Monuments & Melodies

Lunch With Jesus

2011-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

I have been going for lunch weekly with a number of young men for almost 2 years. We started this tradition in their grade 12 year and have continued to eat lunch together regularly after they graduated. Our favorite spot is a place called Pho Tau Bay--a traditional Vietnamese restaurant. We’ve been there so often the waitress doesn’t bring us menus. I’ve even learned some Vietnamese.

Other than that I haven’t had a lot to report--we just ate lunch together. Conversation, if there was any, revolved around video games and mutual mockery. To be honest I found myself frustrated, feeling like I was wasting my time and money. It began to wear on my self-esteem, like I wasn’t a good youthworker because I wasn’t having deep spiritual conversations.

It wasn’t until the second week of January this year that something changed. That week each young man separately approached me to talk about something important that was going on in their life. I was able to share about grace with one young man, another needed someone to talk to after a fight with his girlfriend, another shared about his new job and his feelings of self-esteem in it, a fourth asked me if I thought he would be a good youthworker.

That week God reminded me of 2 truths:

First, that we are not asked to be successful only to be faithful. It’s nearly impossible to measure success or even growth as a youthworker. The indicators are usually intangible, unmeasurable and eternal (or at least long-term.) Even victories like a baptism or conversion 6 months later can look like a failure when there’s no change or things are even worse (not uncommon.)

Secondly, that when we are faithful in the little things, he is faithful in the big ones. I realized I had been minimizing God’s work. Who am I the clay to tell the potter how I should be shaped or what I should be used for. My job is just to be good clay, respond to the hand of the Master and let him create the masterpiece--both in my life and the youth I work with.

I don’t know what next week’s conversations over Pho will be but I do know that at our table there is a seat set for Jesus. I look forward to watching him work.

Crisis Intervention Plan

2011-01-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Most youthworkers and youth pastors are quite familiar with the crisis phone calls/text messages. Frequently these do not occur during our "working" hours whatever that looks like. I'd like to share some ideas our team has developed for these situations. We have created a set of questions we use to evaluate a crisis before we step into action.

Is Your God Big Enough?

First off, in dealing with a crisis, you need to deal with yourself. Consider for a moment, that your apparent selfless act of leaving your sleep and your family behind, maybe more about your need for validation than helping the person in crisis--in reality your selfless act is quite selfish.

You have to ask yourself if you believe in the Sovereignty of God. Is your God big enough to deal with a crisis without you? If you can't answer yes to this question or you answer it with a "Ya, but..." you are likely setting yourself up to burn out. You may have the subtley put on the superman underwear thinking that you can save these kids. If that's the case, pride is now creeping into you life. Only Jesus can save these kids. He may choose you to be his vessel but it's always his work not yours.

Is this a REAL Crisis?

A counselor once told me there is no such thing as a crisis that cannot be dealt with tomorrow. There is actually a lot of truth in that statement. In cases where a person's life is in danger your first action should be to call 911. Pretty much any other crisis can (and maybe should) wait for tomorrow.

Is God directing me to go?

There maybe times when it's not a life & death crisis but the Holy Spirit is impressing on us the need to go. Who am I to argue with the God of the Universe? Outside of the direct leading of God here are some concrete questions we ask ourselves before we act on a crisis:

Am I healthy enough to go? (Physical, Emotional, Spiritual)

Have I had enough sleep this week?
Have I had enough exercise this week?
Am I sick?
Do I have the emotional, physical and spiritual energy to give?
Did my stress levels spike when I the phone rang?
Have I spent meaningful time in prayer/scripture today/this week?

Have I taken care of my family?

If you can't take care of your family why do feel like you can take care of someone else's. This is one area I encourage you to ask your family for feedback on.

Have I spent meaningful time with my spouse? (Ask your spouse)
Have I spent meaningful time with my kids? (Ask your kids)

Can someone else go?

One thing our team has learned is that often (not always) a person reaches out to multiple people when in crisis. Our team has often realized after the fact that a teen in crisis was texting all of us at the same time. A few questions in the heat of the moment might have cleared that up. Instead of 4 of us having a sleepless night 1 person could have been sufficient.

Perhaps you have deemed this an important crisis but based on your self evaluation feel you cannot or should not go. This is where you need to refer/employ/empower your teammates, volunteers and other community services. Just because it's a crisis doesn't mean you have to be the one to respond.

Do you have a similar protocol? Did I miss any important questions? Feedback or Thoughts?

Win an iPod Nano

2010-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Langley Youth Unlimited is looking to expand our work. If you are a Youth in the Langley Area we would appreciate your input. If you fill out our survey you will be entered to win an iPod Nano.

Youth

If you are a Parent, a Faith Leader or a Community Leader in the Langley area your input is also greatly appreciated. Please fill out the appropriate survey below. Pass this survey on--A second iPod Nano will be given to the person who helps us the most! If you would prefer to arrange for an interview with one of our staff please email us directly.

Parents

Faith Leaders

Community Leaders

Youthworkers Should Watch Modern Family

2010-09-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

I am about to make a blanket statement… If you are a youthworker or youth pastor and are not watching ABC’s Modern Family you probably should clear your schedule for Wednesday nights at 8 pm. If that’s not an option you need to set your pvr or watch it online.

Here’s a link if you wanna watch the pilot episode
http://www.watch-modern-family-online.net/seasons/season1/episode01.php

What It’s All About:

“When the Pritchett-Delgado-Dunphy family agrees to be interviewed by a documentary crew, they have no idea just how much they're about to reveal about themselves. Family patriarch Jay Pritchett met the stunning Columbian Gloria Delgado when she bartended in a bikini at the pool party he threw for himself the day his wife left him. Now Jay and Gloria are married and Jay tries hard to keep up with his much younger and hotter wife and her passionate teenage son, Manny. Jay's daughter, Claire, is having a hard time raising her own family. Her husband Phil is great, except for the fact that he thinks he's "down" with their teenage kids, much to their embarrassment. Claire's brother Mitchell and his enthusiastic partner Cameron have just adopted Lily, a precious little baby girl from Vietnam. But when everyone gets together, things are bound to get awkward… But that's the thing about family: no matter how badly you behave, hopefully they'll forgive... or maybe even forget. In the tradition of The Office, this engaging new comedy offers a 'mockumentary' view into the complicated, messy, loving life of a modern day super-extended family.”

-(quoted from http://www.aceshowbiz.com/tv/modern_family/summary.html)

So why do I think you should watch this show?

Laughter: This show absolutely hilarious. If for no other reason than a good hearty laugh you will find yourself rewarded for watching an episode of Modern Family.
Family Friendly: It can be hard to find shows on tv that aren’t violent, crude or sexual. While not necessarily traditional it is actually quite family friendly.
Popular Culture: Your youth are watching it and so should you even if it’s just as a popular culture lesson. It’s so popular, in fact, that in it’s first season it was nominated for 14 Emmys—winning 6 of them (including best comedy, best supporting actor, and writing.)
A New Traditional Family: Your youth can relate because their families and/or their friend’s families look a lot more like the “Modern Family” than the “Traditional Family.” In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that many of your youth are growing up in a family even less traditional than the “Modern Family.”
Our Family Mandate: Closely related to the last point is this: most youthworkers and youth pastors know that their job is as much working with a youths family (parents and siblings) as the youth themselves.
Lessons in Conflict: Every episode is a great lesson in conflict and conflict resolution. It’s amazing and hilarious to watch how an expectation, an assumption, a lie, or a miscommunication leads to such conflict (not all together unlike real life.)
Learning to Love: You might see love in places you’ve never really understood before. Despite all the conflict and neurotic mess of this non-traditional family you’ll see how much they love each other. They might not understand each other or their choices but they are willing to fight for each other. Perhaps you too will begin to fall in love with them—foibles and all. Perhaps it might take you to a place of tolerance (I can disagree with you and love you without having to change you) you’ve never been before.

That’s my pitch. I hope you enjoy Modern Family as much as I have. If you do find it worth your while may I also recommend you stick around and check out The Middle which follows Modern Family. Perhaps I’ll write a follow-up blog on why youthworkers should watch it but that’s for another day.

My Summer In Pictures

2010-08-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Click Here To Download My Latest Prayer Letter

All Apologies

2010-07-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1992171,00.html

This was the June 2010 cover of TIME magazine. I happened upon it while rushing to an ATM in a convenience store. The restaurant I had just eaten at took cash only and I only had plastic. To make matters worse I had brought a number of youth along with the promise that I would pay for the meal. So while my young friends awkwardly hung-out at our table, I rushed to my car and drove like a madman trying to find an ATM. It's funny how easily distracted I can be. This magazine caught my eye and I forgot about what I was supposed to be doing. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. Eventually I did remember and got the cash, returned to the restaurant and paid the bill.

So what was it about this cover that stopped me in my tracks? It wasn't the catholic church's sexual abuse scandal that I resinated with. It wasn't the the Pope's unwillingness to apologize. I saw a much deeper, more universal issue. It was the church's (Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Liberal, Anabaptist, Independent, Parachurch...) unwillingness to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.

I will admit that perhaps my view of church has been skewed or rather scarred by a few people who hurt me deeply. It is something I have wrestled with for many years now. There was a time, because of my wounds, when I wanted nothing to do with God and especially not his church. Over the years God has healed my wounds and brought me to a great church, not a perfect one, but a good one. I still walk with limp, but I see much clearer. I believe God has used my wounds to teach me much about myself and his church. I might even go so far to say that I am glad for the wounds but it has been a long and dark road to be able to speak those words.

I empathize deeply with those who are frustrated with the church, who've been hurt by the church, who've become disappointed with God because of the church. One thing I've learned is that hate toward one church quickly spreads like a cancer toward the whole church and eventually toward God. Most atheist's I've talked to have stopped believing in God rather than never believed in God--often because of very negative experiences with religious people. I believe this is one reason why humility and confession are such an important practice for the church. At times we've done good things (like Evangelism) in bad ways and hurt people. At times we've done bad things (like Legalism) with good of intentions and hurt people. James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." We need to wake up to the fact that there are a lot of walking wounded both inside and outside the church. Maybe you weren't the one who hurt them but perhaps you can be the Good Samaritan in their life.

