Wednesday Night Post-Game: Reset

Hey Bloggers,
Have you ever had an idea that was so great, yet you had the idea a little bit too late so you had to cram about a month's worth of preparation into about a day? That, my friends, has been my weekend.

The story goes a little like this: I was in the youth room on Saturday before Ed's wedding, and the Wii was broken. 

Cue failblog:

It wasn't that bad, and I didn't break anything in the youth room. I just had to push the reset button on the thing and let it cool down a little bit. Kind of like how you used to have to blow on old NES cartridges to make them work.

(solid)

But then I started thinking about how Lent was pretty much designed to be a spiritual version of just that. We were meant to take a few moments out of our lives (40 of the 365) and push reset. Taking stock in everything that we're up to, how we need to fix things up, maybe clean out a few closets. 

My other big inspiration came from cleaning out the house this weekend, in particular a certain junk drawer that had been collecting way too much junk. This week, I challenged the kids to take an inventory of their lives, and sort out what got to stay and what had to go. Kind of like cleaning out a mental junk drawer. Just dump the contents on to the bed and get to sorting, and don't be afraid to throw things overboard. 

PS, there's a littler blog at our youth group site (www.befreeveritas.com) that we're going to be running throughout Lent. If you're interested, I'm looking for a couple of different voices to add to it, so hit me up if you're interested in writing. If not, just keep reading!

Godspeed,

J

Monday Morning Update

 

Good morning faithful readers. It's time for the Monday Morning update, a useless recounting of what's going on in my world. Go grab that cup of coffee, and let's dive in.
Current Listening: This is not a suggestion: everyone go buy Mixtape Metro's new CD. It is a wonderful CD, and I can't stop listening to it. (I think this may ultimately be one of those CDs I over play, but I'm willing to live with that.)

Current Reading: I am way behind on my reading plan. I have halted all reading projects and gone back to How can a good God let bad things happen, because I'm supposed to review it in the next week or so. 

Bible Study: One of the only new years resolutions that I'm still hot on the trail of. Must stay strong!

The Gym: Haven't seen the inside of the gym in about a month. No good. Gotta get back in there.

Big Project: I am super excited to be writing some new songs. More on this later!

Catch ya later!

J

Sunday Post Game: Technology and the Bridge Will Never Get Along.

 

Hi kids,

Today we continued a losing streak when it comes to Jim attending the Bridge and Technology. His microphone died right at the beginning of the sermon. It worked fine during sound check. I'm personally asking Congress this week for federal bailout money.

 

(Sugar Daddy)

On top of that, I was dead dog tired today, because last night we were rocking away at Ed and Elise's wedding. A great time was had by all, but it led to a very sleepy morning that even Starbucks cannot cure. 

 

Can I admit it is hard to worship in these moments? It's hard enough to get yourself to wake up out of a slumber, but to do so on a day when nothing was working technologically? Mandi did a terrific job leading worship, except her microphone kept falling down. Jim's sermon was wonderful, except I could not hear it over the heater fan. It was a tough morning. 

 

I desperately want our new sound system. Tomorrow. 

 

Tough loss today too. On the rebound though. 

More later.

The Sex Talk

 

(Let us all hope that this is the last time I'll have to venture into Google images looking for a related image that doesn't cause me to sin out right...)

Greetings friends,

As I mentioned in the last post, we just wrapped up our yearly series on sex. The whole process (as it does every year) has got me thinking about what a youth pastor's role is in shaping the sexual activity of teenagers, and this year in particular, why nothing I said the last two weeks makes a hoot of difference. 

 

For starters, here's what the talk focused on:

• 46% of teenagers today admit to having sexual intercourse.
• 20% of teenagers today admit to "sexting", sending raunchy photos or messages to each other.
• For me, these things are cheap immitations of the good sex that God has planned for each and every one of us, which takes place in the covenant of marriage. 
• 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8 says that there is a "most excellent way", and that it involves a love that's patient, kind, etc.

The moral of the story the last couple of weeks has been comparing pre-marital sex and God's view of sex to Hunts ketchup vs. Heinz

(disgusting)

 

(delicious)

During the time of questions (my favorite 20 minutes of the year) we got the same question we get every year: how far is too far?

(This guy RAN too far)

I get asked this question every year, and every year I move the goal posts back as far as I can. This year I even suggested that girls who wear provative clothing are taking things a bit too far, given that boys are visually stimulated and that even a lug wrench can turn our minds to thoughts of lust.

