Just Like Willie (Nelson, that is)

OK, I'm officially on the road again. I flew in Phoenix this morning (back-to-back 4:00 AM mornings are no fun, let me tell you) and was met by the guys. If you have never seen a 13'2" bus creep along a road with 12' clearance, you've missed it. It took about as long to get out of the airport as it did to fly in.

We made it to Claim Jumper for lunch. Oh man, as soon as they brought out the barbeque baby back ribs, the confirmation of my call came. I know I'm supposed to be here. I had never even heard of the restaurant, but I have to add it to my list of favorites (www.claimjumper.com). Good stuff!

We're heading for Fountain City, AZ tonight. I'm going to sing a few songs with the group. They're also going to have me sing a song with the rest of them that I don't know very well. They said, don't worry we'll turn your mic off. Nobody will know the difference. Sounds like a Bible college quartet I used to sing with. So, here we do: karaoke time with Keith. Whoo-hoo!

Well, I'll touch base later. Hopefully with some pics.

Or So I Thought

I woke up at 4:00 AM for the flight that never happened. We got to the airport at 6:00 AM and at the ticket counter I was informed that I was not guaranteed a seat and that the flight was oversold. Great.

I walked down to the gate and tried futilely to finangle a seat on the flight. So, the guys boarded and I'm left negotiating with America West personnel. Finally, they agree to get me on tomorrow morning's flight (a first-class ticket, no less) and give me a free round-trip anywhere in the lower 48 states.

I'm bummed about missing tonight's concert, but I'll catch up with the guys tomorrow.

By the way, the girl working for America West at B-18 needs to take a few lessons in customer service. She was all attitude and no eye contact. Fortunately, they brought over John, who did a great job working with the customers. The girl literally refused to help find me a seat. John was trying to get information from her, and she told him, there's nothing we can do. Just forget it. I'm filing a complaint. I've never done it before, but her service was unacceptable and a disgrace to the company. I'm feeling better already.

On the Road Again

I'll be posting again on Monday, unless I find a WI-FI connection somewhere this weekend. I'm hitting the road for the first time with Liberty. I'll be singing 3 or 4 songs each concert, but primarily I'm going along to get a feel for my responsibilities. I'll let you know how things go. Keep me in your prayers.

BIAS

Is there anyone else out there who is sick and tired of stupid comments going unchallenged by the liberal media? Check out this incredibly ridiculous statement that no one will comment on: http://newsbusters.org/node/4057

You know, I oppose any type of racism, whether it comes for white OR black OR (Fill in the blank with another race). However, I am growing weary of the rampant bias in the media. If Gumbel would have said that he wasn't watching the NBA because of the lack of white athletes, he would have already been fired (see exhibition A: Rush Limbaugh). Let's have some consistency here, people.

Prognosis

For all you that have been making fun of my ankle injury, I have news that will hopefully make you feel guilty for your jocular attitudes.

I just returned from the hospital (my first trip in forever). Due to the increased pain in my ankle and foot I decided to have it looked at, just in case something was messed up and I was making it worse. The prognosis is that I have torn ligaments in my ankle and there is quite a bit of internal bleeding which has contributed to the discoloration and inflammation. The doctor told me that I can't hike, play sports, or do anything strenuous for a month or so. Great! There goes the Mt. Everest vacation! Lori's crying over that one.

So...now how do you feel about your sarcastic, caustic comments? What? Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh well, I had to give it a try and make you feel guilty. So much for that. I have such a support team.

A glimpse of the past

Yesterday I was thrilled to receive the hot-off-the-press DVD "Allegiance, LIVE". Filmed among the beautiful cornfields of Noblesville, IN this release features the powerhouse vocals of this immensely popular trio. This was a special evening as it also featured the talents of a bass vocalist, Mike Mater. Mike actually added some legitimacy to our music. If only he could have emceed.

Our trio found ourselves in numerous awkward, perplexing, and downright hilarious situations. Who can forget the concert in a humongous high school auditorium with 26 people in attendance? That number 26 included the members and bands of the three featured groups and assorted family members. I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard in my life as I did that night at the ludicrousness of the whole experience.

While we enjoyed singing and rehearsing together, the real fun of our short traveling stint was our after-concert critiques of ourselves. Man, those were the days.

