Look at This!!

The Pope recently issued a statement denoucing the use of guitars in worship read more here
Jordan Cauley

Renea on Rafting

Rafting

From the moment I heard the Shackford Staff was going rafting I was so happy. This was going to be my first time doing any real “Outdoorzy” stuff. The last time I did something like that was in Girl Scotts from the 1^st to the 6^th grade. As the time got closer and closer to us going rafting I was so excited. I was screaming, jumping up and down and all that (in my skin that is) cause I was so happy. Once we got there it was a little different the fear began. But at the same time my enthusiasm and excitement over powered the fear I had. When the trip was over and we got out of the water I wanted to do the whole thing again. I actually wanted to fall out of the raft the next time. The experience I had on the rafting trip was amazing. Through rafting God showed me that if you have that drive for something with God’s help no matter what the fears or trials you come past you can still get through it, and once you then through it you might want to do something along the same lines but with just a little more challenge.

Renea's First Event

The first week was an eye opener for me. I it was so awesome, I love every second. Although I was tired or frustrated at times it felt like the kids made it better. I though the praise and Worship was the best. I loved it all; it made me feel like I was at home with the lord. At first I was a little scared to give him all the praise like I wanted to because I thought that every one would be looking at me weird, or differently. But after the first night when the spirit hit me it was like nothing else mattered. I didn’t care if the kids were looking at me funny because I was praising the lord and if anything I would have been setting an example for the kids by praising him with my whole heart and soul. The first week was amazing, outstanding, fabulous, and great. I can’t wait for the next group to come in.

Renea Marshall

Sean's Event One Insights

This past event was very memorable for me and was filled with blessings because I got to see and interact with some of the coolest youth leaders on earth. It was amazing to see how God worked through these leaders. A lot of them had God’s light shining through them like glass or clear ice. Many of them spit out the word of God as if God was directly talking to youth, staff and I. I can honestly say that I wish I had grown up with youth leaders such as these. Praise be to God!!!

Sip's Insights About First Event

The first youth week at Lake Junaluska was awesome! I believe I learned just as much from the speaker and the kids as they learned from all our skits and silly dances. There were only a few holes, such as a definite absence of excellent volleyball skills and a certain traditional song that kind of slipped our memory! But overall I think both the staff and kids got lost in the grace of God. I also learned that these kids become more than a mass of youth to you. There was one girl named Ashley, and she was awesome.

I met her in the lunch line, where she brightened my day by telling me I was the bomb.com(her word for cool) The next day she came with some of the Shack staff to get ice cream at the Kern Kafe, telling all of us that we were cool, and so we were the bomb.com. Saturday night I heard that she had been taken to the hospital, and it was in that moment that I realized how precious a person could be to you after only hanging out with them a couple of times. I realized that these youth would become my heart this summer, and that their love would share the light of God with me just as much as my love would share the light with them. Ashley turned out okay, and was back Sunday morning. My heart filled with joy at her healing, and I realized how great our God is!

Aynslee (aka SIP)

Emory's Thoughts...J1

This first weekend was a pretty good one. The level of perfection that we experienced for this first event we didn’t have until about the 3^rd or 4^th event last summer. We started and finished on time every night, we never seem to really loose the kids and the teams’ hard work was not go in vain. It was definitely a trial and error weekend but it was still great. The band was on point and the speakers were pretty good as well. Volleyball… It could have gone way better but, hey; we win some, but we loose even more. It’s for the kids though. The days flew by quickly and I wish I could’ve bonded more with the youth, but the ones I did get to meet were awesome. Gone.

Emory Anderson

Tawana's Valuable Lesson

Valuable lesson I received from Jubilee Weekend One

The most important thing that I learned last week was that preparation is key to success. I thank God that I had the chance to start working May 29th because it gave me the opportunity to start getting prepared. Things went smoothly last week and it was because we stuck together as a group and helped one another out. The key to unity was prayer. If you pray together then you have a better chance of staying together. The youth leaders were impressed and relieved that we had everything planned out and in motion. It showed them that we are all very responsible and hard workers. I love working with the youth and it gave my heart joy to see them praising the Lord last week. I looked out at the crowd of young people Sunday morning and I knew that it was all worth it. Yes, we definitely wanted to make the youth leaders happy but most importantly it was all about the youth. My goal all along even throughout my teaching is to touch at least one young person’s life in a positive way. The smiles on their faces, the swaying of their hands as they sang along with Evergreen was magical to me. This first week gave me a deeper connection with the youth and it made me happy to hear them say as they left the auditorium “ we look forward to seeing you next summer.” I have something wonderful to look forward to and lots to prepare for.

