Youth Specialties Pittsburgh - Saturday

Today was a good day. I spent most of it in and around the various prayer spaces provided by YS. Andy and I are working as volunteers in the Labyrinth this weekend. I had two shifts today, and it was an amazing experience. My first shift was during the morning's general session. Yesterday was not very busy. There was never any kind of a backlog. Since it was a general session, I figured most people would be in listening to Francis Chan speak, so I guess that it would be more of the same. Acutally, it was busier than either of the sessions I worked on Friday.

But that was nothing compared to my afternoon shift, which was during the time between the afternoon seminars and the evening general session. When I walked in, the labyrinth was full. There were two people at most of the stations and three at at least one or two. There were 6 people waiting to start, and there were 4 people on the sign up sheet to start in the next 15 minutes. It was crazy.

What I learned pretty quickly is that busy is better. And not just because it makes time go by faster. It is incredible to watch the people who go through the labyrinth. I don't think that I have ever been a part of something where people have so consistently had incredible experiences with God. I get to watch people from the time they walk into the door, through the time they are at the prayer stations, up to the time that they leave. I get to see countenances lifted. I get to see people lift their hands in worship. I get to see them shed tears as they work with God. I get to watch as burdens are lifted. I literally get to watch as people are changed because of their experience with God. It's just incredible. Thanks YS for the opportunity to be a part of it.

Between the my two shifts in the labyrinth, I spent some time on my own in the Prayer Chapel. One of the things I spent a lot of time praying about before coming to Pittsburgh is that God would provide some guidance for Quest for the coming year. I certainly don't know everything yet, after after my time in prayer today, I feel like I have a lot more clarity. Keep watching here for details.

Phyllis Tickle was the general session speaker today. I was fortunate enough to see her in Atlanta last year and was blown away. I blogged about that session here, and I was part of a discussion of her talk here. I also read her book The Great Emergence. I think she's fantastic, but I wasn't quite as blown away this time around. However, let's be honest, a big part of that is because it wasn't a new idea to me this time. While there was a bunch that was new (or at least different) from her talk in Atlanta last year, it is very similar to her book. Still, it was good stuff to think about.

Tomorrow I don't have any shifts in the labyrinth. I get to be a participant all day. I'm not sure I'm excited about that...

Youth Specialties Pittsburgh - Friday

I spent most of today in and around the Labyrinth. Those of us who are volunteering to work there got to be the first participants to go through it this morning before it officially opened. As always, it was great. I think it's really cool how each time I pray the labyrinth something different sticks out to me. Today it was the station called "Outward Journey." "Outward Journey" comes right after time that is dedicated to just spending time with God and taking communion. It discusses the importance of taking that experience with us as we go out into the world and using it to affect the world for God. It sort of matched up with things I've been thinking and questions I've been pondering about the direction for Quest in the next year. The actual convention hadn't started yet, and God was already beginning to speak to me. That's awesome.

After finishing the labyrinth myself, I started working. As a volunteer, my job is to make sure that everything in the labyrinth is running smoothly and to give participants some instructions and answer their questions. Because most people weren't here yet, the morning session was very quiet. It is really cool to be involved in the "Soul Care" department of the convention. Youth Specialties puts an emphasis on giving people the time, space and opportunity to strengthen themselves spiritually.It's awesome to be even a small part of that. The most fun is talking to participants after they are leaving. Many are completely blown away by the experience that they have just had with God. It's great to see God at work in the lives of others. I am so thankful for the opportunity to volunteer and be a part of it.

I worked two shifts in the labyrinth. Between them was the first General Session. It was fantastic. Joe Castillo did some more of his sand art. This time, he used it to tell the story of the Prodigal Son. It was awesome. Check out the link. It'll be 9:20 well spent. Then Starfield lead worship. I love Starfield. I'm glad there here for the first couple of days of the convention. The speaker for the session was Mike Pilavachi. He was great. To me at least, he is a very entertaining speaker. He's British, and since I generally love the British sense of humor, I found him hilarious. He touched on a variety of topics, but the big one was about helping people to grow the way Jesus did. Jesus sent out the disciples and allowed them to make mistakes. Then he made sure they learned the lessons from the mistakes. The lesson for us is that we have to release people before they are ready. People learn to be good by being given the freedom to be bad. To often, we want people to be perfect before we give them the opportunity to try. Of course, then how can they ever be perfect, since they don't have the opporunity to practice and try things out...

Youth Specialties Pittsburgh - Thursday & Friday Pictures

Youth Specialties Pittsburgh - Thursday

This is the first time that I've ever been at the National Youth Workers Convention on a Thursday. The main convention always starts on Friday afternoon, but there are early bird events on Thursday. I have to say, it's a different place. Much quieter and more sedate.

Andy and I got here at about 9:00 a.m. this morning after driving through the night. We weren't able to leave the Chicago area until 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. We had to be here by 10:00 a.m. Thursday to work on the set up of the Prayer Chapel and Labyrinth. We were a little tired on the drive, but there were no problems or safety hazards. When we got to Pittsburgh, we parked the car across the street from our hotel. Then we walked into the lobby to ask when we would be able to check in. They told us that we could have our room right away, which was very cool. It was even cooler when we opened the door. The room is HUGE. It's bigger than most studio apartments that I've ever been in.

After checking in, we walked the 3 or so blocks to the convention center and met the team that we are going to be working with. It's a great group of people. We worked hard at the set up. Everything went up quickly, and it looks really good. There are a lot of cool areas and stations in the Prayer Chapel. I'll post some pictures in my next entry. I think my favorite area is the one with the paralytic's mat. We created a "hole" in the ceiling, and there is a mat on the floor with ropes running up to the "hole." It's a place that can encourage prayers for healing or faith, and contemplation about who you would go through the trouble of lowering through a roof or who would be willing to lower you through a roof. Very cool. I can't wait to see everything tomorrow when everything is lit for ambiance and it is all in use.

