One of the 25 Random explained

Every time I walk toward the entrance to NorthWood High School, a spiritual battle takes place inside me.
A couple of you expressed intrigue over the above statement in my 25 Random Things post. Here's a little further explanation...

I'm not one that is looking for or finding a demon behind every rock. At the same time, I firmly believe there is a war at place that is not seen with the physical eye.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

For the past 10-13 years, I have made countless visits to the NorthWood High School building for school lunches, appointments, sporting events, musicals, concerts, etc. Many times while driving down SR 19 and pulling up to the entrance, a pit forms in my stomach and the thought to just keep driving crosses my mind.
Every time, as I walk from my car to the main entrance, my insides are a jumbled, nervous wreck. Often, thoughts like, "You're a loser/a fake/ a terrible youth pastor" run through my mind.
It runs a little deeper than emotions, and I've come to the conclusion that the courtyard area is a place of battle for me.

I see three significant factors that play a role in this.

Purpose - Almost every time, I'm heading into the school with Kingdom purpose in mind. I'm there to connect with and encourage students, or to meet with someone to talk Christ-focused issues in an area where that can be somewhat controversial. I'm also going onto the turf of students to interact with them. This is the place where their faith is being tested and put into action. It is where true growth takes place for them. It only makes sense that an enemy to these things happening would do anything possible to mess things up.
So does this internal battle take place at other schools (Wawasee, Fairfield, Bremen, Goshen, etc.)? It does, but not in the consistency and intensity I experience heading into NorthWood. That's why I think the next two factors are key.

Past - NorthWood is my High School. I graduated in 1995. The years there from 1991-1995 are filled with a lot of great memories, yet I was not following Christ in those years. Some of my biggest regrets took place inside the walls of that school. If they didn't take place inside the walls, the seeds of those regrets were either planted or watered there.
I, in a sense, find myself facing those "demons of the past" as I'm walking to the doors of the school. I think when you take my purpose in coming and mix it with my past, you find the third key element.

It's Personal - I want students grasp on and pursue all that God has for them. As I'm walking into that school, I'm coming face to face with an opportunity to encourage, push and challenge students toward an opportunity I missed out on during my high school days.
I take that personally. It's tempting to believe I need to try to earn points for my past by what I'm doing, and I have to denounce that mentality as I walk. I'm simply there to serve God where he's called me, and it's an awesome opportunity to do this in a place where I did not take advantage of that calling at a previous point in my life.

So, that's the battle. It's a positive battle. It reminds me that there's more at stake than just pushing for raising "good kids". I was a "good kid". I missed God in the midst of it, and those trips to my old High School can serve as great reminders that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

Disclaimer: By no means do I believe NW High School to be evil grounds, nor do I believe the administration is responsible for any of the experiences outlined above. There are some incredible men and women of God that are a part of the Wa-Nee school system. My dad taught there for 87 years.

25 Random Things

This thing has been going around on Facebook like crazy, and I've been "tagged" about 20 times. I'm supposed to post 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about myself. I'm also supposed to tag 25 people to do the same. I'll post the 25, but no tagging for me. I think most anybody I'd be interested in hearing from has been tagged.

1. When I transitioned to doing High School ministry in 1999, I did so with much hesitation. I had every intention and desire to be a Junior High Pastor.
2. I have no allergies.
3. I was in a rock band in High School... Cellophane Dream. Lead singer. We played 2 shows. 1 was aesome. We wrote a few songs, and actually recorded one at Mike's (guitar) dad's recording studio.
4. I have a terrible immune system. I get sick a lot. When I get the flu, it takes me about twice the time to recover.
5. I played 4 years of tennis in High School. In those four years, I played in one varsity match.
6. I was in 4H for 4 years... Swine (all 4 years) & Beef (2 years).
7. I have a fascination with professional wrestling. In 1998, I went to Fort Wayne with several guys for a live taping of WCW Monday Nitro. Diamond Dallas Page came up right beside us. We slapped his back and got on TV.
8. My first road kill was a horse.
9. Thanks to Terry Linhart, I had lunch with Rob Bell (author and Pastor of Mars Hill church in Michigan). TGIFridays in Mishawaka. I believe he had garlic chicken. I can't remember what I had.
   
10. The begining of Summer between my Freshman and Sophomore year, I wrecked my Honda Spree scooter on the way to Driver's Ed. I had a severe concussion and blod clot in my head. I was in ICU for a week, and couldn't do any physical activity (running, jumping, heavy lifting) for the rest of the Summer.
11. Multiple Summers with 2 trips to Kings Island and/or Cedar Point has kind of burned me out on Roller Coasters.
12. This is the first Summer since 1997 I won't be on an IMPACT (Youth Missions) or GO (SEMP, NYGO, etc.).
13. I am tentatively committed to speak for Senior High CDYC (Missionary Church Central District's Youth Conference) in June 2010.
14. People often ask when/if I am going to become a Senior Pastor. I have no desire or intention to do so.
15. I want to write and publish a book.
16. I don't have a Master's degree. I have 3 graduate credits.
17. My wife sang for me at our wedding. It was meant to be a surprise, but I figured it out a couple weeks before. It was still very cool.
18. Janelle and I have a tradition... every time we see a limosuine, one of us will say, "Whoa, it must be Burt Reynolds or somebody." (Can you name that movie?)
19. When I can't sleep, I play the alphabet game. I take a category (movies, NFL athletes, Lord of the Rings characters, etc.) and I go through A-Z naming those in that category. I rarely make it through the entire alphabet.
20. I met a girl (at Cornerstone Music Festival) who dated Prince.
21. I operate best on 10 hours of sleep.
22. Every time I walk toward the entrance to NorthWood High School, a spiritual battle takes place inside me.
23. When I was in Jr High, I traded away what is probably equal to $1,500 worth of Football cards for a single Baseball card worth $30.
24. I've been Skydiving once.
25. I really don't like cell phones. I have one more out of neccessity than desire.
    

5 Questions/ 5 Answers

QUESTION #1: Its the end of the world. Zombies have overrun the Earth. You can take ten real life individuals to protect you, Janelle, and Katylynn. Who do you pick?
Answer: Real life makes this tough, I can think of many fictional characters. I'll stick to people who are currently alive as well.

1. Dog the Bounty Hunter
2. Man v. Wild dude (whatever his name is)
3. The U.S. army's best sniper (whoever that is)
4. The Israeli army's best sniper (whoever that is)
5. The World's best Halo player
6. The Wold's second best Halo player (gives me a good surrounding of shooters)
   
7. Albert Pujols (He can swing a bat real hard)
8. Wil Farrel (comic relief... you gotta laugh when Zombie's are around)
9. Benny Hinn (Maybe he could heal them)
10. Ray Lewis (He's just one tough dude)

Question #2 - What's the hardest lesson you've had to learn in ministry?
Answer - (still learning) There will be critics, naysayers, and enemies... The more you do right, the more there will likely be who come out against you. Who I am here to please though?

Question #3 - what's the funniest thing you've ever seen a student do in your youth ministry days? yes, you must choose ONE moment.
Answer - On a bus in the middle of Lima, Peru (2005). Our IMPACT team had just returned from the jungle area, and Austin Gerber was singing a song from the Little Mermaid at the top of his lungs to Kory Lantz. He messed up the lyrics. I lost it... couldn't stop laughing for about 5 minutes. Any time I try to retell the story, it's not funny. But in the moment, HI-LAR-EE-US!

Question #4 - In your humble opinion did Sammy Sosa use steriods?
Answer - Totally opinion. As I watched him pretend like he couldn't understand English at that congressional hearing, I lost a lot of hope that he was a clean player. He clearly corked his bat later in his career. No idea if he was doing that during The legendary '98 season. Short answer, I think he did.

Question #5 - Do you think you will adopt again?
Answer - We haven't given up hope or belief that we will still have a biological child some day. At the same time, we've learned to trust God for the guidance. We would love to adopt again, possibly international.

Thanks for asking!

Who will be #1000?

I have frequent contact and deep relationship with all 999 of my facebook friends. I don't know if I can take another one. (please read the previous two sentences with the highest level of sarcasm your brain can muster)

Excerpts - An Ongoing Blog Series

I retraced the tough but remarkable journey to Katylynn entering our life this past Sunday morning when I shared in NMC's services. I mentioned a book that I was reading and had a huge impact on me during the journey of understanding the "why" behind 6 1/2 years of hoping and praying for a baby, but seeing no answers to our prayer. That book was GOD ON MUTE by Pete Grieg.

The following excerpt was monumental in rebooting my heart, mind, and soul on who God is and one of the more significant roles prayer plays in my life.

God's great aim has been, and will forever be, relationship with us. Sometimes, He may deprive us of something in order to draw us to Someone. And when we reciprocate - when we decide that we want Him more than we want His stuff - the most amazing thing happens. We are rewired and our requests are either altered as we grow to know and to prefer what he wants for us, or they are simply answered because, in seeking first the kingdom of God, "all these things" are given to us as well (Matt 6:33).
Some prayers aren't answered because God Himself is a greater answer than the thing we are asking for and He wants to use our sense of need to draw us into a deeper relationship with Himself.

Youtubesday - A little yo yo fun

We showed this last Wednesday at the beginning of the night. This Kid is amaz-azing.

Youtubesday - Rwanda

Here's Joseph Karasanyi. I've put this up before, but I deeply believe in what is going to be happening in Rwanda this June. I also love what our students our doing with Rwanda Night.

Questions

The other two times I did this, it was called 10 questions. Once I got 10 questions in the comment section, I answered. This time around, you ask 'em, and I'll take whatever is there (3, 6, 10, 50) Wednesday morning and give my response.

Just a couple rules to be observed:
1. One question per comment.
2. One comment per reader.

Do You Know Ralph Wiggum

I barely passed.

Ralph Wiggum: The Quiz



Score: 60% (9 out of 15)

Link love to neatorama, a sight that has quickly become a favorite stop of mine.

Poll Results: Week 14

WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE:

No sense of Taste?	15 (31%)
No sense of Smell?	32 (68%)

Votes: 47


SUPER BOWL SUNDAY:

Should be a holiday	11 (22%)
I'll watch the game	26 (52%)
At the party, not watching	6 (12%)
Just another day	7 (14%)

Votes: 50

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION TUESDAY:

Glued to the set	10 (18%)
Attention, but not locked in	29 (54%)
Nope, other things happening	13 (24%)
There's a new president?	1 (1%)

Votes: 53

Perspective

I'm typing this in the back of the Gym as our 11th and 12th grade Small groups are watching Hotel Rwanda. At the close of the movie, they will be breaking down into their groups to respond to what they've seen as well as take time to brainstorm and consider how they are going to get involved with Rwanda Night.

Just watched the most significant quote in the movie. "Once people see the footage, surely there will be help!" exclaims Paul (Don Cheadle) after Jack the journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) shoots video of women and children being killed. Jack responds, "I think if people see this footage, they'll say, 'Oh my god, how horrible,' and they'll go on eating their dinners."

It's been a very crazy week including a trip to Indy, preaching two messages, a couple of key meetings, a crisis counseling session. As I watch this movie, I'm hit with a big dose of "perspective". How did we sit by and do nothing? How do we continue to sit by and do nothing? More importantly, how do I sit by and do nothing. I'm excited to say, our students (and I) have a clear path and opportunity to do something that can be beneficial now and for generations to come in the country of Rwanda.

A-Z: Movies

A more or less stream of conscious list of 26 movies I would recommend A-Z...

A - August Rush. Allow reality to be suspended for a moment and get lost in the music and the story.
B - BIG. Watching it at age 30 spoke to me in a much deeper manner than it did at age 12. The irony at age 12 was that I was ticked he decided to be young again. At age 30, it was a great ending!
C - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Vintage Depp. Funny, strange, and imaginatively entertaining.
D - Dead Poets Society. I think it was the first movie to ever move me to tears. Absolutely amazing performance by Robin Williams.
E - Elf. Read what I said with the movie above.
F - Fellowship of the Ring. My favorite of the three Lord of the Rings Movies. Now that I've thrown this on the list, know that I recommend The Two Towers and Return of the King as well. If you are somehow not human and haven't seen these movies, lock yourself in a room, get the extended versions, and go crazy.
G - Gross Pointe Blank. Big fan of John Cusack. Again, this appeals to my dark humor side.

H - Hotel Rwanda. There are movies that are great because they are wildly entertaining, then there are movies that are great because of the profound and/or powerful message they bring to the screen. This movie is not fun to watch, but it is absolutely worth watching.

I - In the Name of the Father. 90s Daniel Day-Lewis drama. If you haven't seen it, it's an intriguing look into recent Irish history.
J - John Q. Denzel being Denzel. It creates some pretty tough
K - King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters. A Documentary on the world of competitive gaming and classic arcade world records.
L - Last of the Mohicans. Daniel Day-Lewis makes his second appearance. Intense, passionate and I love movies from colonial times.
M - Meet the Parents. The sequel really stunk. But the original is funny... painfully funny.
N - Napolean Dynamite. I didn't laugh much the first time I watched it. When it was done, I said out oud, "That was really funny." The second time I watched it, I was rolling. One of the best endings to a movie.
O - The Outsiders. Tons of stars before they were stars (Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, etc.) A great story on
P - The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith is excellent. Great story of hope. His son is pretty fantastic too.
Q - Quantum of Solace. I actually haven't seen it yet, but I can't think of a single movie I could recommend that starts with Q.
R - Raiders of the Lost Ark. The original Indiana Jones. The best Indiana Jones. I think it's the first movie I watched on our new VCR.
S - Saving Private Ryan. I toss up this movie and The Lord Of the Rings Trilogy as my top movie of all time. Not an easy movie to watch, but an incredibly profound movie with a historical perspective that makes me greatly appreciate my grandfather's generation.
T - The Truman Show. I think it's Jim Carey's best movie. If you saw it when it cam out, watch it again realizing it was released before the entrance of network reality shows, it's a little freaky.
U - U2 3D. Simply the band in concert. Not sure how this works on the small screen, but it was great on the big screen.
V - Victory. Stallone and Pele? Good old prison sports movie.
W - What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Depp and DiCaprio before they were both big time.
X - X2: X Men United. X doesn't have a ton of movies to choose from. So I'll go with this one... my personal favorite of the 3.
Y - Young Guns 2. Liked it better than the first one. Maybe because I loved the soundtrack Jon Bon Jovi did with it.
Z - Zoolander. Not great. But Z is a tough letter.

Rwanda Night - Awareness and Program

Just met this afternoon with our team in charge of Awareness and the actual program for Rwanda Night. These guys have an excellent strategy in place for the next three weeks leading into the night as they seek to make sure every 5th-12th has a grasp on the country of Rwanda, the Exodus conference, and how they can get involved.

The also have a plan for the actual night to make it the most effective event like this yet!

I'm proud of them for the level of excitement and ownership they've taken, as well as the level of passion they have to make the purpose of the night the priority. It was cool to hear them say multiple times, "That would be really cool to do, but I'm afraid it may distract us from the ultimate goal of the night."

It's shaping up for a night where all involved will be able to say, we are partnering with an effort that is much bigger than ourselves.

Sunday Preview

I feel "PREPARED" for Sunday Morning. I'm asking God to give me his "PERSPECTIVE" on what he wants to accomplish. We're picking apart Joshua 3:5.

I forgot to mention in my post below that we will be using Poll Everywhere as a part of the service Sunday Morning.

Poll Everywhere

I mentioned in a previous post that we are using Poll Everywhere as a part of our current Wednesday Night series "You Fill in the ________________." It is basically an online service that allows you get audience response through text message response to polls and/or questions.

For example, Wednesday Night, our topic was "Entertainment". We ran 2 different polls on the night where students could respond...

We were able to put the polls on the screen and students could watch live as the votes came in.

The other way you can use Poll Everywhere is to have people text in their Responses.




We also used this feature so students could submit questions concerning the topic through the night. At the close of the night, we took time to answer some of the following questions that were submitted...


There are varying plans you can get, but at a certain level, you are able to moderate your responses before they show up on the screen.


Here's why I love it:

1. It's interactive - It helps move the audience from observer to participant.
2. It's user friendly - The expense is low. The voting device is already in the audience members hand. The online setup is very easy.
3. It allows for feedback - It was awesome watching how students responded knowing that we were going to be answering their questions at the end.
4. It take an enemy to our program and makes it a friend - Cell phones are very annoying on Wednesday Nights. Having them ring in the middle of worship, students texting, listening to music on them, etc. This allows us to take the distracting object and use it to our advantage. Some might say that it will only make students more tempted to use their phones for other purposes. Well, I take that as a challenge to make the night so stinkin' interesting that they don't want to text their friends.

Thanks to Seth Bartlette for discovering this and using it at 3DYC this year.
As I said, there are varying levels of plans you can get, from a free setup that allows for up to 30 responses per poll to a $1,400 a month plan that allows for 20,000 responses per poll and 50 account users.

Three About Me

Cool idea Steve. I'm ripping it off.

Three jobs I have had in my life: Lifegaurd at Nappanee Public "pee" pool (that's what we called it), Gym Monitor at Bethel College, Delivery boy of "The Paper" for downtown Wakarusa.
Three movies I would watch over and over: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Italian Job, Dumb and Dumber
Three shows that I watch: LOST, Chuck, Around the Horn.
Three places I have been: Jerusalem, Amazon Jungle, Etna Green.
Three of my favorite foods: Spaghetti, Steak, Ice Cream
Three places I'd rather be right now: Disney World, In a Hot Tub, In bed.
Three friends I think will respond by posting this on their blog: None
Three things I am looking forward to this year: Summer Camp, Anniversary trip with my wife, that thing that I don't know about right now that will likely end up being a huge highlight.
Three jobs I would love to have: Professional Travler, Disney Imagineer, the one I have right now.

