Mike King

He is Risen so He is HERE.

Holy Week was very meaningful for us at Jacob's Well.  All kinds of gatherings, events, liturgical worship and celebrations took place among our community.  The Vigil was awesome as always.  The Jacob's Well Sanctuary is such a wonderful place to pray, sing, worship and encounter the presence of God.  People came throughout the night to walk the Stations of the Cross, pray, sit and wait the coming of the dawn.  We gathered for a Sunrise Service that was powerful followed by a pancake breakfast.  The focus of the day is the reality that we serve a God who is on the move.  If we find God in a certain situation we can't become content to try to recreate and maintain the situation in which we encountered Christ because Christ is at work, on the move, the God of the Way.  He is not there, He has Risen, now He is here.  Relationally God never stays "back there" in the exact manner in which we first experienced God.  Relationship with God is dynamic so it is always about growth, change, movement, obedience, and following.  Yes, following Jesus is about living life to the full - full of lots of things - full of love, full of sacrifice, full of surprise, full of challenge, full of bewilderment, full of confusion, full of peace and full of Joy.  More Pictures

James Taylor

Eating Jerk Chicken at a Caribbean Restaurant before the James Taylor Concert - $45

Tickets to a two hour James Taylor accoustical concert at the Midland Theater - $140

Having your wife reach over and grab your hand when James Taylor sings You've got a friend - Priceless

(what we looked like when we first fell in love with each other and James Taylor music)

Jessica

A few weeks ago I made a post about being a youth worker and having your youngest child turn 20-years-old.  No more teenagers in our home.  Jessica was home for the weekend which was really good.  She is a woman.  She wanted to be home in time to celebrate Vicki's birthday and was able to talk her mom into posing for pictures (which I can't do.)  Jessica went with us to YouthFront staff member Courtney and Dan's wedding and to Holy Week church stuff starting with Break Fast, Easter Vigil, Sunrise Service and Pancake Breakfast, along with all kinds of family things.  Today she headed back to Manhattan and I am sad. 

at Courtney and Dan's wedding

Jessica and Peri with Isabella

Before the Sunrise Service with friends

Father vs Son Tennis Duel

Micah, our oldest son has taken up tennis.  When Vicki and I were in Hawaii a couple months ago to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary we bought some tennis rackets.  We used to play tennis together when we were dating 31 plus years ago.  Tennis is a little like riding a bike and we picked up where we left off so many moons ago.

Micah caught wind of our tennis playing and thought this would be the perfect chance to put Dad in his place.  "Hey Dad, you want to play tennis tonight?"  "Sure, if your up to it," was my quick reply.  His response, "You're going down."  He seemed confident and I must admit that I thought to myself that this could be humiliating for me.  I remember how much I loved wrestling with Micah and Daniel.  The older they got the more strategic I had to be.  I was able to determine when to stop so that I never had to get pinned by these young brutes.  I began to think I might not be so wise in this case.

A couple of hours after Micah's invitation to a tennis match, Vicki told me that he called her to get insight about by tennis playing ability.  He stressed to her that he would have no problem whooping up on me. 

We scheduled our showdown for 10:00 PM last night.  Around 7:00 my sinuses exploded with this hot KC weather and I got the worse headache that I have had in a long time.  I took a couple of Tylenol and some sinus medicine and laid down.  Micah called at 9:00 to see if we were still on.  Vicki answered the phone and said your dad is not feeling so well.  "Put him on," Micah insisted.  I woke up to trash talking, "you are chicken."  I told him I would call at 10:00 and tell him if I felt like climbing out of bed.  I still felt pretty bad at 10:00 but the trash talk was still ringing in my ear.  "I'll be there in twenty minutes," I told him.  Vicki asked if she could go along.  "Of course, but you think Micah is going to beat me," I told her.  She laughed and mumbled something about it being so nice out that she thought she would go along. 

Micah was so confident he ran to the tennis courts.  He insisted he would go easy on me as we warmed up and reminded me that I was one year away from being 50-years-old.  Yes, there was a lot of love going on on that court last night. 

Final score of the match in the best of three sets was 6-1, 6-1.  I will let Micah tell you the rest...

Belgian Waffles almost brought me down...