The Ask

Since it's Valentine's Day I have to tell a romantic, emotional, tear-jerking story from my past.

After a year and a half of dating, I had decided that Lori was the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She was everything that I wanted in a wife! So, following proper engagement etiquette, I made an appointment to speak to her father. Now, at the time, I didn't know him very well. In fact, I had only been with him a couple of times in my life. So, needless to say, I was a tad bit timorous about approaching him to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.

We were going to be traveling through Pennsylvania on a band tour, so I asked to speak with him privately following a concert. That evening, with a look of utter sincerity (or maybe it was utter fear) I requested his permission to marry Lori. He didn't smile much. In fact, he didn't smile at all. He cocked his head sideways, gave me a searching look, then asked, "Do you think you can provide for her?" I (not having an idea what the future would hold for me employment-wise) gave an emphatic "You better believe it!" hoping that he wouldn't ask how. After what seemed like an eternity, he gave his assent. Whew! I couldn't stop grinning after that.

I thought that I had overtaken the toughest hurdle and looked forward to popping the big question.

It was a beautiful evening in June when I put my plan together. Earlier in the day, I had slipped flowers and her engagement present up to her apartment (Dave and I would later assemble the present, which is a whole other post) and was prepared for a great evening. I took Lori to our favorite Cincinnati steak destination, Longhorn Steakhouse, and initiated the unfolding of my plans.

Well, maybe the most accurate phrase would be the "unraveling of my plans." I was planning to get on my knees in front of the entire restaurant and in a quixotic moment propose. Well, it didn't happen that way. As I was trying to work up the nerve to carry out my preparations, Lori chose to talk about some of the weirdest stuff in the world, subjects that didn't remotely fit into my anticipated romantic jargon. I kept on trying to get the conversation around to our relationship, but she would have none of it.

OK, change of plans. I thought to myself, "I'll wait until we get out to the car, drop to my knees and ask her in the parking lot." Riiiight. We get out of the restaurant, following fascinating conversation about the names of friend's children, is there life on other planets, and the such. On the way out of Longhorn Lori said, "I have to find a restroom. I'm not feeling well at all." She headed down the hall to the ladies room, leaving me stressed, brainstorming as to how I was going to salvage this moment. I worked myself up so much that I became sick to my stomach and ended up running down to the men's room.

By the time, we staggered out to the car, it was appearing that all of my great plans were ruined. Lori muttered the entire way out to the car about getting back to her own restroom, while I was vainly trying to think of a way to bring the subject back to romantic topics.

I tried to talk her into going to a park in the area, but she wouldn't hear of it. "Just get me home!" she demanded. We are driving down I-71 N towards GBS, and I'm sweating it, knowing that as soon as she walks in she'll see the flowers and the present and my plans will be blown.

I suddenly whipped the wheel to the right and swerved off the road, screeching to a halt. Lori starts asking 20 questions: "Are you speeding? Are you being pulled over? Are you sick? Are you going to throw up? What's wrong?" I calmly said, "Lori, will you marry me?"

She replied with those words that every man proposing wants to hear. "You're crazy! Don't be stupid." I told her, "No, I'm serious. Will you marry me?" "Whatever!" was her reply. After 3 or 4 times of asking, I finally pulled out her engagement present receipt to prove that my proposal was legitimate. She finally said, "Yes".

It's been a great life! Even if I did have to work for it.

So, wipe those tears, and realize that there is hope for you. It can't ever be that bad. Just ask.

I Love My Family

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Hopefully, you have spent some quality time with (not to mention money on) your true love. Our family just returned from a fun evening out at Applebees (motto: "1 of 3 decent restaurants in Nampa"). Lori and I were laughing this afternoon about the fact that our celebration of holidays has changed dramatically with the addition of children. I was talking to a friend earlier in the day who mentioned that he had made reservations at the Mona Lisa (the #1 date destination in Nampa, owned by our good friends Dustin and Angie) for he and his wife this evening. He was looking forward to a nice evening with just the two of them, celebrating their love. It goes without saying that they don't have children. Dr. Keaton told me that he was going to try to get on the reservation list at the Mona Lisa this evening. The best romantic option available to Lori and I not including a babysitter is Applebees. Nothing says I love you like their honey-barbeque riblets.

