Today we’re taking 15-20 high school students for a weekend in the snow. Keep us in your prayers for safety, transparency, and authenticity. Our goals: lot’s of coffee and deep conversations along with contemplative midnight sessions. We’ve been totally upfront with each kid that signed up about our spiritual emphasis and they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Sure we’ll play games, but that’s not the point of this weekend.
I’ve found myself, in the past, selling these retreats on the fun activities , but this time I’ve sold it on the spiritual pursuit and we’ve had a good turnout. If you’re honest with kids, they are truly able to step up to the plate. So pray for us this weekend!

Well, it was 8 years in the making… we went on our first family vacation!

We left yesterday for Leavenworth, WA. It’s a “Bavarian” Village nestled in the Cascade Mountains. We picked Leavenworth not for it’s faux German decor, but because the ministry I work for (Youth Dynamics) has a ranch near there. So we stayed at a cabin on Stonewater Ranch and had a blast. If you have a youth group or church and are ever looking for a great place for a retreat, I’d recommend Stonewater Ranch. It’s a very special place.

During our stay, the kids went shopping for knickknacks in town, we hung out with people around the ranch, and enjoyed the beach of Lake Wenatchee. Here’s some pics from the trip: