Home Sweet Home

I leave in 3 days for the greatest place on earth, Dallas, Tx.
Unfortunately, visiting the homeland has become a rare occasion for me. Ever since moving to Ca. 4 years ago, I only get to visit once a year. Very sad thing.
But the time has come and here are the things I am looking forward to the most.
No particular order.
1. Taking my niece to Chick-fil-a so I can eat good food while she plays on the playground.
2. My grandmas fajitas. Im drooling already.
3. Hanging out with my high school friends. The week will be filled with staying up really late, poker, movies, and basketball.
4. Hanging out with my brother and sister.
5. Christmas eve at my Aunt and Uncles house. Our family is crazy and the entertainment is priceless.
6. Going to Shreveport with my cousin.
7. Going to the Maverick game.
8. Visit college friends in Oklahoma.
9. Watch cowboys play with my entire family
10. Meet up with some pastors at a church that I really love.

A student center make over.

I have a whole new respect for Ty Pennington.
My co worker Stephen and I are prepping our youth room for a fun week of painting. The room currently looks a little bland to say the least.
The last couple of days have been filled with scraping off wall paper, priming, and texturing the walls.
We are finding out that this is a much bigger project then what we thought at first. But we know that in the end the room will look A LOT better and the students will love it. (hopefully)
After painting, we will turn to decorating the room. Pray for us.

My new favorite picture

I was browsing around my sisters myspace and found this picture of my niece, Ashlyn.
I get to see her in 13 days!

My new golf toy...

I absolutely love playing golf. Unfortunately, I have played the same way for the past 10 years, poorly. I usually shoot in the mid to upper 90's. I saw the add for a new training club and thought what the heck.
It is called the Medicus. It is a golf club training tool that helps you fix your swing. The way it works is that the club snaps whenever you are doing something wrong.
After a week of playing with this club, I went out and shot a 83.
After a few months, I am going to join the pga tour, you just watch.

A new way to hire youth pastors

Being a part of ministries in different churches for years now, I have seen my fair share of the politics in ministry. I have seen many friends and fellow youth workers get unfair treatment and even let go for reasons beyond my understanding.
My mother was worried for me to go into ministry so she made sure to constantly remind me to have something to fall back on. I didnt take that advice. I believe this is where God has called me for now and that He will always take care of me.
But this did get me thinking. I have an idea. Stay with me.
Being a big sports fan, I watch how sports organizations deal with their employees. There are trades, free agency, contracts, signing bonuses, and more.
What if the church was the same way?

What if youth pastors were signed on to the church team with a contract? This would give them time to have a chance to be successful in their ministry.
Example: I will hire you to work with the Jr. high. The contract will be 3 years, 34,000 a year. After the 3 years, the church could extend the contract or release the youth pastor into free agency.

Or there could be trades.
If Joe isnt working out at his church and Bill is working out at his, the churches could make a trade.
You could even have a draft, where the college graduates would have a chance to be placed in a ministry.

This could be the dumbest idea ever or the greatest.

Favorite Christmas Movie

The season is upon us and every where you look you see Christmas.
My absolute favorite thing to do during Christmas is watch Christmas movies. I have already watched a couple.
Here are my top 5.

Yes its old, not in color, and pretty cheesy but this movie has to go on the list.

Many childhood memories!

Classic. I always wished that someone would break in to my house during Christmas so I could rig my house to take them out.

This was a toss up for number 1. Comes on every Christmas eve for 24 hours straight. My brother and I watch it at least 2 times every year.

One of my favorite movies ever. Not just Christmas. It is hilarious and if you have not seen this, do yourself a favor and go rent it.

What is your favorite?

Strike is over

Well, mine is anyways. I didn't want to start writing but I have something to say that I cant hold in anymore.
Every neighborhood I drive through at night I see Christmas lights, every store I go into has Christmas decorations, every show I watch has Christmas commercials, and every blog I read has something to say about Christmas.
I love Christmas! It is my favorite holiday. But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, can we please enjoy Thanksgiving first.
Enjoy family & friends, eat turkey, be thankful, eat stuffing, watch football, and then have some pie. It is an amazing holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Fast Food Freestyle

Here is a classic youtube video.

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

Reason for lack of posts:
I have gone on strike.
Until we come to an agreement, there will only be video posts.

In the paper

A newspaper writer for the local Visalia Times called me yesterday because he wanted to know why churches have alternatives on Halloween night and why we encourage the kids to not wear frightful costumes. I know it was the paper, but I didn't know that he would pick and choose different comments I made and post it in this mornings paper. Here is the second part of the article that included my quotes and misquotes.
Misquote: "Halloween shouldn't be about scaring people" I honestly never said that. I said that we don't encourage frightful costumes because it will scare the kids.
Oh well, at least it advertised the event.


Title: Churches taking the gore out of Halloween

Grace Community Church, at 424 Lovers Lane, will also hold a Halloween kids' event Wednesday, called the Harvest Festival.
It will take a similar tack as the Harvest Carnival. It, too, will be open to everyone.

"Halloween shouldn't be a night to be scaring people," said Eric Putman, pastor of junior high programs for Grace Community's youth ministry. "It should be a night to have fun."

Harvest Festival, slated for 6-8 p.m., will also feature games, bounce houses and free candy.

It will be "kid-friendly," Putman said.

The world advertises Halloween as "evil," Putman said. "And, obviously, our church is against anything that is evil."

Benefits that dont benefit?

It has been quite some time that I have posted something that has had any true value or even deep thought to it. But for some reason, I thought that today, I would share what God has been teaching me lately. So enjoy yourself readers(or reader)Today is that day.

The last few weeks, my relationship with God has been crappy. Seriously, crap. I don't blame Him though. I have been in this state of complacency. A place where I feel like a hamster spinning on a wheel everyday. Nothing new, nothing exciting. I go to work, I go home, I go to sleep, and the cycle continues.
For some reason, the connection with God's love just has not seemed to be there lately. I don't really know how to explain it. This has lead to some deep thinking that has made my head want to explode.