You know what? I wouldn't change a thing. We spent a lot of time laughing together, playing Pictionary on the children's menu, and teasing Trey about giving his Oreo dessert to a hungry Zambian named Sammy. It was fun! We all gave each other Valentine cards, handed out a few little presents to each other, and made it a great day.

I hope that whatever you did to celebrate the day with your family gives you the same fulfillment.

Suds and Duds

Here I am hard at work, doing my best to qualify for "Husband of the Year". Check out the cool outfit. In this picture I am styling the hard-to-find Santa Claus pajama pants. You definitely don't want to splash the detergent on your jeans, you know what I'm saying? I am a pro, having had years of experience of soapy hands. My parents had two dishwashers. They were named Keith(ie) and Bobby. We fought every night over who got to do what. Dry or wash. It always ended up with suds flying about the kitchen and Mom hollering, "Keith (referring to my dad), you need to put down the paper and get in here and separate the boys." Dad's reply was something like "ughyyeahmmm". He wasn't a masterful communicator when reading the newspaper. Great memories.

Chairwoman of the House

Kassady's destructive force has now been fully unleashed. This weekend she discovered that she can stand up on a chair and reach just about anything. Here she explores the imcomprehensible results of the lightswitch. On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off...this will slowly but surely drive one to utter insanity. I'm there.

probably the weirdest personal picture I will ever post on the blog

I messed up my ankle pretty bad this past Thursday evening playing basketball. It doesn't really hurt that much, but the ankle is still swollen and my whole leg pops a lot when I walk. I apologize for the graphic content of this post, but it looks pretty nasty (not to mention has featured several colors including purple, green, yellow, black, red, and blue) and I just had to share with someone besides Lori, who is not impressed.

Gladiators, yesterday; Hockey Players, today

The following is a press release from the hockey game I attended last night. You must realize that I know next to nothing about the game. It was only the second hockey game that I have been to, so I am truly a spectator rookie. The only thing that I could relate to were the fights. What is up with hockey and fighting, anyway? The refs do nothing to stop the pounding, standing idly by while Victor Czeckhvgil loses more teeth. Football has a lot more contact, but you don't see players flailing away at each other following a tackle. I don't get it. There were 4 or 5 fights during the game, 2 leaving blood on the ice. I will admit that it contributes to the excitement of the contest. Maybe soccer should look into this facet of the game.

The cool thing about the game is that #1, the tickets were free, #2 We were placed in a suite overlooking the arena with all the free food you could eat, and #3 I was in the presence of knowledgable hockey fans who could explain the game to me (namely, Marc patiently explaining the terms "icing", "clearing the zone", and such).

I'm not sure what an "even-strength goal" is (maybe it refers to the fact that no team members are in the penalty box), but regardless, here is the game summary:


Feb 11, 2006
Steelheads Press Release

BOISE, Idaho - Condors’ forward Mike Hofstrand scored an even-strength goal with just 4:56 left in regulation to lift the visitors to a 3-2 win over the Steelheads in front of 5,182 fans at Qwest Arena on Saturday night.On a rush into the Steelheads’ zone, Hofstrand took a feed from center Brian Collins and slipped the puck past Steelheads’ goaltender Steve Silverthorn (26 saves) to give the Condors their first lead of the game. The win allowed the Condors (20-18-5) to take four of a possible six points from the Steelheads (26-16-6) in the three-game series. Two more meetings between the clubs still remain with both of them coming next week in Bakersfield.

From Trey

Trey has been dying to type on my computer, so here is his first post (I'm only sounding out the words for him):

Wow trey ir
Cat
Trey
Daddy

Mommy
Kassady
Dog
Pip
Cow
Horse
Welcome
Emme
Kendra

VP Cheney takes aim

I know this isn't really funny, but my weird sense of humor is making me laugh at this story:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/12/D8FNQ2T00.html

The Vice-President of the United States accidentally shooting a fellow hunter will be talk-show fodder for the next week. Fortunately, the man he shot "alert and doing fine" after being sprayed with shotgun pellets. There are so many great punch lines in this story.

Funny Man

Trey is beginning to practice stand-up comedy. He is starting to get past the knock-knock jokes, thank goodness, but his brand of humor does require a bit of forced chortling. Today, he added his own twist to a classic, asking, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" To which he replied, "To get to the other side...and because another bully chicken was going to get him."

