Touching...

The Back Burner

Recently I have not blogged at all, really no reason but just haven't felt up to doing to much. But here are some quick updates on life and hopefully I will be able to expand on them later:

• A new house
• NXE
• Netflix
• 6 yrs of Marriage
• Italy
• Volunteering
• Credentials

Well I know that doesnt tell you a lot but its slow around here so if my energy gets moving be looking out for new post.

First Day in Italy

Today was my first day in Italy and I have really enjoyed it I will write more but my wife wants to see pictures so here they are:

Credentials

OK I have been in the Credentials process for 3 yrs and I go today to plea for another year. To be honest I don't deserve it. I haven't done anything but really I haven't seen the point. In recent days I have had a change of opinion and decided to write my first paper. With the help of a friend I am hoping for one more year and I will work hard to get things done and fulfill what is required. I am asking for a small prayer so that I may get another chance.

Florida, Italy and a New House

As I have made mention before these past months have been busy and hectic. Again the reason why The (heart) of a Youth Volunteer no longer exist (at least for the time being). First off, it has been insanely busy here at work. I have been testing some new computer componants that might help the business be more "effective" and will hopefully soon come up with a solution that will satisify the management and employees and allow us to see how we manage time. With that I have done some training for Microsoft Project but again we have yet to decide if we are going that route.

A couple of months ago my wife and I made a plan to buy a house in May. With our agreement we decided to look for "ideas" on what we would like, this would give us a price that we could work toward. After looking through all the houses on our list (via Yahoo Reality) we started to just drive around until we came up to this house:

It had a "For Sale by Owner" sign, so we decided to call and the next day we looked at the house falling almost in love immediately. This past month and a half we have been working with a mortgage company and the home owners and were recently "officially" approved and will be closing sometime in October. We have some ideas for our area but we are happy and excited about this new venture.

Next week we go to Lake Wales, FL to see our new nieces, Anna and Wren both were born within the past several months. This is my vacation time so I plan on relaxing but at the same time it will be busy with visiting people.

I get back the following week and have a week at home before I fly off to....wait for it....ITALY. This is PURELY a business trip but I have never flown outside the US and so I am bit nervous but very excited. The reason I am going is to learn the "computer aspects" of a new machine we will be receiving in the shop.

See it has been busy and its going to get busier, I don't really expect a slow down until close to January 2009. I will keep you posted on these new exciting things and anything else that might be coming up in the near future.

Doctors VIsit

Went for a Followup Dr's visit:

Heres a shocker I'm overwieght but other than that things are good.

Shoo...

3SLI Continued

Today was the second night of 3SLI. It was very good. The speaker is Chip Taylor and he has done a fantastic job. My heart was spoken to tonight!!!

After the service I met up with some guys for some Halo 3 and really did an awful job. To my credit I don't do well in snipers but really I just didnt do good all around. I will write more about my experience later

3SLI

I am at my first 3SLI and I am very excited. Nothing really going on right now but things should get started here pretty soon. I believe that God has me here for a purpose I just hope that I can keep my heart open to what he has for me. I will blog more later about how things are going and my impressions.

Bungie???? (Updated AGAIN)

UPDATE: TODAY AT 7:07 am WE SHOULD HAVE WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REVEALED AT E3. VER Y EXCITING WELL FOR ME AT LEAST!!!

UPDATE: IT LOOKS AS THOUGH WE WILL NOT GET AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BUNGIE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DISCOURAGING BECAUSE I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW GAME, SOMETHING NON-HALO AND SOME NEW HALO TITLES AS WELL. I GUESS THE FUTURE WILL EVENTUALLY TELL US WHAT BUNGIE IS OFFERING!!!

WHAT THE HECK??? According to the time on the bottom right some kind of announcement will be made at 10 am on Wednesday. Makes you think about the next project from Bungie,

• Are they announcing a new Halo?
• Are they coming up with a new series that will go multi platform?
• Peter Jackson's Halo Chronicles finally revealed?

I can't imagine that this kind of announcement would come unless its a Halo title, it would be neat if they introduced a new Halo and a new project!!!

OH NO 29

So yesterday started my last days of my 20's. I have 363 days left but I am ok with that. 20's ahs been fun but its time to move on.

I was given a sheet of paper that showed a picture of the gamersac from Sumo Lounge. This is going to be my birthday present when it comes in. I am super excited I have heard a lot of good things about the product. My next piece of gaming furniture is the sumo omni which looks very comfortable and seems to be a good thing to have around the house when you have guest and not much sitting space.

Last night my wife took me to get a game so I picked Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. Yes its more of a casual game but it was only $40 and has had many good reviews. I only played for a very short time but it was fun.


Again I have lots of new news to share and I am excited about sharing it but things have been really busy but hopefully soon my blogging world will reappear and hopefully will have some news to share as to what I am up too.

ANNOUNCEMENT - IM A NEW UNCLE

Samuel is a Daddy Wren Mills entered this world at 8 lbs - 5 oz and 20 1/2 inches long

CONGRATS ELYA AND SAMUEL

WHOO HOO!!!!

UPDATE: Florida Here I Come

EDIT: So this was a joke really a really really bad joke. I DID go to Florida but drove by myself. I had plans to do something humorous but as I got to Atlanta I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was sleep. Oh well.

Anyway my trip was good, I really enjoyed spending time with my brother and sister and have a good visit with the inlaws. Unfortuately I was sick and was not able to see Nanny.

My family and I will be returning to Florida sometime in October :)

So after last year's disaster in cars and having to borrow my in laws car in order to get around its time to take the Buick Beauty back to its home. I am very appreciative to have in laws who care and are able to help us in tough times but it will be nice to have one less car in the driveway.

I specifically chose this weekend because it is Labor Day weekend and it would give me an extra day to spent time with family. I am excited because I might be one of the first to meet my NEW niece or nephew and not to mention our new addition Jazmyn.

I have asked some of my dear friends in KY to come along with me so its a road trip starting tomorrow evening WHOO HOO. I will have pictures to post about our exciting adventures to Florida.

Its been a while

As usual it has been crazy busy around here. There is so much going on that I have not found time (or energy) to really post.

In my mind, I have been really thinking a lot about The (Heart) of a Youth Volunteer, some about how I don't really write about youth volunteering at all. Not because I don't want to but because I am not confident in my writings. Blogs are fun because it doesn't matter what you post they are silly and fun to read but when you start getting serious than a whole new approach is taking place. Its no longer friends and family who I am inviting but collueges, and the outside world (not that this blog has any outside exposure).

With that said I am looking to 2009 to really start something new and different and creative all with the name of The (Heart) of a Youth Volunteer. It might mean a new site but it will be fun to really finish out this year with post on what I am doing and taking the pressure off of what I wanted to build the site for.

Sunday Regurgitation

Several weeks ago I was trying to write every Sunday to explain the previous week of my every day life. This week has been filled with downers. First off we found out last Sunday that a man that I dearly loved passed away of cancer. Wednesday was his visitation at the church. Besides that I was preparing for College Camp '08.

I had trouble finding a worship leader so for the first time College Camp was without a worship leader and I also had trouble finding a speaker that could commit to the full week. This resulted in a different speaker everyday, which was kind of fun to plan!!!

The lack of attendees was a little bit of a shock. Only one couple stayed at the camp site and we had two visitors. It got a little depressing. Finding out that noone was coming and the few that were planning to had a change of plans it was decided to shut down camp a day early.

...added to that was a worthless camp meeting...

So as you can see the week was filled with downers...

I was encouraged today in the service with the idea of "looking forward to heaven" not that we are ready to die but that we are of the realization that death is not the end. There is obviously more to the sermon.

