new discussion thread on facebook ym3.0 group
the facebook discussion group for youth ministry 3.0 is more than 1600 people strong. there’s been a little lag in discussion over the holidays; but it’s time to ramp it up again.
i’ve posted a new discussion thread, on the topic of “communion”:
in the book, i write about moving beyond our ideas of community, to a goal of “communion”. i define this as “true community with christ in the mix.”
part of the reason i didn’t want to use the word “community” is that it comes with lots of pre-conceived ideas: all of us have a desire to experience community in our youth groups, and we’ve often built programs to that end.
the questions i’d like us to wrestle with here are:
- what might communion look like in your context?
- for those of us with programs in place to build “community” (small groups, etc), how might we envision something more, something deeper?
- and, then, how do we get from here to there?
- oh, and, how might this look different for today’s splintered youth culture, compared to what it might have looked like 20 years ago?
monday morning update
the weekend that was: 1/2 in detroit, 1/2 in san diego. friday night was our last night in detroit, and we spent it playing laser tag with my parents! really, it was hilariously fun. saturday was a long day of travel, with the delays that some more normal than not. we got home just in time to listen to the overtime of the san diego/indy game on the car radio (GO CHARGERS!). a little pick up stix, and the day was done. sunday morning, i was wide awake at 6am, and got a little work done before heading to breakfast with a friend. it was a first for me on two fronts: i rode my new sector 9 longboard into town, AND i fell off my new sector 9 longboard. i was going too fast on a downhill, and just don’t know how to stop yet! i jumped off, but was going faster than i can run; so, tumbling commenced. i have scraped knuckles on one hand, and a slightly stiff knee. but mostly i’m fine. just have to figure that thing out, or admit my age — one or the other! i got to church, which was great, then spent the afternoon pulling together all the chapters for the middle school ministry book. was so great to upload the final manuscript at 110,000 words (which is more than 400 pages, for the finished book; don’t know what they’re going to do about that yet). sunday was also my anniversary with jeannie (23 years!), so we went out to dinner together, which was nice. talked about our hopes for this year, and we got tired by the time the evening rolled around, skipped our plans for a nice dinner out, got thai carry out, sent the kids to the back house, and cuddled while watching a pay per view movie. ah, the romance is strong after 23 years. :)
where i am at the moment: in the office. we have a couple days of ys leadership team meetings, to help me prep for a meeting i have with my boss this thursday. it’s good to be back in the office.
on my to-do list this week: oof — busy week of meetings. our leadership team is meeting to talk about ys and our future, and my boss is coming to town wednesday evening. friday, i fly to san antonio for the ys one day premiere.
procrastinating about: nothing! i finished my stinkin’ middle school ministry book one day early! (of course, i have tons to do on it still — lots of bits and bobbles.)
book i’m in the midst of: last christmas break i read three or four books. but this year, with my writing deadline, i just didn’t read. so, i’m a few pages into the know it all, but really haven’t read much in weeks.
music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: spent some time listening to reeve oliver and the knees — both great bands most people haven’t heard of.
next trip: our ys one day premiere (”the bible: bring it on!”) is in san antonio, texas, this coming saturday. i fly friday, and several of us are staying through ’til wednesday to get any last minute rewrites finished, along with the outlines for the handbook.
how i’m feeling about this week: a little stressed.
the best of 2008: ministry moments
it was fun to look over my calendar and blog for 2008 and think about all the great ministry stuff i got to be a part of! here’s my list of favorites (links are to my posts about them):
2008 will always be the year of youth ministry 3.0 for me. i wrote the book early in the year, posted major sections on my blog (and enjoyed the comments), saw it release in direct-only this fall, and started having fun with dozens of blog reviews.
the junior high pastors summit. this is a little invitation only group of young teen specialists i’ve been meeting with annually for about 8 years. we’ve become good friends, and the conversation is always extremely thought-provoking.
officiating at three weddings last summer for people i care about: my best friend from childhood, my cousin, and my niece. all three weddings were in michigan, which was a little bit weird.
speaking at the lifeteen catholic youth workers conference. of all my speaking engagements this year, this one was one of the highlights. i love these people (particularly those who put on the event, who have become dear friends), and the whole experience was just enough out of my normal experience to be particularly memorable and impacting (for me at least — whether it was or not for them!).
working on the content for dcla. i’m just blown away by how cool this thing is going to be. and it’s been energizing to be part of the team developing the thing.
