Jeff must Cope

Naomi's Choir

2010-05-12T21:57:00.003-04:00

Laurel Sees Herself

2010-04-07T21:20:00.002-04:00

Preparing for the Summer

2009-05-29T15:54:00.002-04:00

If you didn't know, summer has a high activity volume for youth ministries. Finally school and sports are not as prominent (though still present) and we try to take advantage of that down time to mold students. This year is no exception. I'm finding that it is hard to keep up with all we are doing at the church and at home. July is full, I may be home for a whole 3 days in July but it should be a good busy.

We've all been sick for most or parts of this week. I think Naomi and I got the worst of it but I'm on the upswing...Naomi has a double ear infection. Her vocabulary is growing like mold on an old piece of bread...and all of it is just adorable, especially when she can't say the word right. The latest one was when she told me that she had an ear infection, infection being the tough word. I knwe what she was saying though.

Proud Daddy

2009-05-05T16:06:00.003-04:00

Naomi gave up her pacifiers last week. It was sad to see her little lower lip quivering as she gave them to our Children's Pastor (we wrapped them up "to be given to needy babies"). But I was also so proud of her that she was brave enough to do it and has done a pretty good job since then of being content at nap time and bed time. I'm sure she misses them but she understands that her time with them is over.

Laurel keeps growing. She is able to hold up her head fairly well and continues to laugh histerically in her sleep. We've moved her in to her crib in her room, a tougher transition for Colleen and I then it was for her.

we've made our plans to be out in California in July. I'm sure we will make it to MABC on a Sunday and see old friends. We have loved being in Alexandria and contiinue to be excited about what God is doing at the church and in our lives.

Easter Family Breakfast and Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

March 2009

2009-04-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

Disney on Ice (from February)

2009-04-11T13:48:00.002-04:00

Naomi loves the Princesses.

March

2009-03-30T16:48:00.003-04:00

I won't win any awards for frequent blogging that's for sure. March went by fast. We're adjusting to the new one still. She is almost 2 months old now. She has had a stuffy nose for about the last 5 weeks, or so it seems. I've really felt blessed with my family. A great wife and 2 beautiful little girls. People often ask if I want a boy, I guess because manly men produce boys (isn't that so Dark ages?). The answer is not really, I'm pretty much set, as far as I know.

The job is still good. I've made several adjustments over the past year and 3 months but everyone, well most everyone, has been good about it and been flexible. Right now I've been looking in to ways to further separate our middle school students and high school students. Those 2 groups are so unique in their needs and spiritual states that it can be difficult to meet their spiritual needs. Having more of our stuff separate will enable us to speak more directly to those specific needs and give our older students opportunities to purposefully interact with the younger students as leaders and mentors.

I still haven't posted the pics of Naomi and I at Disney on Ice have I? Well, I'll get to that sometime...

NYMC Day 1 and 2

2009-03-01T08:21:00.002-05:00

So I've not exactly blogged "through" the conference but I'm reporting this morning. So far the conference has been fantastic! Like last year, the seminar set up has provided much more time for interaction with other youth workers and gives the leaders of the seminar plenty of time to share their thougths too. The 5 volunteers that came with me are also having a good experience. This conference does not over-value the lead youth person.

The awards for the last couple days:

Most frustrating moment: Having the ramp to the GW Parkway blocked, forcing us to go in to DC and figure our way around back to it.

Best quote from our team: "I love buttons" - Corey Brooks

Funniest moment: The Skit guys Saturday night. Sandy, and his laugh, were in rare form

I'll report more when I can. Full report should come within a week of getting back. Gotta get in there for the morning worship time!

NYMC

2009-02-25T15:25:00.002-05:00

Last year's National Youth Ministry Conference was by far the most helpful Youth Ministry conference I have been a part of. I was able to spend time with fellow youth workers, be blessed by some great worship sessions, and was a part of an incredible training/learning seminar with Mark Devries. Oh yeah, Colleen and I hung out with Kutless at the airport, well we talked to them there.

This year I'm taking 5 of our adult volunteers. First Baptist has what's called "First Baptist Foundation", or something like that. They distribute funds to minitries for projects and needs that are one time events or special, unexpected needs. This year they have graciously provided funding for these adults to be a part of the conference experience as well as funds that will enable some of our student leaders to go to California for the Purpose Driven Youth Ministry Student Leadership Conference in July!

I'll blog each day I'm there to give a recap of the day's events and such. If you see me there, say hi.

Beautiful kids

2009-02-20T14:11:00.002-05:00

A break from really adding to my blogs and twitter has been necessary because of the change in our family.
So far Naomi has done well with Laurel. She loves on her all the time and gets upset if she has to leave Laurel to go somewhere or go to bed without giving Laurel "big hugs and kisses". At the same time she is still 3 and still a challenge. It's more of a challenge now because of the added responsibility of Laurel. I can't imagine having to be a single parent.