I woke up unusually early and headed to Aixois, a nice little French coffee shop/restaurant in Brookside.  I pick my table, set up my computer and head to the counter to order my coffee.  Just as the girl asked if she could help me I saw a new sign BELGIAN Waffles made to order.  Wow, I love Belgian Waffles.  "I will have a large coffee and a Belgian Waffle," was my quick response.  I paid, got my coffee and returned to my table to await this

As soon as I settled into my table it hit me.  Stink, this is my fast day.  I have been fasting one day a week during Lent with around 50 friends from church.  After the fast we meet for a meal of homemade soups and bread to Break Fast together.  Stink, what should I do.  I could see that they were already preparing my waffle.  I don't want to tell them what is going on because I don't want them to know I am goofy.  It was early and there was no one else in there but a couple who were also enjoying waffles so giving them away didn't seem like a good option.  Then the waitress brought over genuine Maple Syrup, I mean the real thing, so I considered the option of just eating them when they came out piping hot to the table.  My taste buds seconded that option.  I thought that it would be OK to just extend my fast.  But that meant I wouldn't be eating the wonderful soups (2 options each week) with my fasting friends.  I couldn't eat the WAFFLE.  I began to contemplate another more ominous option - I will fake a heart attack - just kidding.  I pulled out the morning paper that I had brought along and started reading it just as my waffle arrived.  To add a new level of temptation the manager who knows I am a frequent customer proudly delivered the new menu offering to my table and announced that she added an extra half waffle for my enjoyment.  Thanks so much.  STINK.  There was a nice little portion of real butter.  I would have to a least put a little butter on it.  It would be quite suspicious not to use any butter.  Of course I had to also put syrup on it.  It would be obvious that I hadn't eaten my waffle if there was no syrup on the plate.  I cut the wonderful smelling buttered and syrup-ed waffle, not just any waffle but a made to order Belgian Waffle and sat with it under my nose.  I thought through my response if I were to be asked, "Is it good, do you like it?"  I was ready with "Oh, this is awesome!"  I felt like three minutes was a long enough time to consume something so inviting as this Belgian Waffle that was under my nose mocking and tempting me.  I waited until the Aixios staff were looking the other way and slid this piece of delectable art into the middle of the classified section of the newspaper.  My heart was pounding - I did not want these dear people to think I hated the waffle because I can't wait to go back and order two the next time I'm there.  I didn't want them to think I had found a hair cooked into the waffle and I especially did not want them to discover what was really happening and think from this point on the crazy bald guy is in the cafe again.  Once the butter and syrup drenched waffle was securely in the classifieds I waited until the coast was clear and went into the restroom where I disposed of this Waffle.  The Belgian Waffle that almost brought me down. 

Later at the Break Fast.

Happy Birthday

Today is my lovely wife Vicki's 49th birthday.  Jessica arrived home from college last night for Easter weekend so today will be a day of celebration.  Happy Birthday Vicki.  You are beautiful.

   

Camp works

In a few weeks I will be attending the Youth Ministry Executive Council Forum in Washington, D.C.  This forum will gather 35 – 40 national youth ministry leaders for the purpose of discussing the present realities of youth ministry, the state of adolescents in North America and the future of youth ministry.  This has been an interesting mix of Youth Ministry leaders from across the theological spectrum.

A couple of years ago this group commissioned a study to find out what was the most effective contribution to evangelism among high school students.  Dave Rahn from the Huntington University Link Institute in conjunction with the Association of Youth Ministry Educators along with professors and students from Azusa Pacific University, Denver Seminary,  Bethel College, Gordon College, Taylor University and Nazarene University College worked with 395 youth ministries and interviewed students between the ages of 16 – 20 who had become Christians since 2003. 

The first question the interviewers asked the teenagers: “Tell me everything you can remember about your experience of first choosing to become a follower of Jesus Christ.”  When the young people quit talking they followed up with more specific questions;

Can you name any (other) programs, locations or activities that you think were  especially influential in your decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ?

Were there any (other) situations or circumstances going on in your life that you think were especially influential in your decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ?

The results were compiled and they reveal some very important data that sheds light on the programs, techniques and factors most effective in introducing youth to Jesus Christ.

