• Moving Onward

    Moving Onward

    This is just one of those observation posts. It’s what I’m seeing from the corner office of my life.

    The summer between high school and college is both exciting and depressing at the same time for graduates. Unlike any other class, I got really attached the class of 2006. And, whether they like to admit it or not, they got attached to Kristen and I. It was a great 3 years with them. I love them, I don’t regret my time invested in them, I can’t wait to continue being a part of their lives as we begin the transition from Pastor-Student to Pastor-Adult. It brings me a lot of joy to have been apart of their lives and to know that I get to be a part of the next stages of their lives somehow. (If they let me share it!)

    But their time with me, at least in the form they have known it, is ending. It’s a natural cycle in youth ministry as graduates leave and new students come in. We have no other choice but to let the graduates leave and pick up our boots and begin investing in the next group. Every single year it is hard on the ones leaving. Trust me, it’s hard on Kristen and I as well.

    What about them? Perhaps the hardest part for the class of 2006 is knowing that the things they were working so hard on are not completed yet. Being a part of the beginning process is never as much fun as being in the glory days of the final product. This is extremely evident to them in two areas:

    1. Music. For 3 years we’ve struggled to get music off the ground in Light Force. The worship team has worked hard and prayed hard and done everything possible to jump start music. It’s been good but during their time we weren’t able to get it to the final stages of development. We had always hoped it would get there… and it just didn’t. Obviously, this summer we’ve taken it to a different level with having Dave here. It’s not that we don’t appreciate everything they’ve done… we’re just finally getting it going and somehow I sense they are frustrated. But they need to know that even if it didn’t happen through them… they set it up so that it could happen.

    2. Leadership development. I’ve invested in them, they’ve done a great job. Now I can feel their frustration at our investing in younger people. Our time isn’t exclusively theirs anymore… and that’s a bitter pill to swallow. At the same time… they are leaving and it’s time to begin the process of doing with a new crew what we have done with them… of course it will be different and hopefully even better. But that pill is awful bitter nonetheless. (A pill made more bitter as they see my time most invested in Dave this summer.)

    All this to say, while the youth ministry cycle is at times harsh and at times may seem unfair, it is a cycle. We have no choice but to, for lack of a better term, move forward. God’s agenda is not limited to the past. Instead we invest in the here and now for His glory. In the same way that I expect my graduates to take what they’ve learned and embrace the next stage in life, I challenge the up and comers to take the batton, step up and take Light Force to a whole ‘nother level.

    It’s a little easier for me to say that because I’ve experienced it many times. As a student, as a volunteer, and as a youth guy. I see it coming and even though I warn the seniors it’s coming… every single year they don’t.

    p.s. The best thing about recent graduates is seeing them come back the first time from college. It’s then that they see how time just marches on. Is that an evil thought?

  • Late Nights

    The last several days (ok, weeks) have been a series of late nights. I am really looking forward to a nice and lazy Saturday.

    Middle Madness last night was a lot of fun    . We went out to Dryden and ran around doing a scavenger hunt. Then the students tried to make some homemade ice cream. The best part, to me, was watching students try to make ice cream and have it not work. They just kept ending up with a mushy bag of white stuff.

    When we got back to town we decided that we needed to go to Dairy Queen. So about 8 of us went and got DQ. It was really cool to hang out with middle schoolers without their older siblings. It’s not that I don’t enjoy hanging out with high schoolers, it just that when you mix them… the older ones manage to push their way to the front of all of the adults attention. And middle schoolers are people too!

  • We’re Back

    It’s 12:53 am, well past my bedtime. We just got back from Niagra Falls. It was a great trip. It was good seeing some family and really cool to see the falls. I am sure Kristen will be uploading the pics from her camera in the morning.

    p.s. Making a cool, yet weird connection thanks to my involvment [is that a PC thing to cop out of saying I’m one of the owners] with Youth Ministry Exchange. Josh Yates is the youth pastor at my last church, Oroville E-Free church. He joined the forums last week and we’ve exchanged a couple of messages. When we made the connection I instantly started humming "It’s a Small World."

  • Off to Canadia

    It’s 7:35 am and we are already running late. We had anticipated leaving the house at 8:00 am for Niagara Falls… but that’s not going to happen. Only Kristen and I are awake and I still have to gas up the car, get packed, get everyone set… on and on.

    So we’re off until Tuesday night. It’s not a big trip but I am looking forward to a little R&R with the family. (And Dave) The last week has been pretty hard on me schedule-wise. I know some people do well when they are getting little sleep and have back-to-back-to-back stuff… but I don’t. By Saturday morning I was a big grump and I hate that. A nap Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon definitely helped.

    Of course we are going to see the falls. But the real reason we’re going to Niagara is to see my mom and brother’s family. The 5 of us will be crashing in their house. It should be a good time. And worst case scenario… it will only last 48 hours!

  • Role of Women in Mormonism

    Missionaryonbikes
    This is my 3rd installment in a five part series on Mormonism that I am teaching at Light Force.

    Free From Bondage, John 11:21-43

    Jail-Free-Jail

    Imagine that you had done something really bad and were sent to prison for life. Over the course of a few months you would likely begin to recreate a new life based around y our prison experience. Since you were there for life, you would quickly lose yourself in the politics of prison life, the daily routines, etc. You’d form new friendships and likely forget about the outside world altogether. You aren’t free but you learn to adapt to life in jail.

