in an orange mood

and that's a good thing if you're in student ministry.

the orange style of ministry that reggie joiner and his team at http://www.rethinkgroup.org/ has really revolutionized the way i think about connecting ministry with families and families with ministry. for so long they have been separate. i wouldn't say they have been working against each other but they just aren't working with each the way good intended.

yesterday was so encouraging with some of the conversations i had with parents. i even wore an orange polo today.

glorious morning

i don't know if there is any other way to say it than, "what a beautiful morning!" i woke up and it was pretty chilly at 6:00 am. then i went to pray at the church and felt as though God was really speaking to me. i had a good talk with another pastor and when i came back outside to leave the church to go get some breakfast, the weather had warmed up just a bit and it felt so awesome. words can't describe so i'm gonna shut up now. if you weren't outside at 8:00 this morning run outside right now and try to catch it. it still feels amazing outside.

trying to say it before they do...

is what i once did. i once hated when someone thought of something brilliant before i did but i've had to learn to embrace it. being in on creative meetings and reading many blogs and listening to varying podcasts has taught me that most brilliant ideas have already been thought of; it is my job to embrace those ideas and not be envious of someone else's creativity or brilliance.

what it's all about

this past week i went to a football game where some of our students were playing and cheering. i've been to their games before and i really love watching any level of football, but i was so into this game. i was talking to a parent and it was his son's first start. i know the student pretty well so i was excited to see him get his first start too (his dad was a little more excited than me). the game got started and he was holding his own out there. then it was a run play to his side and he fought through the block and tackled the running back in the backfield for a loss. i was so excited! the dad and i were going crazy. i was so proud of him. i felt like i was this student's older brother. he played really well the rest of the game.

it was so awesome to see him after the game. he was smiling from ear to ear. that night he found his love for football, and that night this student and his father reminded me what ministry is all about.

groups launch!

we started our new groups strategy on sunday at SHIFT (middle school) and THE AVENUE (high school). it was so exciting and rewarding to see these students and volunteers getting into conversations with each other. i cannot wait to see God move in these relationships and communities. we still need some more qualified volunteers but things are off to a great start.

tropical storm preparation

Hanna is on her way. So, today Allison and I went to Blockbuster and Bruster's to prepare for the tropical storm. We got a pint of MY favorite ice cream (which she also enjoys) Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. If you have never tried it, please do. Your life will be changed. If you're a fud dud and love Butter Pecan then just stick with that. But seriously, give CRT a chance. I typically don't like fruit in my ice cream but this is the perfect combo.

We rented two DVDs at Blockbuster. We rented Disc 1 of Season 1 of Mad Men because we have caught a glimpse of some episodes on TV, and we wanted to do it right and start from the beginning of the series. So here we go.

We also wanted a comedy and I have been getting some flack at work from Phillip and Kevin about how much better Christmas Vacation is than Vegas Vacation (my favorite). I saw Christmas Vacation when I was young so I am going to give a chance to dethrone Vegas Vacation. I'll let you know what happens.