preaching at my church. they’re pretty cool to let me keep doing this a couple times a year, year after year.
my trip to world youth day in sydney. this was a wonderful ministry moment for me in that it was an extremely rich experience, but i wasn’t leading anything. particularly, the saturday night candlelight gathering of 500,000 will be burned into my soul.
celebrating 10 years at ys in early september. we have a tradition of giving 10 year employees a nice ys jacket (like a letterman’s jacket). roni meek, the managing editor of our publishing team, and i both passed the 10 year mark this year, so we got our jackets together at the ys christmas party.
walking 12 miles for clean water in africa, with my family, as part of walk their walk.
especialidades juveniles (spanish ys) conventions in argentina and dallas (i didn’t go to the one in guatemala this year). these events are always a highlight of the ministry year for me.
the awesome discussion on the youth ministry 3.0 facebook group. i’m blown away that we have 1600 people in it, and that the conversation has been so rich.
starting my 6th grade guys small group. 4 new guys and a new co-leader. we met at the church for a couple months, then moved to my house. i’m really enjoying getting to know them.
the three national youth workers conventions in sacramento, pittsburgh and nashville. just wonderful.
shooting podcast videos. our team really stepped it up this year by starting a weekly video podcast that’s short (always 10 minutes or less) and helpful. i’ve enjoyed the handful of times i’ve been a part of it.
writing the middle school ministry book with scott rubin. scott’s such a great guy, and i’ve really enjoyed co-authoring with him. plus, when i’m sitting at my coffee shop, writing away, i’m always thinking of all the middle school youth workers i hope will be helped by this book.
the canadian youth workers conference in toronto. our second year of this event, and it’s such a cool thing to be a part of.
as always, the ys staff christmas party was a hoot. good times.
also in this series:
- the best books of 2008
- the best tv and movies of 2008
- the best music of 2008
- the best blogs of 2008
- the best family moments of 2008
last bit tomorrow: my favorite ysmarko posts
the best of 2008: family moments
i really enjoyed my family this past year (i mean, it’s not like i didn’t in 2007, and suddenly did in 2008!). and we all really enjoy being together. i don’t take that for granted, especially with a high schooler in the house. as i looked back over the year, these were some of the family highlights, in chronological order:
my grandma’s funeral in gulf shores, alabama. everyone in my mom’s extended family were there, and we really had a wonderful time together. it might seem weird to think of a funeral as a highlight; but my grandma was 92, loved by all of us, but ready to go. and while there were tears, there was also great joy.
a two night family get-away to crystal pier (fun old cottages out on a pier in san diego). we’ve done this a time or two before, and it’s always a great family bonding time.
spring break family vacation to some place in mexico (can’t remember what it was called). jeannie was sick much of the time, which was a bummer; but it was still a good time together in so many ways.
taking liesl to two days of moto x. it was nuts. fun daddy/daughter bonding.
my trip with jeannie to guatemala — and, specifically, to casa santo domingo in antigua, guatemala - was truly a highlight of the year. restful, beautiful, perfect.
this was the year of family pedicures. got ‘em two or three times. big fun.
our short family trip to chicago, on the heels of my niece’s wedding. the wedding was a fun family reunion; then just the four of us tackled chicago in 2 1/2 fast and fun days.
our family trip to banff and radium hot springs, in canada. such a perfect vacation in so many ways. awesome memories.
liesl starting high school. holy cow.
finding and moving into our new house. specifically, i remember how excited the kids were when they first went through the empty house. and how fun it was to sleep in the house that first night, and how fun it was to walk into town the first time.
giving the kids their christmas gifts this year (a trip for max to london, with jeannie; and a trip for liesl to paris, with me). their giddiness was off the charts. it was fun for me and jeannie, who knew what we were giving each other, to find creative ways to package the gifts.
also in this series:
- the best books of 2008
- the best tv and movies of 2008
- the best music of 2008
- the best blogs of 2008
still to come: the best ministry moments, and my favorite ysmarko posts
23 years
23 years ago today, this girl named jeannie and i chose to choose a life together. we’ve grown a lot this year, learning quite a bit (in a bit of counseling together) about each other and our relational tendencies (good and bad). i love her more than ever, and am so happy to be inching up on 25 years together.
this is the first anniversary where i’ve been married longer than i wasn’t, since i got married at 22 years old.