Laurel is doing well, but only sleeping at 2-3 hour segments right now. I'm hoping she moves on to longer sleep times at night, and so does Colleen. I want to thank everyone who has congratulated us on our beautiful little girl.

Soon I'll post pictures from a little daddy/daughter date Naomi and I went on last week...Disney on Ice.

More family pics

2009-02-01T22:23:00.005-05:00

Laurel Catherine Cope

2009-02-01T19:15:00.008-05:00

Wednesday Wonderings

2009-01-21T14:31:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

Who had the idea of using tissue from dead people for live people

What innovative technologies will make our lives "easier" this next year

When the Bengals will hire a GM

Where Colleen and I will go for our anniversary...in May

Why Manny Ramirez just doesn't go ahead and sign with the Dodgers already!

How life will be different with 2 girls

If my daughters will ever compete with each other

Cool Opportunity

2009-01-16T15:19:00.003-05:00

So I am now a Purpose Driven Youth Ministry State Mentor for Virginia. Basically it's focused on the mentoring of other youth pastors both in a one on one setting and also as a community of workers. I'll help out "rookie" youth workers in my area and connect them with other youth workers. I'll host a couple gatherings for youth workers, we'll mentor each other and try to hammer out how we can implement the 5 purposes in our ministries. It's a great group to be a part of, I participated in one when I was on the Eastern Shore and it was, by far, the most productive time I've had with other youth leaders. Another piece of the position is to be available to youth leaders in my area that might be beginning to implement the purposes. My ministry is open to those who want to come "check it out", not because we do it the way everyone should do it, but because it helps to see what else is happening around you and the feedback is always appreciated. I'll also post a blog each week on http://pdymcommunity.com

I'm excited about being a part of this. I like the idea of sharing ideas and thoughts on youth ministry and helping others as I can.

Wednesday Wonderings

2009-01-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

How bad traffic will be around here on Tuesday

What I'll do all weekend at the Ski Resort when I can't ski

When it will snow here

If I'll be able to play church league softball in the summer

Who will serve as interns with the students this year

Where Colleen and I will go on our next date? Any suggestions?

Why the pizza guy thinks he comes to our house every week

Wednesday Wonderings

2009-01-07T16:33:00.002-05:00

I'm skipping the usual wonderings and I'll focus on one thought this week.

I wonder what worship in heaven will be like. Any thoughts?

Trying something new

2009-01-06T09:33:00.002-05:00

So I'm trying out a new "craze"...Twitter. If you know me you know that I am not one for trying stuff very often (especially not food). So here's how it works. I update it from my phone or computer and it sends that info to whomever is "following me". Basically it's like a mini blog. I want to see if it will come in handy for working with students or if it's just another thing to keep up with. If it's the former I'll stick with it, if it's the latter I'll chunk it sometime. Check it out here:

http://twitter.com/JeffreyMCope

Wednesday Wonderings

2008-12-31T11:19:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

Who invented All Night youth events

What makes people passionate about their faith

When Yahoo will open up their fantasy baseball leagues

Where Naomi and our soon to be born daughter will go to college. My suggestion is California Baptist University.

Why bbq sauce makes my tummy feel funny

How people can be so gullable to think that blowing themselves up and killing innocent/non combatants is actually pleasing to God.

If USC will beat Penn State by 20 or 30

A guy I went to high school and college with recently had a bad dirt bike accident. His family set up a blog to keep people informed and the results have been amazing. The Press-Enterprise published an article about social networks and prayer. Check it out. I think it is amazing when there are thousands of people praying as one.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_S_prayerblog30.3d0ddf9.html

Wednesday Wonderings

2008-12-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

Why the Bengals keep winning when they had a shot at a top 3 draft pick

Who else the Yankees will sign

What Naomi will like best this Christmas

When I'll get to go to a game at the new Yankee Stadium

Where I'll be on inaguration day

How jealous Red Sox fans are now

If it makes them feel better to say CC and Teixeria are bad players...they would have loved to have

Wednesday Wonderings

2008-12-17T15:53:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

Why professional athletes ever say it's not about the money

Which professional athlete EVER took less money to go somewhere or stay where he was

Where teams get that kind of money from

When the Dodgers will make a move that makes sense...like resigning Furcal

Who is qualified to be an agent, if my girls ever go pro in something...I'll be their agent

What people in the rest of the world think when some American playing a game makes as much as their GNP

How tall my girls will be

If they'll be interested in soccer

A Prayer Need

2008-12-15T09:38:00.001-05:00

I heard through the grapevine abotu a guy I knew in College who had a major injury. If you have a moment, please pray for them.

http://prayforthelamberths.wordpress.com/

Elf Copes

2008-12-14T18:53:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Update and Wednesday Wonderings

2008-12-10T14:21:00.002-05:00

So everyone is back to normal. Colleen is hydrated again and eating solid foods. I actually got my stiches out Monday and am finally down to a small ace bandage along with the brace. No blood clots for me. I'll start Physical Therapy soon. Naomi had some friend sover this morning and they all decorated gingerbread houses, wish I could have been there to watch her, she is adorable.

