if we don't have to stop again we will be back at 545-600. if we have to stop 615-630.

Loading Up and Heading Out

We'll be leaving shortly.
It's been a great week.

Pictures from Tuesday

It was a day full of competition, fun, laughter, sharing, and brokennes for others.

It's called tube wars and it's fantastic!

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"You are my King."

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Great times of laughter and sharing this morning. Lunch time and then dodgeball.

Day 2 Pictures

Unedited... here's some pics from yesterday.

Winter Retreat Pics from Sunday

I haven't had time to go through and edit these photos, but enjoy some shots from Sunday.

Students are currently in TAWG. Today's devotional presents the message of salvation through the cross. Praying that it may connect with some for the 1st time.

The End of the Day

Long and great day. Just a quick post to say that tonight was powerful as we zeroed in on Satan's schemes to fill us with pride or self-loathing and not being able to discover who we truly are in Christ.

Some major breakthroughs tonight.
More to come, and probably some pictures tomorrow.

Keep praying for perspective and breakthroughs that will bring growth when we return home. Pray for rest, health, laughter, and connectedness.

It's called broomball. Kind of like hockey. Lot's of fun and conversation happening.

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Gathered around the Seniors praying for them as they finish out the year and head to next step.

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Morning worship before heading out for TAWG. Anoqing outside with trees in the background. Beautiful background.

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December 27 in Review

5:30 a.m. - Alarm
5:30:01 a.m.- Snooze Button
5:45 a.m. - Up and shower
6:15 a.m. - Pick up my daughter. Kiss and hug my daughter. Tell her I love her.
6:30 a.m. - Leader meeting
7:30 a.m. - Kids start showing
8:00 a.m. - All kids Registered/ Opening Session at the church
9:30 a.m. - Load the buses and head out.
12:20 p.m. - Stop for lunch
3:30 p.m. - Arrive and Unload
5:30 p.m. - Supper
6:30 p.m. - TAWG
7:30 p.m. - Evening Celebration
9:30 p.m. - Tubing (so much fun)
10:45 p.m. - Cottage Group Times
11:30 p.m. - Lights Out

It was a fantastic first day. No issues on the trip here. Attitudes were fantastic. Lot's of getting to know each other. Some times of great laughter. Some serious times.

For our sessions, we are focusing in on Matthew 22:37-40... the greatest commandment. Yesterday we looked at the the key phrase to the first commandment, "Love the Lord your God wit all..."
LOVE - we defined love.
THE LORD YOUR GOD - Is this who we love. Is there something or someone that you would fill in the blank"Love the ______ your God".
ALL - Is it 15%? Sunday and Wednesday only? When I'm around other Christians? Or is it all.

We closed out by looking at I John 4:19... "We love because he first loved us."

We may fall short on the greatest commandment. But Jesus didn't. Jesus doesn't.

Lot's of processing going on.

Tonight we look at what it means to love ourselves. God wants us to have a healthy understanding of who we are in Him. We are going to look at Satan's schemes and how they attempt to keep us from discovering who we are in him.

Well the students are circled up for our morning youth group time. They are going to be sharing a little bit of "What's Right? What's Wrong? What's Confused? or What's Missing? in their life. Pray for a great day.

night tubing! so much fun.

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Students are inTAWG right now. Session at 7:30.

we have arrived. we are unloaded and the fun has begun!

Retreat Time

175 Junior and Senior High students and leaders will be heading out tomorrow morning for our 2nd Annual Winter Retreat at SpringHill camps.

I will be posting pictures and updates for parents to the blog and to Twitter through December 30.

I will probably continue with a few 10 for the 2000s posts in the midst of week as well.

10 for the 2000s: 2009 Personally

1. Uncharted Territory: Pastor Dave started a series examining the times in life where we might say, "We've never been this way before." I was asked to preach during the series, and my focus was on two words; Preparation and Perspective. Uncharted territory is often preparation for a new chapter God has for us. In the midst of uncharted territory, we must look for God's perspective. This message could easily sum up my 2009.
   
2. February 6: I got a phone call from my mom that would change the tone for the year, and in a lot of ways the rest of my life. Dad was in an accident. He wasn't responsive. 2 days later, he passed away.
3. Rwanda Night: My dad died 10 days before a very significant event for Student Ministries. We were partnering with Caleb Bislow again in a disciple-making movement to the unreached areas of Rwanda. We were going to be his only source of funding. I had to back way off this student planned and led event. In the end, it was awesome to watch as students rose to the challenge and raised $20,000 to see the conference and movement take place. The reports we heard back from Caleb were awesome. 60,000 people hearing about Christ. 30,000 responding to receive Christ. 25 churches started.
4. Taxes on my Own: Every year my dad had helped me do my taxes. This year, I sat at the computer he always sat at and did what he had always done. It was therapeutic.
5. No Missions Trip: For the first time since I came on staff at NMC, I did not lead an IMPACT or GO trip.
6. Happy 9 Years! With the break from the trips, Janelle and I decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary at year 9. Katylynn stayed with grandparents. We stayed at a Marriot Resort in Orlando and had 7 days to simply focus in on each other. It was perfect timing.
7. I WANT IT! Summer Camp 2009. Terry Bley was back. Powerful times of worship and response. I'm still seeing the effects in kids' lives.
8. K.I.N.: As we took time to consider our follow up to Maasai, Kenya, and Rwanda Night, an idea was thrown out. What if we didn't focus on an event but took a year round focus? The thought was to take a ministry or cause and encourage our students to own it for the sake of Christ. Kids In Need became the focus, and we are mid way through this. The stories are exciting and broad.
9. Geoff Cocanower: Geoff served as a Junior High Intern in 08-09. He raduated from Bethel and we felt like our relationship with him wasn't done. He has stayed on as an in-resident intern. It has been awesom watching him develop and grow through this time!
10. The Year of Firsts: When losing a loved one, you are told to be ready for all the "firsts" you will experience. The first month, the first birthday. the first easter, the first Christmas, etc. after the death. This year has been filled with those firsts. We have walked through many of those firsts together as a family. Those times have been bittersweet to say the least. The pain of the loss is real. The amazing blessing of who my dad was and the family I have been given is just as real also!
    