Donald Miller in his book, Blue Like Jazz, tells a story of how confession began to change the university he attended. Every year his school celebrated a week of debauchery--anything went. He and his friends decided to set-up a confessional booth in the middle of campus with a sign outside that said "confess your sins." They dressed as priests, pastors and monks and waited for people to come. Inside the confessional booth the priest would then confess the church's sin--the inquisition, the holocaust, racism, witch hunts, homosexual hatred etc. With tears in their eyes people would leave the both and run to get their friends. It was a transformative moment.

I have experienced the power of confession first hand. It was the day I went back to my doctor to refill my anti-depressant prescription--I had sunk into depression shortly after resigning as youth pastor. After a year symptom free I stopped treatment but soon the darkness returned. On my way home from the doctor's office I had to drive past my old church. I decided to see how the church secretary was doing. As we were chatting, the new pastor popped in and asked if he could talk with me. He talked for a long time about what he was doing with the church. I was wondering why he was telling me this, when he stopped and said, "So the question I have for you is... What if anything does this church need to do to be in right relationship with you?" I broke down in tears in this strangers office. He was the first person to acknowledge my hurt and he had nothing to do with my wounds. I don't know what happened that day but I walked out of that room a changed man. That night I went to take my pills but something inside of me was different. That was years ago and I still haven't touched those pills. I was healed by stranger who humbled himself on behalf of others and sought to make amends.

I guess what I've been trying to say is perhaps what the world needs from us Christians is less Apologetics and more Apologies.

An Honest Response

2010-07-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

After my previous post, The Secret of an Easy Yoke, I received the following email:

I just read your blog and I really connected with it. I wrote the email below to my pastor today - I'm sharing it with you because I feel like you may understand. I don't ever want to talk about it - just be understood from afar. In psychology they say that if you keep on smiling when you are not happy eventually the emotions of happiness will follow. I guess I am hoping the same is true for faith - even when there is none, if I keep on pretending that eventually it will come..... I know it's not true but I don't know what else to hope for.

-A Friend

Dear Pastor,

I've done a lot of thinking since we talked and have come up with some answers. You asked why we kept on going to church after our previous one had wounded us and I didn't have an answer but I do now. There are 2 reasons - because my spouse still believes in God and because if we continued on with church like nothing happened the people at previous church would think that they didn't hurt us and we had the upper hand. I really have no other reasons for showing up and quickly realized after our conversation that I had put my feelings where they were not going to disturb me and began to 'fake happy' at church again. I have realized that I really don't have a problem with _______, but rather with the fact that he is the only one that has really asked me how I am doing and I have to be fake with him to protect myself and I hate it - but I hate it because of me not because of him. I have left the church just like so many people have, I just happen to still be showing up physically. I can convince myself that I want to believe when I am at church but I leave and I'm empty and my faith is gone. I know everything in my head but all of that can be easily explained away and I just don't have it in me to care. I can talk the talk, fake it to lead small group & to sing in the worship team but there's nothing beyond that for me and I just don't care anymore.

-A Friend

The Secret of an Easy Yoke

2010-07-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

I think a lot of Christians (at some point in their lives) can relate to the lyrics of this song. There are so many parts and aspects I find myself relating to I don't know where to start. It has a very melancholy tone but look deeper...

"The Secret of an Easy Yoke" by David Bazan (Pedro the Lion)

i could hear the church bells ringing
they pealed aloud your praise
the member's faces were smiling
with their hands outstretched to shake
it's true they did not move me
my heart was hard and tired
their perfect fire annoyed me
i could not find you anywhere
could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all

the devoted were wearing bracelets
to remind them why they came
some concrete motivation
when the abstract could not do the same
but if all that's left is duty, i'm falling on my sword
at least then, i would not serve an unseen distant lord

could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all
if this only a test
i hope that i'm passing, cuz i'm losing steam
but i still want to trust you

peace be still (x3)

Father's Day

2010-06-18T12:48:00.001-07:00

Father's Day

2010-06-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sacrilegious

2010-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

A young friend of mine put me on to this song "Sacrilegious" by Never Shout Never.

Does it describe how you feel?
Does it make you sad?
Does it offend you?
Does it make you defensive?
Maybe all of the above?

Christofer Drew wrote this song about being kicked out of a church. On his myspace page he writes "I am not the standard sunday morning christian. I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I believe he is the only way to truth. I do believe that modern christianity is too moral based, and not enough about the spiritual side. I do not go to church. I haven't been since I got kicked out when I was 16. I do love my Jesus though :)" He also says, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. Saying that; don't think I am a christian with a foot up his a**! I love everyone and respect their beliefs. Don't let anyone tell you what to believe. Take everything in, and make your own decision. So, if you'd like to talk about faith; let me know. I'd be honored."

Thank You

2010-06-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

The following was posted on my young friends blog. It was so encouraging to me to read I wanted you all to enjoy it with me.

k so we had the banquet tonight. it was amazing. i worked pretty close with not only a mentor but youth worker helping her out alot. shes absolutely amazing she as well as the other youth workers have seen me grow a person. and have seen me at my worst with out these people i dont know what i would have become. they truely do help teens. i have seen them around me and my friends. but never like this. we had the same thing last year, but it on more of a social note for me just another thing to do with my friends. but this time was different. i felt part of a family as i watched my best friends step out of their comfort zone and did amazing. and i am so proud of them. i look forward to this event every year just because its so much fun and just so amazing.

ive heard what this organization has done, and ive witnessed it personally and through people time in and time again. but when you put it all in one place one power point one speech it surprises you as to how hard they work. i sat there tonight listening to what they had to say i found myself smiling a genuinely happy smile something i havent felt in a long time. they talked about miracles and god. ive never been entirely sure where i stand with god and they know that. they dont push, theyve asked my opinion and left it at that. im not sure what i believe in exactly but i do know that this hurt and sadness, anger that surrounds me not only personally but the people around me has to end and that it has to get better. i mean how much crap can one person go through and not be happy?

its because of these amazing people that im choosing to do what i want to do. i see what teens go through constantly and yet have no one to talk to. and i want to help its why i still hang around and help out as much as i can cause i know that every bit helps. and these people dont get enugh credit for what they do. they mean alot to me and what they have done for me and my friends is simply just out of heart. i saw my friends get up and surprise me tonight in so many ways. i stopped and thought where would i be without them. i know i would never be a part of soemthing so great. and i hope to work with them for a very long time and continue to grow as not only a person but as friends and a career.

so to you langley youth workers i thank you endlessly for everything you do. cause i dont think you get a thank you as often as you should.

http://adylivelaughlove.blogspot.com/2010/05/thank-you.html

One Big Happy Family

2010-05-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sawyer's Jolly Jumper Video

Pictures are by my friend Jennifer Davies
Captured Heart Photography
www.capturedheartphotography.blogspot.com

Richard Twiss

2010-04-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

Quite an interesting story and journey this man has. Here's what was written about him on Wikipedia:

Richard Twiss is a Native American educator and author. He is a member of the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Tribe from South Dakota. He is the Co-Founder and President of Wiconi International (Wee-choe'-nee is Lakota/Sioux for "life") .

In 1972, Twiss was a participant in the forced occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Building in Washington, D.C., with the radical political group, the American Indian Movement or "AIM." Twiss later became a Christian minister, author, and public speaker.

His vision is, "To serve the Church as a bridge builder and consulting resource to see Native people come to faith and life in Jesus Christ and fulfill their God-given place in the Body of Christ."

Jesus Fish

2010-03-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

My friends and I have an enjoy taking pictures of weird and wacky things and sending them to each other on our cellphones. As I was looking through the pictures on my phone yesterday I realized there was jaded theme to many of the pictures.

The person who created this must have felt hurt and judged by someone's sincere, if not loving attempts, to "save" them.

Are Christ followers known for their love or their morality?

Irreverent? Yes.

Funny? Yes!

True? Yes!

Meaningful? Not sure???

Well Jesus was a pretty cool guy...

"What Would Jesus Do?"

This one is a joke US Military Patch. Mocking joke or subtle protest?

Who Would Jesus Shoot?

We've all seen the Jesus Fish on the backs of people's cars. Perhaps you've even been cut-off (or worse) by a car with a Jesus Fish on it. Perhaps you have one on your car. For me, personally, the true beauty of the Jesus Fish is all but lost in this sincere attempt for people to identify themselves as Christ followers.

Historically, the fish symbol was used by the early Christ followers during the Roman persecution. Many died as human torches or were feed to the lions merely for identifying themselves as Christ followers. They met secretly in crypts under the city. One of the ways they would identify each other was to casually draw a "C" in the dirt with their foot. If the person they we talking to drew a "C" in the opposite direction creating a fish they knew they were both Christ followers. If the person didn't, they could rub it out or walk away without fear of being found out.

Then Constantine had his vision of the cross in the sky and made Christianity the state religion of Rome. Suddenly, Christ followers were thrust from the underground crypts, risking death, and into Roman stadiums not to be fed to lions but to the celebrity and power of Caeser. Now the fish was not a risk. It didn't cost anything. It was still powerful; though, now not in it's meaning but in it's political power. The institution of the church was created, not in name, but in the man-made, corporate, and political organism.

"With great power comes great responsibility." - Spiderman

Few Christ followers will deny many of the horrible and and un-Jesus-like things we (the church) have done historically. The crusades, the inquisition, and racism to name a few examples. Some may argue with me on a few modern examples: the war on terror, homosexual hatred, and sexual & spiritual abuse. Let’s not forget our own individual and personal warts—nobody’s perfect. The truth is the Jesus Fish, for many, represents the church's sin and baggage. You might see forgiveness in the fish but the person behind you may see another judgmental, hypocrite, like the church elder who gossiped about your family because your dad was an alcoholic.

Sure we've dressed the fish up adding Jesus or the Greek anocronym "IXYOE" which means "Jesus, God's Son, Savior"

Then along comes Charles Darwin and his theory of EVILution--the Jesus fish evolves.

Our answer to the Darwin Fish and the survival of the fittest...

It seems like a meaningless game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (Truth Fish eats Darwin Fish)

This one seems to really reflect current culture... Does anyone care?