Tawana Cunningham

MYP Assistant

Andy Bell's First Week Reflection

Jubilee Weekend One was a bit of a tornado. It came down quickly, a lot of stuff went flying, and afterward nothing really looked the same. Thankfully this "difference" wasn't nearly as destructive as the real thing and by the grace of God we got through it all. I spent most of the weekend really stressed out. I can't say I'm proud of that, but I do feel I learned a lot from it. I had begun reading Philippians during the week for my nightly devotionals, and Chapter 4 happened to be Sunday night's reading. Looking back at the weekend and how stressed out I had become I was struck by verses 6 and 7 of Chapter 4, which read: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." After the weekend, I really needed that. My head wasn't where it should have been, and so God gave me my wake up call. Regardless of how stressed I may become, I praise him for the chance to be in ministry for Him with young people and adults who care about Him and His kingdom.

Andy Bell

Jess's First Event Reflection

At the end of the week, Marty said it best, "It's like you just broke
up with a boyfriend/girlfriend. You invest, invest, invest, and then
it's gone." I think that sums up to the feelings that I felt when all
was said and done. I had given so much to those kids in the ways of
entertainment, love, and energy then they were gone. Some of those
girls had come to me with situations that they were facing and you
don't know what to do. God handed you this situation and you invest so
much emotion into trying to make them feel better. Then, they are gone
and you just pray that you made a difference in their lives. That you
made an impact, but you never know. This week also made me realize how
lucky I'm to have this job. Not only am I helping others, but I'm
learning about myself. You learn to treasure this moment, because you
will never be handed this again.

Love,
Jess

God Lead Me to Say the Right Things!

My stomach all in knots.

We’re about to start.

All the kids are about to come in.

And I’m just sitting here.

Trying not to think about all the pressure.

I volunteered to help with a growth group.

And now I’m freaking out.

These kids’ lives are in my hands.

I am supposed to help then with their walk with God.

What if I say the wrong things?

What if I don’t get “in” their thoughts?

All I can do is have faith in God.

God will lead me to say the right things.

God did lead me to say the right things.

The growth group that Zac and I led was a success!

It was amazing to watch these middle schools interact.

They might be a bit shy to start, but they did open up and share theirs real thoughts. They are at the age where they don’t know everything, but if they don’t understand they will just ask.

Even when you don’t think that you’ve touched them in anyway, they will surprise you. They will have a huge smile on their face when you walk in the door and then you look up and notice they wrote you a note on the blackboard. “We luv Sarah Beth and Zac!” That right there almost made me cry. I had been having a rough day when I look up and see that. It turned my whole day around. These middle schoolers are wonderful.

Then on the last day they asked Zac and I if we had Facebook because they wanted to add us as friends. I love the feeling of being loved. I have flaws and they know it, but they still welcome me just the same.

I really needed that love on Saturday. They changed my life. I see things differently, even though they are so young they really have a huge impact on your life if you just take the time to listen to them. They have shown me more how to live out God through everything in my life like they do each and every day.

Sarah Beth Coley

Random LJ Pictures from Sarah Beth

Jesus' Angels...

This year's rules video features Jesus' Angels and how they will save the LJ from the hands of an evil industrialist.

Jessica's Habitude

During rafting today I learned what we have been going through all week, which is teamwork. To get through the rapids everyone needed to row in unison to get through a rough part in the river. No one, even the strongest, could have done it by themselves. It really hit me that even the strongest leader needs help and encouragement through life's 'rough parts'. They are only as strong as those around them pushing them to succeed. I believe that is why we have each other. God wanted us to help each other through the still waters and rough waters of our
lives.

-1 Corinthians 10:33

Aynslee's Habitude

Aynslee's Rafting Habitude: Falling into the Rapids

Yesterday the MYP teams rafted the Pigeon River. I am from Mississippi but surprisingly I have rafted in the areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina about 6 times. So when I got on this river, I pretty much considered myself to be an expert.

