, not ministry theory, ministry practical.  All of the tracks were great, and my Affinity Group was a great way to connect.  I have come to the conclusion the our ministry is just getting started.  I was humbled in a large way in the "Helping Hurting Kids" track.  I am scared, nervous and excited because of what is happening and what has happened and what will happen in the future.  God is good.

Both concerts, Caedmon's Call and Derek Webb were great, as were the q&a sessions afterward.  We got home Monday evening, about 9pm-ish.  And, I got to go to OSU Stadium...I mean I got to go IN OSU Stadium. 

Song:    How Great Thou Art

    Doug Fields
•    The purposes of the couches
•    We are like the 4 men bringing the paralytic man to Jesus: we get to dig through the roof and then get a front row seat to see what Jesus does

Songs:    Everlasting God-Tomlin
        I Lift My Eyes
        We are the Grateful

    Alex/Brett Harris
  Remember, your students can…
    Understand big things about God
         Our kids are not stupid
         Do we have the faith to believe that God can do big things?
    Accomplish big things for God
         What are the expectations that we set for our kids?

Songs:    Great is Thy Faithfulness
        Everlasting God

Personal Reflection:
    Is our giving from abundance or love?
    After a message, ask:
        What did you hear?
        What did God say?
        What is God reminding you about?
    What about the poverty in me?

From Wikipedia:

"Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3-6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (vv. 5-6, KJV) Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible, including, Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13, and Hebrews 9:13.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned."

I think that the use of Palm Sunday branches is fascinating.  The people welcomed Jesus using these branches just a few days before calling for his death.  Burning them, and then marking yourself with their ashes as a symbol of repentance.

Lent is marked by three main things in the life of the believer: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

"I repent of my pursuit of America's dream
I repent of living like i deserve anything
my house, my fence, my kids, and my wife
in our suburb where we're safe and white
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent of parading my liberty
I repent of paying for what I get for free
the way I believe that I am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent judging by a law that even I can't keep
wearing righteousness like a disguise to see through
the planks in my own eyes

I repent of trading truth for false unity
I repent of confusing peace and idolatry
of caring more of what they think than what I know of what they need
and domesticating You until You look just like me
I am wrong and of these things I repent"

I Repent-Derek Webb

The weekend was relaxing. Saturday, John and I did some work in our downstairs bathroom; we added ceiling tiles due to some peeling paint issues. We had a great family night out Saturday night, we went out to eat, then went home to watch a ridiculous Tim Hawkins comedy DVD. Sunday was the usual, church, meeting, home, d-group, home, and then sleep.

Our ministry team meeting went well yesterday. I am blessed to be surrounded by caring adults. God is using them in some amazing ways, and Iget to be a part of their lives.

I went to the doctor this morning. I've been having some lower back pain that's been radiating down into my left leg. The doctor believes that I have a pinched sciatic nerve. Oh the joy.

At the end of the week, Thursday to be exact, I'll be heading to Columbus Ohio with Samantha, Hannah and Bryant for the National Youth Ministry Conference. I'm excited to go, and to be honest, I could use the break. I'm looking forward to hear all sorts of things that will challenge and encourage me in our ministry here at Eastview.

I'll point you over here to stream the new U2 album, No Line on The Horizon. I'm looking forward to March 3 in a big way.

I've been reading the book of Ecclesiastes over the past few weeks (done with 7 today!), not only for my devotion time, but also in preparation for our upcoming youth group series on the book in April and May. I've enjoyed it.

Ash Wednesday is right around the corner (on Wednesday, no less), which means Lent starts. Hmmm....

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed a few more people than normal viewing my blog...which is cool. But...for those of you who are new, I do indeed have a disclaimer to the right and down the page a bit. It reads:

I post what I want. My assertions, comments, complaints, observations and reflections are just that...mine. There is no approval process for these to be posted by an employer.

Here's the translation...don't attribute my thoughts, feelings, music preferences, postings, etc to the church where I am employed. If you do not like what I say, then by all means enter into the mart of commerce, create your own blog, and spout off.

----Back to your regularly scheduled programming----


Working for the Weekend:

Saturday: hung out with my mom for part of the afternoon. We bought a powered antenna for the big DTV switch. I know, it's been put off until June ("June"-ol), but many of the Cedar Rapids channels are switching today anyway. That night, Anne and I went to the Valentine's banquet at church, good food, good friends...it was a nice time.

Sunday: Church, family time with Anne's sister and family, then off to Lincoln Christian College and Seminary for a campus visitation. we left at 2pm, and stopped at Monical's Pizza in Peoria for dinner. We got to Lincoln about 6:30-ish, and hung out in the Warehouse for a while. We had a ridiculous time. One of my ex-students came, and we played pool for a while in the boy's dorm, then went to Steak and Shake for a late night food run and milk shakes. In bed by midnight-ish.

Monday: Up early and at the Warehouse for morning devotions, and I hung out with Nickie and Samantha for a while. Someone put a chair on a table, climbed on it and got a Jimmy john's magnet down off of the HVAC vents. I cannot remember who this was. Panera bagels for breakfast, campus tour, lunch, attended a class, then listened to Brian Mills (VP of Student Affairs or Development) speak. He spoke at our high school week of camp last year. He's a good guy. We left by 4pm, and did the iPod hand off move for music on the way home. We stopped at Galesburg (Carl Sandburg!) at Hardee's where we "just warshed it". Got home last night about 8:20-ish. Had a quiet family night watching CSI:Miami.

What else is new?

Prepping for the National Youth Ministry Conference next week in Columbus Ohio. Leaving early next Thursday, the conference is Friday-Monday AM, and then return Monday night, late.

Going to Lincoln REALLY makes me think about Grad school. I am intrigued by teaching.

I'm up to date on LOST and 24. While at chemo the last 2 weeks, I've been watching "Lie to Me".

Over the past 2 Friday nights, I watched Clint Eastwood's "Iwo Jima" movies: Letters From Iwo Jima and Flag of Our Fathers. Someone once said that the best war movies are "anti-war", and in this case, the saying is true.

Over at Jake Bouma's, he wrote, "The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for me. I’ve had the biggest “pastoral care” issues with parents/students that I’ve dealt with up to this point in my (admittedly short) youth ministry career, and it’s been scary, humbling, draining, while at the same time, beautiful, life-giving, and affirming. And through it all, God has been speaking to me in profound ways (which is something I have said with any confidence very few times)." in his Ministry Update section. I can relate 100% to these thoughts. In my 3+ years of being at Eastview, I have never felt more challenged, exhausted, encouraged and frustrated.

I ordered carpet for my car last week. It's supposed to be here tomorrow. I'm kind of excited about it.

My wife has fewer chemo treatments ahead of her than behind her. It's weird to think about. This thing, this cancer that has been in our lives since September, will soon no longer be a driver in our lives. No more weekly chemo treatments. It will be done. The sad thing about this whole experience is that it has truly been an awesome thing for us, relationally speaking. We have grown closer to one another, and once it's no longer there, it will be weird.

I am done here.