Summer Camps

The last few weeks have been filled with summer camps and prep. for summer camps. June is by far the busiest month of the year for me. First I take my Jr. Highers to Big Bear then two weeks later I take my High Schoolers to Hawley Lake. The camps are about as different as two camps can be, but they are both a ton of fun. 

Hawley Lake this year was one for the ages. I think the students had a great time and I know that I had a good time. It is a hard week for me for many reasons, but one of the toughest things for me is being “the cop”. I much prefer being the good guy, but i think that being the “paid professional” I have to play the role as the tough guy. I also would rather not have all the stresses of making sure everything is going as it should be. 

Besides having to do those things I would rather not, it was still awesome. God’s presence was felt by many and it was obvious that the Holy Spirit was moving. There is something about High School students worshiping God that is moving. I get all teary-eyed when I see students truly worshiping the Creator. 

We played some of the best games of Signs ever, and a very funny game of silent football. The cornhole tourny was pretty intense, and the water balloon games were fun. 

The musical worship was great, my wife and Ali (donkey) did a tremendous job in leading the students in our worship times. Bob (the speaker) did a great job at relating to the students and communicating what it means to be a Christian. 

Great week!!!

 

Dentist

I am out the door to go to the dentist, and I have to tell you that I hate the dentist. I hate going, I hate xrays, I hate fluoride, I hate the little pick they dig into your teeth, and I hate the little sucky thing that gets all the spit of my mouth. 

My wife insist that we don’t go to the dentist enough, but I say we go more than the average American. For the last 2 years we have gone at least twice a year, but this time it’s been like 9 months for me. grrrrrrrrr

So here I go. I have a horrible gag reflex, so I hate gettin xrays. I feel like I am gonna lose my lunch every time I have one of those things stuffed way back in my mouth. 

 

Big Bear

Well tomorrow marks the beginning of my week at Big Bear with 5 Jr. High boys. Actually there is like 250 jr. highers their, but I am only taking 5. It may not sound like a good time, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to the week. I really enjoy the time with the guys and getting a chance to get to know them better. 

Big Bear: home of the best silent football game ever!!

 

Francis

I don’t know if your familiar with Francis Chan, but I enjoy his teaching. He is a pastor in Simi Valley, CA. Check out a message of his from a few weeks ago. 

It was his “Mother’s Day” message. I don’t have a link, but it was on May 11. 

 

 

not on my watch

Have you ever done something and then after you think about it you feel like “maybe I shouldn’t have done that?”. That just happened to me. So my wife and I are going back East (Yonkers!) this summer. She has her family back there, so it is important for us to get back there every year. This year we are planning on taking a mini-vacation while we are there, we are gonna head up to New Hampshire (30 minutes outside Boston). So this is my big opportunity to go to Fenway. For those of you unfamiliar with Fenway, it is the home of the Boston Red Sox, and is one of those places that has an atmosphere that is unmatched. Well, I just bought 2 tickets to a BoSox game in July. I am really excited about the opportunity to go see a game. My seats are super far away, but it’s Fenway!!!!

The problem isn’t going to a baseball game. The problem is that after I purchased the tickets I went up to bed and opened up my reading for the night. I am reading Not On Our Watch, its a book about Darfur and the genocide that is happening over in Sudan. So there I lay, reading about Darfur, attempting to feel the plight of the Sudanese refugees. All this while anxiously awaiting my bosox tickets (which are expensive and hard to get). 

I have an inner conflict going on. I feel shame, conviction, guilt, and uncertainty all at the same time. I’m not sure where the line is. Is it wrong to go to Fenway? Is it wrong to buy unnecessary items when there are so many people around the world without the necessities of life? Where is the line? 

To be completely honest, I feel like sometimes I am a very passionate person with very shallow passions (i.e. Phoenix Suns). I feel like my mouth spouts out great concerns for humanity, but I do very little to help. I am always quick to share with people my ideals about social justice, which is not bad in itself, but slow to sacrifice my own comforts for the same issues. 

I sound like a Pharisee. OUCH

 

Top Ten Bands…

in the eyes of yours truly. My top ten bands/artist of all time. 

Just missing the cut… Lifehouse and The Fray

 

10. Switchfoot

9.Garth Brooks

8. Blessed Union of Souls

7. 2Pac

6. Tim McGraw

5. The Beatles

4. David Crowder Band

3.  Dave Matthews Band

2.  U2

1.  Counting Crows

There you have it. The Josh Barton top ten bands. If I had the August and Everything After album by Counting Crows on repeat all the time then I would be a happy man. 

What are your top ten? Which bands shouldn’t have made the list? 

 

 

A new family member

This weekend my wife and I went out and added to our family. We added a new little guy that we love. We call him Mac (short for iMac). That is right my friends, We bought a Mac. So far we love it. It is a big purchase, but I am a youth pastor. I have joined the ranks of youth pastors across America (and Canada, Tom) and I now can work with the all impressive Mac. Now I am not fully into the youth pastor culture because we did not get a macbook, but instead bought the desktop.

I have a good buddy who got married in November 06, I put together a slideshow for the wedding using moviemaker (LAME). I seriously could not copy the movie onto a dvd, and the whole thing looked really ametuer. This is one of the key events that really gave me a sour taste of windows. So last night I threw together a new and improved slideshow for him. The quality is so much better and I think he is gonna like the end product.

So if your already part of the mac family, then  I am now apart of your family! If you are not, then I suggest taking the plunge. It is good.

 

 

may I…

poop on a hummer? Why is it that hummers bug me so much? I don’t know but I have to admit that every time I see a hummer my body tightens up and I feel the blood begin to boil. I can say that I think that they are the most ridiculous things that one can buy. Usually it is a status symbol. I have never been out in the desert and actually seen someone driving a hummer going 4×4ing. My guess is that if someone were to spend as much on a car as they do a hummer they are not going to be willing to take it out into the desert and get it dirty or scuffed up.

So what makes me more upset than seeing hummers? How about seeing a Christian radio station with a hummer as it’s company car. oops, I just vomited in my mouth. I was at a youth conference recently and saw a Christian radio station with a hummer and I had to get a picture with it. So enjoy!

 

Just-war theory

I have really been wrestling with this idea of just-war and if it is something that I should align myself with or not.  I have done some research and found some of the “rules” for a just war. My experience has been that in the church we have shied away from this subject and silenced our voices. Unfortunately I believe that in some churches and among some circles of Evangelicals we have looked down upon someone for questioning our current government and their decisions.  I am also sometimes confused on who we are aligning ourselves with: is it Jesus or the Republican Party?  As a Christian I have to ask myself some tough questions. As followers of Jesus are we to agree with this war? Is this how Jesus would deal with this issue? Here are the rules by which a war is considered just:

A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.

A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.

A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient–see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with “right” intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury.

A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.

The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

I would like to start a dialogue regarding this idea. I am not saying that I am right or have everything nailed down when it comes to these ideas.

However, I do believe that as a Christian I am supposed to follow Jesus’ lead. I do believe that Jesus was a creative guy and if He were here today He would have some creative ways when it comes to dealing with these issues.

What are your thoughts?

 

blogging lull

So I have run into a bloggin’ brain fart. But I am currently listening to a discussion that took place between Shane Claiborne, Greg Boyd, and Chuck Colsen. 3 generations being represented and a good discussion. Here is a link of the unedited conversation. It is quite long, but well worth the time.

http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/speakingoffaith/20080417_evangelical_politics_uc-npc.mp3

Let me know if you have comments after listening.