LOST

The premiere last night had me totally lost... time jumping, lots of lies, hot-pocket throwing, dead characters reappearing...
but that's exactly where I would hope to be at the start of a new season. It's back, and I wasn't disappointed. It's still the best T.V. out there.

A little Freaky...

I think my computer may be alive.
Try this little game out, and see if you can figure out how it's done.

Click here and play.
(link love to Greg Despres)

A few moments that struck me Today...

While Tom Brokaw was sharing observations this morning, he commented on the several African American leaders he saw being wheeled into place on his wheelchair. He said, "I'm reminded of the old spiritual 'Nobody Knows the Trouble...'" Brokaw trailed off, because he was drawn to tears.

As the president-elect's motorcade pulled from the church and was driving to the White House for Coffee, one of the political historians commented about how every inauguration they are struck with the peaceful transfer of power that is taking place. It gave me pause, and I was reminded that I live one of the few countries where this is very true.

Rick Warren's prayer (see post below).

At one point, the Obama family was standing in front of the crowd, and the youngest Obama daughter was picked up on the microphone saying, "Look at all the people!"

All the people.

I witnessed something extremely significant in American and world history today.

Rick Warren's Inaguration Prayer

Rwanda Night - The Website

Much like Maasai Night and Kenya Night, we will be running our Silent Auction both live at the church and online.

Until the auction, www.rwandanight.com is serving as a spot to help in building awareness and showing students how to get involved. Check it out to get a feel on the Rwanda Exodus project as well as what The week of Rwanda Night will look like!

I JUST GOT SERVED!

(I think I used that statement right)

Just got done seeing Kayla Courtney at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. Kayla was in a serious car accident on January 3. She's gone through 4 significant surgeries since that accident. You can read the progression at her caring bridge journal.

What I witnessed today was a gal filled with determination and focus. I watched as the nurses helped her up and she made two laps around the ICU wing at a pretty impressive walking pace... especially considering her body was fighting severe infection within the past 48 hours. She followed that up with stretching exercises. The nurse commented that Kayla is the most determined gals she'd ever worked with.

As I talked with her afterward, I also witnessed a 16 year old gal who was absolutely exhausted, uncomfortable and in a level of pain. YET, she was all smiles, and incredibly gracious. I made it clear that she didn't need to be tough for me, and that she could rest all she wanted.

To sum it up, I just got my butt kicked by a 16 year old. I'm so quick to whine about a busy week or get frustrated when plans don't line up, or start cussing under my breath because the semi is driving down the left lane through Kokomo (I mean, theoretically speaking, of course). I cry "Woe is me!" over the most petty things.

Thanks Kayla, for reminding me the truth in the statement "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it."

This Week at a Glance

Monday -
7:00 a.m.: Meet with some of the Senior guys for prayer
Rest of day: head to Indy for a visit with the Courtney's.
9:00 p.m.: 24.

Tuesday -
9:00: Meetings followed by
Lunch time: Catch as much Inaguration as I can.
1:00 p.m.: more meetings.
2:30 p.m.: Wednesday Night Prep.
5:30 p.m.: Sunday Message Prep. (at home)

Wednesday -
8:00 a.m.: Wednesday Night prep finished up
1:00 p.m.: Sunday prep.
6:45 p.m. Wednesday Night Youth... You Fill in the _________. Entertainment,
8:15 p.m.: Meet with 9th/10th Small Group Leaders after.
9:00 p.m.: Finish up Sunday Message and Notes (have to be in by Thursday Noon... I won't work on it on my day off).
Whenever I get home - Watch the Season premiere of LOST (on Video... what's a DVR?)

Thursday -
Day Off with the Baby Girl.

Friday
Morning: Message Finishing touches
Noon: Mishawaka for various appointments.
3:30 p.m.: Rwanda Night Awareness and Program Team Meeting.

Saturday -
Nothing in stone at this point... looking for some down-time.

Sunday -
7:00 a.m. - At the Church
8:00 a.m. - In the Box for 3 straight services
Noon - Lunch and crash for a few hours
5:00 p.m. - 11th/12th Small Group Leader Meeting
6:00 p.m. - 11th/12th Small Group Large Gathering... watching Hotel Rwanda.
9:00 p.m. - Reboot, and get ready for a week that isn't quite as much of a sprint.

Poll Results: Week 13

RESOLUTIONS IN 2009:

I've made some.	22 (38%)
I've made only one.	2 (3%)
I've made none.	33 (57%)

Votes: 57
*So, it's basically some or none.


WHO WILL WIN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP?

Arizona Cardinals	34 (64%)
Philadelphia Eagles	19 (35%)

Votes: 53
*Good Call readers.


WHO WILL WIN THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP?

Baltimore Ravens	12 (23%)
Pittsburgh Steelers	39 (76%)

Votes: 51
*Nearly halftime as I type this, and the Steelers are up 13-7... so far you're right.

Team Meeting

Just had our meeting with about 40 5th-12th Graders who are a part of the Rwanda Night leadership team. Some of the exciting statements I heard from students on how they would get involved...

• I've been taking whatever change on the dolllars I've spent and put them in my blue cup. I've already got around $7.
• I'm thinking about giving 1 or maybe 2 of my paychecks over completely to the Rwanda Project.
• I'm going to auction myself to the highest bidder for a day's work.
• Our Small Group is considering making life-sized cutouts of the NMC pastors to be auctioned off. (okay, not exciting, but creative).
  
• My dad and I are doing some wood-working for the auction.

The awareness team (communicating the mission of Rwanda Night and the Exodus Conference) and the Program Team (putting together the actual elements on the 6:30-8:00 p.m. program in the gym) were collaborating and dreaming together.

The prayer team came up with an awesome strategy that will allow for Rwanda Night to be a launch into a continuing prayer effort for the Country and the Exodus conference.

The Dodge Ball Tournament team was online, looking at the NADA (National Amateur Dodgball Association) site to determine how to go about forming the tournament. (I'm excited about this addition to the lineup)

The Decoration team was walking throughout the gym... visualizing and dreaming.

The Silent Auction team was talking through the huge undertaking that lies ahead for them.

