Category Archives: Youth Ministry

Videos! And an update on Bobby (and me.)

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by Catechesis, Catholic, Family, Movies, Personal, Youth Ministry • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Ouch.

If you’re not into reading X-rays, let me explain it to you: see that big crack in the femur? Yeah, that shouldn’t be there.

Two weeks ago my son Bobby (10 years old) was playing basketball. He fell backwards and everyone heard a loud CRACK! If you think that’s an unusual way to break a femur, it is. The doctors have diagnosed him with “fibrus dysplasia,” a weakening of the bone. That makes his already difficult recovery longer, and perhaps means he will need future surgeries to “augment” the bone.

Needless to say, it’s been a crazy few weeks. I was at the airport about to get on a plane to Michigan when I got the call. I had to cancel the event, but of course I knew the Holy Spirit would take care of it (He did.) To all in Wixon, sorry I missed out and hope to see you next year!

After spending five days at a hospital and two days in my living room (Bobby can’t yet climb stairs) I drove to Syracuse for the “Race to the Cross Rally” and then down to Philadelphia for the “Generation Phaith” conference. I brought my band with me and we had a great time, though my heart was a bit heavy with things going on at home.

And then on Monday, I flew off to England, which is where I’m writing from now.

How could I leave my family in such a state of crisis? I’ve been asking myself that, too :) As we all know, sometimes things just need to get done. A residency requirement is part of keeping me in my doctoral program, but the good folks have shortened my time here so I’m coming home next week (instead of the following.) And thankfully my mom flew in to help around the house while I’m gone.

I’m grateful for all who have been praying for us during this time. Your love and support mean a lot.

And now for something completely different…

Videos! A number of my scripts have come to life over the past few months, and I’ve been delinquent in posting them. So here they are. Hope you are blessed by them and can use them in your ministry.

Evidence that Demands a Vertict

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by Catholic, Movies, Youth Ministry • Tags: , , , ,

Another script has come to life! Man, I love seeing what people do with the words I type.

When I wrote this back in January, I intended the idea of being put on trial for being Catholic as an obvious fantasy. But these days it seems closer to reality than before, doesn’t it?

Regardless, that’s not the point of the video. The question is: do we truly live what we say we believe? I remember when I was a teenager someone asked, “If being Christian was against the law, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That question always resonated with me, especially with all the legal “loopholes” that are present in our society today. So I thought it would make a cool video and hope it allows the viewer to reflect on if they are truly living their faith in a public way.

What do you think about it?

Thanks to the amazing folks at Outside Da Box for doing such a great job with it.

The 40 Day Spiritual Workout!

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by Apps, Catechesis, Catholic, Evangelization, Youth Ministry • Tags: , ,

Since I relaunched my site through WordPress a couple months ago, the question people have asked most is, “What happened to the 35 Day Spiritual Workout?” Now, at long last, I can break the silence.

The 35 Day Workout has been transformed into… the 40 Day Spiritual Workout iPhone App!

I am very proud of it. It was designed by FUZATI (who also designed the Steubenville Youth Conference app) and sponsored by Franciscan University.

For those of you who don’t know, I first wrote “The 35 Day Spiritual Workout” in the late 90s as a follow up to the Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences. When I was a teen and attended a Young Life camp, my youth minister recommended a book called, “My First Thirty Quiet Times.” It was a thirty day devotional that got me into the habit of prayer. I thought that kind of devotional would be great for teens that had a powerful experience at a youth conference but didn’t know what to do when they got home.

Since writing it, over ten thousand people have gone through it and have shared how much they were blessed by it. I was able to offer it for free on my website after the original publisher went out of business.

This summer, the Steubenville Youth Conferences began to look into resources they could offer teens after their conference experience. They created a great website, steubenville.org, and an app to go along with it. I proposed that I could update the 35 Day devotional and they could turn it into an app.

There are a lot of great things with the 40 Day Spiritual Workout App. First, because it’s an app it is a lot more interactive. My favorite thing is that a teen can put their youth minister’s email address in it so they can share with them (or their friends on Facebook) their progress in the workout. It looks really cool, too.

But more important than how it looks is the content. I didn’t just add five days, I went over the whole thing based on feedback I’ve gotten over the past few years. I trimmed back some of the verses, removed days that weren’t as strong as the others, and added stories—many of the stories that I posted on the previous blog (such as my story about the pledge card or St. Reuben, the rich young man.) I also was able to incorporate the five forms of prayer that the Catechism talks about, something that was part of the published book but didn’t translate when I first put it on-line.

But enough of me talking, why don’t you check it out? It’s available for free at the App Store.

No iPhone? No problem. You can also click HERE and sign up to get each devotion through email.

I’m hoping this will bless a new generation of teenagers. I’d be grateful if you could spread the word, and giving it a good review on the App Store might encourage a young person to download it and give it a try.

When allergies attack

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by Music, Personal, Silly, Youth Ministry •

Last weekend was the first high school youth conference of the summer. It’s something I look forward to all year. The first half of the weekend was amazing!!! And then…

Allergies.

So on Saturday afternoon I went for a run. That’s right kids—you can’t get this kind of a physique without constant exercise. It was super hot out and I pushed myself (because why would you spend time exercising and not push yourself?) It felt great. Came inside, had a glass of water… and sneezed.

Oh fudge, I thought. But I didn’t use the word “fudge.” (Not a big fan of fudge, personally.)

Another sneeze. Then another. Then another. I went into a sneezing fit that lasted for about a half an hour.

This happens to me a few times a year. The last time it happened, interestingly enough, was at NCYC. Coincidence? (The writer shrugs.)

