being real

After the play is over I think I am going to go take a personal retreat to refocus things. This is something I have never done before. However, if I don’t do something like this I think I just might lose it this winter.

My wife made me a sack lunch today so I didn’t go home for lunch. This is probably a good thing since my scooter is now out of commission till the snow goes away. Winter is almost here, and to be honest, that really depresses me. I normally really look forward to the holiday season. I am not really excited about it this year. I really feel like I have little to look forward to these coming months. I would really like to go on a trip to New York this spring or summer. Back to work. It really does feel liek the play is over , even though we have 3 performances this coming weekend.

It has been awhile since my last post. I have been pretty crazy busy with the play that I am in. We had our first run of 3 shows this weekend. They went pretty well. A lot has been stirred in my heart these past first months. I feel like I ma really going through this grieving process about the choices I made in my life 8 years ago when I decided to go into ministry. Getting back in the theatre reminded me how much I loved it, and the reason why I wanted to do it for a job. Don’t get me wrong I think God had a plan for me to be a minister and it has been a great 8 years. It has just been difficult.

Today is the first day in 7 days that we don’t do the play. It is really somewhat of an empty feeling. The show doesn’t rev up again till Thursday. Then we close the show on Sunday.

So we all slept in (again) today we didn’t go to sleep until 3:30am because we were playing Killer Bunnies again last night. It was a long game and I lost, again. Today I am looking forward to going to MarkO’s seminar on Junior High small groups. I hope I get some new insights from him as much of our JH ministry is small group based.

I missed my wife and kids. I am really looking forward to going home tomorrow. We should probably get going now so we can catch Ted Decker in the General session.

Here are some of the funny ideas me and my buddy’s had for t-shirts to sell at the YS Conference.

“What happens at YS, stays at YS”
“I’m with Doug Fields.” (with a arrow pointing one way)
Simply Youth Specialites
Single Youthworker
I “still” know what you did last session
Don’t be offended if I walk out of your seminar.
Where do I signed up for the i pod?

Any other ideas?

I think I got enough sleep last night even though I went to bed at 1am. (3am MN time). We are not doing any critical concern courses some we got to sleep in this morning. I am looking forward to a great day.
I ran into some old friends from Minnesota that I haven’t seen in four years. I was pleasantly surprised that they are doing youth ministry. I will be having lunch with them today. Maybe I will have more PF Changs. (yes)
I lost Killer Bunnies last night on the final draw the carrot cards. (I know it sounds, nerdy but it is lots of fun)
Whelp! I guess I am going to venture out and get some doughnuts now.

The NYWC is so great, it is like Super Bowl for youthworkers.

I am still trying to get a free I Pod. I need 3 more referals to make it happen. If you want to help a guy out sign up following this link. If you don’t follow this link I will not get credit.

Thanks for you help. Again, here is the link.

Click here for the link.

I got this idea from Rick’s Blog. These are the top songs from 1996. I highlighted the ones I liked. Man.. looking through the list I thought it was a pretty bad yesr for music.

1. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio
2. One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
3. Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion
4. Nobody Knows, Tony Rich Project
5. Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey
6. Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman
7. Tha Crossroads, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
8. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
9. You’re Makin’ Me High / Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
10. Twisted, Keith Sweat
11. C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train), Quad City Dj’s
12. Missing, Everything But The Girl
13. Ironic, Alanis Morissette
14. Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Whitney Houston
15. Follow You Down / Til I Hear It From You, Gin Blossoms
16. Sittin’ Up In My Room, Brandy
17. How Do U Want It / California Love, 2Pac
18. It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion
19. Change The World, Eric Clapton
20. Hey Lover, LL Cool J
21. Loungin, LL Cool J
22. Insensitive, Jann Arden
23. Be My Lover, La Bouche
24. Name, Goo Goo Dolls
25. Who Will Save Your Soul, Jewel
26. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
27. I Can’t Sleep Baby (If I), R. Kelly
28. Counting Blue Cars, Dishwalla
29. You Learn / You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette
30. One Of Us, Joan Osborne
31. Wonder, Natalie Merchant
32. Not Gon’ Cry, Mary J. Blige
33. Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio
34. Only You, 112 Featuring The Notorious B.I.G.
35. Down Low (Nobody Has To Know), R. Kelly
36. You’re The One, SWV
37. Sweet Dreams, La Bouche
38. Before You Walk Out Of My Life / Like This And Like That, Monica
39. Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Deep Blue Something
40. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New), Coolio
41. The World I Know, Collective Soul
42. No Diggity, BLACKstreet (Featuring Dr. Dre)
43. Anything, 3t
44. 1979, The Smashing Pumpkins
45. Diggin’ On You, TLC
46. Why I Love You So Much / Ain’t Nobody, Monica
47. Kissin’ You, Total
48. Count On Me, Whitney Houston and Cece Winans
49. Fantasy, Mariah Carey
50. Time, Hootie and The Blowfish
51. You’ll See, Madonna
52. Last Night, Az Yet
53. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
54. The Earth, The Sun, The Rain, Color Me Badd
55. All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do), Joe
56. Wonderwall, Oasis
57. Woo-hah!! Got You All In Check / Everything Remains Raw, Busta Rhymes
58. Tell Me, Groove Theory
59. Elevators (Me and You), Outkast
60. Hook, Blues Traveler
61. Doin It, LL Cool J
62. Fastlove, George Michael
63. Touch Me Tease Me, Case Featuring Foxxy Brown
64. Tonite’s Tha Night, Kris Kross
65. Children, Robert Miles
66. Theme From Mission: Impossible, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
67. Closer To Free, Bodeans
68. Just A Girl, No Doubt
69. If Your Girl Only Knew, Aaliyah
70. Lady, D’angelo
71. Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First), John Mellencamp
72. Pony, Ginuwine
73. Nobody, Keith Sweat
74. Old Man and Me (When I Get To Heaven), Hootie and The Blowfish
75. If It Makes You Happy, Sheryl Crow
76. As I Lay Me Down, Sophie B. Hawkins
77. Keep On, Keepin’ On, Mc Lyte
78. Jealousy, Natalie Merchant
79. I Want To Come Over, Melissa Etheridge
80. Who Do U Love, Deborah Cox
81. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
82. This Is Your Night, Amber
83. You Remind Me Of Something, R. Kelly
84. Runaway, Janet Jackson
85. Set U Free, Planet Soul
86. Hit Me Off, New Edition
87. No One Else, Total
88. My Boo, Ghost Town Dj’s
89. Get Money, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
90. That Girl, Maxi Priest Featuring Shaggy
91. Po Pimp, Do Or Die
92. Until It Sleeps, Metallica
93. Hay, Crucial Conflict
94. Beautiful Life, Ace Of Base
95. Back For Good, Take That
96. I Got Id / Long Road, Pearl Jam
97. Soon As I Get Home, Faith Evans
98. Macarena, Los Del Rio
99. Only Wanna Be With You, Hootie and The Blowfish
100. Don’t Cry, Seal

How many people out there remember this obscure classic Nickelodeon show? I remember watching every morning before school. It was such a great show and I really missed seeing it. I had vague memories of what the show was like until I found this website that had all kinds of clips from the show. There are not too many tv shows out there that star a mannequin that comes to life, a puppet janitor, a rhyming mouse.

There is even a petition out there to put this shows on DVD. I hope it happens, because I want to share these shows with my kids.