the best of 2008: music
Saturday January 03rd 2009, 4:00 am
Filed under:
musicso tough to choose my favorite new music of 2008. i’m not even sure all of these were 2008 releases (actually, some of them i’m sure are older); but they were new to me in 2008. in absolutely no order — well, they seem to be roughly alphabetical, now that i look at them…
alanis morissette, flavors of entanglement. brilliantly creative, fascinating lyrics, hooks that surprise. i’m blown away to know that morissette doesn’t actually write any of her songs until she gets in the studio; she just tries to be extremely “ready”.
beck, modern guilt. i’m a long time beck fan. i have 9 of his albums in my itunes. i love his quirky, funky, surprising and weird approach to, i guess you could call it, pop rock.
ben taylor, another run around the sun. can’t remember how i stumbled onto ben taylor; but this is my 2nd of his albums. wonderful singer and great songwriter, with memorable and singable songs. sometimes makes me think of ben harper, other times of jack johnson or donovan frankenreiter.
bluegrass worship. i would not predicted this as being any good. but i couldn’t escape how much i enjoyed it. a double disc of standard modern worship songs that you’ll know, but done in a bluegrass style. not brilliant, but i really like it.
capitol lights, this is an outrage. an excellent christian modern rock group i never would have found were it not for my friend, annie crandall, of tooth & nail. i think this is one of my daughter’s favorite new groups also.
the cobalt season, fragile iconoclast. there are very few singer-songwriters who are as good as ryan sharp. the fact that he’s often singing poetry about his wrestling with god only adds to the perfection. honest and bare, with a musical quality beyond what one would expect from an independent release.
coldplay, viva la vida. yes, you know it. yes, you probably have it. so you know it’s just that good, right?
gnarls barkley, the odd couple. singer cee-lo has one of my favorite voices in any genre of music. clear and strong, with amazing range, and just a pinch of edge. this is one of those albums i can listen to over and over and over and not tire of the tracks.
gotan project, (all of their albums). what to say about gotan project (which i found through my amiestreet.com obsession). i downloaded one of their albums, and loved it so much, i went back and got two or three more. i think they’re an argentine band, which would explain the regular use of tango music and accordian. there’s a male vocalist who mostly raps in spanish, and there’s a female vocalist who mostly sings in english. it’s a little hip-hoppy, often jazzy, and a lot latin-infused world music, and mostly just very interesting and listenable pop.
imogen heap, speak for yourself and i megaphone. imogen heap has been around for a while; but i just discovered her this year. and, after getting one album, i went back and got her other one, as well as two albums of her (former?) band, frou-frou. an angelic voice, often layered in levels of harmonies that are rich like cream cheese frosting, and intriguing pop songwriting have made her one of the darlings of the alt-pop scene. and now i know why.
in the name of love: africa celebrates U2. i borrowed this stunning cd from a friend, and listen to it all the time. it’s a collection of U2 songs, performed by a variety of african musicians and bands. the songs have been given lots of re-interpretation, which is a great strength of the album (tribute albums where the songs just sound like the originals suck). so pickin’ cool.
king khan and the shrines, the supreme genius of king kahn and the shrines. amiestreet.com recommended this to me based on my previous purchases, and they were right. yes, it’s a bit rough on some of the lyrics (i was previously blasted for mentioning this band, since some of their lyrics are on the raunchy side). the music is funky and hooky, almost like a cross between blacksploitation funk and modern rock. whatever it is, i love the sound.
M.I.A, kala. yup, you’ve all heard paper planes (”all i wanna do is…” bang-bang-bang-bang), which got somewhat overplayed on a variety of radio formats. but that’s part of the brilliance of M.I.A. — they’re difficult to stick a label on. hip hop, rap, alt rock, pop, world music? maybe it’s because M.I.A. is the music of the daughter of sri lanken refugees who live in london, and her music is a blend of everything you can imagine. anyhow, the album has a whole lot more depth than that one song.
reeve oliver, touchstone inferno. found this band on amiestreet.com also. they popped up because i said i like bands like weezer and wheatus. reeve oliver is indi-pop with a pop-punk edge. i dig ‘em. and i just found out they’re a san diego band, so i might have to try to find them performing somewhere locally.
serj tankian, elect the dead. i still likes me some harder edged stuff from time to time. having really liked the music of system of a down, this solo album from their lead singer was a natural for me. a few of the songs got a lot of radio play on alt rock stations. sometimes, it’s just the perfect music to blast through my noise-reduction headphones while i’m walking to or from the trolley.
