We are going to start doing a podcast every week for our youth ministry. I am so excited about this, you have NO idea. The purpose behind it is to remove our announcements on Sunday mornings and to also engage with culture and the things that maybe our students would like to know about. So we'll see how it turns out. Click on the title of the blog to download it. We will be putting it on iTunes as well so be on the look out.
I am currently wrestling with my next step. What will it look like, will it be better than where I am currently? Will I be given more opportunities or will be merely looked at as the youth guy? Will I be given more responsibility and seen as an adult or will they continue to treat me as just the youth guy? Who only knows “on how to work with the students and does not have any relevance or validity to teach us as the adult congregation.”
My problem is not with ‘the church’ but with my current situation. I am interested in working for a church that embraces youth, not just teenagers but twentysomethings as well. The sooner that these older churches begin to embrace the youth of this nation the sooner the church will begin to see growth. True growth is not going to come from older people or boomers however; it will come from the youth of today. The teenagers, twenty to thirtysomethings are the future of the church. We need to see them as that. We need to understand that the boomers are already in the church and if there is growth of boomers in your church it is not real growth (new Christians or non-Christians) it is lateral growth. That lateral growth is comprised of people who are looking for the next big thing, the latest Christian fad, this is not true growth in a church but it is a mirage of something that is actually happening. Empower us let us take steps on our own, let us make mistakes so that we can learn and grow. Because church is not supposed to be perfect the only thing that is perfect is the God that we worship!
The current state I am in a dangerous one. Why you ask? Well, I had created a new post and did not want to leak my heart out to the iNet so I deleted it. I have got new music pumping in the background, acoustic rock offering a person's heart on their sleeve and a catchy progression with honest lyrics. This is a dangerous combination if you know me. It will either lead me to write 5 new songs in an evening or self reflect to the point of narcissism, which only leads to more problems then actually helping. Nevertheless, I enjoy these moments. These are the moments I enjoy being single. No worries about taking care of someone else, no worries what I should be doing. Just drew time.
no finals, no school work, no work, no responsibilites, just drew time.
hold on, hold on, hold on, would you let me know you are here. - new lyric for a new song.
p.s. here is the new t-shirt design I made for my youth group.
Last night I was having a conversation with my roommate who shares the same name about personalities and people. He made a statement that sent me reeling. His statement was that I am not like anyone else he's meet and that I am very different (in a good way.) His reasoning for this is because I am an athlete, I like sports and go crazy about Michigan sport teams, I work out, I like to look nice with things of clothing and hairstyle (hipster), however, I am a music snob (which means I have a vast knowledge of music and am quite critical), I play music, I am an artist, theologian, and was in a fraternity, then the last pitch is a curveball. I am a youth pastor. These are all so different, just when you think you've got me pegged I switch it on you. I am not sure why I am this way, with each stage of my life there are things that are revealed to me about who I truly am, I do not negate the things of the past yet I embrace them as who I am still as well as embracing things of who I am now.
I would like to think of myself as a melting pot, rather than a chameleon. Melting pot seems to have a better connotation than a chameleon, which I thinks carries a negative connotation because you are always changing and not allowing people to get to know the real you. Nevertheless, I do allow everyone to see who I am this is central to how I live my life, transparent.
Okay, here is the simple truth. I got tired of my friends not being able to comment on my blog. So I got rid of the old template for this one. I'm not sure how long this one will stay. But for now it will do. There are some things I would like to change...we'll see. So anyways, feel free to post comments now. YAY.
crap its 2:30.