YS Saturday Report

Well, when I finally went to bed on Friday night I had every intention of waking up early and going over to Kurt’s Middle School class, but my sleep deprivation got the better of me and I stayed in bed until about 9am. Ran downstairs in the hotel for breakfast (free meal #4) and then shot over to the General session.

Great session…really enjoyed Doug Pagitt’s message. I’d still like to head out to Solomon’s Porch sometime to see the church firsthand, but it was still a good experience. Kendall Payne was awesome. I loved her lyrics, guitar and singing style, and her sharp wit. If you haven’t heard of her before, you should really check her out. Her songs are honest and are very, very good. She was also hilarious when she talked about her very NOT funny old youth pastor…but I think that’s one of those “had to be there” moments. So, Kendall and Doug were great, but the highlight once again was David Crowder and friends. If you’ve never heard the David Crowder Band before, you really need to check them out. My first time hearing them was back in 2000 or 2001. I was looking for any good Christian groups that sounded like my favorites, the Dave Matthews Band. Someone said, “here, buy this”…and to be really honest, I didn’t care for the CD at all. But, as time went on, and my tastes changed, I have grown to love the DCB and their music. Plus you just have to love David himself, the guy just bleeds honesty and humbleness…and the music is awesome.

After the general session it was off to lunch with Jason Raitz. (Not a free meal!) Jason is the founder of a middle school ministry called Project 311. Jason is a great guy who really cares about and understands middle school ministry. He’s been through the highs and lows of doing something like Stuck in the Middle, and he has a great crew of people surrounding him and encouraging/supporting him. I think that it was really healthy for me to get together with him, and it was a great motivator for me to work as hard as I can.

After lunch I shot over to the middle school programming class with KJ and Alex Roller. I haven’t had the chance to meet Alex, but he seems like a fun guy who I think I would enjoy hanging out with. Anyway, the seminar was great. They had a lot to share, and it was a fun time. Kurt showed part of our Stuck in the Middle video at it, and after the class I had someone come up to me and ask, “You’re the Stuck in the Middle guy right?” Pretty funny stuff…then it was off to a very enjoyable dinner with Daniel, Tony, Jared and Daniel’s Aunt Pat. Oh yes, and it was Free Meal #5!

Back at General Session #4, the sheer talent and energy of the David Crowder Band once again amazed me. It amazes me how the guy can stand up there and joke and talk during worship, but never detract from it or come off as egocentric. Between him freaking out over the presence of “lasers ya’ll” and his stage dive at the end of worship, I was reminded just how fun these events can be. David Nassar was our general session speaker, and I have to say that I’m not really sure what I thought of his message. Personally, I thought there was a little too much information about his marital/sex life, and I didn’t really dig his talk about how NOT compassionate he is. Maybe someday I’ll be able to understand a bit more of what he was saying…but I think his point was lost on me.

That night I had a chance to hang out with some old friends of mine, and it was a great end to another wonderful day!

Stuck in the Middle Madness

These past few days have been nuts! I’ve met with several youth pastors here in the KC area, and we now have four new churches that will be bringing students to our event in March! I’ve also made plans to meet with several other youth pastors when I get back from Nashville. Things are really blowing up with Stuck in the Middle right now, and it’s incredibly exciting to see what God is doing!

This Tuesday night was our first ever Fundraising Banquet here in KC. So, of course, that means that the weather magically drops and suddenly we go from 70 and sunny to 37 and snowing! Well, we didn’t have quite the turnout we had expected, but we did have an amazing time. Many people braved the weather for a chance to hear about our ministry, and a chance to sample my father in law’s excellent chili! Our special guest, Eric Venable, spoke to the group about why he believes in Stuck in the Middle and why it’s an incredible ministry to support. We’re so fortunate to have him as a friend, and were both honored to have him there and humbled by his words. Thank you to everyone who joined us, we’re already looking forward to our next gathering. Also, stay tuned; we’ll be updating our fundraising goals in the next few weeks as the pledges keep coming in.

A side note, Stuck is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity, and as such all donations to it are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. If you or someone you know is considering supporting this ministry, be sure to do so before the end of the year. This way you can get credit for your donation on your 2005 tax filings! You can donate by mail (Stuck in the Middle, 152 Lioba, Andover, KS 67002) or online under the “Support” tab at www.stuckinthemiddle.com

Rock Chalk Jayhawk and a requiem for Tigers

I was able to hook up with my good friend Geoff tonight and watch KU beat the socks off of Pitt State. It was a pretty decent game, the Hawks looked a little lethargic, but I’m hopeful that it won’t last long. I mean, we play Arizona in the first round of the Maui Invitational…that’s a wake up call for sure. I’m very hopeful that we’ll have a great team this year. I know there’s been a lot of debate as to whether or not we should have taken Rush as a “transfer”, but personally I’m very glad to have the guy. Add him in with our three McDonald’s all-Americans, and I’m lovin it! Good things coming from CJ Giles and Sasha Kaun too, so let’s just sit back and see where our unranked Hawks end up this year.

