get your law & order fix

is it just me or is Law & Order on every channel on TV? my in-laws and my parents all enjoy the show(s). so last week we were on holiday (that's what the British call 'Vacation') up at Jen's parents house. they watched the show so we watched the show. we returned home for Thanksgiving on Wed. night. my parents watch the show, so we watched the show. throughout the entire week, i think i watched more Law & Order episodes (the original, SVU & CU) than i have EVER!

between TNT, USA, A&E, & NBC you can watch your fill of L&O every day.

so i Sunday night, i was about to go to bed. i had a meeting early Monday morning... i had planned on going to bed early. I went upstairs and planned on flipping channels before falling asleep. It was 10 PM. I ended up watching 3 episodes of SVU back to back before falling asleep around 1AM. now i am a L&O junkie.

great. one more show that i watch...


(i do enjoy the television)

orange vests, rainbows, dirty windows & an irish band

i was driving today. all the way to Cambridge. orange vests were plentiful. deer were scattered here and there. some dead along the highway, others frolicking in the fields of grain not knowing that their impending doom was about to come at a really bad time for them. as i drove a little known irish band called U2 filled my ears with plentyful bliss. Where the Streets Have No Name had new meaning as i recently read in an interview with Bono that the song was written in the mid 80's, pre Joshua Tree during a trip to Africa.

along the way home, my tired eyes were kept adrift upon a sea of dirt upon my windshield. the afternoon sun gave way to drops of rain. a rainbow capped off the drive home. its width was magnificent.

i had no great revelations while driving. i often do when driving alone. but i did have a sore neck.

thanksgiving

i like turkey

last wknd

so we had our annual Atwood Retreat... it was our 7th retreat we've taken the youth group too down at the Atwood Lake Resort. well, as i blogged earlier last week, i had a terrible cough. i was taking so much medicine - Nyquil and Robitussen DM & that Vicks VaporRub that i think it dried me out so i ended up getting 4 bloody noses over the weekend. not fun. worst was that i got one in Pizza Hut - so there i was - camped out in this dungy & gross bathroom trying not to get blood all over the place. That was fun.

my cough is pretty much going away... but every once in a while it get a bad spell of the coughs.

top 25 most played from iTunes

here are my 25 most played songs from my iTunes (home computer)

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest
808 Crickets - Earlimart
Nothin But a G Thang - Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg
Unintentional Tape Manipulations - Earlimart
Work It - Missy Elliot
The Party - Starflyer 59
Dot/Eyes - Tortoise
The Answer - Bloc Party
ataraxia - team sleep
First Breath After Coma - Explosions In the Sky
Do Not Move - David Crowder Band
Our Happy Home - David Crowder Band
Peter Street - Engineers
Your Hand In Mine - Explosions In the Sky
A Poor Man's Memory - Explosions In The Sky
Eternal Life - Jeff Buckley
A Beautiful Collision - David Crowder Band
You Are My Joy - David Crowder Band
Rescue Is Coming (B Walk Down Stairs) - David Crowder Band
Six Days At the Bottom of the Ocean - Explosions In the Sky
Yoga Means Union - Ambulance Ltd
Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party
Tulips - Bloc Party
Worlds Collide - Christine Glass
White Shadows - Coldplay

the copy store

occasionally for my job, i ahve to go to Staples or CopyMax to get copies made. why? because the church where i work has crappy copy machines. so i went to copy max last Friday to get copies made and the lady there acted so self-righteous about her vast knowledge of how to use the copy machine. she proceded to make me feel dumb for not knowing how to run the machine.

"you're doing it wrong" she told me. "what do you want? 1 to 1, 1 to 2 or 2 to 2?"

i said "i want these 2 papers copied front to back." she then proceeded to set it at 2 to 2. well it needed to be set at 1 to 2 - so when it started printing wrong she threw a fit. "oh no. no . no . no . You want 1 to 2."

anyway - i just thought it to be humorous. she ascted like i was supposed to know how to do it all, but you know, i don't work there. she does. shouldn't she be helping me?

anyway, what is it with those self-righteous copy makers?

the new abs workout

so i've invented a revolutionary new abs workout... it's called coughing.

i've had this horrible cough the last few days and my abs are very sore as a result. so if you want to gain that all impressive 6 pack... here is the trick: start coughing or hang around sick people, but don't get to sick - just enough sick that you only have a cough. then cough all the time. wake up in the middle of the night and cough. take a break from eating supper and cough. it'll take away your appetite AND work out those abs! oh, and don't go to the doctor because of your coughing. they'll make you better - but then you'll lose that 6 pack and be tubby, which is what they want - becuase if you gain weight then you'll be prone to more disease or something, which keeps doctors employed.

so today is a little better...

after a few hours of agony, we got the wireless router to work properly... it was letting us network, but the internet wasn't working.

jen helped me set up some photo's on Flickr

that makes me happy. go there and adore my kids.

i have to hit the grindstone now... lots of work to get done. DND...

random random random

i hate the fact that our new dishwasher is leaking into the basement.

we have the worst luck when it comes to electronic items such as Answering Machines, Cordless Phones & now Wireless Routers. we have had to replace multiple phones & answering machines and yesturday, after only two years, our Linkys wireless router stopped working. we bought a new one but of course - it wont work properly... i am dreading having to call tech support. every time i do, i can't understand what they are saying.

today marks the 6th anniversary of my job as Director of Youth Ministries at Christ United Methodist Church.

i have a bad cough - it feels like i have this constant tickle in my throat.

i need more sleep.

i am so ticked off right now at that stupid router.

nothing else valuable to say...

