80s Night was a Blast

Last night was our 80s night. I have blogged about us doing it here.

Here's what the night looked like.

• Costume contest
• NES games on a video projector
  
• Ms. Pacman and Dig Dug on tvs
• 80s music pumping.

We also, setup Rock Band and had a band play the Bon Jovi song "Dead or Alive", on stage.


I played the music video for U2's Pride (In the Name of Love).
Here are some of the lyrics from the song.

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

And then I talked about God's unconditional love for them.

This was an incredible night.
In the future we are going to be doing 70s, 60s and even "the future".

Dead Man Walking

I went paint balling for the first time in about a year and a half.

Pre-game


Post-game (I used the paintball juice to make a faux hawk)

80s Night - Sketchcast

What's your favorite 80s song

This sunday is our 80s theme night.
I'm needing an hour of 80s music.

What is the must have track that needs to be played?

Internet Safety with Parents

Every month we do a parents gathering to help resource parents.
This week we did a hard topic of internet safety.

Three of us taught this week.

from left to right.aaron, yours truly & travis

Why do we need to have this talk?
TVs are filtered.
Radios are filtered.
Internet is not filtered.
You wouldn't buy Showtime, Cinemax, HBO, and Playboy for your house, and put a tv in your kids room, and give them the remote and let them watch whatever they want.
But that is what we are doing with the internet.

Also tv is one directional. The tv to you.
The internet is bi-directional. The internet to you, and you back to the internet.

What are kids doing online?
(6-11yrs) games, homework, music
(teens) social networks, videos

Establish guidelines

• Have the computer in an area where everyone can see the screen
• Limit the amount of time on the computer
• Be involved with your child/teens online

Internet Filters
net nanny - $39
k9 webprotection - free
x3 watch - free

Other resources
Net Smartz Kids - teaching your kids about the internet
Safe Kids - multiple pages on internet safety

Realize your child's or teen's future success with include technology.
Create with your child or teen. Post artwork, photos, videos with your child or teen.

My Twet Stats

Tweet Stats


What is twitter?


Follow me.

Numbers

borrowed post from shaun groves

God Help Me Banner - Creative Element

As people walked into the auditorium on Easter they saw a 6' x 15' blank canvas banner hanging from the ceiling on the stage.

During the conclusion of the message, we started the song "God Help Me" by Rebecca St. James. And 12-15 students stormed the stage armed with paint, brushes and ladders. The students painted different "sins" on the banner during the song.

At the end of the song. The students got out of the way, and another 6' x 15' banner pre-painted with the words "God Help Me", dropped over the banner covered with the sins.

Meth Addict Story - Video

Here is a sneak peak at a video we are showing tommorrow of a true life story of a recovering meth addict that has found hope and help in Jesus.

{embed video}

Easter Productions Run-Thru is OVER!

Steve-O on God.

Steve-O blogged on myspace yesterday about his life of drug and alcohol abuse in a post titled You Should All Know I Am In Rehab.
Who's Steve-O? Wikipedia calls him a daredevil performer, television personality and hip-hop artist.

Steve-O blogs...

SPIRITUAL ISSUES

1) I believe that I was chosen by my Higher
Power/Guardian Angels, and led to the spiritual path
which I am currently on. I try not to ask of God,
rather, to work for what it is I want, and communicate
with God only in "Thank You’s." For my Higher Power I
am more grateful than I could possibly express.

2) I used to consider myself agnostic, as recently as
September of 2006. I now consider myself, well,
"spiritual," actually, let me say, "Thankful..."

A GOODBYE LETTER TO MY DRUGS OF CHOICE

At this point,
All you f#$%@#!@ things are good for is dying. I’m not
ready to die. I’m ready to live. I’m ready to breathe
(properly, even). I’m ready to fall in love. I’m ready
to become ready to start a family. I’m ready to be
happy, fulfilled and meaningful. Maybe I’ll see you
f!#@$&@ if and/or when I’m ready to die.

Interesting.
Everyone is searching aren't they?
Keep on seeking, and you will find. - Jesus

Amazing Grace. A Must See.

Last night was our first night of a new an eight week small group we are calling Faith & Film. Each week we are watching a film that has a cause. That has purpose. That is challenging.

Last night we watched Amazing Grace.
It is about a young zealot, William Wilberforce, and his fight to stop slavery in the 19th century.
One of his mentors/allies was John Newton, a former slave ship captain who wrote the hymn, "Amazing Grace."

Who are those people in the world that don't have a voice of their own.
Who are those that God wants me to stand up for?
What is the cause that God wants me to live and die for?


{embedded video}

Any suggestions on movies that we can use in the future?

A new blogging project. Missionaries.

I am working with IYCM to launch a blog that will connect global missionaries with Illinois jr. high & sr. high students.
We are wanting to have missionaries from around the world blog what they are doing, so that students can connect with them.

A couple other functions of the blog.

• Section for students to ask missionaries questions.
• World map, of where missionaries are located, with a short description of what they are doing.

I am in the early development stage of this new blog project.
I'd love any suggestions or thoughts.

Are there any blogs out there that are doing this sort of thing?
Are there any missionary blogs?
Is a forum my best bet for a q&a with missionaries?

I love the 80s artwork

Here is our postcard artwork for our theme night.


