Wednesday, January 31, 2007  
JANUARY RECAP
What has occurred on the Catholic Youth Ministry blog during the month of January:
> The website was re-designed (1/01)with a more youth-ministry-newsy format and an average of almost three entries a day.  A tour of the full site was offered (1/02-06) and a "word of modem" campaign was encouraged. (1/08)
> A weekly pod-cast begins with Irene Friend (1/03), Bob McCarty (1/10), Mike Patin (1/17), Anna Scally (1/24), and Becki Kamen (1/31) all dropping in for a visit.
> National Vocation Awareness Week (1/08-13) was commemorated.
> We all shared in the warm feeling of a Ralph Wiggum (1/27) YouTube highlight.
> And the month closed with celebrating and confessing and communicating. (1/30)
BECKI KAMEN IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
<<Enter the studio here.>>  Following four national guests in visiting inside the Youth ministers’ studio, here comes a parish CYM.  And, Becki is not any parish’s CYM, she is MY parish’s CYM.  When my two oldest prepared for Confirmation, went to NCYC, walked the annual Pilgrimage, they did so with Becki. For a few years, I was a "volunteer" middle school coordinator for Becki.  She’s a good ‘un, and it was an honor to have her play along on this little tech experiment of ours.   [studio]
NFCYM’S ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING – OPENING SESSION
  (10:00 pm mountain) The opening session was called to order (is it really possible to call youth ministry types to order by Chair of the Board of Directors Carol Goodwin of Louisville.  After a brief prayer, Carol offered her reflections on the past year and the growth of the NFCYM. 
   Executive Director Bob McCarty followed along the same themes talking about the 25 years of the organization.  He reminded all how key it was in the naming of the organization was in that in it was also determined our mission and scope.  He shared how he views the NFCYM as a podium for the filed of youth ministry. Finally, he identified three elements necessary for any ministry national, diocesan, local) to develop:
   > VISION: This includes the continuing work of updating and implementing a strategic plan>
   > STRUCTURE:  This is what "enfleshing" our vision.
   > LEADERSHIP
   Bob identified these three as real blessings within our organization.  Bob closed by reminding us that "Hope is hearing the melody of the future and that Faith is dancing to it today."  The NFCYM operates from a faith stance. [work day]
NFCYM’S ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING – GREETINGS FROM COLORADO SPRINGS
  (2:54 pm mountain) Here goes – -  the blog will be updating sporadically throughout this long weekend – chronicling the Annual Membership Meeting of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.  The hotel has wireless, so this should be fun.   Opps, got to go-  off to the New Participants’ Orientation which is always fun.  (The leaders re dressed in Air Force uniforms in honor of the AF Academy.)  [work day]

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 
AGE AS A SIGN OF MATURITY?
Birthdays have value and today is mine – hitting 49 this time around. It is really a rather amazing thing- I entered my forties feeling on top of my game, a life that was full and rich, believing that I had achieved the pinnacle of my life.  Nine years later, I feel as if I am on the top of my game; my life is full and rich, but that I remain steadfast in journeying towards the pinnacles of my life.  I did not just survive the tumults of life but have attempted to positioned myself to thrive.  I count blessings, among which are wonderful kids, a loving family, and good friends, more regularly and my faith has been tested and strengthened.   [blogging]
RESPONSIBILITY AS A SIGN OF MATURITY
So very many of us must take "primarily responsible for promoting – for decades – a model of youth ministry, built on a set of assumptions (mostly unstated), that elevated programming as the best path to successful youth ministry. and for this – we are sorry."  Let’s join in a little communal prayer that Marko’s confession in which we all share might become a tipping point for our field.  [youth ministry]

Monday, January 29, 2007
JOSEPH RATZINGER – - THEN
"What a strange attitude that actually is, when we no longer find Christian service worthwhile if the denarius of salvation may be obtained even without it! It seems as if we want to be rewarded, not just with our own salvation, but most especially with other people’s damnation—just like the workers hired in the first hour. That is very human, but the Lord’s parable is particularly meant to make us quite aware of how profoundly un-Christian it is at the same time." – - Joseph Ratzinger from a 1964 sermon on the salvation of non-Christians, taken from the recently-translated What It Means to be a Christian. [pope]
JOSEPH RATZINGER – - NOW
Canadians reflect on the Pope and Church now: The challenge is to keep the enthusiasm of the young people alive, he said. These Catholic youth are seeing the church as “countercultural,” he said, adding that they want to know why. “The big pastoral thrust is to reach out to young people and give them answers why.” The pope is framing those answers in a positive fashion, he said, proving false his unearned reputation as a scold and naysayer, who as Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was portrayed as always saying “No.” Instead he is laying out a vision of “being positive, of being open,” Msgr. Crotty said. “The church is a church that says, ‘Yes!’ Yes, to life, yes, to marriage,” he said. The pope is inviting people to be positive, to say “yes,” accepting a new life in Christ, he said. Christ doesn’t ask us to say “no,” Msgr. Crotty said, “he asks us to say “yes” because he wants what is good for us. [pope]