The Bake Sale team was talking through promotion and collecting.

The setup team was looking to see how and where they could be of assistance to any and all team.

Pumped up! Love seeing kids catch a vision. Love seeing them dream. Love when it's all about advancing the Kingdom.

A Long Time Away...

It has been several years since Janelle and I have been to a Bethel Basketball game at Bethel College. We went to the Bethel/ Taylor game today. Several personal highlights from the day...

• Seeing NMC students Kory Lantz and Ryne Lightfoot play (and play quite well I might add).
• NMC intern Geoff Cocanower emceeing the halftime activities... knocked it out of the park. He's great.
  
• NorthWood Pep band played. Several NMC students in that band. They did great.
• Able to connect with several NMC students currently attending BC.
• An unexpected run-in with Kalyn, one of Katylynn's namesakes.
• Time with family (mom/dad/robby/jeanie/sydney).
• After the game dinner with Robby & Jeanie as well as former NMC student Anne and her husband Joel.
• After the game grandma, grandpa, and cousin sydney time for Katylynn.

All in all a great day with a classic Bethel/Taylor B-ball game.*

*Classic Bethel B-ball game means Taylor slows the game down to a Jr. High Girls scoring pace. About halfway through the second half, Bethel gets up by ten. This lead, usually close, is insurmountable considering the score with 10 minutes to go is 36-26. Coach Patterson (in his 120th year of coaching) from Taylor makes a grumpy face, and the minutes and seconds tick off until Bethel rises victorious, approx. 50-40.

A Couple of Rentals

With no Wednesday Night Youth, we hit the Red Box for some movie time.


Last night we (Janelle and I) watched...

Horton Hears a Who! - Made me laugh. This is by far my favorite of the Dr Seuss books brought to screen recently (Grinch and Cat and the Hat)... due in large part to it being animated.
At the same time, it wouldn't come close to cracking my top 10 animated movies.
It made me wonder what the appropriate age for children on this movie would be. I told Janelle I couldn't see Katylynn watching this movie for a while without it really freaking her out.
It was worth the rent.

Today, during Katylynn's nap I watched:
Traitor - Don Cheadle is one of my more favorite actor. This one had flown under my radar when it was in theaters. Terry Bley threw it out as a recommendation. Interesting and intriguing storyline. It poses some intriguing and challenging questions to me as an American and as a Christian. It had a fair amount of action, but would fit more in the drama category. Again, it was worth the rent.

Make Thyself Known

Faithful blog reader,

I did this about 18 months ago, but it is time for a little role call. It also tells me there are readers dropping in from the East and West Coast. There's even people coming from foreign places like Kentucky (sorry Dan, I had to).

So, I throw down the challenge... Identify yourself by answering the following:

What is your name?
Where are you from?
How did you find the blog?
Why do you read?
(optional) What would you like to see posted here at the blog?

Less than 1 week

Ooooh boy! Next Wednesday Night.
Will they all get back to the Island?
Does "everyone" getting back include those not on the flight? Farady? Desmond? What about Walt?
Where, or when is the island?
What's the deal with Ben and Widmore?

8 p.m. (unfortunate time, especially when we don't have DVR).
Time to get LOST!

No Wednesday Night Youth

We have canceled our Wednesday Evening Services.
Be safe on the roads.

**Edit** I put an update on Facebook letting our students know about the cancelation.
I received a comment back....

we should just have church on facebook! although im not quite sure how that will work lol! but your brilliant..you will find a way!

Very flattering on the brilliant part, I beg to differ. I will say the wheels are turning in my head though!

Pulse FM

One Mann could bring me back to listening to Pulse FM radio.
He is now on in the mornings.
I am listening.

NMC Student Ministries A-Z

A - Alison Gingrich: Senior High Intern. In her third year working with NMC.
B - Bible: Fairly essential tool for health in our ministry.
C - Chris Lehane: Our Jr High Pastor. Great man of God. Horrible blogger.
D - Derry: That's me, Student Ministries captain and Senior High Pastor.
E - Entertainment: Often viewed as a bad thing. Yet, there's a time where diversion, enjoyment, and laughter is essential. We want to have fun in what we do!
F - Fieldhouse: Home to Sr. High Wednesday Night Youth. We built it in 2003 as our dream gathering place for Senior High. We did it so well, everybody in the church loves using it!
G - GO trips: Evangelism training and inner city missions experience for Senior High students. This year it's PhillyGO (to the city of brotherly love).
H - Holy Spirit: We desire His touch and His power. We're not afraid of His move. We want to see students walking in the power and purity of the Holy Spirit.
I - IMPACT: The Senior High cross-cultural missions experience. 6 months training. 2 week trip. 2 days debrief. This Summer's team is going to El Millon and the Juarez, Mexico area (3rd straight year).
J - Junior High: Squirrely. Excited. Potential. We love them.
K - Kingdom: Our passion and desire is to connect kids to the Kingdom of God, here and now.
L - Life: It's what's kids are facing every day. Our hope and passion is to meet them right where their life is, and offer them something significant... Life in all its fullness (John 10:10)
M - Missions: A major focus. Our hope and passion is to see our students develop a heart for the nations. That's why we do Kenya Night and Rwanda Night. It's why we have IMPACT teams.
N - New Life Fellowship: One of two Video Venues of NMC (the other is Harvest Community Church). We participate in several trips together.
O - Overnighters: We used to do them on a large scale. Now we don't. Small Groups still do them because we believe it better accomplishes our mission in that format.
P - Preteens: 5th and 6th Grade Program. Led by Jason Thompson. Long term team member and good friend.
Q - Quality over Quantity. We don't look to overfill our schedule. Instead, we look to do the things we do with high quality and effectiveness toward our mission, which is...
R - Religion to Relationship to Reproducing: Our mission. Why we exist. What we're about. Relationship is how we do it.
S - Small Groups: The Life-blood of our ministry. In the Preteen program, they're called Workshops. Volunteers lead them all. Students diving into to develop relationships with a goal of life-on-life discipleship.
T - TAWG (Time Alone With God): A key element we hope to instill in every student who comes through this ministry. Develop a regular practice of getting alone with God, and you will develop healthy relationship!
U - Unashamed: We're unashamed in the fact that we love Jesus. We love Students. We believe in their potential to turn this world upside down for Jesus.
V - Vermilion, OH: Home to Jr. and Sr. High Summer Camps (JH july 6-9, 2009; SH July 10-14, 2009). Life-changing
W- Winter Retreat: Spring Hill Camp in Evart, MI. New trip on the block. A HUGE winner. Mark your calendars December 28-31, 2009... we're heading back!
X - Xtreme Team: Way back when it was the name we gave our Jr. High Wednesday Night program. 8 years ago we came up with a new and creative name, Wednesday Night Youth. That one's stuck.
Y - Youth Class: The 9:30-10:30 a.m. offering on Sunday Mornings. Diving into the word. Some great volunteers working on this. The toughest time of the week to do ministry to students.
Z - Zero: The percentage of hope or influence we have without the power and presence of God in our midst. Join me in praying that His hand will stay strong upon us as we move forward and dive into the lives of 5th-12th grade students.