I am looking forward to a better week this next week. I would post some pictures but there are none to post :)

College Camp '08

This is my 2nd year directing College Camp for our state. I am going to write more later but it did end a day early and was a bit disappointing. It definitely is a learning process for me.

Here's hoping to a better one next year...

College Camp '08

Tomorrow starts College Camp at the Kentucky Horse Park and for the the 2nd year in a roll I am directing it. This camp has been on life support for several years and it seems that this year will be no different.



When I was in middle/high school, camp was a big deal, not just a big deal it was HUGE. It was always a time for old friends to get together reconnect and for at least a week forget about life. The experience of the worship services were always enlightening, and helped "boost" our spiritual gage, almost always in a life changing way.



Times have changed, we can see the change reflected in the camp attendance. When College Camp started it was packed out but now it lives with a ventilator. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Times change and so do people. It's not easy to take off work or travel for a couple of days. Plus, those childhood experiences are different, we don't connect the way we use to. It seems I am reading more and more of my friends who have abandoned the church and even God. I'm not sure I can blame them, not that the church is bad but sometimes it misunderstands who we are. There are these expectations to believe but not question, there are the "extremist" who represents "christianity" that look like hypocrites and say really stupid things. This whole christianity thing is not what they remember or even felt, and our questioning goes unanswered or we are given the "simple" answer but it lacks the meat.



We always learned this "love" of Jesus, this Jesus who went to people who are NOT perfect, who suffered from their own bad choices, but the church doesn't do the same thing. So in a sense we are rejectedby those who taught us. Our quesions go on unanswered and our spark of interest slowly dims to where we can no longer understand the flame that once was.



My hope and my prayer is that we get a few people who still have that spark and that we can feed that spark just a little, not with easy answers but with hope and a clearer vision of who God is.

This was written before College Camp occurred

A Case of the Mondays

Its Monday....

and it sucks....

But I had a great weekend with my wife's brother and his family. We went to Bowling Green to attend a wedding reception for Elizabeth's niece. (It was a reception for those who could not attend her wedding in Florida) It was a lot of fun. We stayed up til the early morning helping setup and then eating late night snacks and chatting with Jerry and Chris. I think I got a total of <5 hrs this weekend. I am at work this morning trying my hardest to stay awake. Its really a challenge.

Im here and now I am getting ready to get setup for College Camp starting this next weekend. There are several things I need to buy and get ready for so there is still a lot of work to do. Unfortuately this camp is going to be different. I have not found a music leader, I have a different speaker for every day of the weekend, and it looks like it might rain the whole weekend. Yeah....

It should be interesting that is for sure.

Bowling Green

This weekend we will be going to Bowling Green to be apart of Elizabeth's niece wedding reception. It should be fun. I always enjoy spending time with her family and really keep fascinated with Jerry's Koi pond.

Things again have been busy. Work has just been absolutely crazy with prints coming and going. When I get home my energy has just drained out of me.

I still drink Coke like its the only source of liquid left on this earth and I am fighting hard to kick the habit. Excerise has taken the back burner for now but hopefully I can motivate myself to get back into shape.

Besides those little things, life is good and getting better!!!

E3 Playstation

I can't say I was to interested in what Sony had to offer. Their games didn't look that amazing and they still have to prove a lot with PSNetwork. It will be interesting what else they will bring for 2008-2009.

Highlights:
Resistance 2
MAG - Although I am skeptical about their promises
DC Universe - Didnt look good but it will be intersting to see how it progresses

E3 Nintendo

Maybe its time for them to think realistically. They didn't really offer anything exciting. I am most excited about Animal Crossing: City Folk w/ Communicator though I think its kind of dumb to make it where you can hear everything.

No word on the storage problem, nothing real revolutionary, for the most part just a dissappointing press brief and will be very forgettable!!!

Malachi's Drawing

Malachi's Picture

Its tough to see but if you look to the right you can see a person with a face, arms and legs. The big tumor on its head is what Malachi calls a skateboard. The big square to the left is a skate park. The character on the very bottom is a Panda????

Every once and a while I get the pleasure of having Malachi with me as I work. Yesterday was such a day. He helped me in different capacities but mostly took my stamps and stamped paper and drew on pieces of paper. He kept occupied so I could get some things done.





Every once and a while I would go over and watch what he was drawing and at one point he caught me. He proceeded to draw and said, "here is eyes, here is nose, here is mouth, here is skateboard, here is arms and here is legs." It took me a second to process what he was doing but as I looked at the paper I saw that he actually drew a character and put it in the right places. I was in awe, I just couldn't believe that he knew as much as he did. It was the first time he drew something that actually translated on paper.





Malachi, you are awesome and I can't believe how smart you are. I am so proud to be the first to see your wonderful art work :) and now I can put it on my digital refrigerator so all can see it!!!

E3 Microsoft

OH MY GOSH...

This was really exciting, I watched it live at work with about a 10 minute delay. I was a little late tot the party with Resident Evil 5 (3-13-09) being presented. What an impression that has made on me. It was not even on my radar but now its a must have. It has online co-op and just really looks fantastic.

Fable 2 (10-08) was the second game that I saw, it looks really good and really caught my interest I might have to watch more before making that decision.

Gears of War 2 (11-07-08)....AWESOME 5 player co-op, great graphics, it just looks....well....oh my gosh.... I don't even have to words....

Then xbox showed us the avatars, which has been speculated but nothing really to make you think that they were actually going to do it. They looked so cool, and are suppose to be available on the Fall '08 update. I think it will make the online community more of a possibility. Again I don't have the words to explain, I think this will challenge the Wii's persona.

With that announcement came Scene it: Box Office Smash which is essentially the same game but will have downloadable content (which was a complaint of mine with the first) and it utilizes the new avatars.

The dashboard update looks great and the advancement to 8 people was cool. There is just to much to write really here are some quick highlights:

• Netflix - A combination with the xbox 360 makes me love this service.
• XBL - Lots of cool games including some tv games that are cool and Uno Rush
• Sharing Movies - Can't really explain this one to well but its really cool
• Games - Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, We're in the Movies, Halo Wars, FFXIII are looked exciting

My biggest disappointment was the lack of new instruments for Rock Band 2, making me wonder if its worth the upgrade.

Again so much look for the E3 Press Brief online somewhere.

Dayton

**COME BACK LATER THERE WILL BE PICTURES POSTED SOON**

This weekend we stayed at the Hyatt Hotel in Florence, KY and really had a good experience there. The room was LARGE and was separated from the bed and couch with a mini wall. The room came with HD TVs with hookups for games and computers (though we regrettably did not use). The bed was a king size bed which with 3 of us was very nice and now I am a big fan of those types of beds. I got some really good sleep.
Since it was a special time together as a family I got some wine for me and the misses. The wine is called....well I will just give you the link. The name of the wine was appealing because it is an inside joke with my family. The wine did not taste very well but we bought some 7up and drank it at my sisters house the following night. With the 7up it made the wine very good and we didn't waste it.
Saturday we took Malachi to the Newport Aquarium. We had a really great time there. Elizabeth and I feel its important to really get involved with Malachi and engage him in different things. We laughed, smiled, fed birds, played, looked at poisonous frogs together. It was a great time, anytime my boy smiles and laughs it reminds me how I haven't wasted a day on this earth.
After the aquarium it was time to eat so we decided to look for someplace we haven't eaten before. After looking for quite a while we stumbled onto Dewey's Pizza. It was wonderful, the salad was especially memorable.
After we ate we headed to my sisters house in Dayton. We really enjoyed ourselves laughing and just really having a good time. Malachi got to play with his cousins and had a good time, he smiled the whole time. We brought our Wii over and introduced it to Brandon, the game that we played was Boom Blox. We played the game til after midnight. (of course I was so tired that I kept falling asleep during game play and had to bow out for a couple of innings to get re energized). Brandon loved the game so much that he kept going back to it the next day.
Our final day on our mini vacation was started by going to church. Brandon spoke a message that really struck a cord with me. It was right on some of the things I have been thinking about lately. Again as I say in most of my post about Church and spiritual things, more on that later.
After church, (which we got out at 11:20 AWESOME) we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Qdoba. We went back to their house and played more Boom Blox and let the kids played. We finally needed some time to socialize a little more and decided to play Sequence. That was the first time that I got a chance to play this game, I can honestly say I was not disappointed.
This was probably one of the best weekends for our small family and I look forward to our next mini vacation. I really think its important to set time aside for these types of things.