NFL Pick 'em: Week 15

San Diego at Tennessee

Buffalo at Atlanta

Kansas City at Cincinnati

Oakland at Cleveland

Seattle at Green Bay

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Houston at Miami

Jacksonville at New England

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Carolina at NY Giants

Detroit at San Francisco

St. Louis at Arizona

NY Jets at Indianapolis

Denver at Philadelphia

Dallas at Washington

Minnesota at Chicago

10 for the 2000s: 2009

1. Film: The top 5 grossing as of December 21 are Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, 2012, and Up. Still to be fully accounted for are Avatar and New Moon which both will likely be there.
2. Michael Jackson: The king of pop died tragically. I would say this is the most mourned death worldwide in my lifetime.
   
3. Tiger: Tiger Woods marital indiscretions have been everywhere on the news and have significantly tarnished his image. I try to make it a point to pray for him and his family every time I see a news story about it all.
4. Miss California: Carrie Preejan had her 15 minutes of fame as Miss California when she stood strong concerning her beliefs on gay marriage. In the past few months, her personal life has been under scrutiny as questionable photos and alleged sex tapes have come up.
5. Swine Flu: H1N1 hits the nation, and hits pretty hard. The death toll is fairly low (relatively speaking), but the 24 hour news world sure pushed us to freak out about it.
6. Heatlh Care: It's the hot political topic. Someone once asked me, "Do you think we (Christians) would need a health care system if the church were to actually live the way it did in Acts 2?" I think that's a legit question.
7. Glen Beck and Tea Parties: The Conservative Right rose up loudly in 2009, and Beck is really to the Obama administration what Rush Limbaugh was to Clinton.
8. Vampires Remixed: Move over Dracula and Buffy. The Twilight saga hit full stride with the release of movie #2 and MTVs all out blitz in promoting it. A mess of other tv shows and movies made their way out as well.
9. The Yankees Win! the Yankees close out the decade in the same way they started it; by winning the World Series. This win secured them in the discussion for "Team of the Decade" (a series post yet to come).
10. Recession Over? The decade closes out with some signs of hope in the economy, but things sure seem different than when they started.
    

I built a goofy tower!

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10 for the 2000s: 2008 Personally

1. India on my Own: I headed back to India for Family Camp. It was the first overseas trip without Janelle since we were married. It was also the first major trip away from my daughter. Oddly enough, it's tougher to leave them both now than it was the first time.
2. Kenya Dig It! Kenya Night was the follow up to Rwanda Night. The students raised over $25,000 to be split between the Kenya Baby Center and the Maasai Project.
3. Haircut: I let my hair grow out leading into Kenya Night, and auctioned off a haircut. For $200 somebody gave me a mullet.
4. Mustache May: A couple of graduating Seniors threw out the challenge to grow out a mustache all through May. Several adults joined in. In the end, I was the only one who went the whole month. The original two did nothing.
5. Swallowing Pride: We bought a minivan. Our two-door car was pointless with a daughter. Upgrading to an SUV seemed frivolous. Considering where gas prices went, I'm happy with our choice.
6. Spring Break in Michigan: We spent 5 days in Ludington. Some of that time was spent with my mom and dad. Memories I will cherish.
7. It's Official: The adoption of Katylynn Ivy Prenkert was finalized.
8. Mexico: We took a team to Mexico for our IMPACT trip. I was away from Katylynn for my first Father's Day. It was tough, but it was a great trip.
9. Katylynn Meets Minnie: We took our first big vacation together to Florida in December '08. Daytona and Orlando. Katylynn met Minnie. Great memories.
10. The First Annual Winter Retreat: We took nearly 250 students and leaders to Evart, Michigan for our Winter Retreat at SpringHill Camps. It was a great time, other than the super nasty flu virus that hit in the last 24 hours and took out about 30 students and leaders, and then hit many more after we returned home!
    

10 for the 2000s: 2008

1. Take that Tommy Boy! Tom Brady had a tough 2008. He and the Patriots quest for a perfect 2007-08 season came up one game short thanks to Eli Manning and David Tyrie. Mr. Brady also went down for the season with a knee injury on the first week of the 2008-09 season.
2. WGA Strike: The Writer's Guild Association went on strike in 2007, and it ended in February of 2008. This strike made for a pretty pathetic season of shows.
3. 4 Bucks a Gallon - Gas prices reached insane levels over the Summer.
   
4. Super Gold Man - What Michael Phelps accomplished was pretty amazing.
5. Insane Usain - He was so fast he could showboat while crushing the world record.
6. Historical President - The U.S. elected their first ever African American president. No matter what you think about his politics, this was a significant moment.
7. Viva La Vida - Coldplay released a fantastic album.
   
8. Recession - It hit this county between the eyes. Highest unemployment % in the country.
9. Heath Ledger - I was in India when I heard about it. He'd died of an overdose. Sad ending to a shot lived life.
10. Movies - The top 5 grossing films were The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Kung Fu Panda, Hancock, and Mama Mia.

Merry Christmas!

10 for the 2000s: 2007 Personally

1. Going back to Cali: Right after the New Year, we went to California on a cruise with several people from the church. It was all organized by my cousin Shelley. After the cruise, Janelle and I spent a week in Palm Springs at one of the nicest resorts we've stayed at to date. We also went to Disneyland for a day and had a ton of fun.
2. Maasai Night: Our students organized a night to come alongside Caleb Bislow and his effort to share Christ with the Maasai tribe in Kenya. Through a talent show, bake sale, and silent auction, they raised $15,000 and donated almost 100 watches to help with the project. It was a pivotal moment in my ministry life as I saw a new avenue for students to be a part of something bigger than themselves and think missionally on a global scale.
3. The Best Prize is a Sur-prize: Surprised Janelle with a four day getaway to Las Vegas over Spring Break. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay, watched three shows, ate a lot of food, and watched humanity gamble their lives away. We enjoyed it, and decided one trip to Vegas was enough for us.
4. Mexico to Colorado: I traveled with Jason Thompson to El Millon, Mexico to prepare for our upcoming IMPACT trip. Then I got back to Chicago, and jumped on a plane to Colorado to spend three days with Caleb Bislow talking about Unusual Soldiers and the Maasai Project.
5. Red Moon Rising: Read this book and something lit up inside me. It's about prayer. It's about truly seeking God in prayer.
6. Engaging the Silence: I followed up Red Moon Rising with a book called God on Mute. Through that book I began to engage in the pain and frustration of unanswered prayers in my life. At that point, I had no idea what God was preparing me for.
7. 24/7 Prayer: We put prayer into action at NMC. It started at Camp with a prayer cabin where students were assigned one hour blocks to go and pray through the night. It culminated in the 8 days prior to school starting where we had students praying around the clock for the year to come. I learned a lot about prayer and myself in that time.
8. Disney on Roids: Janelle and I took our last "just the two of us" family vacation in late October. We stayed for 6 days in Daytona, then took the leap and stayed for 5 days at Disny on-site. We didn't rent a car. We only used Disney transportation. We ate all our meals on site. We dreamed with a little more reality about what it might be like to have a kid with us when we were there.
9. Prayers Answered. Katylynn entered our life. Everything changed.
10. It's such a significant event, that it deserves two spots on a list of ten.
    