Pray for the Courtney's

I've continued to track along with both the Rohr's and the Courtney's through their caring bridge sites as they are facing "uncharted territory" down at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. My heart sank as I read this most recent post about Kayla Courtney (car accident) by her dad Paul...

One step forward, two steps back over the last 24 hours.

Jeanette noticed something in Kayla last night that caused her to choose sleeping in Kayla's ICU room recliner rather than the Ron McD room. Becca decided to stay with Kayla also and also keep Mom company. Jeanette called me after 3 hrs. of sleep at the room and I went back to help her and Becca. Sure enough, mother's intuition was correct. Kayla became very agitated in the later evening and it grew worse. I won't go into details, but will say that jeanette did not get a wink of sleep and Becca not much more while trying to calm Kayla down and restrain her when she attempted to remove various IV and other tubing. She pulled out about 14 inches of her N-G (Naso-Gastro) tube running through her nose and into her stomach that drains bile, and tore the ECG/respiratory monitoring tubes from an artery in her wrist (blood everywhere). Kayla woke up most of her ICU wing with dilerious screams. Nurses and doctors came to the scene and tried to help. After Kayla spent most of her energy and became sick to her stomach (not quite as bad as Linda Blair in the Exorcist), she was given a sedative and morphine was stopped. Jeanette insisted that Kayla does not react well with prolonged morphine.

Doctors believed that Kayla's actions were as a result of several things - ICU psychosis (too long in one room), narcotic withdrawl (her morphine was being decreased), and/or sepsis (infection) in the peritoneal cavity. Dr. Josh Waters (GI surgery staff) was able to get a CT scan ordered for mid-day to check for an infection (cyst) and evaluate the lungs for pulmonary embolis, integrity of the GI tract, and other issues.

Kayla exited the CT scan shortly after 2:30 p.m. shaking like a leaf on a tree. By the time we got back up to her ICU room, she developed a 105 degree temp. Ice downs, cold cloth washes and Tylenol knocked the fever down to 102. CT scan results confirmed the presence of sepsis (infection inside a cyst in the peritoneal cavity). Treatment will be a lance from the exterior of her abdomen to drain the cyst and administer antibiotics. Sounds like that is scheduled for tonight sometime after 7 p.m. The infection explains a lot of Kayla's symptoms and actions last night.

Kayla is resting fairly well now and is not experiencing the psychosis we battled over night.

Would you join me in praying for a divine touch from God to Kayla and her family in ICU?

Getting Interactive

The guys at 3DYC used www.polleverywhere.com this year, and from what I heard, it was very effective. We're giving it a try with our current series. We're pretty pumped to give it a whirl.
Sometime soon, I'll outline in detail how we'll use it.

A Blue Cup and Advancing the Kingdom

It started in '06 with the "What If?" Question.
What if NMC Student Ministries Senior High took part in an effort to share God's story to a tribe halfway around the world?
Our Senior High students answered the "What If?" with Maasai Night in January, 2007.
The students' efforts on the night made an entire church aware of the Maasai Project, raised over $15,000, brought in a prayer army to lift up the "scouting team" that went into Maasailand in April, and inspired other churches to join in the journey.
In February 2008, our 5th-12th students joined in to make Kenya Night happen.
The night raised over $25,000 for the Maasai Project and the AGC Baby Center both in Kenya. It helped get the Maasai Project to the point where the Exodus Conference could take place mobilizing 30 Maasai Church Planters and Evangelists into the bush of Kenya to begin a disciple making movement that is still seeing significant fruit to this day!

This year, we have been given the opportunity to continue in a partnership with Caleb Bislow and Unusual Soldiers as they head into the country of Rwanda. The hope is to mobilize a group of 20-30 church planters to get into some of the unreached regions of the country that recently went through one of the more horrific genocides in human history.

We've pulled together the students to dream up and plan out the night. As a product of those meetings, we concluded that the past goals of Maasai and Kenya Night can and should be the same for Rwanda Night....

1. Raise Awareness.
2. Raise Prayer Support.
3. Raise Financial Support.

It was also concluded that our focus be three-fold to best accomplish that goal this year...

1. We continue to do well what we've done well (the elements of silent auction, bake sale, talent show... get Small Groups and Workshops involved)
2. We step up our game in raising awareness (people are aware of Rwanda's history and culture, as well as grasping what the Rwanda Exodus Conference is and looks like)
3. Students give sacrificially ("give till it hurts")

This past Sunday, we pulled all 5th-12th grade together to work on the Awareness side. We shared a little with students on where we've been in the past, what Rwanda Night is all about now, and invited them to get involved.

At the close, we invited those students involved to take a blue plastic Meijer Cup (not Solo, the Meijer cups were cheaper) and place a label on it with our Rwanda Night logo. The cup is to serve as a reminder of the call to "give sacrificially" as individuals. Students can use that cup to collect money and bring it in the week before the night.
We're excited to see where God takes us on this journey. There's some new twists and turns to this one, but I believe the story of Rwanda Night may likely end up being more about the significance of the sacrificial involvment and giving of students over the size.

