As I continue talking about this idea of Orange, I wanted to share some thoughts regarding what I hope for this year at the Orange Conference. Yesterday, I talked about the big things I love about the event, but today, I want to get into some details. Specifically, what do I want to gain from OC12?
First, I want to learn more on how I can help transition our high school students to college and beyond. You may remember my post a couple weeks ago, where I shared the beginning of our journey in this area of ministry. It is something that is increasingly important for the church today. Way too many students are abandoning their faith when they go off to college or work, and I want to learn all I can in order to change that.
Second, I want to learn more from other student ministers on their structure of youth group. One of the things controlling my mind lately is how to structure for future growth. I have been trying to pick the brains of local youth pastors about how they structure their weekly meetings and small groups. I look forward to gaining more wisdom at OC12.
Finally, I want to learn more about implementing a mentoring program within our student ministry. My thesis is on this idea of mentoring, and how it is crucial to a growing student ministry. I strongly believe that is the case, especially when you consider the amount of students coming from broken homes — many without a strong Christian father. The church and family needs to join efforts in order to combat this, and I am looking forward to what OC12 will teach me.
This morning, I received a phone call from my father, where he proceeds to tell me my sister was involved in a car accident. To sum up what happened, her and a friend were rear-ended while sitting on the side of the road. She has been released from the hospital with a mild concussion, neck pain, and some memory loss regarding the accident.
Ever since my wife received her Kindle as a birthday gift last year, I have loved the idea of digital books. In fact, I eventually bought myself one, and we are in the process of trying to figure out how to get all our bookshelves onto these little devices.
As I sit here, I cannot believe it was just three years ago when I was waking up with my nerves going crazy. I was rushing to get ready, make sure the church was all right, and making sure all our wedding party knew what they were to do. I never thought that day would come. Previous to that day, it had been extremely difficult for me to see myself married. I do not know why. I think maybe it was a mental block that God put there so I could stay focused on what He wanted at the time. That is my best guess. Finally, though, the day came.