**COME BACK LATER THERE WILL BE PICTURES POSTED SOON**

Cincinnati

Ok I am not really in Cincinnati I am in Florence but for the most part it is one and the same... well at least in my book it is I am sure there are those who would disagree.

We are here to take a minivacation to the Newport Aquarium and eventually visit my sister. I am excited about getting away even if its just for the weekend.

Right now the wife and child are sleeping and I am up just kind of waisting a little time enjoying a little bit of piece of quite. There are not to many opportunities I can actually be by myself so I cherish these small moments. Unfortuately this little bit of time has given me a bit of writers block which is why there is not going to be much on this post.

We will be returning Sunday hopefully rested and ready for the next week but I am living in the now and really enjoying myself, if there is time and I remember I will write about what we did at the Aquarium!!!

a summery

This morning has been a long morning so far.  I can say that because right now its 7:00 am and I feel like I have already been at work for 8 hours.  I am just exhausted today...

Sunday I was asked to teach youth, again.  I am really excited, I am not sure what to teach about yet but it will come to me as my brain gets to functioning again.  I really enjoy coming up with lessons and teaching them.  It will be a blast I am sure.

Yesterday I heard about this beanbag that seemed really comfortable.  I thought if we ever bought a house with a basement instead of couches it would be cool to have over sized beanbags.  Anyway I knew about a couple of brands but these seem really reasonable.  It has gotten on my obsessive got to get list and I will bother everyone until either I dish out the money to get it or I get it for my birthday or Christmas.  You can find what I am talking about at http://www.sumolounge.com/.

I have been enjoying the game Super Mario Galaxy of late and really have gotten into this new world.  My wife has recently gotten the Galaxy bug and also been playing.  I must say this might be my favorite Mario game ever, yes even more than Super Mario Brothers 3.  Its challanging without being to difficult and simply fun to play.  I suggest anyone with a Wii go rent it and try it out. 

I will be in Cincinnati this weekend with the family but I will write more on that later...

Sunday

I am going to try to write a summery of my week every Sunday. I don't know if I can even do it but here is my first attempt. I was trying to come up with a clever name to call it but all I came up with was "Sunday" well maybe I will be inspired with a name for next week. Right now I am watching the Deadliest Catch by myself, in my room, as my wife is putting our son to sleep. I really like the Deadliest Catch, I am not sure why, maybe because it looks like a lot of work but fun at the same time. Maybe its because there is nothing with you except a bunch of testosterone, in the open sea, with literally no where to hide. It would be lonely, sacrificing, but I think a great experience. If I had the time, gut and bad sense I might attempt to "apply" but I think I will stay at my safe steel job right now. This morning I woke up in a bad mood. It might have been the lack of sleep due to the horrible smell last night, but I think its something deeper. These past several months I have struggled with what I am doing. I am unfulfilled, I work hard, make good money, I don't even hate my job, but for some reason I feel like I wasn't meant for this. This job is safe, its comfortable, its easy there really is no challenge. Just to keep myself awake I go to the corner store and buy a Ale8 and a pack of sunflower seeds and redesign my office that would fit what I am doing a little more properly. I have been thinking a lot about ministry of late as well. Again I have picked safe places, non-challenging. I sometimes get wrapped up in what I am doing that "ministry" has lost its meaning but fun has become where why energy lies. (Not that you shouldn't have fun, but I am looking for the deeper meaning) I have struggled with the recent changes in the Church of God (Anderson) movement and their ordination process. Its gotten to be more about Indoctrinating and less about accountability, mentoring, and yes validation. I am not sure Jesus would be to happy with this non-denominational denomination but to be honest I am not sure he would be to satisfied with most Christians. I am kind of in the middle of depression and excitement, it almost feels like a fire that has just started, if left alone it will die, if fed it can be a massive heap of destruction. I am not sure what God is doing right now, the challenges that I face with my own thinking and feelings can teeter towards acceptance of where I am or it can teeter towards something beautiful, destruction, and inspiring. Again I am not sure. Time will tell, I have lots of thoughts inside my head its just a matter if I put them to practice or not. OK that really wasn't a summery but oh well. Here is more a summery: We finally turned in our Nintendo Gamecube with the games Super Smash Brothers Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash and for an extra $20 we got two games: Rayman Raving Rabbids Super Mario Galaxy To say the least I am not disappointed in either title more on that later. My wife and I have being discussing "GREEN" more frequently, not really for environmental reasons (although that is part of the equation as to why we are thinking deeper into the situation) but for economical reasons. We have talked about our future house, with the existence of chickens, maybe some pigs and cows (mmm I love meat) and a garden. We want to be more self sufficient, able to rely on ourselves more. We started our "GREEN" endeavor with buying reusable shopping bags, yes they are a $1 but you use them more than once. It is one step towards using less. Again I am interested where this start might leave us and I will share more as we progress. This weekend was about getting stuff done. Elizabeth and I took a bunch of stuff to the goodwill as we cleaned out the first portion of my parents garage. We also took a ratty old couch to the dump that we later found out was closed. But the couch remains on the trailer until Monday evening when we drop it off. The basement is still FAR FROM CLEAN but its got a nice dent. Yesterday we came home to a very funky smell that left us well almost puking our brains out. So today's project was for my father and I to dig up two man holes in the septic tank, which we found with some accuracy (thanks Dad). So that is pretty much it for now I will post more later.

As days go by

I cannot believe how much time is just flying through. I had all these post I wanted to write about but just never got around to them. They are probably lost inside my memory somewhere so it might take time for me to regurgitate them back out.

Several months ago my wife bought me a present, it was the book named Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I just started reading it, I must say he has an unusual perspective of Church, not bad just different. Off the bat he criticizes modern day youth ministry, and can be read insultingly if not trying to figure out where his heart is. I will tell you more as I continue and hopefully finish this book.

Life has been crazy 3 weeks ago, my sister her husband and their two foster children came to visit. I have met the children before but this was my first time to really spend some time with them. They are very good kids and I just fell in love with them almost instantly. Heather and Darrell are in the process of adoption with both children.

The next week Sam and his wife came to visit. The whole family went Cincinnati Zoo and man was it fun!!! I have never had so much fun in my life....JK it was great just a little crowded and its hard to keep up with 16 people at one time.

Sam and Elya's visit went nicely. I hooked up Samuel with an xbox live account (along with my Dad) and we played Halo 3 together, I wish he would get an xbox 360 so I could play with him more. I got to know Elya a little more, and really enjoyed her company.

Some other things to update:

Bought Vegas 2 haven't gotten into yet
Haven't beat GTA IV yet
Saw Wall-E LOVED IT tell you more later (scared Malachi to death)
Did my first Video Blog (see Post #100)
Unsuccessfully worked on a podcast
Wrapping up College Camp '08 planning (having some trouble but I am sure it will all work out)

I will have more later...

WOW 100th Post

This is my 100th post!!

Healer

The above is from Drew Powell's Blog, who I knew in college. This is the first time I have heard this song and absolutely love it. It has a powerful message but even more it has a powerful story behind it. Its really a song I needed to hear right now!!! Thanks Drew for sharing!!!

edit: I need to clarify because I have had a lot of misunderstandings. The song was not written or performed by Drew Powell in this video, I just simply got this song off of his blog. But Drew was a dynamic worship leader at college and I am sure he still does a dynamic job!!!