I wonder...

What I would have ever learned about World War 2 without video games

Who thinks it's weird to have a soon to be preseident that smokes. With all the info out there about cancer it's amazing anyone still smokes, it's like playing russian roulette with a fully loaded gun...you are gonna lose.

If you saw the tool on ESPN.go.com that shows what the highest paid baseball players make compared to yoru salary and how many years you would have to work to make their annual salary.

How many people are excited about American car companies making huge gaudy cars, that nobody is buying, with our tax money

When our daughter will really arrive. The C-Section has been scheduled for Janaury 31st, but these little ones have minds of their own

Where I could go and have a better church family (pretty much nowhere, this one has been amazing, especially this past week or 2)

Why God is so patient with humanity

24

2008-12-06T11:32:00.002-05:00

This past week was a little crazy. It kind of was just a blur for the whole week up until the last 24 hours. After my surgery on Saturday I was pretty much out of it until I stopped taking the Percacet. the pain wasn't bad and the meds made me dizzy so stopping taking them wasn't a problem. The "fun" has really been in the last 24 hours though. Friday Colleen had an appointment check up at 10:30am, Naomi had a follow up appointmant at 11:10am and I had an appointment to look at some bruising on my leg at 12:30, in Maryland. SO we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off. We have set a date for Colleen's Cesarian, January 31st, 2009. Our 2nd daughter will be born then unless she has plans of her own! Naomi wouldn't pee in the cup like they needed so Colleen will have to take a sample to them on Monday or Tuesday. After my appointment I was ordered to get a blood clot test later in the day, at 5pm. So we made it home long enough for Colleen to grocery shop and Naomi to nap. My test came out normal but I have another follow up this Monday and get my stiches out this next Friday. Colleen woke up sick last night and has been in and out of the water closet all morning. We were kind of laughing about it, I guess Naomi has to take care of her parents this weekend!

Under the knife

2008-11-28T21:30:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is the day I go under the knife for my ACL replacement. Just in time, my knee went out again this morning. It sounds so yucky when it happens, like I injured t all over again but really it is just collapsing because it doesn't have the support it needs.
I think churches and ministries within churches are like that. You can lose an important piece and for awhile be fine but eventually it will collapse. You can try to just grin and bear it but in the end reconstruction is the best long term solution rather than walking through ministry/church life hoping it stays stable.

Wondering on Wednesday

2008-11-26T14:18:00.002-05:00

I wonder...

What it will feel like having a dead person's body part in my body

If I'll throw up after the surgery like I did on my last knee surgery

When people will stop asking for a college football playoff...it's not coming, too much $$$ involved

Why we call Lebron James "King James"? He hasn't won anything yet nor is he an old translation of the Bible

Who gave him that nick name, hopefully not himself

Where the next soccer game I play in will be

How people decide where to go to church? Based on the preaching? Music? Stuff they have for kids? Location? Affiliation? Time of services?

People

2008-11-25T11:46:00.003-05:00

Don't you think it's interesting how many different kinds of people there are? Beyond color and race and culture you have another layer of personality. In my job I interact with lots of different people. Some people wear me down. It might be because they are needy, difficult, confusing, or just a bit annoying but there are some people who drain me. Then there are those who seem to do just the opposite. When I am done with my time with them I feel more energized, more motivated than before I was with them. And the funny thing is that those people who fill me up are not just "energetic" people. They fill me through their thoughtfullness and their wisdom as much as they just "pump me up" to do whatever it is I am doing.

When I think about those kinds of people I think about which one I am to others. If you are taking notes, I want to be the one that energizes, encourages, and empowers and not the one that drains, confuses, and annoys.

We see a parallel to this in the Bible...the Pharisees and Jesus. The "religious leaders" held people down. They delighted in bullying people to fit in to the mold they had created. They criticized without reflection and refused to believe that there was any other viable truth than the one they were selling. When we look at the life of Jesus he was an encourager, a filler of people. He did challenge people but in a way that made them look inward and evaluate their life and their heart. That's the model I want to follow. I'd ask but I think I would be a little afraid of the answer...who am I to you? Critical, draining and annoying or encouraging, challenging and filling?

People you do not want to make mad

2008-11-21T15:29:00.003-05:00

The person who cuts your hair! This lady who was cutting mine got mad at me because I didn't know if I wanted a squared back or a rounded back. Random. She's a recent import from Afghanistan so maybe the lingo got confused. Either way I made it out alive and with a fairly nice cut, but it could have been bad!

Wondering on Wednesday

2008-11-19T10:00:00.003-05:00

I'm starting a new weekly entry called Wondering on Wednesday. It's pretty clear that I'll be wondering about some things and it's pretty clear that it will be on Wednesdays that I post.

