When you train up a child to appreciate coffee shops.

When you train up a child to appreciate Garage Band.

(more pics below)

Set lists.

Our friend Brian and his pink guitar.  And the pink mic that somehow materialized.

Hallie ‘studying’ during rehearsals.

Hallie wearing her shoes……   and Hallie wearing MY shoes.

Hallie makin’ her daddy proud by choosing to take this picture.

the room… full…

the band… full…

… in action…

the contrast that makes us laugh…

Kim’s potential wardrobe malfunction.  See the trouble? (yes, I spent a full EIGHTEEN DOLLARS on those Koss earbuds. Which is almost exactly like spending at least $100 on the really good ones. No amount of money would have prevented me from wrapping those bad boys around the hoops, however)

Hallie + point & shoot + digital zoom + low light =

fun at free time… down town boutique…..

And finally… every parent knows that you must capitalize on the teachable moments as they come. So this is me training up the child to be sure to avoid…..

….the poo pouring out of the building on day 3 of the event. Blech.

The end.

But for tonight…. we ride.  zoom zoom.

Recently, we created an interactive worship experience for the senior high students of our church.  We had a month to dream it up, three nights to set it up, and one night to experience it.  Check it out:

Overall theme:  ’God is big.. what does that mean for me?’ 

The evening began with a time of worship in a separate area. As we took groups of students to begin the interactive experience, those who remained continued to worship together. 

Stage 1: front of our auditorium, chairs removed, dark. Students/leaders lay on cushions on floor. 3 projectors aimed at ceiling, effectively using all ceiling space: center = Louie Giglio ‘Indescribable’. Left & right = moving images of stars, etc.  This talk by Louie is incredibly effective at communicating the vastness of the universe, and the greater vastness of its Creator. We used the first 19 minutes, then added a few lines of text & pics of the students.  They left this room with this question in mind:  If God is that big, and I am that small, what does He think of me?

Stage 2: hallway outside auditorium. Tunnel effect created by hanging fabric ceiling to floor.  Three segments to tunnel: 

• 1- darkness. Black. Trashed.  Verses displayed stating our depravity apart from God
• 2- Jesus. Four TV’s showing ‘The Passion’, not synchronized. We didn’t anticipate the students’ response to this element because we didn’t think about the fact that most of them had never seen this film.  This element of the experience was incredibly gripping for many of them.
• 3- white. clean. Verses displayed stating who we are because of what Jesus did.

Stage 3: back of auditorium. inviting space w/ couches, tables, chairs. verses displayed everywhere stating who we are because of Christ. text loop on screen includes name of every student. students are invited to write, draw, pray in response to what they’ve seen and heard.  Also included the question ‘if all this is real, what should my life be about?’

Stage 4: outside front doors, covered drop-off area (altered plan because of rain). During the first all-together-worship time of the fall, students had been asked to write their biggest temptations down, and nail them to a cross.  That cross had been in the sr. high room all year.  At the end of this experience, they were invited to take a piece of paper off the cross, and lay it on hot coals where it would burn (original plan was a bonfire). Also were invited to think about how they could best bring glory to God this summer and write it on a glass tile.  There will be a mosaic made out of those tiles.

As has been true every time we’ve done something like this, we learned a lot about how an experience can be imiproved logistically. That said, overall, this worship opportunity seemed to be effective for students who took the time to sink into it.  Graduating seniors especially found it meaningful.  I love helping students connect with basic truths like this.  I love watching what happens for those who are usually disconnected and unaffected during corporate worship.  I am always interested to notice some who ‘bounce’ through an opportunity like this, not taking time to really think about it.  I am amazed at what happens every time we allow students to take time to be still, in relative silence, and ask God questions. They are not different than adults in that way… none of us are good at creating our own space and silence.  

I trust the work that God began that night will continue.

Bonus: 1 minute of youth ministry brilliance.

• prelude (instrumental pieces played by students)
• [welcome and a billion announcements]
• He Reigns (the Newsboys song.  A favorite at our church.)
• Marvelous Light (Hall) this was brand new for many attenders in the blended services
• [highlights of Mexico trip and Urban Plunge. Graduate recognition & prayer.]
• Offering: ‘For Good’ (from the musical ‘Wicked’.  Guaranteed to make every mommy cry when sung by a gifted senior vocalist, while pictures of high school grads are projected on screen.)
• reading from Colossians 1
• [blended services] Here I Am to Worship (Hughes) / Center (Hall)  
• [contemporary service] From the Inside Out (Houston) 
• message ‘Christ Our Example; Christ Our King’
• In Christ Alone (Geddy/Townend)