The Thoughts of Aaron Geist

Isaiah smiling!

2010-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that he's already one month old!

Chosen & Given

2010-10-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

We have many relationships with others in life—some chosen, and some given.

My relationship with my wife Alison was chosen. After some time of knowing her we chose to date. After some time of dating we chose to become engaged. And after being engaged, we chose to take it all the way with marriage. It's a great thing! We love each other and chose to commit to life together as husband and wife. I chose to marry her and stay with her knowing her gifting and the things that irritate, knowing what she likes and doesn't. I chose her, and thankfully, she chose me back!

My relationship with my son Isaiah was given. Sure, Alison and I had the desire for a child, but everything about this relationship is given. I didn't choose Isaiah knowing what he likes and what drives him crazy. I don't know what his gifting or the things that irritate me will be. I don't know if he'll like to play music, sports, video games, or just play in the dirt. With Isaiah, I get who I get. I get who he is.

One must decide well with the chosen relationship of marriage so they can face their given relationships—with all the late nights, rude awakenings, poopy diapers, and great joy—fully unified and confident in running the whole race, side by side.

And yes, I chose well!

Big Arms

2010-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Isaiah flexing for the camera

My boy is a strong little guy. Yet not strong enough to do everything (nor much) for himself. Though he and we are learning how to adjust to life together, Alison and I want what's best for him, and we are here to help him.

Sometimes when he's crying, I'll wrap him up in my arms like I'm swaddling him, letting him know that I'm right there protecting him, working for his best, solving his problems. And yet, he cries. I imagine now that it must be hard as a parent to watch your kids bang their head against the wall so to speak as they try to solve problems in the wrong way. Because you know their needs, you know how to protect them.

And yet, it reminds me of our Father, the one who holds us in His big arms. Yet I squirm and fuss, trying to solve my own problems, forgetting I'm in His hands.

Check out this video of J.J. Heller singing Your Hands.

May we remember to rely on our Strong Tower (Psalm 46), and rest in His big arms.

Nothing & Everything Changes

2010-10-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

There isn't much better than being a parent. I've been told this by many, but now having an almost week-old son, I know they're right!

Isaiah Aaron Geist was born Monday, September 27, 2010 at 10:34pm, weighing in at 9lbs, 1oz. and measuring 20 1/2". He is a joy and a blessing, just like Psalm 127:3 "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

It's amazing to me how this small (yet very big) event changed nothing and everything all at once. You see having a child changed nothing about me: I'm still as selfish, have the same fears, passions, desires, I didn't magically learn a new song to sing.

And yet, everything changed: There are now three in our home, my schedule changed, I'm now a father and Alison is a mother, there's lots more crying...by all parties involved, and the rest of my life is going to be different.

And all this happened in an instant.

A surprise gift from mom

2010-09-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

I received a surprise gift of my mom's creativity and handiwork today, created in 1982. Apparently she actually painted/did calligraphy of this scripture for many new moms and their babies. This one was given to Vicki at our church for the birth of her son.

Today, Vicki paid it forward, so to speak, and gave this calligraphy in a new frame to Alison and I. We'll hang it above our changing table and remember to pass my mom's legacy down to our son.

Thank you Vicki!

Crater Lake 2010

2010-08-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

With more pictures to come, check out a glimpse of our family's trip to Crater Lake.

Benham Falls

2010-07-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Sunriver, enjoying the sun where it's actually cooler than Portland. Crazy! Here Larry, Patrick and I ride the trails to Benham Falls. It was pretty fun. We took the trail with many rocks, branches and hills on the way for a total of 12.2 miles. Thank goodness for mountain bikes and low gears!

It's gonna be a boy!

2010-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

Many moments, big and small alike, have passed by since the last entry here on this blog. While I could go into excuses about why not, or promises on how this digital chronicler will be filled soon again...I won't.

Yet, this moment is too big to pass. Yes, if your eyes drifted downward already, you've seen the ultrasound of my (wait my? I'm going to be a dad?!) child. The cool thing about this ultrasound—taken May 3—is that while I've not posted the revealing photo, this 20-week scan shows that we are going to have a son! How crazy is that?!

I'm sure I'll have more to post soon...no promises!

Sunriver 09

2009-07-03T16:52:00.001-07:00

Ali and I are finishing up our vacation at Sunriver with her family and what a restful time it's been! We've enjoyed the typical stay here with much biking, swimming, reading, eating and playing games. I learned how to play bridge last night but can't for the life of me fathom why there would be a game where one person doesn't get to play each round?!!! I don't think bridge is for me; I'll stick with whist.

I haven't snapped too many photos but the sky and deer have been fun to shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.

Birthday song

2009-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Now that I can take video with the phone, I thought I'd get one of
Alison bringing my birthday cup cake, but she grabbed the camera and
key shooting.

March - June Recap

2009-06-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

What a ride! I'm beginning to wonder if life ever stops changing and settles into a routine. I don't think it does, but it's sure been good overall. Here's a snapshot of the busy & life-changing past season.

Moving on: Just as the 30 Hour Famine ended, my friend, mentor & boss, Brian Eberly, moved on from his role as youth pastor at Grace Point into the unknown of what comes next. Though I miss working closely with him, he has settled down at Rock Harbor, Pastoring students there. I look forward to getting our groups together for local events!

Taxes: Taxes are never fun, but when your wife is a tax accountant, it's a whole new level. Mostly I just don't see her for 3 months...so I was glad when April 15th came around and my Ali returned home.

Beach Retreat: As soon as tax season finished, I entered the full swing of Retreat Season...planning games, sessions and more. What a great time we had though, exploring the theme One. Check out the pictures.

Wedding: May 17 marked a new era in the lives of the Geist family. My dad, Dan married Denise in a hot church sanctuary with a beautifully decorated reception. It was a great weekend as my mom's family was in town and we got to enjoy seeing them too.

New Job: In June, our church voted to bring myself and one other gal on staff, me as the new youth pastor. It has been a great month so far...lots to do...lots of people who need Jesus daily...and a constant reminder of my own need.

Moving on Part 2: Thank goodness for technology! Just a week and half ago, my brother Andrew moved out to South Bend to get his Masters at Notre Dame. I am bummed to see him go but am glad to see him growing and moving on in life. I'm glad for technology because it has never been easier to keep in touch with those far away.

Camp Harlow: After being away from Camp Harlow for 10 plus years, I get to return, this time with a group of high schoolers eager to counsel their first group of day-campers. Wow...I remember my first time in '94 when I took the camp name Wet Willy for a Spring Break camp. That was so long ago, but an important experience in why I love ministry today.

New Decade: On Wednesday, I entered the land of those past their 30th year on this earth. I am truly glad to be here and look forward to the added wisdom and maturity that sometimes come with age. Of course, now I'm almost 20 years older than the 6th graders that just joined our mid-school group!

Moving: After 4 great years in this apartment of ours, Alison and I will move into my dad's house this Summer. It is the house I grew up in and helped build. What fun that will be!

Meeting Moses and getting AIDS: My Famine weekend

2009-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

I spent a great weekend with the students and leaders of 180 fasting, praying, serving and worshipping during the 30 Hour Famine. Thank you to those of you who donated and prayed for us! So far, and the donations are still coming in, we raised over $2,000 which meets the needs for 6 children this year. Praise God!

Here's a snapshot of our weekend:

The Rally: We met up with many other churches from the Portland area at Beaverton Christian Church. Normally the rally begins with high-energy music, but this year entered quietly while getting marked at health stations. The rally began with a funeral...yes, a funeral for 3 victims of AIDS in Africa.

When I see stats like about the number of children dying or orphaned by AIDS daily, I fell detached. The number is too great for me to act. But attending a "funeral" for one of those kids brings it home that I can act on behalf of one...and it makes a true difference in that one life.

One of the greatest treats this year's rally was hearing from Moses (pictured), a native Kenyan who would have been a statistic if not for World Vision's work when he was a child. The letters from his sponsor, Julie, are what led Him to following Jesus. What an encouragement for us. We can make a difference around the world!

Worship: We were tired, but AJ led us in worship, reading from Matthew and Isaiah, teaching us to not go around all somber and looking like we were suffering, but to go about as normal. It was great to live out the Isaiah 58 passage in fasting & breaking the chains of injustice.

Though our music was worship, I am convinced that the suffering, fasting, serving, and caring for the oppressed were a pleasing aroma for the Lord. I know He looked down on our students and smiled!

Serving: This year, we stayed on site for our service project. This was the most physically demanding year of service in that we spent about 2 hours clearing blackberries from our church property. The students did a great job, not complaining once! All in all, it was a good couple of hours, though I'm not sure what to think about a few of them eagerly volunteering to use the deadly poison spray on the roots....hmm :)

Tribes: Dividing into 5 tribes for the weekend, we played 7 games that had basis in real life challenges that plague the poor of Latin America. They included endurance, mental, strength, balance, and a few blindfold challenges. Pictured are students crossing the Amazon to get to school. My favorite however was the Survivor style endurance challenge where students had to hold a weighted bucket straight out from their body for as long as possible. This challenge represented the long trek back from a river with water for the family to drink, but presented some of the greatest challenge viewing of the weekend!