    

10 for the 2000s: 2007

1. Super Bowl XLI: The Colts had (in their terms) an average regular season with
   
2. Movies: Top 5 grossing Films were Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Spiderman 3, Shrek the Third, and Transformers. There were a combined 18 plotlines in these films, even though Transformers didn't have one at all.
3. Nappanee Tornado: It hit Thursday night, October 18. I'm typing this about 100 yds from where it swept through and knocked out some of Fairmont and completely demolished Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, the Car Wash and a Gas Station.
4. Ruth Graham and Jerry Falwell: Two significant people in the Evangelical Christian world passed away. One was a behind the scenes, dearly loved, caring and gracious individual. The other was on the front lines, vocal, and contraversial. Both were deeply respected for putting their faith into action.
5. The Mortgage Crisis: Major cracks in the economy were starting to be seen when the the phrase "subprime mortgage" became a little too well known.
6. Hallows: The final book in the Harry Potter series came out. I didn't read any of the books until 2007. I read them all in about 6 weeks.
7. Virginia Tech Shooting: A student went on a shooting rampage. In the end 33 were dead (including the shooter).
8. Miss Teen U.S. Candidate Bombs. This video hit Youtube. So painful to watch.
   
   
9. Barry Bonds: He breaks one of baseball's unbreakables... Hank Aaron's all-time Home Run record. Controversy still surrounds the whole thing as he clearly used performance enhancing substances along the way.
10. I-Phones: Steve Jobs reveals mac world's latest advancement; and it's accepted by tech geeks like a drug.
    

10 For the 2000s: 2006 Personally

1. India Part 1: We actually left in 2005, but Janelle and I made our first trip to India. We welcomed in the New Year at the Radisson Hotel in New Dehli. The country and it's people captured our heart, and something began to stir in me... how could we get our students to begin thinking and engaging globally?
2. The Core Part 2: We made our way to Florida where I emceed and helped coordinate the Spring Break Leadership Retreat. Our car was rear ended on the Indiana/Kentucky border on the way down. I got a speeding ticket in Alabama. We had a great time once we got there.
3. derryprenkert.blogspot is born! I made the switch from xanga to here, and I guess you could say, the rest is history.
4. Preaching Sunday Morning. Preached my first Sunday a.m. at NMC on May 28, 2009. Preached my second Sunday a.m. at NMC on July 16, 2009.
5. Dominican Republic. Took a team of 22 Leaders and 6 adults to the Dominican for our IMPACT trip. Probably the best lineup and smoothest trip I've ever taken overseas.
6. Going to Ludington through Cincinnati. We headed down to JH Summer Camp for two days. Chilled out in Cincinnati for 2 more days (Reds Game and Kings Island), then headed up to Ludington to spend some time with family. It marked the end of the busiest Summer we had experienced to date.
   
7. India Part 2. The folks in India decided to do a youth camp and needed a speaker. 4 weeks before the event, I called Caleb Bislow, and Janelle, Caleb and I were on our way. We spent 36 hours in London before heading back to the country that had captured our heart. It was an amazing time of ministry. Partnering with Caleb. Seeing Janelle shine. Seeing the youth of the Missionary Church in India rise up to the challenge to live for Christ. It was awesome!
8. What If? On a Wednesday Night in October, we called Caleb Bislow and heard his story about the Maasai Project. We asked the students, "What If we were to partner with an effort to share God's story half way around the world?" The dreaming began and it was awesome!
9. New Life Fellowship Youth. NMC's partner church, New Life Fellowship in Lagrange, decided it was time to bring in a guy to focus in on youth. The chose Mr. Brad Bullock to fulfill this role. It was exciting as they joined us for the first time at Summer Camp and then continuing to find ways to connect and invest in Brad.
   
10. The Frontstreet Boys. A group of Sophomore guys decided they wanted to shoot a "music video" for our Coffee House Outreach. The following video started the legacy of the Frontstreet Boys:
    
    

10 for the 2000s: 2006

1. Winter Olympics in Turin - Once again, ehhh.
2. Next Generation Game Systems - Xbox 360, PS 3, and Nintendo Wii come out, and are constantly sold out at stores.
3. Saddam Hussein Executed - The humanity and eternity of it all messed with me.
4. Movies - The top 5 grossing were Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Da Vinci Code, Ice Age: the Meltdown, Casino Royale, and Night at the Museum. I can't say that I found a single one of those movies to be enjoyable. #6 was Cars. I liked that movie a lot.
5. The Year of You. Time Magazine had a copout in naming You the person of the year for 2006. But, it made sense in that User-generated content hit full stride in '06 with Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and blogs hitting mainstream and going huge.
6. Krikey, it's a tragedy. Steve Irwin dies tragically from, of all things, a stingray stabbing him in the heart.
7. Amish School Shooting. Charles Roberts shot and killed 5 amish school children in Lancaster County, PA. The Amish community responded by forgiving the shooter.
   
8. No More Pluto. The scientific community decided that Pluto was no longer a planet. The jerks.
9. The Best of Both Worlds: A little show starts on the Disney Channel called Hannah Montana.
   
10. Jason McElwain. It's still the best sports story I think I've ever seen.
    
    

10 For the 2000s: 2005 Personally

1. Xanga - This little Xanga site made it's appearance. And the rest, they may say, is history.
2. Barbarian Way - I read Erwin McManus's book and something resonated deep within me. I was getting too civilized in my faith.
   
