Hey guys sorry I’m not posting. I’m on a missions trip with YWAM in Seattle. Amazing time and very convicting.  I’m dealing with a lot of questions about compassion and my involvement in injustice.

This has been a slow writing period for me. I need to get back in the rythmn and get some real writing done for this blog. I’ll work on it soon.

Tonight I was so stoked to be a youth pastor. We had a midweek youth group pool party night and it was really fun. I’ve got a pretty young youth group and a lot of students who don’t know each other. But, tonight something seemed to happen that brought a lot of unity. It’s been really fun to see the group grow and change. If you are reading this tonight. Thanks for making me proud of you guys.

I’ve been gone for a week on a Houseboat trip with my youth group. It was amazing. I’ll put a longer post up tomorrow with some of the details.

Every once in a while I am shocked at the thoughtfulness and love that my parents show. Yesterday I received a huge package in the mail that brought me to tears. Here’s a little background: When I was in 6th grade I started playing clarinet in band. After three years of that I graduated to an alto saxophone. In high school a huge part of my identity was being in band. I was in wind ensemble and jazz band for all 4 years. I also played in the pep band for football and basketball games. My sisters were all big sports nuts but for me it was all about music. When I graduated I ended up with all of the music awards that my high school gave out and a couple of music scholarships (small ones) to play in college. At SPU I played in the wind ensemble and also in the pep band. During my sophomore year of college I realized I was tired of playing and shelved my sax. It sat on the shelf for a couple of years and then I sold it and used the money to buy an engagment ring for a girl I didn’t end up marrying (she gave the ring back so not a total loss). Anyways I never told my parents I sold my saxaphone. Yesterday’s box was a saxophone exactly like the one I sold. I’m not sure how my parents found out I didn’t have one anymore. My mom’s note said she just wants to hear me play again. Wow that feels like pressure but in a good way. I’m going to start playing again. Hooray for ebay and parents who care.

A great experience today. While at lunch with the pastoral team my senior pastor began to introduce the pastoral staff to a new staff member. He did it by telling the new person everything he loved about each pastor on staff. What was amazing was how long the relationshps were around the table. Several of the pastors have been friends since the 70′s. He ended that time by saying that the pastoral team was “not about agendas and egos but about people.” What was great for me to see as a young pastor was how much they all valued each other, cared for each other and had a similar vision about people. I hope that 20 years from now I can be a part of that type of conversation and have the same message for younger pastors.