I sometimes wonder if Christians have selfish motives in their relationship with God. Truth, God blesses us. It is wonderful. He gives, He provides, old self, old habits, old perspective have all completely been turned upside down and spun around.
But, the question is, am I just in it for the benefits? Am I?
There is no doubt that having a relationship with God, you will have beneficial transformation. But sometimes it seems as if its nothing but a consumerist approach to God's love, doesn't it? It's like I've been attracted to this one-stop-shop of Jesus fixes, Santa Clause, rub the lamp, kind of relationship. but if that's all I'm in it for, then what about the parts of the Bible that I'm reading that talk about uniting with Christ's suffering and pain in our connection to the world? Loving our enemies, giving better than receiving, that's not all that desirable to me. Where do all these things fit into my consumption of "Benefit(ME) Jesus

The sad part is, when all these things seem to fade, its as if Jesus Himself abandoned us.

But this is what I have realized. I have realized that I cant just go on consuming God's love. Instead I am letting His love consume me. I am letting it surround, penetrate, overflow through me.

Karl Barth, was asked one day what the most profound discovery he ever found of God in all the scriptures.This was asked of a brilliant aged man who spent countless hours contemplating and living this gospel his entire life. Amongst some of the other greatest intellectual theologians in the entire world he simply answered, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Jesus loves YOU, and He loves ME, and He loves His whole creation!

I can only explain my previous disconnect with God's love was the result of my lack of acknowledging it was within my midst. Other things have always gotten in the way of me knowing, experiencing and seeing God's Love. Who would have thought the the benefits of Christ would be one of those things?


"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away." Romans 8:38 NLT

My Birthday Wish List

I am turning 28 in a couple of weeks. Basically, I am becoming an old man. Seriously, Im almost 30. That's ridiculous. My dad was married with 3 kids at my age.
Since I am still a kid at heart, I will due what kids due on their birthday and make a wish list. I am not wanting or expecting anyone who reads this to get me anything. I just wanted everyone to see what my heart desires.

The Karate Kid Collection (Four Film Set) (1994)
Cowboys Sideline Flex Cap - Grey
Taylor Made Burner Driver
Carrie Underwood -Carnival Ride
Remington 12 gauge shotgun
The Journey - Billy Graham
Transformers
This Jacket
Phil Wickham cd
NBA season pass on direct tv
and last but not least
Procerin Hair loss treatment
At this age, I should be going bald any day now.

This about does it. If I get just a couple of these, Ill be a happy man.

Not Looking for Controversy

I am in the midst of a new book by Joel Osteen called "becoming a better you."
I know you can't even mention his name without criticism coming up, but I have to be honest with you. I love his book and his ministry. It is really inspirational and helps me be determined to become better at everything I do. Do I agree with everything he says? No. But who is out there, that you would agree with 100% time?

I understand that there would be criticism. (what well known pastor isn't criticized?) but I don't understand how people, especially pastors, spend so much time knocking a ministry that is helping millions all over the world. Thousands are coming to Christ every week through his ministry. That is pretty amazing stuff.

I just think that it is an abnormal concept for most people, to try to be positive all the time. Some think its weird, some think its fake, but I honestly believe that Joel is sincere in all that he does and I think the world would be a better place if there were more positive people out there.

Starburst Commercial

We played this commericial at an event a couple weeks ago, and my students are still singing the song every time I see them.

McDonalds Monopoly

I don't know why but this year I am determined to win some money by playing the monopoly game at McDonald's. I bought a "rare piece" list for a dollar off eBay. But being the nice guy I am, I will give you the list.
If you receive any of these pieces, don't throw them away. Either keep them and try to win or send them to me. Here you go.

Rare Piece List:
Mediterranean Avenue (Purple)
Vermont Avenue (Bluish Gray)
Virginia Avenue (Maroon)
Tennessee Avenue (Orange)
Kentucky Avenue (red)
Ventora Avenue (Yellow)
Pennsylvania Avenue (Green)
Boardwalk (Blue)
Short Line (White)

Half Marathon Picture

Just got back my pictures from the Disneyland half marathon. I just wanted to show proof that I actually went through with it.
It was very difficult to complete considering I had only one leg. But I still did it.

Open Mouth Insert Foot

I just had a short conversation that ended up not going too well.
I saw an advertisement at church that said "Disneyland 4 day Park Hopper Pass, 1 person, 100 dollars."

I came in and told my co worker about it.
I said that it was a great deal, but who would want to go to Disneyland 4 days in a row? That would not be fun.
He then informed me that Disneyland is the place that him and is wife are going for their honeymoon next week.
oops.

Im going on the radio

We have a Christian radio station in our area called KDUV. For being a Christian station, it is actually not that bad. It goes throughout the entire central valley. Im not sure how many people actually listen to it though.
They are starting a new segment on Friday Nights called LIFELINE. They bring youth pastors on for an hour to talk about youth ministry and to take questions from callers. I will be on at 7:00pm on Friday, November 9th.

Here are my thoughts:
1. Friday night seems like a strange time to have this segment. (there definitely wont be teens listening.)
2. What if there is a question that I don't know the answer to?
3. Being live, what if I say something I shouldn't say on the air?
I know there wont be cursing but what if a "that's what she said" joke comes out? Could easily happen.
4. Should I use my normal voice or come up with a radio voice?
5. Even though I'm not really looking forward to it, this could be a great experience that could help someone out there.

If you actually have nothing going on Friday night at 7 on Nov. 9th, tune in to www.kduv.com and listen to it live on the web. You could also call in and make me look good.

What Teens Look For In A Church

Found this article from Barna that breaks down what teenagers are looking for in a church. Pretty interesting stuff. It really makes me wonder how to prioritize our ministries to be more effective to the common teen church attender.