Listening to Podcast

Several months ago I realized that it can get kind of boring when there is not much going on around here and I really needed something to listen to. I have been listening to the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast since it started but decided to stretch out a little and find some other podcast and found several about gaming, ministry and sermons. Pictured are the podcast I have downloaded as of the start of my podcasting experience:

My top 5 podcast are:

1. Mosaic - I love the sermons and Erwin McManus style of speaking
2. Sarcastic Gamer - These guys are very funny and entertaining to listen to they have a very nice podcast plus they are ....sarcastic.
3. North Point Ministries - Another very good speaker, Andy Stanley, he is currently on a sermon series talking about handling your finances, very good and very encouraging
4. The Married Gamers - This couple is very good at just having fun with their podcast, they are funny and really have a good structured show, I am looking forward to seeing the podcast live whenever I can remember.
5. IGN.com - Three Red Lights - I just started listening to this podcast and they are pretty honest about how they feel about games and seem to have a genuine love for what they do.

Today I started listening to The Target Demographic podcast and it might hit my top 5 list if I continue to like what I hear.

On the Brink: These podcast are loosing my interest and they are loosing it fast. They have not been unsubscribe to but they might in the coming weeks especially if I find podcast I like better:

1. 1UP Yours - These guys are foul and just not they creative or funny. I don't really believe they really know what they are doing I have not listened to their show for a couple of weeks and tried again today just to turn right off. They might be gone soon.
2. Hardcore Christian Gamer - I started really enjoying this show but have not recently. I don't know if I just get annoyed with their show or I just think they ramble to much

Recently Unsubscribe podcast:

1. Christian Gamer 2.0 - Just didn't like it to much
2. The Bungie Podcast - Wasn't bad, actually very good but I just wasn't that interested

There are obviously other podcast on the list that I like and those have been subscribed to, others were one time downloads and then others are ones I am trying before I commit to subscribing.

So these are the podcast I am listening to, what are you listening to?

Relational Youth Ministry

I have always been strong relationally in the youth group. You wouldn't know it from my testing (I am a INTP). I am very introverted and it takes time for me to come out of my shell and really get involved with the youth I am in charge of. As a Pastor I had to jump the task very quickly, as a volunteer I was able to take the back burner and allow myself to be an accepted part of the current youth group.

When being a INTP personality its hard to change your routine a bit. By being relational you become vulnerable. It allows students to see another side of you but being "out there" they can see your flaws. My past experiences have led me to be embarrassed, frustrated, and sometimes asking, "Why did I try to build a relationship?"

Then all of a sudden you have a student who reaches out. They start asking questions, sometimes really simple ones, about their friends and if what they are doing is wrong. The relationship builds to where they are asking questions about God, their relationships, their families, their struggles, their ambitions, their failures, etc. (Starting to really build a faith system themselves)

To me that is the turning point, that is where youth ministry starts being effective on a personal level.

I believe Youth Ministry is a balance of different formulas for success and to be too strong in one area can be a fault. Here is how I see Relational Youth Ministry as a fault:

• To much on Relationships can = less focus on the Bible


• Vulnerability


• Only a few will really catch on (A good base to start a Core group but I have yet to Master that)


• Some get left out (which is easily done)


• Evangelism is low key or even forgotten


• The Pastor might not get it (Relational is focused on what you have, and sometimes the success is not numerical which doesn't look pretty to some Pastors)

To be relational is vital to the success of your youth group.

Do you agree/disagree? How do you think Relational Youth Ministry is good? How is it bad?

**This article is a work in process**

A lot on my plate

There is just to much going on right now for me to spend to much time posting. Work has been absolutely crazy (except for this moment) so I have not been able to slack off to get any post out. We have family in from Florida so posting from home has been impossible.

As some of you know, but most do not, I direct the college age camp (soon to be known as Young Adult Camp) for our State Ministries. I love doing it but time doesn't allow me the time that I would like in order to do it the way I want. I tried several things to make it cheaper and relocate it to a place with air conditioning but have not been able to get it done. Hopefully we will get it done next year.

I got a speaker about a month ago that would have been perfect but he called last week and apologetically let me know that he had a prior engagement and was not able to speak. So now I am back to square one and looking (not frantically) for a speaker. Because of a small budget I have to find someone local. I have emailed a couple of people and now awaiting some kind of reply.

I have also been trying to start another ministry type project for several weeks but because of scheduling conflicts have not been able to get some testing done in order to get it started. I will let you know more about that project as it comes into existence (if it ever comes into existence).

This week I will teach the youth program at our church, which will be the first time in more than a year that I have done a lesson. I am excited, I have missed working in Youth Ministry immensely and these types of opportunities allow me from being rusty for to long.

So there you have it, a lot going on. I'm excited about these things coming up but nervous on how they will turn out.

Great Father's Day

My son got me 4000 Microsoft Points, which 1/2 were spent almost immediately. I bought N+, Boogie Bunnies,and Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3.

Fathers day for me has really gotten special. Malachi is one of the most loving children I have ever known. He gives me hugs everyday and tells me he loves me. Granted he is only 3 but it still touches me. I hope he doesn't loose that geniune love for me and people. I can see that he is gifted and I believe God has some major plans for him. I am sure he will succeed where I have (and am) failed.

Thank you Malachi for being so precious to me, thank you for your hugs and kisses, thank you for your smile. I thank God the Father everyday for you and pray you are protected.

Most Anticipated Games of 2008 Revisited

A couple of months ago I listed my Most Anticipated Games of 2008 and they were the following:

1. Halo Wars (xbox 360)
2. Star Wars Unleashed (I fell in love with the Jedi Outcast Series) (MP)
3. Spore (PC)
4. Gears of War 2 (xbox 360)
5. Lego Indiana Jones/Batman (MP)

Now that a couple of months have gone by my interest has changed somewhat and thus changed my anticipation and sense most of these games have not come out yet I am good to make some changes.

1. Halo Wars (xbox 360)
2. Spore (PC)
3. Gears of War 2 (xbox 360)
4. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise (xbox 360, DS)
5. Guitar Hero IV: World Tour (MP) although I will probably not be getting this game since I have Rock Band and still love that game!!!

Star Wars Unleashed has fallen due to the lack of multiplayer support, and the whole lego phase seems to be a little overprices.

Now that more games have been announced what are you looking forward too?

The Weekend

Last weekend, we went to Bowling Green for a wedding. But instead of staying with others or a hotel we thought we would get some well needed and anticipated time together by going camping. I reserved a campsite at the KOA in Bowling Green and on Friday we all left for our exciting family getaway.

First off, gas shot up to almost $4.00 a gallon, making the trip a little pricey at the start. Next we got to the campsite and took an extra long time and frustration on how to put up the tent. Its an older tent and even though I have put it up twice prior to this trip I could not remember how to put it back up. Next we took Malachi to see Kung Fu Panda (a camping trip without the normal luxuries of life is not complete without a movie).

Here is a quick review:

Started very engagingly, from the start it caught my attention. The story was pretty good and the voice actors did a pretty good job (wish David Cross would have said more). Jack Black did a really good job as Po and just was able to keep me interested in the film. Malachi loved it!!! It was completely kid friendly and overall was fun to watch B+

Back to Camping: After the movie we went on search for firewood which took us to three different stores with no firewood on hand. We eventually just got some from KOA. We got back to the campground to find out the humidity was awful. I was sweating profusely and I was just sitting down. In this 90 degree weather with high humidity we decided to start a fire. It was just so hot, I can't explain how hot it was. We made hot dogs over a fire...man it was hot... and we did smores...and so humid... After burning ALL the wood (hey I bought it I was going to use it) we decided to go to bed. Man that tent was hot, and I don't mean with passion. Malachi decided to sleep in our bed, man he gets hot at night, and with a popped air mattress and yes it was hot we attempted to sleep throughout the night.