Speakers: Steve Pringle and Brian Wiggs brought great passion, insight and challenge in how we can continue the spirit of the Famine in our daily lives.

Steve spoke on our passion, how God has uniquely shaped us and our need to remain/abide in Jesus as we live daily. Brian challenged us to be courageous and build relationships with people outside our comfort zone, which is what it takes to care for the least of these.

The Meal: Last but not least, we ended the fast with chicken burritos. But we were asked to stay in the spirit of the Famine and walk silently look through the line, thanking God for the food we have.

We had a great time and I am so proud of the students who gave up 30 hours of eating to save children's lives. May our attitudes be changed as well. We are so blessed and are called to be a blessing to others.

Check out all of our Famine pictures here.

30 Hour Famine

2009-02-27T15:56:00.001-08:00

In just a few short hours, the students will begin to arrive for the 30 Hour Famine. We've already fasted for 4 hours and the hunger just began. I always dread the hunger, but the anticipation is the worst part. It makes me consider those in this world who don't know when that next meal will be on their plate. 30 hours is short compared to some the time others go without food.

I'm excited to fast with so many students who are raising funds for World Vision. I invite you to participate in giving alongside our students.

It should be a great weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!

Brian's 11 Years

2009-02-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

Today was bittersweet. On the one hand, our student worship team rocked the house and I so enjoy using my gifts alongside them in worship. I also enjoyed playing one last time on a Sunday morning with Brian.

See, that was the bitter part. It's hard to let go and move past what I've come to know. Brian has been a friend, mentor, and a wonderful co-minister at church. There are many thing's that I'll miss.

But today we had a going away party for his family. I had the pleasure of creating the video for the occasion. So check it out and look back with me on 11 years of Brian's ministry at GPCC.

Adversity

2009-01-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

We all face adversity…sometimes as inconsequential as on the playing field, sometimes it has to do with a relationship ending, or a parent, teacher or boss who you feel gives you a bit too much to do. The scale of adversity goes all the way up to sickness and when a friend or family member dies.

Adversity is tough or else we would call it a good time.

But though it is tough it can be good, because it shows who we really are, it shows what we truly believe and it shows what is most important to us. We see who we are through our reactions.

Take a look at what happens to these chocolate bunnies when they face adversity.

HT Marko

When adversity came, they melted, fade away, showed themselves to be hollow, and even lost their head.

But check out Job, a man faced with more adversity than many of us combined, He said that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord. Job understood that God is good and that He is in control.

So when you face adversity what are you like? The melting bunnies? Or Job who praised God?

A few things to remember when you face adversity:

Look beyond the now: James 1:2-4
You are going to grow. No athlete became good if they always thought about how hard practice was. Athletes persevere through tough times because they see that they are getting better and that winning down the road is the goal.
Serve God: Matthew 6:33
Don’t worry, keep on serving Jesus. Make it your first priority to be about what God is about and you won’t have to worry.
Obey God (Love Him!): John 14:15
Not just when it’s easy. Not cheating is pretty easy to do when you’ve studied for the test. But not cheating when it’s the final and your grade will determine if you pass or fail…that’s tough, but we still must obey in adversity.

Remember to the truth of Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

More to Come

2009-01-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

In another post I said more to come... and I can't leave you hanging forever.

Pictured here is a image of joy renewed and lives that continue. I am happy to tell my blogging world of the engagement of my dad and Denise. Here they are on their trip to Arizona, stopping for the O-so-great-but-overrated In-n-Out.

They are to be married on the 17th of May.

GPCC Year in review

2009-01-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Usually, the masterful Brian Eberly produces our church's year-in-review video for our annual celebration. But this year, due to a lack of computer resources (i.e. 6 year old macs w/ no hard drive space make for poor DVD production), I inherited the task. Fortunately, the good people of Grace Point had many pictures for me to use.

Our celebration is tonight, but for those who don't go there & those who missed the gathering and want a glimpse of this last year at Grace Point, check it out.

GPCC 2008 Year in Review from Aaron Geist on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-01-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

It's an interesting thing remembering a birthday of someone who cares not how old they are anymore. This would have been mom's 57th. It's been a hard year and a half, but a good one too. And I think she would be happy that we're moving forward, not forgetting the past, but moving on into all the new things God has for our lives while we're still here on this earth. It's nice seeing her mannerisms, traits, passions & gifting passed down to us kids and in my dad. More on the moving forward in a post to come. May you use your time to glorify God.

Mexico Missionaries

2009-01-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Last night was a treat. Usually, the only time we get to see Tim & Kathy Johnston is while we're in Mexico. But due to an unfortunate flight time out of Portland, they needed a place to stay. They were up visiting their son in Sweet Home and had to be at the airport at 4am! Needless to say, they didn't want to leave Sweet Home at 2am. :)

We had a wonderful time talking and finding out what is next for them. They are incredible people to be around. Such faith, such stories of the journey God continues to lead them on. It gets me all excited to return this Summer!

A Journey for This Year

2009-01-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried to read through the Bible and made it only for 2 weeks...or 2 days and then quit? Yeah, me too. It's the time of year for resolutions and though this isn't really a resolution, more just a desire for the year. I've invited our youth group in reading through the entire Bible this year. I found a cool plan from the You Version. It's a plan that has you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in one year. It's nice because it doesn't just go straight through. It has sections from the OT & NT each day.

Follow along with that YouVersion link. iPhone users will find it in the App Store too!

Today's thought from Genesis 1: No matter how you look at it...God created it all...and it is sure good! Praise God!

New Year's Eve in North Portland

2008-12-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

After a semi-wild day of playing Assistant Apartment Manager (not assistant to the...where was I?), Ali and I traveled to North Mississippi Avenue for a few places she's been wanting to go.

The Meadow: We stopped first here where Ali had read various Portland food blogs raving on the selection. I being a coffee and wine guy, I should assume that there would be many varieties of salt, but this blew my mind! They have 2 walls devoted to salts from around the world with samples of each. My favorite were the salt blocks (pictured). Supposedly you can cook food right on the block! With equally great a selection was the wall of chocolate. A bit of chocolate is a great way to head of to a taco dinner.

Por Que No Taqueria: This fun place just became my new favorite taco joint. Pay no attention to the poor image quality, but trust me in the quality and taste of the pollo asado (chicken) and pescado (fish) tacos. Ali had a small salad topped with three slices of avocado and we shared some fresh baked chips.

If you ever head down to Mississippi Avenue, and I recommend you do, you may also want to eat at The Mississippi Pizza Pub. We found them while spending time over at Emmanuel hospital with my mom last year. One evening we were all there and asked the nurses if there was any good pizza nearby. Sure enough, they were right.

We're back home now and ready to stay up all night...well, at least to midnight anyway. May God bless you in this new year, 2009.

Christmas Fun

2008-12-22T11:34:00.002-08:00

Last year, Brian and I filmed a little Christmas greeting to the students of 180. It was silly and included a couple of nerds—us—dressing up like Santas.

Well, we hope this year is better. Hope you enjoy :)

180 Christmas 2008 from Brian Eberly on Vimeo.

Big snow & ice

2008-12-21T16:02:00.001-08:00

The big storm did indeed come. With 12" drifts outside our front door, 8" most other places and a good coating of ice on top of that, it made for some tough walking around town. Ali and I headed up to the grocery store for a few veggies and of course some photos along the way.

Probably my favorite of the bunch, this crab apple tree outside our apartment stands out with it's red fruit showing through the ice. If it were not so cold, I could stay outside and take ice photos all day long!

That would be the 1/4" of ice covering the snow. It makes quite a crunch when you step through it to the snow below.

Think I'll be driving anywhere soon? As I write it's snowing more and they say another 2-4" of snow tomorrow! Are we on Mt. Hood?

Kitty stays in side with all this snow. This is her just about to yawn face. It kind of looks like her just about to bite you face. She has that face much of the time.

More Snow!

2008-12-20T13:36:00.001-08:00

Could it be that the weathermen & women of our fine town could be correct twice in one week?! I sure don't mind.

Seeing as we are supposed to get 6" of snow and then freezing rain on top of that later tonight, we went downtown for photos & shopping. Man, I'm sure glad we've got a Subaru. She sure loves the snow!

While we were out, we stopped at Pioneer Courthouse Square for a couple photo ops. Here are a few from our morning.

Snow Day (week?) 2008

2008-12-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

What a great day! We woke up not knowing if snow would be here...and it wasn't...alright...get up and go to church. Just a half-hour later the snow began to fall and didn't stop for at least 8 hours! Needless to say, we canceled church.

We couldn't really drive, in fact you'll see that our street was one of three closed by the city of Portland, so we walked to Starbucks with Annie & Matt. After a warm cup of coffee, we walked through Gabriel Park, then over to Ali's parents to borrow some sleds.

It took 6 hours, but we finally decided to come inside to eat and warm the bodies.

Now for the rest of the week....who knows, we aren't supposed to get above freezing until Saturday, with snow coming Wednesday & Thursday. Yikes!

Here are a few pics of the day's adventure.

