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Let me say that the Shift Student Ministry Conference here at Willow Creek has been an amazing time of thought, fun, prayer, worship, and learning. Brandon and I have been here since Monday and we have been challenged by some new thoughts from scripture for God himself and some new ideas for how we connect students to Jesus Christ in 2007. We are not be in every moment of the session people, we have dragged in late for 2 mornings just in time to hear the speaker because we were braking down ideas of IHOP. God has really been working through all of the sessions and revealing some central ideas for ministry today. I am gonna list of a few ideas we are struggling with ad thinking through…

1. Students need the permission to own our ministry and create the experience they are immersed in through our ministry. Our goal is to help them create as the worship…teach, mentor think, discuss…
2. The story of Jesus Christ is the greatest story in all of humanity but people all across America do not see the greatness of that story. We have been telling a poor version of the story of Jesus to our communities. We must begin to tell the story in a way that reveals the great adventure of living in, for, and through Christ.
3. Teens are drowning in technology that sometimes does not make their life easier but more complex. With that said technology, is a part of the daily lives of our teens and they are creating community online. We can and must use this gift to enter and create good in a the middle of darkness…we must take the light of Christ to the darkness, not complain about it.
4. The North Point Model of student ministry is one I am very intrigued by. They are creating intense and relevant worship enviroments connected with the idea that every kids needs a mentoring relationship in a small group. Group life is elevated, connection is elevated, thought and discussion are elevated. We were able to sit in a meeting with Kevin Ragsdale to hear about the process and it was a great time to think.
5. Living life with a few kids is a must for me as a youth pastor – I must model mentoring, I must follow the path of Christ and take a few aside to model and life life with them. This is not my strength but man I need to find a way.

Last night Brandon and I went to Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Chicago then got to see Wicked! Hard Rock gave me the best fajitas I have had in a while not to mention I got to see a sweet Death Cab for Cutie video and get a hard Rock T for way to much money. WOW, Wicked just took a jump over Fiddler on the Roof as my favorite Broadway production. it was simply amazing. I always walk away from those kind of experience wondering why the church is not that creative, why we have pushed creative minds so far away that we can not dream that kind of experience. MAN – if you have never seen Wicked you need to, it is packed with social commentary and thought about life. Simply amazing…

well – have to go, Our God is Great!