the weekend that was: i was in toronto for the canadian youth workers conference, a ys event in partnership with canadafire. it was really a wonderful weekend, with a slightly more intimate vibe than the u.s. conventions (since there was about 900 people there). everything went really well, and i think people were blessed, encouraged, challenged and equipped — all the things we hope for.
where i am at the moment: flying home from toronto. i had a ghastly early flight, but that means i get home in the early afternoon; and i’m really looking forward to being with my family.
on my to-do list this week: busy week. i have to get back to writing middle school ministry; i have a wad of meetings; and the big item of this week is the ys staff christmas party on friday night. our christmas party is always a blast, and always a surprise to our staff (not a surprise that we’re having it, but most of the details). they know our theme this year is “black and white”, and they know we’re having a photo contest (they have all been given cameras), and they know we’re having a re-written christmas song contest, and they know we’re having a costume contest. but that’s about it at this point. i’m sure i’ll post more after the party is over!
procrastinating about: i have to take a deep look at ys finances, as we’re having a challenging year. and, with all the conventions, i’ve been putting that off a bit. time to get to it. not my favorite thing to do, nor my strongest gifting.
book i’m in the midst of: the younger stephen covey’s excellent book, the speed of trust.
music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: didn’t listen to much recorded music this week, due to the convention. but i loved listening to starfield and a couple of my personal favorites, matt maher and lost and found, live.
next trip: i have a short-ish trip to zondervan, in grand rapids, next monday through wednesday.
how i’m feeling about this week: i mostly have a good sense of anticipation. but i also feel a bit overwhelmed with everything on my plate right now.
this weekend was my first YS conference. really well done and informative. price was right, info was good, setting was good. thanks SO much for it. I am 50 years old, 15 years youth worker and 4 years pastor… life is grand and you helped me grow more in my uth knowledge. cheers.
If there’s one thing I’ve been thinking as I’ve read your twittering and your blogs, it’s how much is on your plate. I know you are good at intentionally taking time away and you seem to be great at making time for your family and the things that are important, but I can’t help but feel like you’ve got some sort of time capsule that gives you much more time to do things than others are allowed.
Ha! Sam you are right! I often wonder how when Marko writes all those books. There are lots of really productive people who make me wonder if they have 40 hour days somehow, but Marko doesn’t even seem like your typical overachiever. Maybe you have an evil twin?
Thanks for a great conference in TO! I really really enjoyed JR High Critical Concerns course. I had never heard all that stuff about adolescent development and it helped alot, it was awesome!
Thanks for the great job!
Tim