Mike King

My Friend Jeremy Affeldt and World Series History

The all-time leaders in postseason ERA, with a minimum of 30 innings pitched, are Mariano Rivera (0.70), Harry Brecheen (0.83), Jeremy Affeldt (0.86) and Babe Ruth (0.87).Within those scoreless appearances, Affeldt was near pristine when it came to escaping trouble caused by others. He stranded nine of 10 baserunners he inherited. Affeldt faced 111 batters in his postseason career and allowed only one extra-base hit. Opponents slugged .168 against him, the lowest against any pitcher who faced at least 100 batters. (ESPN)

I was super conflicted when Jeremy came in to face my Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. It turned out to be his best postseason appearance and his last one. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings against his former team. It was the longest outing of his postseason career. I was so happy for Jeremy and Larisa because of the painful experiences they had with Kansas City (before Dayton Moore). He ended up as the winner of Game 7, every pitchers dream. Fortunately, we won the World Series last year and Vicki and I were invited by the San Francisco Giants to sit with Jeremy's family on the field at AT&T Park for his retirement celebration. If you want to read more about his extraordinary life get this phenomenal book TO STIR A MOVEMENT. Here is a Museum of the Bible tribute to Jeremy and his passion for Scripture.

An Amazing Opportunity for Young Adults Interested in Youth Ministry through the Iona Project at Cal Farley's

Cal Farley’s is an internationally renown residential community near Amarillo, Texas open to at-risk children ages 5 to 18. It is one of the best programs in the world for helping at-risk youth. Mike Wilhelm, Senior Chaplain at Cal Farley's, is a good friend and donor of Youthfront. Mike has brought several Youthfront staff to Cal Farley's for training staff. He has also brought Cal Farley residents to Youthfront camps. Mike is a giant of a man and an amazing spiritual leader. Mike launched a program called the Iona Project that is making a big impact.

The Iona Project is an innovative youth ministry internship at Cal Farley's (paid with benefits and housing). The program is currently in its third year. Participants live life together as an intentional community-- -fixed hour prayer - a weekly community meal - weekly spiritual formation - cutting edge trauma-informed childcare training - and soul-shaping Boys Ranch youth ministry responsibilities! Here's an important feature: The Iona community is comprised of 6 members: 3 gals and 3 guys. It is a one-year commitment with one guy and one gal being selected each year for a second year, to join with the 4 new incoming members. So there's an overlap built into the program that gives the community a seamless nature. Thus the beauty of the program is that it has great stability while at the same time considering the nomadic nature of unmarried millennials. Here's a sample of the things they do: Lectio continua: The community's 9-month consecutive read through entire Bible; Weekly lectio divina, utilizing the church calendar RCL readings; Group spiritual reading of Bonhoeffer's, "Life Together"; Group Enneagram work; No less than 56 hours of childcare training, that includes Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) and Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). Participants present a year-end reflection paper to the Cal Farley's leadership group. Those completing all requirements of the program receive a “Certificate in Spiritual Formation & Youth Ministry” from the Cal Farley’s Childcare Institute. Mike is currently recruiting now for 2017. If you know young adults who are looking for an amazing, challenging, yet rewarding opportunity, have them contact Mike Wilhelm - mikewilhelm@calfarley.org

Check out more details at beformed.org

 

Exploring Faith and Science With Young People - Youthfront Training with Dr. Andy Root

 

Next Sessions

SAVE THE DATE for each of our Youth Worker Training Events for the 2016-17 season!

 

We are really excited about the lineup of speakers. This season, you'll find a range of topics that will inspire you personally, challenge you theologically, and equip you practically.

