Books, Camps, & Thinking

Well I am heading off at noon today to take a group of middle schoolers to Sky Ranch, in Colorado. I am praying for a great experiencing with our kids. We had a great year last year but our numbers for going are down slightly this year, for several reasons I won’t go into at this moment! But I am excited none the less and it will be a great time. Will have no phone or internet for 5 days hopefully I can survive without my Twitter & Mac

I will be using this time for a lot of things…mainly thinking! the beauty of this camp is it puts me in the mountains and the kids are with staff and leaders the entire day. Giving me time to relax and enjoy my kids and get some personal time in as well. couldn’t ask for more.

I have a lot on my mind at the moment: Master Program at Spring Arbor, creating a healthy and vibrant-reproducing Discipleship/mentoring program, re-thinking our Mission projects and our youth Mission Ministry, bringing my youth leaders back together after a real big busy year (and the summer hasn’t even started yet), friends, family & relationships. so prayers for all of that would be great! I only have 5 days to figure my life out so clarity and purpose would be great.

Three books I will be reading while up there that I wanted to share with you all that might be helpful for your ministries.

• Disciple-Making Teachers: How to equip Adults for Growth and Action, Josh Hunt & Dr. Larry Mays
• They Will Know Us by Our Love: Service Ideas for Small groups
• The Equipping Church: Serving together to transform lives, Sue Mallory

I also have picked up two more books I hope to have read by July. One is for a reading challenge my youth ministry friend Dane has issued in reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and finding new ways to be open to the divine Love that God lavishes on us. Really looking forward to doing this with him.

The other book I have several parents waiting for a review of and I hope (if the book is good) to have it on a reading list for all of our families. The book is called the Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance, by Polly Young Eisendrath! doesn’t that book just sound amazing for youth ministry and parents??? I will let you know how that one turns out!