Sweet Storage

2008-11-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have a problem. I want to use and access some of my files from home, work, and on the go...specifically our budget. You see, Alison created a wonderful Excel budget file, but I can't see it at work. Sure, I could FTP it every time we edit it, but how fun would that be?

Step in Drop Box. You install a small file on your computer and Drop Box provides you with a folder you can put anywhere you'd like on your computer. Then you drag files you want to sync into that folder. Drop Box keeps the latest copy of that file and anytime it gets updated, Drop Box updates all your computers with the new copy. Bam!

Now I've got my budget at home, work, and on the road! (oh yeah, you can view the files from any web browser too)!

The best part is that you get 2GB of storage for free!

Read more about it here from Lifehacker.

Black Friday

2008-11-29T14:09:00.001-08:00

I have stayed as far away from Black Friday as possible—until yesterday that is. You see, yesterday, Office Depot had a great sale on a laptop.

My first experience purchasing a laptop (5 yrs. ago) ended in credit card debt, many interest payments, and when the laptop broke, I returned it using the cash to pay off the credit card. All in all, I leased a laptop for one year. No fun.

This time was different. Actually paying for something outright is a much different feeling. Thanks Dave Ramsey, and oh the wisdom of Proverbs.

Getting the laptop did mean some sacrifice however, like waking up at 4:30am. I was 25th in line...not as up front as I would like to have been, but 100 people showed up between my arrival and the store's 6am open time. Yikes! I did however get a jump start on a John Grisham novel while standing out in the cold.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

I hope all who read enjoy their Thanksgiving and remember how MUCH we have to be thankful for.

I found this video from Sandy Hughes. It will brighten up your day a bit!

Friday Thoughts

2008-11-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

I take a break from the list of errands for a random posting of thoughts from today:

New tires aren't cheap!
I'd love to be in Nashville for the National Youth Workers Convention right now. They even have a "Live Blog" where you can view 5 youth workers blogging their thoughts as the convention roles on! Check it out!
If you want to hear some serious preaching, check out the Cornerstone Community Church podcast (find it in iTunes) from Francis Chan in Simi Valley, CA. Brian and I saw him at the convention last year.
In listening to the podcast, Francis spoke from 2 Timothy 3 about the last days...and that people would be lovers of self of which he said is the sewer pipe that the rest of the junk comes down. (the love of money, boastfulness, pride, etc...) The quote that made me think the most...and probably the most convicting was
We will get to a point where we are more concerned about our standard of living than we are about other human beings actually living.
Check out his series on The End Of The World for more...it's not your typical end times message!
Speaking of standard of living...I'm enjoying the iPhone 2.2 software update. It's pretty cool directly downloading podcasts and then just listen away. No more syncing!

Well, so far that's my Friday...more errands next and some website work for Dennis the Dentist! If you're in Tigard, Sherwood, Newberg area and are looking for a dentist...check him out!

Encouragement from iTunes

2008-11-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here working while listening to Starfield...my favorite NYWC conference worship band this year, and can't get the song Remain out of my head. The chorus rings so true in trials and when it seems like everything in life is changing all at once.

You are God with us
You're victorious
You are strong and mighty to save
For Your word stands true
There is none like you
And when all else fades, You remain

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Weekend Update

2008-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend was phenomenal! We took our High School group paintballing in central Oregon. The terrain was incredible, and the paint...fast. It was my first experience getting shot with the paintball gun, and I must do it again.

Old School Math

2008-10-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the way we used to do math compared to how they teach kids now. I'm talking about our weekend.

Last Saturday, Ali and I took a walk through Multnomah Village to look in all the shops. We came to Paganwood Restoring, a wood restoration shop with plenty of antiques. Entering Paganwood feels a bit like going to my grandma Geist's house back in the day.

Ali's eyes immediately found a 1920's era mechanical adding machine. Being an accountant, she wanted it for her office. The cool thing is that it still works! After coming home, she looked it up online and discovered how to use it (in a very convoluted way) to subtract.

If you're looking for a touch of something from yesteryear and a good walk, come on down to Multnomah Village.

Before I Resign

2008-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Encouragement is powerful. We are commanded to encourage one another, and yet sometimes it comes few and far between. This weekend, Brian and I received a copy of a student's paper on youth ministry from one of their college courses. The student had written it, reflecting on their own past in our ministry and as a high school student. It floored me, and encouraged me enough to keep going another 5 years! (no I wasn't thinking of quitting :)

Brian and I share this with you to remind you that you never reap in the same season that you sow, that it takes time to make faith our own, and to never underestimate the role of relationship in the lives of students. You can read the text of the letter from Brian's blog...the link is below.

Years ago, as an intern of Jon Knapp, he told me to create a before I resign file. Put in that file cards, notes of encouragement, and anything else that reminds you of what God has done through you. When that day comes that you think that you're having no impact, go to the file and be reminded of what God has done, and that ministry takes time.

This note is going in the front of that file!

Letter from a student.

Closed Ended Questions

2008-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

It is my day off—1st one in over 2 weeks!—and I'm sitting here, listening to a seminar from Andrew Marin from the National Youth Workers Convention. He talks about building bridges with the gay community.

In his work, Andrew often gets yes or no questions in relation to his topic. His point about yes or no questions is brilliant and can help us in answering people in many circumstances. He points out that closed ended questions are asked because the inquisitor already knows what they believe and want to peg the answerer into a category based on their response. At that point, there is no further dialogue.

He points out that Jesus was asked 29 closed ended questions in the gospels...by John the Baptist, by His disciples, and by His enemies. Can you guess how many times Jesus answered with a yes or no?

Three.

And those three times were to Pilate...when His ministry was over and the only thing that remained was the cross. Other than that, Jesus didn't answer with a yes or no to closed ended questions.

Answering closed ended questions with a yes or no puts the hearer in a position to fight, stand their ground and close off hearing you. Answering as Jesus often did puts us in a place to continue dialogue.

I'm pretty good at answering those questions with a yes or no. And I hope that I can become more like Jesus

Teen Sex

2008-10-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

That may be the most shocking title this blog has ever had, but equally shocking and encouraging is the new research published by The Heritage Foundation on Parents and Teenage Sex. There are few other topics—save the choice we make about God—that have such lasting impact than our sexual activity.

I encourage you students, parents, and youth ministers alike to read the full study here. I'll summarize a few of the points I found troubling and helpful:

On Sexual Activity:

Almost 2/3 of high school seniors have engaged in sexual activity. (That goes beyond sexual intercourse.)
2 out of 3 teenagers that had sex said that they regretted the decision and with they would have waited longer. (Wow!)

On Consequences:

The chance of getting an STD doubled for those engaging in sexual activity at age 13.
Sexually active teen girls are 3 times as likely to become single mothers and 40% of those will give birth outside of marriage.
Sexually active adolescents are half as likely to be in a stable marriage.
Mothers who began sexual activity at ages 13 or 14 were more than twice as likely to live in poverty.

On Parental Influence:

When asked "Who is the most influential regarding your decisions about sex?" (depending on the age breakdown within teenagers) 39%-59% said parents. Only 5%-8% said religious leaders. (Wow! I can say a lot as a youth worker, but the most influential person in a teens life is their parent! Parents...I'm praying for you!)
Parental factors that appear to offer protection against the onset of early sexual activity include: intact family structure, parents' disapproval of adolescent sex, teen's sense of belonging to and satisfaction with their families, parental monitoring, and to a lesser extent, parent-child communication about teen sex and it's consequences. (They say to a lesser extent because those parents who exert "excessive or coercive" control might lead to negative outcomes.)
Parent-child connectedness is measured by the level of satisfaction parents & teens feel in their relationship, the amount of warmth, love, affection, and the level of parental involvement in their children's lives.

On What a Parent Can Do:

Avoid sending ambiguous and mixed message about teen sex.
Convey clearly to their teens their values on this subject.
Focus on imparting clearly defined values. Simply discussing sex does not necessarily protect teens.
Seek to strengthen their relationships with their teenage children.

We certainly have a difficult job to do as parents and youth workers, especially when you factor in the extent at which our culture at large give us freedom to do and explore whatever we want. We no doubt need to bathe our actions and conversations in prayer when it comes to speaking about sex. But be encouraged at how strong your influence is in your relationship with your child!

Students have a tough task as well, facing peer pressure, cultural influences, and their own desires. Students, this article isn't just for parents. Ask yourself, "How is my relationship with my parents?...What do they really think about all this?...Do I listen to wise advice and consider the consequences before taking action?"

NYMC 08 - Highlight Reel

2008-10-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend down in Sacramento for the National Youth Workers Convention. This wonderful event put on by Youth Specialties is one of the highlights of my year. Just about the only thing I didn't enjoy was not having my wife alongside.

I'll be blogging through what individual speakers shared as the weeks go on, but I wanted to tell a few of my favorite things.

The People: Although I went for the teaching, worship and soul care, connecting with people was one of the most encouraging elements this year. It was neat getting to know a few guys from my neck of the woods, as well as some from the online world. If you're in youth ministry, you should check out Tim Schmoyer site. He is a dedicated youth worker in Minnesota who provides countless resources and tips for those doing student ministries themselves. In fact, I'm listening to a video podcast of his as I type!