Top ten 80s fashion fads

1. Shoulder pads
2. Mini skirts
3. Leg warmers
4. Huge earrings
5. Fingerless gloves
6. Parachute pants
7. Members only jackets
8. Units
9. Stretch pants
10. Oversized tops
    

More posing

Brian Miller

More of YOU doing "The Pose"

Two weeks ago, I posted "The Pose".
And then I turned it over to the world, to send me a pic of them doing "The Pose".
Many of you sent photos, but some sent them after the deadline.
So this is theirs'.

Me

Pat Dryburgh

Ronni Hall


Pose on world. Pose on.

Bloggers Luncheon

Last month while I was in Rockford at Target Leadership Conference, I held a bloggers luncheon @ Applebees.

Things we discussed. pondered. and other things I acted like I knew about.

• Twitter
• Content management systems
• Posting via mobile phone
• Using stickies as an idea dump
• Increasing readership
• Really simple syndication (rss)
• Ministry vs personal posting

The Awesome Bloggers.
Jason
Susan
Eric
Elgin
Travis

I've got another lunch tomorrow with the district youth director of Illinois about a missions/missionary blog, to connect our world-wide missionaries to students living in the middle of crop circles in the midwest.

Won an online Setters of Catan tournament.

Some how I suck at the board game, but online i killed today.


find me online.

settlers of catan online
settlers of catan wiki

Getting Pumped. The Banner is Hung

Luke helped get everything ready today for a creative element for Easter.
The banners are 6' x 15'.



Details on the creative element.

My new band.

yep. im the hot one.

face in the hole

I've got my ticket to Orange.

Do you?



Breakout sessions I've signed up for.

• Creating Success in Your Organization
• Unedited – reThinking Student Ministry
• Teach Less for More
• The Five Faith Skills

Are you going?
If so. Let's get together

The Orange Conference

I love the 80s - Theme Night

Our students ministries is going to be having an I love the 80s theme night.
I have setup a brainstorming google document.
I'd love for the world to contribute ideas to it, but google docs doesn't allow me to open it up publicly to be edited. It is invitation only.

So I am inviting you blog readers, except I don't have you email address.

So.
If you are interested in contributing let me know me here.
I will leave the document up so others can use the ideas.

What snuck into 7up?

I went to the office fridge, and look what jumped out at me.


Yuck! Pomegranate.

I'm not a huge fan of 7up unless it is dosed in grenadine.
I have no clue what grenadine is made from though.
And I have no clue what pomegranate is.

After a little wikipedia exploring.
Grenadine comes from the French word grenade meaning pomegranate.
Interesting.

I'm still not drinking it.

My highlighter marks in Jesus for President

Yesterday I got and read 54 pages, while i was armed with a yellow highlighter.
The artwork is incredible. I really think this is the most beautiful book I've read.
The pages are decorated. colored. illustrated.


Here is what I've highlighted so far.

Introduction - A Book to Provoke the Christian Political Imagination

• The church has fallen in love with the state
• The church often finds "guiding the course of history" a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ.
• We're hardly able to distinguish between what's American and what's Christian
• Rather than placing our hope in a transnational church that embodies God's kingdom, we assume America is God's hope for the world, even when it doesn't look like Christ.

Section one - Before There Were Kings and Presidents

• (In regards to tower building Babel) During the project, God noted that "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them" (Gen. 11:6). You can almost hear the echos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki here.
• God seems to have a knack for hearing the cry of oppressed people.
• Vengeance is not for you. God scolded the people over and over for taking things into their own hands.
• Despite the fact that the Bible insists "God does not dwell in temples built by hands," we, in our hunger for power, credibility, and glamour, insist that God should.
• Mother Teresa would sneak out of fancy banquets where she was speaking to eat with beggars.
• What would the world look like if all the child soldiers were playing with supersoakers instead of US-made AK-47s?

Jesus for President

The Other Price Paid In Iraq

Yesterday, I stopped by the Circle K to get a 32oz Polar Ice for my marathon of meetings that some call Monday. At the register, I saw the cover story on the Journal Gazette. I noticed the cover photo...

...and i got a sick feeling in my stomach.
The caption under the photo says the soldier puts the cross in the window of his Humvee before going on patrol.

This wasn't the real punch in the gut for me.
I could look past that.

The title above the photo said "The Other Price Paid in Iraq", I was excited.
Thinking Finally, someone is going to publish not just American & Coalition deaths, but Iraqi soldiers, insurgents, and civilian casualties.

So I quickly flipped past the fold and doh! Its not about casualties, but $$.
Disappointing.
Here's the AP article: Studies: Iraq War Will Cost $12 Billion a Month in 2008

I am looking forward to reading the book I just received in the mail today.

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne



And yes.
I got a hair cut.

You doing The Pose.

Last week, I posted "The Pose".
And then I turned it over to the world, to send me a pic of them doing "The Pose".
Here are the results.
If you didn't get yours sent to me. Do it now. What are you waiting for.
Email to ecourtney at hotmail dot com
Thanks world


Me

Luke Greer

Eli Courtney

Skylar Farris

Russell Hawkins

David Meacham

Rachael Atchison

Jim Hall

Nathan Hall

Matt Redboy Edwards

Thom Allen

Victoria Greer

Paul Fowler

Travis Spencer

Elgin Combs