Snippets from the Youth Specialties Youthworker Convention, Phoenix:

In the main hallway entering the convention, a bedsheet, upon which the following was written: "Happy 16th Anniversary. I love you so much and you are still such a hottie. P.S. Honey, we owe the hotel for one bedsheet."

I saw worship led by Andy Hunter, a guy who is all the rage in the U.K. It was techno/trance (all CBC 2K and 2K3 Team Holland members would know precisely what I'm talking about) and proved to me that even generally open-minded youth pastors still have comfort zones when it comes to worship styles. It fell flat with the crowd.

Joseph Stowell was excellent in his address about how to tell a culture that doesn't want to hear about Jesus about Jesus. He compared "postmodern" to the 1st century and how the church witnessed then. Pretty much talked about being salt & light, and how both then and now, works of love, compassion and grace will allow you a platform to be heard even though no one wants to listen. Sounds like he and my senior pastor Tim Stevenson are listening to the same Holy Spirit these days. Hmmmmm.

I skipped the last half of the concert by Third Day to see the Bank One Ballpark. I snuck in, which was more difficult than I had anticipated, but persistence payed off! I saw the last half inning...including a home run and a strikeout to save the game for the Diamondbacks.

I went to one surprisingly good seminar which talked about the "Normals" of student ministry. I have some interesting thoughts jotted down for elders and interns alike...sorry...not for public posting. Standout observation from the seminar: Our church has a "climate" that allows our student ministry the freedom to succeed. That is a blessing I often take for granted.

Sometimes eating a dinner you can't really afford is worth it when you're with the right girl.

That saying about it being a "dry heat" in Arizona is somewhat true.

Highly provocative statement: "Changing the world looks a whole lot like drudgery. We're really very ordinary people doing very ordinary things. It's hard to be holy in the mean streets of student ministry."--Mark DeVries

Well, more as events unfold...