Today Youth Specialties unveiled a one-week killer sale for the two fall 2012 National Youth Workers Conventions. It’s an amazing (AMAZING) deal that will do three things:
Scene from conVERGE 2011
Last year I was invited to speak on student leadership at conVERGE 2011 at Huntington University. I was blown away by the conference’s tech-savvy highly-interactive format and its Christ-centered worship (having Tim Timmons as your worship leader certainly helps). When I came back I blogged that conVERGE broke the mold for regional conferences. Students who attended came away even more impressed.
Ok, so every Friday I post something ‘fun’ and it’s often a YouTube video that’s meant to make you smile, laugh, or sing along. I might be stretching things a bit today. Let’s be honest, I’m really stretching it today. Many of you will begin to wonder about me after this.
Let’s chalk this up to sentimentality th, but I’ll need to explain. In the early days of college, I thought my future was going to be in radio or music. I coordinated a comedy show that feature some folks currently making their living in radio. One of the more curious elements was that, in 1984, we had a running character called “Bob, the Talking Sponge.” I kid you not. And he was square. But I digress.
Ok, first, I’m hopeful that my colloquialism title translates well to different languages. But, in all of my global travels, one constant remains: We all like our sweets/desserts! And usually with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
So, this weekend I will participate in conVERGE 2012 as a ‘live presenter.’ This high-tech, high-touch savvy conference at Gull Lake Center in Michigan is one of my favorites and I look forward to it every year.
This weekend I will be speaking at one of Miracle Camp’s ICE CAMPS. For a variety of reasons, I limit the amount of speaking and travel I do. One of the benefits of this is that Kel and I can choose where we want to spend those open times. And one rule we have at home is that I am not gone back-to-back weekends. However, this month we’re making an exception to that rule so that I can participate with two groups that I admire and think are doing an amazing work.
Miracle Camp is one of my favorite camps in the US and whenever Jason and Emily Coon ask me to come speak, I work it out so that I can say, “Yes.” Miracle Camp has incredible and versatile facilities just sout
h of Kalamazoo, Michigan. But better than the facilities, the staff are seasoned professionals who care about camping …. and do it well. I’m also excited to see Michelle Mason, one of our Bethel College youth ministry graduates, working on her post-grad internship there.
Most everyone who plays sports has a “psyche-up” song. My Freshman year in high school it was “Stay” by Jackson Browne. My sophomore year it was “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross. But, I only had one such song for basketball all through high school and then even with intramurals at college. Maybe it was because I was skinny, but the Spinners’ “Rubberband Man” was the one song that got me ready to hoop it up.
I found this live performance for those of you fellow 70s fans. Enjoy!
This week we were reminded of the dire economic situation facing the youth of the world. Since 23.5% of the world’s poor are youth and 75 million youth are unemployed (a number that will keep growing), this presents significant challenges for governments, agencies, churches, and ministries (not to mention families!) in many regions of our world. In fact, all over the world, even the US, high school and college graduates will be in much poorer economic situations than their parents and especially their grandparents were at their age.
When I look over the ‘field’ of youth ministry, I sometimes grow concerned that we can become a vocation focused on running programs, teaching/speaking lessons, or even a personal exercise in leadership and personal status versus one based on Christlike service. As I read through Scripture on ministry like a ‘shepherd’ (I Peter 5:1-11) and the missional and service focus of the New Testament church, I wonder what our responsibility is to the youth in our community, our region, our country, and around the world.
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