The Communicators: You can't go wrong when people like Tony Campolo, Mark Yaconelli, Shane Claiborne, and of course YS President, Marko bring their thoughts on life and serving God. But I loved the great variety of topics taught. It ranged from 2,000 plus years of church history and its effect on where we are now, to how we act justly today, how we think about the gay community, and those dark times in the wilderness in which all leaders pass.

The Bands: Hello...Starfield, Lincoln Brewster, Shane & Shane, Kendall Payne, and others! Great worship leaders and artists.

The Freebies: It's real nice coming home from the convention with a bag full of free ministry resources, and a few valuable purchased ones too. Above the Golden State, a local Portland band even made it into my freebie bag!

The Tech: For those of you Twitter people out there, my total tweets increased 47% while at the convention. It was fun tweeting and reading my fellow youth workers' tweets as we all learned different things.

Brian had the chance to Liveblog the event, which meant that during all the sessions and seminars, there were 4 laptop laden people typing their thoughts and experience for the world to see. It was fun to interact on the liveblog. If you want to check it out yourself, even see videos & pictures from the convention, check it out here.

The Passion: The convention provides a camp experience for 2,500 youth workers. There are a bunch of people heading back to ministries this week with new passion and vision. You can pray for them as they seek to excite those around them in the things they learned.

Well, for someone who hasn't typed that much in a while, I think I'll call it quits. Check back soon for my thoughts on the speakers.

NYWC - Connection

2008-10-11T14:26:00.001-07:00

Though I come to the convention for the learning, the music, the
speakers and more, this year I've enjoyed the new connections and
meeting other cohorts in ministry. Between lunches, coffee, seminars
and random hallway conversations, it's been preety cool.

National Youth Workers Convention

2008-10-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well, Brian and I are here in Sacremento for the convention. We are
pumpped for what's in store. You can check out the happenings on my
Twitter (on the right of my blog), or at http://nywsac.crowdvine.com
where you can follow a few live bloggers...Brian is one of them.

Here is a picture of the stage as people are entering.

Twitter & Up and Coming

2008-10-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed my serious lack of blogging as of late...er...as of always. But do not worry, I haven't forgot about my blog friends. In fact I think that this next weekend will provide ample opportunity for me to share my thoughts. Brian and I are heading to Sacramento this weekend for the National Youth Workers Convention. This will be our third time there in four years. I am way excited about going. It's always a good time of care for the soul, learning about ministry, and experiencing some great times with 3,000 other youth workers.

In case you hadn't looked on the side of my blog recently, I've become a Twitter addict. It started out very simple and mostly so that I could see what the big todo was. Now I'm hooked. Feel free to follow me by going to twitter.com/aarongeist.

Mexico Media

2008-08-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I finally have some more stories from Mexico, but this time it's not just from me. Yesterday, our Mexico team used the sermon time during our church services to share stories of what God did in and through us.

You'll find the 40 minute session along with our PowerPoint slide show links next. I've also embedded the 4 minute video slide show that Zach made. Soon, I'll post the 20 minute version that he and Caleb spent so much time creating.

The PowerPoint file is in the 2007 version. If you don't have that version, click here for a 2007 viewer.

Mexico Sharing Audio - MP3 File
Mexico Sharing PowerPoint - PowerPoint 2007 File
Mexico Pictures - These are the 'best' 500 out of the 1600 taken!

Mexico - Beauty

2008-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

I just went through all my pictures, taking out the dust marks. Seeing all those pictures makes me miss my time there. I could stay for a while longer. The last few days have been filled with laundry, cleaning, trying to rest up and later I'll go in to work for a few hours before a meeting.

There is no way I can post further reactions to our trip and or give a sampling of pictures all in one post. So I've decided that I'll post under multiple categories...hopefully one a day, but if you're an avid reader of this blog, you know that may not happen :)

Besides the fact that there isn't much greenery, and you're surrounded by poverty, dirt and penetrating dust, you can't help but marvel at how beautiful this area of Mexico is. From the hills to the bay of Ensenada and even its people, Mexico is very beautiful. It truly is a Psalm 19 place, where everything about it is declaring the glory of God.

Here are some pictures of the beauty and wonder, taken by Sara L., my dad and myself:

Sunset over an island in the bay

Sunset over a peninsula in the bay

A red ant on Lucas' arm

Our daily view

Again, our daily view

A squirrel enjoying the view at La Bufadora

Nighttime at our living quarters

One last look at the sunset

Mexico - Day 10

2008-08-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the plane and won't post this until we land. It's both
exciting that I'll finally be home, yet I love being in Mexico and
living in that culture so much. I know that if I had to do it every
day my story might change. Who knows.

Well, I had the craziest travel and border crossing experience yet.
Like I said yesterday, instead of taking our usual route through
Tijuana, we followed Tim & Kathy up to Tecate and then into the States.

The trip itself was beautiful. There were hills covered in giant
boulders and we traveled through the Mexican wine country. The only
problem was that we got stuck behind many trucks going up the
mountains. At times we would be going 5mph uphill. It wouldn't have
been too bad minus all the extra travel time except for John's van. It
began to overheat going uphill behind the trucks, so on a 92 degree
day, the other van had to turn on the heater! Ugh.

The reason for going through Tecate was because the Tijuana border
crossing takes at least an hour if not more. We only waited in line
for 5 minutes here! I was thinking, "no way!" but...

They pulled both our vans into secondary. I followed the usual
crossing procedure, giving over all the IDs and offering up passports
and birth certificates. The guy asked if I'd ever crossed before. I
wanted to say yes, 6 times without problems. Then he asked both our
vans to unload an go inside the immigration building. You've got to be
kidding me right?! Well we went inside and the officertold john and I
to get checked first and then go park our vans on the street and wait
for everybody else. The guard letting John and I out to get the vans
couldn't even believe that they brought us in in the first place.

Well, at least we made it across the border. Then we got to drive back
west toward San Diego of course stopping at In 'n Out. Good stuff. We
debated the finer points on whether or not it was better than
Burgerville. It was nice to have a good show of support for the NW
chain.

Yesterday was wonderful. There were so many hard workers on our team
that helpped finish more than we planned to accomplish. VBS ended
which was sad saying goodbye to all hose kids.

A group of us poured concrete steps leading up to the Church from the
dirt road. A few more painted the upright poles and benches outside
and another team of us finished tiling an grouting. We estimated a
little over 800 sq. ft. of tile laid. Grouting gave me a few good cuts
and stained hands but we sure had fun.

It was a long day. About six of us had quick breaks for lunch and
dinner at the church bit pretty much worked straight through untill
8pm. I feel very tired, but that's good. I feel that a number of us
used up all the energy given.

Our last group session was special. The new pastor at the church,
Melquiades and his wife Salvina-who works with the kids and youth-
shared with us how God brought them to this point. It is exciting to
know the church, pastors, kids and town that our group supports.

Well our decent is beginning and the sights and sounds of home will
soon be before us. What will each of our lives be like now? We prayed
that the changes that God put on our heart in Mexico through our
serving, observing the culture, and listening to God's Word would not
soon be forgotten. (Really never!)

Mexico - Day 9

2008-08-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's late. We worked late but completed all the grouting. Whew! I'm
tired and ready for some sleep. Just a quick post to say we leave
tomorrow. We'll be following the missionaries out of Mexico as they go
to the States. It should be fun because we will head through Tecate
instead of Tijuana. Supposedly there is very little wait at that
border crossing. Blessings and catch you onthe flip side...of the
border that is.

Mexico - Day 8 Part 2

2008-08-06T22:18:00.001-07:00

Whew! The long day is about over. I am already missing the kids and
the last day is not yet here. I'm currently putting the student's
pictures on my laptop so my train of thought may be more broken than
normal.

I drank my last cup if hot chocolate tonight. Some how, our group
downed 3 containers of the powdered drink mix. I blame Katie and her
hot chocolate shots.

VBS was good again but a bit more tough as we lost a few of our team
members to other projects. Tiling of the church continued today while
half the team poured a foundation of a house to be built in September.
In the afternoon, we finished grouting the main room of the church
while my dad tiles the back room.

We had church tonight in the new floor. They were so thankful and it
was just more evidence of God's provision in their lives. Cristian,
Caleb and Katie V share their testimonies tonight. They were powerful
and it as so wonderful to watch them me used. Zach, Caleb and I
helpped lead worship which finally seemed to to well. We did have to
figure out the guitar chord on our own and they were singing in keys
like Bb and Fminor. I got to preach tonight too. It was good but
always interesting when having your words translated.

Most of those feeling ill are better. Just one remaining with some
ickiness. Keep praying and we'll keep taking care.

Tomorrow is our last day of ministry. It wouldbe nice to stay longer.
Oh! And how could I forget?! I gave my first guitar lesson in Spanish
today! The gal who receive the guitar brought by Haley asked if I
chould play with her. I was able to teach her three new chords and
tune her guitar. It turns out that instead of chords and notes A B C D
etc... They use do re mix fa sol la ti! And their first note "do" is
our "C" ...crazy!

