MySpace has stolen my soul!

There were 97 million plus before me that had joined the not so sub-culture called "myspace". I had heard of it and had a general knowledge of how it worked and was used and misused but never saw the need to be a part of it... Until now (insert dark, symphonic drama music here). As a youth minister, my job is to stay current with pop culture in order to maintain relevance in my teaching and relating to those half my age. The kids I'm working with were mostly born in the 90's. That hurts my head. Anyway, over the past 6 months I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if I have a myspace account. I even went to myspace and looked around and didn't see what the big deal was until Sarah, my tech-chick signed our band, Lady Jane Grey, onto it. After a couple of months, I started to dip my toe in with our account and the next thing I know I'm commenting on our friend's profiles and finding old friends etc. So speeding up to last Saturday, Sarah said "Dude, you need to get your own myspace account". Within 15 minutes the "Tacky Relevance" movement bled over to myspace. Myspace is what heroine must be like. You start out with "Tom" as your one and only friend. It's akin to a first day at school and you don't know anyone else in the lunchroom. So, you look around in people's profiles and find those you either have something in common with or find out that you know a pretty sizable number of these people who arrived before you did to myspace. So, I invited them to be my friend and their friends invite me! I've also learned that most myspace profiles themselves are really poor quality so now I'm in search of the ultimate template. I don't even check my email first anymore. Myspace is the first thing I log onto when I get on my laptop and the last thing I sign off on before I turn it off. Before you think I'm a freak, Sarah's the same way. Heck, the other night, instead of me yelling from one room to the next...yeah, you guessed it, I just put a comment on her profile instead. Myspace has stolen my soul. Check out what I'm doing with my life: DAVE'S MYSPACE

Meet Lady Jane Grey's new back-up singer!

What I Learned At Camp Pt. 2

Well, since my last entry, I've taken my Jr. High and High School guys and gals to Westcliffe, CO. We spent 10 days total on the road at this great camp called SnowRidge Camp. Man, we had a great time. I had the privilege of witnessing some life-changing events in the lives of some of our campers and honestly, that's what makes these trips so rich and worth the trouble. So, I got to come back home for a week and then off to camp #3. I've turned into a professional camper. I've streamlined my packing techniques and have learned the art of nap time during the day. Without it, you're toast. Camp #3 was a whole different beast. I was hired along with my good friend Chris Taylor to do the musical stuff the whole week for the American Cancer Society in Kerrville, Texas. The age range was from 7 yrs.-16yrs. of age. There were about 150 kids in all and I think I 'bout near fell in love with every last one of them over the course of the 6 days I had the honor of spending with them. Obviously, I knew what I was getting into. What surprised me was how many kids looked healthy, ones you certainly would not assume had struggled with or are currently in the battle with cancer. Of course, there were others in the midst of chemo. The percentage of kids currently with cancer vs. those in remission was about 50/50. What struck me was even those like Leo, who 2 days before was in the hospital with a chest tube, was not going to allow his battle to keep him from taking full advantage of the fun he could have. He's still a kid. Kids have this spirit where they can and will take full advantage of every opportunity to have fun. In adult terms, that would be called "enjoying life" or "Smelling the Roses". Before getting to experience this unique privilege, I knew I would walk away inspired by these camper's lust for life and their amazing ability to put mind over matter. All I had to do was plug in the personalities and faces. Us adults, since we believe we are more evolved than kids, lose site of what simple joys can be found in singing a song, seeing who can clap the loudest, or who can get to the front door the quickest. Every one of these kids deserves to live and explore all of the good things we all can and do take for granted. Things I even took for granted today like kissing my wife or tickling my son. My prayer is that every last one of these sweet campers get that chance and every other thing that their hearts dream about. What I learned at camp is that those who get "it", even the weakest and tiniest of solders, know that every drop of life is precious and worth fighting for.