Our guide's name was Elle and she was hilarious. She was also nice enough to let me put some artwork on her helmet! My fellow rafters were Tawana, Renea, and Andy. So we were paddling along, everything was running smoothly. Then Elle tells us that on the next spot we better not fall out because there is another big rapid right after it. She said it was the worst spot for someone to fall out. So I'm thinking, 'well I've got this, I've done this 6 times already.' Well, you know pride goes before a fall, so guess what, at the worst spot this little southern bell hit the rapids. It was nothing I was expecting, I just kinda flew out.

The amazing thing is that it seemed like the second after I hit the water, I was back out again. For a tiny second it was cold and fear, and then I felt a hand around my arm. It was Tawana's hand, keeping me from taking off down the river to bounce around the rocks. WIth the help of Renea and Andy, I was pulled back to safety.

In a way, my experience reminds me of the experience Peter had in Matthew when he was walking towards Jesus and he began to sink. For a brief moment Peter was terrified as he began to sink into the waves. Verse 14:31 says, 'Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith,"he said, "why did you doubt?"

So what can we, as a team of leaders, learn from this? We learn that at one time or another, every single one of us, no matter how good we are at what we do, will sink or fall out of the raft. It will be a time when you're not expecting it, and all of a sudden you are fearing and doubting. This is when you must trust your brothers and sisters in Christ to reach out and grab you. When one of us know that the other is sinking or when we see them hit a rock, we have to love them and pull them back up, or else they will be swept down the river and the boat cannot be steered.

MYP Cafe'

I love the café! Community happens almost accidentally. With the addition of new outdoor furniture, some booths and some new games, it is even better this year at Kern…the official MYP Café. No matter how good the coffee is, or how great the surroundings, a café is only as good as its people! A healthy community is created by its people. The staff set the temperature, they make the environment fun and they make you feel special. That is what the MYP Café is all about.

Nobody engages people like Sarah Beth and Rachel Ann. Their ever present smiles and laughter set the environment’s temperature. Something tells you from the moment they greet you until you leave that this is a great place to be. Even when they make mistakes, they just laugh and start over again. Unconditional acceptance is what community is all about.

Not only is the café a warm and inviting place, its fun. Where else can you get enough caffeine to keep you up all night, play foosball until your hands hurt and listen to Emory’s new CD while laughing the whole time? The other great thing is that its fun for everyone from 2 to 102. The café offers a great respite from the meetings that are going on across the campus, while the game room is filled with fun and chaos. Fun is another trait of healthy community.

I hope to see you in the SEJMYP west office, the back booth at the Kern Café. Thankfully I remain:

Lost in Grace,

Marty

Sarah Beth's Rafting Habitude

Think about whitewater rafting... you’re floating along looking at the pretty mountains, all the nature, the water ripples, and of course the silly conversations. At the same time as trying to remember how to hold the T-grip so no one gets “summerteeth” and wedging your feet under parts of the raft in hopes that you don’t fall out. You’re having a blast being loud and laughing. Then from way away in the back of the raft you hear a little voice, it’s the man who’s guiding the raft. Sometimes you have to listen really hard to hear him say the directions. He calls out the orders with the hope that you do what he asks of you. He’s the only one that knows where we are going and the only one that knows where we are going to end up. Without the guide we would be lost. The guide has special equipment that he uses to help us stay safe, if we fall out of the raft he’ll try with all his might to get you back and safe, regardless what we do, he will save us. The guide reminds me of God. Sometimes it is difficult to hear his through al the hustle and bustle, but he’s always there and you just need to focus and listen to him. God will go through anything to get you back in the boat with him. He loves you, no matter what. God knows that this world brings trouble and everyone messes up. He knows that it is hard to see him and hear his voice but he is always there for you. He cares more then anyone else does. You may fall out of raft and feel all alone in the water floating around but God is there to help pick you up and pull you back into the boat.

Super Staff!

Sarah Beth's Top Ten

top ten things i learned...