Youth Specialties, Day -1

It’s been a busy day today, and it will be a long night. Andy and I are volunteering to help in the Soul Care department, which includes the Prayer Labyrinth and the Prayer Chapel. We’re really excited about it. However, we need to be there at 10:00 a.m. Pittsburgh time on Thursday morning. That’s a little bit of a problem, because the earliest flight we could take would get to the Pittsburgh airport, which is a long way from down town, a little after 9:00. We aren’t sure that we would be there in time, especially if there were any kind of weather delay. But Andy can’t leave until after Frontline tonight, which means we won’t be on our way until 9:30 or 10:00 tonight, at the earliest. And that means lots of late night driving.

This is going to be a great weekend. We’re really excited. We’re excited to help out. We’re excited to be going to the convention. We’re excited to spend time with God and each other as we plan for the next year. Keep us in prayer this weekend. Pray for safety while travelling. Pray for our wives and babies (newborn or unborn). And pray that God will meet with us and help us plan for next year.

You can follow what’s going on all weekend. I’ll be blogging about it here. Andy will be blogging about it here. You can read the Frontline or Quest twitters, and you can follow the live blogs from the General Sessions at www.nywc.com/live.

Have a great weekend.

Send Tim to a Seminar

One of the cool things about the Youth Specialties convention is the number of different seminar options that are available. Over the course of the weekend, there are over 80 seminars available spread over 6 different sessions. I thought it would be fun to get you involved, and let you pick the seminar I go to on Saturday morning. Below, I've copied the description of the possible seminars from the convention web site. I've also included links to the speaker biographies, so you can learn a little bit about the people giving the seminars. To the right you will find a poll where you can vote on which seminar I should go to. Then I'll provide updates on Twitter while I'm in the seminar, and write about it here as soon as I have a chance once its over. So, get involved, and help me decide which seminar to go to.

Deep Justice in a Broken World: Helping Students Serve Others and Right the Wrongs Around Them by Chap Clark. It doesn't take a long list of statistics to convince us that our world is broken. Mission trips, service projects, and the financial support of children around the world through various relief organizations are just a few of the ways we engage students in serving the least, the last, and the lost. While these things are all helpful, the world's problems run far deeper than what an occasional pain job or fundraising project can solve. But it isn't hopeless - deep social justice is possible in your youth ministry. In this seminar, based on the forthcoming book of the same title, Chap will guide you in how to help your students grasp more deeply the call of the gospel to 'go into all the world' as chosen representatives. He'll also give you specific and practical tools and tips you can use to help teenagers become active servants in the kingdom of God.

What Monks Can Teach Us: Helping Students Discover the Ancient Art of Listening to the Voice of God by Dave Ambrose. Is it really possible to hear God speak to you? How do you learn to listen to his voice? Is there more to this than just reading your Bible and praying more? Come and discover some new 'ancient' ways of communicating with God and discovery his plan for your life.

Jack Bauer's Youth Ministry: Using TV and Movies for Teaching and Learning Experiences by Mark Helsel. Teaching and learning can be as exciting as an episode of 24! Come and learn how to impart truth to kids using the culture in which they're immersed. We'll look at how to build teaching series, events, and messages using mass media - and all on a budget. Not only will you receive lots of ideas and free videos, but you'll also feel excited about your teaching and youth ministry in a whole new way. By the end of this seminar, you might even become a secret agent and save the world!

Finding Real Freedom: Creating a Rhythm of Life with God by Mike King. A lot of people are talking about a 'Rule of Life.' Too often, developing a Rule of Life becomes another legalistic yoke to carry around. What if you had a Rule of Life that was more of a Rhythm of Life that truly set you free to enjoy our life with God? What if you had a Rhythm of Life that delivered you from the performance trap? What if your Rhythm of Life viewed time differently? What if going to movies, listening to your favorite music, or going to your choice coffee shop were also part of your spiritual Rhythm of Life? This seminar on creating a rhythm of of life is definitely for the youth worker who doesn't like rules and who wants real freedom to live a robust life with God.

Lessons on Leadership by Tic Long. Leading others can be a very challenging task. There's a lot of talk, theories, and philosophies about leadership out there; so much so, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. This session will get down to the nitty-gritty details of being a leader. Drawing on more than 30 years of leadership experience, Tic will explore the essential tasks and the most common temptations of effective leadership. You'll leave with a better understanding of what it takes to become - or remain - a healthy leader, the kind of leader people want to come alongside.

Enjoy the Silence: Wholly Listening to God by Maggie Robbins. Want to help your students begin to see the Bible as 'alive and active' (Hebrews 4:12)? What would it mean for your students to begin reading the Scriptures from the inside out? Come learn the story and practice of lectio divina, a basic spiritual discipline practiced by some people you may have heard of - Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and Eugene Peterson - as well as some other people you may not have heard of - John of the Cross, Anthony of the Desert, Julian of Norwich. This seminar will help you learn how to pray the Scriptures - an ancient practice that can deepen your students' intimacy with God, while bringing renewal and passion to your own walk with God.

Student Life - Journeying the The Blur: Examining the Relationship Between Adolescent Development and Our Fast-Paced Ever-Changing Youth Culture by The Blur, Darren Whitehead, Erin Moon, Chris Kinsley, Scott Burks, Shaun Blakeney, and Drew Francis. Many youth leaders feel equipped to guide the spiritual development of their students. But how do we handle the questions that come with the physical and emotional development? Join Student Life as we navigate the landscape of adolescent development and discover how our increasing understanding only makes our ministry stronger.

Now you know as much as I do about the seminars. Look over to your right and vote!