tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52504532024-02-20T19:08:43.650-05:00Refined in FireDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-85804871198647805132011-06-14T07:19:00.003-04:002011-06-14T07:48:41.903-04:00Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Jesus WayYesterday we were doing a little bit of joking about politics at band practice.Truth be told, I hate politics. For the past 3 weeks now, we've heard nothing but this Anthony Weiner scandal and there are lots of other issues important to our country right now that are being completely ignored. But that's politics for you.I remember vividly in my early years of faith being told that if you're a Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-23214813665582295622011-06-05T22:24:00.003-04:002011-06-05T22:45:13.085-04:00People of Little FaithI have to completely admit that I'm coming out of a spiritual black hole. For quite a long time now, I've had lots of questions about faith, and in particular my relationship to faith.It wasn't that I doubted the existence of God or anything like that, but my faith was troubled and I had a hard time reconciling it. I'm very happy to say that I've come through that time and I'm a lot stronger Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-89726463890471039312008-08-21T18:58:00.004-04:002008-08-21T19:17:30.177-04:00Youth Ministry On a Tight BudgetSo the financial committee chair person comes to you and says: "Good news! We've reworked your budget...you have $100 to spend for the year for each of your programs. If you could spend less that'd be great!"Ouch. Double ouch if you're working with several different programs!You have a couple of options:Start writing your own curriculum, which takes a lot more time orFind quality curriculum/Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-34262333169328184062008-08-18T07:29:00.002-04:002008-08-18T07:33:46.115-04:00Monday Weigh-In #2As of 5:05am this morning I weighed in at 196 pounds - I met my 2 pound goal for the week! Surprisingly! I was not as careful with my food as I should of been last week. Saturday I ate over 2600 calories (Cheeseburger in Paradise is my personal weakness!) Not at all what I had hoped for but still managed to pull off the loss.As I think about it, I'm not sure I'll make the goal to 175. Not Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-44822640450340290222008-08-11T11:22:00.002-04:002008-08-11T11:29:02.112-04:00Monday Weigh-InToday is CRAZY busy so I'll make this short.The past 3 months I've taken a short hiatus for my weight loss. Between summer camps, CIY and crazy schedules, it was nearly impossible to lose and keep a schedule of exercise.So today I officially start again and plan on coming on here each Monday morning to give an update on my weigh in. This helps keep me accountable.The Goal: 175 PoundsTarget Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-43739412359623285832008-08-03T18:50:00.000-04:002008-08-03T18:51:22.984-04:00Weekly CutenessDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-25213278046686042432008-07-29T08:41:00.004-04:002008-07-29T09:12:31.155-04:00To Be Hungry...The purpose of this post isn't to show that I'm a "Super Christian" because I'm not in any way. Nor am I trying to show off what I do. I just want to be able to share the way God has been blessing me through one on one times with him. With that being said...This morning I had an amazing quiet time. I think I've finally found the groove that connects me to God in my quiet time. Someone once Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-28167237095731382322008-07-26T06:39:00.003-04:002008-07-26T06:42:21.192-04:00Willow Creek Repents?For those that know me well enough, know that I really cannot stand Willow Creek. I've never liked their methods, their shallow practices, and the fact that they charge outrageous prices for their materials.Anyways, I came across this article this morning about how they decided their programs were just wrong. A direct quote from Bill Hybels:"We made a mistake. What we should have done when Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-41486064048289049352008-07-16T10:48:00.009-04:002008-11-13T16:40:41.936-05:00The Weight Loss Continues...I started the weight loss attempt on February 4th and as of today, July 16th, I've lost 43 pounds. Here is my before and after picture:It's really hard to believe I was so heavy. I really didn't notice it. You always notice you're a "couple of pounds" over but that's about it. I had no idea I had crept up to 240 pounds.Today, I'm under what I weighed my Senior year of High School. My Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-71191936104043932962008-07-16T08:48:00.004-04:002008-07-16T09:40:04.545-04:00...Flaw...You know that one thing that you have that you don't want anyone else to see? It's that one weakness...or flaw that you shamefully hide because you absolutely don't want anyone to see or acknowledge it.I have one.It scares the potatoes out of me when I think about someone calling it out on me.And it happened yesterday.Not just by one person, but by a collective group of people.It hurt.Now beforeDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-54599704062987285372008-07-09T08:36:00.005-04:002008-07-09T08:59:16.715-04:00Oh the Joys of Summer Youth MinistryLately I had been feeling guilty for taking my afternoons off from the office. In college it was pounded into my head that a minister should work an average of 55 hours a week so "...no one can complain that you don't work!" I thought that was fair advice and that's what I've done. My wife has continually told me that I "work WAY too much", but have since learned from people much wiser than I Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-34623240575577469032008-07-08T21:30:00.001-04:002008-07-08T21:32:18.830-04:00Why yes, I'll pray for your Gas!I'm still not sure what I think about this.My initial reaction is: "Aren't there other areas that could better use your time in prayer?"Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-86157432558734827402008-07-08T11:33:00.003-04:002008-07-08T11:36:46.652-04:00Top 10 Worst Selling Youth Ministry Booksby Scott Firestone (Group Magazine)10. Time Shares and Texas Hold 'Em: Creative Fundraising Ideas9. No Halos for Halo: Why Jesus Hates Video Games and Video Gamers8. The Gaithers: Rockers for Jesus or the Devil's Marionettes7. The Care Bears: Leading Teens Down the Dark Road of the Occult6. SUPERGOOD Life Lessons From SUPERBAD - Includes CD with Video Clips!5. Budget and Salaries: Youth Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-513741967579504542008-06-20T20:23:00.000-04:002008-06-20T20:24:33.886-04:00Argh!Just when you think you've had an awesome week......something causes it to come crashing down...Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-34103150137704431812008-06-13T08:07:00.002-04:002008-06-13T08:23:19.082-04:00My Personality Type: INFP (It's me word for word)From the Myers/Briggs Type Indicator (My comments in blue)INFPINFPs focus deeply on their values, and they devote their lives to pursuing the ideal. They often draw people together around a common purpose and work to find a place for each person within the group. They are creative, and they seek new ideas and possibilities. They quietly push for what is important to them, and they rarely give up.Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-51741027405379192782008-06-12T08:48:00.003-04:002008-06-12T09:01:41.980-04:00Church Membership Sucks!Church photo directories frustrate me.They're a great tool and all, but everyone comes out of the woodwork for them! I saw a family last night that I haven't seen in church in the 3 years that I've been here, not even for Christmas Eve or Easter. I remember a conversation I had with a lady a couple of months ago. It went something like this:"You're the youth minister at Reddington? Well I've Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-11523292949871794212008-05-31T06:38:00.002-04:002008-05-31T06:44:05.484-04:00Tranformational ThinkingThe Once a Youth Pastor... blog has dramatically influenced a change in how I perceive 'effectiveness' in youth ministry and how youth ministry SHOULD be done. If you haven't seen this blog you have to. Go through and read it all. Most of the posts are short and to the point but it has been instrumental in reforming my ministry paradigm. In one of his latest posts he lists the 5 questions thatDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-59974670409444243962008-05-29T11:09:00.003-04:002008-05-29T11:10:54.785-04:00So...I had hoped to come back from my blogging hiatus, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen.This June I will be in my office a total of 4 days.4 days.I hope to have a lot to talk about when I come back :-DDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-38662559177733796212008-05-12T15:10:00.002-04:002008-05-12T15:14:13.085-04:00Charlie the Unicorn 2If you haven't seen Charlie the Unicorn 1, stop what you're doing and go to YouTube and search for Charlie the Unicorn and watch it so you can fully enjoy Charlie the Unicorn 2. Otherwise, enjoy!Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-80631648782214087612008-05-11T07:48:00.002-04:002008-05-11T07:53:26.093-04:00The Media (Not so evil as you think)Quick post before the service.Most people blame the media for misrepresenting news or not publishing news of "substance". I know I often get ticked off when the war in Darfur gets 10 seconds of news time and the cafeteria worker who saved a little girl from choking gets 4 full minutes (true story). But is the media to blame? Or is it that people just don't care about things going on in the Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-14248965515145049782008-05-07T11:07:00.001-04:002008-05-07T11:07:49.457-04:00Movie Trailers that are Destroying AmericaDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-34302999478847153342008-04-30T11:10:00.004-04:002008-04-30T11:22:47.665-04:00Things are getting Busy!To my faithful readers:Things are getting busy with school ending and the summer months coming up. Youth workers around the country are bracing for a summer of activities, retreats, camps and trips. Updates may be slow coming in these next few months so I apologize.Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-23201863300885762572008-04-29T13:45:00.001-04:002008-04-29T13:46:32.841-04:00To Be Irrelevant"I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self." - Henri Nouwen, In the Name of JesusDjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-59133816195537078742008-04-28T14:56:00.002-04:002008-04-28T15:14:37.897-04:00Being a Bigger Loser FinaleThe Results are in! (Gotta love the loser references!)Not sure where I eventually ended up but as of last week I was in 20th place out of the 175+ that participated. The contest is over but I'm still trying to lose!Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5250453.post-89362116009771057012008-04-25T09:12:00.002-04:002008-11-13T16:40:42.761-05:00Me after losing 30 poundsThe "Are You A Bigger Loser Than Marko" contest ends today and I officially weighed in at 210, 30 pounds less then when I started. I'm pretty excited. But it's not over yet, I still have about 30 more to go! Thank you all for your prayers and your support!Djhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07348855079442717887noreply@blogger.com0