- God loves me regardless what I do.
- God forgives me even though I dont deserve it.
- I learned people think that I have a good positive look on life and iIm
welcoming.
- I have problems opening up and letting people see the real me. (from back
home)
- I'm trying to learn more about keeping it R.E.AL.
- That even if you are having a bad day, you can think "i like you" as you
go up to people and you will have a better day.
- I learned how important prayer is and that it really does change
everything.
- That there are some things that I can't control and others that I just
have to let go and let God.
- That each person here loves me, no matter what. they accept me and love
me for me.
- With any person that you are around for long enough there will be
problems, but we can get through them.

i really am loving every minute of working here. thank you so much for
letting me join your staff. =)

Sarah Beth

Renea's Top Ten

This is my top ten

1. It is important to balance my time

2. It is important to eat, sleep, and drink enough water.

3. I learned how to align my goals with my values.

4. I learned that putting what you learned on paper helps you to have a deeper feeling.

5. I learned that this summer is not all about me.

6. I learned that it is very important to keep it R.E.A.L.

7. I learned how to serve Communion.

8. I learned that even though all of us are Christians we have different ways of worship.

9. I need to stay Humble.

10. I learned that we need to just give our youth the Pickle.

Tawana's Rafting Habitude

Whitewater Rafting Trip

To begin I didn’t want to go. I tried to think of every reason why I shouldn’t go. The one deciding factor was that I had to go. I kept protesting that we shouldn’t be made to do something that we don’t want to. One of the things that stuck with me from the workshops was that sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones. On the way there I kept thinking of all the worst possible scenarios that could happen to me in the water. As I sat down in the raft all of my fears and doubts disappeared. I knew that GOD heard all my prayers. Although we had a guide the success of the adventure depended on teamwork. I looked around me and saw the smile on Renea’s face, the confidence in Andy’s eyes, and the sense of comfort that was beaming from Ansylee's face. It was then that I knew everything really would be all right. I trusted these wonderful three people that surrounded me even though we had only met a week before. The ride was thrilling, shocking and shaky at times. I had more fun that I could have ever imagined. I planted my feet just like Ellie, the guide, told me to and I rowed in the directions that she instructed me to do so in. Things were going smoothly and we hit a rocky point that was when Ansylee went in. I didn’t have time to think I reached out and grabbed her with my right hand and held on to her. I was not going to let her go. Renea took my paddle and I was able to hold onto her with both hands and then Andy helped me pull back into the raft. After all it’s not about me. I spent so much time today before the trip thinking about all of the bad things that could happen to me. I am here to help others and be their support. I am a shoulder to lean on, a friend, a sister in Christ, a teammate, or maybe just a hand. It occurred to me tonight that my calling is to reach out to others. I can do this, this summer as well as when I am teaching. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I believe that everything happens for a reason even if we pretend to be blind and not see it. He brought me here this summer for a reason, and Ansylee and I were put in that raft together for a reason. You see GOD reached out, held on and pulled me back in from the rushing waters. Sometimes we just need a reminder.

Tawana's Top Ten

Ten Things I Learned or Got from Staff Training

1. Teamwork is critical to success. There is no “I” in team.

2. Always set a goal that is achievable.

3. It is important to remember that the closer we get to GOD the closer we get to others.

4. Each person’s values are different.

5. A way to celebrate differences is by visiting churches that have different religions.

6. What you do doesn’t necessarily define who you are.

7. The people that you serve aren’t just customers but also your boss. Their satisfaction or dissatisfaction determines your success in the workplace.

8. Always serve with a servants’ heart.

9. There are many connections between worship and the workplace. For example, relationships, benefits, growth, etc...

10. Embrace diversity and learn from others, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone.

Zac's Rafting Habitude

White Water Rafting

White water rapids are an interesting phenomenon that occur naturally on most rivers however most rivers are not large enough or deep enough to carry boats of people down them. Because of these naturally occurring rapids people are drawn to place themselves in rubber boats with paddles and life jackets while trying to navigate down safely down the river. Most rafting companies provide you with a river guide who is trained on how to identify problems, steer the boat, and provide medical/first aid support to those who may need it.
Psalm 37: 3 says the following: Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. For if we look at this particular scripture God is telling that is we trust in him/her then we shall enjoy security. White water rafting can become very dangerous if you do not follow the directions of your leader or you are inexperienced in how to white water raft. So if we trust in our leader, our Lord God, we shall enjoy his/her security. The same goes with your raft guide; if you trust in him/her and do as they say in order to get down the river then you shall enjoy the security of knowing everything will be ok. As we directly relate this to the bible I challenge everyone to understand that blind faith and trust are not the same thing. Trusting is not always understanding how but understanding why; where as blind faith is going off of the assumptions that things are done because they are done and that is the way things are. Which following blindly could possibly lead us down the wrong path allowing our boat to get stuck on rocks, only to get helped by another boat, or to possible capsize under the extreme pressure of the water.

