Hey, folks, it’s Scout Sunday.  If you have a troop or pack in or around your parish, drop ‘em a line and let them know that you appreciate their ministry!

In the meanwhile, here’s a psalm for your reflection:

The Lord God is our Great Scoutmaster who provides all our needs. He lets us camp in forests tall and meadows green. He leads us on trails besides waters deep and still, brooks babbling, streams rushing, and rivers raging. He restores our bodies, minds and souls, even as we observe the eagle soaring to greater heights above. He encourages the Eagle Scout in his upward climb. He teaches Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers to live the Scout Oath and Law. Even though the trails may lead through dark valleys with towering mountains, we are courageous because he leads us onward. He continually blesses us with food for mind and body. Even when our enemies dislike or distrust us, he blesses us with the gifts of love and forgiveness. Surely, his goodness and mercy will sustain us all the days of our lives. And, when we climb the final trail through the awesome pass that leads to the Great Councilfire, we shall join those who traveled the trail before us and joyfully live with him forever!

I’ve posted up an occasional TED video or two before.  TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in the 1980′s as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.  And they post up some really brilliant presentations ….  if you ever want to surf a site and let your brain hurt, go visit TED.

It caught my attention recently as Bill Gates was presenting to the TED audience on malaria and opened up a jar of mosquitoes and released them in the auditorium. (See video here.)  Talk about getting an audience invested into your topic!

And, you’ve got to appreciate the diversity of presenters at TED.  The video on your right features Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics, a comic book about comics. He’s an evangelist for comics as a valid literary form (as more than pulp and kids’ stuff.) I watched three times this morning. It is hard to know what to think of this one. 

First off, I’m a fan of comic books, so I was attracted to the topic alone … but it has so little to say about Superman or Batman.

He is showing how the evolution of “comics” reflects the evolution of our thinking capabilities. I know that his four world view-points (around the six minute mark) while sped through at the speed of light is something worth deeper investigation.

If he is accurate that “All media provides us with a window back into the world that we live in,” than we can see how the renaissance painters influenced their times and how woefully inarticulate the religious message is in today’s culture. . . a very secular culture.  I wonder if we are also failing on “All media catechesis provides us with a window back into the world that we live in.”

I assemble, draft, and edit our office newsletter, COMPASS

We try as best as we can to get it out twice a week. It’s one of those things that I’ve fallen into in terms of job description, but I do like doing it. 

Especially with this most recent edition, the newsletters allow our constituencies to see the breadth and width of youth and young adult ministry in our region/diocese.

If I was in a parish and not a diocese, I would still be doing this sort of thing, probably with three different formats
> one for my core adult volunteers and catechists;
> one for parents (and include the parish staff and the various board and committee memberships); and
> one, of course, for the kids.

Anyway, to read our latest edition of Compass, click onto here.   Update: The news editor of our diocesan Catholic news weekly offered this unsolicited feedback on COMPASS: “It really is a great newsletter … one that illustrates the diversity in programs and activities offered … as well as the volume of programs offered … and all the advance planning necessary to carry everything out!”

(Thanks to Youth Specialties for this info:)

From the announcement: The National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) announces the release of a new report on adolescents in the United States based on the second wave of NSYR survey data.  In “Religion and Spirituality on the Path Through Adolescence,” the authors examined religious and spiritual changes in the lives of adolescents in the United States across a three-year span. The comparison of NSYR survey responses from the same adolescents in 2002 and 2005 reveals relatively small but consistent decreases in conventional religious beliefs and practices. Although the majority of adolescents in this study remained stable in their religious beliefs, practices, and spirituality, a significant minority did experience slight shifts away from standard religious beliefs and decreases in religious practice. Overall, the dynamics in religiosity and spirituality among this nationally representative sample of adolescents reflect subtle changes–rather than large or dramatic shifts.

From the report: The most significant changes in religious affiliation were found in the decline of adolescents reporting a Protestant affiliation and the increase in adolescents who did not claim any religious affiliation, resulting in an overall change of approximately 8% in each category. We found that about 25% of adolescents who identified themselves as Protestant in Wave 1 reported a different affiliation in Wave 2.

What the stats show is there there was an small uptick (probably not significant statistically) in kids reporting that they are Catholic! Read the report here.

Whenever the blog is looking a little light on postings,you should roll your eyes and say a silent prater for my friends in Baltimore . . .  ’cause light blogging is either an indication that I am trapped under a fallen refrigerator or that I have been burning up projects.

Don’t call the first responders, I’m working hard at the office, singing my Happy Working Song.  (Why you should pray for my co-workers!) There have been lots going on, advancing through many tasks, including Project Be which has already received some positive responses.  To your left is a parent promo video.

I think I have figured out the dynamics of MyCatholicVoice and will continue to begin to plug my videos onto that site..

Today IS a new day!!!  It is not the repeat of the same old, same old day so let’s not treat our lives, our existence, and our vocation like it is Groundhog Day to be lived in an endless cycle and recycle.

I sat down yesterday and prepared this week’s “to do” and… beyond the regular update of the report for the staff meeting, I’m doing LOADS of stuff that I haven’t done before!  What a blessing, no boredom going to the desk today.

Even if I didn’t have a change-up in work week, why not celebrate the familiar with the vim and vigor of the Boss during last night’s halftime… Glory Days indeed!

It does not make a difference regarding Punxsutawney Phil says about six more weeks of winter.  We’ve got stuff to do now! It’s February folks, go out and get ‘em!!!!

Think of this as “Tuesdays with Morrie Lynette:”

Over at this blog, she will be posting findings every Tuesday from the research of the Catholic Latino Youth and Parents Project. This project is lead by the Research and Resource Center of Instituto Fe y Vida and is being funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.  The goal is to create a set of bilingual formation programs and resources for youth ministry leaders and for Latino parents and teenagers.  They have just completed the first phase of this project which was to conduct several focus groups across the country with parents, teens and youth ministry leaders in order to identify the strengths and challenges present in the Latino community.