Oh, and for the Missouri Tiger fans out there, a few questions. First, I mean this seriously…What’s the deal with the open seats in your new stadium? I don’t get it, you drop millions on a new stadium (even if you have to change the name of it) and then you can’t fill it? And I’m not just talking about the blatantly open seats behind the home bench, but what about the open seats in the student section? That just shouldn’t be…
Of course, when you lose your exhibition games, I guess that hurts a little. Just a quick note to Coach Snyder: If you want to keep your job, don’t lose at home to Sam Houston State. Ouch! So seriously Mizzou fans, I’m praying for you.

Night of the living posts

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted. The main reason for that is because life has been CRAZY busy these past few days…and it doesn’t look like it will get much slower for a few more. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to post some of these thoughts since Monday, and am just finally getting the chance to do so. So, sorry for the barrage of posts, but here we go.

I Won!!!

A little bit of fun for you…

I won a contest over at Mark Oestricher’s Blog for posting a caption to a pic he posted. Fun stuff…and it won me a book that I’ve been wanting for awhile!

And who says that good things don’t come to those who wait? =)

Back in the Saddle

Let the whirlwind begin! This weekend marks the beginning of a very busy time for me. It all started on Friday with me helping a friend pack up his family to move to Kansas City. It was hard to see them go, but we are really excited for them. He’s got a great new job, and they’ve got an awesome new place…so it’s a great thing for them! After we finally squeezed the door shut on his U-haul Friday afternoon, it was back to our house to get packed up and hit the road to a youth retreat. It was kind of a last minute thing, but I was invited to lead worship for a group of students up in Kansas City this weekend. Jill and I (along with Maddy and Aiden) arrived at the camp Friday evening, and she helped me get all my gear set up before she and the kids took off and went on to her folk’s house in Blue Springs, Missouri.

It was about the time I saw Jill pulling out of the parking lot that it hit me…I was about to lead worship for a group of students, something I hadn’t done in nearly 2 years! Well, in short, it went great! Now, I am definitely no David Crowder, but I think that the worship went well. The great part though, was spending time with the students and staff of this church. It was really awesome, and I couldn’t have found a better group of people to be around for my first time back. The students were amazing, the staff was awesome, and the camp was pretty dang cool too! Would you believe that I had wireless internet access in my cabin bunk? (and yes, I thought about blogging from camp, but then fell asleep each time I tried!)

Now I am back with the family, and we are relaxing for the night at Jill’s parent’s house. I’ve got some meetings for Stuck in the Middle over the next few days, and on Tuesday night we’ll be hosting our first big fundraising banquet (which, by the way, we’ve had a lot more RSVP’s for!!!). On Wednesday I’m going to lead worship for the youth group from the retreat, and then on Thursday it’s off to the airport to go to Youth Specialties in Nashville. While at YS, I’m going to be meeting with some really cool people! I’ll get to go out with some friends from the Simply Junior High message boards, will be meeting up with a few middle school ministry people and will also get to hang with some new friends as well. I’m also really pumped about traveling with Daniel Roach, a youth pastor in Derby, Kansas. I don’t know Daniel very well, but I am really looking forward to hanging out in Nashville and building a friendship.

After YS, it’s back to KC and then a late night drive to Wichita. Two days back in Wichita working, and then it’s back up to KC for Thanksgiving. After that I plan to hire a babysitter for a month and pass out until Christmas morning when I wake to find a new Taylor T-5 and an X-Box 360 sitting under my tree…

Lunch with Larva

What a fun day yesterday was! It seems like I was moving non-stop from the moment I woke up, but most of the time I prefer life that way. I had a chance to go to lunch with a new friend, Pastor Scott from El Dorado (or Larva, as he’s known on Kurt Johnston’s simply junior high boards). It was a great time, and a good chance to connect up with a new friend. Scott is from Canada, which led to the obvious “What the heck are you doing in Kansas!” response. It always amazes me how people can come from all over the world to the middle of Kansas! …not that there’s anything wrong with that!

Anyway, through the course of our meal we talked about life, ministry and Stuck in the Middle. Scott is a really cool guy who came all the way to Kansas to work with a church that only had about 15 kids. In the short time that he’s been here, he’s seen the group grow to nearly 60 students! He’s very quick to give all the credit to God, and you have to admire him. He told me that he raises most of his support, and boy could I feel him on that one! It amazes me when I hear about pastors making $250,000 salaries, and then meet a guy like Scott who is struggling to get a raise so he and his wife can start their family. I guess that’s just a little pet peeve of mine. Anyway, a cool lunch and a great time connecting up with a fellow brother in youth ministry.