Reflections on the Atlanta NYWC

This year, our trip to Atlanta marked the fifth time that G-Dub and I have had the privilege of attending the NYWC (Since we started in youth ministry, we’ve had to miss it twice and sorely missed it both times). It was interesting to me that this year I attended with a new perspective; the first few years I was desperate for ideas and training, this year I came with experience under my belt, but hungry for encouragement and spiritual renewal.

This need was reflected in my ‘convention highlight’ list. I didn’t attend all the seminars, and those I did attend were moderately helpful. My most memorable moments were those that made me laugh, smile and cry, and those that captured the mystery and wonder of the unique relationship we have with our Almighty God.

Here are a few standout experiences of the conference:

Critical Concerns Course with Brock Morgan and Mark Helsel: Re-thinking Traditional Youth Ministry Models - This was an in-depth seminar that led to some great conversation and laid the foundation for concepts that spanned the entire weekend. Youth ministry is a relatively new phenomenon, and it was fascinating to see how it emerged and the transitions its already undergone.

Sand Artist Joe Castillo - I had never even heard of, much less seen this incredible artistic performance in which sand is moved around on a lit table, creating moving images set to music. What a unique and stirring way to portray the Passion.




Marquis Laughlin - Marquis is a gifted performer with a unique ability to memorize and recite scripture. "Recite" is too dull a word, though, as what Marquis does is present the word of God in a way that springs to life. I've never been so enthralled with the Bible. Sunday evening, Marquis presented Genesis 12-24, all by memory. As he concluded, I couldn't believe how quickly it had gone. I had a strange conflict of emotions, impressed by Marquis' gift, sad it had concluded, wondering if the dull, boring ways we are accustomed to hearing scripture might border on the downright sinful. G-Dub and I bought a DVD to share with our youth, and had the chance to chat with Marquis for a little while. Good stuff.


Shane Claiborne - If you read Gary's post a few days ago, you know that Shane's session was the most controversial of the weekend. For whatever reason, I found Shane's reading of the sermon on the mount to be beautiful and encouraging. Of course I would love to hear about his different experiences, but instead of feeling 'ripped off', I appreciated that Shane told his story not through words but his demeanor. The way he carried himself as he walked on and off the stage. The humble and sincere tone of his voice as he read Jesus' words. The innocent joy in sharing his greatest treasure, the words of his saviour. I didn't feel preached at, but invited in.

Compassion Testimony - At the convention each year, there is always a Compassion booth encouraging attendees to sponsor a child. During one of the general sessions this year, we had the opportunity to hear from an incredible woman named Michelle who had been a Compassion child as a young girl in the Philippines. She shared her story, how she had been raised in poverty in a broken home, and really had no hope until Compassion intervened, providing her the necessities of daily living as well as the value of knowing the heavenly Father who loves her. At one point, she brought out letters she had received from her sponsor as a child, and told us through tears how she had treasured every one. It was so powerful, I can't even write this without tears coming to my eyes. I was blown away by the realization how often I underestimate the ability I have to actually change a child's future.


Worship with David Crowder - Throughout the weekend, we had the privilege of worshipping with a number of great groups, including Desperation Band, Chris Tomlin and Steve Fee. Historically, I've never clicked with the DCB live, but for whatever reason when they took the stage this weekend, I was most able to set down the burdens I've been carrying and just give them to the Lord. What a gift. There's an indescribable intensity about worshipping with thousands of other youth workers, and these times never fail to be my favorite of the convention.

Skit Guys - I've seen Tommy & Eddie perform several times now, and they never fail to make me laugh or cry with their hilarious and touching dramas. Sunday night, I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face, easily the hardest I've laughed since hearing Ashley's bathtub story almost two years ago. Thanks, Skit Guys, for the joy you've brought into my life! I'll see you in April at Planet Wisdom!

An Internal Conversation

Gary Weston writes:

If you’ve never been to Youth Specialties’ National Youth Workers’ Convention, you need to know that there are a series of General Sessions, where several thousand youth workers all gather together in one room to worship, to celebrate our calling together, and to hear from some of the best speakers in the field of youth ministry and in Christendom in general. These General Session speakers are usually quite unforgettable. And tonight’s speaker was no exception.

Tonight, we were to hear from Shane Claiborne. Shane wrote a book called Irresistible Revolution, inspired in part by his experience serving the poor alongside Mother Teresa in India. This is especially impressive in Shane’s case, because Shane did it as a teenager. He called Mother Teresa on the phone, spoke with her personally, expressed a desire to serve in her ministry, and was personally invited to do so. Shane’s book is one I’ve desired to read for a long time.

