Wednesday Wonderings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Update and Wednesday Wonderings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.