The HOT morning after we got up and decided as I was walking through the hot campground, still sweating, I decided we should change some of our plans. Elizabeth mentioned the night before that she wanted to hike and go swimming. I woke her up and suggested that it was WAY TO HOT outside and that we just find other things to do that were in a non-hot kind of place. She agreed immediately....it was hot.

We packed up our camping stuff, went to a relatives house to take a nice cold shower, went to the mall and then spent time with her sister, who came from PA. We also went swimming in a non-hot indoor pool :)

We had a lot of fun and even though it was HOT, I would not have changed anything. It was a well needed time alone with just Elizabeth, Malachi and myself. I can't wait to go camping with them again....in a non hot month.

My Wifes NEW Job

When things are somewhat stressful, blogging becomes more of a chore than a joy. My house has been riddled with stress, Elizabeth, went to Anderson Middle School last Thursday to interview for an English position. She thought she would get a call either saying yah or nah on Monday but have not heard anything Monday or Tuesday.

I believe today she gave up hope but called the school to find out what decision they had made and as of 10:00 there was still not a decision. Just before 4:00 today, she got a call from the principal offering her the 8th grade English position at AMS, she accepted and is very excited. Now that the stress has subsided, gaming can start again and blogging should be a little more regular. :)

CONGRATULATIONS BABY!!!

Those Dang Lock ins

This post is a little late but I have many post that are a lot late but since this is fresh in my mind at this moment (I am currently falling asleep at work) then I would give you the quick run down of what we did at the Community Event and corresponding lock in.

Unfortunately I do not have pictures handy but the community event was successful but not numerically. I am not sure that was not a good thing because we really connected with the few that came. Two inflatable games were ordered one being an obstacle course (very fun) and the other, joust (I LOVE THIS GAME). I went up against a big man and he almost killed me but fun none the less. Of course I love to win and I love to cheat so the obstacle course was a fun way to pull people off the climbing wall and crush them with the bars...IT WAS AWESOME!!!

The night ended in an xbox 360 giveaway. Then started the lock in. While I was in New Albany I bought Finger Blasters and created a game that became successful with my Senior High students. They absolutely loved the game and we would spend hours playing.

I tried talking Tressica (Trevor and Jessica - Our Youth Leaders) to purchase these and explained how it would be a good idea. With some reluctance from half of Tressica they bought the blasters. So the lock in started we ate and it was time for me to explain the rules and start this new game.

It was funny because you saw confusion in the eyes of those who were at the lock in. I explained the game, and then showed them how to shoot a finger blaster. Then each person was given a blaster and they were to try and shoot the blaster. They did well some took a while but eventually they all got it.

The first two games started slowly, no one really understood the rules or how to play. Plus the teams were a little unbalanced. The third game and a little tweaking of teams every one really started to get into what was happening. The series of games started at 1:00 and we did not finish to almost 6:00 in which time people were ready to go to bed. Some stayed up to play a game or two of Wii but that was pretty much the night, a night full of finger blasters at church.

Do you have games that you play with your youth that have been successful? What are they?

BLOG???

I haven't been blogging as of late because I have been busy I will have lots to say throughout the night since we are having another [big sigh] Lock in. We are doing a combined community event finishing up with a lock in. I am interested in how this will go. We are giving away a xbox 360 at the end of the night. Well I will "blog" later sorry I have not been updating :(

The Weekend

This past weekend is the first time in a long time that I have not had anything specific to do. It was the opportunity to actually relax and take some time with myself and my family. Friday's I get to work 1/2 days which enables me a quicker weekend. I decided that I had not been to a movie for a while and it was time for me to take my son to see Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (My wife had to work on her Masters binder so this was the opportunity to take Malachi out of the house). Of course I did my usual flop up and because I confused the times we were late for Indiana Jones but on time for Prince Caspian. I didn't want to spend money to see this movie but because I promised my son a movie we decided to watch it anyway. Since I like to do reviews here is a short review: REVIEW: It was actually pretty good, it was not really to much like the book. But the basics were all there. It was like they were trying to make an epic movie and did well with the battles but really got away from character development. I would say this was better than the first but it is a renter. Give it a try when it comes to video B-

Continuing on with the weekend...

The rest of weekend consisted of playing a lot of Nintendo Wii with the family. The Wii is a great game for our family. Everyone can get involved and since they like to play it makes the purchase really great.

Recently I have had a lot of trouble with my personal computer and decided it was a good time to restore the original settings and start from scratch. But we were not going to do that until we bought an external hard drive which we did on Sunday. We found a 500 GB at Office Depot for a good price and that night I proceeded to transfer our information and start the recovery process. I was able to delete everything successful but was not able to get the recovery disk to do its job. The computer kept shutting off. So now I had a computer with no OS on it and I was stuck as to what I should do. I tried several times to get the disk to go but had no success. I gave up for the night and decided I would try one last time in the morning. Monday morning, I tried and was able to get success. Whatever seemed to be wrong with the computer, seemed to be fixed after the restore. I spent most of the day trying to get the computer updated, the antivirus going, and WoW loaded and updated. As I was doing that my sister called me to help her get her new wireless router going. After breaking one computer and almost cussing out the other we finally got the router to work. So I was working on two computers (one of the phone and my personal one) most of the day Monday.

My brother is a big fan of Smash Brothers so I got my fun money and purchased it so I can have another game to play against my brother. It took a while to figure out but I had fun.

So there it is a REALLY QUICK synopsis of my weekend. Of course there are a lot more details but this gives me a post and gives you something to read. :)

Wii Fit

Wednesday morning was the big night for the release of Wii Fit. My wife allowed me to buy the Wii if I bought her Wii Fit upon its release. With the knowledge that most Wii Fits were sold out on preorder I decided to check Walmart. They did no preorders so Wednesday at midnight was our best shot at getting one. Elizabeth wanted to do the midnight thing so we went at 9:30 p.m. expecting to wait in a chair in order to get this hot item.

We waited for 2 1/2 hours just to find 3 people waiting in line and 30 wii fits in stock. I had a blast hanging out with my wife though which made the long night worth it.

My wife played it Wednesday morning, and I played it Wednesday night. We both were having difficulty really getting the thing to work right. We found that the Mii was doing the exact opposite than what we were doing. After a while I found that we positioned the balance board the wrong way and when that was corrected the Mii's and the game became a lot simplier.

Review:

This is kind of an early review but I have had several people ask me what I thought about the Wii Fit. To be honest I did not have to much expectation for this interesting device. It's expensive but when you basically get a scale, BMI reader, and exercise machine w/ game the price is actually quite reasonable. The set up time takes a while to get started. It judges your center of gravity and does some other measurements including weight. It takes that information, tells you where you are at and where you should be. It then takes your Mii and adjust its body to your proportion, which mine blew up like a balloon. It was somewhat embarrassing since my whole family was watching me. (I will get a picture later)

Anything relating to the balance board is actually quite fun. I would keep trying and trying until I got an acceptable number. Everything else is hard work, but that's the point. Its not much of a fitness tool if you don't sweat. But like most exercise you have to stay on it and really push yourself to see results. You can't just do little games and expect big results. Another feature that is really neat is jogging. You jog around a little village, as you jog, the Mii's that have been on your Mii channel show up jogging around you or next to you. In some cases they trip which is actually very funny. In one instance I saw Sam and tried to kick him but the wiimote didn't register that.

Overall the game is fun, its fairly cheap, and its fun to do with others like most Wii games are. My grade is a solid A.