Sunday, January 28, 2007
THE INTERNAL FOCUS GROUP COMPLAINS
There has been an effort to be more "youth-ministry-newsy" in the blog.  But, over lunch yesterday, the daughters Meghan and Nichole (and Johanna) all complained that they do not see their names in the blog that often anymore.  Hopefully, our crack news gathering blogging team can address this issue. (As an additional note, I’ve lost the background theme as one of the kids could no longer read the site on her Apple because of it – back to a white background!) Anyway, the whole family is off today to see Wicked with a whole slew of friends this afternoon.     [friends & family]
PROBABLY TIME TO BEGIN TO BOOK IT AGAIN
In the last five days, I have been on an absolute writing jag – -  having completed (or re-edited) six articles that have yet to be published. They are all brief (250 to 700 words) and they will all be going out in the next few months as part of a e-newsletter upon which I am cooperating with a rascally band of men.  I just reviewed the titles and think that they make for an interesting collection.  They include:
  > The Discomfort of Salvation
  > Godisnowhere
  > Person of the Year
  > What Denomination is Eric Camden?
  > Wilson is Not Enough
  > Would Jesus be in MySpace?
If you want in on the e-mail mailing list, let me know here.  I’ll publish them up on these pages as well, but then you’ll be missing the thoughts of my project-mates and that would be a shame.  [blogging]
DEAL OR NO DEAL
You can play the game on-line. . . The suitcases are nice, but I do miss the nice ladies. [culture]

Saturday, January 27, 2007
THEY PROMISED
This video report from CBS News’ Lara Logan wasn’t broadcast on television. Watch it for a perspective on the war we do not see, and you’ll see why it never made the airwaves. (WARNING: Do not want to deal with the reality of war and corpses. . .? Do not watch.) Listen for this quote: "They told us they would bring democracy. They promised that life would be better than it was under Sadaam.  But they brought us nothing but death and killing.  They brought mass destruction to Baghdad."  [culture]
THE RESEARCH SOURCE
Looking to learn more about young people, youth ministry leaders, or the Catholic Church? Check out the NFCYM’s new Research Section. [youth ministry]
ALL OF GOD’S CHILDREN NEED LOVE
There is a reason that I enjoy working with middle school kids.  Even the uncomfortable ones like Ralph Wiggum. [funny stuff]

Friday, January 26, 2007
ARE CATHOLIC TEENS STRAYING FROM THE FLOCK?
On most sociological measures, American Catholic teens… are largely indifferent to faith and practice matters. . . “We asked ourselves, ‘what is up with Catholic teenagers?’” Read more about Fordham’s panel presentation on Soul Searching here.  (For the oddities of the internet, the same article was picked up on the American Buddhist Net here, what is the meaning of this???)  [youth ministry]

Thursday, January 25, 2007
NEW AUDIENCE FOR YOUTH ACTIVIST
Previous NCYC keynoter Craig Kielburger is now taking his message to a broader audience: adults. Maybe that’s because Kielburger, who started the group Free the Children at age 12 has run into adulthood himself at age 24. But as he puts it, it has more to do with the fact that young people have a lot of ideas, but "they don’t live in isolation." He is convinced that to tackle the overwhelming problem of world poverty young people need support, cooperation and also a fair amount of inspiration from their parents, youth leaders and educators. Learn more here.  [youth ministry]
YOUTH ACTIVIST IN THE "NOT SO" CHEAP SEATS
Among the many guests sharing first lady Laura Bush’s box during the State of the Union address Jan. 23 was a Catholic teen whose volunteer work honors a late Franciscan priest.  Shannon Hickey, a 16-year-old junior at Lancaster (Pa.) Catholic High School, founded Mychal’s Message in 2002 in honor of a longtime family friend, Franciscan Father Mychal Judge, the New York fire chaplain who died ministering to victims in the rubble of the World Trade Center’s twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.   [youth ministry]

Wednesday, January 24, 2007
ANNA SCALLY IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
<<Enter the studio here.>>  Anna Scally has always taught in the way that Jesus did.  She uses stories.  Anna’s stories come from the music that generations of teens have listen to and shared.  She re-defines these stories into our faith story.  It is a faith story that Anna has lived herself- one of the joys and pains of understanding the power and presence of friendship, of following the Lord, and of serving in the Church.    [studio]
ARE MIDDLE SCHOOLS WORKING?
The move toward middle schools, after the push for junior high that started in the late 19th century, was supposed to create environments that were more serious than the story-hour life of elementary schools, though less impersonal and confidence-zapping than the controlled chaos of high schools.  While middle schools still have their defenders, they have fallen out of favor after various studies showed that they actually sapped self-esteem and fostered bullying. And academically, performance on standardized tests plummeted from fourth to eighth grades. See more here. [culture]