What I Learned At Camp

As a youth minister, this is my 3rd summer attending camps with our church kids. Being on this side of the fence is interesting. You're expected to be "The Adult" but be a part of all the kid stuff as well. I'm going to be 35 in September. My mind stopped maturing at age 13. So, mentally any underarm noise making, fart jokes, loudest burps, wedgy-giving is right up my ally. My 9 year old son thinks I'm the coolest dad on the planet simply because of my unmannerly manner. As each year passes, I love doing these summer camps more and more but, you have to take the good with the uncomfortable. The camp I'm at this week is a sports camp for 4th-7th graders. The RPM level on these kids is pegged at redline. I love it. My body doesn't. Tuesday, I'm doing the Track and Field stuff with a portion of my group. These kids are highly competitive and this is the perfect forum for them to push themselves faster and farther. Well, the coach got to a point where she was talking to the kids about long distance running. To demonstrate the concept the only way to really appreciate the idea is to...just do it! Up until now, I was hiding behind my camera, only there to memorialize the occasion with some action shots. Then came the challenge. "Dave, you gonna run with us?" Now, to these 12 year old boys asking, it was just an open invitation and a simple question. To me, it was a dare that hung on the last strings of my athletic pride. At first, I said "Aww, guys...thanks for asking but I have to take the pics." You see, what makes this situation tense for me is I'm standing there wearing brand new $80 Nike Running Shoes that I convinced Sarah I needed to buy last Saturday before camp. I bought them for the way they looked, not how fast or far I could run in them. I don't know how long it's been since my feet have moved faster than "stroll". What choice did I have? The coach yelled "Follow me" and I did. And did. And did. Dear Lord. I thought she was going to take it easy on these poor little 12 year old boys and the bald, panting freak bringing up the rear. Nope. If you ever wanted to see a simulation of someone having a massive coronary, you could've seen it in all its violent glory by the time we returned from our very long distance run. Don't ask me how far I ran because I couldn't tell you. Between the sweat stinging my eyes and the heavy gasping, it all came down to "I will not be 'that guy' who walked the last half." And I didn't. I finished. As I stood there, bent over with my hands on my knees, all I could hear was me gasping for air and the sound of my pulse in my head as I took in the sight of my new $80 Running shoes, once again. I should've spent the $80 on a new pair of legs and lungs. So, after my run, like any true athlete, I took a nap. I can't forget about the girls in our group. Now, I have about as much in common with an 11 year old girl as Nancy Reagan has with 50Cent. Understanding that, I was approached by them last night and they said they had a "surprise" for me. Can I share a little advice? Anytime five 11 year old girls come to you giggling saying they have a "surprise", chances are you won't be getting a cake made in your honor. More than likely, your masculinity will be stripped down and diminished in some way or another. So, when they approached me with this "surprise", I knew I was in for it and didn't even put up a fight. Like a lamb to the slaughter, they covered my eyes and led me to the girl's dorm lobby. That was when I was met with a tackle box of fingernail polish and all of the junk that goes along with it. One of them massaged my bald head as the others each took a hand (and foot) and proceeded to paint anything nail related. As I type this, I'm typing with painted nails. This is how 11 year old girls show love for their youth minister and I wear this polish with pride. Although, when I hit the Starbucks here on campus this morning, I'm sure the lady at the register had more than one theory as to why I handed her a $5 bill with painted fingernails. What I've learned at camp is that being a youth minister teaches me a lot more about myself than what I'll ever be able to impart to these kids. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Got Crazy?

I'm sure I'm riding the first wave with everyone else with Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" but this is the best song to come from '06 so far. I can't stop listening to it. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse rule on their own but together they've made a classic with "St Elsewhere" although, Gnarls Barkley is supposed to be a mysterious separate person to which these two guys lend their talent. Get your fill now before Top40 beats this one into the ground.

Off White Images

(Punky and Sarah b/w) Over the past two years, the photography bug has bitten me. I've started my own photo blog for those interested to check out. Dave's photo blog: Off White Images

Silent Evangelism

by Mentanna Campbell “If Christians in the US would be quiet for a year and only do good works, that would be evangelism. Our actions are way behind our words.” —Dieter Zander I came across this statement in a book a few days ago, and it has been haunting me ever since. My first reaction, and maybe yours as well, was a negative one. My inner dialogue went something like this: “We need both! You can’t divorce words from actions. They are the flip sides of the same coin.” Although I still believe that to be true, I realized that in my hasty analysis, I had completely missed the heart of what this author was trying to communicate. What reality is being exposed here? What truth is there for us to contemplate? And perhaps even more importantly, what sin is there for us to repent of? First of all, I think Zander is right in the sense that we as Christians have the tendency to exalt words over actions. Most evangelicals hold to the belief that the spoken gospel is the most important thing we can communicate. After all, how can anyone come to a saving knowledge of faith in Christ without hearing the proclamation of God’s word? (Does this terminology sound familiar, fellow evangelicals?) Reacting against the social gospel of the 1920s, we have often regulated “works” to an inferior domain. Words became the venerated method of evangelism and the social implications of the gospel were left to the liberals. Where does that leave us today? I believe that we are left with something far less powerful than what Jesus intended. Essentially, we have proclaimed the gospel of “right belief” and divorced it from right conduct. I am not just talking about hypocrisy. We all know people who profess one thing and live another. Hypocrisy isn't a new problem. What I mean is that we say that if someone believes a certain set of doctrines then he is saved. His lifestyle could communicate other things, and he could never let that knowledge transform any aspect of his life, but he has right belief; therefore, all is well. Is that true? That is my question. In the West (meaning the US and Europe), the problem isn't that the gospel hasn't been communicated, it’s that the gospel hasn't been lived. As Christians, we have a lot to account for in our past: racism, religious wars, discrimination—all in the name of God. We tell people they need God but we don't necessarily feel a need to be Christ to them. I’m talking about a lack of incarnational witness. It is much easier to talk about being a Christian than it is to live like one. I firmly believe that this generation needs to see Jesus and not just hear about Him. They need to see us caring for the poor, treating others as more important and pursing spiritual life over material wealth. They need to witness our concern for injustice, racism and the shoddy way we have of taking care of God's creation. When did we as Christians give up on these things? When did we quit? Why have we regulated to the government what we, as the church should be spearheading? We are the redemptive force in this country, not the Republican party, not the Democratic party. So I do agree with the heartbeat of the above statement. Personally, I am ready for people to evaluate the depth of my walk with God not by how many minutes or hours I spend in my quiet time or by how well I can cite the tenets of my faith, but rather by how much His truth overflows into every aspect of my daily life. I get convicted just writing that and even a bit scared when I think of all its implications for my own life. But just think about how a seeking world would respond if we started living out in detail what we spout off so easily. Now, that would be radical. That would be attractive. That would transform this world. Article from Relevant Magazine