I wonder...

if it's a good idea to give money (from our taxes) to businesses that are failing, auto industry, banks. Didn't they do this to themselves?

how angry people will be in 10 years when these same businesses are raking in the dough again and we are still paying taxes to cover their "bailout"

why static electricity likes me

when the Bengals will be a good team...I mean I only waited 15 years for them to make the playoffs only to have the most important person on the team get taken out follwed by who knows how many more years of futility

what our new daughter will be like...curly hair like Colleen or straight like me

Virginia Baptist State Convention

2008-11-14T11:41:00.002-05:00

This past week I went to the Virginia Baptist State Convention. They are having a hard time getting younger leaders to attend. I was one of the youngest. I don't know who they expect to come with it being during the week. It was basically a room of bald or gray heads. The only people who are able to coem are retirees and ministers. Now I believe that those people should be able to come but we can't whine about never seeing young people (then deciding that they just don't care because they are "postmodern") and not make it available for them.

Tony Campolo spoke. He is always 3 things...challenging, funny, political. I thought what he had to say was appropriate for our setting except when he laid out his political strategies/policy suggestions to a bunch of non politicians. Nothing we do can get those ideas in place, it has to come from politicians and let's face it, how many politicians care about what's the right thing to do more than how to get re-elected? My cynicism is coming out there.

There also was a "worship leader" there. She spent her time talking about her fans and singing songs like " If I get to heaven". She really didn't lead in worship and I don't think they meant for her to either, we just should not have listed her as a worship leader. Semantics.

Do I have hope for the BGAV and the SBC? Yes, but we have to find a way to include some new voices, some younger voices or else we'll fade away in to a business meeting for old people.

New Hampshire

2008-11-07T15:08:00.002-05:00

I went to New Hampshire this past Tuesday/Wednesday. We were on a sort of pre mission trip trip. We scouted out a few places that the ministries of our church might be able to help. We have teams from all ages and that are skilled in virtually everything that take part in our trips. This is a potential destination for the Youth Choir/Mission Trip. 2% of people in New Hapshire designate themselves as Evangelical. That's the same number used when talking about "unreached" people groups. There certainly was a feeling of emptiness there, not so much oppression but just nothing spiritually. Whenever we do go I imagine it will be an eye opener for everyone that goes and I am looking forward to that time.

Unless it's during an election. Tuesday we spent some time in Medford's small downtown area. It's set up like a round about traffic circle, a big one, and cars are able to circle as many times as they want. Several people were out with their signs inside of the circle, an area that includes a war memorial, gazebo, and grass area. As we sat in the gazebo talking about the needs of the people in New Hampshire cars would drive by people holding the opposition's signs and scream obscenities at each other and flip each other off! Such intensity from a state that basically has no significance in determining the outcome of the election.

No Heroes

2008-11-03T21:27:00.002-05:00

So Colleen and I sat down together to watch Heroes only to remember it was pushed back so Saturday Night Live could make fun of every single political person. What a waste of time. Someone has lied to Lorne Michaels for years, SNL is well past its prime. It has turned from a funny skit show to a weekly roast of the latest headline. There's a reason it's on so late at night and not in prime time...it's not prime television viewing.

My surgery is set for November 29th. Glad it's soon because our new little one is due at the beginning of February and I didn't want to be on crutches when she came.

Hopefully Heroes will be back next week and SNL will go back from whence it came.

Yep, I can read an MRI of the knee

2008-10-27T16:14:00.002-04:00

So my ACL has completely pulled off my femur, I have a torn medial meniscus, and a bone bruise. ACL ruptures cannot be repaired only reconstructed. The reconstruction is done with part of my patellar tendon (and bone fragments), a hamstring segemnt, or the same from a cadaver. Just goes to show that you never know what they will use when you die and give your body over to "science". I have another appointment with the Dr. who will do the surgery to talk about which to use and when. Poopy.

This afternoon

2008-10-27T10:34:00.001-04:00

is when I hear the news about my knee. I have no idea what the real damage is in there. I have never had this kind of knee injury (I have had more than a couple knee injuries) so I figure it is worse than it has ever been. The doc said it could be 3 different problems. A patellar dislocation (knee cap) is the most likely, an ACL rupture, and or meniscus damage. I have some symptoms of the ACL tear but I am hoping not. I am just hoping to avoid surgery. With the baby due at the beginning of February I won't want to have the surgery close to that time and it won't happen (if it needs to) in the next month I am sure. So that leaves a potential March surgery time frame which puts recovery at about this time next year. I can't imagine not being active in any way for a whole year, that will kill me. I guess I'll find out in a few hours.

The "Healing" Process

2008-10-17T16:25:00.003-04:00

So my MRI is Saturday but I can't get a follow up appointment until October 27th. So unless my leg is about to fall off, I won't get any answers to this injury until almost 3 weeks after the fact.

It's annoying that a pro athlete can just go back to the locker room and virtually get an MRI at halftime.