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

THE ART OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT –
JACK BAUER STYLE
Thank God performance reviews at our place do not involve power drills. [funny stuff]
THE ART OF THE PRESENTATION –
PASSIONATE, INTERESTING, CONVERSATIONAL
Recently, when the Apple iPhone was premiered, the bloggoshere commented on the difference in style between Apple’s Steven Jobs and Cingular’s Stan Sigman. "After the Cingular CEO was done Jobs thanked him for his time on stage and then said that ‘We come from pretty different worlds…’  Jobs could just as well have been talking about their two different communication styles as well. Having the Cingular CEO follow those three Silicon Valley fat cats provided quite the juxtaposition in communication styles…and it was not pretty.  I am tempted to call this the difference between "old school" business presentations (stiff, dull, cue-cards, etc.) and "new school" business presentations (passionate, interesting, conversational, etc.). Even Aristotle, for example, thought a presentation (speech) was effective only if it connected with the audience at a visceral level. Emotion (pathos) was one of the necessary conditions for an effective speech.   Read all about it here. [culture]

Monday, January 22, 2007
FOR LIFE
(Late posting today, sorry- – - back on the morning schedule tomorrow) This morning started painfully early today.  Despite schools being delayed for the scant snow and ice received last night, the March for Life was on schedule. I picked up two kids and a colleague for transport down to the March and we were on site for the 10 am Mass by 7:20am.  We distributed winter caps to Baltimore delegations and attended mass.  It is always amazing how quietly prayerful a stadium of young people can be during liturgy. [work day]

Sunday, January 21, 2007
PSALM 23
Tammy Evevard led our retreat weekend which focused on the Lord being our shepherd.  She is an excellent storyteller and asked questions that demanded deep thought. As usual, it’s a little exhausting to play along for the whole weekend so i automatically napped upon my return home.  Nonetheless, their was a total sense of interior refreshment from the weekend. Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. [blogging]

Friday, January 19, 2007
RETREAT WEEKEND
I’m on retreat this weekend- the same weekend that two years ago led to some significant life changes.  Say a prayer for me, the rest of the participants, and team this weekend that we still can hear hints of whispers from the Spirit.  Meanwhile, no updates on the blog until later on Sunday.  [blogging]
WHAT TO DO UNTIL SUNDAY…?
Thanks for the up-tick in readership, folks!  Continue your good works: E-mail three friends and recommend the youth ministry friendly blog and Inside the Youth Ministers’ Studio.  Appreciate the help in expanding the word of modem! [blogging]
FORMING YOUNG DISCIPLES
Cincinnati is publishing and training for new guidelines regarding parish-based adolescent catechesis. "What is new in ‘Forming Young Disciples’ is an emphasis on evangelization and discipleship," she said. "The hope is that both directors of religious education and youth ministers will collaborate to make sure that religious education for youths is taking place."  Learn more about it here.  [youth ministry]
REALFAITH TV
A tales of a bishop and kids: "Oh, you’re talking about my bling," Bishop John M. Smith joked when a director asked him to straighten the pectoral cross around his neck.  "Did you just say bling?" Ciara asked.  "Yes," the bishop said. "You’ve never heard that before?"  "Yeah, but not from a priest," she said. All in a day’s work for the cast and crew of "Realfaith TV," a weekly talk show that highlights how Catholic youth are using their faith to cope with everyday situations.  Learn more about it here.  [youth ministry]
FRANCE- NO LONGER CATHOLIC
There are often reports of the Pope is encouraging Europe to maintain its Catholic identity.  Here’s why. . . In its institutions, but also in its mentalities, France is no longer a Catholic country. A recent poll showed that only 10 per cent go to church regularly — mainly to Sunday mass or christenings. Of the 51 per cent who still call themselves Catholics, only half said they believed in God. Many said they were Catholics because it was a family tradition.  Read more here. [church]

Thursday, January 18, 2007
GREAT RESPECT
  Yesterday, the New York Times had an article regarding on how even Pentecostals are "suffering its own slow leak: young people who are falling away from the faith."    The article focuses on one storefront church’s approach: "But Pastor Danilo Florian saw in them the seeds of his church band. More important, he saw in this motley bunch of knockabout youngsters the future of his fledgling church. He gave them instruments. He paid for music lessons. And he lavished gifts that few of them had ever known, growing up in fractured families and on dangerous streets: Attention. Praise. Expectations."  Read more here. [youth ministry]
THE GREAT RESPECTING
  We clearly have begun a new Great Respecting. Respectings are appreciations of the power of religious belief. Read more here. [culture]
THE GREAT DISRESPECTING – "BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY"
A holy war is breaking out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, after the Israeli government found it violates health and safety rules because it has only one exit. . . "Such an action (like adding an exit for safety’s sake) would be an unprecedented violation of the status quo." Read more here.[church]
THE GREAT DISRESPECT OF ALL
In the same week as MLK day comes this more than distressing news report here about race.  It was Ms. Houston who suggested "I believe that children are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside; give them a sense of pride to make it easier." [culture]