3. In the Jungle - Took a team to the jungles of Pucallpa, Peru where we worked at a school for kids with physical disabilities. It was an eye-opening experience that had a profound impact on the students. Janelle and I were also rocked in our journey toward children.
   
4. The Core Spring Break - Went to Florida to help serve as Terry Bley spoke to the students from multiple Youth Groups in the Northern Indiana area. Janelle came with me and we had a great time relaxing together while helping other Youth Pastors focus in our their kids.
   
5. 5 years of awesomeness - I totally surprised Janelle with a Mexican Riviera Cruise for our 5th Anniversary. She had no clue. Someone else packed for her. She didn't know until we got in the taxi in LA. We sat poolside in Cabo, wen horseback riding in Mazatlan, and went ziplining in Puerto Vallarta. It was awesome.
   
6. Brown City Cult - Spoke to the Junior High at Brown City Camp. It was a great experience. I still can't figure out how they have been able to get that many people to gather out in the middle of nowhere.
   
7. Jeremiah Lauber enters my life - We hired this guy named Jeremiah to lead worship in the Connection. My life would never quite be the same!
   
8. Thanksgiving at Disney - We went to the Nashville Youth Workers Convention. Janelle then met me in Nashville and we drove on down to Orlando and spent a week in
   
9. Missing a State Championship - It was the worst-looking NorthWood Football team I'd seen in a while. When booking our vacation to Florida, I really didn't think we'd miss anything excited in High School Football world. WRONG! I listened to the NorthWood boys football team won their first-ever state Championship as I sat listening online poolside.
   
10. Biz-Man to Kenya - Caleb Bislow went on an adventure to Kenya that would forever change him. Our relationship connected a little more deeply and I couldn't kick the potential of partnering with him.
    

10 for the 2000s: 2005

1. Super Bowl XXXIX - The Patriots won their 2nd straight and 3rd Super Bowl this decade. The word dynasty starts rolling around. They haven't won another since, but their best team was still to come.
2. Online Videos: A little website calls Youtube goes live. The internet changes significantly again. Within a year, 65,000 videos were being uploaded to the site every day, and there were 10,000,000 views.
3. More Remakes and Sequels: Top 5 grossing films were Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, War of the Worlds, and King Kong.
   
4. The Death of a Pope: John Paul II died April 2. More than 4 million traveled to the Vatican to mourn.
5. New Pope: Joseph Ratzinburger became Pope Benedict XVI.
   
6. Hurricane Katrina: It was considered to be the Gulf's most active Hurricane Season in recorded history. The mother of them all was Katrina. The devastation was overwhelming. The news coverage was raw and brutal. Thousands died. In a lot of ways this is where George W. Bush's popularity took a huge hit.
7. Gas Prices: As a product of Katrina, gas prices skyrocket.
8. Leap Second: I didn't know this, but I thought it was interesting. One second was added to the world clock at the end of the year in order to stay in line with the solar clock.
9. Prison Break: The show debuts on Fox. I didn't watch it then, but I started last year around this time. Good stuff.
10. Terri Schiavo: It was a significant story of a family taking the fate of a lady to the courts. Her husband wanted the feeding tube removed from her while the parents didn't. In 2005, the courts ruled in favor of the husband, and Terry passed away.
    

10 for the 2000s: 2004 Personally

1. Coffee House Outreach: We tried something different in late February. We allowed students the opportunity to plan and organize an event. We sat the Gym up like a Coffee House and multiple students put their talents on display. It ended with our Senior students (Josh Sabo, Andrew Myers, Jessica Focht, Michael Couse, and Martin Ufkin) covering David Crowder's cover of Sinead O'Conner's Thank You for loving Me while Lizzie Burns and Grant Longenbaugh painted on stage. I really feel like that ushered in a new style and approach to worship for us.
2. Revival at NorthWood: The Class of '04 really saw a move of God at NorthWood. I have seen the spiritual tone at NorthWood go in waves of religious apathy to spiritual awakening. We saw many students radically saved from "Churchianity" and enter into authentic relationship with Christ.
3. Panama City Spring Break: Janelle and I went with 10 students and 2 other leaders to "the Core" Spring Break trip in Panama City Beach, FL. The trip itself was pretty average for our students, but it was very good for Janelle and my relationship. Jeff Simpson was one of the other leaders with me. We both found an event that we were going to be able to return and completely serve to allow the other youth ministers and ministries present to focus on their group.
4. SEMP Toronto: It was the last year I would travel to SEMP. It was also the best year of training and experience they offered. The next Summer ('05) I was in Peru. Sonlife then messes up the entire event in '06 by making it more of a camp experience instead of a peer evangelism training experience.
5. Camp Growth: At '03, one of the Seniors threw out the thought of seeing our Camp attendance double in size. Our '04 Camp saw that nearly happen. It was also a Camp where God's presence and move was so real that it can't quite be fully explained.
6. Mackinack and Ludington: At the close of a crazy Summer, we headed North for where I officiated my 1st Wedding. It was on Mackinack Island. Janelle and I got to enjoy three days on the island (horse poop and bike rides, that's how I'd sum it up) and then headed to my parents place in Ludington for a couple extra days of relaxation. I remember thinking a lot about how I really wanted to have a child during that trip.
   
7. Fall Attendance Records: That Fall, we saw crazy a crazy attendance boom at NMC Senior High. We saw nearly an average of 260 on regular Wednesday Nights. There were 500+ at our Senior High Outreach. The Fairfield, Wawasee, and Concord High School presences were very strong. The Senior Class was leading evangelistically and with integrity. It was a crazy Fall with major spiritual and numerical growth.
8. Friday Night Football: Many of the Small Group Leaders would head to the various NMC students' football games on Friday Night. Along the way, we followed Wawasee all the way down to the State Finals in Indianapolis.
9. Orlando fun: Orlando started to become a focal vacation spot for us. In mid-November we flew down for a week in the sun. A great time to go. We visited both Universal Studios and Disney. The crowds were really low. The sun was out. The relaxation was fantastic.
10. The Terry Transition: Terry Bley's role with the Connection Service was continuing to demand more and more time from him. What had been a major team approach in Senior High for several years became less, and it really became my baby.

