Years after his death, Mike Yaconelli still has a message that resonates.  From Getting Fired for the Glory of God, we hear:

Modern youth ministry has turned discipleship into principles rather than a process, activity rather than inactivity. Discipleship has become a commitment that can be measured rather than a relationship that cannot be measured. Discipleship has become a short-term program instead of a lifetime process.

If discipleship is truly a long-term process, what should we be doing differently?

In a ministry where we are to be constantly dealing with the the growth of adolescents all around us, we can often be hesitant to acknowledge growth in the adults around us. We take our impressions and then default towards them in most situations as what we expected to see.

Since 1963, the Magic Castle, a private club in Hollywood California has served as a refuge for professional and amateur magicians. Over the years the membership roster has included celebrities like Johnny Carson, Steve Martin, Jason Alexander and Neil Patrick Harris. In its infancy the club’s marquis member was the legendary actor, Cary Grant.

Grant reportedly spent a great deal of time in the front lobby of the club visiting with other members and their guests. Upon hearing someone arrive, he would open the door and personally welcome them to the Castle. Many of the guests murmured about how enchanting it was to be greeted by a Cary Grant impersonator.

People went to the Castle expecting to see illusions. You could say they expected to be fooled. A Cary Grant impersonator greeting them at the front door met their expectations. The idea of the legendary actor opening the door for them was inconceivable. Consequently, many missed a chance encounter with the real Hollywood star, even though he stood right in front of them.

Too often, we find ourselves defining others or being defined by our first moments or our worst moments. Too often, we miss chance encounter with the best in another person even as they stand right in front of us.

(h/t to Roy Petitfils who lifted the Magic Castle story in Nurture Shock by Po Brosnan and Ashely Merryman)

Last month, we took a look at What Makes a Linchpin (which is certainly something that every Catholic youth ministry contact should be within their parish / school/ diocese.)

What holds us back from this stuff?

Fear of Failure.

And the trick of it all is…  we can no longer risk not failing ’cause if we ain’t failing, they we probably ain’t really trying.

Just start.  Just jump in. Move towards the things that you are passionate about.

Mike Patin has turned 50 today.

Mike is just one of those guys who loves his wife and daughter, youth workers, school teachers, coaches, and, even kids.  And, well, you just got to love him back for that.

Happy Birthday, Michael… and many more.

BALTIMORE, MD — When staff members of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry put calls out to people they wanted to honor at its annual recognition celebration April 22, the responses were universally humble. Told he was going to be given a Youth and Young Adult Medal of Honor at St. Louis in Clarksville, Maryvale Preparatory School’s service coordinator, Michael Vogrin, thought it was a practical joke.
Remembered Scott Miller, acting director of the division: “He responded humbly with this question, ‘Why me?’ Miller said it was a recurring theme among all those who were told they would be honored.  “The reasons for the people receiving awards tonight are as numerous as the stars in the sky,’ Miller said. “They’re devoted and humble servants to Christ.”  Read the whole Catholic Review article.

We are returning to the subject of hacking and considering what if we re-thunk teenagers. (h/t to Adam McLane.)

Robert Epstein, a psychologist in San Diego, has a new book, Teen 2.0, which challenges the presumption that teenagers are immature and irresponsible.

From an interview in US News & World Report, Epstein indicates that he “started looking at the research done on teenagers in this country, which is very, very misleading. The researchers are just trying to confirm the cultural stereotypes [originated] by G. Stanley Hall 100 years ago, who said that the teen years are necessarily a time of storm and stress. That stuck, and that’s been the model used by psychologists and social workers ever since. [Back in Hall's time], there was massive immigration, and lots of young people on the streets making trouble. By the 1930s, biologists had discredited the notion that the teenage years were a time of turmoil, but the people in the mental health field never got the message.”

Another quote, from his book, indicates “Through most of human history, young people were integrated into adult society early on, but beginning in the late 1800s, new laws and cultural practices began to isolate teens from adults, imposing on them an increasingly large set of restrictions and artificially extending childhood well past puberty. New research suggests that teens today are subjected to more than ten times as many restrictions as are most adults, and adulthood is delayed until well into the twenties or thirties. It’s likely that the turmoil we see among teens is an unintended result of the artificial extension of childhood.”

Epstein encourages us to
> Bring out the adult in their teenager.
> Give teenagers real responsibility that is meaningful to them as adults.
> Don’t be an adversary; be a guide.

Does a youth ministry that segregates youth people (youth group, youth room, youth mass) treat young people as adults?

Our prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

We seek to remain faithful to the grace of God. We aspire to be a light, an instrument of salvation for all.

We are his people. Let us sing joyfully to the Lord; serve the Lord with gladness; and come before Him knowing that the Lord is God, that the Lord is good. We are the sheep of his flock, yet the one who shepherds us in the Lamb of sacrifice.

We hear his voice and we will follow. If the path leads us to where we might be rejected, we’ll move along separating ourselves from the dust of that experience. The word of the Lord must continue to spread. They are the words of eternal life and we place ourselves into the hands of God.

A new website has been released today by the US Bishops, For Your Vocation. (A Spanish-language site will be available this fall at www.PorTuVocacion.org.)

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, the release coincides with World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The site is intended to be a resource for those discerning the Call, as well as for parents and educators. (h/t to the chaplain of this blog and prayers and best wishes to him on his upcoming new gig.)

Ben Meyers grabbed his new camera and found music in an empty school.

He indicated that the video took one month from the first notes written to the last shots edited.

It is simple and beautiful.  Hopefully, all high school students can find moments of harmony in their days.

Auscultabo ut Serviam / I will listen that I may serve.

Motto of Archbishop William Borders

Archbishop Borders died at the age of 96 on Monday. His funeral is being celebrated this afternoon at the Cathedral of Mary our Queen in Baltimore. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.