A new study from The Barna Group explored the spiritual lives of today's teens and what their expectations are in a church. For teens, prayer was the most common spiritual activity. Three quarters of teens (72%) said they pray in a typical week. Attending worship service (embraced by 48 percent of today's teens) was the next most common activity. Approximately, one-third said they attend Sunday school (35%), attend youth group (33%), participate in a small group (32%) and read the Bible (31%).

Teen expectations related to church were also explored. Forty-five percent described that "to worship or make a connection with God" was very important and was the most common element sought by young people. Other elements were "to better understand what I believe" (42%), "to spend time with close friends" (34%), "to get encouraged or inspired" (34%), or "to volunteer to help others" (30%).

Teens were asked to identify the most influential teaching they received from church in the last 12 months that helped to shape their views. The most common areas of content revolved around moral and ethical standards (65%) and relationships (62%), followed by faith traditions (55%) and personal evangelism (50%).

Less than one-third of churched teens said they remembered any helpful content related to the following topics: media, movies and television (35%); money and finances (30%); the supernatural world (28%); leisure activities (27%); government and law (26%); art and music (22%), health issues (21%) and technology (9%).

My niece and nephew are coming

My brother and sister-in-law are coming to visit California in a couple weeks.
Although that is excitement in its self, they are bringing the twins (obviously) and I get to meet my new niece and nephew for the very first time. The sad part about it is that they are 9 months old and Im just now meeting them. That is one of the major flaws about living across the country from your family. But they are coming and I am excited to teach them everything I know.

Unbelievable!!!!

I just watched probably the most exciting football game I have ever seen tonight. It was the Cowboys vs. the Bills. Just the match up brought back memories of the two Superbowl's in the 90's that Dallas won.
Dallas was down the entire game, the qb was sucking it up, and T.O was dropping passes left and right but down 9 with 24 seconds left, we had a touch down, and onside kick, and a last second 53 yard field goal to win the game.
I think I might cry because Im so happy.

I need sleep

We just had our Jr. High Allnighter outreach event this past Friday. It endued up being really good. We had almost 300 students come.
The rally was Price is Right themed, and we made sure that it the real deal.
We had everything from Plinko to the wheel. The wheel was 8 feet in diameter. It was massive.
We had a guest speaker, Matt Furby, who came in for us. During the message, I felt really bad for him because I have never seem so many students this disruptive during a message before. Talking, texting, writing notes, It was unbelievable and discouraging. But the Holy Spirit must of moved in because dozens (I dont have the exact count down) of students made commitments for the first time and went back to talk with counselors about their decision.

Then we stayed up allnight rotating to different venues.
I finally got to sleep around 10am but Im still feeling it.

A Dream Come True

Did you ever have a childhood hero? You wanted to be like him/her, you would do anything in the world to meet them? It might of been a basketball player, an actor, or even Santa Clause. There is some one who I inspired as a child to be like. I would even tell my family that my dream was to meet this person and go on tour with them.
That's right, I have the chance to see "Weird" Al Yankovic in concert.
He will be at the Fresno fair in a couple weeks and I have always (ever since UHF) wanted to meet him. As a kid I thought he was the funniest person ever.
On October 11th, I will make my childhood memory come true, I will see Weird Al perform in concert.

Weight Watchers Works

It really does. Training and running a half marathon, I was sure that I was going to lose a few pounds. But every time I look in the mirror, I just see this root beer belly like I am about to have a baby. I decided to give weight watchers a try. I have tried in the past, but due to the lack of my dicipline and my love for Mexican food, it didnt last long.
I have been successful for 8 days now and have lost 5 lbs. I feel a lot better as well. Not as tired. Lets see if I can make it another week.

New Crowder Album

Just received it in the mail today. It also came along with a little nifty bag.
The album is a typical Crowder album. (which means it is really good) Go buy it, you wont be disappointed.

A Long Weekend

We have had a student ministries staff training conference this weekend. It was a great time to connect with our volunteers and eat a lot of great food. The best part of the weekend was that our guest speaker was Dean White, who was the pastor of interns at Saddleback. We had a lot of time to catch up and even play some frisbee golf.
But now it is Saturday night, I am tired and I have to get ready for church tomorrow.
Good Night!

Im going for Reality Television

I am currently trying my best to get on Big Brother 9.
I just filled out the application and am sending it in tomorrow. It will be months before I would hear anything (if I hear anything) but my goal is to be on this show.
If you don't know the show, many strangers are put together in a house and have to vote each other out. Last one standing gets $500,000.
Its like Survivor but without all of the suffering. I wouldn't make it a day on that show.
I know its very unlikely, but Big brother always puts together the biggest variety of people they can find. In Hollywood, I would think a 27 year old Christian youth pastor would be pretty different.

Cowboys 37 - Dolphins 20

I think this is going to be a great year.
Cowboys have scored back to back 35 + games for the first time since 1987. Wasnt even done during the 3 superbowls in the 90's
GO COWBOYS!

Numbers...

I was eating at a Chinese buffet today, and I overheard two pastors from different churches discussing attendance in their churches. The conversation went on for a good 20 minutes, comparing and emphasizing the importance to have a large church.
This conversation kind of bothered me.
I have attended and worked at a wide variety of churches, from churches to a couple hundred to mega churches in the thousands. They both have their pros and cons, but I think that a lot of churches rate their success by their attendance. This conversation at the buffet is nothing I haven't heard before. I remember as a kid, every sunday after church, I would ask my dad (who is a pastor) how many people were there that Sunday. If it was a higher number I would be happy, if it were down, I would think that it would be shut down.

Although, new people coming every week is a great thing, I don't think any ones primary focus should be on "how many people do I have"

So where do you find the balance?
I believe that if you focus on having a spiritually health church body and teach the importance of evangelizing and reaching out to the community, God is going to bless the church in many ways. But to make numbers your #1 focus, I think the priorities are a little mixed up.

I will never forget what my old pastor, Rick Warren, once said.
"We count people because people count." Great quote!