I would offer advice on how to improve the quality of his jocularity, but I've never been known for my wittiness, as to which my Allegiance comrades can wholeheartedly attest. I am very good at laughing, however. I make a great audience member.

Memory

I'm in the process of memorizing music for my Liberty Quartet debut, which will take place next week. Fortunately, my first weekend will be with Paul Ellis still in the group, so I can learn the ropes from the veteran. I have a decent ear, but after 30 or 40 songs it's hard to remember where you go up and what the words are to the 2nd verse. There are several embarrassing moments awaiting me. Of that I'm sure. Oh well. Par for the course. Right now, "I'll Sail Away Home" from the album "Liberty: Live in Alaska" is playing on iTunes.

An Ode to Tour (that kind of sounds like a new type of fragrance)

I was going through some old documents the other day and came across this poem. If you ever traveled with a college choir or orchestra, you can relate to these words. I can't remember if I wrote the poem or not. I do remember reading it at IHC during the Mass Choir rehearsal (about which I need to write a whole article). Anyway, here it is. Read and be blessed.

The Choir Tour

Sitting on this bus, for quite a long, long while
Stifling heat, locker room smell, it’s enough to get you riled
Bathroom stops infrequent, few and far between
The ocean motion is an option, if, of course, it’s clean

Lasagna is the main course
If not sloppy joe
Pastor’s wives are so concerned
That everything’s just so

I appreciate the courtesy
It sometimes makes me smile
To say three times “I’m sorry, I’m full”
While choking on the bile

The housing, that’s another subject
Scary it can be
I never know what I will find
Sharing the bed with me

From roaches, hair, and little mice
To backed-up showers galore
I answer crazy questions
“Now what are you in school for?”

What causes all this suffering?
What would initiate such pain?
Ministry (would you believe it?)
Choir tour is here again

Though it’s easy now to criticize
To murmur and complain
I’d never trade this privilege
It’s definitely worth the pain

The services incredible
The singing so inspired
Cements the fact, I made the right choice
I’m glad that I joined choir

To see souls saved
And hearts encouraged
Make it all worthwhile
God spoke to me several times
As the bus went another mile

Yeah, there’ll be plenty of great times
And to be honest, there’ll be strife
But like Mr. Wolf says
Choir is a mirror of life

No matter where we go from here
Wherever God may lead
We will always remember tour
Being part of the family

So, guys, bring on the hot air
The food, housing, backed up sewer
It’s worth it all to be a part
Of another choir tour

Now playing...

My latest time-consuming passion has been loading my iPod with my music collection. I'm about half-way done and have 5,921 songs loaded. I put my iTunes on party shuffle and enjoy my own music broadcast. Currently, on the playlist is "I'll Be Thinking of You" by Andrae Crouch off of the album "The Light Years". Classic stuff.

The New Look

Enjoy the new look. I slaved over it for, oh, I don't know, maybe 7 minutes. I was getting tired of mauve and gray.

You missed a spot

OK, I had to upload this. While I was typing my last post, Kassady clambered up onto the bed and attempted to help. Fortunately, my camera was beside me. You're looking at a future blogger!

Commodore 64: a cultural revolution

My son, the video-gamer. Trey is the proud owner of a V-Smile educational video game system and he loves it!

It brings back memories of my childhood gaming experiences. Most of them conjure up remembrances of the Commodore 64 system. Which brings to mind the question: was the Commodore 64 used for anything besides games and video consoles for ACE schools and conservative holiness homes? There were some incredible games including RBI Baseball, Summer Olympics, and some game that involved racing street cars. The graphics of the Commodore 64 reminded me of my 9th grade abstract renderings in PC Paint, in which with a vivid imagination people or objects could be made out, though not always correctly identified. Those were the days.

I remember the day that I was introduced to the Nintendo console. I was in a hospital room in Lafayette, IN recovering from having my appendix removed. A young boy next door told the nurse that he was willing to share his video game system with anyone who was interested in playing. The nurse wheeled in a TV (we called it a monitor) and the NES console and I was hooked. I recall fondly those early days of Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt.

From there I went to PC gaming. The first game that I ever became mildly addicted to was Wolfenstein. I think it was the first 3D PC game I ever played. I would sneak to the computer in the wee hours of the morning and freak myself out, saving the world from Nazis and German shepherds. You have to admit that the music was pretty creepy.