 

• Thursday, OCTOBER 6: Exploring Faith and Science with Young People, by Dr. Andrew Root. Location: Christ Community Church - Brookside Campus

 

• Thursday, DECEMBER 1: More Than 'Getting Together': Youth Ministry and Race, by Rev. Tina Harris and Dr. Brandon Winstead. Location: TBA

 

• Thursday, JANUARY 26: Emerging Adults, Spirituality, and the Church, by Dr. Steven Argue. Location: TBA

 

• Thursday, MARCH 30: Saying is Believing: The Power of Testimony and Storytelling, by Dr. Amanda Drury. Location: TBA 

 

Individual sessions will be $10/each, or you'll be able to register for all four for just $30.Stay tuned for more details about each of the sessions! 

 

A very special thanks to Museum of the Bible for sponsoring our Youth Worker Training Events:

Don't Miss "Poetic Youth Ministry." Youth Worker Training Day

Youth Worker Training

APRIL 7, 2016 

9am - 1pm

 

Save the date for our last training session of the school year! Dr. Jason Lief will be with us to talk about "Poetic Youth Ministry," and will explore the issue of young people and faith, specifically focusing on the various responses of the Christian community to the research suggesting young people are leaving the church. 

 

Don't miss this opportunity and register now for this session!

I Am So Excited To Be A Part of Museum of the Bible, Watch This Video and You Will See Why.

For the last two years I have been a part of an amazing project called the Museum of the Bible. I have served as a Senior Advisor for the museum. I am working closely with former Youthfront staff member and current Youthfront Board member, as well as my dear friend and colleague for the last forty years, Tim Smith. Tim is a Vice President and Director of Development. The video below is is an extended virtual tour of the 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible being constructed in Washington, D.C. The Museum is slated to open in November, 2017 and is located a couple blocks off of the Washington Mall, near the US Capital Building. Watch the video and you will see why I am so excited to be a part of this legacy project. Below the video is the Official Executive Summary for one of the projects that I'm heading up for the Museum. In the fall I secured a substantial planning grant from the John Templeton Foundation for Museum of the Bible and I'm excited about the potential to change the conversation concerning the Bible and Science. 

Official Executive Summary for the Museum of the Bible and John Templeton Foundation Planning Grant:

A narrative has developed in the Western world that scripture and science are incompatible. Many believe science has shown the Bible to no longer be relevant and even responsible for holding back human progress. There are also those who believe that scripture necessitates an adversarial position against science. While elements of this narrative are certainly understandable in our current cultural milieu, we believe they are mistaken and damaging. The MOTB has an opportunity to help overcome these misleading views. We will use this planning grant from the John Templeton Foundation to determine the best, most effective ways to develop initiatives, programs, research, scholarship and exhibits focusing on the Bible and its impact on science in an accurate, comprehensible, compelling and memorable manner. This grant will support planning for the Bible and science portions of a signature traveling exhibit and for the Museum itself, and add rich science and scripture content to other projects and initiatives of MOTB. The planning grant will enable us to plan and facilitate up to seven strategic gatherings involving scholars, theologians, scientists, practitioners, literary and cultural experts who will together explore how MOTB and its initiatives can enhance the public dialogue concerning the convergence between the Bible, science and scholarship. In addition, we will engage in a small but high leverage research project to assess secular openness to initiatives we hope will change the conversation in the broader culture concerning the relationship between science and the Bible. This project will produce a detailed plan for compelling exhibits focusing on science and the Bible and create a fully- developed proposal for the John Templeton Foundation requesting support to implement plans. We believe the stakes are high if the presentation of the Bible and Science relationship is not informative and intelligent.

Broken Hallelujah's

The losses in our lives are both big and small, and cover a range of experiences. We leave home. We experience physical illness and disabilities. We struggle with vocation and finances. We may long for a spouse or child. We lose people we love to addiction or illness and death. Following is a video featuring my dear friend and colleague Beth Slevcove talking about her new book Broken Hallelujahs. Below is the endorsement I wrote for the publisher, IVP.