Till tomorrow

Mexico - Day 8

2008-08-06T07:04:00.001-07:00

Buenos dias! I planned to rise at 6:30 this morning to finish going
over my message but was awoken at 5:15 by the sounds of dogs barking,
roosters crowing, trucks driving and who knows what else! So I finally
got out if bed around 6 and finished the message then. I'm excited
about it.

I decide to post an update this morning because a couple of our team
member's digestive systems aren't in perfect condition. Nothing
horrible, but nothing fun either. I know they would appreciate your
prayers as would I for the message tonight.

Hope you all are having a great week in the states and we can't wait
to be back to share stories. As for me...I could stay here longer.
What a great place!

Mexico - Day 7

2008-08-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Buenas noches

Just a quick post tonight. We had a good long meeting led by Kathy the
missionary and I've got a shower and final message prep to do yet.
I'll probably violate our curfew, but that's a perk of leading I
suppose.

More great VBS, more tiling, more loving on kids. The Mexican kids
just love us to death and it is so fun to talk with them and play with
them.

A family from the church prepared a hominy soup for us tonight. It was
wonderful. Thy are an incredibly generous people and give glory to God
for everything.

Well, I must continue with my evening. Lots to do tomorrow!

Mexico - Day 6

2008-08-04T22:22:00.001-07:00

Ah the second week has begun. What a great day. We begun VBS by
inviting kids from around the villages. That was real fun...inviting
kids in Spanish and then leading a group of them down the street
toward the Church.

While inviting kids, we went to the house of the family we built fir
last year. It was wonderful seeing the living in the house. They even
invited us in for Coke and to see pictures she had from last year.
Later today, Zach, Caleb and Jacob went and invited them to church.
Hopefully they'll come on Wednesday.

We were presented with a need last week. The church is trying to
inatall a tile floor and only had 1/3 of the tiles necessary. Our team
donated the funds to purhase the remaining tiles an we began
installing them today. If all goes as planned, we will finish before
church on Wednesday night!

We feel prepared for tomorrow's VBS, but plans always change in
Mexico! Shannon did a great job teaching today and we're looking
forward to Haley teaching about Jonah and obeying God. About 40 kids
came today. Who knows how many more tomorrow!

Mexico - Day 5 part 2

2008-08-04T08:01:00.001-07:00

Duh!!! In my excitement of writing about last night I forgot to
mention that yesterday was taco day!!! Woohoo!!!

Mexico - Day 5

2008-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I got to bed last night late after lights out, so no time to post. At
least I went to bed thinking that God knew what He was doing. More on
that in a bit.

Yesterday was our day of rest. We had breakfast early then went to
church here in the village. Zach, Caleb and I accompanied their
worship on guitar. Haley and John both shared testimonies. It was
wonderful and blessed the church.

We then left to our laundrymat for the clothes washing for the week.
After a half hour of driving, we arrived to find out that of was
closed! That's okay ;) we asked where another nearrby one was. It was
mch smaller and we all had to partner up on washers so no one got as
many clothes clean as we had hoped. But hey! This is "Flexico" not
Mexico. :)

After laundry an lunch, we headed out to La Bufadora, a tourist
shopping area at a natural blowhole on the coast. It was a fun time.
Students bargained for the price they wanted on various items and and
I had some fresh churros. Good times.

We came back and had our group meeting. In our small groups we talked
about Ephesians 4, using our gifts an unity. You know how when you ask
God for patience, he gives you oppourtunities to be patient? Well, we
realized after our meeting that when you ask God to help you be
unified, He shows you where your disunity is. This is always one of
the hard parts on the trip. We're halfway through, many are tired,
many haven't been away from home this long and lived with this group
for so long. Add in the emotions of having just finished a house and
the thought of one more week to go and the disunity shows.

The good news is that God knows what he is doing. He uses this trip to
show us our rough edges, and then gives us the grace to smooth them
down. Both of those happened last night. I went to bed thanking God
for the day and am excited for what this week has in store. We begin
VBS today, so please pray for us!

Mexico - Day 4

2008-08-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

I'm without cell service tonight for some reason, so this may not post
for a bit.

At last...the house is complete! What a joy it was to finish the hard
work and turn over the keys to the family. In reading Jeremiah this
week, he chided kings and people for doing nothing when they saw
injustice and opression. How amazing to work with a group of high
school students who do.

We were fed the most amazing lunch today: chicken with molé sauce,
homemade totillas and rice. Mmm mmm mmm! Molé is some sort of sauce
made of chocolate and spices. One of those things you wouldn't think
would be good but turns out to be incredible! Dinner of enchiladas
ended our eating.

Kathy led our discussion tonight. We talked about being able to "feed"
ourselves spiritually and about poverty. There was some wonderful
sharing about experiences with poverty and discussion about
contentment and need.

I can't wait to upload and share pictures with you all.

Mexico - Day 3

2008-08-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tiredness set in today. It's 9:30 and I'm ready for the sack. My hot
chocolate and some good time to relax is keeping me awake right now.

We accomplished much today. Mudding, sanding, roofing and trim are all
nearly done. Those tasks should be finished within the first hour as
painting begins tomorrow. We look forward to dedicating the house. The
students went to the dollar store tonight to purchase house warming
items: soap, kitchen utinsels, backpacks and lightbulbs...

We took a trip after diner to Comercial Mexicana for some supplies and
good ol Mexican pastries. That was fun being in a local supermarket.

The time is flying by so quick. We encouraged the students to make the
most of every opportunity and remember who this trip is for.

What a great atmosphere right now. A circle of backrubs after the long
days work, a card game, shared cinveraations over hot chocolate,
writing in encouragement journals and a few sitting outside in a
"quiet" Mexican night. No night is complete without the dogs,
roosters, ATV backfires and the baseball game down the hill.

It's quiet down time in ten minutes and bed in forty. What a
good...tiring...day. Gloria a Dios!

Mexico - Day 2

2008-07-31T21:30:00.001-07:00

Great day! We just celebrated a student's birthday with a homemade
cake following an incredible tamale dinner. Got to love the food!

Today was wonderful. We just about finished the roof, electrified and
sheetrocked the house. The family is helping and is so appreciative.
It is so cool that God is using us to do His work! We met even more
neighborhood kids today and it is so fun to play with them. Thy are so
content with so little.

Our team is full of great workers. I am so glad to be a part of it.

Today, a van pulled up at the church across the street from where we
are building. It said Portland OR on the side. I asked if they were
tom Portland and ten realized that I went I school with the guy! Here
he was brining down a group from Mosaic church to do a VBS at this
church...El Roca Fuerte...the solid rock!

Well, it's time for cards encouragement journals and then the
wonderful bed.

Till tomorrow.

Mexico - Day 1

2008-07-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great day full of laughter and surprises and joy. Typing
on my phone isn't condusive to a long blog recap but I'll try to give
the hilghlights.

We framed and put siding on the whole house today...very encouraging.
We are having a lot of fun too while working. Each team member is
encouraging one another and working hard. I got a pretty good sun burn
on my lower back. Must remember to wear a longer shirt tomorrow!

We just finished small groups after a service at the local church. It
seems that God is blessing them and they are excited to have us here.
It gave me so much joy to see children that I met last year! This
place is a place of peace.

We're all pretty tired from the long day, relaxing now, playing games,
writing in journals and listening to music before our 10:30
appointment with the dorms.

Well, hope all is well in the states. And Steve, if you're reading
this, CMac says hi.

Dios le bendiga
Aaron

Off to Mexico!

2008-07-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

My Dad, Alison and I are in the car driven by my sister heading for
the airport. 22 of us from our church will fly to San Diego, then
drive to Ensenada for nine days of serving the church in Mexico and
aiding some local missionary friends. We will build a house for a
family in need, help lead a VBS, participate in a local 'store' where
the food and clothing ate given away, and learn like crazy!

Pray for us that God would use this experience to grow us up in our
faith. Pray for those we minister to and with.

I have limited data usage in Mexico before I run up a bill, but I will
try to send in updates to the blog.

Dios le bendiga!

http://www.180students.com/mexico08

Lifecast?

2008-07-26T10:07:00.001-07:00

Checking out the new Lifecast software formobile blogging. Seriously google...when is yours coming out?

Posted with LifeCast

I'll have cup of coffee...minus the coffee

2008-07-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday brought great weather and a fun trip with our mid-school group to Wild Waves in Federal Way, WA. After a cool time on the water slides and roller coasters, we headed back home, a three-hour journey.

Of course, we stopped at Starbucks so that our van drivers had the gusto for the trip. I ordered my favorite drink—a triple-grande-caramel-macchiato: Steamed milk, vanilla, caramel and of course the all important 3 shots of espresso.

The drink starts out sweet as you sip the caramel floating on the milk foam, then turns nice and bitter as you hit the milk & espresso, finishing sweet when you reach the caramel on the bottom.

After leaving the store and returning to the road, I noticed that the drink was staying a bit sweet for far too long. I began to suspect that they didn't put enough espresso in, or worse...none. Alison opened the cup and sure enough, a white drink.

NO COFFEE!!!??? What?

How do you order a Triple shot drink and receive none?

