Archive for October 2005

October 25, 2005 • 0 Comments

All Quiet on the Western Front

Well, the western front is quieting down. After fretting over a lot of NCYC stuff today, I think I’m ready to board that bus tomorrow at 9:00 pm. In the span of about four hours this afternoon, I killed 9 items on my list of 11. Everything else I can get done tomorrow. I have to give mad props to Marley for helping me out making the NCYC buttons today. We made about 450 buttons this afternoon, and they look good. I’m excited to have them to pass out at the conference.

Tonight, I’m off to choir practice and then home to pack. Please pray for us this week, as well as for everyone else attending.

October 23, 2005 • 0 Comments

Thoughts on culture (part one)

I don’t care what anyone says, but being single is so the thing for me right now. While I was on the Youth 2000 retreat this past weekend, Dan, another youth minister and I got to talking about what a real man is. Now, two youth ministers talking about being a “real man.” You know that’s going to lead to cool stuff. But, honestly, what is a real man?

We all know what is on TV. As a youth minister, I sometimes take time during my day to watch MTV, to dabble in a station that many see as a culture and generation defining station. As a result, I end up watching The Real World, My Super Sweet 16, Laguna Beach, Date My Mom, Room Raiders, Pimp My Ride, Cribs, among other shows. This past weekend, I talked with some young guys about those shows and their thoughts.

Let’s take one example (no, it’s not any dating show. You might think I’d talk about The Real World. I might later, but let’s examine a different show, one you may not have thought about.) How about… My Super Sweet 16 (MSS16). Have you ever watched that show? What’s the first thing that you think, when you see some person talking about how their party is going to be the party to end all birthday parties? I don’t know about you, but after watching one episode, I really started to think “what a snob, this kid has an ego bigger than South America.”

But then, I started thinking, “What is the point of this show, anyway?” Take a quick moment and think about that question before reading on…

I think the point is to get you to think exactly as I did. Guess what? There’s a new offensive being launched here against people of faith! How long have we heard about the morality in the media? Everything on TV is all about beauty and love and people sleeping with other people, right? Perhaps, but I think that shows like MSS16 are marking a new chapter for us. Along with the current shows like The Real World, we are now being tempted to judge others – and harshly, too! If you watch MSS16, or any other show for that matter, take a step back when you get a chance and see if you aren’t also being tempted to judge others. This is the new offensive – this is the new battle that is going to be fought. We are being attacked on multiple sides – both with our eyes and now with our emotions. These shows are helping to fine tune and develop our sense of stereotypes and our judgement of others.

Leave me some notes with your thoughts.

(I’ll post my second installment on this stuff, which involves some thoughts on purity, tomorrow sometime.)

October 18, 2005 • 0 Comments

Football

Tonight, by special appointment only, a one-time only, once-in-a-lifetime chance, never to be seen again on a night like this, one night only, rain or shine, five to one against, quit the horse races, turn off the tvs, fill the stands, empty the port-a-pottys, get off the couch, leave dinner on the table, bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring the dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, animals of all species, youth of all ages, Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s the last game of the season for Paola Middle School and it’s Tonight, Tuesday, October 18, seventh grade at 4:30 followed by eighth grade at 6:15, Paola vs. Baldwin, two rivals in their own right, duke it out over a grass arena, smell the anticipation, the fresh cut lawn, the exitement in the air – this, of all nights, is truly the night you want to be here for – a night of football, a night of tense tackling, a night of racous running, the soiree of the century, the party of the millenium, and a finish you would never expect – come one come all to Paola for tonight’s game!

October 15, 2005 • 0 Comments

Haunted Housing

We went to the Edge last night and it looks like we had enough car spots for everyone. There was a good group that went – about seven people, to the Edge. Nothing like hearing lots of screams and scaredness last night. It was great, especially the guy with the rat that kept chasing the girls around. Now, that was funny!

But, what was even more funnier than that? How about Hannah’s (sp?) comment? “I’ve seen the graphs, and you are 50% less funny than the average person.” Wow. I think we were all just tired, but we were cracking up in a Wendy’s in Olathe about 11:15 last night after hearing all that. At least we weren’t scared anymore…

In other news, I guess people like my little life video that I made. I thought it was silly. I have been asked to make a sequel, so I’ll have to get working on that. I think I’ll ask some people to sit down and come up with some random ideas that we can film and put together.

By the way, I do have a new video coming out soon. It’s a secret project that a whole bunch of people have been working on (myself included.) We have finished the final cut, and I’m waiting for just the right moment to spring it on everyone. I’m hoping to do a series of these things and to make them available for the Archdiocese, so that all youth ministers can have these videos. Here’s to hoping for that one!

Anyway, it’s Saturday, so that’s my day off. Leave some comments as to what I should do on a Saturday. Make them funny, and perhaps I’ll use your ideas for my next movie for youth group!

October 11, 2005 • 0 Comments

Humility

So, I hung around after mass this past weekend to attend Ascension’s youth group. Chelsea gave a good talk and then challenged each of us to grow in humility. So, as a result, I have been thinking about that today.

What does it mean to be humble? What are the qualities of a person who is humble? Those are such hard questions to answer. I think that deep down, humility is something that requires absolute, wild self-abandon.

Now, with regards to humility, where do you draw the line? What’s the difference between self-gratifying comments and feedback? Is humility in not receiving the comment? Perhaps not. Is humility in how you take the comment? I think so.

When I was in college, I had a hard time accepting comments and/or praise from other people about my work. I thought that I was being humble in not accepting those. "Perhaps," I thought, "if I don’t accept praise, then I am humble because in accepting, I am acknowledging myself, which isn’t humble." However, I mentioned this to friends, who quickly changed my perspective. They told me that it was less humble to reject the praise, because it could be seen as thinking that you aren’t grateful for someone else’s comments. Wow! I never thought of it that way.

Instead, we concluded that it was better to thank the person for their comment, and to receive it in humility – namely, not going around and tooting your own horn. To me, it seems that humility lies not in the praise you receive, but in thanking a person for that praise with a sincere heart. That sincerety is the self-abandonment to me. If you are absolutely sincere, your thankful reception of praise is a mirror, in a way, re-directing the person’s joy in praising you upon themselves, as they receive the joy of a sincere reply, knowing their comment was taken to heart.

May you grow in humility within your own life, and always receive people with absolute self-abandon.

Peace.

October 5, 2005 • 0 Comments

Through God, all things are possible

"If you want to be a perfectionist, never work with kids or flowers." -Eric, the principal of Holy Trinity.

Nothing like a wise quote from someone who knows so much more than me to really put things into perspective. I’m posting this between youth groups – just had sixth, now I’m getting ready for seventh and eighth grade.

Have you ever gotten frustrated with yourself because things aren’t going the way you planned them? Yeah? Me too. It happens frequently with me. Most of the time, the changes to the plans work out better than I had planned them, sometimes they don’t. Perhaps this is God reminding me that I am not in control, but rather, I should let Him work through me. Maybe then, things would go as God planned them, rather than the way I plan them.

Once again, I have come to the realization that I have been directing my prayers to the wrong area. I have been praying that I receive the graces for my job, so that I can be a good youth minister. (Hear that? Sounds like I’m being a bit too selfish.) Rather, I should be praying for everyone else who comes to my youth group. I should be praying that they receive the graces they need from these meetings. I should be praying that the Holy Spirit work through me to help others realize those graces. It is not my responsibility to confer graces upon others, but rather God who does that.

If anything ever comes from me, let it be wholly through the grace of God and not of myself.