It's scary to think how long it would take if we had a government run health care system like Canada. We have pretty good insurance and still have to wait on things. It seems health care needs some reform but I can't imagine that the government would do a better job organizing health care...it doesn't seem like that have done a great job organizing other things like welfare, social security, etc. That's all the politics you will get out of me though, sorry if you was hoping I would say something to stir the pot.

Dislocated Knee Cap

2008-10-14T15:49:00.002-04:00

I went to see the orthopedic doctor Monday and he said that I likely dislocated my knee cap for a second and then it went back in to place. He drained 60cc of blood from my knee and it pretty much got rid of teh swelling and now I am able to walk fairly normal. It still doesn't feel right. I have an MRI set for Saturday morning to really determine the damage. All I want to know is what do I need to do to get back to playing soccer and how long until I can. Typical guy I guess.

LIgaments

2008-10-09T12:12:00.003-04:00

So it looks like I have at least 1 torn knee ligament, I have an MRI on Monday. Happened while playing soccer. I made a cut to change direction and my whole body went left while my right leg from the knee down stayed right where it was. A pop followed by a loud grinding noise which was followed by me on the ground. I knew it was bad, I just hoped there weren't any bones sticking out. So the ER did an x ray and found that the ligaments didn't pull off any bone fragments but that it did look "mangled", yes she used that word. So in order to see the ligaments clearly they have to do an MRI, which I can't get till Monday. I still love soccer and look forward to getting back on the field, no matter how long it takes. Good thing I am not in my contract year!

So no Dog

2008-09-29T14:16:00.002-04:00

So we wnt with no dog, at least for a while...like maybe 10 years.

Maybe I don't understand how the economy works, but I have doubts that giving all taxpayers an additional 700 BILLION dollar debt to pay off is the best we can do. We, America, are a dumb college student who applies for a credit card and uses it to get everything they want only to find out that you actually have to pay it back! So who will do the collecting on us? I say just let the people who benefited the most on these houses pull a little out of their enormous pockets and bail out the million people who are unable to pay for their house. Could we just spend a billion or 2 and have the gov't buy those houses and then resell them or rent them out? Well, either way this "bailout" seems like we are doing all we can to ensure the safety and well being of the very people who got fat on those crazy loans. The proposal won't sell my house, it won't raise the value of it (which is now less than when we bought it 3 years ago), and it won't give us any money to cover whatever awful amount of money we'll have to pay to get it sold. Maybe I can convice the gov't to bail us out of our debt too?!

New little girl

2008-09-22T15:09:00.003-04:00

We found out that we are having a little girl. And we found out that potty training isn't over after a week of success. Joseph mentioned that I haven't updated my blog in a while so this one is just for you Joseph, if you actually read it.

To say that I want a dog would be an gross understatement. After having to give up our 2 dogs prior to moving here I have had to take a break from dogs, too many memories. The topic came up agin this weekend in our house. Colleen likes the security a dog provides on nights I am out later or gone and I like the companionship and fun factor that comes with a dog. So there is a remote possibility that we will be dog owners again. Remote because there are lots of obstacles. Puppy or no puppy...that is potty train a toddler and a puppy or just a toddler. You also have the added difficulty of finding places to rent that allow pets, this is further complicated because we want to have a German Shepherd which is looked on about as highly as a pit bull, mostly by people who have never owned one. German Shepherds are brilliant dogs and gentle, but you wouldn't want to see what would happen if you kicked one. Naomi was born in to a home with a 100 pound German Shepherd and loved him. Her first word besides mommy and daddy was Dodger, his name. So we weigh the benefits and the challenges. Your thoughts?

Back in the flow

2008-09-03T14:04:00.002-04:00

We spent most of August traveling. First we went to Michigan to be with my parents and my brother and sister and all our families. We had a great time at Niagra Falls and at the Tiger game. I learned that the best route to Canada includes lots of U turns, well maybe not the best way.

We also went to Seattle for Colleen's sister's wedding. It was a perfect day for an outside wedding and I thought the service was great. This past weekend I was at a Labor Day Retreat with the students. I am finally back home now for a while, no more long weekends or week long trips, at least not the rest of this year.

Naomi continues to amaze me. She understands so much and has really added to her vocabulary recently. If you haven't met her, come out to the DC area and you can!

In case you don't have a 2 year old

2008-08-15T11:08:00.002-04:00

Then you need to know these things:

-They move all the time
-They touch everything
-They want their way all the time
-They don't understand it when you explain to them why throwing stuff at the TV is not ok
-They use their smiles and giggles to get away with ALOT
-Sometimes when they do something not so good but its really funny you laugh even though you don't want to encourage them to continue to do it

Recession?

2008-08-04T13:12:00.002-04:00

Colleen and I were at a fancy mall in Tyson's Corner this weekend seeing a movie and eating at California Pizza Kitchen and that mall was packed. It looked like it was December 23rd. No parking spaces to be found, traffic in the walkways, and we even had to wait to get in to CPK (which we usually don't). It sure doesn't seem like people's disposable income is disappearing, at least not this past Saturday.

