Top 10's of 2011 - Music Releases

Regardless if they were released in 2011 or not, i got em in 2011

U2 - Duals
Some stuff you have hear of, most you havent but all the songs are with U2 and someone else.  My fave is Where the Streets Have No Name/Amazing Grace (U2 and the Soweto Gospel Choir) and I've always loved Miss Sarajevo (Passengers and Luciano Pavarotti).


Asteroid Galaxy Tour - Fruit
I first heard this band on a Heineken commercial then on an indie compilation.  Once I got the music I was hooked.  Good, different and worthy of multiple listens.  Fruit was originally released in 2009 but I guess the underground from Denmark to Dallas took awhile.  Indie bands, sheesh.


Portugal the Man - In the Mountain in the Cloud 
Heard them in the background many times and never paid much attention til my friend Scott Sorgea sent me a link to "So American".  I still cant get enough.


Adele - 21
Cant say enough so I'll say little.  If you actually have been under a rock, get this recording.


Civil Wars - Barton Hallow
Simple, whiny, beautiful.  So melodic and harmonic and did I say whiny.  I guess I like that.


Mumford & Sons - Sigh no More
Thank Justin La Fond for the recommendation.  Part folk, part Irish sounding (although they are another Danish band) and part psychedelic cool (but more folk harmonies and feel good toe stamps than anything else).

Evanescence - Evanescence

The fourth release in twice as many years is saying were here for a while.  I loved them in 2003 and thought their cool goth/rock/power vocal with a pinch of bubble-gum might grow tired but I was wrong.  I bit more maturity here but the same old Evanescence.

Beatles - Abbey Road
Stop making fun.  I know this was released in 1969, I just got it.  Been loving it for years and just came to the party.  I want you is still so creepy and cool.

Mutemath - Odd Soul
Thanks again Justin.  From a city know for everything rock, good old NOLA rock never sounded so good.

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials

I'm intrigued with FATM but also uneasy.  More vocals than I like but the music makes up for it.

Bamboo Farming, the Saw and the Goal

Its a hodgepodge post but stay with me, they all fit together.


I've recently become a bamboo farming theoretician.  Not really, what I mean is, I've been doing some research on the growth of bamboo plants and trying to pull some stories or applications from that.  Its actually pretty interesting stuff.  At the same time I've been asked to write an article about how to best use the 7th Habit (See Stephen Covey's great book) all while pondering my New Years goals, new starts and all the other stuff that one thinks about around this time of the year.


BAMBOO
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet.  It is very sustainable, has a myriad of uses and is relatively easy to grow.  Bamboo can grow two or three feet in a day with the right circumstances (but usually 12-14 in a normal growing cycle).  Here is where things get more interesting.  It if very difficult to harvest and plant bamboo seeds because bamboo rarely flowers (when a plant releases seeds) and when it does it is irregular and if/when it does, they seeds are difficult to harvest.  Here is what i'm intrigued by; sometimes some varieties of bamboo seeds take a long time to germinate; some take a couple of months, others a year or two.  When the bamboo seed does finally push through the ground and when the roots system is ready it can rapidly grow.  During the time the seed is growing its root system UNDERGROUND is getting ready for rapid growth ABOVE GROUND. 


SEVEN HABITS
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a must read book.  It deals with values, life, productivity, purpose and success (among many other things).  The book develops 6 habits (the list) and the 7th is making sure the other 6 stay healthy and in balance.  Those 6 habits are divided into two categories; PRIVATE VICTORY and PUBLIC VICTORY.


NEW YEARS GOALS
Each year I plan out my New Years Goals. I see my goals as elements for growth; a flower needs sun, etc.  For some time I have organized my goal elements according the scripture that shows the growth of Christ; "He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and favor with man."  I make a couple of goals in each category: wisdom (mental), stature (physical), favor with God (spiritual), favor with man (social) and it seems to keep me well balanced.  Without these four elements I wouldn't have very good goals and without goals to help me grow, even worse.


SYMBIOSIS & INTEGRATION
All three of the above are related, they need and are dependent upon each other.  Unless we have roots, foundation or personal victory, we cannot achieve growth, flowers or public victory. Without the elements of soil, water, sun,(mental, physical, spiritual, social) etc there would be no plant growth at all.  To grow a healthy plant/life, etc I believe all of these things need to be in harmony. 


Without out one element a plant can survive, without two, it is in trouble, without three it stands little chance.  The same is with us, we need we rounded goals; all four areas in place.  When they are, we can best grow strong and healthy.These well balanced and healthy goals help us continue to grow and growth above and underground helps us to maintain our goals.


NOW LETS MAKE SOME GOALS

Mental Goals
1) ________________
2) ________________

Physical Goals
1) ________________
2) ________________.

Spiritual Task
1) ________________
2) ________________

Social Goals
1) ________________
2) ________________

If more goals are needed here are some additional suggestions; marriage, family, ministry, educational, financial, emotional, professional

Improving Your Serve

There should be a scale whereupon we can measure our servanthood.  Something like a thermometer that would instantly tell what a person’s servant quotient was; their SQ.  If we could have a barometer for individuals, we should also have one for organizations.  It would be great to see just how effective organizations that exist to serve a cause or people really are. How would governments fair?  Are postal workers or politicians serving their communities?  What would our SQ be as the church?  Would church hierarchy even have an SQ or do they really exist not just to say they serve, but to have others serve them?

Unfortunately, this chapter doesn’t contain an SQ test, but we should be able to look into our own hearts to see what kind of marks we would give ourselves as servants.  After all when the Lord returns we’ll have to answer to what we’ve been doing down here all this time while he has been in heaven building us a home.  Have we been building THE kingdom or our own kingdom or have we been building at all?  If this is a wake up call, its time to get busy and start serving.  Its never too late to build your SQ.

DO ELEPHANTS NETWORK (aka The Necessity of Networking and Peer Learning)

THE ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD

I recently watched a documentary about the Elephant Graveyard.  Fact or fancy, the tale goes something like this (oversimplified is an understatement).  Older Elephants get the sense of their impending demise and travel sometimes thousands of miles to die in the "Elephant Graveyard".  The EG is rumored to be littered with thousands of tusks and elephant bones.

TRUST YOUR GUT

Truth or fiction, the point is that there is something in our gut that tells us certain things.  I know!  You know it and Malcolm Gladwell (blink is an amazing book that needs to be in every thinkers library), among others have written books about it.

GUT, NETWORKING, HEALTH, LONGEVITY

We all know that hanging out with peers, like minded and even those better than us makes us better.  We also know that we get further down the road by stealing (I mean sharing) ideas, praying for each other and creating deeper connections.  So why dont we network regularly?

IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT

Some of the best things in life are like this.  Important but not urgent.  Several things come to mind; eating healthy, exercising , personal growth...anyone feeling me yet?  We would all rather eat junk food and never improve ourselves with exercise or education and hope we would all look like we just jumped off the cover of People mag, but good health and looks are not accidental.  Neither is being a good Youth Worker.  We must work at!  Almost everyone I chat with agrees that Networking is Important but they also dont attend local meetings as much as they should.  Sound like passing on the burger for the tofu sandwich?

WHAT TO DO?

1.  Get involved in a local network.  

2.  Make a commitment to attend regularly even come early and bring some business cards to share with others.

3.  Chant this...Better Together, Better Together, Better Together.  Then believe it.

4.  Play it forward. Thats just it, go first, lead the way.

The law of reciprocity is one of my favorites.  When it comes to networking maybe we should think about others and not just ourselves knowning that we will receive way more than we imagined.

Lastly, I dont know if elephants network but if they do, I'm sure they wouldn't have to travel thousands of miles to do it.

Back To School Party feat. I Am Second, PureGroup & Hawaiian Falls

Just saw a great article about the Back To School Party event last Thursday with I Am Second, Hawaiian Falls and PureGrup.  The event was awesome and this is a great news story about it.  

More than 1200 people turned out for the I Am Second Back-to-School party at Hawaiian Falls Garland on August 18. Guests donated school supplies to benefit local kids. The worship band from Stillwater Community Church in Rowlett performed a blend of rock and roll classics and Contemporary Christian worship music on the stage at the wavepool.  read the entire article oh NeighborsGo here

Thanks for all your help and prayers.  Lord willing we can all do it again next year if this is something use to help further your ministry and can help plan/design and see more people worshiping in the water and maybe even do it at other H Falls locations.


Is this a community of Love and Hope or what?

Thanks to David Alvey and http://neighborsgo.com/stories/73988 for the pics and story

Character Sauce

When I grow up I wanna be a Rock Star Chef!

Not a short order cook (Waffle House) or the guy that defrosts things from the freezer and puts them on your plate (nope) but the one who writes the cook books and has their own show (Mario Batali, Alton Brown, Paula Deen).  Until then, I'll just keep rocking the back yard grill and providing healthy "gourmet" meals for my family.

I threw lots of good and fresh ingredients in a pot.  As I was adding some fresh herbs and spices I began stirring it up and wishing it was already dinner time and the magic of time had worked its miracle of taking raw individual ingredients and amalgamating them into amazing Italian goodness.  I love pasta and I love pasta sauce; ya, I can buy it in a jar but it is so much better when I take time to do things right.  Here are the 5 things for Awesome-Sauce (@noahbenjamin).

  1.  Solid Ingredients
  2.  Recipe
  3.  Preparation
  4.  Cook Time
  5.  TLC

Wait for it.....Then I pondered Character and thought, its kind of like us on our spiritual journey...lots of ingredients that can be made into something really good.  All that is needed is the crucible of time, heat, stirring and TLC.  Now go back and read the 5 things for Awesome-Sauce but this time think of how Christ is cultivating your character.

Cant wait until its done!

Back to School ----------- Party!

Join I Am Second and PureGroup at Hawaiian Falls for a Back to School Party on August 18. The purpose of the event is to reach our campuses and community for Christ, connect believers before school starts, collect back to school supplies for those in need, and party righteously in Jesus name cause He is First and we are second (#mouthful). Plus, wont it be cool to have 2500 believers hanging together having a blast? Right now we are only selling bundles of tickets...click on the pic below to find out how to get tickets for your group TODAY!!!  Individual tickets (if there are any left) will be on sale the day of the event.

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Networking Saves the Day

Yes, networking is something bigger than you,
Yes, networking is something every Youth Worker needs to be part of,
Yes, there are groups all over Dallas and Collin Counties that meet monthly, 
Yes, they are all open groups the anyone can join,
Yes, I will post more info on the event below, but for now....

Network Celebration and Free Lunch

Win an iPad

May 19, 11am-1pm, IBOC church (7710 South Westmoreland Road, Dallas, TX 75237)

FREE for all area Youth Workers

RSVP here ---->  http://pureymr.eventbrite.com

Get Your Skin On!

technically speaking

Skin in the game = buying in, having something at stake, a personal passion or intense desire to make things happen.  I think that everyone wants to network and be part of something bigger than themselves but I don’t think a lot of Youth Workers have a lot of skin in the game.

Skin, Time, YW Networking

I have a couple of truisms I’ve developed over the years about networking.

1.      1.  People want to network

2.      2.  People consider networking important but not urgent

3.      3.  YW Networking by definition and action are misunderstood

4.      4.  People are more inclined to network in the face of a personal social interaction

What is NOT factored into the above is TIME.  Not considering that, networking looks like a no brainer activity that everyone is clamoring to be part of; sadly that is not the case.  I would have to say that most Youth Workers don’t network and of those that do, half attend monthly meetings regularly and the other half attend twice a year.  What makes the bi-annual attendees attend less is that they feel out of touch with the heartbeat of the group and end up attending less and eventually just falling away.

So I think people would be more inclined to valuate networking more if they had more skin in the game.

Here is how to get your skin on

1.  Commit – that’s it, make it a point, a high priority to attend local networking meetings.  In fact, tell everyone at the next meeting that you are committed and will be at every meeting through the end of the year.  You will either be at them or

2.  Schedule – put it in, write it down, set an alarm and make it happen.

3.  Culpability – I really mean accountability but wanted to use a different word so people would read this without just glancing by.  If you make yourself accountable to someone to be there, you probably will.

4.  Leadership – if you are involved at the leadership level people depend on you and you have not only skin in the game and not only a cool unofficial title like “Mr Local Network Cool Guy That Is There For Others” (MLNCGTITFO for short) BUT you also make yourself available to help others and to be the one people look to. 

5.  Pay it forward – bring resources and swap them amongst the other attendees or buy a dozen books

In closing....

Our symbiotic relationship with others is like skin… it is probably more like wearing a tattoo than a Christian t shirt too.  So I’m going to be more purposeful in how I can stay skinned.  The comments below are more about managing others expectation and not so much the uplifting end to this, so read if you want, otherwise, this is.... 

The End

How Much Skin Can I Expect Other to Have in the Game?

Every person and situation is different but once there is agreement, 100% of that agreement should be fulfilled.   Also the context here is Youth Worker Networking so the comments below build on that. Big factors are time and money but there are others.

Here is what I think a person can volunteer and how effective they can be.

1-2 hrs - Attend a monthly meeting

3-5 hrs - Plus help organize or lead the group and maybe contact a couple of other YW off line

10+ hrs - Plus be a resource to a geopraphic area

20+ hrs - This should be reserved for staff; no one has this much time to volunteer??

Leadership should be very aware of how much they ask people to give and also what they ask them to do (it must be important).

Back To Basics

 

 "Let's start at the beginning. This is a football. These are the yard markers. I'm the coach. You are the players." Legendary Green Bay Packers Football Coach, Vince Lombardy

Had a great discussion earlier this week with some local youth workers/networkers. I'm asking them to take a more of a pastoral role over several groups, not just one (geographical area director) and then using the principles we have developed for group development to oversee 4 local groups and build another. As we discussed influence, relationship and current networking templates, we had a couple of great takeaways.

I was casting vision for more leadership; more groups but the more I did, the more I felt like we were contriving something old, outdated and not healthy. Long story short, here are a couple of the take aways we have been pondering since:

Movement not meeting - we need to think bigger and think world change, not ihop back room; changing lives, strengthening ministry, growing the kingdom, not 20 people sitting in a round table.

Relationship is the resource - personal relationships are the most important things in life, period. Our relationship with Christ, spouse, family, friends...why then are we so caught up on events, promotion and someone sponsoring a free lunch/training. We need to find a way to harvest the collective. Everyone has something to offer and everyone needs something someone else has. We are in this thing together, lets figure out a way to significantly connect with each other; from that synergy, momentum, strength and health abide.

Networking is the fruit not the tree - if we purposely find ways to cultivate the above, if we work at making sure the tree is healthy, relationships are solid and pure, fruit has to happen.

For me it's time to simplify things, get back to basics and think people; think big, but think people.

Why Youth Worker Networking Sucks

The following started as a letter to NNYM Dallas and Collin County Network Leaders but quickly became a diatribe on the state of YW Networking as we know it, why it sucks and how we MUST work to make things better.  This is a letter to ALL Youth Workers.

I’m writing to all Dallas and Collin County Network Leaders.

I used to think network groups were solid; set em up and let em go.  After  18 months of formally working with the National Network of Youth Ministry as the Metro Dallas Coordinator, overseeing Dallas and Collin Counties, I can truly say, I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Youth Worker Networking groups are liquid and I’m trying to find ways to embrace that and find traction for our groups both for today and tomorrow.

Why are Youth Worker Networking groups so fragile?  I believe it has to do with the nature of “Professional Youth Ministry” and a misunderstanding of Youth Worker Networking.

High Turnover Rate in YW’s

No surprise here: every survey points to the fact that Youth Workers don’t stay in current positions very long.  I’ve tracked 40% turnover among our group, non-leader participants (those in leadership positions stay longer.  I’ve got some theories to explore later).  That means that a successfully launched group with 20 members that is vibrant and healthy will, in two years turn into a four top at the IHOP.

Misunderstanding about the Purpose of Youth Worker Networking

For a while I wanted to stop using the term “networking’ because it is nebulous and meant different things to as many people as had an opinion.  But then I sent a tweet, checked my facebook and realized that people see the value in “social” networking, although they probably didn’t agree on what it means but they realized it was valuable.  I guess even though there may be widespread (dis)agreement on what general networking is each person uses if for their own ends.  Nice!  So, what is the purpose of Youth Worker Networking or Networking groups?

No Value Place on Youth Worker Networking

Some see “off the grid” networking as NOTworking.  Too bad, they fall so short.  Others see it as a place to promote their cool youth group event.  You know , the, “Hey come to my event and bring your students because I want big numbers and really don’t care about anything else and my event will probably still suck because this is how I’m promoting it” guy.  Way off and getting colder.  Still others see it Youth Worker Networking as a monthly lunch meeting – getting warmer, barely.  Here is a concept: RELATIONSHIP IS THE RESOURCE!!  Read that last sentence out loud, memorize it and let is set you free.  Your are the resource!  The person across the table from you is the resource!  Everyone has something to give and something to get.