Thanks

Dear Coach Dungy,

I wanted to take a moment and simply say, "Thanks."
Thanks for your leadership.
Thanks for taking a very good team and moving it toward greatness.
Thanks for taking an abysmal defense and turning it into a high octane thrill-ride.
Thanks for 6 straight 12-win seasons and 7 winning seasons.
Thanks for 7 straight playoff appearances.
Thanks for Super Bowl XLI.
Thanks for your Quiet Strength.
Thanks for your incredible humility as you accomplished historic milestones.
Thanks for wearing you faith in a manner that all can see.
Thanks for the humanity, yet depth of character you displayed as you dealt with your son's tragic death.
Thanks for making me proud to be a Colts fan for reasons beyond Football.

You will be missed. May the next steps you take be filled with the blessing of God and may His Kingdom be advanced through you.

Signed,
A loyal fan

Polls

Some new polls are up in the right hand corner. Stop by and vote!

This Weekend in Entertainment

Saturday Afternoon Movie...

BEDTIME STORIES - Adam Sandler makes me laugh. I liked the story idea. It's a family movie. At the same time, there's classic Sandler moments (random gibberish/ his buddies that show up in every movie).
Was it the greatest movie ever? No.
Did I find myself entertained? Yes.
Did the Sandman make me laugh out loud? A few times.
My biggest beef was that this was the classic movie where there was a little too much shown on the previews.


Saturday and Sunday Football:
Now that the Colts are out, basically every week of NFL - watching is a reminder that I'm heading into a 7 month span (with the exception of March Madness) where weekend sports watching is pretty dull and sparse.
At the same time, the Titans/Ravens game was fantastic. The Cardinals/Panthers game was shocking to watch (and Larry Fitzgerald is an absolute stud). The Giants pooped their pants against the Eagles. The Steelers were stellar against the Chargers.
So, what do I think the Super Bowl is going to look like?
I say there's going to be a Arizona Cardinals/ Pittsburgh Steelers game in February. The Cardinals eerily remind me of the Colts in their Super Bowl run.


And Last Night, Jack is Back!Season 7 of 24 - It felt a little awkward getting reaquainted with Jack Bauer after a season break. I like the new twists...
... No more CTU
... In D.C.
... Jack as an almost-but-not-really FBI agent.
... Janeane Gerafalo (hello 90s flashback)
... Tony Almada?!?!?!
yet, in the end, Jack Bauer is the lone hero who is forced to do what no one else can do in order to save the nation. I'm in for the season at this point!

The ___________ filled in.

Wednesday Night, the students voted, and here's the topics for our next five weeks (not necesarrily in this order)...

What's the deal with ______________?
Here's how we'll fill in the blank...
1. Stress & Depression
2. God's Will
3. Spiritual Growth
4. Swearing & Cussing
5. Entertainment

We're continuing to work on some more details, but we are really excited on the potential of this series.
My personal goal is to make sure this isn't a "loophole series."

What I mean by that is that as we go into addressing topics in this manner, we can be tempted to find a way to fit God into our box, or maybe a way to get things to work exactly the way we want them to. I'm interested in talking about stress and depression because I want to find a way that it's okay for me to sin in my emotional lows, or I want to talk the gray areas of entertainment so I can say, "The pastor said it's okay for me to watch R-rated movies!"
We look for the loophole.

Instead, I'm committed to make this a "more" series. A More series asks, "What can we learn through these topics that will put us in a position to know, serve, and/or love God more tomorrow than we do today?"

I want to ask that same question personally much more in 2009 than I have in the past.

***EDIT****
There were three other topics that came in 6,7,8 in voting so close to #5, we decided to do something different. We're stretching the series to 7 weeks so we can cover...
6. Sharing your faith
7. Drinking& Alcohol

...and in March we are going to be doing a 3-week series titled "Homeland Security?" It will be a look at living out our faith at home with parents and family (#6 in voting)... pumped up!

Overdue Vacation Pics

Some of the fun times from our December trip to Daytona and Disney

NFL Pick 'em - Week 2 of the playoffs

I'm completely out of the running in the The DDDC Challenge, but here's my pics for this weekend.

Panthers over the Cardinals... I think the Panthers are going all the way.
(and thus I've driven the nail in the coffin to the Panther's season)
Eagles over the Giants... Just because I think it would be cool to see.
Titans over the Ravens... I think Jeff Fisher is the bee's knees. I want him to win.
Colts over Steelers... What?!?!? They're not playing? I refuse to believe. I'm a loyal & delusional fan.

Top 2008 - Wednesday Night

Wednesday Night Youth is our High School worship gathering. As Senior High Pastor, I invest a significant amount of time and energy into this program. We started out 2008 calendar year meeting in the Gym, but kicked of the 2008-2009 School year by transitioning over to the Fieldhouse. It's a smaller room (relatively speaking) and creates a more intimate and interactive feel on the night. We covered a lot of different topics, had a ton of different worship experiences, and dove into the word in a variet of ways.

For significant ministry, the top Wednesday Night would have to be Kenya Night last February 21. That was the culminating night of months of work by Preteen, Junior, and Senior High students efforts to raise awareness, prayer support and finances for two ministries halfway around the world. The students' efforts raised over $25,000 for the Maasai Project and the AGC Baby Center. Over 800 people were in attendance on the night to watch the Talent Show, take part in the Bake Sale, and bid in the Silent Auction. The significance was seeing students from 5th grad all the way through 12th grade grasp on to the reality that they can be a part of something significant.

My personal Top Wednesday Night of 2008 would have to be the 4th Wednesday of our 5-week "Elephant in the Room series" November 12. The night was called "Understanding the other Elephant". I put myself in a room with about 130 High School gals and female leaders, and tried to answer as many of the gals' submitted questions as I could in the allotted time. What made it so great a night was seeing and hearing about the light bulbs going off in gals minds as they began to grasp the uniqueness and differences between guys and gals... and that guys may not be huge jerks all the time. It was also an opportunity to put on my "dad hat" and let the gals know that their Heavenly Father looks at them as His treasured princesses.

