Changing of the Colors Rally

This past week has been incredible in a number of ways. Incredibly rewarding and incredibly demanding. Jennifer and I had about 12 days of early morning, all day, and late night responsibilities. The great thing is that we used that time to make relationships with a large number of students and potential leaders for the future. We had a large number of kids that we prayed with. We are always floored by the issues that young people are dealing with. It was very obvious to us that God was working in the lives of teenagers in a real way. And that is why we do this.

The worship band from our church's youth group helped out and provided some great atmosphere, and Jacob's Ladder from here in Arkansas put on a great show Saturday night. Here are a few pics.

Sometimes you just like to rock

Saw Staple the other night. One word...serious. Check out their site. They rock hard.

Also along the musical note these three worship albums are great. We are especially busy trying to steal Crowder's stuff.



Facedown - Matt Redman, Ten Thousand Charms - Robbie Seay, and Illuminate - David Crowder Band. You might want to check out Ecclesia Houston's site also. Robbie Seay's brother Chris is the pastor.


And now on to my favorite CD of the month. Without a doubt...GC. Listen for yourself. These guys are so honest, it hurts to listen to it. And while it may be dark at times, this album is saturated with hope. Anytime you honestly talk about the 'culture of death' (borrowing a phrase from the Pope) it is going to be kind of disturbing. Yet Good Charlotte manages to point out that life and light can sometimes punch a hole in the darkness. Even if you don't like punk or pop/punk or whatever label you want to put on Good Charlotte, you should give this one a listen just to hear the song that is being sung by the hearts of alot of teens in America. It may not be high art, but it is real.

A Very Fun Week

Once again, Jen and I count our blessings. We have had the greatest few days this last week. We have just got back from National Youth Workers Convention put on by Youth Specialties in Dallas.

While we can go anywhere and have a great time, it helped that we were staying in the Adam's Mark in Downtown Dallas. We got a chance to eat at a few of our favorites including Dickies Barbeque and the absolutely most crowded On the Border I have ever seen in my lifetime. (OU and Texas Weekend in Dallas).

We spent a long time listening to Rob Bell, teaching pastor of Mars Hill in Michigan. All I can say is, "...dude." We also wildly enjoyed The David Crowder Band. We learned a lot of new things and tried real hard to listen for the voice of God in all the noise.

We also got some new CD's and Videos, watched some movies, and read a few books. All of which I will attempt to blog in the next few days.

Best thing that shook out of the entire week, was the time that I got to spend with Jen. One day we spent the entire afternoon in one store, just talking. After it was over, I said, "I can't believe that we have been talking and discussing stuff that long...It didn't seem like twenty minutes." To sum it up. She's wonderful.