Single Life Struggles: Episode 3

Hello, friends. Another episode for you today.

Single Life Struggle: when you already spend nearly an hour on your daughter's hair every day, and then you and your daughter both catch lice, and suddenly you're spending multiple hours several days in a row, using and specially treating multiple combs, while also trying to get the **** things out of your hair, and you don't have anyone around to look at your own head and tell you if you've gotten them all, and you just want an extra pair of eyes and hands to help you.

Send Me Jokes

Hello, friends. I'm writing to you from my office at church. My head itches, despite my best efforts to the contrary. I'm tired. My back hurts. I had a lot on my plate at work today, but I accomplished almost none of it; the majority of my day was spent ridding my house, my hair, and my daughter's hair of lice.

To sum it up: I've had better days.

But my dog is curled up beside me. My daughter is at home, about to go to bed. I know that I will wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready for a new day.

Lice is a pain. But there are worse things.

I am reminded of a particular cross country practice during high school. We were out of breath, sweating profusely, complaining at every turn about the heat and the workout, when suddenly my friend Anna says, "What are you talking about? I feel quite cold. I think I need a parka."

It turns out, we didn't need a break; we didn't need to slow down or find some air conditioning. What we needed was a laugh and a better attitude. I think that's what I need today, too.

Anyone got any good jokes? ;)

Father's Day

Hello, friends! I hope you are all doing well this fine (very warm) Sunday. Since it's Father's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to give you a list of things I've learned from my dad. Some of these might surprise him, because they're not quotes, they're attitudes he modeled for me over the years. I hope you enjoy!

-I can't be anything I want to be, and that's okay. I am who I am and I should celebrate that.

-Along with that, I should value the gifts of others.

-I should be kind and courteous to everyone, regardless of my feelings about them.

-If I make a commitment, I should stick to it.

-Winning is exciting, but if I'm not having fun and being a good sport, it's not worth it.

-There are all kinds of problems that I can't fix, and it's not useful to dwell on that fact. Instead, I should focus on what I can change.

-Family and friends are important, and I should make an effort to keep those relationships strong.

-Laughter is fantastic medicine.

-One of the best things you can possibly do is to have fun while serving others.

-God loves me very, very much, and that is the most important lesson of all.

Those ten things are only the tip of the iceberg, and I'm sure my brother would agree. We have learned so much from this wonderful man. Thanks, Dad, and Happy Father's Day!

(Side note: it's also my nephew's first birthday. Happy birthday, Kylen!!)

Gathering Memories

Hello, friends! After sleeping from about 10 AM to 4 PM today, I am awake and somewhat recovered from the National Youth Gathering. I always like to write about my trips right after I return from them, so here you go - my favorite 2016 Gathering memories!

• Rediscovering New Orleans through the eyes of my teenagers - for example, riding the streetcar and hearing them talk about the beads stuck everywhere you look
• Getting caught in a rainstorm at the Audubon Zoo and laughing about how soaked we were
• Finding all of the elephant statues at the zoo (there were a lot for some reason)
• Introducing my group to beignets at Cafe du Monde
• My teenagers buying masks in the French Quarter
• Learning about a soldier named "Barney Old Coyote" at the WWII Museum
• One of my teenagers being so excited about the WWII Museum that we could have left him there the entire trip and he would have been perfectly happy
• Eating king cake at Mardi Gras World (one of our teenagers owes us a party)
• Going to Walgreens - you know you're becoming closer with your group of teenagers when they talk about feminine products with you :P
• Carrying seven backpacks back to my hotel like a boss
• Attempting to run over and hug Melissa while carrying seven backpacks
• One of my teenagers using physics to explain why a grandfather clock wasn't working at the Old Ursuline Convent
• Inventing a game called "Emergency Situation" with my teenagers
• Mass Events!!!! Singing, dancing, learning, laughing, and being inspired in Christ alone
• My adult leader guiding us through the crowd of 25,000 by holding up a duct taped silver, pink, and green sword (he became known as the "saber guy")
• (According to my teenagers) jumping 3 feet in the air and tackling Pastor Jay
• My teenagers taking lots of notes during Bible studies
• Seeing Young Adult Volunteers and having one of my teenagers high-five all of them
• Attending Pastor Jay's "Relax and be a Christian" session and feeling very relaxed afterwards
• My teenagers asking PJ if they could build a bonfire
• Melissa playing the "Emergency Situation" game with my teenagers
• My teenagers helping package food (total, the Gathering packed over 600,000 meals)
• All of my friends that I found at the Gathering: Jessica, Nicole, Keriann, Noelle, Bethany, Dr. Oberdeck, Stephanie, and probably lots of people I'm forgetting
• Talking to President Ferry from CUW
• Meeting a youth leader from Hungary 
• Watching the Skit Guys and learning what Goliath's wife would have sounded like
• Attending a fantastic "Tough Talks" session and learning how to apply coaching skills to youth ministry
• The final worship service - taking communion with 25,000 other people
• One of my youth, who is not confirmed yet, taking communion for the first time and making the most priceless face at the taste
• Receiving a pretty stellar Gathering banner
• Going to Hot Topic with some of my teenagers :P
• My teenagers explaining what they think New Orleans needs the most (help for the homeless and strong leadership)
• Reading Princess Bride on my Kindle on the bus
• Finally getting home and hugging all of my teenagers farewell
• Lastly... sleeping :P

So much happened, and no blog post could ever cover it all. But reliving the memories makes me smile and laugh and cry all at once. I learned so much about myself, my teenagers, and leadership. This experience was fantastic. I can't wait for Minneapolis in 2019!!