the darjeeling limited, original movie soundtrack. it was a perfectly quirky movie, and it’s a perfectly quirky soundtrack. everything from claire de lune, to some annoying and catchy 50s or 60s songs you’ve never heard, to a few good classic rock songs, and quite a bit of indian music.
the peasall sisters, home to you. i have traditionally liked about every form of music other than country. but these days i’ve found that i like quite a bit more country than i would have expected, but need to qualify that a bit. i don’t like pop country. but i like bluegrass, i like alt-country, i like edgy stuff like old crow medicine show and br-549, i like psychobilly country like reverand horton heat, and some old school stuff like willie nelson and johnny cash. and, i really like what people seem to call “americana”, old timey stuff that sounds like it would be sung by the carter family singers or a few gap-toothed cousins somewhere in the appalachian mountains. the peasall sisters (another amiestreet.com find as i looked through americana music) are three sisters with innocent and beautiful voices who sing simple and beautiful songs. some gospel, some down-home stuff.
weezer, red album. you know who they are, so i don’t need to write much. i just really like weezer, and this is a strong album. my daughter and son like them a lot too, so it’s fun to share!
other posts in this series:
- best books of 2008
- best tv & movies of 2008
- best blogs of 2008
still to come: best ministry moments, best family moments, and my favorite ysmarko posts.
ym3.0 soon available in stores
youth ministry 3.0 should be in stores within the next month (which also means it will be available on amazon). of course, it’s been available on the ys site for a few months, as well as at our events. and amazon and other e-book sites have had e-book versions for download.
but i just noticed that amazon has 2 copies available through amazon’s marketplace resellers. here’s the funny bit:
- one is selling a copy for $7.50 (plus $3.99 shipping)
- and the other is selling a copy for $88.50 (plus $3.99 shipping)
gee, that’s a big difference! i wonder if there’s something special about that one copy that i don’t know about! maybe it actually has some answers in it!
the best of 2008: tv and movies
of course, there is great subjectivity in saying “these were the best movies and tv shows of 2008″. with that understanding…
the tv shows that regularly captured my imagination this year were (there are a few others i usually watch, but these are my favorites):
the office
30 rock
the amazing race
lost (yes, i still like it, and can’t wait for it to return in a few weeks!)
heroes
and the movies that stood out to me where, in no particular order (some of these may have been 2007 releases, but i saw them in 2008):
the visitor
marley & me
under the same moon
burn after reading
the dark knight
WALL-E
august rush (my review)
the darjeeling limited
no country for old men
U2 3D (my review)
juno (my review)
other posts in this series:
- the best books of 2008
- the best blogs of 2008
still to come:
- the best music of 2008
- the best family moments of 2008
- the best ministry moments of 2008
- my favorite ysmarko posts of 2008
the year 2008 surveyed
i liked this little Q&A i saw over on josh treece’s blog. thought i’d give it a spin…
1) What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
- wrote a book that wasn’t curriculum or for kids
- chucked a well-prepared talk mere hours before addressing thousands of youth workers
- spoke at a major catholic youth ministry event
- attended world youth day
- visited banff, canada
- flew in a lay-flat airplane seat, on an overnight flight
- got up on a wakeboard
- pulled together a major presentation on two internet ideas
- saw my daughter start high school
- commuted to work using mass-transit
- turned 45
2) Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i don’t make new year’s resolutions
3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes, a few. among them, my cousin and my friend jessica. ys staffer beth slevcove is ready to pop any day.
4) Did anyone close to you die?
no, thankfully.
5) What countries did you visit?
mexico, canada, argentina, england, new zealand, australia, guatemala
6) What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
- clarity about the future
- reduced travel
- more compassion and presence
7) What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- jan 2: first time i met my boss, and sensed that this was going to be good
- july 19: the evening worship service at world youth day, with 500,000 pilgrims
- august 29: the day we moved into our new house
- november 4: the day our country elected a new president
8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
i think it was passionately writing youth ministry 3.0
9) Did you suffer illness or injury?
not really.
10) What was the best thing you bought?
our new house would have to rate at the top on this one!
11) Whose behavior merited celebration?