If I stay committed I will let you know on my progress and results. What do you think about the Wii Fit? Do you think its nonsense? a good thing? or just something else for people to waste their money on? If you have one leave a comment about your opinion, I would like to know.

Podcast

I work at a steel fabricator. My job is a very broad spectrum so I could not give you what I actually do, but I am considered the IT Guy at this point. Most of my day I make myself availble to do different jobs that are needed. Some days I spend a lot of time at my desk, others I am out and about. Because of this uncontrollable inconsistancy, I need something to listen to.

Several years ago I discovered podcast and would download a ton of them for me to listen to but then I got busy and most of the podcast I subscribed to were quickly taking up room on my computer prompting me to unsubscribe and delete them all.

Recently I have rediscovered the great podcast and have subscribed to several different podcast. Recently I have been playing a lot of games so a lot of the podcast are from gaming websites but I also like to listen to sermons and have downloaded several of those to listen to as well.

So here I am, listening to podcast, trying to broaden my mind while at work. Some of my favorite podcast are Gamer Husbands, Hardcore Christian Gamer, Sarcastic Gamer, Mosaic, and The Married Gamers. As I said a lot of podcast on gaming.

What are some of your favorite podcast? Are there ones that you suggest me to listen to as I sit here?

Genuine Excitement

I love Wednesday nights. Wednesday nights is my relaxation, which is funny because for most its another day that is tied up doing "something". Wednesday's are my day to be a part of a program that I feel is one of the most important the Church is involved in. I am not saying the most important but its up there. That ministry is youth ministry.

Not being the leader has its perks. I come without having to prepare a lesson. I get to play around, joke, and talk to students. It's an awesome experience. Filling the "volunteer" role has been an eye opening experience (I hope to share more with you later but I am not confident in those post yet). Let me explain...

As a youth leader, I knew what I wanted from a volunteer. I always had trouble explaining what I wanted them to do. Some dealing with discipline others with their own commitment. My experience was that there were people willing to be a body but not willing to move beyond that. Some of my youth meetings had many disruptions including volunteers yelling at students, joking when it wasn't appropriate, calling me minutes before youth saying they would not show up, angry with me because I never "listened to their suggestions", and the list goes on and on and on.

Every so often I would have counselor meetings and in those meetings I tried to explain what I needed to be done. But I never talked about their purpose. To be honest I didn't have a clearly defined description of what I expected, it was always a work in process. This led some volunteers to be frustrated with me. It led some to take advantage of my non confrontation habits and allowed them not to be committed. It caused a lot of confusion and frustration with my team.

In this new role, I have tried to be the volunteer that I always wanted. In some places I can see what my expectations were might have been unrealistic. In other ways it has helped me better define what I want. For example, I play with the youth, joke around and have a good time. When the lesson starts I become quiet and attentive. I see the my body language can become a distraction to others so if I am unfocused the chances are the youth will be as well. When a youth is being unintentionally disruptive, I quietly find a way to instruct them to not be. This allows the youth leader to be focused and not be distracted from what he/she is teaching.

A new perspective has allowed me to look at things with new glasses. To be able to take what I couldn't explain, put it to practice, and next time really find out how to demonstrate, explain, exemplify what my expectations are. It has also given me more appreciation of those who help and are committed. Its not easy but still Wednesday are my favorite.

**I will be writing more about my volunteer experiences with my leadership experience. I hope this becomes a resource for others to use or maybe can bring in new perspective in the youth volunteer genre.**

My wifes big Game

Tuesday is a night that I go and play Coed softball with the church. Elizabeth goes to support and to get Malachi out of the house. Yesterday we had a problem, only 2 girls came to play and we needed another girl so that we wouldn't have to forfeit the game. My wife was asked to play, to be honest I was a little nervous for her. Honestly I have never seen her play to many sports and she typically gave me a dirty look when I asked her to play Ultimate Frisbee with us. I also could tell she was really nervous.

She actually did quite well. I mean she didn't hit a homerun or anything but she went to bat 3 times and hit 3 fair balls. It was awesome, she made me proud. Her hits when something like this:

1st hit: Straight up 3rd base, she almost made it but the ball beat her.
2nd hit: up the middle but ball was dropped and underthrown allowing her to get to first base. After 2 other hitters she made it home for her first run
3rd hit: By the base, she got to first but was called out when she was clearly safe :)

Again I was very proud of her, she stepped out of her shell, had a little fun, and really did a great job. Good job honey!!! You can read her side of the story here.

WoW - New Realm

At the end of last year my brother got into a game entitled World of Warcraft (WoW). Its a little independent game that no one really knows about... ok unless you are deaf to the world its one of the most popular RPG Open World games that has ever existed.

I have been playing since November under the same realm as my brother. I am not really into RPG games but this game (when you can talk) is very engaging. I have really enjoyed getting to to know the game but unfortuately I am not really involved in the game so my character is actually not as advanced as it could be.

Just for the ignorate (John D) there are two sides, the Alliance and Horde. On Uldaman realm I am on the Alliance side and playing on the good side of world. Just recently I found out that a youth and her father have characters under a different realm. I decided to start a new character in thier realm (Zuluhed). I am playing the Horde side which in reality is the same as playing the Alliance side. Its very familiar. I am a hunter on both realms. So if you play WoW and want someone to pal with (I could never help, my ignorance of the game is overwhelming) find me on either realm.

QUICK REVIEW:

Games like this are usually listed as evil in the Christian Genre. Obviously I do not agree with that philsophy. As far as a "Christian Perspective" there is nothing morally wrong with this game!!! That said, gameplay is very engaging. The game keeps you interested and its built in such a way that when you start, being alone is fun, but as you advance you really need friends to advance the gameplay options and the fun really begins. The negative side is that its to involved, as a husband and father this game has to take the back burner because there are more important things to do. People who neglect relationships in there home because of this game should be scolded. At times the game can be overwhelming to the newcomer. Its also somewhat expensive to keep playing but a nice feature is that I can stop playing and paying come back a couple months later and my character is still there. If you get addicted to games stay away, if you can balance your gaming with real life this is a fun late night game to get involved in. Because of the negative over involved, overwhelming this casual gamer gives it a B.

New Blog

Really quickly..

I am directing college camp for Kentucky Church of God Ministries. I am trying to get more information out to people about what it is and what we do and that process has started with the launch of a new blog site. To find out more about College Camp 2008 click here.

Finally a Wii

In November of 2006 the Wii came out with much antipation. One of the most popular consoles of all time and one of the most difficult to find. It is the console I have wanted for my family since its I have heard about it but have passed it up several times. (at one time I found 8 in one spot and fought hard not to get it, another time I heard there was one at EB Games and waited in line for another game with my card ready but no wii) I have obsessed about it until Rock Band was released and then my obsession was temporarly taken over. (I had small hopes for Rock Band and a Wii for Christmas)

I got Rock Band and have been content and with the addition of our element and several xbox related items my obsessive personality was able to be occupied with so much that the Wii was midly forgotten. Then I heard about a game called Boom Blox that people couldn't stop talking about and my head was again turned at the Wii. Of course I have done really well at not being impulsive with my money so I did not go out and try to find one.

