So we conquered In & Out Burgers, but we were only half done. Next stop was the Oregon coast which mean by Mapquests estimates 7 hours. Oh man, somehow 7 turned into 10 + hours. I think as a crow flies it would take less time, but unfortunately we weren’t flying. So to clam the monotony of the ever snaking, looping, turning highway 101 we busted out the seminal road trip activity: the sing along. These kids iPods are filled with music, I was surprised with. Not explicit stuff - 70’s and 80’s rock! I kid you not. Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ became the our theme song. And we needed it because the 101 never ends.

The one new band I was introduced to was Dragonforce. They are amazing in an amazingly cheesy 80’s butt rock way. Picture all of the hair band and slap every music cliche’ and you’ve got Dragonforce. It’s so bad it’s good.

To listen to our top 5 singalong songs go here:

http://stuartdelony.muxtape.com/

Any “best of” road trip songs we should add for our next trip?

[Continued from here...]

We woke up early, around 4 am and were on our way by close to 5. There was a lot of driving to be done and I was surprised how quickly the kids mobilized. We hit the first place that brewed coffee and were off.

Destination: In & Out burgers in Redding, CA

Our youth slept most of the morning and I learned something very interesting about Oregon. You can’t pump your own gas in the state of Oregon. It’s illegal. Does it make sense? Nope. It’s just a 100 year old law that keeps on going.

About mid-morning, Oregon turned into California and we were able to experience the town of Weed, CA. The kids were amused for obvious reasons.

From Weed, we kept driving. And something that started that morning would play a considerable role later on into that day… 80’s butt rock was discovered. But more of that later.

Nearing the noon hour, we rolled into the town of Redding. A few exits later and we could see the sign. “In and Out Burger” read above the trees. We were finally there. The kids rushed out and we all waited in line for our “Double Double” burgers (two patties and two layers of cheese). The food was really good. I mean really good. Most of their stuff is fresh and I ate, “hands down” the best fries I’ve ever had. It was so worth it. If the trip ended there, I would have been satisfied; but it was far from over…

Now I’m not saying I’m a fan of Stephen King - I haven’t read any of his stuff, but I was reading an article  that he wrote about HB1423 - a bill that’s pending in Massachusetts. This bill is attempting to restrict or simply band violent video games. And he has a really interesting point.

Can parents block that [violent games] stuff? You bet. But most never do. The most effective bar against what was called “seduction of the innocent”… is still parents who know and care not just about what their kids are watching and reading, but what they’re doing and who they’re hanging out with. Parents need to have the guts to forbid material they find objectionable… and explain why it’s forbidden. “           Stephen King - Videogame Lunacy

I’m no fan of violent videogames, but why does the government feel that is has a job to regulate morality? Isn’t that a parent’s job in the first place?

What happened to parents responsibly with their kids? So many have no clue about what is going on in their kids lives. Do parents simply expect the government, schools or youth pastors to raise their children? Most complain about their children, but refuse do do anything. They won’t invest in their children because it’s too much work.

Raising kids isn’t easy, but the government making laws isn’t the answer either.

Your thoughts?

[continued from...]

One thing I learned from this road trip…. UTZ Pub Chip Mix from Costco is like heroin. So addictive. And so flatulent when you have a van full of boys (and a few girls). Flatulence is the key ingredient to any good youth activity. UTZ is all around tasty.

Here’s what happens when the UTZ speaks back…

[to be continued...]

The trip was an absolute blast. For having 8 people in tight quarters for 3 days of driving, we had no friction and no drama. How does that happen with youth? I have no idea. Needless to say… God is good (and thank you for your prayers).

We started off by rounding up the group early in the morning on Sunday and headed down to church at Overlake Christian Church. I had heard some good buzz about their Illuminate Service and figured that the kids may enjoy a bit of the supposedly, experiential, emergent type service. We got down there and had a good time, but it wasn’t what I expected. It was a pretty fluffy, showy experience of a service. It was slick, big church with more hair gel and candles. Joel Osteen would be proud. But I was a good boy, I kept my mouth shut, and just observed the service and the kids. I wanted for them to be free to experience whatever.

Afterwards, I kept quiet and let the kids express their opinions of the service. I heard things like, “it seemed like the people were there for a show and not for God” and “I really felt they were worshiping the music and the lights and not the Lord.” I was blown away. I love our group of kids, they crave authenticity and accept nothing less. God has really done an interesting work in these students lives. With such a great start, it was only beginning…

[to be continued]