Week 15 picks

Indianapolis at Jacksonville
Dallas at New Orleans
New England at Buffalo
Arizona at Detroit
Miami at Tennessee
Cleveland at Kansas City
Houston at St. Louis
Atlanta at NY Jets
San Francisco at Philadelphia
Chicago at Baltimore
Cincinnati at San Diego
Oakland at Denver
Green Bay at Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay at Seattle
Minnesota at Carolina
NY Giants at Washington

10 for the 2000s: 2004

1. Lord of the Academy - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King wins a record tying 11 Oscars. It almost felt like the Academy was honoring all three films on Oscar night.
2. Facebook & MyspaceFounded - On the East Coast, Mark Zuckerburg and his college buddies started this little site where Harvard College students could interact online. It eventually went to all college students, then High School students, and eventually anyone 13 or older. It now has 350 million+ users.
   On the West Coast, a group of guys (one was named Tom) with a little more corporate backing started this social networking site. It boomed quicker than the college guys site, but since has been surpassed by Facebook (personally, I had Myspace before I had Facebook. I've done nothing with my Myspace account for 3 years).
   
3. Ronald Regan Dies - Politics aside, he's the first acting President I remember. He came into office when I was 4 and lest when I was 12. I learned about the political system while he was in office.
4. Athens Olympics - What I remember most is watching Michael Phelps dominate swimming but not win all the golds. I also remember Paul Hamm winning th Men's all around, and some Greek dude winning the Gold in the 200M (I think he eventually lost his medal due to doping).
5. The Red Sox - Yup, they won the World Series. It was an amazing run that really is marked by their comeback in the ALCS against the Yankees moreso than the actual series itself.
6. Bush Re-elected - It's baffling to me how easily he won while in such a landslide but ended his second term with such a low approval rating. Many say it's due to the Democrats inability to find a valid opponent. I don't think that was it.
7. LOST - A mysterious plane crash of Oceanic 815 on September 22, 2004 started what is, in my opinion, the most unique and creative season of televsion show EVER. Great show.
8. Movies - The top 5 grossing were Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, & the Passion of the Christ.
9. No More Friends - The show that marks much of the popular mentality of my generation (a lot of Janelle and my High School friends moved into the City following College) came to an end after 10 seasons. I kinda liked the show around Season 3 and 4, but really came to be bothered by it as the years went on.
   
10. Tsunami - December 26, 2004... nearly 200,000 people died in the Indian Ocean Region. In other words, 68 9/11's in one day. I remember it was this disaster that rocked my global thinking.

10 for the 2000s: 2003 Personally

1. Camry - Bought a Toyota Camry from Terry. Love the car. Has 170,000 miles and still going.
2. Class of 2003 - Out of this graduating class we saw NMC Senior High go regional. Fairfield and Wawasee High School truly became a presence. This class also marks a significant amount of students who are doing full time ministry all around the world.
   
3. 2nd Honeymoon - For our 3rd Anniversary we went back to Palm Springs, CA. We stayed at the same resort as our Honeymoon. This trip featured a visit to The Price Is Right (didn't get to "come on down"), a visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain (didn't have to wait in line for any rides), and some consistently beautiful sunny weather.
4. NYGO - We had to cancel our SEMP trip to Toronto due to the SARS scare. Instead we took our students to New York City to New York Gospel Outreach (NYGO). It may still go down in my ministry books as the most impressive group of students and most significant discipleship trip we have done. In the process, we stayed in the Hilton two blocks from Central Park, 2 blocks from Broadway, and 4 blocks from Times Square. We went to all the Burroughs except Stanton Island. We stood outside the Today Show. We were at the Red Carpet for the Legally Blond Sequel premiere (saw Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, and Sally Field. Before the kids got there, Janelle and I went to Yankee Stadium and saw the Yankess/ Mets face off. So many memories.
5. Summer Camp - It was the first "Summer Camp", where that's what we called it. We truly utilized a theme... "Sanctuary". It was the beginning of my friendship with Jason Miller as he came to lead worship. God met with us in a very special way at that Camp. I remember one of the Seniors at that camp saying to the students, "There's no reason we shouldn't see twice as many students at this camp next year." I aslo had a late night run in with a guy who looked like a professional wrestler. He tore me up and down , right in front of our students, for something another group of kids had done. The guy ended up looking like a fool, and came back and apologized.
6. The Connection - Our Worship Services were packed with people on Sunday Morning. We had to create more space. Rather than add on to the Worship Center or add one more service there, we decided to try this "Video Venue" thing that we'd heard about. So Terry took lead. We brought in a more progressive/modern worship feel and started in the Fieldhouse. There were about 100 when we started. I believe we had close to 700 in our two Connection Services in the Gym last Sunday.
7. ALDS in Chicago - We were at the Sonlife Campus in Elgin, IL for a Youth Ministry training Conference. We watched the Cubs play their way to the ALCS in a family themes Sports Bar. It was a fantastic setting to watch the games that brought me back to baseball as a fan.
   
8. Peyton's Comeback - It was on the same weekend in Chicago that Peyton Manning let the Colts past Tampa Bay on a Monday Night after being down 35-14 with 4 minutes left in regulation. The most amazing comeback I have ever seen.
   
9. Florida Megacation - At the end of 2003, we went on a 3 week vacation to Florida. We left the Saturday of Thanksgiving Break. We spent three days in Orlando at Disney World (and truly fell in love with the place at that point) then went on to stay at a vacation home for pastors in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I got my bike stolen while we were there. Our car battery died. We witnessed a car accident that was pretty horrid. The Lauderdale days were not the most "fun" we've had on a vacation, but we did have a good break from everything.
10. I Almost Quit. In the Spring of 2003, I hit a wall. I had no idea why I was doing what I was doing. I felt like I was drowning in ministry and falling out of love with God. I was seeing some awesome results in it all, but was losing my soul. Through some wise counsel from my brothers in ministry, some professional counseling, some significant soul-searching, and lots of prayer & surrender, I not only rediscovered a love for my calling... I truly fell in love with my Savior at a deeper level. With all I have experienced since that Spring, I am so glad I didn't give up.
    

10 for the 2000s: 2003

1. War in Iraq: I remember telling our students that this would be a war like we've never seen before with the significant amount of TV coverage it would receive. It was seemingly quick, but is really still going to this day.
2. SARS: The big disease scare. It was H1N1 before there was H1N1. I remember we had to change our plans for SEMP Toronto because of the whole thing. Overreaction by us... but perception is often reality.
   
