NYWC update

So I guess I have been a little too tired to blog the convention. It has been really great as always. One of the best things about it is that you can make it whatever you want to be. I must have been pretty tired coming in to all this. I didn’t get up till about 10am this am. It felt very good.

Yesterday I sat down with a spiritual director. This is something I have always wanted to do but have always chickened out. Maybe I am maturing. I guess 30 does something to a guy. The meeting resulted in three action points. The main suggestions I took away was using the space and time that God has given me to carve out connection time with God. Here are my 3 goals for connecting to Jesus in the months ahead.

1. Pray together with my wife at least once a week.

2. Pray for my family and students at stop lights during my commute.

3. Schedule one personal day a month to quiet my heart.

It was great hearing Andy give his first YS seminar. He did a great job as he talked about leading JH students in the spiritual disciplines. I felt challenged help students to experience the disciplines within our community. He made a great point how JH students struggle doing to the disciplines alone. He had a strong point to teaching them the disciplines is powerful in the context of community.

I also really love Doug Fields talk today about Ministry envy. This was a topic that I have never heard preached before. Great Stuff.

Marquis Laughlin was amazing tonight. This guy acts out books of the bible word for word. Tonight he did the story of Abraham. This is a story I am really relating to right now as i am picking up my whole family and “moving to a new land”. I would love to bring this guy to our church.

It as been great to network with friends on this trip. I have ran into Kara Stromberg, Steven Osbourne, Harrison Musser, and Joel Harris. Good times.

NYWC Atlanta- Day 1

So here I am at my 10th NYWC, not that I’m bragging. (actually I probably am) Seriously I feel pretty blessed to be able to come here every year for the past 10 years. Here is a play by play of my day.

5:30am- woke up

7:00am- got the 2nd shoe shine of my life

7:45am- left on plane

10:30am- arrived in Atlanta

12:00pm- ate Chinese food with Ami, Erik, and Andy

1:00pm – went to session #1

Andy Stanley spoke about using the power and influence that God has given you and channeling it into servanthood to benefit those you are leading. The direct application is that I need to realize when I am “the most powerful person in the room”. Sometimes I forget the influence I have to make a difference in whatever situation I am in. Sometimes I sit back and am too passive. I feel like the Lord was saying that I need to step up to the plate more often and serve those I lead by doing just that, leading.

4:30pm- I got lost walking around downtown Atlanta looking for the Omni hotel as I was transfering my lugguge to my new room. I am roomates with Andy Jack.

6:00pm- Dinner at Subway, food court was too full.

7:00pm- Session #2

Thoughts: The sand artist is amazing!

Shane Claiborne was the speaker. He came on stage, blew fire, did a flip, and then read the Sermon on the Mount. That’s it. It was very different. It was pretty refreshing actually.

10:15- I helped Andy Jack take notes at his Junior High Idea Lab. Good Time.

12:00- Andy, ordered pizza. See photo.