Nathan’s Birthday Piñata

It’s not a birthday party in Mexico without a piñata. So we got a Buzz Lightyear piñata for a little party we had for Nathan at our house with some missionary friends and seminary students. It matched his Buzz Lightyear candle we bought and put on his cake.

Here are the pictures:

Nathan and his pinata Ben hitting the Pinata
Nathan "listening" to everyone singing Pinata in trash

Remembering Jerry Falwell

Remembering Jerry Falwell

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the death of Jerry Falwell. I can’t believe it’s already been 2 years.

As a Liberty graduate, I remember listening to Dr. Falwell in chapel. I remember hearing so much about how he founded Thomas Road Baptist Church. I probably took for granted that I heard him preach and speak so much.

I know there are a lot of people who didn’t like him. I didn’t agree with everything he did, but I sure do know that he had an impact on me and many other people. I feel privileged to have been able to meet the man and have many fond memories of him.

Some of the things I remember the most are:

  • Every year would start with Jerry’s “vision” sermon from Nehemiah.
  • Jerry was constantly talking about “raising up young champions for Christ.”
  • He was up at 5:45 every morning to study and spend time with God, and he would frequently tell us about what he had read that morning to encourage us to spend time with God daily.
  • He built Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University through prayer and hard work.
  • Jerry was “one of us” when he crowd surfed at basketball games.
  • He would drive around in his big black suburban and ride up on the sidewalk acting like a kid.

Jonathan Falwell has a video up on his site remembering his dad. Check it out here.

(image by: taberandrew on flickr)

Slideshow of our Vacation Pictures

Slideshow of our Vacation Pictures

We had such a great time in Huatulco, playing on the beach and in the pools at Las Brisas resort. Janell knows how to travel cheap, and she found an incredible deal for us to get out of the city for a while.

We picked a great time to go. It was right between Spring Break and Mexico’s Labor Day. In addition to that, there was the swine flu scare here in Mexico, which has left tourist resorts mostly empty. There were times when we were literally the only ones on the beach. We had a lot of fun together as a family.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

If you want to see all of our pictures, check out our flickr set.

Skit for Seminary Event

The Seminary is having a big promotion event on May 23, and they’ve asked the youth ministry program to do a skit during it.

Here’s what we’re basing our skit on, although we are making some changes so it will fit better with the audience and culture.

Insights on Youth Culture

A few months ago, I signed up for MTV Sticky, a newsletter about youth focused culture, trends and insight.

If you’re involved in youth ministry, it’s a great resource to understand global youth culture and trends. I like it because it isn’t just about U.S. culture. It has insights from all over the world and helps you understand global youth culture.

You have to sign up to get access, but I haven’t received any emails from them that haven’t been beneficial. So head over there and sign up today.