I could not believe it! We'll see what happens. I wrote Starbucks customer service. Maybe they'll give me a free drink :)

Surprised by God

2008-06-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

Pastor Steve from our Church began a new series a couple weeks ago entitled Surprised by God. This meant-to-be-fun Summer series has quickly turned into a look at a God who seems to love surprising His people. From the way He saved Israel from Egypt and the way He sent Jesus to this earth, to the remarkable test He gave Abraham after surprising him with a child in old age, God still surprises people.

Steve shared of two surprises in our own church body: A changed cancer diagnosis in a 25 year old man from terminal to treatable, and a 5% chance of survival during heart surgery into leaving the hospital just a few days later. Wow! How incredible.

It made me reflect on times when I've been surprised by God, some medical, some financial, some spiritual. We have a God who delights in surprising us with outcomes and paths that we didn't even know to exist.

While at this time of morning, I'm usually trying to grab every last second of sleep, I'm getting ready to clean our apartment's laundry room. That was a surprise. Faced with part-time jobs that took full time, we wanted to pay off credit card & student debt much faster than we were able. God surprised us when our apartment manager told us that he was looking for someone or two to clean the laundry and rec rooms for a good chunk off our rent. Surprise!

We're not ready to call up Dave Ramsey yet for the Freedom chant, but working our way. Thank you God.

How have you been surprised by God?

Farewell to Seniors '08

2008-06-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

It is once again that sad time of year where we say goodbye to our Senior class and ready ourselves for the incoming Freshmen.

To help celebrate our Senior's time in the group, we create a farewell slide show. I'm showing this tonight at group. They will be missed!

Las Vegas Photos

2008-05-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

We made it home safe and are sad that vacation is over. Here's a small sampling of the photos we took on our trip. To see the pictures in their full size glory, go here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aarongeist/LasVegas.

From the Road: Jackpot!

2008-05-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my title might not be quite correct, but we did make 0.5%
profit on thus outing. That's right...we put in $4 and ended up with
$4.02! Woohoo!

From the Road: "Breakfast"

2008-05-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

We had the lunch buffet at the Luxor today, our actual anniversary.
We're in line to see an afternoon magic show-2 for the price of 1...my
kind of pricing. Oh...the line is moving. Got to go.

From the Road: In 'n Out

2008-05-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said that it doesn't get much better than sleeping in
and so and so...? Well, it does. Vegas has seven area resturaunts and
we hit up the Henderson location on the way back from the Hoover dam.

From the Road: Hoover Dam

2008-05-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

This phone picture doesn't do justice so expect more on this when we
get back home. But all I have to say is that it is pretty impressive!

From the Road: M&M's World

2008-05-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yes there is such a place. And it is a marketing extravaganza.

Breakfast in Vegas

2008-05-27T13:13:00.001-07:00

Nothing like sleeping in and enjoying a wonderful Belgian waffel with
Ali. The 80 degree weather doesn't hurt either. :)

Mi Amigos

2008-05-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, Ali and I were treated to Kabobs made by Justin over at the Ubel's. It really doesn't get much better than a night with friends, our Goddaughter Brooklyn, great food, some backyard disc golf and a game of whist.

But alas, it is Monday morning, and I—as I'm sure everyone else in reach of the early Northwest Summer—am not ready to go back to work. I'd rather have another kabob.

Breakfast & "Mr. Buddy"

2008-05-17T12:46:00.001-07:00

Ali and I took part in our traditional non youth event Saturday morning activity: Breakfast & Starbucks. With the weather being so nice, and us only wanting to be outside before it hit 80, we walked. I'm going to miss the hot drinks for the season, but I enjoyed my iced caramel macchiato, and Alison, her iced Americano, all of course while attempting the Saturday crossword.

You'll notice pictures from the walk of various flowers and of course, Mr. Buddy from our backyard. Alison named any squirrel we see Mr. Buddy, because they become our cat's buddy. He was up in the tree, a little angry that I was taking pictures of him instead of providing his morning diet of roasted peanuts.

Dinner and a walk

2008-05-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Alison and I used a gift card to enjoy Manzana's happy hour on Friday which helped us escape the 96 degree heat for the evening. Owning an air-conditioning unit that doesn't fit anywhere in our house is unfortunate to say the least. We enjoy the sun by day, but the heat makes us wish for the winter by night.

After dinner, we walked around Lake Oswego—which happens to look nothing like the portrayal from 24. It was beautiful, and gave us another chance to experiment with the camera and take pleasure in God's creation.

Photos Part 2

2008-05-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't help myself! Here are a few more from around the apartment.

Back in the saddle

2008-05-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

An eternity past once again. Life has been busy. This past month has been great, but with plenty of preparation. We took our High School group to the beach, had our first Mexico Mission training session, co-taught an Understanding & Parenting Teens seminar, alongside what just seemed to be a busy month anyway.

I'm sure I'll blog on all of these things soon, but alas, I've got some work still ahead of me today.

But, what I've got to share is our new camera. Prices on Canon's Rebel XT line are falling pending their discontinuation, and I've got a few friends with the same camera. Compound that with our 6 year old camera throwing a green swatch of pixels into every shot and it was time for an upgrade.

I'm not terribly well versed in the language of aperture, exposure, and shutter speed. But from what I know, I thought I'd try some shots in manual mode. What the heck! I mean, it's digital right?

Anyway...enjoy.

Gmaill gets an upgrade

2008-04-01T10:17:00.001-07:00

If you're a fan of Gmail, you're going to like their new feature. You can now pre-date your emails so that it looks like they've been sent earlier! This can be so helpful when you missed sending something important, or if you need it to look like you remembered a birthday. Check it out!

https://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html

Spring er...Winter Break

2008-03-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's March 27th and it snowed last night. Not much, but enough too make this Oregonian very happy! Right now, I'm sitting at Starbucks watching inch-wide flakes fall in front of blossoming trees. It's one of those moments that can only stop and make you thank God for His beautiful creation!

The Weekend Update

2008-03-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been a while since my last post, but, 'tis the season. Ali was involved in a wedding on Friday and Saturday, plus she/we made the picture slide show for the rehearsal dinner. It was a good time. Here is Ali standing by the wedding cake. Mmm mmm good.

En Route

2008-03-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

On our way to a student's dance competition, Ali and I encountered the
beginnings of a thunderstorm. Before driving into the rain and hail, I
shot this photo capturing a quarter of a rainbow. It was about the
most intense rainbow I've seen and this image doesn't do it justice.
But what a beautiful sight!

Honduras, Thailand, and the Columbia Gorge

2008-02-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Vista House & Beacon Rock

Last weekend our church was visited by Victor a missionary national we support from Honduras. Victor has planted about 40 churches in the last 10 years, discipling their pastors. He ended up staying at my Dad and brother's house for the weekend while in town.

While Alison was busy at work, the four of us went to the top of Council Crest to enjoy the view of a clear day. We then headed downtown to Misohapi, a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant for some delicious Chicken Pad Thai! That was great...a couple of Americans at lunch with a Honduran ordering Thai food!

After that, we headed out to the Gorge and to Multnomah Falls. It wasn't a chilly day, but the closer we got to the water, the colder it got. I think it was a bit too cold for Victor.

It was a beautiful day! Watch the slideshow below, or click on it to view full screen pictures.

Bridgetown Prayer Walk

2008-02-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've written about Bridgetown before here. Last Friday, I got to go down again and lead worship during the orientation time. It was a wonderful night and there were something like 140 volunteers there to feed, clothe, give haircuts, wash the feet of and eat with the homeless in our city.

A dream of Marshall—the director of Bridgetown—is to have groups of people minister now only under the bridge, but go out into the downtown area and pray for the city each Friday night.

This Friday was the first. I've been on a walk-a-bout before where we take hot chocolate and clean socks to the homeless living in other around downtown. But this prayer walk is "just that" described by Marshall. Praying and walking.

I was in a group of 5 people who walked about 2.5 miles while stopping at 9 pre-chosen locations to pray for 9 specific things:

For the protection of our team.
For the wisdom of the leaders of the city.
For those struggling with addiction.
For racial reconciliation.
For the police of our city.
For the other ministries already happening.
For those listening and preaching false religions.
For those who visit the city to see what God is doing.
For the struggling businesses in the area.

Of course we were encouraged to pray for whatever else we saw or to engage in conversations with people we see as we're walking.

Bridgetown can mobilize up to 80 people right now doing prayer walks that cover downtown. Marshall hopes that this ministry grows. If you've thought about serving with Bridgetown but have shied away at the thought of feeding the homeless, I'd encourage you to go on a prayer walk. Who knows what God will do?!

Protesting Geeks

2008-02-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

As one who codes in HTML/XML, I found this quite amusing. Thanks to Marko.

Hot Eats, Cool Tr... Hot Eats

2008-02-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's not often (if ever) I make a plug for food. But if you're in Tigard and looking for some lunch, go to Ole Ole. They have some of the best tacos around town! Pictured here is the chicken taco. They also have a great fish, asada, chorizzo, al pastor, and what I had today, the machaca taco. The machaca has shredded beef and egg...yes egg...very good. They also have good burritos, nachos, and dinner plates.

The only downside is that business seems to be slow. So please do what you can to support them so that my favorite lunch spot becomes a permanent fixture in our town. Our church staff is sure doing their best!