Things calmed down for a very SHORT time when I recieved an email from my Brothers wife and her interest of us all going in to buy Samuel a Wii for Christmas. This was a suprise to me since Samuel, when I asked, showed little to no interest (stating that it gets boring after a while) to the purchase of a Wii. I have been trying to get Samuel to get a Xbox 360 for months but he has looked blindly... Which sucks because its fun and it would be another way for us to communicate...

anyway... We decided to go in together for the purchase and on his birthday (and after looking for several weeks with no luck) he was given a Wii. He called me to thank me and my obsession started picking at my brain. I was wondering about Boom Blox, Mario Kart and yes its online compatibility. A couple of days went by when I finally could take no more so I proceeded to call my wife. I was expecting the answer NO with a little argument but it would have knocked me to my senses and I would like without but to my suprise she said OK. Which I was speachless... I didn't really know what to say... There was no argument, the only thing is I have to buy her Wii Fit. So off I went with the OK from Elizabeth to find a Wii, and with every phone call I was turned down. Elizabeth had a hair appointment in Danville so I decided to look at the local stores to see what they might have so it went like this:
Call to Gamestop - Got shipment check back in 10 minutes, returned call there were None
Walmart - None
K-Mart - None - I then asked the sales rep about anymore places that might sell electronics and she pointed out Radio Shack and F.Y.E.
F.Y.E. - Happened to be next door to K-Mart, with not much hope and the resignation that it was not my time I went in and found none. I went to chase Malachi and from the corner of my eye I saw a Wii box with a sign saying in stock. I kind of yelled at the sales rep and said DO YOU HAVE ANY WII's? his response: Yes, My Response: I'LL TAKE IT

It happened to be the last one so I got the Wii, Wii Play, and Extended Warranty :( and went to pick up Elizabeth. She could tell we were new owners of a Wii when I came into the shop. After the haircut we went to Gamestop and got Boom Blox and Mario Kart. We had a nice time trying out this new console and Malachi was able to enjoy it as well. You can read more on her side here.

Last night we tried online play with Samuel and Elya and it was fun. Unfortuately not able to talk is kind of a downer but it was still fun (hopefully Nintendo will fix this with a new wiimote). I will give my review of the Wii and games soon. Great Purchase, Wife fell in love with it, Great Family Fun, and I threw my arm out... It was a GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Another Stupid Chipmunk

Another adventure with a chipmunk...



This time Domino brought it in. He got it trapped behind a corner phone cabinet (which happens to be right next to the sliding door. I thought I would be smart this time and put the cats in the bedroom and seal off all doors with a towel so the chipmunk wouldn't get in the room this time.



With a broom and a door open (and yes, Malachi was on the couch jumping for joy) I proceeded to shoo the chipmunk out the door. At first it looked as though my plan might work but the chipmunk made a new move right into the kitchen and on through to the washing machine room.



There was a lot of places for the chipmunk to hide but I was confident I could corner him. As I started to dismantle the room, I thought about how I might catch this new chipmunk, again I wasn't sure as to what I should do but I thought I would fight that battle when the time came.

As I destroyed the room I found the chipmunk and then lost him again. The only pieces that have yet to be moved was the washer and dryer so I proceeded to move those to find out the chipmunk was no where in sight. After looking around the room and then the living room I called my Dad let him know that there was chipmunk on the loose and I had given up trying to find it.

I let the dogs in and thought how am I going to let this chipmunk on the loose while I was going to be sleeping but decided I would just watch tv. After about a 1/2 hour I saw Teddy (Mom's Dog) sniffing around by the desk. The chipmunk was underneath the desk and no I had him cornered. I decided to enlist the help of our cat Mouse, who kills mice on a regular basis. He's a pro and I knew if I had any chance of getting that chipmunk out it was going to be with his help.

I showed Mouse the chipmunk and when Mouse caught site of it I let him go. The chase began...
The chipmunk ran from under the desk to be bite and swatted (the cat has no claws) at. Mouse chased him under the recliner where it then crawled for a while until I lifted the chair up. Malachi was helping Daddy and was excited about seeing this chipmunk, was on the floor in front of me. Mouse caught site of it again and started to chase it. The chipmunk ran in between Malachis arms and to side with the sliding doors. Mouse had him cornered between the fireplace and a basket. I had a plan. I picked up Mouse and the basket positioned myself to corner the chipmunk. I also opened the sliding door... On the other side of the chipmunk I placed Mouse who darted for him and the chipmunk ran right into the basket. I then automatically tossed the basket w/ the chipmunk inside out the door. I immediately shut the door and watched to see if the chipmunk was in the basket. It was and again Malachi and I survived another day with an out of control wild animal in the house. SHoo!!!!

Youth Meeting 5-14

Really quickly...

I thought last nights youth meeting was pretty good. We started out playing a game of chair dodge ball...which I rule at...

Then we talked about purity. Purity of the heart actually. She started with us racing to eat a piece of chocolate. Most chocolate taste good but Bakers Chocolate...well not so much. We ate with the immediate groans of youth and their displeasure of the taste of the chocolate that partook in. It was gross...

Of course I ate the most but since I am a youth volunteer I was not allowed to win the prize but it was fun to watch their faces.

Jessica then proceeded to talk about what looks, smells good on the outside doesn't allows mean its good on the inside. She used main stream events like alcohol commercials and the reality of what alcohol can do, bad movies, even people. It was pretty good!!!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Life has been to busy to post much. I have a lot to update you on but just a lot going on at work and been to busy to post anything at home. A lot of good things are happening in youth and I am really excited about our community event coming in the end of May. We have had a late start but things seem to be coming together. I will post more later as time allows...

Stupid Chipmunk

If you ever read this blog you sometimes here about my cat Mouse. He has become quite the hunter!!! He kills about 1 mouse a day and has eaten a couple of birds along the way. There have been 3 animals that have escaped the mighty grasp of the mighty Mouse!!!! The latest is one that I thought I would NEVER had to deal with. It was a stupid Chipmunk!!!

On Saturday I saw an object being chased in the bedroom. I thought it was a mouse and couldn't find it so I thought I would set a trap (although I forgot to) and try to get it. The cats went after it but once I was looking for it they seemed to loose interest.

Sunday rolled around, my son and I were watching t.v. I saw the cats getting kind of crazy and from behind the bookshelf ran out a brown flurry chipmunk... and went right under the love seat. I totally was at a loss for words. I really wasn't sure what to do at this point but I noticed that the love seat was next to the sliding door so I came up with a NO FAIL plan. I put the cats in a room and got Malachi on top of the couch. I opened the sliding door and then very carefully tipped the love seat over. The chipmunk ran straight for the door took a right turn through the gate (separating the dogs from our bedroom) ran underneath the bedroom door right into our room. Unfortunately the door was closed so I was not sure where the chipmunk went.

Again I was lost, not sure what to do. I got into the room with a flashlight and looked through every crack before I would destroy the bedroom. He was no where to be found. My next plan was to start the destruction process beginning with the bed.

SIDE NOTE: Malachi was again very excited, jumping up and down trying to help me look for the chipmunk. Unfortunately I had to be firm because I was afraid that he might get bit but he stayed on the couch very excited about the prospect of seeing Daddy battle this new foe.

I destroyed the bed. I took both mattresses out, and with a broom rumished through the contents on the floor. I was scared to death, thoughts of a rabid chipmunk going for the neck surrounded my head... but there was nothing. I checked two or three times. Then I looked behind the t.v. and again saw nothing. Then I glanced at the closet but didn't really didn't see it and I was pretty sure he wasn't in there.

I called my Dad to tell him about my little adventure and that I was at a lose as to what I should do. He told me I should take his 16 yr old beagle to try and track him down. So there I was with a beagle, two terriers, and two cats trying to hunt down this little animal. The beagle was scared out of its mind and was not able to function in the room. One terrier did not dare come in and the other terrier is really stupid and thought I was playing a game.

I proceeded to look in different places, I was getting desperate. I sure could not even put Malachi to sleep or go to sleep knowing there is a deadly Chipmunk on the loose. I decided to look underneath the dresser that holds the t.v. one more time and saw something running. I was pretty sure that I could not get him so I decided to get Mouse to lure him out from behind the dresser. Mouse was uninterested but decided to stay by the dresser and then he saw it. He chased it and the chipmunk came from underneath the dresser and straight into the closet. Mouse lost him and I could not get Mouse to go in the closet after him.