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
MIKE PATIN IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTER’S STUDIO
<<Enter the studio here.>>  Mike Patin is the personification of passion.  He trash talks on the basketball court.  He listens so intently that you find yourself hiring him as a speaker and having him, as the out-of-town expert, repeat your words in front of the home town crowd- thereby making you seem smarter and cutting-edge. He laughs often and repeatedly and always makes me laugh.  He cuts to the chase in relationships. Most importantly, Mike gets this discipleship stuff because he is one.  [studio]
DRIVING ALONG WITH MY LORD AND SAVIOR
As a matter of fact, it was Mike who sent me this link where I have now purchased a “Dashboard Jesus.”  Now, HE truly will be my co-pilot, guiding me through the valley of gridlock, where HE alone will guideth me into the carpool lane. [funny stuff]
cleaning up their statistical act
Dr. Christian Smith takes on that whole 4% of kids will become believers thing that was around the bloggosphere in November. “"The real question is not whether evangelicals can clean up their statistical act. The deeper question is whether American evangelicals can learn to live without the alarmism that is so comfortably familiar to them. Evangelicals, by my observation, thrive on fear of impending catastrophe, accelerating decay, apocalyptic crises that demand immediate action (and maybe money). All of that can be energizing and mobilizing. The problem is, it also often distorts, misrepresents, or falsifies what actually happens to be true about reality.”  Read more here. [youth ministry]

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
THE DISCIPLE AS HEALER
As disciples we’re called to bring care and treatment to the multiplicity of needs out there by delivering hope, compassion, dignity, value, justice, and love to all. The disciple is therefore a healer—one who’s alert to the needs of those around her and engages in the consistent pursuit of remedying those very needs.  Read more here. [youth ministry]
GIRLS GONE WILD
My friend, Tony Tamberino, has been ranting about an initiative similar to this for almost two years: “A Tennessee state senator is tired of girls going wild on raunchy late-night TV ads, so he introduced a bill to fine cable companies up to $50,000 for airing ads for obscene products. Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, said he got the idea after seeing commercials for "Girls Gone Wild" videos that show young women baring their breasts and acting out other sexual situations. See more here. [culture]
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE’RE MADE OF…?
Every parents complaint . . . (Click on the pic, as always, to enlarge.) [funny business]

Monday, January 15, 2007
THE PROMISED LAND
"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God’s will, and He’ll allow me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen he promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that, we, as a people, will get to the promised land." (MLK, Memphis, TN, 04/02/68, hours before his assassination.)
DIEU CACHE
At the end of his nationally televised speech last week, President Bush said goodnight from the library of the White House personal residence using these words: "We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours." Is Bush now hiding God? Will the Bush administration eventually find God easier to discover than weapons of mass destruction? See more here. [culture]
JUST IN TIME – A GREAT CONTINENTAL MISSION IS A’COMING
The forthcoming Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, to be held in Aparecida, Brazil, will be inaugurated by Benedict XVI on May 13.  Read more here. [pope]

Sunday, January 14, 2007
THE AIN’TS AND THE SAINTS
Hmmmm – The Ravens go down five field goals to two.  The Philadelphia Iggles fall as well.  Bring on spring training! LET’S GO O’S!! Meanwhile, joining Br. Blue, I have a new favorite in the NFL playoffs. The Saints are coming! Let’s go, N’Orleans! [culture]
JACK IS BACK
And, after a long wait, Jack Bauer comes back to our collective consciousness fresh (?) from a Chinese prison to save the world in another “24” hours.  Yes, I am ready!  See more here. [culture]
THE FISH PIN
Los Angeles has come under some flak for their “fish pin” promotion from their ministry with lesbian and gay Catholics.  The purpose of the pin is to signal “solidarity with all people of faith who promote justice and inclusivity for every person in their faith communities.” And the issue with that is. . .? Meanwhile, Emil Steiner of the Washington Post points out that “the journey of that little fish symbol has been truly miraculous. Originally used as a kind of secret handshake by first Century Christians to avoid Roman persecution, it resurfaced last century as a weapon in the bumper sticker arms-race between creationists and evolutionists. Now, after almost 2,000 years, it has come full circle, much like the arcs that make up its design, to become a symbol for a small group of Christians whose identity is often hidden to avoid persecution.”  [church]

Saturday, January 13, 2007
WORD OF MODUM
Thanks for your help this week in getting the word out.  Hopefully, this effort was just about name recognition – - (from Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk)

Navin R. Johnson: The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!
Harry Hartounian: Boy, I wish I could get that excited about nothing.
Navin R. Johnson: Nothing? Are you kidding? Page 73 – Johnson, Navin R.! I’m somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity – your name in print – that makes people. I’m in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.   [funny stuff]

RAVEN MANIACS
It was a snowy overnight and the Colts snuck out of town breaking Baltimore’s collective hearts.  It was neither been forgotten not forgiven.  Any Raven fan will happily point out that the Colts Super Bowl prospects have been forever cursed since then- perhaps the consequence of messing around with Johnny Unitas’ legacy. Purple Reign has reached fever pitch in town.  GO RAVENS! [culture]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- MAKING THE TOUGH CALLS
“Men in Black” has been done before for Vocations recruitment and it is pretty cool.  How often, however, does the Bishop serve as referee?  Read more here.
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- A OUR UNFINISHED WORK
Dr. Catherine Carotta wraps up our week:

For catechetical people, the call to respond to the work we do comes from an internal voice. It is a call to faith, to connection with others, and to serve others.” She asked attendees to discern what vocational “season” they were in – winter, spring, summer, fall – and to realize that seasons keep changing. “There will always be another season around the corner and the ‘weather’ may change any time,” she said in encouragement. “Vocational spirituality is about embracing this work through the dynamics of remembering, examining, awakening and living,” she said. “As Church leaders you imbue others with a sense of trust and power. That is a bedrock of commitment. “Commitment is based on purpose, passion and pleasure. If you lose those, then commitment for the work disappears as well. “Sometimes we get disillusioned with all that is expected of us, but you are more talented and blessed than you know,” Carotta told her audience of largely volunteer ministers. “Sustaining a vocation calls us to look at our unfinished work.” Nov. 11, 2006, Santa Clara [church]

Friday, January 12, 2007
HBO
  Last day on the Word of Modem campaign.  If you haven’t played along just yet, let’s join in HBO plan and Help’a Brother Out!  [blogging]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK-SR. CHRISTINA
  "What compelled the Gen-Xer — a college graduate who enjoyed hanging out with friends; surfing the Internet for information on Gary Sinise, her favorite actor; and eating at Olive Garden — to lock herself away from the world eight years ago?" See more here. [church]
HOW TO BE REMARKABLE
  "While you might be remarkable for a time, if you don’t reinvest and reinvent, you won’t be for long." Read more here. [culture]
THE SACRED ART OF COW TIPPING
  "Discouragement is today’s number one poison for pastors.  Most church leaders signed on to ministry because they thought they could make a change in the world.  Discouragement sets in when they find themselves in a church that is opposed to change." Read more here. [church]
GOOGLE AND YOUNG ADULT SPIRITUALITY
  "With such an ingrained expectation for the immediate, it leads to the further expectation that all things including God will conform to the same type of response. I call the expectation for immediate gratification “the Google Mentality.”  Like the oft-used search engine, young people expect their spiritual lives to have immediate results—you put a request in and you get an immediate answer back.  Obviously, God does not work this way, and thus, the development of a lived spirituality becomes cumbersome and frustrating." Read more here.  As a follow-up to yesterday’s Generation Next link, here’s another which takes you to the full report. [youth ministry]

Thursday, January 11, 2007
MEET GENERATION NEXT
They use technology and the internet to connect with people in new and distinctive ways. Text messaging, instant messaging and email keep them in constant contact with friends. About half say they sent or received a text message over the phone in the past day, approximately double the proportion of those ages 26-40. See more here. [youth ministry]
SOMETIMES WE DON’T ALWAYS REMEMBER
. . . how powerful faith, church, ritual, and tradition can be.  A reminder comes from the Philippines where the faithful came by the tens of thousands in Manila on Tuesday to pay homage to the statue of the Black Nazarene on its yearly feast and the 400th anniversary of the image’s arrival from Mexico.  See more here. [church]
TWO-FER THURSDAY
Power Points were the thrust of yesterday, in between meetings, as the new Pilgrimage route got posted on-line. I also assisted in "image-ing" Fr. Patrick Carrion’s presentation to our Association of Professional Youth Ministers for this morning. [work day]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- GREG BOYLE, SJ
"G" (as he is known on the streets of LA) started Homeboy Industries almost two decades ago, which is an out reach for former gang members. They provide tattoo removal, job placement, and assistance for those who are trying to move on to a better life. See more here. [church]
WEBSITE TOURING – CHURCH COMMENTARY
Rocco’s "Whispers" is the source for all "inside" stuff, and Amy’s "Open Book" is worth keeping a consistent eye on as well. John Allen always has something. My son also watches Jimmy and Jeff. [blogging]
AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
  Saint Mary’s Press is now accepting nominations for their annual Ambassador Christ awards which honor “extraordinary individuals who touch the hearts of teens and enliven in them the Christian spirit.”  See more here. [youth ministry]

Wednesday, January 9, 2007
BOB McCARTY IS INSIDE
THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
<<Enter the studio here.>>   Bob McCarty and I have known each other for over thirty years. As so very many others can say, Bob McCarty invited me into ministry.  But here’s the catch -  For me, it was from the back of a fire truck. 
  Bob was a volunteer fireman and I went out to catch him at a parade as a high school student.  He invited me, then, to serve on my first ever retreat- “Hey, Scott, there’s a twi-nighter with St. Gabe’s next Sunday, wanna play?”  My mother thought it was an invitation for softball.  Since then, we have had professional working collaborations at Camp Neumann in Philadelphia, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and at the NFCYM.
  Bob has have a profound impact on the way that we do Catholic youth ministry in this country and it has been a honor to have been along for the ride. [studio]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- TIMOTHY BANNES
It’s never too late to consider a vocation to the priesthood, according to several Kenrick-Glennon seminarians who left successful careers for a life of service in the Church. See more here. [church]

Tuesday, January 8, 2007
GENERATION NEXT
Forty-four percent of young American adults agree that religion is a very important part of their lives, according to a study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.  See more here. [youth ministry]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- MARY JOSEPH HEISLER
Her dad, though, would still kiss her at bedtime and say, "‘Good night, my little Carmelite.’" She explained to him then she didn’t want to be one anymore. "And he said, ‘That’s OK. Because you wear the scapular. And so that makes you a little Carmelite.’" They both seemed satisfied to leave it then at that. See more here. [church]
1-207
  Cal Tech wins their first basketball game in the last 208. See more here. [funny]
WEBSITE TOURING – YOUTH MINISTRY
  Beyond a daily check in on the travels of Gene or Mike, hyperlinks that get frequent visits to the TCYM lounge, the Life Coach, and Cribbs.  My non-catholic must read is Marko. [blogging]