We live in a world of irreverence and mockery. Nothing is sacred and everything is fair game but perhaps we've earned a little mockery. Perhaps no one cares because it no longer costs us anything.

Sawyer's First Laugh

2010-03-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sawyer turns 2 months old on Thursday. We are beginning to wonder if his dark brown hair is growing in blonde. Thought you might enjoy this little clip of his first laugh. I know we do cause he hasn't done it since. I've offered him anything he wants in the world in exchange for another giggle with no luck thus far. boo!

love and loss

2010-03-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

An amazing poem written by my friend Kayte:
love and loss

Loss now seems inevitable.
It is a common thing now for people to feel a loss of everyone or everything.

Love has become a word thrown around as if without meaning.

Yet it is a word that holds more meaning then any other,

And it alone can bring someone to their knees.

Why has life become such a complicated thing?

Why has love lost all meaning?

Love never lasts.

With every loss of love its meaning fades.

People now have lost how to make sense of the lives they live.

The only way to escape this fate if to find a love that is never lost.

A love that will lead us from the Pain.

Lead us through out Own lives.

Away to a place of understanding.

A way to live a life all ours and in doing so honor Him.

Our one savior.

The one love that will out shine the ages.

Through him we will find Understanding,

Find Light,

And Love,

And Hope.

Status Updates

2010-03-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Another window into young people's lives via Facebook Statuses...

John: To be understood to the very core is the aim of the human population

Jane: I find it sad that how I can fit a year into a box. Fill its spaces with memories turned tragedies.

Jill: Life is pretty good right now, its a nice change :)

Jessie: Wishes the darn zombie apocalypse would come already!!!

Jake: Really hates this feeling right now, why must I have this feeling of hopelessness I hate it, why must I not be able to rid myself of this feeling.

Jeri: Jesus take the wheel.Take it from my hands cuz I cant do this on my own.Im letting go, give me one more chance.

Jack: You know you belong together when she takes the pickle of you mcd cheese burger before she gives you it, cause thats how you like it ♥

Jess: They say home is where the heart is and when it breaks its just growing pains.

James: I'm just such a complete failure at every aspect of life.....

Jonas: You're my world The shelter from the rain You're the pills That take away my pain You're the light That helps me find my way You're the words When I have nothing to say = GOD

Writers Block

2010-03-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've found it difficult to write lately. There are many reason's for that:

1.) Having a 6 week old son (I love coming home. Best distraction ever!)
2.) Having to protect young people's privacy (A complicated and important aspect of youthwork.)
3.) Olympic Addiction (I watched a lot of Olympics in my time off. I'm not gonna lie.)
4.) Having writer's block (I get two sentences in and don't know how to finish.)
5.) General Busyness (I think that's how you spell it?)

A few quick hits:

1.) Nightmares: Way too many young people struggling with nightmares of late. They could use your bedtime prayers.

2.) Cards: My latest connection point with young people: playing cards in the cafeteria. It's amazing how many new people I've met and what you'll learn about someone over a game of cards.

3.) Outta Practice: I have been asked to share as a guest speaker for a number of new groups. I am both excited and nervous: unlike many youthworkers, I don't do regular youth talks.

4.) Alcoholism & Anger: It's seems way too often that young people share with me how their dad's alcoholism and anger have destroyed their families and their young hearts. Father's your sin, it's not anonymous, the scars are permanent and ugly, and your children will bear them.

True Colors Update

2010-02-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

To update you on our prayer night. It was awesome!!! My co-worker Danny said it best in his blog:

http://proyouthworker.blogspot.com/2010/02/does-this-look-like-prayer.html

Does this look like prayer?

It actually didn't feel much like a prayer night. There was mingling. Laughing. Interacting and fun.

Most of the time when we picture a prayer meeting it seems like something that may be stuff and boring. Although ultimately important - still a bit uncomfortable.

We started off the night with some music. Singing. But not your typical songs. We sang songs that were out of the culture that we could see God's hands in. Bands like Collective Soul and Snow Patrol. When it came to the song "Lean on me" the sound level in the room was deafening.

We moved into a time of confession. Taking the things we wanted to say to God and nailing it to a cross. We also had a whiteboard in the room that was God's facebook on which people could write anything they wanted. It turned into the most noisy prayer meeting ever. It was more like a party as people interacted about life and the cross was the center of the interaction. Every once and while your heard the nails being pounded in and that meant another amen. During this all we had DJ Chris Harrington mixing some great tunes.

The night took a different spin as we took some time to tell God about our passions. We passed around a globe and people could write their prayers out for the world on it. We also made a poster of the things that we are the most passionate about.

The night ended as we lit candles to represent our prayers to God. It started off dark with only a few candles burning but by the end of the night the room was glowing.

I loved seeing prayer. I loved being able to grasp it and conceive it. And to take a bunch of people who only a couple years ago wanted nothing to do with God to spending an entire evening in prayer with them really was a miracle.

True Colors

2010-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are going to make some space explore the creativity of prayer. It might not sound too scary a thought but to be honest I'm a little terrified. The vast majority of young people we work with have no church background, they don't sing outloud, and they certainly don't pray in front of people. Thursday night dinners, may be one of the few times they are exposed to prayer.

This isn't the first time we've had a prayer as a part of our group. There have been moments of spontaneous prayer--we even saw a young lady's fractured vertebrae healed when we prayed for her. We've planned nights of prayer before so I shouldn't be nervous and yet I am.

It's not that I'm ashamed of showing my true colors. It's that we are very much in the business of crossing cultures. As we introduce these young people to new things or chose to take them a little deeper, there is always the lingering questions: Will God show up tonight? Will anybody come? Is it too much or too fast? Will they understand it? Will they appreciate it?

On the other hand there is an anticipation factor. What's God gonna do tonight? I guess we will see : )

Langley YFC/Youth Unlimited

2010-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

One Week

2010-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

Today, our son, Sawyer is one week old.

He is a content and happy little guy.

He has a head full of dark hair and dark blue eyes.

Needless to say he's stolen our hearts.

41 Weeks and Counting

2010-01-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

Contraction yes, Baby no!

Thank You

2010-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

Allison and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported us this past year. Whether you were praying for us, financially supporting us or encouraging us with your kind words we sincerely appreciate everything you've done. We cannot do this without you. Each story we post is a story that wouldn't exist without you.

What Took You So Long?

2010-01-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from blog written by a young lady I work with:

"I woke up this morning with the sky painted with streaks of gold, pink, blues and purples. I was amazed. Today I went on a trip down to Vancouver with Robert. I had an interview at John Casablancas Institute, which is a makeup and hair design school. I got accepted but not the point.

After the interview, we went for a stroll, yes a stroll, back to the skytrain station. I was stopping everywhere taking pictures of buildings, of a telephone booth, of a fence. The stupidest things, but everything was catching my eye.

I'm not going to live this down when I say this, but I think it's cuz I saw God EVERYWHERE.
See, we haven't been on the best of terms lately. I just don't understand how He could let some of the things that have happened to me lately keep happening. He could step in. He could say "HEY YOU! IM GOD. STOP!"

I was left with myself being broken. That hasn't changed but I don't know, taking the pictures I took today helped in a way. It was healing, kind of anyways.

I hate that I have glimpses of God, and then I find myself not believing, not wanting to see him anymore. It's understandable to an extent I guess, but still blows. But does he? Nope. Of course not...

So God, I just want to say. I missed you, what took you so long?"

Celery or Pickles?

2010-01-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Today's highlight... a heated discussion in Tim Horton's about whether you prefer your tuna salad with pickles or celery in it.

A young man declared that a tuna salad sandwich wasn't worth eating without pickles in it. The young lady across the table countered... She felt strongly that celery belonged in tuna salad while pickles belonged in potato salad. Personally, I prefer celery in my salads and pickles on their own (I believe pickles to be delicious enough to stand on their own merit.) I cannot say we came to a definitive conclusion on the matter but we did make some good progress.

Just another day here in Langley. I wish problems like pickles or celery were more common in my line of work.

Back To The Grind

2010-01-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hope your Christmas was a merry one. We're back into the thick of things out here in Langley. It's an overwhelming feeling to walking back into the school. We have a new Principal here at R.E. Mountain Secondary--Mr. Ghobrial. He comes highly recommended and we are looking forward to working under his leadership.

As for the students: it was a rainy, depressing, holiday hangover first day back to school. (Personally I was kinda glad to get back into my routine.) The question of the day... Did you survive Christmas? The answers weren't all that encouraging or enthusiastic. They ranged from an eye-rolling "barely" to a muted "surprisingly... yes."

Allison is officially on Maternity leave--8 days to due date. She's been busy finishing up the final touches on the home nest front. Today, she topped up the freezer with a few more meals. The countdown is definitely on. : )

38 Weeks

2009-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

Youth Work Economics

2009-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

The following was written by my area supervisor, Danny Ferguson:

I really have no interest in the stock market. The stress and emotions that are carried just by walking down "the street". I have more stuff to worry about let alone add in a major melt down when my life savings are cut in half over a .123568882315% drop in the graph.

But as I was reflecting over the past week I could think of no better picture as to what is happening in the youth work here in Langley. For example:

The CVV experienced a major drop when the she experience a lower production in grades than was expected for the quarter. This has caused a series of undesirable cutbacks in an already hostile environment. Combined with an addition of a new partner within the family dynamics the stability of this stock is in grave question. The spokeswoman for the company gave the impression that she didn't care anything about the continued longevity of the stock.

In other news the KTD has shown fluctuations as of late sometimes experiencing great peaks and valleys in the same day. The very foundations of the company appear to be in jeopardy and there are rumors that the family may split leaving employees with an impossible task of choosing the path of their future.

In a surprising turn of events the MGP took a huge drop after a series of unfortunate misunderstanding between investors and the company. Communications have been difficult and concerns are rising to the companies future.

ok. Ill stop. The point is that many people refer to the work I do as an investment. Investments fluctuate. There is risk. but the greatest risks hold the greatest payoff in the end. You just have to commit to them long term. Want to invest with me?

http://proyouthworker.blogspot.com/2009/12/youth-work-economics.html

Danny Ferguson
Langley Area Director
Greater Vancouver YFC / Youth Unlimited
604-968-1812
danny@youthunlimited.com

Crackberry Ministry

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

I receive a lot of flack from people over my cellphone use. I have to admit my I'm a bit of Blackberry addict--to many we are known as Crackberry Addicts. I've been known to text someone in the same room as me. Or check facebook while I'm in bed. It's difficult to know when to draw the line because much of my ministry happens on my cell phone during all hours.

Tonight's is an example of the good part of my Crackberry Ministry. This conversation started at 3:20 this afternoon and ended around 9:30 tonight.

"I hate my mother. I know everyone my age says that but I literally HATE HER."

"That sounds like the end of denial speaking"

"It's a horrible feeling"

"I can't imagine"

"You can't imagine? You're lucky..."

"Ur allowed to be angry it's part of the process of grieving. Just don't get too comfortable there. Eventually u'll need to move forward."

"Forgiveness and healing will come, with Jesus' help, if you work toward it. You might not want it right now."

"I want to forgive her but I'm too mad right now."

"Baby steps..."

"When I stop wanting to kill her I'll probably be more able to do that."

"If u wait till you want to forgive her you never will."

"I don't want to. I don't want to hate my mom but I'm so blindingly mad at her."

"There's someone else who should hear all this but I'm not sure you're on speaking terms at the moment"

"Who is that?"

"A mutual friend..."

"...who?..."

"You met him..." (I mention the first time she met Jesus)

"Oh. Him."

"; )"

"It's not that we're not on speaking terms, I just don't know how to talk to him. He knows everything anyways..."

"It's not for him. It's for you!"

"And it helps me...how?..."

****30 minutes later****

"God was here"

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I was curled up in a ball crying and listening to music when he showed up. I didn't say anything but my heart and mind were and all he said was "I understand" and just sat there with me"

"Pretty cool"

"It was... interesting"

"He knows just what to say, or rather what not to say."

": ) like I said. It's not that I'm not talking to God. I just don't know how."

The Darkside Of Craigslist (Part 2)

2009-11-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

She's fifteen now. She began dabbling with drugs and alcohol earlier than most. Her friend introduced her to pot. She introduced her friend to Crystal Meth. Now they both work in the sex trade.

She had a long history of running away. She came in and out of our lives. We got calls when she was in trouble and when she wanted to avoid the consequences of her choices.

We picked her up from a house, late one night, in a drug induced mental breakdown--hallucinating terrible demonic things. As the drugs wore off, she began to sing with the music playing in the background--Life Song by Casting Crowns... "Let my lifesong sing to you..." Tears welled up in my eyes, I think I saw Jesus, even for just a brief moment. Not too long after she disappeared.

Months later she called us. Her boyfriend was in jail. She was working as an escort. She seemed strangely detached from the horror of her profession. She voiced no desire to get out. The drugs (now it was crack) were all that she cared about.

A few days later photos of her ad's were found on craigslist. The police began investigating. Arrest warrants were issued.

We received messages from her on facebook suggesting she wanted out. We set up a meet but she never showed. Finally she was arrested. She said all the right things. She was release on bail. Maybe she would make it? We weren't sure she was serious but can you give up hope? If we could just get her into a detox program. She said she wanted out; she disappeared a few days later.

She was arrested again last week. She was released and disappeared the next day...

The Darkside of Craigslist

2009-11-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

The following was written by a young lady I have had the privilege of getting know. It was written about a mutual friend. It was printed Oct 27th, 2009 in the Langley Times.

Editor: I’m writing this letter about Craigslist.

Craigslist is known as a great site for people to sell their useless stuff.

There’s a variety of things — cars, baby things, pets, services of all varieties, including prostitution. Yes, there are ads for prostitutes, which I will refer to as escorts from now on. There’s even a special section for it.

I used to love Craigslist. I will never go to that site again after I found out one of my best friends is being sold on it. There are pictures of her, pictures of other girls selling themselves, being sold by their “owners.” This isn’t right, and it’s almost like Craigslist is condoning this. Why?

These girls are someone’s daughter, someone’s close friend, someone’s sister, granddaughter, niece, pride and joy.

Craigslist, are you saying this is OK? Is it right that 15-year-old girls pretending to be 19 should be exploited? I don’t think so.

I know lots of people probably don’t even know this happens, and I ask you not to go looking for this section. Just know it happens, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’m 16 years old, and I know there’s nothing I can do to get rid of it, but I can make people aware of it. I can raise my voice against it.

To my friend, you know who you are, if you’re reading this, I love you.

Kaelynn Durnan

Langley

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/langleytimes/opinion/letters/66607062.html

What's Going On?

2009-11-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Some Texts and Facebook Statuses from the past week:

"I'm scared to give my dad my report card."

"Teenager down. Broken hearted teenager down."

"Lot's of people claim to love me. People I can see and who give me tons of evidence. Do I trust them? Barely"

"Wow. Stepdad and mom broke up tonight. What the f--- am i supposed to do now? F--- :,( we have to move out now! And on top of that, we gots nowhere to go. F---!"

"Going to bed to get the night over with, seriously too much to handle right now."

"Cheese Whiz is my reason for getting out of bed."

"phone is effed. mind is confused. heart is done. body hurts. stomache is angry. its gunna be a fun week....:("

"I loved it when my dad actually loved me. What the hell happened oh right you came back and ruined everything"

Handle With Care

2009-11-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

With tears in her eyes, she pulled out of her purse a small spiderman sock rolled up and tied with a purple hair band. She explained that she always carries these two items around with her--they were all that she had left of her brother and sister.

Her precious siblings... She practically raise them till she was kicked out of the house. Now she can't even remember the last time she saw them. Do they even remember her?

As she sobbed out her grief, I was reminded of a famous poem by William Butler Yates. "But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." She had given me the most precious thing she owned. This spiderman sock and purple hair band were her last connections to her siblings. I was holding her dreams.

It was a very special moment. I knew she had invited me onto holy ground. It was time to take my shoes off. I had nothing for her but to mourn with her, to grieve with her, to treasure her treasure. Surely I had been invited into the heart and the very presence of God in this young ladies life.

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats

Sex and Twilight

2009-11-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting article from the Vancouver Sun on the positive sexual ethic found in the Twilight series.

Vampires aside, it's really just a simple love story.

The reason teenage girls have fallen hard for the Twilight book and film series has to do with its portrayal of a traditional, romantic relationship, new research from the University of Missouri shows.

In the series, vampire Edward Cullen doesn't want to harm or bite his teen love interest Bella Swan, which means they can't have sex.

"With teens, we actually found that they appreciated the messages of abstinence," said Melissa Click, an assistant professor of communication who surveyed 4,000 Twilight fans, aged 11 to 70.

Click and her co-authors' research primarily addresses the reasons behind the teenage-madness for Twilight, a four-book series with two films so far.

The newest movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opens Friday, and has already busted Cineplex Theatres' records by selling $1.5 million in advance tickets across Canada. The first film, Twilight, grossed more than $190 million in North American revenues.

The Missouri research found that many teen girls — who make up the core of Twilight's audience, along with a few moms — are drawn to the story about love beyond the physical.

"The media environment is saturated with teens in sexual relationships," said Click, who plans to publish the findings next spring in a collaborative book Bitten by Twilight: Youth culture, media and the vampire franchise.

"(Twilight) does provide something different for girls. I've had girls say to me, 'I'm going to wait for my Edward.' And they think that's really cool."

Her colleague, Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, called the series a "backlash to the 'hooking-up' culture."

Edward represents an anomaly in the minds of many teenage girls. He's romantic, protective, and most important, cares deeply for who Bella is, and not just what she looks like.

And for 18-year-old Twilight fan France-Renee Miron, that's a good thing.

"Most boys now around our age, all they want is to get you in bed. They don't care about the romance part," said Miron, who is from Green Valley, Ont.

"In the book and in the film, (Edward) doesn't want to have sex. It's really different."

Miron's friend, Valerie Lefebvre, 18, said she found solace in the book's messages about abstinence.

"By reading the book we find out we're not the only ones who could have a good relationship without being sexually active," said Lefebvre.

Click said that many girls interviewed felt a sense of relief that Bella and Edward couldn't yet have sex.

"They liked that it was the man putting the brakes on sexual activity. For them it probably highlighted the development of the relationship — the romantic relationship — between the two, instead of the sexual relationship," said Click.

The study is comprised of online surveys and in-person focus groups. Researchers found 70 teens for the focus groups at a fan convention held in Dallas last summer. About one-third of those surveyed were teens.

Despite an increasingly sexualized youth culture, the desire for romance among teenage girls has remained, said Mike Farrell, a partner at Toronto youth research firm Youthography.

"There are some fundamental things that haven't changed that much. And one of those, especially with girls, is the focus on a search for meaningful love that is hopeful, passionate, real," he said.

According to Youthography research, only a quarter of young teenage girls were interested in sex, while more than half said they thought about marriage and having children.

In a 2008 Canada-wide study, Youthography surveyed around 500 teen girls ages 14 to 18 about 50 different "values" affecting them, from current events to sex. They've been tracking values for research for the past nine years as part of Youthography's quarterly study called, Ping.

But there can be a danger to Twilight's traditional romance story too, say experts.

University of Victoria political science professor Janni Aragon said that the books, while she enjoys them, enforce "good old gender stereotypes," such as Bella being clumsy and Edward acting condescending and all-knowing.

There's also the message that Edward doesn't trust himself around Bella.

"Woven within these pages is also that boys get to a certain point in which you can't tell them 'no,' or they can't control themselves. And I'm not sure an 11-, 12-, 13-year-old, maybe even a 15- to 18-year-old, understands that."

Xania Khan, editor-in-chief of Toronto's Vervegirl teen magazine, said that the hysteria surrounding Twilight may blind teens to real-world relationships.

"Some girls have a hard time distinguishing fact and fiction," said Khan. "They might look for something that's not real."

That won't be a problem for Miron and Lefebvre's friend, Embrun, Ont.'s Marjolaine Bourdeau, also 18. While she said she's a fan of the books, Bourdeau won't be waiting on a perfect vampire boyfriend anytime soon.

"I know that's not possible," she said. "Girls who haven't been in a real relationship. They don't know what relationships are like."

LAURA STONE , CANWEST NEWS SERVICENOVEMBER 18, 2009 5:02 PM
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Lack of sex attracts teen girls to Twilight series: study

32 Weeks

2009-11-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

We Are In

2009-11-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

My blog has been a little stale of late. I hope to remedy that in the coming days. We moved into our new place just over a week ago. I have been busy unpacking, organizing, and getting our suite ready for renters--no small task let me tell you. I hate drywalling, fyi!!!!

Allison is now 31 weeks pregnant and looking beautiful as ever. We'll post another belly photo asap. Everything seems to be progressing healthy and well. We have a short list of names for the little nudger but nothing firm yet. Can't wait to meet him.

Tomorrow, we fly out to Saskatchewan to visit my brother and sister-in-law, Corey and Erin. They became parents today of two little girls--Elise Pamela (5 pounds 11 ounces) and Alianna Elizabeth (6 pounds). Mom and daughters are doing well. I am told that they are not identical with one having reddish hair and their other a little darker, though I can't remember which had which at the moment. I'll post photos of my neices as soon as I get 'em.

I think that sums up the past few weeks. I'll have some more youthwork stories posted soon.

God is with the Poor

2009-10-24T21:35:00.001-07:00

What's Your Status?

2009-10-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Some highlights from the last week's Facebook status updates:

...really wishes thing werent the way they are. its tearing me apart stronger than ever.

...Welcome to the planet, Welcome to existence, Everyone's here, Everybody's watching you now, Everybody waits for you now, What happens next?I DARE YOU TO MOVE!

...For the first time in as along as I can remember, I can say with all, genuine honesty that I am happy. I'm in love with an amazing woman, I have a small collection of troubled, but reliable and entertaining friends and a fairly clear image of my future. What more could I want?

...bought a colouring book from chapters lol sweet

...is preparing herself for another night of bad dreams... yay...

...my mom always orders a pizza when she knows I'm not going to be home.

...swimming in a huge ocean of awesome.

...I'm going out of my mind someone help me pls

...First class and already bored

...thinks she has a genetic defect that renders her incapable of sleep.. (:

...kinda needs a hug :( and some ben & jerry's and a chickflick? yee?

Here's To The Crazy Ones

2009-10-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,

Are the ones who do.

- Jack Kerouac
quoted in an Apple Computer Ad, 1997

28 Weeks Later

2009-10-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Allison's into the third trimester. So far that means she's sore, tired, and hungry but doing amazing!!!

Family??? 2.0

2009-10-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to yesterday's blog I wanted you to read what my co-worker, Danny Ferguson, wrote in his blog last night.

Tonight i had the honor of putting my daughter to bed. She just got a new tooth today and is feeling a bit bummed out from the experience. That combined with just being plain tuckered out made her one snugly kid tonight. It was as if she melted into my chest. I started to cry as i thought about all the youth that i work with that have a longing and deep desire to melt into their daddy's arms but never get the chance. Either he is not around or he is not safe. I know I am not the perfect father. Far from it but as I sat there looking into my daughters eyes as she was hurting i wept. Firstly because it was a special moment with my girl but secondly because i was mourning the injustice of those who have dads but are still fatherless.

I just don't understand this messed up world sometimes...

http://proyouthworker.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-girl.html

Family???

2009-10-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

We often take for granted that holidays are a time for family but what about those who don't have family or those whose family is dysfunctional. Unfortunately, I am reminded of this reality all too often.

This week one young lady described her family as "chaos." She had moved out as soon as she turned 18 just to get away from the mess.

This week a young man told me that he preferred staying at his friend's house over his own.

This week another young lady has been researching her options for emancipation.

This week another young lady told me she hoped never to see her mother again.

This summer another young lady was in a panic over the thought of a family vacation.

For many of the youth I work with their family tree is more like a family web. For many, they've never known a real family. For many, their friends have become their family.

When friends become your "family" it changes everything. Celebrations become sad events--graduation means leaving your "family". Things you might look forward to become the things you dread--going on a family vacations means being separated from your "family". Difficult things become traumatic events--changing schools means losing your "family".

It's easy to feel weighed down by my job at times. It's difficult to take for granted the blessing my family is.

Just friendly reminder not to take your family (whatever it may look like) for granted. Go home kiss your wife, hug your kids, call your mom or dad.

Last Weekend

2009-10-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Baptism in the Fraser River down at Derby Reach

C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N?

2009-10-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

So today in Starbucks I sat down with a young lady and chatted about many things. Eventually our conversation got around to her spiritual journey. I was shocked to hear her talk about considering in the future getting baptized.

You see when I first met her God wasn't even on the radar. She probably would've have considered herself an atheist or at best an agnostic. Then one day she fractured her vertebrae (she had the x-ray to prove it.) She asked us to pray for her back, so we did. Two days later she had a second set of x-rays showing her back was healed. That scared her, who was this cosmic being and what did he want from her?

Months later, she proclaimed to me that she now believed in the existence of God. How did she come to that conclusion? Well, she had spent the weekend locked in her room avoiding her drunk/high dad and step-mom. Having ample time to think, she realized that she believed her dad would get better some day, even though she had no evidence to back that belief up. She also realized there was more evidence for the existence of a God then for her alcoholic dad to get better. Thus she decided she could believe in a God. I told her that one day she was just gonna wake up and realize she had become a follower of Jesus. She laugh in agreement.

Today we began to unpack what she actually believed about God. As I asked her about God and Jesus and Sin, I realized that she did in fact believe the basic tenants of the Christian faith. She believes that Jesus is God, that he died on the cross for our sins and rose again, that she is a sinner in need of savior.

Her current struggle with God is one we all face daily... CONTROL. She is wrestling with giving Jesus leadership over her life. She recognizes the enormity of that choice and it's consequences and she's not ready yet. I told her that when she was ready to give Jesus control then she was ready to get baptized.

I have had a huge smile on my face all day. I can not believe how far she has come in her journey.

Another great day at Starbucks :)

It's Not You

2009-10-02T23:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I spent many hours texting with a young lady. To sum up I spent most of the time trying to convince her of how much she'd changed in the last year. Then a few hours later I received another text from her.

Guess What!!!!?

What?

I've changed!

Okay, I agree but explain that to me.

Well... my friend, Megan, told me I wasn't the same person I was six months ago. And I realized she was right!

I had to laugh. That was exactly what I told her all day but for some reason her heart couldn't hear it at that moment or perhaps not from me. I am so glad she found hope yesterday even if it wasn't from me. We laughed about it today. I am so glad God doesn't need me to touch kids lives. I count myself blessed when he includes in the smallest detail of his work even if it's as a witness and not his star player. Here's to the benchwarmers!

Would You Rather

2009-09-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Would you rather....

Fight for your dysfunctional family and lose your sanity
or protect yourself and lose your family?

Visit your abusive, estranged parent
or continue to survive in poverty?

Choose your faith or your family?

Forgive your dad or pretend like everything is okay?

Stand up for yourself and lose your friends
or keep your friends and lose yourself?

Risk everything to trust again or risk nothing in order not to be hurt?

Just a few of the choices kids are facing presently. They could use your prayers for wisdom and mercy as they struggle though it all. My prayer has been that God will show them how he will redeem these messy choices.

Magic Pills?

2009-09-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Over the summer a young man I was working with fell into a depression. He'd always struggled with it, but this summer it seemed to overtake him. He stopped hanging out with friends. He stopped hanging out with me. He stopped going to church (he blamed God for a lot of his problems). He was overwhelmed with the slightest task. His appetite disappeared. He couldn't sleep or he slept all day. He had plenty of reason to be depressed. I won't go into the why.

The last time I saw him was in his doctor's waiting room. He was going to start anti-depressants. It had taken a lot of convincing and arm twisting to get him to the point where he was ready take this step. That was probably close to a month ago. I had heard there had been major changes in his life since then, but I finally saw it for myself yesterday.

He looked lighter and happy. The bags under his eyes were gone. As I asked him about these changes; he confirmed the turn around. I asked him what had changed. Without hesitation he said the anti-depressants. He said that now he still has bad days and wonders if he needs to increase his meds, but the next day when he wakes up he realizes it was just a bad day. I asked him how far these changes had come, was he still mad at God? He smiled and said, "No, I'm trying to get closer to him again."

Anti-depressants aren't the solution for everyone but for many they can be an important tool in fighting depression, alongside exercise, counseling, eating right, and a good night's sleep.

Nightmares & Onions

2009-09-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I received a text message. It read, "No nightmares last night." This was great news as the young lady who sent me it has been plagued with the most terrible nightmares. She's been terrified to sleep--often waking up screaming or crying. Recently these nightmares had been getting more regular and if possible worse.

It can be really difficult to understand why someone is having nightmares. Do they have a vivid imagination, are they watching horror movies, is there emotional trauma, or perhaps spiritual attack? Suffice to say it's complicated.

This has been a long journey. Like peeling an onion, we deal with one layer at a time. For this young lady the onion has been unforgiveness. Every time she takes another step in forgiving she finds peace from her nightmares for a time. Then she's taken to a new layer of stinky unforgiveness onion and the nightmares seem to return.

Last night I received a text, "I told him everything he did to me and then I think.... I forgave him"

It's really awesome to see her take another step--and for her to see instant result from it. Please continue to pray for her.

Sometimes It's The Silliest Thing...

2009-09-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

...That makes a great youthworker moment.

Like stealing a kids shoe and running away with it--annoying at first glance but looking deeper perhaps it was exactly what they needed. I could tell they were having a rough day and that they probably didn't want to talk about it. So the goof inside took over and I stole their shoe right off their foot. When they caught up with me not too far away (I wasn't really trying to get away) I received an evil look, a punch in the arm, and there might have been some muttering of words. I just smiled back. That night I received a facebook message that simply read, "Thanks for stealing my shoe today."

Two days later they found me and shared a little bit about what was going on in their life. I love my job.

Our New Place

2009-09-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to update you on the housing situation. The home inspection went well. We have removed subjects on this house. It is only 3 blocks from our townhouse. It is our hope that with the rental income from the suites we can reduce our monthly expenses. This will take some pressure off Allison to go back to work full-time after her maternity leave ends.