Now, I occasionally pull out my XBox system to play one of the many EA sports games in my possession. Oh yeah, I still enjoy Medal of Honor. For some reason, though, it's not as fun as it used to be.

Winter Sports run in the family

David Frederick III (my nephew) catches some air at the Perfect North ski slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN. He's become an avid skier in the last few years and is quite the hot dog. I'm impressed!

He is proving his dedication by embarking on a Moser Ski Adventures tour to the far reaches of Colorado. Everyone associated with Kevin Moser understands that only the truly accomplished can accompany him on his high-octane, adrenaline-infused journeys to the double diamond trails of the US. Just ask Jon Plank.

David's mother is making sure that he takes his helmet.

Give It Away

I just bought the new Gaither Vocal Band CD, "Give It Away". While Marshall Hall (new baritone) sang 2 or 3 songs on the CD "The Best of the Gaither Vocal Band" including the power ballad "Picture of Grace", this recording features the new GVB consisting of Bill, Guy, Marshall, and new tenor, Wes Hampton.

Now, let's be honest. Whoever followed David Phelps as tenor with the Vocal Band was bound to get panned. Phelps possesses a one in a million voice. While Wes is an able tenor, this recording either does not showcase his range or indicates that his high notes will fall far short of David's arial acrobats. In fact, Guy takes the tenor on a few of the songs, and does a great job at it. Give Wes a couple more albums before you judge his ability, though.

Marshall is a great addition to Gaither's men and he cuts loose on several tracks, bringing back memories of the most underrated baritone in Southern Gospel music, namely Mark Lowry.

Overall, I am disappointed with the song selection. I read interviews with Bill and he was hyping the fact that he was more excited about this recording than any project he had ever worked on. He needs to relax a little. This CD falls far short of some of the great GVB projects like "Loving God, Loving Each Other" and "I Do Believe". I've come to expect more.

One great song on this album is "Give It Away". This is a fantastic song that will have you tapping your feet. If you're a GVB fan, buy the album and add it to the collection. If you haven't bought one of their CDs before, don't start with this one.

Kassady had her hair put up into a ponytail for the first time this evening. It lasted for approximately 22 seconds before she tore the rubber band out. She kinda reminds me of the little girl from the Flintstones. I thought it was cute.

Weight and See

I am fat. Yes, I am. Let's not mince words here. When I went to GBS as a lowly college freshman, I weighed a whopping 155 pounds. I had a size 31 or 32 waist (depending on whether the pants were from Sears or JC Penneys) and was thin as a rail. That weight included my hair which stood nearly 17" high and weighed (along with the various gels, hairsprays, and conditioners) approximately 8 pounds, thanks to my poof which at the point was the height of style according to the conservative holiness fashionistas. Even though I hate like a horse, my weight rarely fluctuated.

After 4 years of college I still was only encumbered with 165 pounds on my lanky frame. That was soon to change, however. I married a fantastic cook! Lori began cooking substantive suppers and my waist began expanding. It started out as an innocuous transition from a 32 to a 34 waist size. Nothing too bad. Then, I began to notice the appearance of a double chin. I noticed that I could actually grab hold of skin on my side. This wasn't good.

Now, after nearly 7 years of marriage I find myself tipping the scales at 190/195. I've got to do better on this. Now, I'm not the kind of guy that spends a lot of time stressing about my looks. I realized a long time ago that I'm no Brad Pitt. I'm not even a Willard Scott. However, I do care about being out of shape.

So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to have a weigh-in posted each week. Hopefully, this sense of accountability will contribute to my efforts to slim down. We'll see.

Planning Ahead

I have been teaching the kids to be self-sufficient these days. I told them that we might not always live in a house and to prepare for the worst. Here, Trey and Kassady practice their urban grocery-cart drills, preparing for life on the streets. Hey, it could be worse. They could be living in a van, DOWN BY THE RIVER! (Thank you, Chris Farley.)

Trey the photojournalist

Trey took a picture of his best friend who doesn't qualify as a human: Jack (I have a few friends like that). Jack was born in Cincinnati on October 31 at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Thanks to Trey's cousins David, Anthony, Alicia, and Christy as well as his uncle and aunt, Dave and Char, Jack has moved into the Waggoner household. Trey loves this bear! Jack has his own house in which he resides during the day. We actually bought Jack a Christmas present. He received Spider-man pajamas which he is wearing in this picture. Trey will not go to sleep at night until Jack has his pajamas on. Normally, Jack's clothing consists of a Cincinnati Reds baseball uniform. According to Trey, Jack plays baseball on Wednesdays, so each week Trey makes sure that Jack's ready to go all the way down to the stirrups and cleats.

Trey has been begging to use my camera, so I allowed him to take just a few pictures. Not surprisingly, Jack was his first target. Not bad for his first pic with no supervision.

Trey's getting better with the camera. He actually took a nice picture Kassady and me hanging out in the living room. I'm a blessed man! I have the 2 most wonderful children in the world! The only negative is that they are getting way too intelligent. I have to stay on my toes.

LaRena Anne Ezell

I want to pass along congratulations to my good friends, Allen and LaRona Ezell, on the arrival of their beautiful little girl, LaRena Anne. She came in at 8 lbs. and 9 oz. and was 19" long. I can't wait until she is taller than her mom, which probably won't happen for at least 2 years. Allen and LaRona, you have every right to be proud. LaRena is adorable!

Doug Riley

Your prayers are requested for the family members of Doug Riley, drummer with Gold City Quartet. Doug was killed in an auto accident while enroute to the Gold City recording studio. Doug is survived by his wife and two children.

For more information, please visit the Gold City website at http://www.goldcityqt.com/red/index2.html.

As a young drummer, I was a big fan of Doug and was impressed with his class and live performances. The Southern Gospel industry has lost one of its finest musicians.

Congratulations, Kayla!

I was privileged to witness the final game of Kayla Aman's basketball season. She played on the 9th grade team from Melba High School and they finished the season undefeated, 16-0. They beat the #2 seed, New Plymouth, 67-31. Kayla had a great game, ending up with several steals, assists, and points. I'm proud to have her as part of Grace Teens!

Idaho Youth Retreat 2006

Below you will find several pictures from our inaugural youth retreat, held in McCall, ID last weekend. Grace Bible Church from Nampa, Faith Evangelical Church from Boise, Community Bible Church from Emmett, and Faith Bible Church from McCall joined together for a fantastic time of worship, fun, and little sleep.

Several feet of snow failed to dampen the spirits of our teens and we came expecting to meet God in a new and fresh way. He didn't disappoint.

Hopefully, you can catch a glimpse of the essence of the weekend in the pictures below.

Philip Gumbs was the retreat speaker and Brent Vernon served as the worship leader. They both did an outstanding job.

I highly recommend Philip Gumbs to anyone looking for a dynamic, inspired youth evangelist. The guy flat-out knows how to speak to teens. They were plugged in every service as he challenged them to full surrender and joyful victorious living. Philip pastors a Church of God (Holiness) on the Carribean island of Anguilla. God has blessed his ministry and gifted him for pastoring. I enjoyed getting to know Philip. Hopefully, this isn't the last time we work together.

And then, of course, Brent is one of the best. Our young people responded to his worship leading. He challenged the teens to open up their hearts to God and really worship Him. His prodigious musical talents are completely surrendered and it shines through his ministry.

Melvin Adams served as retreat President and emceed most of the services.

While Marc and Melvin got things set up, I asked Brent about some input concerning one of my original compositions. The song is "Let's Go Out West". Here are the lyrics, complete and unabridged:

Let's go out west
Where the people rest
Where the cattle's in the field
With the fence all around
Let's go out west
Where the people rest
Where the cattle's in the field
All eating on grass

Brent recommended changing the substituting the word "hay" for "grass". He's pure genius.

(I actually wrote this song at a young age; I had my mom push a pencil and a piece of paper under the bathroom door so I could write down the lyrics)

This is what it's all about. We had two services were teens came forward to accept Christ. It was a beautiful moment. God truly did a remarkable work in the lives of our young people.

Marc barks out instructions during the Friday evening afterglow. Marc, Scott, Loren Alley (from Boise), and Dan Wood (from Emmett) were in charge of the activities. They kept the kids running!