3. Movies: Top 5 were Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Finding Nemo, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Bruce Almighty. I really enjoyed 4 out of those 5. One made me cry multiple times. You can guess which ones.
   
4. Space Shuttle Columbia: Came apart on reentry, killing 7 crew members. It got a lot of news coverage, but from my memory, much less that the Challenger explosion in '85. More of a commentary on the lack of focus on the Space Program from '85-'03.
   
5. Top-Thrill Dragster: Worlds tallest Roller Coaster opened at Cedar Point. And I mean ridiculously tallest.
   
6. Martha Stewart in Pinstripes? She did some insider trading. Crazy.
   
7. The Governator: The California Governor recall got crazy. Gary Coleman was even running. Fortunately, all was returned to calm when Arnold Schwarzenegger won?!?!
   
8. Hussein Captured: They found him in a hole in the ground, then we were subjected to multiple camera shots of him in his whitey tighties while soldiers put their hands in his mout
   
9. Hey Ya! Outkast song. Janelle and I loved the sound of it. It also had the legendary poetic line... "Shake it like a polaroid picture."
   
10. Steve Bartman: I can't comment on this. I'll let a picture tell the story.

NFL Pick 'em: Week 14

Pittsburgh at Cleveland
New Orleans at Atlanta
Green Bay at Chicago
NY Jets at Tampa Bay
Miami at Jacksonville
Detroit at Baltimore
Seattle at Houston
Denver at Indianapolis
Buffalo at Kansas City
Cincinnati at Minnesota
Carolina at New England
Washington at Oakland
St. Louis at Tennessee
San Diego at Dallas
Philadelphia at NY Giants
Arizona at San Francisco

10 for the 2000s: 2002 Personally

1. A New Love: It was the first year I played Fantasy Baseball. Things were never the same.
2. Starting a Family? Janelle and I began to think it was time to have kids. By the end of the year, we were starting to wonder...
3. Flashback: Our Spring Break Cutting Edge Choir Trip to Florida was the last of it's kind. Fantastic ministry opportunities and memories. I was also introduced to Laguna Beach Christian Camp and Resort on this trip; which played a significant role in Spring Breaks to Follow.
   
4. Ecuador: We took a team of 22 students 6 adults, and one researcher to Ventanas, Ecuador. More students on this team have gone on to full-time occupational ministry than any other team I've worked with.
5. My First Funeral: It was just your normal "student who graduated from your ministry and was murdered in a drug deal" funeral. It was the toughest week of ministry I had faced up to that point. What do you say to the family? What do you say at the service? In the words of the wise Pastor Marvin who helped me, "You love. You remember the positive. You preach Christ. You sit down."
6. Yankee Hat Day: It was in this year that my tradition that lasted till the Fall of 2007 developed. Janelle was working full-time at the church. I would sleep in on Thursday. I would wake up. I would shower 50% of the time. I would put on my NY Yankees hat. I would head to Mishawaka or Elkhart for a movie or some other extended time of mindless activity. It was my day off.
7. Insurance Break: Ahh, age 25. I could rent cars and insurance went way down.
8. Fort Lauderdale Fun: Janelle and I took a trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL. We flew down and got a free upgrade on our rental to a PT Cruiser. It was great times at the pool and beach. The treasured time away from it all and focused on each other is something I will not trade in.
9. The Cabin: My parents got a cabin place in Ludington, Michigan. Janelle and my first visit took place in the summer of '02.
10. Building Project: At NMC, we were gearing up for a major building. Terry and I had the opportunity to design our "dream youth room." The Fieldhouse was that room.
    

10 for the 2000s: Oh Boy it's '02

To be honest... looking back on this year, it seemed to be a little slow in my book of significant events (meaning ones that stuck out to me). I've struggled to come up with 10.

1. Super Bowl XXXVI - The New England Patriots and this backup QB named Tom Brady upset the St Louis Ram's "greatest show on turf". I remember I was actually excited for Tom Brady. Not so much anymore. Plus, let's be honest, Adam Vinatieri is the real hero of those first 2 Super Bowls (I have no bias at all)!
2. U2 at Halftime - U2 and Paul McCartney performed at the Super Bowl Halftime. They did a tribute to those killed in the 9/11 attacks. It's the only halftime show I've really enjoyed.
   
3. American Idol Debuts - Justin and Kelly. Simon. Didn't watch that season, but man, it was big.
4. Sequels take over - Top 5 films were Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Spiderman, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Men In Black 2. Note: Only one non-sequel, and that one became a trilogy later.
5. Beltway Sniper - This one was really creepy. Especially when it was discovered that the killers were an adult and a 16 year old working together.
6. Winter Olympics - Salt Lake City. Blah. Never really get into the Winter Games.
7. Iraq Tensions Mount - We were fighting the War on Terror in Afghanistan, and Iraq became a focus because of potential Weapons of Mass Destruction. The U.N. went after them (with our strong push).
8. No Child Left Behind - It was signed into law.
9. Lance Armstrong - He won his 4th Tour de France. He has to be mentioned in one of these 10s, and since I'm struggling on this one, I'lll give him the mention here.
10. The Truth is Out there? The X-Files ended. I'm not sure anything was truly resolved.
    

K.I.N. In Action

13 students went with Geoff and I today to visit RETA. We took a tour and learned about the awesome ministry they are doing to minister to kids in need through helping mothers and potential fathers choose life and find forgiveness, hope, and redemption.

We're now painting an attic room that s being transformed to a Men's meeting area.

Very cool time where the students are seeing how their efforts are being turned into action.

Some Unwritten Rules

I stand on stage and "preach" a lot.

This past Wednesday Night, I had a couple momentary "rants" where I challenged both students and adults concerning living with a temporary mindset instead of eternal. In conversation with our super-awesome intern/pastor Geoff Cocanower following, he was curious if I had any individuals in mind as I went on my momentary rants. He asked this because we recently had some discussions about individuals that fit under the categories of my rants. I told him that I did not, and as a rule, I will not share something from the stage if my motivation is to speak to an individual. It's not a rule written anywhere, but it is a rule. It made me think of if I had any other unwritten preaching rules. Here is a list of some of them.