 

(sexy...)

As the talk wound down, and I made my way back to my house, I felt the yearly sense of disappointment. The truth is that even as a youth pastor, someone that an alarming number of kids have admitted looking up to, I have little to no influence over them in this matter. The chances of me finding sexually provocative photographs on facebook tomorrow are every bit as good as they were before I gave this talk on Wednesday. The mainstream culture has taken over and immersed these kids with the idea that it's ok, and while I don't usually buy into the Christian Culture Wars, this is one area where I feel passionate.

 

At the end of the day, I suppose it's just about being there and trying our best to show the kids "the most excellent way", both in our own lives and by pointing it out when we see it. Of course I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject, so leave some comments action. 

I'm going to try to read a little bit before leaving for the weekend! 

Godspeed,

Jason

Wednesday Night Post Game: A perfect storm

Hello friends.

The cold still lingers, though today is probably the best I've felt all week. Though last night, I was horrified that the cold was going to ruin Veritas. I was half tempted to ask Ed to cover for me while I went home to sleep, but then a slight family situation arose for Ed, and he had to leave for the evening. I was on my own again.

So I did what any average human being would do in my situation:

That's right. Shortly after lunch time, with writing the talk still hanging over my head, I laid down on our incredibly comfortable couch and took a nap. I felt like I was in Kindergarden again. I laid down on the couch and put my laptop on a chair beside me to play an episode of CSI.

(Gil Grissom is the MAN!)

I can't remember at all what happened in the episode. I was out like a light man. Right out.

Matt came to hang out with us and teach the Jr. High. He is far and away my hero. The night might have been horrible without him, given my cold and my inability to speak in a normal voice.

Oh, and add to the mix that last night was the last installment of the sex talk.

It all went really well. We played some kickball, rocked and rolled some worship, and then talked about making babies. I want to write a little bit more about the sex talk in depth, some of the reasons why it's one of my favorite talks to give and at the same time one of my least favorite talks to give. But I think that's for a later post.

Today I am home, waiting for the Comcast people. I'm going to get caught up on some writing (talks and sermons and books) and watch some more CSI.

Do it.

Godspeed,

Jason

The sense of home and the local church.

 

Greetings from my couch. 

I am home sick again today. I went to staff meeting and creative lunch, but then felt the need to bail after that. I feel like someone has grabbed a hold of my sinuses and is trying to pull me around the room. Plus, I woke up at 4:30 AM for no reason, so I'm more than a little bit tired. But from my couch, and while watching some television, the idea for a blog post came up.

 

I walked in the door, set my back pack down. I ran up to our office and put on a set of PJ pants and a hoodie. I wanted to try to do a little bit of work, so I popped in a little David Crowder Band how to DVD, and worked on a couple e-mails. The whole time I was overwhelmed with this sense of cozi-ness, the sense of home that is so irreplaceable. Any other day this prevailing sense might be over-looked, misplaced, or down right ignored. But in a time when I am beat up, beat down, run down, etc, it is right in my face, and it will not be ignored. 

 

While I was watching Crowder, and feeling this sense of tremendous "At-Homeness" (it's a word), Crowder began talking about his local church in Waco TX. All of it got me thinking about the local church I attend at Westminster, and how the last few weeks have just felt so right walking through those double doors in to our gymnasium, and the same at-homeness that has washed over me. Worship needs to happen in a comfortable place, in a place where all involved can feel comfortable. This is why to me and many of my friends, worshipping in a basketball stadium just doesn't seem to make sense. 

The thing is (I started writing this post about four hours ago), I'm still sick. I feel worn out and run down and actually, even a little bit worse than I did when I got home. The sense of home didn't actually make me feel better, but it certainly helped ease my mind. 

I think this is absolutely critical for those of us who lead worship.  For me, it would be easy to be the "staff person", come in with the guitar, sing a few songs, and run away to whatever Sunday school class came next. But for us, to creat that absolute sense of home, I think we need to immerse ourselves in the community of our churches. 

Preach it Crowder:

Now for some cereal and sleep. Hopefully I'll feel good enough for Veritas tomorrow!
Godspeed,

Jason

The Cold Lingers

Hello.
I am ill. I have a cold. I have attempted to write some blog posts yesterday, but my mind was way too cloudy. Then I woke up today at 4:30 AM. Like wide awake. Crazy.
So, instead of the typical postings, here's a stupid video for you.

God bless Sudafed.

J