We will be moving in October 30th. We are super excited and a little stressed with all the details that now need to be taken care of between now and then. Thanks for your prayers in this. We believe God was very good to us!

Oregon Vacation

2009-09-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

It's been an incredibly full week. Our townhouse sold. We negotiated (painfully at times) an offer on a new place. We took a little time off and headed for the Oregon Coast...

We drove down to Cannon Beach Oregon and camped for a few days. I surfed in the mornings and Allison and Maggie hung out on the beach.

Sights we recommend on the Oregon Coast (no particular order):
1.) Surf @ Oswald West State Park
2.) Eat breakfast @ Pig 'n Pancake. Bring your appetite or share your meals (multiple locations along the coast)
3.) Tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook (Cheese, Ice Cream, and Fudge what's not to like?)
4.) See the World's tallest Sitka Spruce tree (near Cannon Beach)
5.) Take in a glass blowing demonstration (many glass blowing studios & exhibits in Cannon beach and the rest of the Coast)
6.) Hug at Hug Point (near Cannon Beach)
7.) Walk on the Beach at Cannon Beach, Check out the Haystack!
8.) Camp at Nehalem Bay State Park
9.) Watch the Sunset over the ocean every night!
10.) Ride the dune buggy's on the sand dunes near Florence.

Things not to do on your Oregon Coast Vacation:
1.) Pack your camera, your tripod, extra batteries, drive all the way down, take out your camera and discover that your Memory Card is in the computer at home &@#$%!!!!!!!!!!!
2.) Tie up loose ends of the negotiations/financing/inspections on our (maybe, soon-to-be, new house) while camping. Those roaming charges are gonna be costly!!!!
3.) Forget to pack your cork screw!!!!!
4.) Forget to sell those Seahawks tickets for the game you can't go to because you are in Oregon!!!

As you can see from the photo the surf was pretty low even for a novice like myself. It's hard to complain though I was surfing!!!!

After 3 nights of sleeping in a tent with sand in places it doesn't belong we drove over to Aurora which is slightly south of Portland. There we stayed with family and had an awesome time swimming, feasting, playing with my cousins little kids, and staying up late catching up/reminiscing.

So tomorrow we have a home inspection on the potential house, if that goes well we'll be moving in the end of October. Allison and are both back to work this week. I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about in the coming weeks. I'm really looking forward to it!

Lost Earring

2009-09-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

A while back I was out for frappacino's with a group of youth. On the drive back, one young lady asked me about how I thought you could find out if there was a God out there. I thought about and replied that I thought that if a person was truly looking for God. He'd show up a some point. About a week later I ran into her or perhaps more accurately she ran up to me. She had a huge grin on her face, as she explained to me that she thought she had receive a sign from God--she pointed to her earrings.

You see many years earlier she had lost one of her cherished earrings. It was a cross made of diamonds. She had looked everywhere for it. She kept the lone remaining earring in her jewelry box. When she opened her jewelry box after our conversation she found the pair of diamond cross earrings together. She couldn't explain the return of the earring except that it was a miracle and a sign from God.

I ran into this young lady today at the local market where she works. It was really cool to catch up even if it was only for a brief moment. We made plans for another frapaccino in the coming weeks. Who knows where our next conversation will lead or what God will do with it.

This Is Your Life Speaking

2009-09-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

One of my youth wrote about a conversation they had with Life. Here's an excerpt 0f what Life had to say...

Life: It is for your own good. I'm trying to make you stronger. I'm trying to make you realize how much you need Jesus. He plays a huge role in this too. If I was a play, he'd be the director. He tells me how we wants things, and together we make them so. He wants to show you how far he can bend the branch before it breaks. You can handle anything with his help. The beating must continue. Your wounds will heal, your scars will be merely memories. The wounds on your heart are reminders where not to put it anymore. I want you to fight. Rest when you need to. Fight this. Fight me. I am HURTING you. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. Everything. This is all for your own good. You will thank me later. You're going to be stronger than you ever imagined. You'll be able to handle so much. It won't be like this forever. You're bruised, broken, and you're tired. God will fix that. Every time I kick you in the gut, you go down but you come back stronger and tougher than ever.

A Prayer Request

2009-09-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

As you may know Allison and I decided to sell our townhouse (subjects removed this Saturday). And our co-workers Danny and April Ferguson also sold their home this week. We now both need to find a place. We would greatly appreciate prayer in this matter. It is, surprisingly, a very competitive market in Cloverdale/Langley right now. We need the Lord to open doors for us. Our homes are a major part of our ministry so location and layout are extra important.

Thanks in-advance.

-The Julihns

What A Week!!!!

2009-09-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

Last week, Wednesday, I took off for a couple of days of backpacking with a few buddies. We hike 7.5 kms gaining 3000 ft to Taylor Meadows-Garibaldi Lake (4900 ft).

The following morning (Thursday) we departed from our base camp at Taylor Meadows and headed for Black Tusk (7,608 ft). As I was huffing and puffing my way up wondering if this was worth it. I ask Jesus where he was...? His answer, "I'm at the top waiting for you, that should be some motivation to get you to there!" I had to laugh...

We had lunch and a victory cigar at the top of Black Tusk and headed down. Once back down, being gluttons for punishment, we decided to climb the ridge across from Black Tusk called Panorama Ridge (6952 ft)

Panorama Ridge offered a great views but we were wiped out. We headed down exhausted. We stopped for a swim in Black Tusk lake and then back to our tents at Taylor Meadows for dinner. In all we probably covered 20+ kms that day.

Friday morning we broke camp and headed for home. In all we traveled about 35+ kms round trip.

I got home to learn that there was a offer on our house and later that afternoon we went for our ultrasound. By Saturday evening we had an accepted offer on our house and had learned that we were having a son! What a week!!!!

Ultrasound Photo's

2009-08-28T21:21:00.001-07:00

Baby Julihn appears healthy and happy. Ultrasound confirmed eta of January 12th, 2010. Heartbeat was a 160 bpm. Gender to be revealed next week hopefully!!!!

Baby Julihn's Face

Baby Julihn

Baby Julihn

Baby Julihn's Feet

Baby Update

2009-08-19T22:07:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd update you all on Allison's pregnancy. She's in the 20th week. So far so good. She can feel the baby moving and I think I may have felt it too. We have ultrasound scheduled for the 28th of August. Yes, we are going to find the gender. We probably won't know the gender till sometime in September because they do not disclose that information at the appointment. It has to be sent to our midwife and she will let us know. That being said Allison is convinced or at least strongly leaning towards the idea that we are having a boy. Of course we'd be happy with either!

The Shack

2009-08-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting clip from The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulis. It's an interview with William P. Young author of The Shack. The Shack is one of my favorite books and must read in my opinion.

Barely Holding On

2009-08-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

My sister showed me this song yesterday. I could really relate to it both personally and in the lives I see everyday. I'm posting this for anyone who feels broken.

Broken - Lifehouse

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight

Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time

I am here still waiting though i still have my doubts

I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain, there is healing

In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on

I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head

I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead

I still see your reflection inside of my eyes

That are looking for a purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

with a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain (in the pain), is there healing

In your name (in your name) I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'),
I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm hangin' on another day

Just to see what you throw my way

And I'm hanging on to the words you say

You said that I will be OK

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone

I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing with a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain(In the pain) there is healing, In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'),
I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'),

I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm barely holdin' on to you,
I'm barely holdin' on to you

Our Cup Runneth Over

2009-08-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

After our staff meeting today, many of us stayed behind to pray. We wrote names down on scraps of paper and placed them in a cup as we gave them to Jesus. As you can see our cup runneth over!

God's Chisel

2009-08-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

One of my youth shared this video on her facebook page a while back. I thought we all could use a little reminder.

God's Chisel - The Skit Guys

.
http://www.skitguys.com

Welcome To The Rollercoaster

2009-08-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Two good things happened yesterday:

1.) I spent a couple hours down at Derby Reach alone with Jesus.

2.) Allison and I spent some time in prayer together.

I feel almost human again.

Two sad things happened yesterday:

1.) A teen, who loves Jesus, explained that their poor choices were because they felt God had betrayed them. (It's hard to blame them for that conclusion when you see their hellish circumstances)

2.) Another teen's blog explained that they weren't getting baptized anymore because they felt it would be a lie.

It is obvious to me that my team (including myself), my family, and our young people are under tremendous spiritual attack. Having the gift of discernment during times of battle is not a fun thing.

I am not pressing the panic button. I just wanted to keep you updated on the good and the bad.

Welcome to rollercoaster that is youthwork.

:(

2009-08-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Today had an odd flavor to it--kinda bland and lacking color.

I'm not sure how to describe today. It's was a pretty normal day--for me anyway. I met with a young man and helped him apply for an distance learning school so he could finish his high school diploma. I met with my co-workers to catch up on the past week. I went for coffee with a young man and he shared about some poor choices he'd made. I fixed my friends cell phone. I watched a movie with my wife.

It was a good day but I can tell that my reserves are still low. I seem to be battling with my old friend discouragement. I know him well. It's clear to me that I need take some more time to retreat with Jesus this week.

I covet your prayers.

Sincerly,

-Derian

"Off-Week?"

2009-08-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've tried keep my distance from youth this week. I needed a physical and emotional break after the previous week's stress. It's hard to disconnect yourself when your just a text message away, when you facebook is covered with their broken-hearted status updates, when your staff need advice on a difficult situation.

I must admit my heart betrays me. During this "off week" I have witnessed:

a relationship break-up
a teen struggling with trust and belief
a teen with night terrors
a teen who deleted everyone off facebook just to see if they cared enough to notice
two teen sisters who's family is breaking apart
a teen choosing between her angry/absent dad and her guilt-tripping grandparents
a teen reaching out to her three friends (2 who struggle with suicidal thoughts and 1 whose been abused)

Welcome to my "off-week?" I think I need a vacation ; )

Trust vs Belief

2009-08-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

I received a message yesterday from a young man. It read as follows,

"I require your assistance... To trust someone is to believe in someone, correct? They are one and the same? Example, if you believe in God, you trust God."