Questions
1. What could the rapids symbolize in our relationship with God?
2. What draws people to white water raft even though there is a possibility of bodily harm? Is there a relation to our commitment to God?
3. Through trust all things are made better; why does God present challenges (rapids) in our lives? List your challenges
4. Now that you understand your challenges, make goals in order to over come those challenges so that you can only grow closer to God and his son Jesus Christ our Savior through his prevenient and justifying grace.

Zac's Top Ten

Staff Training
I have always hated top ten lists because it limits you to a fixed number of things you must come up with; while my brain is constantly thinking of more things to add to the list.

1. Values vs. Morals: We all have this basic perception of what our values are and what our morals are; both of which are initially driven by our environment, parents, grandparents, guardians, brothers, sisters, etc… until we finally look inside ourselves to find out what we truly value in life. As I see it morals are what your community and the greater culture’s morals in general are, but values are ideas, principles, characteristics that you yourself hold to the highest standard.

2. Quiet Time: As the week progressed and we conducted many reflecting or processing information activities I began to fully understand and realize the importance of silent time with God. I use to have the perception that quiet time was time I took out of the day to commune with God, whether that be reading your bible while listening to some music (preferably in my case classical) or walking around a spiritual labyrinth.

3. Relationships: Relationships are very important to me personally however as the training week progressed I began to truly believe that God has chosen the SEJ Ministries with Young People staff very carefully for the sole purpose of enhancing each others experience through one another.

4. R.E.A.L: Respect, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Leadership; through this acronym we did many activities but the one we grew closer together as a group by understanding each other’s perceptions of others was conducted by voting using fuzzy balls secretly and then afterwards having our instructor Danelle Smith to explain the situation so that we could see where we were at and grow together rather than individually in different directions.

5. Fun: Having fun is an integral part of growing as a group. Through all the activities, devotionals, team building talks, and what not having fun was one of our top priorities so that through all the intense, emotional periods we could lift each other up.

6. Returning: Training really taught me that returning to a position especially at the Lake allows you to lead others through things and set an example for the new group in order to provide the best possible spiritual experiences for our guests.

7. Direction: Without direction our staff could not possibly be as strong and prepared as we are
currently. Direction allows those who orient themselves towards the big picture to see while allowing those who enjoy details to take care of what needs to be done in order to get to the big picture.

8. Goals: While I had known goals are always important to create, maintain, and accomplish placing a spiritual twist on an old skill was nice. I had always known that goals should be effectively stated and taught the S.T.A.R method (Start, Time limited, Assessable, Reach/Reflect). Understanding what drives our innermost goals allowed me to fully understand certain aspects of my goals that I have achieved.

9. Leadership/Following: While driving back from our rafting trip down the Upper Pigeon River, a simple question was asked, "Where do we want to eat dinner?" Due to the fact that we are all strong leaders no definitive answer was made. So looking back on this one simple test that because we were all leaders there was no one there to follow. So in knowing this there are times that we should understand our strengths and weaknesses allowing at our weakest times to follow God.

10. Communication Communication Communication: Just like the old realtor saying "Location, Location, Location" applies just the same to teamwork through communication. Without it the team will become confused, lose their direction, and could ultimately fall apart. With good communication teams function like well oiled machines and can accomplish just about any task that is thrown at them.

Emory's Top Ten List

keeping it R.E.A.L.
teamwork
strengths and weakness of the team
things that i need to work on as person and as a director
others values morals
getting to know one another before working together is a plus
people will challenge your faith
you must stand in what you believe in
it's not about me
humble myself in my ministry

Rachel Ann's Top Ten & Habitude

Top Ten Things I Learned During Staff Training-Summer 2006

10. People are people and so demand our utmost respect at all times-even before our morning coffee or if they say or do things I disagree with. I spend so much time at the café touting respect for our brothers and sisters around the world, but I forget to respect the ones that God has given me to work with this summer.

9. Not one of the members of the team can be removed without ruining the entire team’s structure. Everyone is here for a purpose.

8. Food has a powerful way of bonding people together. While teambuilding activities and games strengthen our bonds, meals are where we learn to be friends and not merely co-workers.

7. I’m a big believer in judging books by their covers, but that doesn’t work with people.

6. Things change; people change. For good, for bad-it happens. We must accept that.

5. Removing oneself, even for a day, from the outside world can have a dramatic effect on views toward the world, others and oneself.