And he was speaking at NYWC tonight! Alright, I thought to myself. An opportunity to hear this important voice without actually having to read the book!

I walked into the convention hall with eager anticipation. I enjoyed hearing Third Day play, and I tolerated an overly loud worship set, knowing that Shane Claiborne was about to take the stage and drop some wisdom on us.

And to the stage he came, introduced by Youth Specialties President Mark Oestreicher sharing just a bit about him, but refraining from the rest so as to give Shane the chance to tell his own story. Up the steps and onto the platform came a lanky hippie, younger than I expected, dressed in baggy cotton pants and a plain white T-shirt, his long, brown dreadlocks tied back in a brown do-rag. I was more eager than ever now to hear what he would say.

After a fire-breathing/fire-eating demonstration (no, I’m not kidding), Shane set up a music stand podium and gathered his notes. He said, “I’d like to share with you tonight the greatest sermon ever preached.” And then, in a soft, unpretentious, Southern-accented voice, he began to read.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted…”

Oh, cool, I thought to myself. He’s going to talk about the Beatitudes and how he saw them lived out in Calcutta. That’s going to be awesome!

The reading continued.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…”

Oookay, my inner monologue continued. This is a big chunk of Scripture to try to handle in fifty minutes, but let’s see what he does with it.

Shane kept going.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder…’”

Is he going to read all of Matthew 5? Context is important, so let’s go with it.

“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them…”

Wait a minute. That’s Matthew 6. I don’t think he’s stopping.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

He’s going to read the entire Sermon on the Mount. That’s really cool. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it read aloud at once like this. I wonder what he’ll say about it when he finishes.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…”

Man, I forgot how long this thing is. I hope there’ll be enough time for Shane to make his point about all this.

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find…”

At this point, I snatched a peek at the big digital clock onstage facing Shane, the one with the big countdown timer telling him how much time he had left. It read 22 minutes and some change. Oh good, time enough to tell some stories about Mother Teresa and connect it to the Sermon on the Mount. Sweet.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

That was cool. Now what should we know about it? I’m so curious to hear what he’ll say.

With that, Shane said, “It’s the greatest sermon ever preached, isn’t it? Jesus, give us the strength to live it today. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.”

And he went down the steps and sat down.

The countdown timer still showed eighteen minutes remaining. The crowd applauded, unsure if that was the appropriate thing to do, but not knowing how else to respond.

Tic Long, head of Events at Youth Specialties, came up on stage and asked the crowd to spend a few minutes in silent, prayerful reflection on the words of Jesus that Shane had just read. And there in the silence, I debated with myself. What had I just heard? Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a voice for social justice? Wasn’t he an acclaimed author in his own right? Then why would he choose to simply read three chapters of Scripture and sit down? I felt slighted somehow. I mean, I can read Scripture!! Tell me about Mother Teresa!!

And then, a thought rose up from my heart. It was like the voice of the Spirit. It said, “You know how you complain when people make their seminars and sermons more about themselves than about the Word of God? You know how angry you get about people either intentionally or unintentionally stealing God’s glory for themselves? What charge can you bring against this young man? He stepped aside, and put the spotlight on Jesus. He decreased, and allowed Jesus to increase. Do you condemn him for that?”

No…I don’t.

So with great humility and tenderness of heart, I say this:

Well done, Shane. Well done.

Worship with Third Day

My favorite image from the convention thus far:



"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness stretches to the skies..."

Blogging Blindly

Though my airline security incident (detailed in my previous post) was inconvenient, it was not as costly as my most recent mishap will turn out to be.

You see, after I got out of the shower this morning, I put in my contacts, rinsed out my contact case, then dried my face with a towel. Just like any other ordinary morning. As I set the towel down, however, I realized that I could only see out of one eye. Hmm. My right contact had somehow disappeared into thin air! It must have somehow popped out and gotten rinsed down the drain. Argh.

So here I am, stuck wearing my glasses for the entire rest of the convention. Those of you who know me recognize that I usually avoid wearing my glasses whenever possible, as I hate having to look through them. But, it’s better than the alternative, peering through my left eye while completely blind in the right.

(Unless I had an eye patch, then I could just claim to be a pirate! Yarrrr!)

Misadventures of a so-called seasoned traveler, part two

Continued, from part one...