Quake in CA

2008-07-29T17:01:00.003-04:00

So I hear there was a quake in SoCal this morning. Hmm, nothing shaking here. One thing I like about this area is that we really do not get the natural disasters that other areas do. We only get moderate amounts of snow, no earthquakes (normally), no hurricanes, no tornadoes, just humidity. There's a lot to be said for feeling safe.

Babies everywhere

2008-07-25T13:57:00.002-04:00

Naomi now knows where our new baby lives, in mommy's tummy. There are several of us who are expecting right around the same time next year, I can see a very busy child dedication season next year! Naomi goes back and forth about if it is a boy or a girl. Either way I think she will be a great big sister. In just a couple weeks we head off to Michigan to my sister's house. Everyone from my side of the family will be there, a full house indeed. We have lots of stuff planned but we will enjoy being all together for the first time in more than 2 years.

Back from Blog Fast

2008-07-17T11:12:00.002-04:00

The fast is over. Between the Choir Tour/Mission trip and our week at Centrifuge blogging lost its importance.
I continue to learn how important it is for students to trust me. Most of the issues students have with the leadership revolve around trust, at least as the core issue. The students here have had as many as 5 or 6 different leaders of the Youth Ministry in their 6 years, tough to handle. I realize that a key component for the success of the work here lies in gaining the trust of the students and their parents. Unfortunately the only way I can assure them of our staying power is to stay, so time is a key component too. The other area I need to build trust in is with my decision making. Students need to trust that the decisions I make are made with their spiritual best in mind, even the decisions that don't turn out to be the best, they need to know that it was my intention for it to be outstanding. Again this will take time and a few meaningful experiences for them to fully trust me on this.
If I wasn't ready and willing to take the time to earn their trust, I wouldn't be here. This is ministry, this is what God has called me and my family to be a part of and we are thrilled to be doing it.

Oh yeah, in case you haven't heard, Colleen is pregnant with our 2nd child!

Working for a living

2008-06-20T10:36:00.002-04:00

So I really have a good reason I have left this blog unatended...Hawaii and Tennessee. The Youth choir is going to Hawaii for 9 days, leaving Sunday and just a few days following that we will be in Tennessee for Centrifuge. Basically I have had to have everything done for all of those trips and all of our regular weekly programs for the next month by today. Busy but not burnout busy.

In case you haven't heard, the Cope family will be growing by one sometime in February! Yes, Colleen is pregnant and I am having a hard time not hoping that it will be a girl, Naomi has been so awesome, I can't imagine having a son. Obviously there will be no disappointment with a son, after all, what if Naomi doesn't like soccer or fantasy baseball?! We'll get more info out soon.

Conversation with a 2 year old

2008-06-04T09:08:00.002-04:00

Naomi: Where'd go?
Dad: Mommy went to the store.
Naomi: Oh...why?
Dad: Because she is shopping.
Naomi: Why?
Dad: Because she needs some clothes.
Naomi: Oh...why?
Dad: Because she does.
Naomi: Why?
Dad: Because.
Naomi: Where'd go?
Dad: She went to the store.
Naomi: Oh...why
Dad: Wanna watch Winnie?
Naomi: Yeah!

Movie Review

2008-05-13T10:12:00.003-04:00

I've seen a couple movies these last few weeks that I hadn't seen before, so I thought I would give you a non spoiler review of them.

The first one was Cloverfield. I didn't go see it in the theatre because I didn't think I could handle the hand held camera action. It was tamer than I thought and the movie was interesting, which means it was better than I thought it would be. It is not, however, Godzilla 2 just in case you thought it was or are expecting it to be.

Another new movie we saw for our anniversary was Ironman. Good movie. Great action sequence and Robert Downey Jr. actually was believeable. I'm already looking forward to the next movie in the series.

May is a great movie month. This weekend we are taking about 100 people from church to see Prince Caspian. It's funny because there are more teenage girls interested in this one (Prince Caspian is "hot" and British) than were interested in the first one.

Swim class

2008-05-05T15:32:00.002-04:00

Colleen's mom is leaving this week on Wednesday. It's been a good visit. We get along fine so there is none of that weird mother in law stuff.

I went to Naomi's swim class this morning. Of course this was the week we dunked them. She did great until I dunked her, she didn't really like that. It was pretty much a nightmare after that. She just screamed for mommy (who was sitting poolside). Figures, the one time I get to go with her to this time I have to be the bad guy. I hope this isn't the beginning of a pattern!

Monday blogger

2008-04-28T11:39:00.002-04:00

I think Mondays will have to be when I post, I have to set a time or I will forget. Last night we did a Youth let evening worship. I thought it went well, no major oops and a lot of good drama and music.