It is important to know who you have and who you dont have, but dont rely on the numbers to decide if you are at a healthy church or not.

Time for a ride a long

The Chief of Police came to our church last weekend and spoke to our congregation about the gang violence in the community. Apparently, there are gangs here. I had no idea.
But then he let the staff know that if we ever want to see the dark side of the community that he would be more than happy to take us on a ride along. And I am totally going to take him up on this offer. He said he will try to keep me safe as best he can. That doesn't make me feel too great, but as long as I get to turn on the siren and wear a bullet proof vest, I will be happy.

Do you know your Bible?

Who was the 3rd man to walk on water?

The first one was Jesus.

The second one was Peter.

Then there was this guy, Jose.

A litte humor to start off the day

A cowboy, who is visiting Wyoming from Texas ,walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn.
When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy,"You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time." The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona , the other is in Colorado.When we all left our home in Texas,we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."
The bartender admits that this is a nice custom,and leaves it there. The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar,and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs
and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs.
All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round,the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss. "The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking. Hasn't affected my brothers though!"

Do you believe in miracles?

Yes, I am alive. I was going to wait until I got the pictures of me at the finish line but it was taking too long. But last Monday, Me and 15,000 other people completed a 13.1 half marathon. It was an unbelievable experience.
Here is how the day went down.
I had to be there at 4:30am to get ready. I was so excited the night before that I got maybe 2 hours of sleep. Not good before having to run a long distance.
Stocked up on pasta (the night before) bagels, bananas, gatorade, and an energy bar.
Got in position with the 3 hour group. (the slower ones) and then I just started running.
We started in Downtown Disney, went through disneyland, California Adventure, the streets of Anaheim, around the Pond arena, inside Angel stadium on the field, back into Disneyland where my friends Becky, Mike, and Nicole were waiting along with Mickey and Goofy at the finish line.
I also counted 5 different ambulances come get people while I was jogging. Thank God I wasnt one of them.
I received a huge disneyland medal and certificate and then went and ate a whole lot of food.
This was my goal for 2007
Now I need a new one for 2008. Im thinking scuba lessons.

IM GOING TO DIE....

The half marathon that I have been training for has finally arrived.
I have to be at Disneyland at 4:40am Monday morning to register. The race is from 6:30 to 10:00.
Please, Please, Please pray that I can finish this thing.

I think Im ready. I have my energy bars, running shoes, and Ipod. Is there anything missing?
I am making a playlist that will get me through the hours of running.
What song would you want to listen to while running?
My power song is "Dont Stop Believin" by Journey. I also have the Rocky Soundtrack.

If you dont hear from me by next Wed. something seriously went wrong.

Good Advertisement?

The Dallas Stars have two new slogans to promote the team and the NHL for the upcoming season. Both of the slogans take a shot at 2 other sports. Although I am not a big fan of hockey, I have to admit that this is pretty funny.

First Slogan:
The only thing our refs shave is the ice

Second Slogan:
Only one game a week?
Is the N in NFL for Nancy?

Pretty funny stuff.

Conversation with a Jr. High Student

Maybe you had to be there for this to be funny but this is a short conversation that I had with one of my favorite students at a youth swim and bbq event. His name is Dustin.

Dustin - You need to come watch me do all sorts of crazy jumps off the diving board.
Me - What kind of stuff can you do?
Dustin - I did a gainer, a back flip, and I dived from the top of the rocks.
Me- You dived? Dont you mean you dove?
Dustin - Leave me alone, Im not good at Math.

Hilarious!

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!

I posted a while back on how chick-fil-a and I were not on speaking terms. I made a commitment that I would email them once a month until they put a chick-fil-a in the central valley. They were very kind but very quick to point out that there were not any locations opening soon in this area. I continued to pursue my commitment and bring the goodness of this food to people who may have never experienced the deliciousness of chicken sandwiches with waffle fries, sweet tea, and lemon pies.
After continuous rejections, I think I may have come through to them.

There is a chick-fil-a opening up on the Fresno State campus within a few weeks.
This news brought tears of joy to my face. (I really need a life.) But it did.

Two things to learn from this.
1. Don't take no for an answer
2. If you are persistent, you will get your favorite fast food place.

Miss Teen South Carolina

Sorry Treece,
She didnt really represent your state very well.

Volunteers

Have a question for all you youth ministry gurus out there. (or just people with an opinion.)
First of all, I think we would all agree on how important volunteers to our ministry are. We need them, the ministry wouldnt work with out them, we need to appreciate them, encourage them, and so on.
There are too types of voluneers that I have questions for.

1. How do you deal with the ones who are negative?
From my own experience and other youth pastors, there are a few volunteers who always come up with the problem, but never really come up with the solution.
2. How do you deal with the ones who's behavior outside the church might be questionable?
Out of the two questions, to me this is the toughest.
If someone is a volunteer for your ministry and you hear about questionable behavior going on outside the church, but you dont know for sure, what do you do?
I realize the easy answer is to just ask them, but Im doubting they would be completely honest.

Just things to think about.

All Grown Up!

No, I am not a father (that's a scary thought) but I am a proud uncle. My niece Ashlyn had her first day at Kindergarten yesterday. She said that it was a lot of fun but they gave her homework on the 1st day. Can you believe that? She had to write her name and 5 things that she did this summer. I don't remember ever having homework in kindergarten. I wish I could go back to that age though. How much fun would that be?
If there is one thing I miss about TX. (there is more than one) it is being able to see my family all the time. They should be out to Cali in November though.

Fantasy Football Drought

There are not too many things as fun as being in a fantasy football league. It is one of the main reasons that I look forward to the season. But for some reason, both leagues that I have been in the last few years are losing interest. No one is signing up, no one is talking trash. It is a sad sad thing. If you are reading this and have been part of our league in the past, sign up.