• I will not share (call out in challenge) something from the stage if my motivation is to speak to an individual.
  Why? Because that would either be better served as a one-on-one loving confrontation. If it is encouragement, praise or affirmation, I will point out an individual from the stage, but only when I am confident that person will be able to handle to recognition with humility.
• I will avoid, as much as possible, pointing out disruptive behavior from the stage.
  Why? Because pointing out disruptive behavior will often disrupt the group even more. We coach our leaders and students that it is their role to ask people to be quiet, stop texting, etc. if it is to the point that it is distracting. There are rare exceptions to this one... If I am confident that the disruptive behavior is distracting the entire group, I will point it out.
  
• I will not ask students to go where I am not willing to go or have not been myself.
  Why? It's a matter of integrity. As I prepare for any point of challenge toward students, I will take time to ask if the challenge fits under one of these two categories. If not, I don't share it.
• I will not be the Holy Spirit.
  Why? This one's more of a fact than a rule. I want to remember that my job is not to change people. I could push and push, use techniques of manipulation or guilt, or find ways to get the response I want to see. Not my job. My job is to share truth, ask questions, and give direction toward that truth. It's hard sometimes, but I've got to remember to leave room to let God do what He's going to do.

There are probably more examples of unwritten rules, but these are four major ones that I tend to run into as I plan and prepare. In all cases, I've learned these through mistake as much as success.

10 for the 2000s: 2001 Personally

1. Disney: Janelle and I took our first vacation to Florida together in January 2001. We also went to Disney for the first time together. We really liked it, but didn't love it. It was the start of our addiction though! At the end of January, 2010, we will be visiting Walt Disney World for the 8th time (add 1 more for a Disneyland visit). We also learned on that trip that you never, EVER should sit through a timeshare sales presentation.
   
2. Class of 2001: My first official Sunday at NMC in the Fall of 1996, I walked into a classroom... well it actually was the front room to our Missions House on CR 50... to teach an 8th Grade Guys Class. I discovered one boy playing with a cigarette lighter while 2 others had locked a fourth in the bathroom. Good times. I grew up in ministry with those guys and gals, and deeply loved those students. Upon their graduation, it really marked a watershed moment for me at NMC.
3. Moving back home: At the end of our year-long lease to our apartment, they were going to bump the rent up $50 a month on us. We decided that was ridiculous, and started to look for a house. When the time came to re-up our lease, we didn't have a house, so Janelle and I moved into my parents' basement for almost 3 months.
4. Almost Leaving NMC: I was offered a Youth Ministry Position at another Church. Janelle and I visited a couple times. We sought the Lord fervently and were fairly convinced a move was going to happen. Interestingly, the Junior High Pastor at that church was a guy named Caleb Bislow. Through our IMPACT trip to Peru (read below), God made it very clear to Janelle and I that we were to stay at NMC.
   
5. Agricultural Strike. We went to the mountains of Peru with 12 students for our Summer IMPACT trip. After a week of incredible ministry, we made our way down the mountains only to encounter an agricultural strike where many Peruvians had blocked the roads with rocks, trees, and even burning tires. We made it back to the capitol by workign our way through 4 significant roadblocks from a bus, to a van, to another bus.
6. 802 Locke Court: We moved into our house in late June. We've been there since. We love and hate the house... mostly love.
7. Football Chapel: Several NorthWood Football players had their lives rocked by God over the Summer. I had a sense that God wanted to do something significant in that team. In conversation with Jon Andrews, he threw out the idea of having a chapel service before game day. We did, and the results were fairly powerful.
   
8. 9/11: I had slept in a little that morning. We were going to have a leader meeting that Tuesday Night, which means a very late night. Janelle called me a little after 9 and asked if I had the TV on. I turned it on in time to watch the first tower fall.
9. Hobbits: I loved the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as a kid when my dad read it to me. I reread them when I was in college. I wasn't sure what I'd think of them on screen. Could Peter Jackson come close to the vision of Middle Earth I had in my head? I watched Fellowship of the Ring 3 times in the theater. It remains my favorite of the 3 mainly because I was blown away with how much it looked and felt like what I'd pictured in my head.
10. Croc Hunter: I began serving on the 3DYC programming team in 2001. Our theme was Wild Kingdom: Abandon Your Comfort Zone. It was a place where I was able to unleash my creative juices in a way that would bless others. I helped in the planning of session and the creative elements. As a part of the creative elements, we did a series of dramas featuring the Croc Hunter. I played the Croc Hunter. I continued to serve on the 3DYC team for 6 years.
    

Some Words I'm Hoping to Hear

A little processing today. As we head toward the 2nd half of the school year, here's some words/phrases I hope to hear from the lips of our students as we finish out the school year:

Words:

• Grace.
• Truth.
• Justice.
• Hope.
• Wrestling.
• Change.
• Grow.
• Connect.

Phrases:

• Derry, this is my friend... (would love to hear this on Wednesday Nights)
• I was reading my Bible and...
• My friends and I have been praying and...
• I was talking to my Small Group Leader and...
• God has really been messing with me...
• What if...
  

10 for the 2000s - 2001

Major world events/happenings of 2001

1. Wikipedia Launches: It was a joke when it started. The online encyclopedia that can be edited and updated by virtually anyone is actually one of the first successful User Generated sites. Kind of paved the way for blogging, myspace, youtube and facebook. I'm actually using Wikipedia as I do this series to refresh my memory on each year.
2. Reality TV: It really hit bigtime in the U.S. with Survivor (2000). But 2001 saw the premiere's of The Mole, The Amazing Race, Fear Factor, and Big Brother. For networks it was inexpensive to produce, and we the viewers were hooked. Newlyweds, John and Kate, and Wife Swap have me looking at this all pretty differently now.
   
3. Harry and Hobbits: Top 5 grossing films worldwide were Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Monsters Inc., Shrek, and Ocean's Eleven.
4. 9/11: By far, the most significant and remembered event of 2001. We all remember where we were when we heard. We all sat and watched it unfold on the television. We all said things like, "It seems like a movie" and "How could this happen?"
5. For a Moment, I Actually Liked Politics: There are many images from the events of 9/11 that stick out to me. The firefighters hanging the flag in the ruins. The President shouting, "Well I can hear you."
   The biggest one I will remember is the moment members of congress stood outside the capitol building, and actually went off-script.
   