We Need to Think Forward

Thinking about Youth Work into the next decade two things stand out bigger than ever and we need to deal with them if formal Youth Work is to survive.  If we fail to deal with these two issues, the Youth Worker of today, as we know it, will become extinct.

1.        We need to redefine who the Youth Worker is.  Here is a hint; its not ONLY the guy who wears skinny jeans, goes to all the local High School games and has an office at the church that says “Youth Pastor”.  There is a place in our next decade paradigm for this “Youth Pastor Guy” but he is not the only horse in the race.  Everyone who works with teenagers is a Youth Worker; the high school coach, the ballet teacher, the Jr Optimist leader, the scout troop sergeant, the guitar teacher and the parent.  Everyone who works with teenagers is a Youth Worker and we need to think about how we can offer our services to recruit and train them.

2.       We need to define or assign value to relational networking.  I’m blown away about how Youth Workers overlook and dismiss this.  Last year, According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking. In 2009 1 in 6 people married met their mate through social networking/online dating.  Ludite, silo Youth Work is going the way of the dinosaur.  We need to not only find value but find ways to add more value and promote the value of the Youth Worker Network group.

So where do we go from here?

Think!  We have to change our thinking about who a Youth Worker is and find ways to connect with the new breed and find ways to mesh the new and old breeds.

Database!  We lose track of 40% of our people each year.  Sometimes we lose entire churches form moving or relocating or extinction.  Other times churches spring up and we don’t know about it.  Someone needs to 1, locate churches, 2, find out who the youth contact is and 3, give the info to a local network lead that can and will do something about it.  Churches are only one avenue of the new breed of Youth Worker, how can we identify and find new databases of the new breed?

Monetization!  There is influence in Youth Worker Networking but not necessarily finance.  We need to find creative ways of funding the groups and the people building and sustaining the groups.  Those creating the groups and the value are often the ones without a full time salary backing and the important task of building networks is left to those who can raise their own funds.  There has to be a way to turn influence into capital in a ministry setting.

PR!  What is the only reason to start a Youth Worker Networking group?  To change the world by starting  a movement to reach more students for Christ. Every movement needs a propaganda machine.  We need consistent, regular, quality info and PR.  Good communication and PR can bring effective talk points, assign value and grow the movement.

Unity!  We need to esteem each other, make time for each other and do life together.

I know there are more things needed and I guess this is the point where we harvest the power of the collective.  Please share your thoughts.

Hey Soul Surfer

Just returned from a special screening of the April movie release of Soul Surfer.  I have to write about it because it is a powerful, useful and entertaining media experience.

This is not a movie review but it is some insight on the movie experience and some (hopefully) useful application.

This screening was hosted by the PR and screen team that worked for the movie.  During a post-movie Q & A she touted this movie as a Hollywood faith based movie effort.  Interesting.  Since Sony owns TriStar and some type of partnership with Integrity music, I guess there is some synergy or relationship that makes sense.  Anyway, the movie was done via Hollywood and not via local church (fireproof, etc).

Two things about the Hollywood influence before some specifics about the flick.

The cast was all star; not A list but defiantly some names we all know: Dennis, Quaid (everything...), Helen Hunt (everything..., Annasophia Robb (Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules {i had to put that}) and playing the part of cool and sexy Youth Workers everywhere....drum roll please...Carrie Underwood.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the SS soundtrack but i can find any info on it currently.  I'm pretty sure i heard Switchfoot, Coldplay and a couple of U2 joints.  Also pretty sure there will be a Carrie Underwood tune somewhere but since the movie wasn't finished there were no closing credits, which is where it will probably land.