Viva Las Vegas

I just got back from 5 days and 4 nights in Vegas. I must say, that is probably 1 to 2 days too long but it was a lot of fun. I met up with some of my family there.
Here are some higlights that I would recommend so you dont spend your entire time losing money.

1. Star Trek musuem and restaurant.
Never a fan of the show, but it was pretty interesting.
2. Shark Reef
It will cost you 16 bucks but you would lose more than that on the slots.
3. Stratosphere tower
not only can you see the strip but they have 3 crazy rides at the top where you can hangout from 120 stories.
4. Shows
We saw a comedy show and American Superstars that included a fake Elvis, Tim McGraw, Britney Spears, and Michael Jackson. Britney was my favorite.
5. Plane ride home. There was a European lady sitting next to me. She was very pretty but when I looked down, I noticed that she didnt shave her legs. It was seriously the grosest thing ever. I wanted to take a picture but I thought she might get upset.

But now I am ridiculously tired and have to prepare for church.
Good Night!

Accent is fading

This cant be happening. I spoke in front of the congregation at church yesterday and I had about 5 different people tell me that I was losing my Texas draw. You don't understand how horrible this is. Living outside of TX. this is really the only piece of Texas that I still carry around wherever I go. Does this mean I am a Californian now? I sure hope not. (no offense to any Californians reading this.)
There has to be a way to get it back. I must go to TX. for at least a week and get back but I might be losing.

Cant wait until Tuesday

There are a couple things that I am looking forward to that will take place on Tuesday.
1. Madden 08 is released.
I will go to the store and pickup my reserved copy of Madden on xbox 360 and look forward to many hours of football. But before I can enjoy this wonderful possession, I will have to wait until I get home from a mini vacation.
2. Vegas Baby!
I will meet up with my cousin in Vegas on Tuesday afternoon for a few days of fun.
This is the second year that we will meet up. We are both youth pastors so of course we will behave ourselves.
The only bummer is that tomorrow will be one busy day.

Back to Bloggin

My job has been overwhelming lately. Fun, but overwhelming.
Not only are we in the midst of summer activites and gearing up for small groups, but my head is about to explode with major decisions that have to be made in the near future.
Im really wanting to give the jr. high ministry an identity but I didnt realize how much would go into it.
First and foremost, a name for the ministry. You might think it would be easy to just pick one and go with it. Not so much. Im hoping that this name is something that that students will love and will stick around for years to come.
Second, we are wanting to give the student center an extreme makeover. We have a great room that has much potential, but it is really bland right now. Any ideas on what to put in a youth room, let me know.
Third, we are wanting to make the nights more of an outreach (bring a friend)atmosphere. I want the worship to be a more energetic, concert type feel where students would want to bring their friends.

It is a blessing and a lot of fun to have so much freedom to make these changes, but it is quite scary as well. You dont know what will or will not work. I guess you sometimes have to just take a risk and pray that you are making the right decisions.

"Look up, get up, and don't ever give up"

Being a Cowboy fan, I'm sure that this will sound a little biased, but Michael Irvin gave an incredible, emotional speech tonight while being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He definitely didn't hold back by dancing around all of the problems he dealt with off the field. He told his sons that he wished he could of said to "be like me" but that he knew he couldn't. He told them to be like other Hall of Famers that didn't get into trouble. He was very honest and real.

Some might say that he got a little preachy, but I thought it was very cool that he would use such a big stage to talk about God, the Bible, and even opening up his speech by praying and thanking his spiritual father {TD Jakes}. But overall it was a great speech that ended with him encouraging everyone to look up, get up, and don't ever give up.

Congrats for getting into the Hall.

Hume

I just went with a few friends up to Hume Lake for the weekend. I seriously forgot how much fun and relaxing a camping trip can be. You do nothing but eat, fish, swim, play games, and sleep. You don't even have to worry about taking a shower or worry about getting phone calls (no service). It is wonderful.
Now it is back to the life of busyness, people, work, cell phones, and noise. But at least I get to sleep in a comfortable bed.

Chance to witness history

I just got invited to go down to the Dodger, Giants game on Thursday night.
Unless Bonds hits two dingers before then, I will have the chance to watch him tie or break the all time Home Run record.
Too bad Im not sitting in Right field. That ball will be worth some money.

Who would I be?

This is an interesting game. I kind of like being myself, but if I had to be some other people, this is who it would be.

If I could be a famous historical figure I would be Joseph.

Although disowned by his brothers and faced many trials and temptations, he was truly blessed by God and was rewarded greatly for his faith and integrity. Plus he was one good looking dude that couldn't keep the ladies away.

·If I could be a celebrity I would be Scott Baio.

I only picked him because I am watching his show (45 and single) on VH1 right now and realized that I am just as scared of commitment as he is. Plus it would be cool to be recognized the rest of my life even if I never acted again.

·If I could be a famous athlete I would be Michael Jordon! At first, I thought of Tony Romo. Although just becoming famous, he is the qb for the cowboys and dating Carrie Underwood. What a great life! But instead Ill go down as the greatest basketball player ever.


·If I could be a famous musician I would be Weird Al Yankovic.

His entire career is made up of making fun of other peoples music. And he brings laughter to dozens and dozens of people. How could you not want to be him?

·If I could be a famous Christian Mover and Shaker I would be Billy Graham.

Yes, this seems like the obvious answer, but I think of all the people who have come to know Christ through his ministry and wonder how I could not pick him.

Im sorry for doing this but I must tag some people.
How about John Snyder, Becky, and Lovato.

Have fun!

Its that time again..

So sorry for the lack of posts. I have been sick the last couple of days but that should not be an excuse.
But its that time again. Training camps have started, and unfortunately this will be my first time in 4 years that I wont get to make it to the Cowboys training camp.
The past 3 years they have been in California, and it was pretty cool to get to watch them practice up close, get autographs and of course see the cowboys cheerleaders. But this year they are practicing in TX. Its okay, I am with them in spirit. By the way, we need to get a fantasy league going.