Top 2008 - The Blog

So, Christmas and Winter Retreat hit, and I never finished off this series of posts. Google Analytics tells me the following...

Top Visited page: Meet the Team... Introducing you to our 2008 IMPACT Mexico Team.
Top Google Search: (taking out the obvious Derry, Derry Prenkert, etc.) kenyanight.com
Top Referring site: Robs-Random.blogspot.com (Thanks for the link love Rob, I'll give you a little back)
Top Outside-of-US Country Visits: The UK (in a close race with Germany and Ecuador)
Top Commented Post: 10 Questions (the first round)
Personal Top Post: In 1995, Everything Changed
Personal Top Series of Posts: 32 Years, 32 Memories.

Birthday Wishes

Kayla Courtney turned 16 today. If you could, imagine the oddity of spending your 16th Birthday in the Riley ICU, unable to move, wondering what the road to recovery looks like?!?!

You may or may not know Kayla, but if interested, head over to her caring bridge site, and wish her a Happy Birthday by signing the guestbook.

Ah Mad Libs!

Working on a little fun element for tonight and I came across this little widget where you can enter in a mad lib. Enjoy, and remember to keep clean!

New Series Logo Preview

A Resolution?

I don't do New Year's Resolutions often, and when I do, I don't do well with them.
Today, Janelle and I started a new journey together. The timing makes it feel like it's a New Year's Resolution, but it's more a product of much discussion, thought, and finally a breakdown to say I've got to take responsibility and do something different.

The diet has changed. The goal is to get healthy. Weight to be loss. We're going together.
Here we go.

YOU FILL IN THE ____________ ; A New Series

We kick back off on Wednesday Night with the Senior in what is going to be one of our most exciting, to the point, right where you're at series that we've done at NMC. On Wednesday Night, December 3, we collected nearly 200 questions from students concerning their personal questions, struggles and doubts with Christianity. No question was "off limits." We've been able to compile the majority of those questions into 17 categories that would be able to fill in the blank to this statement,

"As Followers of Christ, what's the deal with ___________________?"

Tomorrow night, the students get to pick their top 5 from those 17 categories. We will take those 5 weeks by filling in the blank with the top 5 voted topics. We'll looking at what God's word says, addressing specific questions, and providing forum for further discussion.

The categories we are voting on tomorrow night:

1. Stress & Depression
2. Parent and/or family Conflict
3. God’s Will
4. bad things happening to good people, and good things happening to bad people
5. sharing your faith with Friends
6. Spiritual Growth
7. Homosexuality
8. Drinking & Alcohol
9. Divorce
10. Past Failure & Hypocrisy
11. What other people think
12. Cheating
13. Swearing & Cussing
14. being "fake" at church
15. confrontation conflict with “believers”
16. Enteratinment

It looks like there are some more elephants we are going to be addressing in this room!

A Day in Indy... A Battle

I'm currently sitting in the Surgery waiting area of Riley Children's hospital with the Courtney Family. I also had a pretty lengthy visit with the Rohr family. I'll be honest, in some ways, today has just plain sucked.

• 3 hour drive to Indy (by far the least of the bad things).
• Seeing a Freshman gal with tubes down her throat, immobilized, waiting to head in to a 3 hour surgery to have her back bones basically stapled together.
• Seeing a 9 year old gal with her head dressed, crying to her mommy in pain, just wanting to go to sleep.
• Looking in the eyes of two sets of utterly exhausted parents who are staring down the barrel of unknown territory. All they want is for their little girls to be okay.

Yet, at the same time I've seen some things that just blow me away...

• The absolute miracle that is medicine. What Doctors and nurses are able to do is amazing. It's a testament to the intricate and creative beings that our creator has made us to be.
  
• The way the church can shine in the midst of tough times. Both families have given strong testimony to the strength sustained as the people of God of gathered around them.
  
• The power of moms. I'm telling you, there are just some things that only a mom can do in these types of situations. Janette Courtney and Tonya Rohr are GREAT moms!
• The Spiritual and Physical collision. It seems to be most evident at hospitals. Our mortal bodies contain a soul that there is a battle over. In the midst of the physical setbacks, it seems like the battle steps up.
  

In both situations, in different ways, I'm reminded that we are at war, and the only thing really worth fighting for in this life is the sake of the Almighty God's Kingdom. These two individuals are young gals that are meant, I believe to have a future on this earth for His Kingdom.

Therefore, I'm praying for peace and an angelic presence in the 2nd floor North ICU. I'm praying the Satan's lies and attacks to the emotion will be defeated by the truth of God. I'm praying that where there is now doubt and frustration, faith and praise can find their way in. I'm praying that Keri, Don, Tonya and Katie will be able to all taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8)!

I'm praying for sufficient strength and courage in the 4th floor South ICU. I'm praying that the almighty physician will do an internal and external healing work. I'm praying for a recovery without complications. I'm praying that Kayla, Paul, Janette, and Becca will be able to give praise to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 4:20-21)!

Pray for and encourage Kayla Courtney

Kayla Courtney is a Freshman that has been involved in our ministry along with her sister Becca who is a Senior. On Saturday, she was in a serious accident and received significant internal injuries as well as a broken back. She is also currently at Riley Hospital.

You can stop by here and send her a prayer or word of encouragement!

Pray for and Encourage the Rohr Family

Tonya is one of our top-notch Small Group Leaders at NMC. On Friday, it was discovered that Tonya's 9 year old daughter Keri has a walnut sized tumor near her brain stem.
Keri and her family are currently at Riley Children's hospital awaiting a Monday morning surgery.

Jason and Rachael Thompson went down to visit them today. While there, he helped the Rohrs set up a site where individuals can keep updated as well as write a little note of encouragement.

Go here, and let Keri know that she has a ton of people praying for her. Keep in mind that she's a 9 year old as you leave you messages.

Here's my picks for this weekends playoff games.

FALCONS over cardinals
COLTS over chargers
DOLPHINS over ravens
EAGLES over vikings

It was an awesome time, but it sure is good to be home.