Winter Continues

2008-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Though I'm sans spouse this weekend, today is wonderful due to the unexpected snow.

I woke up expecting a normal day, but when I opened the windows saw about an inch of snow! I was going to lounge around the house in Alison's absence, but couldn't resist going for a drive. I headed to the local Starbucks for a triple grande caramel macchiato and brought my Oregonian so I could do the crossword puzzle...outside! It was astounding.

After leaving Starbucks, I decided to head around town a bit to see what the snowfall was like elsewhere. In Portland, elevation determines everything when it comes to how much snow you get. Like I said, we got about an inch at our apartment which is about 500 ft. above sea level. I drove down the hill to about 200 ft. and it was a slushy/rainy mix...boring.

So I decided to make the trek all the way up to Council Crest Park at over 1000 ft. I'm sure glad I did! There were over 2 inches of snow there along with couples, kids and dads sledding, snow man making, and photographing the white powder.

I did slip a bit, even in the Subaru, but it was worth the beauty. Alison is lucky she wasn't around. I made a snowball that would have undoubtedly hit her.

Youth Snowboarding Trip

2008-02-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! There weren't may words to describe the beauty that was our snowboarding trip with the youth group on January 21st. Alison captured this incredible shot of Mt. Hood peeking over the hills on a cold, windy Monday.

Cold was right too...before the sun went down, it was 16 degrees with a wind chill of 0! But it was one of the most beautiful days I've seen on Mt. Hood. The great part about Ski Bowl...besides being the cheapest of the 3 major ski areas, is that on a clear day, when you ski down Ski Bowl's runs, you get a perfect view of Mt. Hood itself.

I tried to be a bit daring, and took my camera on three different runs so I could capture the amazing view. Feel free to view it below in the slide show, or follow the album link to see the larger images.

It will be worth your time!

Snowboarding 2008

Snow!

2008-01-28T13:49:00.001-08:00

We awoke this morning to a special treat of a dusting of snow. It perfectly covered all the trees, bushes, cars and grass. Hopefully the trend will continue into tomorrow!

New Look

2008-01-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just want to change. Well, today was that day.

I acquired some web space which allows me to do many things like hosting my blog. Yeah!

What does this mean for you? Well, for one, it means that I broke your RSS feed, so you'll have to re-subscribe: Put http://www.aarongeist.com/atom.xml into your feed reader of choice.

Second, it means that now instead of aarongeist.com redirecting you to renmusic.blogspot.com, the opposite will happen. Bookmark http://www.aarongeist.com as the official blog.

Lastly, it means that for those of you with iPhones running 1.1.3 firmware, when you 'webclip' my blog to your desktop, you get a cool icon. Touching eh?

Well, pardon the mess as I get links and other goodies established on my side bar.

And while you're at it, check out the last year in photos at our church, here. (put together by Brian.)

New Blog

2008-01-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not moving blogs. But my friend Tyson just started a new blog. Check it out when you get a chance. I'm sure that if he goes for it, it will be filled with art and good thoughts.

While you're at it, Check out his artwork.

Exciting Day

2008-01-17T15:58:00.001-08:00

Tuesday was an exciting day:

First, I got my car windshield replaced after the crack grew for months. I'm glad I replaced when I did too. I got the first crack in the summer, but the second crack happened the day before I got it replaced! Lucked out there!

Second, the iPhone 1.1.3 update came out. Now I can have Google Maps locate where I am and get directions from there...great feature!

And lastly, we had our 2nd Tigard-area Youth Pastor's meeting. It will be exciting to see what happens with this group of like-minded and group.

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-01-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

This season of firsts without mom came quick and left in a hurry. Just like the rest of life...it goes on...and fast at that.

Christmas was a special time together with the six of us. Annie and her husband Matt, and Ali and I spent the night over at Dad and AJ's. We shared the usual traditions of snack foods, stockings, presents, fighting over who has to be "Santa." Dad put together some wonderful gifts for us kids: Coloring books made long ago by mom, an ornament with her stocking & picture and a note written in 2001 when she didn't think she'd make it another year.

Sunday January 6th would have been her birthday. So we all joined for a meal and her favorite movie, What's Up Doc?. If you haven't seen it, please do so. It's hysterical!

Christmas begun a new tradition for us. My dad suggested that we pick a candle each year to light at Christmas and her birthday. This year's was a beeswax candle we found at the Portland Farmer's market one cold Saturday afternoon.

I asked dad why he thought that mom didn't write any new updated notes (like the ones given at Christmas) since her last goodbyes. I thought about it and realized that in the last seven years, she lived in a way and said everything that she would have wanted to say. She lived in the open, unashamed, and boldly speaking. She left nothing behind with no regrets. It was a truly beautiful way to move on.

Winter Youth Article

2008-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'll probably go deeper on a few Winter Youth ideas later, but I thought I'd give you a glimpse of our time at Winter Youth. This is from an article I wrote for our Church newsletter, Intertwined.

Over Christmas break, nineteen High school students and leaders spent four wonderful days together with 900 other students at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion Hotel for CB Northwest's Winter Youth Celebration. We shared times of worship, teaching by Rick McKinley and Chris Seay, painting by Scott Erickson that reflected each of our speaker’s messages, reflection as a group, drinking coffee, square-dancing at a hoedown, a concert, and jumping around some crazy inflatables.

Pastor Rick McKinley of Imago Dei challenged us to expand our view of God beyond just a "little bit of Jesus," to one that includes God Almighty of the Old Testament. We looked at how God revealed Himself to Abraham, Moses, and David. Each one of them responded to God in fear: A fear that accompanied safety, one that comes with trust, a fear that keeps us from sin, one that causes us to care about the things of God, and a fear that leads to knowledge and life.

Rick showed us that though these men failed in big ways, they were still called a friend of God, a man after God’s own heart, and one who spoke face to face with God. The great news is that God is turning us into the image of Christ so that we reflect His glory.

Rick's last message was about placing and finding our security in God alone and not the things of this world, others, or what they think of us. We were tested in this when they sent all 900 of us out around the Portland area in XXXXL (yes, quadruple extra large) t-shirts. Imagine the sight of that! In a culture where we often find security in how others view us, it was a challenge.

Finally, we were asked to think of how we can love our neighbor as a group by taking a step, saying yes to meet a need we see. We spent time brainstorming and praying about this task for which we were made.

Pray with us as we find where God’s pulse is beating in our group.

Less is more

2008-01-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year that folks write down their new year's resolutions, and then try to stick to them. I've got them too:

I want to blog more. I want to read more. I want to read the Bible more. I want to get up earlier.

Others want to exercise, make more money, eat healthier, do more and be more.

More is great. But I'd like to do less this year. I want to rest...and not just take breaks, or lay on the couch watching TV, or vacation a lot, but actually rest more. I'd like to spend more time in awe and wonder at this life that God has made.

May this be the year of getting less done...more or less.

Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.

Happy New Year (08)

2008-01-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a great New Year's Celebration last night. Alison and I spent it with our friends Justin and Jessica with their daughter Brooklyn, Ali's brother and wife: Patrick & Maria, and later on, our friend David came as well.

We shared great times over the fondue pots of cheese, broth, oil, and chocolate. Mmmm mmmm good! I have never had a fondue experience I didn't like.

After a game of Imagine iff and counting down the year with Dick Clark, we somehow got on the topic of music in the '90s and went on over to VH1's website where they had listed the "greatest" 100 songs in the '90s. (Seriously, how did the Backstreet Boys make it to #3?) After singing through all of them, we made our way home, finally getting some sleep around 2:30.

Now I'm at Ali's parents house, blogging, viewing the snow capped hills to the East and enjoying a fresh cup of French press coffee from Patrick. Coffee is always a plus!

Feliz Año Nuevo

2007-12-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

After such a long hiatus from blogging, one would think that my new goal of blogging 6 times/week is out of reach. One would probably be correct.

None the less, I decided that I would try to begin before the new year arrived. The image above and to the left is of our group's trip to Winter Youth. Details of that will probably be in my first week of posting.

Until then, may God bless you in this new year.

Cannon Beach with the Fam.

2007-11-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, my dad invited us kids and our spouses for a weekend at Cannon Beach. If you’ve never been there, you should go. It is one of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast.

Now that we’re all adult children, we have different schedules making us unavailable for the entire weekend, so Ali and I stayed Friday Saturday, Annie came down Saturday and stayed through Monday along with AJ and Matt who cam down Sunday. Whew. Too much information, I know.

Ali, Dad and I enjoyed a round of Square 9, a game my Grandma taught us, reading, and watching movies that night. Saturday was beautiful and sunny—surprising for the beach in November!

Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Square 9

Seagull in Flight by the Needles

Ali & I

Phoon at Haystack Rock

The Boats at Newport - Dan Geist

Driftwood - Dan Geist

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ali and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, remembering how God has blessed you.

Guys Night Out

2007-11-20T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last Friday through Saturday, Alison and our youth group gals were at the Revolve Tour, a big deal put on by Women of Faith. While the gals enjoyed their time, us men of the youth group hung out for a Guys Night Out. We did it all. About 14 of us ate 7 Pizzas, drank 6 2-litres of soda, crammed 5 bags of chips, played hours of video games, poker, capture the flag in the dark, a special Guys Night Outburst and more!

