They Loved Me – They Really Loved Me.

I spent a week at 5^th and 6^th grade camp.  I think I’ve done that almost every year since I WAS a 5th and 6^th grader.

As I walked down the hill from my cabin last night, I could hear sponsors trying to call the kids to order; trying to herd those cats into their respective cages. And just like that, I was transported back to Spring Bluff.  The ringing of the bell meant it was time to head to the next thing.  And the flashlight of Brother Bill signaled how much trouble we were in for being out of our cabins!

Brother Bill – a true saint departed – roamed those grounds all night with his flashlight…sometimes masquerading as the pitching mound on the baseball field as the moon reflected from his rotund, white T-shirt clad midsection.  He roamed because he loved us.

Mitch and Cindy – our ‘parents’ in almost every sense of the word – allowed us each a small glimpse of a healthy happy family, whether we needed it or not.  They laughed with us.  They cried with us.  And now that I’m a youth pastor, I know how much they prayed for us.  They prayed because they loved us.

Larry, Julian, Burt, David, and 100 other partners in crime – my youth group ‘posse’ – tolerated, tortured, and sometimes teased….more than any of us ever should have.  And we listened to each other.  We listened because we loved.

And that small, round older lady – our ninja grandma whose name I cannot recall but whose face I still see clearly – made us clean our own tables, do the dishes again if we did a bad job, threatened us with a wooden spoon when we needed it, and treated every condition we ever had with water, band-aids, patience and a fierce kindness.  She bossed because she loved.

I don’t remember a single camp theme.  I no longer have any of the awards I got (not even Mr. Underpants…or whatever it was.)  I can’t even remember how many times I went to church camp as a kid.  What I do remember?  Those people loved me.  THEY changed my life forever.  Because they loved me.  And when you spend a week at camp, you become a lover who changes lives.  Never forget the role you play…it can rewrite legacies.

Youth Ministry. I know.

Your conference budget probably turned over in January, right?

Request the money right now to go to Simply Youth Ministry Conference on Columbus, OH in March!

Quit making excuses.  There’s still plenty of time to make arrangements.  You aren’t leaving the country!  You don’t even need any special shots or pills for this trip.

I know.  You’ve been to every conference there is.  I get it.  I’ve been to a billion conferences, too.  And you’re probably right – there’s nothing really ‘new’ under the sun.

I know.  It’s Columbus.  I’m from Texas…Ohio is just some other state vaguely in the middle of the country.  And I heard it snows there…sometimes in March.  You’re probably right – not an exotic location.

I know.  It’s hard to get away.  You have to get 47 signatures to be gone, find people to cover your specific roles, find people to cover the roles you usually find people to cover for just in case someone needs covering.  And don’t even get me started on the kids and the babysitters and trying to get things ready for my wife.  You’re probably right – a lot of logistical church stuff to do.

I know.  It’s easy to sit at your desk and justify every reason on earth not to be at SYMC this year.  I also know it’s easy to sit at your desk, boring holes into your calendar through tears you are willing not to fall, simply because you’re overwhelmed.  I also know it’s easy to sit at your desk and wonder if you’re even getting any of this ministry stuff right.  Someone’s always complaining.  Some kids aren’t coming.  The ones who are coming don’t seem to get it.

I know.  It’s lonely sitting at that desk.  And that’s exactly why you need SYMC.

It’s not an exotic location at the perfect time in your schedule with guaranteed tracks that you’ve never heard before.

But it’s not lonely.  And you’re not alone.  There’s a nation of youth workers pushing back from their desks and up to the table as we embark on a week of transformation.  Wherever you find yourself and your desk this week….find your way to Simply Youth Ministry Conference.

Youth ministry.  I know.  We all do.  That’s why I want you to be there.

Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Columbus, OH, on March 7-10, 2014.