Why I am in Youth Ministry

If you are in youth ministry, you know that there are times when you feel really tired, discouraged, and may even wonder the point of at all. At least I do. My biggest fear is always wondering if I am making a difference.
Today after church, I received this email from one of my 8th grade girls. I just wanted to share it with you. (with her permission of course.)

Why I am in Youth Ministry:

Hey Whats up Eric?
I just wanted to say thank you for today's message.
It really helped me to think about what I am distracted
by and what sin I need to focus on getting rid of on my
walk with Christ. I really liked how we went around in the
room to be by ourselves because sometimes being with
friends can be a a distraction from what you are really
are trying to focus on. I also like how we wrote down what
we need to work on and then tore it up and throw it in the
trashcan.
I have also really enjoyed the current series we are going through.
It has helped alot with just thinking about my
purpose in life, my sin, my walk with Christ and some other
stuff too. It covers a lot and really gets my thoughts focused

Thank you so much for being there as a youth pastor and
as a friend. I really think that God sent you into my life
to help me straighten out my thoughts and expectations
of myself and work things out with God. Thanks again for
being an awesome influence and a great speaker in our
Jr.high group.
Sincerely,
Taryn

I am officially a nerd

Right before camp I splurged and bought an Xbox 360.
That doesnt make me a nerd. I think it is a requirement that every youth pastor has some sort of video game system. But I also got the Xbox live. (with good reason.) My excuse is that its a way to fellowship and stay connected with friends that I dont see anymore. But I have yet to do that. Right now it is just playing against strangers. I never thought I would be the one with the headset on talking trash to people I didnt even know. But that is who I have become.

Prayer Please

Just wanted to ask for prayers for my mom.
She is having a major surgery in San Francisco tommorrow afternoon.
She has had non stop pain and problems for over 5 years now.
If you could just take a minute and send up a prayer that everything will go well, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Im embarrassed

We have a local radio station that is promoting an event called 8th inning date.
They pick 8 single guys and 8 single girls to go on a group date to a baseball game in Fresno.
Without my knowledge, a friend from church signed me up for it.
Now I just have to pray to God that I don't get picked or else the entire central valley will think there is a desperate youth pastor looking for someone.

Deion helping students

Just read an article
where Deion Sanders is starting a biblically based mentoring program for students. He even has 14 children living at his house.
I had the chance to meet him a few times in high school and even went to Bible studies at his house. He also donated a lot to our Christian high school.
It's pretty cool to see such a big celebrity have Christian values and using his resources to help students.

Im Back

If you have read my previous posts, you know that I have been at Hume Lake Summer Camp for the past week. I would of posted earlier today, but I just woke up from one of the best naps that I have ever taken.
Being my first time at Hume Summer camp, I spent a lot of the week comparing this camp to the previous camp that I have attended the last few years.
All I can say is Hume wins.
It was a great experience. There are a few words that describe it.
1. Professional.
Every minute from the beginning to the end was well planned out.
The opening skit at the pond is something you would see at Disneyland or Treasure Island.
The band and speaker were really good, free time had many options of things to do and recreation time was actually somewhat fun.

2. Personal.
The Hume staff would wanted to help us in anyway. There was one day where I had a bad headache and a hume staff guy stepped in and hungout with my guys.
All the youth pastors got a great tri tip dinner at the end of the week.

Only downside: Food was not good at all.

Overall it was a great week. Hung out with some great students, played frisbee golf, connected with youth pastors and hungout at the lake.

I think we will be back next year.

Off to Camp

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be blogless for the next 6 days.
We are heading up to Hume Lake for Jr. High Summer Camp. It will be a change. The last three years I have gone to Thousand Pines and have many memories there but Hume is pretty awesome though. I cant complain.

Here is what I am hoping for:
Getting to know and build relationships with the new students.
Hanging out with my leaders.
Many Rounds of Disc Golf
Great Worship
Great Speaker
Decisions being made
Great Food (not likely)
Silent Football
Many Rounds of Disc Golf

Here are things that have happened in the past that I pray to God wont happen again:
Staying up all night with a kid who is puking
Sending students home for being sick
Getting shot in the crotch three times while playing paintball
Getting stung by stinging nettle
Disciplining a student for calling 911
Not being able to make it up the rock climbing wall
Students being told to pick up trash during free time
Getting shot in the crotch three times while playing paintball

Chick-fil-A and I are not on speaking terms

I have had the biggest crave for this the past few months. O how I long for the mixture of sweet tea and lemonade, the lemon pie, the cookies and cream shake.
This could be my favorite eating place of all time. It must be considering I camped out in the drive thru 2 years ago. But unfortunately, I only get to go there ever few months when I visit my good friends in the OC.
They slowly continue to build in California but they are not working with me to put one in the central valley.
I have emailed them twice requesting one and they keep turning me down.
But I refuse to give up. I am going to email them once a month for the next year requesting one here. If they dont, well there is pretty much nothing I can do about it. I will still try. I will do whatever I can in my power to see this happen.

10 Day Forecast

Here is the weather for the next 10 days in Visalia.
Good thing I leave for camp up in the mountains on Sunday. I would probably die otherwise.
Today
Jul 04 Sunny 105°/70°
Thur
Jul 05 Sunny 109°/72°
Fri
Jul 06 Partly Cloudy 109°/72°
Sat
Jul 07 Sunny 105°/70°
Sun
Jul 08 Sunny 102°/67°
Mon
Jul 09 Sunny 100°/65°
Tue
Jul 10 Sunny 100°/66°
Wed
Jul 11 Sunny 99°/68°
Thu
Jul 12 Mostly Sunny 100°/67°
Fri
Jul 13 Sunny 99°/67°

A New Putman

I posted back in January that my brother and sister-in-law had twins.
Unfortunately, the only times I have seen them have been through a computer camera or pictures. I get my first chance this November when they come out to Cal.
But I just found out this week that they are pregnant again. The Putman family just keeps growing. Its a beautiful thing.