- quite a bit of obama’s
- mccain’s concession speech (dang classy)
- ed noble and the other pastors of my church for not jumping all over prop 8
- brian berry for hiring christina as our middle school pastor
- liesl, my daughter, for taking responsibility for her own homework this year
- dave palmer and adam mclane, for moving their families all the way to cali to join ys; and mark matlock for choosing to trust ys with his baby, planet wisdom
- bob carlton and mark dowds, for coming to my rescue more than once when i needed smarter brains than my own
- bob jones for confessing they were wrong about interracial dating
12) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- so much of so many of the candidates, as well as the media, during the never ending election process
- multiple other politicians
- those in the church who are convinced that hate is, somehow, acceptable when one is “defending truth”
- my own, many times
13) Where did most of your money go?
mortgage, kids’ school tuition, bills, giving
14) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- oh, i’d be dishonest if i didn’t say the release of youth ministry 3.0. also, when i first read kenda dean’s foreword.
- our family vacation to banff and radium hot springs, canada
- my trip to sydney for world youth day
- settling in our new house
- how much i enjoyed riding the trolley to work
15) What song will always remind you of 2008?
- knights of cydonia, by muse
- viva la vida, by coldplay
- empty walls, by serj tankian
- and, unfortunately, i kissed a girl, by katy perry
16) Compared to this time last year, are you:
Wiser? uh, man, i hope so
Healthier? yeah, a bit, i think. lost 60 pounds early in the year and got in good shape. have regressed quite a bit, but not back all the way!
Richer? nah
17) What do you wish you’d done more of?
stayed home
18) What do you wish you’d done less of?
opposite of last answer
19) How did you spend Christmas?
four “christmases”, really:
- on dec 20 with my immediate fam, in our home in la mesa, california
- on dec 23 with my parents and sisters and some cousins, in canton, michigan
- morning of dec 25 with my maternal grandparent’s relatives in port huron, michigan
- afternoon of dec 25 with my wife’s family, in dearborn heights, michigan
20) Did you fall in love in 2008?
already there. found new things to love about jeannie, though.
21) What was your favorite blog post that you wrote?
that’s a tough one. i have a post in my “best of 2008″ series coming in the next few days with a handful of my favorite posts; but choosing one is a challenge. i’ll go with the bit of honest self-disclosure in poser week
22) What were your favorite TV programs?
i’m posting my favorites tomorrow. but i’ll name the best of the favorites here: the office.
23) Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
man, that’s strong language. i don’t think so…
24) What was the best book you read?
posted my favorites the other day. but if i had to pick one (ooh, this is hard), i’ll go with sin boldly, by cathleen falsani.
25) What was your greatest musical discovery?
longer post on music favorites coming in the next few days. but, picking one that was truly a discovery, i’ll go with the suprising beauty of the peasall sisters.
26) What did you want and get?
- a new house, in the kind of neighborhood we hoped for, with the smaller size and lower mortgage we’d hoped for.
- kids i enjoy more every year.
- a new boss who believes in me and energizes me.
- a sector 9 longboard.
27) What did you want and not get?
space
28) What was your favorite film of this year?
posting a list tomorrow; but if i had to choose one, i’ll go with the dark knight
29) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
turned 45. had a fun dinner with my family.
30) Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
it’s no secret i was inspired by obama. i don’t know that he qualifies as a true celebrity, but worship leader matt maher has become a highly valued friend this year.
31) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
middle-aged casual hint-of-emo
32) What kept you sane?
no question, my family
33) Who did you miss?
still miss yac. missed my buddy and ys publisher jay howver a good deal this year also, as he doesn’t live in san diego. missed my family when i was traveling.
34) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
i will never have this* figured out (*insert a wide variety of items here)
35) What did you gain this year?
- a deeper love for my wife and children
- a deeper sense of who i am
- a simpler life, in some ways
- a deeper sense of community with my home church
- some new friends
36) What did you lose this year?
- 60 pounds
- a big house with a pool and a hot tub
- a car
- a sense that ys can just continue as we have
37) Who was the best new person you met?
ooh. “best person”? that’s weird language. um, let’s say this: my life has been enriched this year by either meeting or deepening relationships with the following people…
- matt maher
- brian berry
- christina robertson
- a handful of new ys staff (mark and jonathan matlock, adam mclane, brittany marsh, linda brangwynne, bethany marvin, dave palmer)
- dave gibbons
- andy marin
- the four new guys in my 6th grade guys small group, and my co-leader, brett linsday
- the people in my home church
38) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Grace finds beauty
In everything
Grace finds goodness
In everything
Here’s to ‘09…