    Well, a few years later you are unexpectedly released from jail. You very quickly remember how cool freedom is. You embrace it, run with it, settle down into freedom-based friendships and jobs. Some more time goes by and you’ve nearly forgotten about your jail experience. You get a decent job, fall in love and get married, and start a family. The old prison life is a distant memory.

    Until the knock comes at your door. Instantly, you are taken from your "free life" and thrown back in prison because they have mistakenly set you free. So, you tasted some freedom but head straight back to jail.

    – What would that emotion feel like?

    o To
    be in jail, all alone in the world.

    o To
    be set free, to experience the ability to do whatever you wanted… to start life
    over.

    o But
    then to be put back in jail.

    –        My guess is 
    this would actually be worse than if you were just put
    in jail and never tasted freedom at all.
     

    Tie-in: This is exactly the type of thing Mormons
    seek to do with women.

    Chrisitans believe that we are born into sin, but yet can confess their
    sins and turn to Jesus and away from sin and it’s bondage… and He promises to set them free. Christ is their
    mediator. In Him they find true release and freedom.

    Mormons believe that
    there is no freedom for women. Their freedom can only be found through
    marriage. Their husband becomes their source of salvation. So even if they are freed from sin’s bondage they are merely rebonded to a sinful man. There is no true release and freedom.

    (more…)

  • Random samplings

    I’ve got a few things that I’d like to talk about that just get categorized as "other" that I need to get out.

    1. We’re missing some stuff. Not the type of things anyone would steal. But annoying things like a TV remote and a belt and my Bible. What’s going on?
    2. Still no Violet. We had a false sighting yesterday over by the Montessori school. It wasn’t her. 5 days is a long time for a little cat. Let’s hope she comes back soon.
    3. Flipping tired. I don’t know how else to explain how I feel. I am just plain worn out. It’s been the type of week that just goes and goes. I’ve not been to bed before midnight once. I think Dave can hang with this type of schedule, but I’m worn out and I’m beginning to worry that if I keep it up I’ll get sick.
    4. Dave’s still doing great. He hasn’t blogged very much because we’re never home.  But Dave is doing fantastic. It’s hard to believe that he’s been here more than 3 weeks. A lot done and a lot to do.
    5. In case I haven’t said this lately… we love this town, the people, and our church. I’ve never been around a group of people who just genuinely love one another quite like I’m seeing here. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it.

  • Paintball Report

    PaintballsThis morning we went over to the Fisher’s to play paintball. It had been a long time since I had done it… but it was the same thing. The best part of it was seeing a side of the other 14 people that I had never seen before.

    Despite being extremely tired and notably getting picked last, I did have a good time. I think some of the people there thought I was mad or just being a jerk but the real deal was that all of the activity is really catching up with me and I was real tired. I need some serious downtime.

    I’m not sure if I shot very many people. And I definitely didn’t go through as many paintballs as other people. But it was a good time. I didn’t wear camo and I don’t think that hurt me either. I did get shot in the legs (I wore shorts) but I also didn’t get nearly as hot as the other people. Plus, getting hit on the skin didn’t really hurt me much. Sting? Yes, but not hurt.

    An observation: Paintballers are no different than golfers. They stood around for 15-20 minutes after each round comparing strategies, sharing stories, and complaining about equipment.

  • Where did this week go?

    Is it really Friday? There are certain times in life where weeks literally start to fly by. I’ve been out late every night this week. Mornings have been coming too soon.

    Man, sure would be nice if life would slow down a bit.

  • Softball Streak Comes to an End

    Romeo_logo_front_2Going into tonights game I think we had gotten a little too confident. After winning last week without our two strongest players we felt assured that we were going to compete well tonight. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get going out of the chute fast enough and couldn’t catch up. We lost 6-9 to bring our record to 1 win and 8 loses. But, there were two monster highlights.

    1. Great picnic after the game. I think everyone stayed to enjoy hotdogs and snacks after the game. We even invited the other team to join in. It was good fun and a great way for everyone to just chill out and enjoy a nice cool evening. Absolutely perfect.
    2. I continued my streak of weird at-bats. Tonight I started off as the first batter in the game and got called out on strikes. But I backed that up with a stand up triple that I somehow turned into a pickle and error causing homerun. I hope that I am an inspiration to fat pastors everywhere. I hope that people see me and say… "I can do that." My plan is always quite simple… just keep running until it’s clear you can’t go anymore. Two things about the error laden HR I’d like to share. First, I had decided that since we were down by 9 runs at the time that I had to get something started. I really wanted to get a rally going. So as I took that pitch I was very motivated to do something… thankfully it panned out. Second, I totally called it. I told the guys in the van on the way to the game that if I got to 3rd I was not going to stop.

    p.s. Still no sign of our beloved cat Violet.

  • Have you seen her?

    Mclane_spring_005It’s not unusual for our family cat, Violet, to be gone for a few days in the summer. We have one of those wonderful cats who likes to be out all night and sleeps in the house all day… but we haven’t seen her for about 3 days now.

    We hope she’s OK. She the nicest cat I’ve ever met. She’s very friendly and likes human interaction. We often joke about her being the neighborhoods cat since we gather most people don’t know who she belongs to. Kristen and I even joked that some family might have taken her in their camper up north or something. We just hope she comes back soon. (Though as I write this, Megan is telling me that she slept in her bed last night. I still haven’t seen her.)