Top movies that I have never seen.

This happens all the time. People start to quote movies or discuss movies that they love and I realize that I have never seen them even though most of the world has. And as soon as I tell them that I haven't seen that particular movie, they look at me like I am crazy or that I fell off the face of the earth.
So off the top of my head, I have come up with the top movies that for some reason I have never seen. Some look good and others I probably never will.
These are in no paticular order.

My pictogame.

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Holy Discontent

I am reading a great book right now by Bill Hybels called Holy Discontent - Fueling the Fire that Ignites Personal Vision.The main question that he has been struggling to find an answer to for the past couple years is "Why do people do what they do?" Why do teachers teach, why do writers write, why do thousands of people volunteer at hundreds of non profit organizations every year? He says in his book that in an average year, Americans will volunteer roughly 20 billion hours of their time.

Basically, it is teaching me that we need to come to a place where we are not just satisfied and content with this world. We need to have our own personal holy discontent, which is something that neither God or ourselves are satisfied with. What is the passion that God stirred in your heart to help change the world? Is it helping the poor, visiting prisoners, caring for the sick, giving advice to those that are hurting?
What are you so discontent with that you must do something about it? What will you put into positive action to make the world a better place?

He uses Popeye as an Illustration. He is a pretty laid back easy going sailor but as soon as someone messes with Olive Oyl, he says " That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more." He has to do something about it.

I'm still searching for my holy discontent. I want to help change the world.

The Ideal Young Adult Ministry

This is the answer that I have been searching for, for a long time. I still don't know.
After college you are at, in my opinion, a very awkward time in your life that the church struggles with ministering to, especially if you are single.

In college you are surrounded by people your age, you have roommates, you stay up late studying for exams with friends. You live and breathe people.
Post college, your world changes. You go to work and then go home. You have to search for community with others and most of the time it is not very successful. (at least with others in the same place you are at.)

So what is the answer? What is the ideal ministry for young post college adults?
Is it a 20 something ministry? Is it a singles ministry? Is it a college, career ministry? Where is our place in the church.

The church I work at just started a ministry that targets college, and anyone in their 20's. We will see how it goes.

I would love to hear what you think.

Most annoying sales people ever.

I am not really a big fan of shopping but there is a clothing store called the buckle that I like to shop at. They have a lot of cool clothes but once you get in, it is pretty tough to get out.
No matter which state you are in, all buckle employees are the same. They are taught in training to annoy you to death by suggesting clothes that they think you might like. They are seriously worse than used car salesmen.
Last week when I was in the store, one of the employees brought back 7 shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, and 2 pairs of shorts for me to try on.
My problem, I don't know how to say no. I feel bad rejecting their ideas. So instead of saying no thank you and walking out, I take the clothes into the dressing room and pretend that I am trying them on and then say that none of them fit.
The only solution to get out so far is to wait until they are finding more items and then sneaking out very quickly.
I think from now on, I will shop at their online store.

Why I love Texas!

My Top Summer Movie

I by no means call myself a movie expert. I am not that critical. The main thing I am looking for when I head into the theatre is if this movie will keep me entertained for the majority of the time. But in between all the mediocre films, every now and then there is one that hits home with me. This might be surprising to some, but if you know me well, not too surprising.
What it is not:
Spiderman 3
Oceans 13 (although quite entertaining)
Mr. Brooks

What it is:
The Waitress

Seriously; trying hard not to sound like a girl, this was a great movie.
It was well written, very witty, set in a small country town which reminded me of home and made me want to move back there, and had a great performance by Keri Russell. Do yourself a favor and go see it.

Youth Ministry Name

Lately our youth ministry has been trying to really define "who we are" so therefore we have to come up with a name for the jr. high, high school, and college ministries. I'm not sure how I feel about it. What is the purpose of a name, what are the pros and cons to having one? How do you even go about determining what the name will be? This is a big deal considering this would most likely be the name for years and years to come. After little research, here are some of the names that I have found. Some good, some hilarious.

180
2nd Wind
4real youth ministries
Awake student ministries
Elevate
Encounter
The Fire House
The Krush
MegaMorph Youth
Wired
Extreme
Fusion
Fuse
Fuel
Seven
On Fire
Studio 78 jr. high in Bel Air
Teen Blast

What do you think?

In honor of Bob Barker

Every year we have a great allnighter outreach for Jr. High students.
I just came up with the theme for this year.
In honor of Bob Barker working 35 years on the price is right we are dedicating this years allnighter to him.

That's Right. Our rally will be just like the game show. An announcer that picks students out of the crowd to "come on down", theme music, big name tags, fun games such as Plinko and Hole in One, big prizes, and we are even going to make a big wheel to spin.

The theme relates to "you are not your own, you were bought with a price"
The game show theme should be an easy transition into a salvation message.

Cant wait!

Think before you post... or blog

It seems like this Internet access is getting out of control for many people I know.
I don't understand why, but it seems that when students post information or pictures on their myspace page that they aren't aware that other people see it. Do they know and not care? Are they just not thinking? I have realized though that you can really tell a lot about somebody just from going to their page.

I have also heard many stories and know some adults who have written things on their blog that resulted in major consequences such as hurt friendships, and even getting fired from their job. I know you know this, but I am going to sound like a parent here and tell you to please remember to be careful when putting stuff out there for the entire world to see.

If you are a parent or youth pastor, take a look around at your students myspace page and see if there is anything for concern. You can learn a lot of stuff that your student would not normally tell you to your face.

Oh Duck!

There is a repetitive occurrence that has taken place that I must just deal to learn with. My local golf course has ducks and geese all over it. I think that it started out with only a couple and they have just multiplied like crazy. But I never knew that they could be so dangerous. 4 times now since I have played at this golf course I have had some kind of bird or multiple birds fly at me trying to attack me. I finally realized why. Since I suck at golf, one of my favorite hobbies is to get out the ball retriever and go fishing in the lake for balls. I am pretty sure that these birds think that I am taking their babies eggs out of the water so therefore I am attacked. Just yesterday as I was playing I took out a club with the retriever just in case. Sure enough 2 ducks come charging at me and I swing my 7 iron at them for protection. After I scare them away, all I hear is laughing. 2 different groups witnessed this. Quite embarrassing to say the least.

