i have the best readers ever :)

it's crazy to see something like this. thanks for sticking with me. you guys are awesome, even if you do google things like "mullet for your butt" to get here haha :)

recent keyword activity

- "it's a mullet for your butt." [google this and it takes you here hahaha]
- church staff devotions [this popped up over and over... come ON guys!]
- ys firing marko [because it's a hot topic in ymin and i blogged about it]
- my name [i'm impressed people can spell it. hungarians are tricky tricky haha]
- last train to awesometown [this is the last stop]
- statistics on teens who go to youth groups at church but end up leaving the church [apparently my post was a big deal, since it's still getting hits 2 yrs later]
- worry is temporary atheism [God keeps reminding me of this]

Inspired.

there was a night last week where I couldn't sleep, and I found myself checking out this season of Biggest Loser. I've seen bits and pieces of it before; I knew the general idea- morbidly obese people get yelled at, work out, and become skinny-minis. that's what i knew. and after watching one episode, i was hooked and changed.

see, there's this woman on their named Shay. Shay is gorgeous- she's unbelievably kind and supportive of the rest of the group, and her spirit is mind-boggling. Shay started out this competition weighing in at 476 lbs, and over the course of 6 weeks, she's dropped 65 lbs.

i am the queen of excuses when it comes to exercise and health.
"there's always tomorrow."
"i can't do it."
"i don't have time."

In the first episode, Shay tried to convince Jillian that these same excuses kept her from working out, kept her from pushing and reaching her potential. And during that moment, something resonated with me. Something clicked.

Friday, I went to the gym and ran 4.33 miles. Saturday, I went to the gym and ran 3.48 miles. 7.81 miles in 24 hours, from a girl who dreaded running the mile during high school gym.

Today, I ran 5 miles in an hour. Today, I proved to myself that those excuses are just head games. And when I got tired, when I wanted to quit, when the excuses popped up, I reminded myself- Shay's doing it, so don't you dare quit. Everyday people inspiring everyday people.

I've noticed some things changing. Yesterday I didn't get a chance to work out because the gym and my job have the same hours, and I was in the worst mood this morning. After I hit the gym, I felt so much better. I've also discovered incredible things like Jenny-O's turkey in a bag [i can cook this!], MetroMint's Chocolate Mint water [sounds gross, but tastes awesome;a chocolate fix without the calories], and greek yogurt [LOVE- plus oodles of protein].

Life is about choices, guys, and we're not guaranteed tomorrow, so we've got to make the best of today. Obesity kills 26,000 people a year. 26,000 preventable deaths, and I'm refusing to be one of them. I'm inspired by Shay. Watch her story below to see why.

Say Cheese

I'm getting my picture taken for our new church directory in about an hour. At first, I considered bringing Cleo in, and I came up with some pretty creative ideas for our picture:
- Cleo in a hot dog costume, me in a mustard bottle costume
- Cleo in a lobster costume, me dressed as a sailor
- Both of us in matching Cosby-esque sweaters

Then I remembered that my dog is a heathen at best. She's earned the nickname "Rosemary's Puppy" lately, and that's the last thing I need in this picture.

So it will just be me and my argyle sweater, looking incredibly professional and slightly boring. Maybe they'll let me do this Glamour-shots style... somebody get me some Aqua Net and a bedazzled jacket...

re: the youth specialties press release

Last night, I received news that Marko had been let go from his position as president of Youth Specialties. When I heard that, my jaw dropped.

You see, for the last five years, Mark Oestreicher has meant the world to me. My first encounter with him was through his blog, which not only encouraged me as a youth worker, but also provided me with academic support, as Marko posted various links to articles, authors, and other youth workers who could pour into my life and stretch me beyond myself.

After reading his blog for a year, I found myself at the Youth Specialties convention in Nashville, listening to Marko encourage thousands of people who were in the same boat as me. Some had been sailing for years, while others, like me, were just pushing off the dock. Regardless of where we were in our journeys, Marko cared for our ministries, but more importantly, cared for us, both as youth workers and as individuals. He made time to talk with us after sessions, answer our questions, and encourage us in our callings. Marko knew what we were up against, having been in full-time youth ministry prior to YS, and then volunteering while working with YS. He knew how hard youth ministry could be, and he wanted to support us in whatever way he could.

During my senior year, he came to Bethel College and spoke to students in my program as well as area youth workers. That made such an impact on me- that he took the time to meet with a bunch of college kids still trying to figure out where God was taking us. After the luncheon, he let me pick his brain for my senior paper, and I was impressed with how humble he was, as well as how passionate he was when it came to youth ministry.