It left us all exhausted seeing as how most people didn't get to sleep until 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and arose at 9. I haven't stayed up that late since I had a final paper deadline! Whew! I need more sleep!

My first mobile blog

2007-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

You are reading my first mobile blog via my new phone. Pictured here
are my great friends Jon and Brian. The coffee is fresh and the day is
long.

Aaron out!

Fuel Halloween

2007-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Last night our high school group had a Halloween celebration.

As you can tell, I'm wearing a bio-hazard suit. I wore this costume about 6 years ago and remembered it was sitting in the supply closet of the youth room. My explanation for the suit was that I had to wear it after someone else used the bathroom.

We had many good times, but one of the funniest moments was watching 4 of our students attempt to eat a donut on a string while wearing a blindfold! The donut would bob and sway, hitting them in the face with its sticky exterior.

Next, we enjoyed a wonderful game of bobbing for gummy worms in Jell-O. :) Yes, disgusting. Even after all that Jell-O on my face, I took second. Each of us had 10 gummy worms in our bowl. By the time our winner found all ten, I had seven. Oh well, next time.

For those that opted out of the costume experience, we provided newspaper, masking tape and a team of people to dress them up right! Pictured here is the winner of the competition. They gave her spikes to make her into Bowser from the Mario Brothers games.

We ended the night discussing our group's new name: Fuel (That post is to come), and what we are passionate about.

Student Leadership Team

2007-10-30T19:22:00.001-07:00

Sunday was a first for Ali and I. We finally had people over for a meal! It was awesome. Yes, we've had people over, but for dessert, hang out time, or other things.

This was the first time that people used our new dining room chairs. They match our table almost exactly and we got them for the price of dog-sitting. That's a great price!

Sunday was fun. We had our High School Student Leadership Team for a meal and meeting. I enjoy having our meetings, but having them in a home is much better. It's great hearing from them their thoughts on the group, how it's relevant (or not) and what is important to them.

Day of the Town - part 2

2007-10-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

We finished our day of the town at Bridgetown last night. It was a wonderful evening. You never know what to expect. In fact it was the first time that a homeless person ever gave me money. It was just a penny, but wow, what a neat lady.

Pictured here are Amy & Breann (youth leaders), Brady & Nicole (students) and Alison making peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the evening. Along with the sandwiches, we served homemade chicken chowder soup, biscuits, cake and coffee.

I had the job of Disney duty which means sweeping up the trash under the bridge. It is one of my favorite things to do there because you get to walk around and see all that is happening. You also get to stop and have conversations with different people while at the same time letting people know that they are important enough to have a clean living space.

Alison and I along with my brother and two rockers from church helped lead worship for our gathering of cross-denominational servants. It's so cool when people from different backgrounds get together in unity to be the church and not worry about our differences. It made me reminisce of leading worship in Mexico. Both are a beautiful picture of what Jesus prayed for in John 17.

Day of the Town

2007-10-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Ali and I are having a very towny day. She took the day off so we could have some much needed rest together.

After sleeping in, we made our way downtown for our first ever visit to Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Pictured to the right is my 16oz. mocha. The latte art reminded me of this video. Alison enjoyed a plain coffee (very good if you ask me) and I ate what I think is the best croissant I've ever had.

We then made a quick stop at Border's Book Store and drove home the scenic way, up behind the OHSU campus and stopped on the top of the hill for an incredible view of mountains Hood, Adams, St. Helens and Rainier! Astounding!

Our last town stop will be with Bridgetown Ministries under the Burnside Bridge. We're taking our youth group there to serve and love some of Portland's neediest people. It's always an amazing experience...always better than I could hope.

NYWC Day 4.0

2007-10-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

Final day. Final thoughts Many more thoughts to come.

Brian and I started the day with the 10 minute walk to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a scone, then onto the final seminar session; it was our first together for the weekend. We chose Doug Fields' course on developing a strong volunteer team. He had a lot of good things to say, but one that Brian and I agree with whole-heartedly was that volunteer in youth ministry are never chaperons. They don't just help out the youth leader. They are the ministry. Without them, the ministry would flounder. Students need adults that love for and care about them. God bless them! To see the profiles of our great team, visit our staff page.

Our final session brought Marko (Mark Oestreicher)—president of Youth Specialties—to the stage.

He described the three basic questions of adolescence: Who am I? (Identity) Do I matter/have purpose? (Affinity) Where do I fit? (Autonomy).A person (regardless of being a teenager or not) won't enter true adulthood until they answer these basic questions. For more on that, I recommend reading Hurt by Chap Clark.

Marko then profiled youth ministry from its birth in the 50's to its needed direction today.

Youth Ministry 1.0 began in the 50's and lasted into the mid 60's. It fixated on answering the Who am I question. Culture informed its language and topics. It had a proclamation style, focusing on evangelism. It's "theme passage" would be from Matthew 7 about the wide and narrow gates.

Youth Ministry 2.0 began in the late 60's and continued on until recent years. (Although some would say that the next shift in youth changed long before.) This era fixated on the Do I have purpose question. Culture informed its models & measurements. It focused on discipleship and peer groups. Ministry was program-driven and the "theme passage" could be from Matthew 28 about making disciples.

Youth Ministry 3.0 is the shifting model described next. Marko reminded us that he didn't have a crystal ball, but as the times change, students change, and ministry methods need to change.

Culture fixates now on the Where do I fit question. Culture programs our students now for Community. Marko suggests that Communion and Mission (with the whole church) are good models to use. Instead of being program-driven, be present: Present to God, to the needs of the moment, to each other, and to life in the way of Jesus.

If I can take a quick aside, another speaker talked to us about being present and that having a CEO-like vision isn't as important as you think. He said that people point to Proverbs 29 which speaks about the destruction when people lack vision. But as he pointed out—and I confirmed—the word vision is used in the King James, which was written before our modern day corporate world business mentality. If you check out modern day translations, they use the word Revelation. When the people don't have Revelation...a message from God, they flounder. Therefore, we need to constantly bring the Word of God to His people.

Finally, the "theme verse" for this era could be Acts 2:44-46 and John 17:18, where the church comes together in all unity.

Marko's final thoughts were that the days of one size fits all ministry is gone. What we need to do is contextualize ministry for the students God gave us, do less, be communional—yes, that's a made up word emphasizing community and living out our recognition of what Jesus did—be missional at all times, and be present—live today, in the now.

Was that a lot to digest? Yeah, me too. I'm thankful to work with a great team and that I have many praying for me and the students I serve.

NYWC Day 3.1

2007-10-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm just about finished with the book Living With Questions by Dale Fincher, one of the seminar speakers. Between down time and the plane ride, I'm enjoying his philosophy/apologetic written for teens. It's kind of like taking an easy, condensed version of my college philosophy class. I'm still debating whether or not I want to use the book as a basis for a teaching series or a small group material.

That night, Mark Matlock of Planet Wisdom spoke on what the American church can learn from the church worldwide. He made reference to the body of Christ, and that a body needs all its parts to be healthy. Its parts aren't just about gifts, or types of people, but includes all races and nations. So to be healthy, we need to learn from the church as it is in other cultures.

Mark also spoke about how the Acts 15 church addressed the gospel heading into a new culture. From that, he developed a comparison of how our culture tells us to run church verses the way of Kingdom of God.

Culture	Kingdom
Defend identity	Deny self
Control the process	Submit to God and others
Critique others	Serve others
Achieve outcomes	Trusts God for outcomes

It's easy to get stuck in a rut of doing things out of our own wisdom and power in the church. Though I want success in my ministry, I don't want to play the numbers game. May we remember that it's His church and not our own.

NYWC Day 3.0

2007-10-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in getting my day 3 wrap up to you. Day 3 was long but good. In fact, I'm sitting at San Diego's airport right now waiting for our delayed 6pm flight back to Portland. 250,000 plus people have been evacuated from their homes because of the wild fires in the area. The hotel we stayed in even offered conventions travels an extra night's stay at a discounted rate. Many major roads are closed because of the fires. In fact, Brian and I visited the mall for lunch and it was practically empty. We'd estimate that around 40% of the stores are closed due to employees needing to be watching out for their homes.

While at the convention, we got news of two churches, one in the San Diego area and one in the Malibu area that burned to the ground. Their youth staffs were at the convention, so we had the chance to pray for them. The only item standing at the Malibu church was their cross. I know that these churches will have a hard time, but a chance to live out the reality that the church is not buildings, but people.

Now to actual day 3 things:

Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission spoke about the world slavery crisis and how our generation is called to wipe it out. 27 million human beings live in slavery, 2 million of those being children that are involved in the sex trade. It was a horrible feeling watching the presentation of how some people are treated. Fortunately, IJM directs an amazing team of courageous lawyers and others people to put together cases against the slave owners and raid properties to free slaves.

He called us who might be on the trip of Christianity but missing the adventure to step up wherever God calls and walk down a path where we will slip if God does not show up! Wow!

Well, that’s enough reading for you right now and my connection is messing up. More later...Out.