Honestly, I wasn't confident in an answer for him. In one regard trust and belief are synonyms, communicating the same idea. On the other hand, these two words may communicate different aspects of a truth. As my friend Carmen said, "I believe the tightrope walker can safely walk across the tightrope, but it doesn't mean I trust him to carry me across it." I think many of us can relate to that when it comes to spirituality. We believe in the existence of a God or higher power but when it comes to trusting him with our life it's just not that easy.

Trust: An assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. A dependence on something future or contingent***

Belief: A conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence***

I have found that trust always seems to follow belief. Belief is a decision usually based on some logic or evidence, while trust is a relationship earned through experience and circumstance. We can even believe that God is good but trusting in his goodness when the circumstances in our life say otherwise is much harder. When the brown stuff hits the fan our trust in his goodness is either stretched and grown or broken and shattered--sometimes both (ie Peter's betrayal of Jesus and Jesus' restoration of Peter).

I am meeting with this young man this afternoon. I am really excited to continue this conversation with him. I will update you later tonight.

~~~~Update 4:00pm August 4th, 2009~~~~

So we had a fun afternoon eating Subway and hanging out at Toy Traders and Willow Video. We talked a little bit about Trust and Belief. To sum up: It's complicated! They are the same but different.

***sourced from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

One Of Those Weeks

2009-08-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week. My supervisor and most of our staff and volunteers have been away. This has left me to handle everything basically on my own. It's been a very full week even by our standards, let alone to be missing most of your support team. From counseling appointments, to conflict resolution, to crisis management I feel stretched thin.

The week culminated in a phone call I got Saturday night/Sunday morning. Actually my phone rang twice--once at 2:18 am (which I missed because I was asleep) and then again at 2:30 am. Another youth in crisis, another sleepless night. I can't get into the details but our team could use your prayers, as could this young man.

It's weeks like this that I am most aware of my human weakness. I can't do this without you. Thanks for you prayers and support!

- Derian

Subtle?

2009-08-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

July has been the one of the hardest months on record. Conflict at home, financial pressures, moving to another province, leaving her boyfriend, and now the tragic and unnecessary death of her 6 year old cousin. She struggling to come to grips with all this mess. It's hard for her to believe it's actually happening.

There have been times where Jesus and her haven't been on speaking terms--frankly it's hard to blame her. There have been times where she felt like He had abandoned her. Lately, she sees and feels Him everywhere--yesterday He sent her a message on facebook.

This is an actual screen shot from her computer. She posted it in a note entitled "Jesus is so... SUBTLE"

An Important Meeting

2009-07-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had an important meeting this week. One of those meetings you fear because you don't know what to say and you don't know how they'll respond. One of those meeting you are acutely aware of how inadequate you are. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous about it and praying my butt off.

As I was driving, I turned left off a major road and onto a side street. The truck in front of me slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. I continued on past him. As I did, without signaling the truck turned left into me, he was trying to do a U-turn. I swerved, tires squealed, and angels pushed because I have no idea how I got past him. I as looked in my rear view mirror at the now stopped truck in the middle of the road, driver trying to gain his composer, the thought occurred to me, "Somebody doesn't want me to go to this meeting."

Needless to say I my anxiety and stress levels were through the roof. I begin crying out to God even more than before. Then in an instant I heard a response to my prayers, "Don't worry you have my authority, courage and peace to speak."

It's hard to measure success at times, but I as meeting go this one went well. In fact, we saw a small but direct answer to a prayer (prayed at that meeting) later that afternoon. I'm not sure what the long term fruit will be but I am encouraged.

PS. As I am writing this, I am reminded of the verses God brought me to through a young gal early this week...

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:35-39

I Can't Fix You

2009-07-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

It's not known what inspired Chris Martin to write the song Fix You. One story is that he wrote this song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, after her father died. She came home from the hospital covered and drenched in tears, and he started crying and asked her, "what can I do for you? tell me what I can do?" and she looked up at him, and said "just hold me... cause you're the only thing that can fix me right now"

Today, like many days of late, has been one where I feel completely, utterly, and totally helpless. I can't even imagine the brokenness and mess these kids are experiencing. I have no way to fix them. No way to comfort them. No words to explain it to them.

I can't bear your burdens.
I can't take your place.
I can't change your circumstances.

I can be there for you.
I can give you a hug.
I can cry with you.

I can point you towards the Light.
But I can't fix you...

Fix You - Coldplay

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I...

Tears stream, down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

He Sang It Over You

2009-07-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

I had a very interesting conversation with two young ladies about them wanting to face their pasts today. Afterward I was driving in my car listening to Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol. In a moment of inspiration I sensed Jesus singing this song over them. I have added my emphasis to the song in italics.

Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol
(My Emphasis Added)

(Her Prayer)
All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute without you
My bones ache, my skin feels cold
And I'm getting so tired and so old

The anger swells in my guts
And I won't feel these slices and cuts

(His Answer)
I want so much to open your eyes
'Cause I need you to look into mine

Tell me that you'll open your eyes [x4]

Get up, get out, get away from these liars
'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire
Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine
And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time

Every minute from this minute now
We can do what we like anywhere
I want so much to open your eyes
'Cause I need you to look into mine

Tell me that you'll open your eyes [x8]

(Her Response)
All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute without you

Stolen

2009-07-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Stolen From Cassidy's Blog:

Last night I started getting ready for bed, and all of a sudden I saw a piece of paper lying on my floor, and knew I had to draw a self portrait, something that I've never been able to do before. I think God was nudging me, wishing to teach me something. I felt like Jesus was holding my hand and guiding it across the paper. I drew myself in the corner, and things just came to me. Then when I got to the mouth I just couldnt get it right. I got stubborn, and had to make it perfect. Then I realized the problem was that I wasnt letting him guide my hand anymore, so I let him. I ended up with tape over my mouth in the picture. It turned my ideas on their head. I wanted to draw a small smile. Then I realized in this self portrait God wasn't going to let me lie. This was more a picture of my world than of my appearence. There's a spiderweb that spells out "GOD" in the corner, that stretches to reach the whole page. Like he's spinning his web around me, I can't avoid him anymore, I'll never go back to how I was before.

Stolen From Kaelynn's Blog:

After a long but exhilarating night of sea dooing with my friend, God and I had a moment. Let me set the scene.
We were driving back from Cultas Lake in a red Nissan Ultima and decided on the back roads. On the left and right and behind us it was the most beautiful blue sky you could imagine. Directly ahead, the sun was setting. There were different layers of color. First purple, blue, orange, red, pink and the sun was a bright bright red. There were green, lush trees on either side of us. Finally I heard a voice, a familiar, calming voice. I knew instantly who it was.

God: Hey Kaelynn.
Me: Hello.
God: I just wanted to let you know that I made this all for you. I made the sun, and the trees. I painted this sunset across the sky for you with my hands.
Me: Thanks. I appreciate it.
God: Anytime. Oh and one more thing.
Me: Yeah?
God: I cried these tears for you.

And then it started to rain.

Two Moments

2009-07-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

Moment #1:
I had a really good time today. I got to sit in Starbucks with a young friend and hear all about her life. It's crazy because I've known her for two years, often hanging out many times a week in that same Starbucks, and yet I discovered today how little I knew about her. We both agreed that we talked about more today than we have in all the past conversations combined.

Amazing what two hours in Starbucks can change. What was different about this one time? I'm not sure. Perhaps we were building up a foundation of trust? Perhaps it was a divine appointment? Perhaps, she just needed someone to listen?

I am so glad I was there for it.

Moment #2:
Then tonight, my wife and I went on a double date with younger couple we've befriended. It was great evening of food, drink and dessert (my wife's favorite part). It was awesome. By far the highlight of the night was when this young lady began to gush about how she had just met Jesus working at a camp last month. Her eyes lit up as she told the story and her boyfriend was beaming with a quiet smile.

I am so glad I was there for it.

She Wears Sunglasses At Night

2009-07-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

The invitation to our last event read, "There is a lot of crap going on in peoples lives right now and we honestly don't know how to help so we're getting together Thursday night to moan, wail, shake fists at the heavens, to lift up our woes and our concern, and see what happens. That's what we will be doing and you are free to join in." Frankly, there were many young people I didn't expect to show up; I certainly didn't expect her to come.

She's a good friend, always helping others with their problems.

She's fun to be around, always laughing and smiling.

She's very responsible in all areas school, work, home.

She's got it all together but there are cracks... they're getting bigger.

She's always been a watcher, observing the spiritual rarely participating. That night as people placed objects in the centre of our circle, as offerings to God, she placed her sunglasses down saying, "These represent the mask I use to hide things"

I was in shock, I had never heard her so honest and vulnerable. I was overjoyed with hope for her. So much so, that at the end of the night we were asked to share one thing that gave us hope I couldn't help but point to her sunglasses as the object of my hope.

As I was getting ready for bed my phone buzzed with a text message. It was her again, "Thanks for you words today. They keep playing in my head. It meant a lot to me."

For list of other items placed in that circle see:
http://proyouthworker.blogspot.com/2009/07/reality-check.html

Where's Waldo?

2009-07-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you found him?

Our team and our students have gotten into the habit of looking for Jesus in our daily lives. We have become Watchmen and Watchwomen (see Isaiah 62). We are always watching for him, asking him, "Where are you?" Sometimes we see him, sometimes we hear his voice, sometimes we get a picture in our minds eye. Often the sighting/answer is unexpected...

One young lady was having a particularly difficult week. As she was walking along, listening to her ipod (loud enough so that she couldn't hear her on thoughts) she began to sob. At a certain point she heard someone say, "look up!" When she looked up she saw Jesus, in the flesh, standing at the bus stop. In shock, she looked around and when she turned back to the bus stop he was gone.

