rvaYM

Can this summer really be over? It was busy, fun and, based on some quick math, required over 2,100 miles of driving across just 3 states. But once again, every corner of Virginia. A few highlights:

• Mission Trip to Louisa, VA
• Vacation to Emerald Isle, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC with pit stops to Kiawah Island and Charleston, SC
• Rascal Flatts in Virginia Beach
• Lindsey’s Wedding at Smith Mountain Lake
• Megan’s Wedding in Roanoke

As much fun as it has been, I am ready for fall: Hokie and Spider football, cooler weather so I can wear a sweatshirt, watching new grass grow and kicking off another fall in youth ministry.

I know, I know, it’s still August. But with Christmas only three sermon series away, I’ve already started brainstorming. The other two are almost done, so now it’s on to Advent. Simple Gifts is our theme this Christmas. So in honor of Christmas, I take a look back to last year. I stumbled on last year’s Christmas videos from our Nativity Stories series:

Hear the sound of the redeemed
Rising from the Church
Hear the melodies, the harmonies
Songs that tell of new birth
Hear the music of God
Every tribe and tongue
Singing with one voice‘Til Kingdom come

Hear the Spirit
Hear the Spirit of God
And worship

Every nation
Every tongueEvery tribe
Come

- logan jones

Download “Hear the Spirit”

…until I am officially on vacation. This summer has been incredible, but it has also been long. Flying Squirrels game with the youth, mission trip, Camp Pastor for a week at Camp Piankatank, and lots of fun with the lower schoolers.

Now, I’m exhausted. I always say this, but I am so ready for vacation. I might sleep through the whole thing, just to catch up. And I still have:

• Water Wars (big youth event) today
• preaching 3 services Sunday, which includes wrapping up the sermon
• youth group Sunday night

Brooklyn (who’s a middle school pastor, might I add…she knows where it’s at!) wrote a great piece on the YS site a few days ago, which included this quote:

Summer is both the sweet spot and a killer for youth ministers of all types. It’s the time when we get to connect teenagers with experiences that they’ll tie to their faith for a lifetime. It’s also the time when we wear down, lose sleep, go the extra mile, and forget that we too are human in need of rest and spiritual renewal.

How true, how true. Heading into vacation, I am excited about resting. With myself, with Kim and getting ready for an exciting new school year at GBC.

Now, about these next 59 hours…

This morning I sent out this text message to the youth coming on the retreat this weekend:

when clock strikes 10 2nite u will run+hide+try 2 win the game. be sure u dress the part. dark clothes, camo, face paint, whatever u need!

A few hours later, I get this e-mail from a parent:

subject: Funny Teenage Moment!

Aaron–to many…this would not be “encouragement”…to someone in your position, I think it will be! This morning-before 8:15…before he even ate breakfast…[my son] smiled AND laughed! He read your email about the gear needed for some type of hunt(?) and laughed out loud! He said something about knowing a thing or two about stealth…then said, “this should be fun!”. Music to a parents ears…hope it is for you, too. Thank you for all you do to show our Creator to our children each and every week…lower and upper school alike. Have a blessed day and weekend.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ah, youth retreats. Can’t wait. Picking up Robbie from the airport in a few hours, and then it’s on. Fun times in youth ministry, with a great team of volunteers, and a great interim high school pastor to work with.

Even my New Testament professor today said that his life was looking up recently as Glee had returned to FOX on Tuesday evenings. I saw an article on the show in the local newspaper’s entertainment section, it’s on CNN.com, the cast made an appearance on American Idol.

“]In last night’s show, Mr. Schuester walked in on the Cheerios practicing a new routine based on a Madonna song. About halfway through the routine, I thought I spotted a male cheerleader on stilts whose uniform was spelled backwards. I rewound the DVR, watched through again. Sure enough, the guys’ uniforms were backwards. Wait, so were the girls’ uniforms. And the floor of the gym. And the walls.

“]

This short clip didn’t last longer than a few seconds, so it filled in a need. But rather than show ~8 seconds of the left side of the formation, they flipped the clip to make it look like 3-4 seconds of the left side, then 3-4 seconds of the right side.

As one of FOX’s biggest hits of the spring, they couldn’t have caught that back in filming and filmed more than what they needed? But I guess stuff like this happens all the time.