Monday, January 8, 2007
YOU TAKEN THE WEBSITE TOUR, NOW BRING OTHERS ALONG
  If, as intended, this whole thing is meant to be both something remarkable as well a service to the field, then help is gonna be needed in getting the word out.  There is a plan in late January for some guerilla marketing and a broadcast e-mail is being drafted for early February. . . But let’s all share in the work and let’s start it up!
  Please note the box on the left.  It will remain on top of the blog for only the remainder of this work week.  Would you be so kind as to assist with some internet word-of-mouth assistance? [blogging]
NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK- AUGUSTINE TOLTON
Few know the story of Augustine Tolton — a slave who grew up to become the first acknowledged black Catholic priest in the United States. See more here. [church]
WEBSITE TOURING – WORLD & CHURCH NEWS
  Here’s a couple daily hyperlinks worth checking beyond CNN and MSNBC. They include USA TODAY, Catholic News Service (along with the local news hub), Christianity Today’s Weblog, and the Catholic Report. [blogging]

Sunday, January 7, 2007
ARCHBISHOP COMING AND GOING
  It is, after all, a church comprised of imperfect humans. Minutes before what was supposed to be the public inauguration of his ministry as archbishop of Warsaw, Stanislaw Wojech Wielgus read aloud his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict before a stunned congregation earlier today in the Polish capital’s Cathedral-Basilica of St John. See more here. [church]
GLOBALIZATION AND MERGING NEEDS
  The need emerged to elaborate a new world political and economic order, but at the same time and above all, a spiritual and cultural one, that is, renewed humanism," Pope Benedict said. "At the start of the Third Millennium we find ourselves smack in the middle of this phase of human history, that has been for some time dubbed ‘globalization,"’ the pontiff said. The pope said that while politicians and scientists and researchers play important roles in the modern world, "today, more than ever, it is necessary to place at their side the leaders of the great non-Christian religious traditions," as well as Christian leaders. See more here. [pope]
NEW YEAR’S FITNESS RESOLUTION
  For those needing incentive for your second week. . . [funny business]
VOLUNTEER CENTRAL
  Group’s Church Volunteer Central has a great list of new year’s resolutions worth considering.  See more here. [youth ministry]

Saturday, January 6, 2007
TOUR OF THE WEBSITE – BLOG
  And so the five-day tour returns from whence we began.  Welcome Back!  Please know that  is this new year, there is a greater commitment to be more newsy with the blog.  [blogging] For example. . .
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
  The International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry (IASYM) is meeting in Cambridge, England this weekend.  This morning, Dr. Charlotte McCorquodale of Ministry Training Source will present.  Her paper, The Catholic Church and Catholic Young People: What are the Essential Questions from the Church’s Perspective?, can be found by digging through this page.
  One quote worth consideration is: The question is not, "What do youth need to know about their faith and why can’t they articulate it,” but “What strategies are required to help Catholic youth understand the relevance of faith to their lives, relationships, and moral beliefs?” Not, "How do we help young people make participation in the Catholic Church a priority in their lives,” but “Why is the Catholic faith—as it has been transmitted—no longer relevant to the core aspects of their lives?” [youth ministry]

Friday, January 5, 2007
TOUR OF THE WEBSITE – BIO
  You get a better sense of who the heck is organizing this website- simple enough.  See the BIO. [blogging]
MORE WORK TO DO 
  Nearly half of all U.S. high-school students admit to recently drinking alcohol illegally, and most of them were binge drinkers, according to a government survey published on Tuesday. These binge drinkers — who had five or more drinks in a row — were more likely to have sex, fight, smoke or use drugs, the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. See more here. [youth ministry]
CHANGES
  Up to 25 U.S. bishops, including five cardinals, could retire because of age this year. There are 14 still-active U.S. bishops, including three cardinals, who have already turned 75. Eleven more, including two cardinals, will celebrate their 75th birthday in 2007. See more here. [church]
VOCATIONS
  January 8-12 is National Vocation Awareness Week. For bulletin announcements, prayers for vocations, a family take home page, and other resources, see here. [church]

Thursday, January 4, 2007
TOUR OF THE WEBSITE – TRAINING
  Sit on down and let me reminisce about way back in the early days of this website… (well, 2004) Back then it was blog and power-point, blog and power-point. It still pretty much is.  I wanted to make power-points available to those who attended workshops that I or my friends offer, and it is still about that.  It has been fascinating to watch how many have come along to learn and use power point.  But just like churches with stained glass windows, I place a high value to include images on the slides and it is easier than most think.  I almost always use my own camera work or those pictures that I harvest from searches on Google images.
  Beyond that, the Training page serves as a resume of where I’ve had the good fortune of speaking.  Around the archdiocese of course, but a little around the country traveling, and three national gatherings in 2006! [blogging]
THE NEW COKE OF WEBSITE LOGOS
  The website doesn’t often get much comment, but since its reformatting in the new year, there has been a universal (well a few e-mails and some verbal comments) regarding how much the logo sucked.  Please know that the creative department here at www.dscottmiller.com has been summarily dismissed.  In the meantime, "what up" regarding the interim logo at the top of the page? [blogging]