Once we boarded the train and settled in, we figured the excitement was behind us. This turned out to be not quite true, unfortunately. We deboarded at ‘Seffo’, checked our luggage, and headed towards security. The line was short, so we figured we were good. Until the security guard checked my driver’s license gave me a funny look and asked if I had an alternative form of ID. Yeah… no. Didn’t think to bring my passport for a domestic flight.

Turns out, my driver’s license had just expired six days earlier, on my birthday. So, in addition to having to say GOODBYE to my twenties (sniff), turning thirty also means I have been driving illegally! Dangit! Isn’t the DMV supposed to send me a little form thingy in the mail for situations like this? C’mon, where are my tax dollars at work? And now what was I supposed to do? Would I miss my flight?

PTL, American Airlines did not automatically boot this distraught thirty-year-old with the recently expired ID. Instead, they sent me to the secondary screening to check me for bomb residue. The security personnel ushered me into a phone booth-like glass chamber, warned that I was about to be SHOT with super-power air vents, and recommended I hold my shirt down! Puffs of air shot up at me from the floor, then a little machine analyzed the air for any trace of residue. A weird experience, to be sure, but in a surprisingly short amount of time, they fortunately determined I was not a terrorist and sent me on to my flight.

The good news is, the excitement ended there, and we were able to enjoy a smooth flight through Chicago (yes, I can now say I’ve been in Chicago!) to our final destination here in Atlanta.

I do plan to blog throughout the convention, and look forward to sharing more stories of our experience throughout this weekend. (As soon as I get more time to write, I hope to blog about my visit with world race teammates Laura and Ashley, as well as some tidbits from our “Critical Concerns Course”, an eight hour in-depth look at youth ministry models. It’s been good stuff.)

Misadventures of a so-called seasoned traveler, part one

Hello friends! I am happy to report Gary and I have safely arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, and have been enjoying a wonderful trip so far.

Following our youth program Tuesday evening (yes, talking about YOU KNOW, fortunately reported “not awkward at all”, by one of our eight graders to her mom), we immediately hopped over to the BART station to catch a ride to the San Francisco airport (apparently pronounced ‘Seff-o’ by locals). Ah, the joy of public transportation in the Bay Area, with its inherent invitation to people-watch. I find myself always intrigued… sometimes scared… usually enlightened. This trip was no exception.

This time, my eye happened to be caught by a particular gentleman on the other side of the track. To my surprise, this older man, wearing a beige trench coat, decided to pass the time by doing pushups on a bench! Hey, as long as you’re hanging out, waiting for a train, you might as well get fit in the process, right? Pretty cool for an old dude.

Right about then, a couple of cops ran past us followed by a team of paramedics. They rushed to the bench on our right, and began to assist a woman who had been sitting there since we’d arrived. I had seen her, but she had been waiting calmly and did not appear in any distress. Gary and I looked towards her, concerned and yes, curious, when Gary exclaimed, “Hey, that’s Jim! That guy goes to our church!” Turns out the lead paramedic was someone Gary had recently met.

Now, here’s the strange thing. Most people, if one happened to bump into them while working, would be able to stop and exchange a few pleasantries. Not so much with the paramedics. They’re kinda busy. So here we are, watching Jim do his job not ten feet away, without being able to acknowledge him. And really, the next time we see him, what would we say? “Remember the woman at the BART station? Yeah, we were watching you. Good job with the life-saving!” What’s EMT etiquette here? I just don’t know.

I glanced back over at Old Trench Coat Dude. He didn’t seem too concerned with the sick lady. He had finished his pushups and moved on to squats.

To be continued…

Atlanta, here I come!

I'm so close to my trip to Atlanta, I can almost taste it!

In just a few minutes, junior higher will began converging on our home for youth group. We're doing a series on 1 & 2 Corinthians, and tonight's lesson just happens to be on sexual purity. Always an interesting topic with junior highers!

As soon as youth group ends, we will hop in the car of one of our students, and her mom will whisk us to the BART station, which will take us to SFO in time for our red-eye flight through Chicago! We should arrive in Atlanta about 9:30 tomorrow morning.

We plan on renting a car and driving out to our friend's place in Gainesville. Hopefully we'll get to take a nap, then spend the afternoon touring around and catching up. Thursday morning we head back to Atlanta for the beginning of the NATIONAL YOUTH WORKERS CONVENTION!!!! Ok, I'm a little excited.

I plan to blog from the convention so I can tell you all the exciting stuff I get to do and learn.

Stay posted!

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