New Students

We just had our transition last week where my 8th graders move up and I get a whole new batch of 7th graders. The 8th graders that just moved up had another jr. high pastor before me so now everyone in jr. high only knows me as their pastor. Does that make sense? Anyways, I am looking forward to a great but busy summer that includes summer camp at Hume Lake, our sports league Wednesday night program, and our first ever jr. high mission trip. Should be a great summer!

NBA Finals helps me sleep.

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. Not even sleeping pills would work.
I thought of the next best thing. I went into the living room and turned on game 4 of the Spurs Cavs nba game that I had on tivo. Within 20 minutes I was out.
Now I know why the ratings were some of the lowest ever. These two teams must of been a nightmare for the commissioner. Spurs are good but by far the most boring style to ever watch.

Annual Staff Retreat

This Monday our staff is headed to Cayucos, CA. for 3 days of hanging out, discussing issues in the church, and relaxing. (wait, can those go together?)Anyways, I cant wait. I have been needing to get away for a while now because if I don't I will go insane and this seems like the perfect opportunity.

The cost of independence

A year and a half ago my parents and I moved to the same place in California to take on our new roles at our two different churches. (my dad is a pastor) Definitely not a coincidence, more a God thing. This has given me the chance to take my time in looking for a cheap place to live. A year and a half later, I am still with the parentals. It really has not been bad. I don't have much of a social life anyways so I don't mind too much.

I was just recently approached with the opportunity to move in with some great guys from church. They are a couple years younger and it seems though that it would be very similar to college life. Nothing wrong with that, just not sure that is what I want to live through again. I'm 27. I want to have nice, quiet conversations with friends and go to bed at a reasonable hours. And yes I do like to relax by throwing on some Kenny G and taking bubble baths. Cant do this with 4 other guys in the house.

So here are the pros and cons of moving in with these guys and then give me your opinion.

Pros - Hours upon hours of video games, hanging out with awesome guys, can tell people I don't live with my parents.

Cons - Most likely messy, cant save as much money, 5 guys in a 4 bedroom house, not much peace and quiet.

Answers Please!

Half Marathon Training Starts Today

I cant believe this day has finally arrived. I have been dreading it for the last few weeks but I cant hide any longer. My 12 week training for the half marathon starts today. Here is my upcoming schedule.
I AM GOING TO DIE!

It's Summer Break!! from church

There has been this vibe in the youth ministry the past couple weeks that everything is going really slow and the students dont seem to be too interested with what is going on in the youth ministry. Sign ups for camps, mission trips, events just seem to be really slow this year. IT is pretty frustrating. Shouldnt it be opposite? Students are out of school so time is not an issue; you would think they would want this extra time to spend with friends that they cant see. Summer just started so it might change but I really hope that as youth pastors we can make this the best summer ever for our students.

Luxury Camping

Some good friends from church invited me to go camping with them this weekend.
I was really excited to go because I haven't gone camping in a long time but it was a short trip because I had to be back for church this morning.
I have never done this kind of camping before. The two couples had big trailers with a living area, kitchen, and bedroom.

Camping in the past for me consisted fishing, sleeping in a tent, swimming in lake, eating fish you caught, and hiking. Here is the reaction, when I asked to do the listed things.
want to go fishing? We don't have poles
Want to go swimming? Lake is too cold
Want to take a hike? We are here to relax
Want to sleep in tent? Are you crazy, we have a trailer.

Then they asked me...
Do you want to watch movies?
Do you want to play board games?
Do you want to go into town to eat?

yes, yes, and yes. I think I can get use to this kind of camping.

Superbowl in Big D

It was just confirmed today that the 2011 Superbowl will be played in the new Texas stadium. The stadium is going to be beyond any other stadium ever built. It is the largest and most expensive stadium in history. The best part, there will be a huge high def screen that will hang down from the roof and go from the 20 yard line to the other 20 yard line. This could be the greatest news since sliced bread and I will do whatever it takes to go to this game. God Bless Texas!

Stranger Danger!

Tonight,I made one of the dumbest decisions I could of ever made. The sad thing is, I knew about it earlier in the day and even told my cousin I was probably going to do it. Every now and then, I like to get out and go do things on my own. Sometimes by choice, other times out of loneliness. One thing I have never had a problem with until tonight was going to see a movie on my own. I actually like it quite a bit.
Going to see movie on own, not bad idea.
Going to see Shrek 3 on my own, HORRIBLE IDEA.
The theater was filled with kids and their parents. I'm sure many parents were keeping their eye on me, praying that I wouldn't kidnap their precious child.
It was seriously the most awkward thing I have ever done.

American Idol is Rigged

Thats all I got to say.

Im Jealous

My sister called me last night and told me she was on her way to a V.I.P. party for Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki to celebrate winning the MVP award.
She got to mingle with many of the mavericks. Here is a picture of her with the owner, Mark Cuban.

Where did it go?

I was browsing through the music section at Target today and thought to myself, "hey, I could use a good Christian CD." As I started looking around, I noticed that there was not much to choose from. You had a few different Kurt Franklin albums, casting crowns, Chris Tomlin, and the Gaithers family reunion.
I know that Christian music was never what you would call "great" but at one point in the 90's there was a breakthrough where the genre did gain some momentum.
Here are the top 5 that I listened to. (and still do.)
DC Talk


Jars of Clay


Delirious?


Third Day


Michael W. Smith


Don't get me wrong, Crowder, Tomlin, Charlie Hall, and Casting Crowns are all good for worship on Sunday Mornings, but not so much for concerts.

Who is your all time favorite Christian group?