Video: Dancing In The Minefields

Just in case you've been living under a rock...or...you just don't know who Andrew Peterson is...I thought I should remind you that his new album Counting Stars is now out.  I'm a big fan of his.  And I learned recently Donald Miller is too.
Below is Andrew's first video, entitled Dancing In The Minefields about the messiness and danger of living in relationships.  I love the lyrical depth in Andrew's writings; he is always able to communicate truth to me.

Truck Stop

Last night I drag my bald headed friend Gabe with me to a Durham Bulls.  We were hoping to meet Tony Gwynn who was there signing autographs.  However when we arrived the line for Tony was about 2 and a half hours.  Unfortunately Tony was only going to be there for 2 hours.  So we said forget it and just watched the game.  

Gabe plays baseball, but didn't know who Tony Gwynn is; so not only do I share Jesus with the students in my church I get to share baseball.  I love my job.  

One Bull player blasted a home run which hit (actually it just went over) the scoreboard bull.  Which, of course, means that he earned himself a free steak.  I don't know where he gets his steak, or if comes with a salad, but I assume the appropriate people will tell him.  

After the 7th inning I moved up to the empty seats right behind home plate.  Meaning I moved up 20 rows.  I couldn't see 20 seats back so I had to move forward.  No one stopped me.  So I took the above photo.  Which is the scoreboard bull smoking, not from the homerun hit, but at the end of the game.  However, when the previous mentioned player hit his homer the bull did the same thing.  

 This photo was take from my original seat, Section 207 Row W Seat 3.  I wanted to share with you how pretty of a stadium for this Triple-A team is, ta da!  If you look just to the right of the middle lights you'll see the full moon.  No not some kid dropping trow in the outfield stands, but the actual moon in all it's green cheesiness.

So on the way home a rapid 18-wheeler attacked my car.  It was my fault, I should have seen the vibration in the cup of water sitting in the cup holder.  Okay, that's not true.  We were stuck in some slow going traffic, due to the construction work in the left lanes (on the left side of the photo).  Apparently at such high volumes of speed, 10-15 mph, the truck driver could no longer control the hurling mass of metal.  So he parked it on my backside.
So you can see the damage to my Suzuki above.  And below you can see the damage done to the tracker trailer.  Ironically (or not, Alanis Morissette really messed with my ability to distinguish what's ironic) I drove away and he didn't.  Yep, my Suzuki took down the Semi.

Also it should be noted that the truck driver's name is Dimmie.  I've never heard that name before.  Have you?

So Proud Of...

I got these amazing friends...

Stepping Up to the Challenge

Last week I took several high school students from my church to a Christ In Youth (CIY) conference in Cleveland TN. It was a fantastic week. We laughed. We danced. We cried...or at least I did, what can I say, I'm a crier.

I love life change. I especially love when that life change is spurred by an encounter with Jesus. And even more so when that life change occurs in students. I think my students had that moment. And it's amazing, because if you were to ask my on the last night of the conference I would have said that hadn't really, and that the week was more about the fun and games. But these kids have come back and after a few days they haven't crashed from their conference high...yet?...and are busy making plans to complete challenges and raise money for an organization called Active Water.

For instance, one student was challenged to organize a carnival in a 'under privileged neighbor'. He's formulating plans with others in the group.

Another two accepted a challenge to help some younger children learn to read. Tomorrow they

 already start volunteering at the local library.

One was asked to lead a weekly Bible study with his family. And I'm so proud to have read the following on Facebook this evening.

RePost: Eric Epperson

I thought I'd repost this blog post by Eric Epperson.  Eric is on staff at Christ In Youth (CIY) as a program director for their summer conferences called Move.  Specifically Eric lead the event I attended last week.  I have to give him some serious kudos, especially after one of the speakers went down sick and he filled in at the last minute with a great message.
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Serving the Church Kool-Aid

I just witnessed one of the loudest MOVE sessions I have ever seen. When the night came to a close and Caleb Rowden and his band struck the final chord, the crowd noise alone rivaled a jet engine. It was the type of noise that rattles your eardrums, causing a swishing noise that sounds like something between wind and a banshee on ecstacy.

What I witnessed tonight was a moment... no, an experience. I'll put tonight, for those 1,400 people, up against any concert or sporting event in the country. It was that solid. The experience was happening right in front of us. It wasn't fake. We were all creating it. As a creative programmer, I couldn't be more excited about what our team pulled off. As a revolutionary, I was filled with expectations.

At MOVE, we love lights, guitar solos, film, and crowd noise that breaks 100 dB. But to say that we do all of those things for the sake of doing those things would be a lie. We crank up the speakers (this one goes to 11) because we desire to create moments that will propel students to do big things with their lives. Boil it all down and you see that we call Kingdom Workers.

But you ask, aren't you just brainwashing high school students? It's all crowd mentality stuff, right? Get them all worked up and serve them the Kool-Aid?

Maybe you can call it brainwashing. But I know better. I've walked the high schools were they live. I know what their home life is like. Life is too hard to live out the things we teach unless you are committed.

No, we don't serve Kool-Aid but we do serve vision. And plenty of it. I'm not ashamed to admit that I believe the students I worshiped with tonight can solve some of the big problems we face. $40K towards rescuing young girls from sex-trafficking? They did it. Feeding families Thanksgiving dinner by the hundreds? I've seen the newspaper clippings. They did that too. Putting a huge dent in the water crisis in Zambia? Give them time and they'll check it off the list as well.

I recently read a book by Allen Hertzke, a political science professor I know at the University of Oklahoma. The book, entitled "Freeing God's Children", is about religious persecution around the world. Dr. Hertzke states that there is no better network in the country better equipped to tackle the big political issues than... get this... the local church. Change won't come from major corporations or the political parties. The vision, and the mobilization, for change comes from the church.

That's why we do lights and loud music. Experience leads to change and change leads to action.

Please don't read this and thing I am bragging. It's not about MOVE. We're not the ones going out and making the big changes in communities all across the country. Dr. Hertzke is right. The church is doing that. All we are doing is providing the experience that points them in the right direction.

Is that forcing them to drink the Kool-Aid? I don't think so. But if it is... we'll be handing out refills tomorrow.

CIY:Move 2010

I leave Monday morning with my high school students to Christ In Youth's Move Conference.
In high school I attended CIY conferences, always in Colorado.  And then I choose the Bible college I attended, largely based on it's proximity to CIY's headquarters.  I interned with CIY in the summer of 1999.  And I've taken numerous students to Conference in the past.
But I'm really looking forward to taking my current students this summer.  It's gonna be a great week.  We are even throwing in some white water rafting during an extended recreation one day.

Andrew Peterson's "Dancing in the Mine Fields"

I love this!

Andrew Peterson's "Dancing in the Mine Fields" (sorry the video's only at this linked website...go watch it!)

Andrew Peterson is one of my absolute favorite artist and he just released his very first video. He's been writing and playing music for almost 15 years now and this is his first video...about time. Also his new album is coming out soon, make sure you pick it up. http://www.andrew-peterson.com/.

Quote: Audrey Hepburn

““For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.””

- Audrey Hepburn