Post-CDYC Thoughts

Sunday I returned home from 5 days of speaking at CDYC, the youth conference for the Central District of the Missionary Church. It was a blast! Chris Lehane was there with me and led worship with members of the NMC Worship Team. God was very present, and did some pretty awesome stuff. In our time together, a few things became clear to me...

• I am a pastor first and foremost. A little bit of a tradition among some at CDYC is to refer to the speaker, not by name, but as "Speaker" (ex. "Hey Speaker. How's it going".) It just didnt' sound right to me. Also, there were many times I found myself wishing I was sitting out in the crowd with my students. I believe God brought me to this conference in large part, due to the fact that I am a pastor.
• The Mountaintop Picture connects. I walked students through how many of us view events like CDYC as "growth" when in reality they are "perspective" moments, and growth really takes place at home. I received more comments and thank yous for my first session with them where I bluntly stated, "You will not grow at this CDYC." I'm convinced, more than ever, that all of us in ministry need to overemphasize this truth. Students are getting away to these events/ conferences/ retreats, experiencing a huge high, then returning home to the same tough situations, and giving up because they don't feel God the way they did at the conference.
• The CDYC Staff are top-notch. Chris and I walked away from the conference with great respect for the Central District Youth leadership and those specifically putting the conference together. These folks (talent/sports coordinators, media/video teams, security, administrative leadership) love God, love students, and know how to have fun. It's a great community with a similar heartbeat to see students' lives transformed in Christ. They are to be applauded for their efforts both in the conference and through the year.

• I See a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith. In conversations and sessions, it is quite clear there is a group (not the whole, but a decent sized group) of students who are fed up with their parents' materialistic, self-serving, and shallow version of Christianity... they want something more. I want to model that "more."

Break my heart for what breaks yours.
Everything I have for your Kingdom's Cause.
As I walk from earth into eternity.