The movie was inspirational, motivational and a great tool to use to surface conversation with friends; believers and non alike.  Here are some favorite scenes and potential discussion starters.
  *  Eerie Jaws flashbacks - There were some eerie underwater scenes that reminiscent me of my jr high days when i saw the movie jaws (no this is NOT a spoiler because we all know she looses an arm to a shark).  Lots of discussion about not being in control or know what will happen next but how we can make the most of things.
  *  I can do all things - There are a couple of great scenes that they evoke the Philippians passage; one pre attack and one post.  Together these scenes ask lots of questions and answer some too.  Can we really do all things?  Does that mean everything or anything, or both?
  *  Dont apologize for compassion - at one point Bethany sees something  that causes her to cry.  She apologizes and turns away.  Her Youth Worker tells her to not apologize for compassion, its who God made you.  Great thought about being real.  This was also a pivotal point in the movie (i wont go into applicational detail here and risk a spoiler)
  *  The interactive youth group lesson - "Pastor Underwood" finishes up a great/typical youth talk during one scene using a powerpoint presentation.  She makes the point that things arent always as them seem.  Actually, trust me on this one, i didnt describe it so good here but it is a great moment of teaching, creativity and youth grouping.
  *  The bad chick - we were told that there was not actually ONE villain in the story but that the bad chick was an amalgamation of lots of evil surf vixens.  At one point Bethany thanks her nemesis for making her better.  Awwww.

Its a great movie about redemption and winning against tall odds and how can you go wrong with that?  So, this Hollywood faith movie has all the ingredients of win (faith or not) an all star cast, a beautiful Hawaiian surf background, heros, villains, drama, emotion and triumph.

.....:::::Links for more info:::::....

Bethany Hamilton - this chick is solid.  i'd put some links but there are a ton, just google her.

Youth Worker Resources - for networking and resources in the DFW area www.pureymr.com
Interlinc has some great materials for the film including an interactive DVD bible studies, posters, and curriculum.  My buddy Troy Hargrave (thargrave@interlinc-online.com) co-hosted the special screening also gave me free stuff from Interlinc-online.com also go here for more SS resources from Inter-linc   http://bit.ly/edfTS7

Check Your Vitals; especially for the new year!

Everything that is healthy needs to be checked up on.  People, systems, automobiles and even our own body need a little assessment, analyzation and a few tweaks every so often.  The start of the year is a great time to do just that, check yourself out; give your self a personal EKG.  I check myself regularly on the following areas.  This is not an exhaustive list but is it some things i'm currently checking myself on.

1.  Beneficial Contacts
Check the little stack of business cards on your desk.  How many of them have been acquired in the last 90 days?  How many of them are significant?  Getting good contacts is seldom an accident. A good strategy for obtaining key contacts is a must for a healthy check up.
Exercise:  list three ways you can meet significant or "upper" contacts in the next 30 days (hint; think network groups, social establishments and friends that can introduce you).

2.  Recent Accomplishments
You need to have a list of you most recent "rock star" accomplishments.  These should be in your head, your heart and definitely written down somewhere.  You never know when someone will ask you what you do or when you might have to defend your job.  Dont have any recent?  Get some ASAP!

3.  Forward Vision
Vision is assumed but it shouldn't be. I want to talk about a big and forward leaning vision but first we have to talk about vision period.  If you have a vision, make sure it is big and not only you but those you lead can be very passionate about it. If you dont have one; step one is realization, step two is acquiring.

4.  Support
Is your family healthy?  What is your spouse complaining about right now?  Is your pace sustainable in light of your support systems?  Do you have replenishing relationship or are you the perpetual giver?  Find balance, find support, find support for you and your mission.

5.  A Passionate Elevator Pitch
You need at least 2 elevator pitches ready to go at anytime; especially in youth ministry.  Here is an example; someone asks you what your real job is...you launch in to elevator 1.0.  Example two, someone notices how well your ministry is doing and yet how underfunded it is...you launch in to elevator 2.0.  If you dont know what an elevator pitch is, email me.

6.  Physical Well Being
Lets face it, if you are not doing well yourself, you are probably not your best for others.  So, eat 4 servings of fruits and veg each day, 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week, get a good nights sleep, keep your mind stimulated, take your vitamins, surround yourself with good friends and stay plugged in to God.

PS get your annual physical too!

Ormel & Cindy

Today I was in the lobby of my home church chatting with friends, wearing a cool jacket that usually gets most of its use during the Christmas season and getting ready to settle into a warm pew, when in walked Cindy.

Cindy didnt look like the rest of the crowd in their christmas best, although she was wearing a green sweatshirt. She walked right up to our holy huddle (uh hum) and had no problem with asking for $8.00 for a bus pass for her and her husband.