So, as you can imagine, the news that Zondervan has let him go baffles me. Why would anyone let someone like Marko go? I tried to find reasoning in the press release, or maybe a sense of peace, but the carefully placed words of Zondervan’s letter worry me. The letter talks about restructuring Youth Specialties, about splitting the publications division from the events division, and letting another organization run the events side. Zondervan was also quick to take credit for the success of the YS convention this year, which is interesting.

I was worried when I originally heard that Youth Specialties was partnering with Zondervan. I had hoped it would be a partnership, but looking in from the outside, it's starting to look like that's not the case. And I know I could be wrong. I know I don't have the whole story. But right now, my heart feels heavy, because I don't know what's going to happen with Youth Specialties. I'm worried that the personal, family-feel is going to be replaced by a name brand. I'm worried that the tight-knit community of youth workers will unravel. Youth workers are just like students- we want to know there's someone out there who cares about what we're doing, who's in our corner. I'm curious to see what Zondervan does to continue to build into the community of youth workers, to continue to keep us close and support us in our calling. And I'm praying that they don't ruin something that many of us hold to be truly special in youth ministry. I'm also praying for Marko and his family and coworkers, that this transition will be filled with a sense of peace and a greater purpose.

we're all in this together.

interesting conversation over on Steven Furtick's blog:

My friend, who is a senior pastor, had been praying that God would bless his church in a big way. Something like this:

“God, may we reach our city with the love of Christ. May tens of thousands come to Christ through our ministry. May millions of dollars be given to this community through our ministry. May governments and businesses and educational systems be turned inside out for the glory of God through this ministry…”

And my friend felt like the Lord responded to him with a challenging thought:

“What if I do everything you’re asking me to do in your city, but I do it through someone else’s ministry? Would you still pray as passionately? Would you be okay with that?”

What are our motives in ministry? Why do we do what we do?

Our reasoning seems easy enough to explain: we want people to know Jesus. we want people to experience that life-altering relationship. we want to meet the needs of those around us, since we're all in this together. But we have to be careful when we expect that the weight of ministry in our community lies solely on our own church's shoulders.

every church in your community is God's, whether they baptize by sprinkling or dunking, whether they have homemade bread for communion or wafers, whether their pastor wears a robe or jeans. they all belong to God. He's serving your community through all of them. My ministry alone cannot reach every student in Whitley County. That's why I get so excited to hear the awesome stuff happening at other churches, because I know kids are coming to know Christ- and that's the most important thing.

we're all in this together. ministry is not for lone wolves. Church is not for lone wolves. we're a pack- traveling together, working together. and that's a capital C church, as in the global Church, not just the individual churches we attend.

what would ministry look like if every church lived this out? if the competitive nature dropped out? if we started praying for other ministries in our community, not just our own?

Has it really been three weeks?

Sorry guys... I was fairly certain I had blogged more recently than Sept. 30. Oops.

Here's a random list of catching up between you and i:
... a great article on Where the Wild Things Are, and how it ties to our humanity
... i've been following the Ingrid Michaelson tour on twitter [consisting of Ingrid, Allie Moss, Bess Rogers, Chris Kuffner, Dan Romer, Elliot Jacobson, and Greg Holden for awhile]. Great group of people, incredible group of musicians.
... Allison Weiss's new album is coming out soon. She's playing in Chicago on Dec. 21, and Alecia and I are making the trek.
... Lauren Zettler has a Christmas album coming out, too.
... apparently I have been drowning in good music while i've been gone.
... Harrison Ford [my car] got backed into two weeks ago, and he's going to be getting some reconstructive surgery this week. A facelift, if you will.
... my students are incredible. they never cease to amaze me, uplift me, challenge me. they're absolutely wonderful.
... we skipped fall and moved straight into winter. then back into fall. then we had a spring spell. Indiana weather could not be more ridiclous.
... I'm looking at furniture all day, because we're giving the youth room a makeover. it's probably a health hazard right now, and if we don't do something soon, we're going to have to start charging the mice rent.
... i'm looking for a graffiti artist in the Fort Wayne area to push us over the edge on the cool factor. i've got a lead, but it's going to take some digging. i'd love to get some local students in working on it.
... i challenge any dog toy manufacturer to give me a soft dog toy that Dogzilla won't be able to destroy. I got her a new one last night, and she had the stuffing ripped out in less than a minute. She loves soft toys, but i'm paying $2/minute for her to play with them, and thats not financially responsible [or something]
... my office is still not finished. maybe this week? [two month project haha]
... my dad is turning 60 next month! and as my brother will tell you, my dad's moustache is turning 41. exciting times, guys, exciting times.

alright, back to the grindstone [or whatever].

oh, ps. Joe Torre, GIVE ME A CALL. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS WHOLE "LOSING" THING YOU GUYS HAVE GOING ON.