Wednesday, January 3, 2007
TOUR OF THE WEBSITE – STUDIO
  This is our second day of touring the reformatted website.  As described on New Year’s Day, the Studio is a new aspect of the site.  Each Wednesday, you’ll find a new podcast here.  There will be a brief professional bio of the guest Inside the Youth Ministers’ Studio on that page, but there should also be a personal reflection about guests on this page.  [blogging] So let’s get started…  
IRENE FRIEND IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
<<Enter the studio here.>>   From my perspective, Irene is the godmother of catholic youth ministry (cym) and I was honored that she agreed to do a podcast, (actually two.)  I first met Irene in the late 1970’s when she was the diocesan director in Chicago.  As a sideline, Irene also ran the Reach-Out retreats that were held seasonally at Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin. Hundreds of young people from the farms of Iowa, the ‘burbs of Peoria, the Quad-Cities, and Chicago, as well as the inner-city of Chicago, gathered and shared faith for a weekend in the woods.  Some of my deeper faith moments as well as some key learnings regarding youth ministry came from those weekend.  And Irene was at the center of it all.  Irene still remains intimately connected with the center of cym with her continued work on the board of the Catholic Youth Foundation USA. [youth ministry]

Tuesday, January 2, 2007
TOUR OF THE WEBSITE – PUBLICATIONS
  I have been doing this website and blog for the past 2 and 1/2 years for two primary reasons – to continue to share with the general field of youth ministry while also maintaining the discipline of writing.  Towards that end, 2006 was a pretty good year. Two articles made the Catholic Review, two resources were published on-line, one lead to a revision that should be published soon, with another awaiting publication as well.  I have a completed book draft which awaits a third editing and the courage to re-submit and a second book concept outlined.  Most of this can be found here. [blogging]
BEST AND WORST COMMUNICATORS OF 2006
  Here’s a look at how communication skills make or break some newsmakers. What works: Informal and humble in stance in posture. . . focused with a strong point of view. .  strength of their commitment. What will sink you: Mean and vicious. . . aloof and arrogant. . . jumpy and nervous. There are some good coaching notes on public communication- which we all have to do as youth ministers on occasion. Read it all here. [culture]
MORE INCONVENIENT TRUTH
  A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada’s Arctic, scientists said.  Read it all here.   For those of you playing along at home, yes, this has been an issue upon which catholic youth ministry should remained focused. See the June 20th entry from last year.  [culture]

Monday, January 1, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW FORMAT
  God bless ‘em all- the talented design team at www.dscottmiller.com has been hard at work throughout the holiday Christmas break. Extensive consultation, focus groups, and many late night runs to Starbucks have led to the extreme makeover that you now see before you… yeah, right! (Click on the cartoon on the right for perspective.)
  Here’s what happening or happened…  The blog page has been transitioned to main page.  (If you’ve listed the blog page previously as part of the My Favorites section of your internet explorer, it’s time to readjust that. If, God bless you, you hyper-linked to the blog from your web-site, please update that link as well.  Thanks, you’re the best!)
  Also, the links and the features of what was previously on the front page have been transitioned to the column you see on your right.  A new weekly feature Inside the Youth Ministers’ Studio kicks in on Wednesday. Learn more about that below. The achieves are being adjusted.  If your looking for a posting that’s more than six months old, it will be in the calendar page only and not in the category page.  Everyone caught up to speed?  Great!
  Hopefully, this will help to better serve you which is a big part of what this site is about…  I’m just trying to share the stuff related to church, youth ministry, and life that catch my attention and hopefully yours as well.  The whole design team would appreciate any comments that you might have, so please forward them along to scott@dscottmiller.com [blogging]
INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
  I am a big fan of Bravo’s Inside the Actors’ Studio. If you have never seen it, you might be fooled into think it is just another celebrity interview show.  But, it’s not.  It is and always has been a classroom.  The host, James Lipton, elicits for his students some of the basics of the craft of acting.
  After fooling around with pod-casting in a scatter-shot way, I became determined to become slightly more serious about it.  Somewhere along the line, the concept occurred to open a pod classroom to discuss the craft of catholic youth ministry.  There is already a long "hit-list" of potential guests, many of whom are the "celebrities" of our field. Unlike the Bravo show, however, it is hoped that you will become introduced to some folks just like you and me who are our co-workers in the vineyard.
The classroom will open with a new guest every Wednesday.  The first podcast will be available on Wednesday, January 3 here.  I know that I am personally looking forward to this and hope you find it exciting as well!  [studio]

(taped by phone 01/20/07)

BIO: Becki is the Coordinator for Youth Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi in Fulton, Maryland.  She is a staff member for the Justice Action Week (JAW) program for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  She was recent named as chair of the “Servant (leadership) Team” of the Association of Professional Youth Ministers.