If you were like me, you could guess the rest.  She was gonna tell me sh needed money for gas or for a bus ticket to get her hungry baby and wheel chaired husband to the soup line because they haven't eaten since they were evicted by a satanic landlord.  At least that is what i thought was coming.  Cindy did want money for a bus ride because her husband had cancer and they had to get to the hospital and then to her in laws.  But that is where my stale and probably ungodly pre-conceived notions stopped.

Ive been around situations like this all my life, especially being on staff of a local church.  I have this internal program that kicks in when I encounter someone like this. The program makes me think that, among other sweeping generalizations, that all panhandlers immediately take the money they get and run straight to the nearest crack dealer. But this time I actually had time to talk with cindy and, according to my program, prove that this panhandler was likely a liar and a drug user.

I walked with her to the bus station expecting at anytime for her story to change. We rounded a corner and there was an elderly man standing by a bus. His name was Ormel and he wasted no time in telling me about his cancer, surgeries and even raised his shirt to show his recent post op scars (I didnt ask for this but I think God wanted to confirm every detail of the story). I did ask the bus driver how much a ride was which he confirmed that a day pass was $4.00 one for Ormel and one for Cindy.

Before I walked back to the warmth of the sanctuary I prayed for them and then watched the bus pull away with my two new friends and no crack heads or drug dealers in sight.  Every detail of Cindy's story was true and everyone of my pre conceived notions false.  Time for me to start thinking again.

My prayer - Lord let me see through your eyes without pretense; let me give like you would without judgement; let me love like you would - period!

I wanna be a macho man

I wanna be a macho man

At least I do in the way that my late grandpa, John Vietti said; and it has nothing to do with the village people or randy savage.

Let me explain.

The year was 1988 and I had just graduated with my undergrad degree, accepted my first full time youth pastors position and moved in with my grandparents (not so much for free-loading but to establish myself financially before getting my first apartment). My grandfather was a feisty Italian man who always had something humorous to say, a joke to tell or a prank to pull.
I remember the day he came home from a doctor’s appointment, which also happened to be his 50th wedding anniversary. He walked through the door with his mesh baseball hat cocked back and sideways (way before it was gangsta) and said, “buddy, I told the nurses in the office today that I’m a macho man!”

Last week was my 21st wedding* anniversary and I was reflecting on the following story and contemplating how I too can be a macho man; even one of biblical proportions. Ok, so back to the story.

I figured, I’d bite, ok grandpa, why are you a macho man. He said I told all those pretty nurses that I’m macho because I made the same woman love me for 50 years. Anyone can get someone to love them for a couple years or even 5; but im at 50 and counting.

I decided that day I wanted nothing more in my life than to be macho.

Thanks grandpa, I miss you.



*happy anniversary babe. You are awesome for sticking with me and for making me look good by you looking so good; I mean drop dead gorgeous. Thanks for sticking with me even though I’m not yet half a macho man; but with your help in another 29 I’ll get there.

Wanted: Dreamers

Dreamers wanted but not all dreamers are wanted.

There have been times in history that dreamers were wanted men. They were wanted because their ideas, hope and beliefs were counter cultural, revolutionary. Men like Joseph and dr king suffered great losses from their dreams. Today more than ever men and women need to dream; big, elaborate and often.

Some have misunderstood dreams. Some dismiss them as passive nocturnal entertainment. Freud treated dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious," a thesis that served his general conviction that consciousness, the reasoned control of life, constitutes only the surface part of the energies that propel or immobilize persons. Some dreams require sleep, some require imagination but both require fuel, hard work and tenacity.

Before I invite you to a dreamers symposium, please be inspired by some innovative pioneers; dreamers that changed the landscape of everything we know.

Joseph from the Bible
The Bible says that, “Joseph dreamed a dream”. Too bad his dream got his dream got him beat, almost left for dead and ultimately sold into slavery. The story turns out good, actually, really good but it just goes to show 1, share your dreams cautiously and 2, when you share them find a friendly audience, especially if the dream could result in the unwanted involvement of others.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr
The only one on this list to have a dream that did not require sleep. His dream is also one that everyone who reads this needs to re-dream themselves. A dream of equality, freedom and justice. A dream that took many waking hours to partially come true.

Here is the invite...

Now the invitation - The December 6, "UnConference"

Click here for more info and registration info - cost is totally free. Were NOT selling anything, promoting anything or attempting to DO anything unless its a GOD THING.