4. The best learning happens when we follow our little kid instincts and let play open our minds to new ideas.

3. Diverse backgrounds make for great friendships. My entire life I have fully lived out "birds of a feather flock together." Training, however, helped me to become unbelievably close to people with different backgrounds, upbringings, hometowns and approaches to theology.

2. Get passionate, and maybe even express some righteous anger, but keep it REAL.

1. It’s not about you, or me or any of us.

Whitewater Rafting Habitude

One of the more humorous realizations that our boat stumbled upon while whitewater rafting is that each of our team members responds to tree branches coming at our faces in different ways. By the end of out trip, I swear that our guide steered us toward trees just to see how things would play out. Our approaches fell into three basic categories: 1) the person who thought of no one; 2) the twosome that worked together; 3) and the person concerned only with himself. I was the person who thought of no one-not even really myself. When faced with the problem of tree branches I let them hit them thinking that I would be fine because I had on a thick PFD and a helmet. Never once did I consider that the branches were hitting me and then coming back at Marty’s face with great force. Because of my lack of foresight both of us were hit in the face with tree branches. Our guide was the other extreme; he thought only of himself. Steering us into branches to see what we would do is selfish AND he had a better, higher view than everyone else and dove and ducked his way through all the branches successfully. The best technique was the one employed by Zac and Sarah Beth. They would sufficiently duck so that both of them would escape the tree branches. Sarah Beth would tell Zac the particulars of the branches, if necessary, and Zac would tell Sarah Beth that they were coming up if she was distracted. Neither of them were hit with tree branches.

Summer time conflicts are much like those tree branches. We can choose to take a small loss on our part because it’s easier than thinking ahead which forces someone else to get hit much harder. That’s the trouble with apathy-it didn’t hit me too hard, but Marty now has a black eye. We can look out only for ourselves, but in the process we could cause more troubles for our teammates. Or we could commit to take care of one another, inform our teammates when branches are coming up and work through the problem together so that no one gets smacked in the face.

training: a top ten of sorts

10. getting to know a truly diverse group of individuals.
9. realizing that it is not, never has, and never will be...about me.
8. getting an understanding of the true necessity of flexible teamwork.
7. realizing the impact a few bits of string can have on systematic theology.
6. playing with rubber chickens.
5. having a full bonding experience with my coworkers before we entered our first trial by fire.
4. winning kisses from a nice lady (chocolate candies that is).
3. being encouraged to contemplate my own goals and values in accordance with our community mission.
2. being challenged by diverse theology and coming to realize that ultimately it only made me stronger.
1. finding that, regardless of the reasons that we came to the Lake as staff, our presence here was a part of God's plan.

(it's not truly a top ten of what i learned, but rather valuable experiences. oh well.)

Jordan's Top Ten

Here are my most fantasical moments of the staff training experience

10. Joining everyone for a fantastic meal at Maggie Valley Pizzaria
9. Attending X-MEN with everyone right afterward
8. Group juggling
7. Labyrinth
6. Sunday night WPD
5. Eating with everyone at Colonial at Lambuth
4. Fun Depot
3. Carrying the Cross
2. Cross, campfire, s'mores
1. White water rafting

Jessica's Top Ten

It's hard to pick just 10 things that I learned this weekend because I feel like it has completely changed my life. But I'll try to condense them into a top 10 list.

1. I realized how to put myself out there more by the different games we played.

2. I learned how to become more aware of what I say. I guess I can say I learned how to watch my tongue more closely.

3. God has spoken to me through the Rob Bell devotional vidoes. Those have inspired me to spend more time with the Lord.

4. Goals. I have always been bad at keeping goals but through the processes I have a better grasp on how to keep them and what they should be.

5. Values. I think this was my favorite day. I had never thought about values and the seer importance of them. This really made me dig deep into myself and taught me a lot about myself.

6. How to apply the values and goals together to shape my life.

7. I love how the staff is so diverse. I know this is not something I learned, but I guess it made me appreciate diversity more.

8. That God has a purpose for my life and a plan for why I'm here.

9. Reading the Bible and doing devotionals are vital in a Christians life. I never thought they were that important until I got here and dived into the Habitudes.

10. When we grow closer to God then we grow closer to others and begin to show them God's love through us because we are active in the Word.

Aynslee's Top Ten

Training was awesome! I love all the peeps I'll be working with this summer! Here's my top 10:

1) We are a diverse group in many ways, but in Christ we are brothers and sisters.