The "Why" of the National Youth Gathering

Hello, friends. I'm spending my day doing last-minute packing and cleaning and errands, so naturally, I'm procrastinating by writing a blog post. Don't act like you're surprised!

When you attend the National Youth Gathering, whether as a youth, a Young Adult Volunteer, a Community Life Builder, an adult chaperone, a Gathering planner, a member of a band, an exhibitor, a speaker, or anything else I've missed, you bring a lot of things back with you. You bring back memories - some good, some bad, some thought-provoking, some silly. You bring back a fancy new backpack and Bible. You bring back a lot of other stuff from booths and sessions and sightseeing. You bring back new friends and renewed friendships. You bring back a sense of purpose, given to you by God at the Gathering. You never return the same way you came.

But I'm not coming back yet. I'm going. So my question for myself today is, what am I taking with me to the National Youth Gathering?

There's the obvious, of course. I'm taking a duffel bag full of clothes and toiletries. I'm taking an old Concordia Wisconsin cross country backpack full of medical forms and tour reservations and first aid supplies and snacks. I'm taking a blanket and a pillow. I'm taking chargers for my phone and Kindle.

Then there's the less obvious. Those of you who have worked with me in the past know I like to ask the question "Why?" I want to know the goal. I want to have a reason for doing what we're doing. That reason can never be "because we've always done it that way."

So what goal, what reason, am I taking with me to the Gathering? What is the "Why?"

The "why" I take with me today is the same "why" that I have every time I plan a youth group event at home. Whether we're gathered in a group of four or twenty thousand, the "why" is the same: to grow in faith in God, in fellowship with one another, and in fervor towards the Great Commission. That's what I take with me. It's important for me to recognize this today, or it will get lost amid the travel details and heat and humidity and exhaustion and excitement and reunions and crowds. I take this with me, as I take it with me everywhere.

As I return to packing and cleaning and errands, pray that I keep my youth safe on this trip and help them to recognize the "Why."

Conversations (Thanks, Mom)

Hello, friends! For your reading pleasure, I present to you some conversations I've had with my foster daughter today. I'm convinced that I am becoming my mother, and that is a very good thing.

(I find a chair suspiciously close to a high cupboard)
"Did you take anything from the cupboard?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"If I check the cupboard, I won't find anything missing?"
"No."
(I check the cupboard; shockingly enough, something is missing)

(My daughter is picking up the living room)
"That's as good as I'm going to get it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
(I look around at the paper plates and cups, books, DVDs, food, art projects, and trash on various surfaces all around the room)
"I disagree. Keep going."

(My daughter is filling up the bathtub)
"Mom, for some strange reason, the water is blue!"
"Really?"
"Yes, come look! I was filling it up and I looked and it was blue!"
(I check the water; it looks exactly the same as normal)
"Don't worry, I think it's fine."

Thanks, Mom, for teaching me how to be a mom in these and so many other scenarios. :P

Count Others More Significant Than Yourselves

Hello, friends. I've written a devotion for you tonight. I'm a little out of practice, but here you go!

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2:3

My youth group went bowling today. The youth know each other fairly well and always enjoy hanging out with each other. They had a blast, cheering each other on for strikes and gutter balls alike, playing with each other's phones and sharing food with one another.

It would have been easy for them to avoid and ignore my foster daughter as she was dancing around them, insisting on high-fives and hugs and not always factoring in boundaries or personal space. It would have been easy for them to give her the minimum interaction that they could get away with. It would have even been easy for them to ask me to keep her under control.

They didn't do any of those things. Instead, when my daughter wanted to give them high-fives for luck, they responded with enthusiasm and even started to ask for them. When my daughter got a strike, they cheered her on like there was no tomorrow. When my daughter needed help with the bumpers, they jumped in and figured them out for her. They did this all without my prompting.

Now, I don't know for sure why they did all this. I think there are two possible reasons: they wanted to show kindness and respect for her, or they wanted to show kindness and respect for me. Either way, they exemplified Philippians 2:3. Instead of thinking of themselves, they counted either her or me (or, likely, both) as more significant.

Isn't it amazing, then, to think of what Jesus did for us? He had the perfect life. It would have been easy for Him to stay in heaven, where nothing could ever go wrong and nobody could ever bother Him. But he didn't do that. He came to earth and met us on our terms. We were broken and dead in our sins, unable to help ourselves, so He helped us. He sacrificed everything to give us the kindness and respect that we didn't deserve. Jesus counted us as more significant than Himself, even at the cost of His life.

The theme for the National Youth Gathering next month is "In Christ Alone." Philippians 2 explains that this attitude that we are called to have comes not from ourselves, but from Christ's example and through His grace. Without Christ, my youth wouldn't be able to put my daughter above themselves. But with Christ, they did exactly that.

What can you do with Christ?