December 6th and 7th DFW area youth pastors and workers want to invite you to join us for a day of prayer and dreaming.

There will be no advertising, marketing, or pitches. Our purpose for gathering is straightforward: We want to come together to pray for the youth in our communities and dream about how God might use us to help them know Him more deeply.

And now for some more dreamers...

Albert Einstein
Einstein had a teenage dream (long before Katy Perry). He dreamed that he was sledding down a steep hill at night, his sled traveled faster and faster, until it approached the speed of light. At that speed, the stars and night sky were transformed into a dazzling spectrum of colors.
Einstein once told a journalist, "that my entire scientific career has been a meditation on that dream."

Robert Louis Stevenson
The novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) described dreams as occurring in "that small theater of the brain which we keep brightly lighted all night long." Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde and Treasure Island are some of his most famous works.
From an early age, his dreams were so vivid and moving that they were more entertaining to him personally than any literature. He learned early in his life that he could dream complete stories and that he could even go back to the same dreams on succeeding nights to give them a different ending. Later he trained himself to remember his dreams and to dream plots for his books.

Carl Jung
Jung wrote of his early dream journals, " All my works, all my creative activity, has come from those initial dreams which began in 1912, almost fifty years ago. Everything that I accomplished in later life was already contained in them, although at first only in the form of emotions and images. "

President Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln dreamed about his assassination.
" About ten days ago, I retired very late. I had been up waiting for important dispatches from the front. I could not have been long in bed when I fell into a slumber, for I was weary. I soon began to dream. There seemed to be death-like stillness about me. Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and wandered downstairs. There the silence that was broken by the same pitiful sobbing, but the mourners were invisible. I went from room to room; no living person was in sight, but the same mournful sounds of distress met me as I passed along. It was light in all the rooms; every object was familiar to me; but where were all the people who were grieving as if their hearts would break? I was puzzled and alarmed. What could be the meaning of all this? Determined to find the cause of a state of things so mysterious and so shocking, I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered there I met with a sickening surprise. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully. "Who is dead in the White House?" I demanded of one of the soldiers " The President " was his answer; " he was killed by an assassin! Then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream. "

General George Patton
General George Patton, when at the battlefield on Langres France, said to his driver that he already knew the place. He told his driver where to go and said it was as if someone were whispering directions in his ear. He correctly went to the Ancient Roman Amphitheater, The Drill Grounds, The Forum and even correctly went to the spot where Caesar had pitched his tent. "You see, I've been here before " He had been there in his dream.

Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus credits a dream for finding a new way to hold his golf club.
"Wednesday night I had a dream and it was about my golf swing. I was hitting them pretty good in the dream and all at once I realized I wasn't holding the club the way I've actually been holding it lately. I've been having trouble collapsing my right arm taking the club head away from the ball, but I was doing it perfectly in my sleep. So when I came to the course yesterday morning I tried it the way I did in my dream and it worked. I shot a sixty-eight yesterday and a sixty-five today."

Famous People Who Were Not Perfect

Sometimes the things that make us great have the ability to pull us down OR challenge us to greatness. Here are some examples of icon of success that could have just as well been failures. Question of the day - What made them different?



Walt Disney: Walt was fired from the Kansas City newspaper for not being creative enough and was considered “slow” as a child. He is now considered one of the best known motion picture producers in the world, and holds the record for the most awards and most nominations.


Albert Einstein: Arguably the greatest physicist of all time. Known for his theory of relativity and E=mc2. He revolutionized the way we think of the universe and opened up our eyes to the possibilities in front of us.


Winston Churchill: Was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and one of the greatest political leaders of the twentieth century. Known for his powerful speeches it’s ironic that he had a stuttering problem and hated school and math.


Alexander Graham Bell: Well known as the inventor of the telephone and one of the founders of National Geographic Society, had dyslexia, poor grades, and a general indifference towards almost everything except science.


Thomas Edison: Patenting over 1000 inventions including the light bulb, Edison had dyslexia, difficulty with speaking and words, was considered too dumb to be in school, and hated mathematics.


George Patton: Patton was most known for leading the U.S. in World War II as an Army General. In World War I he was a senior commander of the new tank corps. He was deficient in reading throughout his whole life and had to memorize his lectures just to get by.