2) In order to fulfull our call to the summer ministry, we must learn each other's buttons, and try not to push them.

3) If we do push a button, we must talk about it one on one and we must not let the sun go down on our anger.

4) Don't worry when things get crazy; pray and ask for help from each other. Let others know when you are down, so they can help you back up.

5) We are all leaders who must learn to lead together as a body in Christ.

6) If we grow closer to Christ as individuals, then we will grow closer to each other as a group and through us God will bring the youth and youth leaders closer to Him.

7) Hearing someone else's theological opinion, even if I disagree, can make me stronger as a Christian because it makes me think about where I stand and why I stand for those things. It helps me dig deeper.

8) Being REAL is important. We must respect each other, remain enthusiastic(even when things become routine), have a positive attitude(especially when a disaster hits), and each of us must be willing to take initiative and lead when our time comes.

9) It is important that I set goals for the summer and that I am motivated by my personal values to meet those goals.

10) This summer is going to teach me a lot about God, myself, and loving/reaching other people. It will get me out of my comfort zone, challenge me, and grow me. I am looking forward to an awesome summer and leaving here as a different person than when I came.

10 Things I’ve Learned from Staff Training

10 Things I’ve Learned from Staff Training

1. Validity: I’m convinced now more than ever that team building and value understanding is more important than task training. Understanding the inner why helps with the outer performance.
2. Intensity: Training must be intense. The intensity helps break through resistance and helps the staff move beyond superficial into real depth.
3. Pace: I still have some work to do here. Next year’s schedule will reflect my learning about the pace. The campfire needs to be the last big session of self-revelation. The fun time at Fun Depot was an excellent counter-balance to the heavy stuff we’d been doing. Lastly, a plan for a couple of check-in sessions will also prove helpful.
4. Questions: Life and ministry have no easy answers, only questions. I am glad Maria brought that to a head making them think by never answering a question. By struggling early they will be better equipped to work with youth who have questions as well without easy answers given by “bobble-head” Jesus types. Live in the questions.
5. Tension: good training made the inter-personal tension much more positive than last year. There will always be tension, spiritual tension, inter-personal tension, theological tension, etc. The key is to be able to live in that tension and let it strengthen you, not consume you.
6. Focused Fun: Danelle did a great job helping them have fun but learn something at the same time. Often they had to dig out what they were learning because at first glance the activity was so fun, they didn’t realize how much they were learning. How often do we treat rubber chickens more importantly than glass balls?
7. Direction: Nilse did a great job helping the teams have direction. She is the list master, after all. This provides meaning and understanding to the overwhelming tasks at hand. She is definately a "navigator" in her leadership style.
   
8. Variety: Having a variety of trainers allowed everyone to do what they do best and connected with the staff in completely different ways. Having a variety of activities allows for creativity of expression and balance between physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional.
9. Values & Goals: Revelation came for a lot of the staff when they had to actually start defining what they valued. For some it was the first time they sought to understand their “why” and not just their “what.” Goals as tangible and measurable objectives means being accountable to yourself and others for what you are striving to accomplish and become. I think that this section is where the staff realized that this isn’t just another job, it is a ministry.
10. Learning from the Learners: Here is where I personally grew the most, learning from those who were being taught. Seeing what connected, what caused struggle and hearing great ideas. Jessica completely re-focused the Cross Walk on Thursday night and it was far better than I had originally designed. There were several times when we (the trainers) had to re-work our plans to make sure we were helping the staff on their journey. I’m sure I’ve learned as much or more than any of the staff.

What I’m keeping…

Here are the things I know I’ll keep for next year and beyond:

• Values and Goal Setting
• Staff Manual and Ministry Values
• Habitudes
• Nooma Videos
• Danelle’s workshops (hopefully Danelle will continue to be willing to volunteer to help!)
• Theological teaching times
• Cross Walk (though it will be last thing)
• Rafting
• REAL workshops
• Collages
• S’mores & campfire
• What else? Email me and let me know!

What I may change….

Here are the things I’m considering changing:

• Pace
• Location (my allergies were really affected by Colonial though I liked the space)
• Schedule (better balance of reflection and tasks, maybe afternoons off instead of evenings?)
• Environment design (a way to get people to move around to get to know each other better)
• More staff contact prior to training
• What else? Email me and let me know!

Praise God for a great staff. I look forward to a summer that is:

Lost in Grace,
Marty