I tried to play softball last week and I think I re injured my hamstring, stinky, but the good news was that I found that I can still hit! I am going to a rehabilitation/sports medicine doctor and it looks like that will continue for at least a couple more weeks. It is hard for me to be restricted from running or moving fast. I even like walknig fast.

Last thing, my mother in law is in town, which is good. We get along great and I am thankful that we don't have a weird or difficult relationship. She'll be here for a little more than a week more and then head back to Seattle. So far it has been a good visit, I think we are heading in to DC Thursday.

Double duty

2008-04-22T11:36:00.002-04:00

So we just opened up a new website for our students which is set up like a blog too. I am pretty poor at making regualr posts so I am going to have to take it up a notch!
One exciting note is that we are going to get together with my whole family this August at my sister's house in Michigan and just a couple weeks after that visit, we will get together with all of Colleen's famliy for a wedding. We have felt pretty fortunate to have seen our families as often as we have but getting everyone seen and Naomi spoiled all in one month will be great!

Had a parents meeting this past Sunday that I thought went well, nobody threw anything at me and lots of people smiled (but not so much at my jokes). This is a great gruop of students and parents, I'm looking forward to working with them for a long time

2008-04-15T15:18:00.002-04:00

Since we last spoke...I pulled my hamstring (lots of bruising too). I hate injuries like this, I rely on my legs for so much. I am supposed to be playing on a soccer team and a softball team and now I am relegated to cheerleader. I am hoping I can be back in about a month, we'll see.

This week we are finishing our interviews for the summer intern. I think we will have decided by the end of the week. I am excited, I have had interns before but not as full time employees. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Little do they know that they will get a free trip to Hawaii as a part of the package (choir tour).

My bloggin skills are weak, I'll work on building them up for the 2 people who read this blog.

Out Sick

2008-04-02T16:54:00.003-04:00

So I had the flu for almost a week. I can't remember having a fever for so many consecutive days. I have been fever free since Sunday but the energy level is still low. I did get some exciting news just before bowing to the flu...the interior design of the youth area at the church is almost finished. Once we get it nailed down we can start work on it. All of the AV equipment is in and set up, now if I could only teach everyone to use it like I want them to...

Egg Hunt

2008-03-24T13:04:00.003-04:00

Naomi had 2 egg hunts this weekend. The one Saturday morning featured tons of kids and eggs. Unfortunately she only got 3 or 4 because the big kids really went crazy but fortunately she didn't know it was a competition to see who could get the most. Sunday evening we went to a friends house and did one there too. This time she was a little more eager because she remembered the other eggs had candy in them. Life lesson here? People get excited if there's candy involved.

Samaritan's Feet

2008-03-18T11:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday some students and most of the pastors from church helped with a Samaritan's feet distribution. If you have never heard of Samaritan's feet, here's a rundown: You gather kids in a poorer neighborhood at a church, have fun stuff (games, VBS) for them to do for several hours. You bring in several kids at a time and proceed to wash their feet while sharing the gospel with them. Hundreds of shoes are donated, Nike makes a shoe without their logo that is used as the main shoe, for 30 bucks you can buy 2 pairs to donate. Saturday in DC they gave out 1050 pairs of shoes and at least 700 Monday. At the end of teh day when all the shoes are given out there is a worship service in which teh gospel is shared again and people are given teh opportunity to respond.
On the choir tour this summer we will be doing this, I am excited to see the students learn how to share their faith to a stranger and see how God uses that experience to raise their confidence for sharing their faith.
Phase 1 of the Youth Garage update is finished-the video portion. Next up is the audio, new sound baord, new mics, new snake, etc. The last phase will be putting on a new flooring and getting some new furniture and re arranging it to suit our needs.

Rec Life

2008-03-11T16:06:00.003-04:00

By the time summer rolls around and we head out on the choir tour to Hawaii I will either be fit as a fiddle or broken in to little pieces. This month I start playing on our church league softball team and in a seperate soccer league. I am most concerned about the soccer league, it seems pretty competitive and my fitness level isn't where I want it to be. We'll see how it goes. It is really the first time since I started full time youth ministry that I have been a part of a fun/competitive/active sports team. Sports are an outlet for me mentally and physically and I have largely been without that outlet for too long (all the while adding to the spareness of my tire). Overall I am excited to get in to shape and have fun.

Great Job

2008-03-07T13:55:00.003-05:00

So far the perks of this ministry position are awesome!. We happen to live just 2 doors down from the church. This means my wife and daughter can visit me any time they want, pretty much. This also means I am the only staff member who can go home for lunch. The other day I forgot something at my house so I just walked home picked it up and came back to work. Unfortunately this housing situation won't last so I can't imagine what it will be like to go back to the sack lunch. I had a turkey, ham or PB&J sandwich with doritos every lunch from 1st through 12th grade, Pretty much has killed my love of sandwiches. Maybe I can spice it up with a Coke.