The number one most-mentioned influence in becoming a Christian was Camp, Retreats and Special Events.  Dave Rahn suggests, “Make use of camps, retreats, or conferences when it comes to evangelism.  We found that such events are most important for the conversion of teenagers… They are also very effective when they include a specific challenge to act.” 

Maybe I like the results because they confirm what our core focus is here at YouthFront.  Right now we have retreats at camp every weekend and we are preparing for 4000 plus teenagers who will spend a week with us this summer.    We do this because every summer hundreds of young people find new life with Jesus Christ and hundreds more move into a deeper relationship with God.  We do it because we are passionate about seeing teenagers transformed by Jesus Christ.   YouthFront Camps   

Source for data; Network Magazine, Spring 2006 Volume 24, Number 1

Way of the cross...

So here we are at the beginning of Passion Week.  I hope that this will be a meaningful week as you contemplate the reality of Jesus Christ, God in human flesh suffering for the sins of the world, crucified, dead and buried.  During this week, one of the many things I do to live in the authenticity of the Passion of the Christ is to make the Stations of the Cross.

The following reflections on the way of the cross were sent to me by my friend Libbie Patterson who I serve with on the Soul Shaper Board.  Libbie based these meditations on Joan Chittister's book Way of the Cross: Gateway to Resurrection.

"The Stations of the Cross are simply an excursion through the hard moments of life as those periods are demonstrated in the life of Jesus himself....They give us a model of how to live life when our own suffering is unavoidable and life seems most impossible. Then, knowing that Jesus has gone the way of injustice, fatigue, failure and defeat before us, they give our present difficulties both new light and new hope." Joan Chittister, Gateway to Resurrection.

I Jesus is condemned to die. What is it in life for which we are willing to be condemned?

II Jesus carries his cross. Having begun a good thing, will I pay the price to bring it to fulfillment?

III Jesus falls the first time. Is the struggle of my life worth enough to struggle to the end?

IV Jesus meets his mother. Why do we love, and how well?

V Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross. What are we being called to do for someone in need right now for which we are a disinclined observer? What does the situation have to offer us as well?

VI Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Who is there - whose life you deplore

- that you have reached out to help?

VII Jesus falls the second time. Is there anything important enough for which we will endure even when it seems to be unattainable? Is there any pain worth more than the desire to run away from it?

VIII Jesus meets the weeping women of Jerusalem. Do we really reject what we call sinful or do we really reject only the sinners themselves?

IX Jesus falls the third time. Are we about something big enough to be worth every effort of our lives? If we are not involved in something that demands the unstinting best of us and threatens the very core of us, what is life about?

X Jesus is stripped of his garments. What is underneath the garments of pomp, authority, dignity and wealth that we have so carefully cultivated around us?

XI Jesus is nailed to the cross. Are we spending our lives, our hopes, our

emotions on something great enough to make the pain of losing them worthwhile?

XII Jesus dies on the cross. Am I able to accept the daily deaths of life, both the great ones and the small, knowing that death is not the end of life but only its passing over to something new in me?

XIII Jesus is taken down from the cross. Am I prepared to let go of everything I ever wanted so that God's will can come another way?

XIV Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Celebrate Africans

Last night we (Jacob's Well) hosted Celebrate Africans, a night of food, music and fun.  Staff member Philip Lesniewski organized this event to celebrate the culture of Africa and African people living in the Kansas City area.  Philip spent several years in Africa as an environmental educator and has a love for the continent and people of Africa.  Philip was hoping for 100 people to turn out.  More than 200 showed up.  It was a great night of meeting new people, learning more about Africa and celebrating life.  The Banner Hall was all decked out in African fabric and art.  Tables were filled with information about African countries and organizations like the One Campaign; along with art, photographs and books.  The food was awesome.  Beverly Handy is living in Kansas City because of Hurricane Katrina.  Beverly and her granddaughter Crystal were adopted by Jacob's Well through the Faith in Action Partnership initiated by Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Concerned Clergy and YouthFront.  Beverly who is a chef volunteered to cook Cajun and African food for this event.  The program involved song, dance, drama, fashion and education - all with an African flair.  The whole night felt like a Kingdom of God feast.

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Narnia Pictures

Here are some pictures from the Culture House' production of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the YouthFront Auditorium.

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