Something positive

I feel as though I've been doing a lot of complaining lately. Even though there has been some bad crap going at my job, I still shouldn't whine about it so much. So I'm going to try to refrain unless there is something just so mind-numingly horrific that I just have to get off my chest. Which means I need something positive to blog about...but honestly, I'm coming up blank. I just got a couple of books on getting parents involved in youth ministry and have started reading them, but they're nothing earth-shattering so they're not inspiring any posts. I've been greatly enjoying Fr. Schmemman's book, but haven't been able to touch it for over a week, so I'm also a little dry in that regard.

A couple of cool things: I also put together a weekly devotional blog for my youth, which was recently found by an old friend who left a comment. He used to be a volunteer youth leader and intern at my old church before he left for a full time youth-ministry position. I'm hoping he'll be able to offer me some good counsel on my current situation & ministry. I know the first church he was at was a very bad fit and he ended up leaving it after a relatively short time, so he probably has a good idea of what I'm going through.

On a related note, one of the parents of my kids talked to me and told me that she does web-design professionally along with her husband and that she would love to help with the youth blog. That is a real blessing - I'd like to make that page an outreach conduit. In the spring I want to start doing cook-outs at the local skate park. I figure free hamburgers and cokes might be a good way to meet some of those kids, and it might be easier to spark their interest by giving them the web address as I invite them to the youth service I'm hoping to start in March. Just something to catch their attention or make them think.