QUOTE TO NOTE: I think that just found that God has given me the gifts that I need to serve in this role, in this ministry.  It’s something I feel that I do well and that I able to make a difference in the lives of our young people and their families. I can’t fight that. If that’s what God has given the gifts for, then I need to keep on doing it.

OBSCURE FACTOID: I was part of Becki’s interview team.  It was a large committee and there was a lot, A LOT, of youth ministry experience and expertise in the room.  I asked her publicly if she would find the group intimidating and she responded no.  Later, in the interview, she corrected me in front of the whole group adding “Hey, I’m not intimidated by the likes of you.”  The interview committee howled and she was hired.

BEHIND THE SCENES:  This was taped on Jan. 20 but was edited the night before posting, all in an effort to maintain the Wednesday schedule.  Let’s not do THAT again, shall we…?

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for Jan. 31.

(taped by phone 01/02/07)

BIO: Anna is the President of Cornerstone Media, Inc., in Santa Rosa, California. Anna is an inspiring workshop and youth rally speaker, youth ministry training consultant, and a disc jockey. She was M.C. of the catechetical sessions for 77,000 young people at Mile High Stadium in Denver for World Youth Day. She has recently written Keys to Happiness. Anna received the National Catholic Youth Ministry award in 2006. More here.

QUOTE TO NOTE: (I’m involved in Catholic youth ministry because) I feel its my responsibility with the life I have been given. . . I’ve been blessed with people in my life who loved me and believed in me, and I know that I would have called that (experience) ministry.

OBSCURE FACTOID: Anna does not always know what song will be a hit.  Once, I sat with her in a country-western karaoke bar on Saint Patrick’s Day in Caldwell, Idaho.  We left after this one angry young woman sang what we both thought was the most awful song we had heard in recent memory.  Two weeks later, we were stunned to see it began climbing the pop charts.  That song??  Goodbye, Earl by the Dixie Chicks.

BEHIND THE SCENES:  Seriously, nothing in this life can be more painful than editing your own voice when it is placed alongside the professional dj’s.  Also, there is some ambient ambulance wailing.  Sigh, think I’ll head back to Caldwell. . .

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for Jan. 24.

  (taped by phone 12/29/06)

BIO: Mike is a Catholic “faith horticulturalist”, having previously served for thirteen years in diocesan youth ministry for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Mike received the National Catholic Youth Ministry award in 2006. More here.

QUOTE TO NOTE: It helped me see- this is what youth ministry is about. They talked about their personal relationship with God. They talked about their dreams and how they would approach careers and still be people of faith and I sat there in awe. . .

OBSCURE FACTOID: Mike fell in love with Cologne, Germany. Unlike many others, however, it was not at World Youth Day.  He was the keynote presenter at the 2006 European Catholic Youth Conference.

BEHIND THE SCENES:  Mike’s podcast, while third in rotation, was the first taped and edited and was made available to Irene, Bob, and next week’s guest, Anna Scally.  The music on this podcast is actually the theme music from the TV inspiration for this podcast, Inside the Actors’ Studio.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for Jan. 17.

(taped by phone 01/02/07)

BIO: This summer, Dr. Bob will begin his tenth year as Executive Director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. Bob received his doctorate of ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana in May 1998. He continues to author resources for Catholic youth ministry and to provide training programs and presentations on ministry issues internationally. More here.

QUOTE TO NOTE: Catholic youth ministry has truly been a blessing to my own spirituality and to my own faith journey. I just have loved this ministry and it has been a wonderful opportunity for me to combine my gifts with my passion. . . (but also) Catholic youth ministry is a wonderfully subversive way to change the church.

OBSCURE FACTOID: Each New Year’s Eve night, Bob and Maggie open their home for their “Loser’s Party,” offering a place for those who might have no other place to ring in the new year.  There is a whole slate of rituals and activities connected to the annual ringing in of the new year.

BEHIND THE SCENES:  I was still learning on the audio-taping side of life here.  Bob’s voice picks up as a little louder (and clearer) than mine- – - but the effort was to record Bob so this is what we have.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for Jan. 10.

(taped by phone 01/02/07)

BIO: Irene was the diocesan director with decades of service in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Busy in “retirement,”  she finds herself wearing many hats- as a parish dre/cym, as a consultant, and as an active leader in national committees.  Irene received the National Catholic Youth Ministry award in 1992 and was recognized for her lifetime of service by the NFCYM in 2004.

QUOTE TO NOTE: (To empower young people to lives as disciples) means calling them forth, challenging them, encouraging them and walking with them to live the values that Jesus modeled for us in every day life, at school, at work, with our families and our friends – - – To be a person of compassion and empathy, of loving care and concern, in service to those in need and a champion of worthy causes and centered in prayer and worship.

OBSCURE FACTOID:  Although Irene is the first to be posted up, she was third interview.  She was, also, the third in a row to suggest that God would meet them at the Pearly Gates with a warm “Welcome Home.”

BEHIND THE SCENES:  Irene was extremely gracious. She gave a wonderful interview and while I was editing it, I inadvertently lost the file.  Calling three hours later with much apologies, Irene repeated her interview and this is what we have before us. Music is from here.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for Jan. 3.