The great state of Tex-afornia

Room Raiders
This afternoon a student and I "broke into" another student's room and video taped it. It was pretty fun to get out of the office and doing some zany creative things again. As an intern, I used to do a lot of cool video stuff. Now, more time is spent doing administration and planning. I realized yesterday that I need to fill my time with more of that un-structured time. It replenishes my need to be creative. It is an outlet that refreshes me.

posted by Kevin @ 4:55 PM 0 Comments

So, after that whole comment fiasco, I have decided to keep the blog and moderate the comments. I'll approve them after I read them. Something I should have done the first time someone decided to get a potty mouth/typing finger.

So, we had small group this evening. One guy out of three showed up. It was cool though, this student has a real honest attitude toward his faith. He's not willing to let any question go unasked. I like that about him. He asked me why things seem pretty dead around the group. I realized that he was right. We haven't really gained a whole lot of momentum since coming back from Christmas.

While I am dissappointed, I must come to terms with the seasons of ministry. I am excited that we are gaining a few new younger volunteers. I think the added energy will help us out.

One thing I failed to mention was that this Friday night we had an all night prayer vigil. Nine of us gathered to pray. I was impressed that we actually made it through the evening. It was mostly our student leadership team (as to be expected). What joys my heart the most is that we are setting a pattern of prayer in our ministry. I may never have an Xbox in our youth room, but our students will know (hopefully) the importance of prayer in the life of a Christian. What is even better is that we experienced it in the context of community. It is times like these seeking the Lord that will fuel our students and ministry through the dry times.

posted by Kevin @ 9:51 PM 1 Comments

Saddened
Once again, someone left some some lewd comments on here attacking my brother. I am seriously thinking about getting rid of this thing. Sorry, to all you out there, but I'm seriously pissed off that people will leave a comment that is lewd and accusatory, but will not own up to their words.

You who are so bold from a computer screen must really have no life that they feel the need to look for people to vent the frustration and anger. I am sorry for the sad little human beings who have nothing positive in their life other than leaving raunchy stuff on websites.

That's all for now.

posted by Kevin @ 1:56 PM 1 Comments

Thanks Martin
So the Christian that a lot of our students go to doesn't have today off. What do I do with that? The rest of the country recognizes that Martin Luther King jr. did many great things for the country. Yet, the Christian school can't find it in its heart to take the day off in remembrance of a fallen hero. I watched part of a documentary of MLK yesterday and it made me reflect on how far we've come in the 40 years since his death. In many ways we are better. There are areas in the country where black, white, asian, latino and middle eastern people live in relative harmony. This was my experience in high school. There are still ways to go in many parts of America.

I wonder if MLK would be shocked that racism is still rampant in our cities. That atrocities like what happened in the SuperDome still exist. That the media would describe a white looter as someone grabbing necessities and a black looter as someone stealing. That the black community would continue to honor the thug life that promotes promiscuity and violence. That stereotypes still exist in harsh forms. That the deep south has still not repented for hundreds of years of hatred.

It saddens me that our Christian congregations are still as segregated as ever. It also saddens me that our Christian school cares little about breaking down walls between races. Why must we be so bass-ackwords when it comes to embracing love and this gospel ethic, "There is neither male nore female, jew nor greek, slave nor free, for we are all one in Christ Jesus."

posted by Kevin @ 12:39 PM 0 Comments

Worshipping with a Hasidic Jew
Matisyahu is a raggae artist from New York who also happens to be a Hasidic Jew (is still waiting for the Messiah (Moshiac). I heard his song "King Without a Crown" on the radio on Saturday and found it online on Monday. Here's the chorus:

What's this feeling?
My love will rip a hole in the ceiling
Givin' myself to you from the essence of my being
Sing to my G-d all these songs of love and healing
Want Moshiach now so it's time we start revealing

The rest is a beautiful piece of prose that sing of love for God. This song moves me to worship in so many ways. First, it expresses joy and love for God in words and images that are not present in most of worship music. Second, musically the song has much more than the 5 chord mellow worship stuff of our generation. The question is. Can I worship with song written by a guy who doesn't believe in that Moshiac has come? I asked this question to a guy in our church and he asked me what the difference was between this and using the Psalms as worship. David awaiting Moshiac just as Matisyahu is.

What is more amazing is that this guy is actually getting recognition on MTV and VH1. How cool is that a raggae jew singing about his love for God is connecting with this generation!

posted by Kevin @ 9:53 AM 0 Comments

The Pleasure of My Company
So I picked up this novella (short novel) by THE Steve Martin thanks to my boss who gave me an Amazon gift certificate. It's about a guy who is filled to the brim with neurosis (like not being able to step off curbs). Anyway, it was an incredibly moving story about how living for other people can actually make you lose the things that hinder you in life. At the beginning of the story I laughed out loud alot, Steve Martin is a funny writer. By the end I started accepting this guy's quirks as fairly normal. It's been a while since I've read a piece of fiction that moved me. It didn't hurt that the story had two settings So. Cal and Texas. I still haven't read SHOPGIRL, his first novel, but I think I might pick it up.

posted by Kevin @ 9:20 AM 0 Comments

What a game!
So last night's National Championship was so awesome. Even though I am from Southern Cali, I had to root for the 'Horns. Mostly because I have some really obnoxious relatives who are USC fans and I always love to see them eat crow.

posted by Kevin @ 9:24 AM 0 Comments

A Brand New Year
So 2006 is here. No, I don't have any resolutions. I always want to lose weight and get in shape, but that is more of a constant than a conserted effort. As I reflect on this past year I see the many cool things that happened. New Job, Graduation, New House. All milestones in their own right. I feel that this year the milestones may be less obvious. My hope is that I don't miss these small mile markers.

Lord, open my eyes to the small things you do in my life. Let me see that your grace is present in the seemingly insignificant matters of life. I thank you in advance for what you will do in my life, my family, and in the people around me. May we bless you as a community. For your glory, Amen

posted by Kevin @ 9:06 AM 0 Comments