   
6. Anthrax: It got sent to various news outlets, only adding to the fear of it all.
7. War in Afghanistan: It started in October, 2001. It's still going, and it got a little more attention two days ago.
8. Mr. November: Sports got all goofed up as everything stopped in the U.S. The World Series stretched into November. It was a great series between the Yankees and Diamond Backs. FDNY and NYPD hats were everywhere. There was a fear that someone may attack a filled stadium.
   President Bush walked out to the mound by himself for Game 1 and threw out the first pitch.
   
   The 7th inning stretch "Take Me Out to the Ball Game was replaced by "God Bless America". It all came down to the last hit, a bloop single by the D-backs to win.
   
9. Enron Falls: Don't totally get it all, but it was major news.
10. Jack Bauer enters the picture: It was supposed to debut the week after the 9/11 attacks, but was held off till November. The concept was unique and fresh. Every episode in real time for 24 episodes. Jack has now saved the world about 20 times over (an average of 3 times per season).
    

NFL Pick'em: Week 13

Big week for me in Fantasy Football. I'm one out from the playoffs.
In the Pick'em, I'm hurting. I bombed last week. I'm now sitting in 8th out of 12.

NY Jets at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Atlanta
St. Louis at Chicago
Detroit at Cincinnati
Oakland at Pittsburgh
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Denver at Kansas City
New England at Miami
New Orleans at Washington
Tampa Bay at Carolina
Houston at Jacksonville
San Diego at Cleveland
Dallas at NY Giants
San Francisco at Seattle
Minnesota at Arizona
Baltimore at Green Bay

10 for the 2000s: In the year 2000 personally

Here are my personal life memories/highlights of 2000:

1. Getting Married: Pretty big deal. Pretty major life upgrade in my case. I'm so glad I did 2000, makes it easier for me to remember how many years I've been married.
2. Honeymoon: Palm Springs, CA. Sparing major details, Janelle and I realized there was going to be great value in us getting away from it all to really focus on each other/ our family.
3. Janelle gets a job: Janelle spent 2000 working at Bethel College as an Admissions Counselor. It was a good job. The travel there and back stunk.
   
4. Officially Moving Out: After graduation from college in 1999, I moved back home for a year and worked at NMC. Janelle and I decided it would be best to get our own place when we got married, so we got an apartment. Spent a year at Orchard Park Farms. We loved that place (except for going into town to do laundry).
5. SEMP 2000: Headed to Toronto for this evangelism training trip. First trip Janelle and I led together.
6. Summer Getaway: In 1999, we did an overnight trip to Cedar Point with our Senior High with a dream we might be able to some day do our own Summer Camp. In 2000, we took it one step closer with a 3 night getaway that included some worship and sessions. It was the beginning of something significant in NMC Student Ministries Ethos.
7. Speaking at BC Chapel: I spoke at Bethel College Chapel the day after the election. I'm sure everybody was very focused in on what I had to share. It was an honor to go back and speak at a place that was so instrumental in my spiritual formation and calling.
8. Paying Bills: Rent, College Loans, Car Insurance... man that was a learning curve.
9. Ethics Lesson: I don't know why I remember this so well, but our Apartment had cable in it, and we hadn't payed for it. I guess the previous residents had it and the company never came out to disconnect it. I remember being really excited about this freebie, but then wrestling through my responsibility to report this. We ended up calling the cable company, and they came out and disconnected it... 6 months later.
10. Video Editing: I learned computer video editing on Adobe Premiere. I got hooked. It was a great outlet for my creative juices. Our pride and joy was "Billy" videos; which featured Shawn LaRue as a nose-picking dolt that would constantly get beat up. Good times!
    

Burdens

This morning, I read:

Carry each other's burdens, and in this you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

I pulled into a filled parking lot today as people gathered for the funeral of a 59 year old business man who died tragically last week in a fishing accident.

I opened up my email to read the arrangements for the wife of one of my childhood friends. I actually talked to him on Monday morning about his wife and two kids. She died in a car accident Monday night. It's now just him and two kids.

Just to the right of me are sitting 5 jugs that are collecting change from NMC Students (and adults now too) that will assist ministries that are addressing kids health issues, poverty, abortion, and trafficking both locally and worldwide.

I'm growing more and more aware that there is something powerful about ACTIVE COMPASSION, and the opportunities to "carry each other's burdens."

Youtubesday: Muppets do Bohemian Rhapsody

The Muppets make me laugh. This was borderline Brilliant!

Born 2 Die

Excited about a 3 week series we're kicking off tomorrow night. Born 2 Die will take a look at eternity, Christmas, and death.

December 2: Temporary v. Eternal
December 9: The Nightmare Before Christmas
December 16: The Death of Me.

10 for the 2000s: In the year 2000

The following are major Events I remember (or did a little research to discover) from 2000.

1. Y2K scare: When the New Year and New Millenium hit, Airplanes were going to fall from the sky. Computers were going toI remember many stockpiling food & generators, buying guns, and other preperatory things. Not just whack-jobs but those I deeply respect. Nothing really happened.
2. 2000 Sydney Olympics: I don't remember a lot of individuals from these games, but I remember watching them.
3. Dimpled Chads: Ahh the 2000 election. Gore won the popular vote. Bush won the electorate. Florida was under the microscope. Gore went on to make a movie. Bush went on to serve 2 terms and be one of the most unpopular presidents in American History.
4. Elian Gonzalez: Remember this picture...
5. Top 5 Grossing Movies: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Castaway, Mission Impossible 2, Gladiator, What Women Want.
6. Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams/Titans came down to the last play. Still one of the best Super Bowl games I've ever watched.
7. Subway Series: Yankees beat Mets 4-1. It was a cool one to watch as New York was in a bit of a frenzy.
   
8. Britney and N'Sync: Oops! I Did It Again and No Strings Attached hit big. Teen Pop was huge... painfully huge.
9. U2 Comeback: They released All That You Can't Leave Behind, and recaptured the sound made them great in the 80s but added a New Millennium flare to it.
10. Boy Meets World Finale: I know, not a huge deal. But come on, Cory, Topanga, and Mr Feeny? It had a great closing scene with Feeny looking out over his empty class saying, "I love you all. Class dismissed." Good stuff.