NUMB3RS

NUMB3RS
Last year, an average of 48 different youth attended youth related activities @ Christ United Methodist Church each week. 1,770 youth attended our Youth ministry activities between Sept. 2004 and May 2005. We have 104 youth on our roster. Mailings are often sent to 70 different homes of teens. Out of the 104 on our roster, 37 are teens from families who are either members or attendees of CUMC, 48 come from homes in which their parents do not attend church & 19 come from families who attend another church. We’ve got twelve 7th graders, nine 8th graders, thirty-three freshman, twenty-two sophomores, nine juniors and twenty seniors on our roster (and if you’re wondering ‘how does one get on the youth roster?’ - they must attend at least two youth meetings -Youth Bible Study or Sunday Youth Focus - or their family must be a part of Christ UMC - then they are automatically included).

But the thing is, they aren’t just numbers. They are individuals who all need Jesus. They were all created in the image of God & their heavenly Father has a wonderful plan for them. Some have gone the extra mile to walk like Christ, while others are moving at a slower pace - but the Christian life is a long walk in the right direction and I always tell the youth,’ it doesn’t always matter how fast you are walking, as long as you are moving forward into the Light’. When we trust God, he takes care of the rest.

Ironically Jesus had only 12 followers who never understood his illustrations, seemed to abandon him at critical times and had trouble trusting him - while one of those 12 was trying to get him killed. If we’d put that on Jesus’ resume most of the churches in America wouldn’t hire him. One thing I learned recently while attending the National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh was that numbers are no way to judge a ministry’s success. In Luke 7:11-16 we see an example of what ministry is all about.


11Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, with a great crowd following him. 12A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The boy who had died was the only son of a widow, and many mourners from the village were with her. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. "Don't cry!" he said. 14Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. "Young man," he said, "get up." 15Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk to those around him! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, "A mighty prophet has risen among us," and "We have seen the hand of God at work today." 17The report of what Jesus had done that day spread all over Judea and even out across its borders. -Luke 7:11-16

Our job as Christians when it comes to relating to the lost is this: we are supposed to see them! Jesus comes into this setting and he sees a widow who is suffering and his heart “overflowed” with compassion. We see many examples of this in the scriptures. This is the ultimate example of evangelism. St. Francis of Assisi once said “Preach often and if necessary use words.” We have to see those who are in need and then we have to shower them with compassion, affirmation and love. Our actions will mean more than any words ever will. We have to see them as individuals created in the image of God, not just a number that can be added to our attendance. It doesn’t matter how many people are in our church if we can’t be compassionate, loving Christ-like figures.

People are drawn to Christ when His followers see those in need. This may make your heart tremble just like Jesus’ heart trembles. When we can look at people through the eyes of Christ we invite Jesus in and it is his presence that will reach the lost.

It has always been my goal to look into the eyes and hearts and minds of the flock God has given me. I came into youth ministry to change kids but in the process Christ has changed me. He is helping me to realize that it’s not about numbers, it’s about compassion. I have always strived to be as real as possible to those I come in contact with, teen or other. That should be your goal, also - not because I say so, but because Jesus did so. The goal is to love God & love others and then do what’s natural.

We are given people, not numbers, to see and hold and love, not knowing where they are going, not knowing what they will do & not knowing how God is going to minister to them. Many will never remember our name or what we’ve even done for them. We may not even remember what impact we had on them but one day Jesus will sit us down and these people that we have showed compassion to will come before us again. Then Jesus will turn to us and say “well done, my good and faithful servant.” -Tim Beck

To love someone is to reveal the beauty of who they are to themselves.

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delight.

PSALM 30 (niv)
PSALM 30 (the message)

PSALM 30
[interpreted by Tim Beck]

It’s all you, big God.
I’m no longer a lowly mess
and you prevented my adversaries from gloating.

Lord, Caring God, I needed you to fix me up.
I asked. You fixed.

Lord, you pulled me out of my watery grave
and spared me from going under.

Now all you Saints, do what’s right,
Shout to the Lord and Praise Him - show Him Genuine affection.

His anger last only for a short while, but his favor lasts a lifetime.
The night may bring weeping, but morning brings laughter.

When things were great, I had abounding confidence.
“Nothing can faze me” I shouted.

Lord, you showered me with favor - made me your favorite.
You made me king of an island mountain
but then you looked away and I fell into the deep.

I called out for help, Lord.
“Mercy, Give me mercy!”

“What gain is there in my demise,
I’m going under, to be silenced forever.
If I can’t speak, what of me will praise you?
Will my bones proclaim your goodness & faithfulness?

Hear me. Save me.
Show your kindness and help me up and out.”

And there you have it. You came through in the clutch.
My sorrow has morphed into a freedom dance.
My dirty, soggy clothes have been ripped away.
Now I’m decked out to the T - in a garment of praise and joy.

I am bursting at the seams, overcome with uncontainable delight.
I can’t be silent about the goodness of my God.

Lord, I can’t thank you enough.

...

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saved.

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is a day to remember the saints but i was inspired today to give thanks to God for the 'saints' who have helped me with my spiritual walk.

My parents obviously had a huge impact on my faith growing up. For that i am eternally grateful. It is nice having my dad as a vast resource of knowledge about the Bible, God's will and faith in general. my mom has always led by example and did what was right - there selfless attitudes have been greatly appreciated.

But there are two individuals who had a major impact on me and where i am today-
They are my two youth pastors when i was in High school: FLoyd Costello & Ron "Bubba" Heasley.

Bubba taught me the basics and in some ways brought out the best in me - even later on in life. Maybe he saw something in me, i don't know. Him and his family always were willing to go the extra mile... Ron even tried to teach me how to drive stick shift.

Floyd was just a unique guy. He was very real and had an incredible testimony. He definately took me under his wing and opened up his home to me as well. I think Floyd taought me that you don't have to be shy about your faith - and that i had nothing to fear. He was readily available at any time.

I thank God for the people who had a role in the development of my faith.