Tim Makcen (far right) came out to the retreat as a representative from GBS. He did a fantastic job relating to the teens. I wish colleges would realize that the best way to recruit students is to get involved with their lives. A little prepared speech does not qualify. When I was a recruiter my most effective tool was spending time laughing, praying, and connecting with the kids. I don't know of one person who came to GBS because of my little spiel that I put together. Tim impacted the lives of several of our teens this weekend. Superb job! And a big thanks to GBS for sending him out.

Probably the most popular game at the retreat was called Clump. Marc would yell out a number and people would try to group in that number. If you weren't able to be part of the group you were out. This went on until it was down to 2 people. We had some extremely aggresive players. They were killing each other, trying to stay in the game. We were in a room with a concrete floor and these guys are tackling each other, doing everything they can to win. Sandy Adams was running around screaming, "You have to stop them! Somebody's going to get killed! O please stop them!"

The human chain was a fun game. Each team had to link arms while reaching into the middle of a circle and then try to get untangled. This guy in the red jacket was trying to step into the middle of the pile of bodies, thinking that somehow that was going to help. Brent Crane (underneath in purple coat, getting ready to get creamed) was screaming, "Stay down! Stay down! You're going to kill somebody!"

Justin was pretty excited during this game. That expression stayed on his face for about an hour. The guys never did figure out how to get untangled.

Sam was a huge hit at the retreat! I asked Brent if it's disappointing to realize that your dummy is more popular than you are. He handled it well. Literally.

Here, I am displaying for the impressionable teens my version of "the Robot".

This is what I looked like after only a couple hours of sleep on Friday night. You'll notice that my hair is a little out of place. Actually...hold on...I don't even see my hair. Dude, that was one wild night!

Now, Brent Vernon, being a Florida native and all, was in awe at all the snow. Actually, I was pretty awed myself. He said he wanted to try some sledding before he went in to warm up. He ended up staying outside for over an hour, laughing his head off. I was proud of him.

Rochenda sought to set Brent's mind at ease by volunteering her sledding strategies, which consist mainly of screaming loudly all the way down. Brent tentatively prepared to launch, trying to remember her advice.

Brent tried his best to emulate the pro. He hollered loudly all the way down!

Tiff begin her descent down the slope. She later tried going headfirst and smashed her face into the ground: hard. Her lip was swollen and numb. I was impressed at her daring. I didn't think Tiff had it in her.

Ashley was trying her best to throw snow all over my face. I was running backwards when I took this picture.

Jaron was trying to impress us with his snowboarding dexterity, but failed mightily when he hit a bump and faceplanted in a snowdrift. Here he his trying to feel his lips.

Sarah is much braver than I am. A couple of the guys built a pretty impressive ramp off of a massive pile of snow. Sarah wasn't content just to go down the normal, safe, regular way. Oh no, she had to kill herself. She went down backwards laying on her stomach. When she hit the ramp she flew up in the air about 2 feet and then slammed back into the intertube. She smashed up her knee and mentioned that she had a little chest pain. She said it felt like she cracked her ribs. Sarah said it was worth it, though.

Saturday night several of us played Mafia, a fun, whodunnit game. I was the narrator, the one who got to describe with gory imagination the details of each citizen's death. The game took about an hour or more to play. The teens were begging to play again.

As I looked at the mirror across the room, I paused a moment to admire my impressive physique.

What's a teen retreat without a visit to the hospital? Josh, one of our teens from Grace, and another guy slammed into each other while running at full speed. They banged their knees, with Josh getting the worst of it. After X-rays and much waiting, the prognosis came back as a bad bone bruise and possible strained MCL. We didn't get back to camp until 2:30 AM and I didn't get to bed until 3:30. Josh seemed to be doing OK by the end of the retreat. I told him he needed to milk it a little more. Get all the women to feel sorry for him. He wasn't impressed.

As part of the schedule, team leaders led their teams in devotions prior to the morning service. Scott shares with his team on Saturday morning. I love youth ministry. Seeing teens respond to God's Word and His Spirit more than makes up for my sleep deprivation. Bianca (Scott's wife and a team leader) said it best in a testimony on Sunday morning when she stated that God had renewed her heart while she was ministering to others. It was a great time.

David, being a Mona Lisa-trained expert in the art of dishwashing, displayed his skills in the kitchen.

Trey and Emme were enthralled with Pastor Phillip's ministry; or perhaps it was his rap song.