Church Office

2008-03-04T09:38:00.002-05:00

So yesterday we began working on an Office parody, the Church Office. I realize pretty much every youth pastor has this same hair brain idea, but it's new for us. one of the students, Joseph, did the video and we were able to do 3 episodes. It will be interesting to see if it turns out to be funny to other peopel or just to Joseph and I. I also wonder how many episodes we can do without it becoming really lame.

The fallout of NYMC

2008-02-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

Like I said, lots of good stuff in the seminar I went to. It was about building and sustaining a healthy ministry. What I appreciated was the depth of detail we went in to from an organizational point of view. The administration of ministry or lack of it can greatly impact the health and sustainability of that ministry. I found that I was already doing lots of the stuff he talked about (which was encouraging, as if I am on the right path) but also gave me some pieces to fill in on the structure part. We didn't talk for a minute about which method of ministry is best or works best, it was a seminar anyone from any style of ministry could have taken and benefited from.

2 things in particular came up and I didn't realize their importance until thinking about it. He said healthy ministries have 3 types of leaders, the camp counselor types (kid magnets), the organizers/administrators, and the architect (vision person). I see my self as the architect and I think we have an administration type in place (Mary, my assistant that does a great job) but I think we could use more camp counselor types. We don't really have many college folk during the school year but we do have a good group of young singles. The second thing that caught my attention was the importance of setting and evaluating goals. As far as I know we don't do that as a staff here but I think I ought to get on it for my own good, even if Mary is the only one to check me on them. I see goals as helping guide me and understand the real priorities we have as a ministry. We'll see how long it takes me to implement these things.

NYMC

2008-02-26T11:36:00.003-05:00

Wow. By far the most helpful conference on Youth Ministry I have been apart of (I have been to 6-7 so far). I loved teh seminar format, 8 hours on one topic, rather than the 90 minutes 4 or 5 times in a weekend. In other conferences I found that I wasn't excited about 4 or 5 of their offerings, they don't change them every year, maybe just 1 or 2 new ones. I still found the cost to be prohibitive for bringing a bunch of volunteers along. The session I went to was about building a healthy and sustainable youth ministry. I think every youth leader ought to go to this one 1 time in their "career". Lots of useable stuff without going in to programming. I'll talk more about it later, but just so you know it was awesome.

Forecast

2008-02-20T15:49:00.002-05:00

I would love being a weatherman, as long as someone who watches you on TV sees the weather you predict you are gold. Anyone else get annoyed when teh weather forecast covers an area of like 500 square miles? This is especially true with snow and rain, some areas get a ton and some could get none. I think I am thinking about this cause I am traveling Friday and there is supposed to be some freezing rain in Alexandria, Philly and Cincinnati. Normally I wouldn't mind except I can see us getting delayed, especially in Philly. Bad airport for on time stuff, good airport to keep you busy.

Conference

2008-02-19T12:34:00.003-05:00

This weekend Colleen and I are going to a Youth pastor/leader conference in Cincinnati. It's called the National Youth Ministry Convention, done through Group Publishing. It's set up differently from the National Youth Workers Convention (done by Youth Specialties) and it's smaller and hopefully better. I have to say that the second time going to the NYWC I was disappointed, not enough new stuff. If I were to go every year I have no idea what break out sessions I would do. So, this year I am going somewhere else, we'll see what happens.

good talks

2008-02-11T08:49:00.000-05:00

I had a couple good conversations with students this weekend. I have only been here about a month so I am glad they feel confy enough to talk with me. I really want them to know that I am open to hear what they have to say. Same thing with parents. I don't want to just be safe for students but also for parents, sometimes they hurt for their kids more than their kids know and they could use soem encouragement.

our group

2008-02-11T08:42:00.000-05:00

There are students from at least 27 different middle and high schools that are a part of our group. Those schools represent about 75-80 students. Our next big event is DNow, first weekend in April. Looking forward to it, we're talking about purity and playing laser tag. Good combo. Also I think I may have secured a great band for our labor day retreat, Jason Lovins Band. Right now we are looking in to seeing if a couple other churches nearby want to come with us, we'll see what happens

identity

2008-02-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

So we are putting together a new identity for the Youth minsitry here and I think we came up with something. When we thought about who we are and what we want to be doing, what we want to be all about it came down to transformed lives. Now Transformers is a good name, for a movie, but maybe not so much for a youth group. What we came up with is Alter[ed]. The idea being that as followers of Christ we should be changed/altered and at teh same time we want to be change agents in the lives of those around us helping them to change/alter their lives. Now if we could just get some ideas on a creative logo...

2008-02-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

I suppose it doesn't matter if anyone reads this. I mean who goes around reading other people's journal...um I guess all bloggers. If you just started reading my journal you will get some info on my family, my church, and my work, so basically it will be like everyone elses, except different. Feel free to comment on stuff I say but don't be worried if I don't respond back, how dare you have an opinion about my opinion! Ok but seriously feel free to explore my life and meander through my thoughts.