Home from Yosemite Summit

Yosemite Summit Guys 2011 This isn’t the “Official” report – I have thousands of photos (and video clips) to sort through and a highlight video to create for that – BUT I wanted to at least let y’all know I made it back alive and we had another great UNconference in Yosemite National Park! Despite some negative weather forecasts, we had actually perhaps the best weather of all four years – maybe tied with year #1, though that was a bit warm, so I think the best weather of all four years for hiking. That was fantastic! Just for fun, Pat arrived a day early to help me shop for all the food. Here he is at Costco in Sacramento: BEFORE: AFTER: And that is even before the Super Wal-Mart trip for the stuff Costco doesn’t sell! It takes a lot to feed a lodge full of hungry hikers! (And we eat well!) Soon we were all gathered and ready to head to Yosemite… all but one Californian who was meeting up with us farther South. Soon we were off! It was a great four hour drive getting to know each other, and the guys had absolute trust in my…

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Why Yosemite Summit?

Every year when Yosemite Summit rolls around, I am never ready for it. And that is exactly why I do it. I have projects that are not where I want them. Deadlines I’m behind on, so many to do’s unchecked they are overwhelming at times, countless more items floating in my head that need to get on a to do list. Even more dreams and ideas of things I’d like to do. The reality is, I’ll never be “ready” for a week off of work to just relax, refresh, renew and re-create. I am too driven by my life Mission and Calling. But I am also driven by disappointment. We all have this ideal in our mind and hearts of the way life is supposed to be – and when life turns out differently and we don’t get want we want (the core of sin is selfishness) we bury it in busyness, and as Christians we can bury it in Christian service and “Godly” busyness – whereas the rest the world may attempt to hide it in entertainment, the accumulation of power, wealth or pleasure – if not outright debauchery. (Some do seek to redeem it through a life well…

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Hittin’ The Oregon Trail

I’m excited to be heading to OREGON this weekend! If you live up in the Great NorthWest* – I hope you can drop by for some great training! Download FULL SIZE PDF Flyer (2.3MB) I’m in for a BUSY weekend! I’m doing a Family Program on Friday Night – one of my favorite presentations, “Lions, and Bears and Fire, OH MY!” It’s an evening of laughter and comedy and story telling that encourages kids and old folks alike to enjoy whatever age they are – and to realize that they are part of HIS–STORY! It was born out of an invitation once to speak at an author’s assembly for Order of the Ancient and I thought, “How can I just talk about my book for an hour – how boring!” (Even though my book is quite exciting, mind you – I wasn’t going to read it!) And I didn’t want the assembly to be a long commercial for my book. So instead, I did what I knew the kids in my ministry loved most – my story telling, and I wove it around the reasons WHY we love stories in the first place and revealed the SECRET FORMULA of a…

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Are You On Track For My Fast Track?

Are you coming to San Diego in March? (previous blog post) Let me invite you to my ALL DAY Kidology Training! I’m looking forward to spending an entire day in sunny San Diego with a select group of folks talking about children’s ministry and enjoying some sweet fellowship. It will be a fun intimate setting with great practical training! GET MORE INFO! REGISTER NOW! TWEET IT: http://tinyurl.com/regCPC2011 TWEET IT: http://tinyurl.com/cpc11sdprecon

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Object Lessons on Steroids

Object Lessons on Steroids! That’s how I described Kidz Blitz when I first saw it at my church back in 1999 at the very first Kid U conference! Children’s Pastors have been using object lessons for as long as… well, since Jesus used them! But it was Roger Fields who decided to take them and blow them up ten times bigger. (Sometimes literally!) Roger Fields, the creator of Kidz Blitz, is a pioneer of Children’s Ministry. In fact – he was one of the first workshoop presenters I heard at my first CPC waaaay back in 1995 at my first CPC. I loved this guy’s passion and unique approach to ministry and knew right away he was a guy to watch, learn from, and one who would always approach ministry differently than everyone else. He isn’t afraid to try new things – whatever it takes to reach kids. (He was the one who brought leaders the Children’s Ministry Conference Cruise in 2001-2002 and is the creator of CMX!) Famous for his “T.P. Blower” – Roger is a guy who knows how to “BRING THE FUN” to a kids outreach event! Here is me “BRINGING THE T.P.” to Roger at CPC:…

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