Just got back from taking 48 kids to Acquire the Fire, a two day conference mixed with speakers and bands. Here’s my review from a perspective as a youth worker and from the reactions from the youth.

I wasn’t impressed. I felt it was overall half baked.

What was good? Skillet. Skillet. Skillet. Man did those guys put on a good show. Some bands put out good Cd’s, but stink live (worst I’ve heard: Smashmouth - absolutely putrid). They had a great stage presence, engaged the audience well, and sounded amazing. They were my highlight and moved themselves just below U2 in my best performers I’ve experienced live. WOW is all I can say. They made everything worth it.

Other than that, it wasn’t very good. The overall theme was not very defined: you need Jesus and culture is bad. I love it when people preach that advertisers and the cultural machine only want your money, then you see concert promoters selling t-shirts for 25-30 bucks! And this really got me. I’ve already paid $55 bucks for the concert, then they send around the offering plates! If you need money for scholarships to ATF next year - take it out of my ticket price (and I sure don’t remember being offered these scholarships for our kids - we raised our own money)!

I love these types of events and I hate them as well. I cringe when I hear “You want to rock it for Jesus!” No, I don’t. We took non-churched kids to this and it’s a weird cultural experience. They feel weirded out and I feel ashamed that I’m surrounded by “Christians.” The funny thing is they act this way, all amped up and sold out for Jesus, but walk outside and drop F-bombs. At least my kids drop them consistently. Our kids felt the hypocrisy in the room - and it was thick.

But I don’t want to sound all bitter about the event. All of this really lead to great discussions with some of our guys. Some of them made commitments that weekend. And I firmly believe that any time you spend more than a couple of hours with kids, good things happen. It was time well invested, we laughed, we shared and we cried. God moved… just not in the way I expected.

Sometimes I walk into these events hoping they they will be a “magic pill” that will revolutionize these kids. And it doesn’t. It’s the time we spend with them, not the lights and entertainment that change them. Investment and time will lead to opportunities to speak into them that no concert or event can do.

ATF: 2.5 out of 5 (without Skillet 1.5 out of 5)

For more on Ron Luce and ATF go here.

Still battling the flu and still unable to write anything of interest. So today I give you a healthy dose of irreverence because I need a laugh and so do you!

The Officail Jesus Webpage

Facts about Jesus:

1. Jesus is a mammal.

2.Jesus saves ALL the time

3.The purpose of Jesus is to flip out and smite the wicked

There’s more on this site and it’s ridiculous and oh so sweet.

Christian Cheese

This any many more amazingly weird pics of Jesus.

DollarCross

A Christian themed Dollar store. God rocks, like pop rocks - what better way to celebrate Jesus’ gory death than with colorful, cross-shaped novelty candy?  

It is amazing [and sad] how odd the Christian culture has evolved. 

If we can’t laugh at ourselves… then what else do we have to laugh at?

Any other site out there to add to the crazy list?

Do we ever truly escape High School? For some reason, it’s such an awkward, yet influential time in our lives. It’s one that really scars and embeds itself upon us. So why do those 4 years hold such weight upon us?

 When I think back and look at who I was, I’m amazed at who I have become. I used to look at that teenage boy with such horrible disdain. But over the years I’ve begun to realized I was just a kid trying to get by the best way I could.

I see that in the kids I work with. They’re just trying to get by, to survive. 

So when you see teenagers on the street, with their piercings and baggy pants. Don’t scoff at them, just realize that they’re trying to survive the best way they know. And also remember that behind the exterior was the same scared soul that you were years back.

Here’s a new site you may find interesting:

www.hollywoodjesus.com

 It’s a site with “pop culture with a spiritual point of view.” I spent some time looking around it and have liked it so far. It’s not your typical, “if it’s Hollywood - it’s evil” point of view. It tires to see culture as a starting point for conversation and I like that. So you should check it out!