I tweeted my plight and the twitterverse was helpful with their prayers and advice on all things sinus. I tried it all. I then tweeted:

I barely made it to the team dinner, where I spent most of it lying down on a row of chairs with an ice pack on my head (it was more like an iceberg. I asked for a cold compress and they gave me enough ice to chill a keg.) My good friend, Jackie Francois, was so concerned for me that she took a picture and posted it on the internet, because that’s what good friends do when someone is suffering.

My allergy attack calmed down a bit as I headed over to the field house where the conference was. My nose was like a slow dripping faucet all night long. It’s times like those I’m glad I have a beard because it acts as a natural sponge for my sinus excretions. Too much information? (The writer shrugs.)

The evening itself was an incredible experience of God’s grace. Or I was high with all the sinus medication I was on. I’d like to think of it as a “both/and.” I felt much better by Sunday, as you can see  below (this pic courtesy of Stephen Lanahan, who was kind enough to also tweet that I was one of his favorite professors.)

That’s right people, bow tie and sneakers. Did I mention I play accordion, too? Hard to imagine I even got a date, let alone got married. The headless giant I was talking to was Jim Beckman who did a great job hosting the weekend.

All in all it was an incredible conference experience. I just hope I’m more conscious for the next one :)

If you were there last weekend, comment on your favorite part. I’d love to hear about it.

Radiant Joy

by Catechesis, Catholic, Evangelization, Personal, Youth Ministry •

These past few days, I was blessed to be a part of the Catholic Youth Ministry Training Convention, sponsored by Life Teen. The theme of the conference was “Radiant Joy.”

What surprised me about my experience at the conference was that it was so… restful. It shouldn’t have been. I flew to Arizona right after finishing a weekend conference (which was preceded by a week of intensive sound-checks and practices to prepare for it) for a quick two day trip. I had to give two workshops (both at 7 AM each day) and an afternoon keynote. Since it was being videotaped, I had to put extra time in my powerpoint presentation—something that took numerous hours of work. All told, it had all the makings of a hectic weekend.

But it wasn’t. It was anything but. It was wonderful, restful, and joyful.

Much of that was due to the conference itself. The folks at Life Teen are the most hospitable, professional, and altogether excellent folk a person could hope to work with. The liturgies were beautiful, the prayer was intense, and the speakers were inspiring.

One of my favorite talks was given by a friend I hadn’t seen in years, Tom Wilson. He gave a talk about how to guard your joy, or more specifically, to unguard it. He encouraged us to share our joy with the world and not hide it under a bushel. He talked about the importance of a sense of humor when approaching life and how humor is a sign of a healthy spirituality. It reminded me of a quote from St. Teresa of Avila: “Take God very seriously, but don’t take yourself very seriously at all.”

Tom also clarified that having a sense of humor is not about being funny. Funny people tell jokes and have a quick wit. But people with a sense of humor have a balanced perspective on life. To have a sense of humor you have to be humble. He quoted C.S. Lewis: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

There is often a stereotype that to be more holy you have to be more solemn. But that is not the example of the saints. Those who seek and find holiness are radiant with the joy that only God can give.

Then Mark Hart followed by inviting us to pray for deeper joy in our lives. He gave two great quotes from two great saints. “The only reason to take this life seriously is if it’s the only life you have,” said St. Francis. And Blessed Mother Teresa said, “Joy is the net by which we catch souls,” “starting with our own,” Mark added.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) Happiness is often based on happenings, meaning that it depends on if things are going well. But joy is a state of being that isn’t hampered by the negativity around us. Tom shared a personal story about his wife who, coming out of her fifth surgery in her struggle with breast cancer, was still able to make jokes. Where did that humor come from? Her love of the Lord.

My gratitude to everyone at Life Teen for letting me be a part of that experience. And I was so blessed by the participants at my workshops and the people I got to connect with between sessions. May we all continue to radiate the joy of Jesus Christ.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

by Personal, Youth Ministry •

…or at least that’s what it feels like. Literally. I left 90 degree weather in Steubenville, OH yesterday to be in 100 degree weather in Phoenix, AZ.

They’ll tell you it’s a dry heat here, as if that makes any actual difference. My allergies don’t seem to care. As opposed to blowing my nose in Steubenville and getting a mucusy discharge, I blow my nose here in AZ and it’s like oatmeal. You’re welcome for that image.

But the one fire that’s been constant is the Holy Spirit. Last weekend the Catholic Charismatic Conference was really amazing. Powerful worship, great speaking, and healing miracles! I’m sure I’ll talk about that in an upcoming post. Thanks to everyone to came out, especially those who were so encouraging of the worship we led. It was awesome.

And now I’m at the Catholic Youth Ministry Convention (CYMC) powered by Life Teen in Scottsdale, AZ. All I have to say is… dang. These guys know how to put on a conference! Just gave a 7AM workshop (and people showed up!) and I’m gearing up for an afternoon keynote and another workshop tomorrow AM before heading back home to start prepping for the High School Youth Conference this weekend on campus. Some people like to burn the candle at both ends. Me, I just dip the candle in gasoline and light it up.

It’s so great to be here in AZ and see so many friends who I’ve done ministry with. Yes, I’m very busy—but I’m also very blessed! And as long as the “fire” that drives me is that of the Holy Spirit and not my own ambition, I know I’ll do all right.

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The Creed

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by Catechesis, Catholic, Youth Ministry •

Here’s a script I wrote about the Apostle’s Creed. Corey at Likeable Art did all the hard work and I think it came out really well. Great job, Corey!

What’s also cool is that it’s available in Spanish. I imagine that someday, after the zombie apocalypse destroys life on earth, aliens will come visit our ravaged planet and be able to use both of these videos as a kind of Rosetta Stone to learn one or the other language. Yes, it’s that big of a deal.

What do you think?