At a our last event before school ended, two young ladies saw Jesus sitting on the stairs in the room and a young man saw angels in the room. That night was the highlights of the year as many young people asked for prayer and prayed for each other.

While at the Coldplay concert a few weeks ago I was enjoying my favorite song and singing at the top of my lungs. I asked Jesus where he was at that moment and I instantly heard, "In the front row" and was filled with a great sense of joy and awe.

One young man, saw Jesus in a nightmare he was having. When Jesus rescued him and took his place in the nightmare, he brook down and gave his life to him.

One young lady, who's been struggling with the break up of her family and mad at God for it, was walking in the park. She looked up and saw Jesus in the trees. He hugged her with the willow branches.

Just a reminder that Jesus can't be found in the tomb--he's alive not dead! Don't be surprised when stops by for a visit!

Txt Msg Jesus

2009-07-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently on vacation in Saskatchewan, so my only contact with teens has been limited to a few text messages. Tonight Jesus showed up in an incredible conversation with a young lady who's home life is less than desirable.

Girl - My dad found out about my missing ipod

Me - How is he handling it?

Girl - He's so mad. He yelled and now he's in his quiet stage... He'll come back and well for some more and eventually punish me...

Me - Does he ever get physical?

Girl - No he doesn't get physical. My stepdad did but my dad doesn't.

Me - My heart breaks for you

Girl - I hate it when he's mad and I'm stuck in my room... with my mom i could always get out. He won't let me.

Girl - And i just heard him pop open another fucking beer... Ugh tonight is going to suck.

Girl - It's times like these i need to remember it's been way worse before... but it still sucks.

Me - Jesus is in your room with you! I know it.

Girl - I hope so because i need him

Me - Ask him where he is. See what he says or reveals.

Girl - I think He's with my dad in the living room. I think his heart breaks for him. Because he's so lost and cannot see. I doubt he ever will

Me - Ask Jesus what he thinks

Girl - But I'm only human. I know Jesus thinks differently... and yes i know He's human too... but i can't change my mind on that.

Me - I'm not asking you to change your mind only to ask His opinion.

Girl - Jesus believes he can heal anybody. I think you can only heal those who are willing. And (my dad) will never be willing. He thinks he's perfect.

Girl - Deep down i know He's (Jesus) always right... trust is just one of those things i struggle with but i'm trying

Me - Jesus can work with that. Look what he's done with you so far.

Me - You said Jesus can only heal those who are willing. I think you're right. So maybe your prayer should be "soften his heart"

Girl - My prayer for my dad is amazing grace (as in the song) for he is blind and i just want him to see

Small Greatness

2009-07-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

My uncle sent me this quote today,

“A great deal more failure is the result of an excess of caution than of bold experimentation with new ideas. The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never advanced by men and women of caution.” - J. Oswald Sanders

Somehow it connected with what I had read yesterday in Shane Claiborne's book, The Irresistible Revolution.

"While the temptation to do great things is always before us, in Khalighat I learned the discipline of doing small things with great deliberation. Mother Teresa used to say, 'We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it.' Just as Andy would reprimand people for using too much soap when washing dishes (we mixed ashes with soap to multiply it), I also heard many a volunteer scolded for not putting enough gravy on the rice, since the plate was being served to Jesus himself ." (Pg. 78)

So what is greatness?

Today I think I heard Jesus say, "Recklessly abandon yourself to love the small, the humble, the poor, the least, and the last--that is greatness in my kingdom."

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." - Matthew 16:25

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much" - Luke 16:10

"Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me." - Matthew 25:40

What's Your Status?

2009-06-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you want to know what's really going on in a teenagers life, I suggest you check facebook. I have come to realize that young people are more honest with their facebook status than in real life. Often I learn of a break-up or new relationship first on facebook. Often the first hint of depression, stress or suicide shows up in their facebook status.

So I thought it would be encouraging for you to read some real life unedited facebook statuses from the last few months. Each of the 4 young people who posted these has met Jesus within the last 6 months.

...God.. I'm tired

...I meet someone today, who's just loves me no matter what

...just saw jesus fly by in the form of a butterfly in the midst of all the chaos

...Jesus, right now it's really hard, and it's driving me INSANE that I have no idea what you're doing. I'm scared, and I'm hurt, and I'm feeling kind of down right now, but Jesus, I trust you.

...got to watch Jesus work a miracle in her life and in a good friend's tonight

...And carmen chilled with jesus today.

..."Looking back, I realize that God was desperately searching for me. I used to wonder why my soul ached and God wouldn't do anything about it. Now I know that it was that very pain that drove me to God. Life without God is starvation of the soul. I thought for a while that God could meet my needs and stop my soul cravings. Now I know that isn't the case. My soul doesn't crave something from God; my soul craves God."

...--She praises the Lord-- ♥ -- Jesus, i love you man. Thanks for sticking by me through all my screw ups, and no matter what, I know we'll get through it.

...had the most perfect moment in his life at derbey reach it was like it was built for him and thanks GOD for the perfect moment :)

...thanks again :) and thank u god also cause u are so great

...And if you come from under that water, then there's fresh air. Just breathe baby, God's got a blessing to spare. Yes i know the process is so much stress, but its the progress that feels the best.

...baptized!

Insomni-Awe

2009-06-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself struggling to sleep. As usual, Allison is drifting off before I've finished brushing my teeth and I'm left to stare at the ceiling.

Once again I find myself inspired by a young faith. This particular young lady invited Jesus to be her friend six months ago. I never would have imagined how that invitation would impact her. In fact, at first, I wasn't sure it had. (Call me Doubting Thomas)

Today, in her blog, she tells how she was sharing God with another girl whom she had only just met.

The whole time we were talking she had this look in her eyes, remembering what she was talking about. Eyes can say so much; they were tunnels to her heart. Then when I mentioned God in something I was saying, I saw something change in those eyes. I kept talking, but a flag went up in my brain. What was that?

She went on to explain to me that she had mixed feelings about God, and of course that inspired a lot of words from me. I told her of my story with God, and a little of why my views had changed, and told her of some really inspiring stories from the bible. That spark from her eyes seemed to stay, and I realized it was the God peeking out of her. Even this girl who was confused and lost and broken, he was there with her, and even though she didn't realize it, I don't think that really matters.

As she reflected on this dramatic change in her life she wrote these words on her blog,

Derian quoted Transformers to me the other day, which I think would be a good thing to include in my blog about transformation."Fate rarely comes upon us at an hour of our choosing," states Optimus Prime in the movie? Comic book? Cartoon? Whatever. But what I see in this is not the obvious message, but a challenge. I want a life that's good, useful, and enjoyable, and I want to share it with God and my friends. Whatever my fate shall be, let me look at it like this: God and I choose it from now on.

Here's excerpt from an article she wrote for the school newspaper,

"...words cannot describe what an impact the people of Youth Unlimited have made; I have never been more thankful in my life for anyone or anything. I would not be the person I am today without them. They inspire me to write songs, to help others, and have gotten me through some of the most challenging lessons in life, those that are not taught in school. One of these things is living with God, which I never would have considered without their influence, but I’m incredibly glad I did."

So as I sit here, staring into the harsh glow of my computer screen, wishing I was tired, there is an incredibly large smile on my face and a deep sense of satisfaction. You might say I have a case of Insomni-Awe!

Giving The Divine The Silent Treatment

2009-06-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

"Jesus and I aren't on speaking terms right now."

I have heard those words uttered more times than I can count in the last few weeks. Young people who days or weeks before were passionately following Jesus, suddenly shunning him. Each utterance came with stories of hardship, loss and pain almost unbearable. When faced with such suffering it is usually best to shut up (something I struggle with). There are no answers you can give that will satisfy.

The truth is that the answers we have sound cliche and hollow in the midst of suffering. The truth is those answers usually do more damage than good when given and not discovered. The truth is maturity come through shadow and fire. The truth is the answers are not as important at the journey to find them.

As I have reflected on these encounters, I realized that each young person was a part of a pivitol conversation two weeks ago. During this encounter each one of them passionately encouraged a friend to not give up on Jesus inspite of his suffering. Coincidence? I doubt it.

Monuments & Melodies

Lunch With Jesus

Crisis Intervention Plan

Win an iPod Nano

Youthworkers Should Watch Modern Family

My Summer In Pictures

All Apologies

An Honest Response

The Secret of an Easy Yoke

Father's Day

Father's Day

Sacrilegious

Thank You

One Big Happy Family

Richard Twiss

Jesus Fish

Sawyer's First Laugh

love and loss

An amazing poem written by my friend Kayte:love and loss

Status Updates

Writers Block

True Colors Update

True Colors

Langley YFC/Youth Unlimited

One Week

41 Weeks and Counting

Thank You

What Took You So Long?

Celery or Pickles?

Back To The Grind

38 Weeks

Youth Work Economics

Crackberry Ministry

The Darkside Of Craigslist (Part 2)

The Darkside of Craigslist

What's Going On?

Handle With Care

Sex and Twilight

32 Weeks

We Are In

God is with the Poor

What's Your Status?

Some highlights from the last week's Facebook status updates:

...really wishes thing werent the way they are. its tearing me apart stronger than ever.

...Welcome to the planet, Welcome to existence, Everyone's here, Everybody's watching you now, Everybody waits for you now, What happens next?I DARE YOU TO MOVE!

...For the first time in as along as I can remember, I can say with all, genuine honesty that I am happy. I'm in love with an amazing woman, I have a small collection of troubled, but reliable and entertaining friends and a fairly clear image of my future. What more could I want?

...bought a colouring book from chapters lol sweet

...is preparing herself for another night of bad dreams... yay...

...my mom always orders a pizza when she knows I'm not going to be home.

...swimming in a huge ocean of awesome.

...I'm going out of my mind someone help me pls

...First class and already bored

...thinks she has a genetic defect that renders her incapable of sleep.. (:

...kinda needs a hug :( and some ben & jerry's and a chickflick? yee?

Here's To The Crazy Ones

28 Weeks Later

Family??? 2.0

Family???

Last Weekend

C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N?

It's Not You

Would You Rather

Magic Pills?

Nightmares & Onions

Sometimes It's The Silliest Thing...

Our New Place

Oregon Vacation

Lost Earring

This Is Your Life Speaking

A Prayer Request

What A Week!!!!

Ultrasound Photo's

Baby Update

The Shack

Barely Holding On

Our Cup Runneth Over

God's Chisel

Welcome To The Rollercoaster

:(

"Off-Week?"

An amazing poem written by my friend Kayte:
love and loss