Our closet has A LOT of stuff in it. It has the remains of what was left at the old apartment when we moved and is piled up in the closet. The chipmunk had a lot of places to run. I found a snow glove and put it on...

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: Just for an imagine of what this looked like, I was at home with just shorts (no shirt), no shoes, and one glove. Plus I was sweating profusely because I was not sure what to do.

Anyway, it was time for me to go after this chipmunk. Again Malachi exciting and taking in everything that was about to happen. I was a little overstressed and had trouble containing my emotions. As I was carefully ripping the closet apart, I was saying some choice words. Not the full blown words but the "Christian" version. As the chipmunk went through the closet I had lost him. I basically took everything out of the closet. There was a box of books that I took out in order to see the back of the closet. I saw nothing, this demonic Harry Potterish chipmunk disaperated in front of me...

I saw the books and decided I would look in there to see if maybe the chipmunk left some evidence as to where it had gone. As I took the first book out (with my glove) I saw it move. I decided that it was not a good idea to go any further (it was looking at my neck). I went to the door opened it up, carefully took the box outside. I slowly took out books until most of them were gone. I tipped the box over and there was....NOTHING!!! I was shocked, I decided to move the remaining books until I saw it run out on the porch. (I peed myself a little)

So the chipmunk got away unharmed, but now I had a destroyed room, an overexcited little boy and a disappointed cat. It was a long night...

I also forget how impressionable my 3 yr old is. After everything was over and I was putting the closet back together, Malachi yelled, "I am going to get the FREAKIN Chipmunk" which I was like dang as I lowered my head. I did laugh but then said I was sorry for saying that and he shouldn't say it either. Fortunately Malachi sometimes listens and never said it again. :)

**SORRY THIS HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD I AM AT WORK, ALSO I WILL POST PICTURES (OF THE AFTERMATH) LATER**

An Ordinary Day

Lastely I have not really been to busy, just kind of vegging out with not much personal time. At work I have been working on estimating this crazy job and my inexperience is really being challenged.

This weekend I got some extra money and got Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). Its not a game that I would normally purchase but heard some good reviews and decided I would like to try it. Because of the M rating and its clear reasons for being so I was very limited in when I could play the game. The game has been engaging and been hard to put it down. The cussing has been EXCESSIVE but other than that the rumors you hear are false (at least to the point of the game that I am in). It's got a very Godfather like feel, its almost like when you see Robert Deniro as Vito coming to America. Its story line is very interesting and I really am excited about playing somemore.

Because of the language and gun shots censorship is very important in our household. I don't play the game in front of Malachi, my nieces and nephews, or anyone who is not an adult but again it really limits the avaiability of when I can play, which brings me to my next obsession the Ear Force X1. For sometime I have been obsessing over the wireless headset from xbox but this "gaming" headset is way better. Its still has cords but it fits over both ears you can hear the whole game through those and not the regular tv. I am looking forward to buying it when the money comes available.

Its funny as a kid my interest in video games. About 5 years ago I got engaged into Halo 2 and its multiplayer capabilities. I was hooked!!! Since then I have become a gamer of sorts, more for recreation rather than a serious gamer, but it has been an enjoyable hobby for me. Oh well not much else just a quick post to let people know I am still alive I will post more on GTA IV later.

Our Youth Meeting

This past year has been a crazy time for our youth group. In the past several months we have had our youth leader. We have a couple who have taken it over. We have had several youth leave (unrelated to the youth leaders), and just have had lots of changes. To be honest I sense more discouragement than encouragement lately, I think a big blow was when we decided not to go to San Antonio for the International Youth Convention.

These past few weeks Trevor and Jessica (the new leaders) have been setting up the stage for change. Most people think you should wait for change but in this case change is a well needed feature. We still have pictures of the old youth pastor (which has been gone for almost 2 1/2 years) and old youth hanging up. Its been a while since our youth room has been "updated". Yesterdays task was talking about a new name for our youth group. The previous name was RDE (Reach, Disciple, Encourage) and really we haven't used that name to describe us since I have been a part of the youth program. After discussing what the youth group "stood" for, we left the youth to themselves to come up with scripture and possible names.

The counselors went to the fellowship hall and chatted coming up with our own names. My suggestion was F.A.R.T. (sorry I can't remember what the letters stood for but they DID stand for something). I even had a great t-shirt idea, a cow with its tale up, inside the shirt would be a button in which the cow would fart and spray out green gas. That idea was shot down pretty fast.

ANYWAY back to the youth:
After about 1/2 hour of deliberation they had decided on two verses but no name. They are hoping to get time next week to discuss a name. The youth seem really excited about this, it would be good to use this excitement to get things rolling as we start our first community event.

After Youth (The Youth Counselor Meeting):
We had our 3rd Counselor meeting since Trevor and Jessica (Now Called Tressica). The main focus was a community event we are planning for the end of May. We are hoping to have an on site event for an out of school celebration and invite the surrounding community and friends of the youth that attend. We are trying a couple of things to get a response, one being a xbox 360 giveaway (a Nintendo Wii was suggested but I thought an xbox is more popular with the middle/high school age group). We also will get some inflatables for some fun activities (Joist baby YEAH). We really didn't get to much further than that but its a good start but unfortunately time is a HUGE factor.

We will probably have some more meetings but I would like to come up with some ideas that might help move these meetings into direction. So I am asking, "What would you suggest would be a good attraction to bring in youth from the community?" What's worked for you? What have you done to tell the youth in the community whats going on AFTER the event has taken place?

Xbox Live Vision

I absolutely love the xbox 360. As I have said before I think it is a superior machine mostly because of what it CAN do. I have made it a mission to explore more options of the 360 as I have been able to get the money and afford it. Granted the usefulness of the 360 depends more on who actually has a 360.

My latest venture was xbox live vision. Essentially it is an accessory for the xbox (and can be used on the computer) that allows you to see others while video chatting and while you are playing some games. Its not a feature that a lot of games use, yet, but it seems to be a growing fad. Of course I only use it with people I know and not for others, I am a pretty private person.

I bought mine new but opened on ebay and it came with two games one being Uno. I like Uno, don't love it but like it. Its a fun game and one that I really enjoy through the 360. I tested the vision for the first time throughout that game. It was kind of neat to see people as they play. I can really see this being more useful for Poker games. I happened to tell a youth pastor friend of mine that I had gotten it, he asked me for my opinion on it. He happened to have some buddies who were thinking of purchasing the same product so he eventually bought it as well.

One day we were on together and played Uno to "test" out xbox vision again. This session had us two and two other boys who had to be in the Middle/High School range. My camera was unplugged so I was having trouble getting the camera plugged in as I was trying to play the game but that didn't stop the conversation happening on the screen. One particular boy was chatting to another and talking to us on occasion. Then out of the blue, seriously, I did not expect this at all, he asked the other boy if he wanted to see his girlfriends [explicit]. That is when I turned on my mic and said "NO" very aggressively (I was still trying to battle getting the camera plugged, I am sure I looked like a real idiot). His response was why not and still asked the question again to the other boy, the other boys response was sure and that is when I and my buddy left the table. We started our own game in which my first response was, "well that is the negative side of xbox vision".

This situation got me thinking about how life has changed so much. I would never dream of saying anything of this sort, and definitely not act it out. I am sure xbox vision was more for connecting people and not to be used in perverse ways. In some ways its a tragedy that these kinds of things happen. That this type of door has opened up in the world of teenagers. As a youth worker I find my mind surrounded by, "how do we approach this with the youth and with the parents of youth?"

My question is how do we approach technology? How do we teach students/parents the dangers and temptations of the advancing world through the internet? Is this an issue we (the Church) should even address? I am interested in your thoughts!!!