"The beautifully fashioned sentences throughout Broken Hallelujahs summon deep contemplation and provoke a wrestling with the realities of our mysterious lives. What is truly refreshing about Broken Hallelujahs is the absence of sentimentalism. However, with a timely cadence, this book moved me to tears – tears of grief, tears of loss and lament, but also tears of joyfulness and gratitude. Beth’s willingness to be vulnerable and to call a thing what it is gave me permission to sink into the profound truth that Jesus Christ shows us it is truly human to sometimes cry out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Broken Hallelujahs ministered to my soul like a Balm of Gilead. I often say, “Wouldn’t it be great if Christians were known in our culture as the people who set aside syrupy platitudes and told the truth about pain, loss and death.” Death is the enemy, but that is not the end of the story… I love this book and hope you take care of your soul by reading this astonishing story."

Mike King, President/CEO, Youthfront; author of Presence Centered Youth Ministry; Twitter @MDKing

Youthfront Justice Initiatives - Get Involved.

ARGENTINE, KANSAS CITY, KS

Argentine has a lot going for it with new efforts at revitalization, but like many under-resourced, urban neighborhoods, it has familiar problems. Connect with young people who are joining God's mission to restore beauty in Argentine. Hands-on work during a Youthfront Missional Journey in Argentine will include painting, clean up and minor home repair.

CROC, MEXICO

Our after-school program in Croc has more than 14 years, and is currently run by a local team. It provides kids with activities and classroom time where they can learn their place within God's mission. On a Youthfront Missional Journey in Croc, your will host a summer camp for local kids, prepare games, workshops, and classes. You'll work alongside a local team to give kids a quality education in subjects like math and Spanish, and also to better understand themselves, one another, and the world around them.

I WAS HUNGRY & YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO EAT

Something to Eat is a learning experience where we equip youth to discover the systems that produce hunger. A pulsating spirit sweeps over our events where youth package meals to help families both locally and globally. As they draw closer to the struggle that is faced by nearly 1 out of 6 kids in the US, they also draw closer to God and to one another.

LaCygne - A Place for High School Youth to Come Fully Alive

LaCygne 2015 from Youthfront on Vimeo.

 

Checkout Youthfront LaCygne, a Place for High School Youth to Discover What it Means to be Fully Alive.

 

I went to LaCygne by myself and didn't really know anyone. It was a chance to meet new people - a lot to do every day and I loved that the activities were optional. 

One night after an evening gathering, they surprised us with the "Fugitives" game. It required us to run around in the pitch black dark, looking for clues and avoiding the other team. The combination of the surprise factor (out of the ordinary) and the high stakes made it feel like the Hunger Games. It was really awesome, we were scared and laughing at the same time!

Fugitives actually helped me bond with some other girls and I made life long friends.

 

More Information about Youthfront LaCygne

Dr. Andy Root Bringing Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Kansas City

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most beloved Christian pastors and theologians of the 20th century, often being listed on the top of everyone’s most influential Christians.  Yet, there has been a major oversight when it has come to exploring his life and thought, this omission has been the centrality of Bonhoeffer youth work and children’s ministry.  Between 1925 and 1939 all of Bonhoeffer’s direct ministry practice was with children and youth, leading the experience of children and youth into his well known theological works, as well inspiring him to write much less known pieces and sermons about and for young people.  This presentation will look to right this biographical wrong, by exploring Bonhoeffer’s work with young people, seeing how he might inspire our own ministry, giving us new perspectives on our own work with young people.

Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Olson Baalson Associate Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is most recently the author of Christopraxis: A Practical Theology of the Cross (Fortress, 2014) and Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker (Baker, 2014).  He has also written The Relational Pastor (IVP, 2013) as well as a four book series with Zondervan called A Theological Journey Through Youth Ministry (titles include Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Unpacking Scripture in Youth Ministry, and Unlocking Mission and Eschatology in Youth Ministry).  In 2012  his book The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry (with Kenda Creasy Dean, IVP, 2011) was Christianity Today Book of Merit.  He has written a number of other books on ministry and theology such as The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being (Baker Academic, 2010), The Promise of Despair (Abingdon, 2010), Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation (IVP, 2007) and Relationships Unfiltered (Zondervan/YS, 2009).  Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their two dogs. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

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