And so, (with a h/t to Andy) we begin year seven with a prayer…

Lord, may this blog be a service in your name. May it edify and encourage.

May the postings and comments found upon this site bring light and clarity; echoing your truth and pointing to the beauty of your creation.

Send forth your Spirit that we all might foster understanding and harmony.

Through the intercessions of Saint Michael the Archangel, we ask all these through Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

On August 20, 2004, what grew into the Catholic Youth Ministry blog began.

As always, I am ever-thankful for your readership, virtual friendship, comments, and support.

After the industrial sized posting below, we are going to take a full week’s worth of blogcation. A real vacation will start in the middle of that.. and it is so needed!  This past week, there has been some breaking news in the land of ArchBalt.  (and, if you pass on the hyperlink… you will be living our the expression that the lead was buried!)

Come back on August 29th as we virtually begin year seven, take on new real responsibilities,
. . . and attempt to discern if this will truly be the age of reason.

At the beginning of the summer, blogger Adam McLane of Youth Specialties released a list of the top 20 youth ministry blogs of 2010.  I read it like a kid with a list of baseball cards or comic books… “Got it, got it, seen it, nope, nope, got it.”

A few days later, blogger buddy Roy Petitfils facebooked me with message that basically read something like “Dude… was disappointed to not see you on the list.”   And, (as is my nature) I just kinda shrugged it off.  But, weeks later, I did do a technorati search and realized that the blog you are reading (and, again, thanks for your patronage) was not far off of one of the sites identified as “a top five” site.

And, you know what? That’s still ok.  Maybe next year. I’m really not sure what difference it makes.

That being all said, here is my own listing (totally subjective) of top blogs (sans rankings) that I’m suggesting are of influence to Catholic Youth Ministry. But, hey, we will still acknowledge non-Catholics as well who were on Adam’s YS Top 20 list. And, so you know, I’m not gonna be shy about including the Catholic Youth Ministry Blog on this list!

  >> Alison Griswold “tweets” (which is micro-blogging and so it counts – - my rules!) her life and parish youth ministry experiences out of South Carolina.  Always entertaining! Go, Team Catholic!

  >> Bob Rice  Singer, Comedian, College Professor, Dad, Catholic, and a blogger. There is a depth here which I always find authentic and challenging.

  >> Catechist’s Journey  Over the past year, Joe Paprocki (brother to this bishop) has been growing on me.  He plays on some different levels as a eighth grade catechist as well as an author and presenter.

  >> Catholic YM Blog … now six years in service!

  >> Catholic Youth Work  Jack Regan over in the UK administrates this discussion board that shares communication for the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation, is prepping for the Pope’s visit, and is presently touring diocesan web sites (a concept he readily admits he lifted from here.)

  >> Clayton Imoo is Canada’s contribution to the list.  His video reports regarding the Vancouver Olympics and the Canucks failed Stanley Cup run were viral insanity. Clay loves his wife, kids, and Catholic Youth Ministry; you really don’t need to know anything more.

  >> Cultivation Ministries We are crossing our fingers and hoping that Frank Mercandante and company can keep up with the posting pace they started. If that turns out to not be the case, then I would readily move up the Prepared Catholic into this list.

  >> In All Things America Magazine has a blog that features posts from some of their authors who include the always insightful James Martin, SJ.

  >> John Rinaldo blogs consistently as diocesan director for San Jose with worth-while content that not only has implications for the local but on a broader scale as well. Earlier this year, John posted as to how coordinators of youth ministry might better serve by viewing themselves as administrators

  >> Jesus Goes to Disney World Father Austin Murphy (a fellow ArchBalt blogger) does a great job of connecting popular culture and the gospel messages. 

  >> Life in Student Ministry Tim Schmoyer is not writing about things Catholic, but is all about youth ministry He is the full-time youth pastor at Alexandra Covenant Church in Alexandria, MiN and offers a variety of media in service to the field of youth ministry. [YS top 20]

  >> Life Teen (www.catholicyouthministry.com) Randy Raus is joined by a wide variety of bloggers (full disclosure – - including this one, though not recently)  Your best bet for Catholic female writers can be found here!

  >> Mike Patin has recently re-picked up the blogging bug. Welcome back, Mike!

  >> More Than Dodgeball  Josh Griffin is not writing about things Catholic, but is all about youth ministry,  As the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, Griff offers insights into the possibilities in organizing and programming ministry.  [YS top 20]

  >> Roy Petitfils The Big Bald Counselor has a heart beating strongly for the the Catholic youngchurch

  >> Seth Godin probably does not care at all about things either “Catholic” or “youth ministry” but he does “get”  tribes, organization, management, linchpins. motivation… and so should we!

  >> Tech Tips for Catholic  I appreciate the value that the Tech Tips team has regarding maximizing the latest technologies in ministry.

  >> Whispers in the Loggia Rocco Palmo from Philadelphia is not writing about youth ministry, but is about all things Catholic.  While he is a twenty-something blogger, he has a unique insider’s view into what’s moving and shaking into the Church.

  >> Why Is Marko Following his tenure at YS, Mark Oestreicher is now an author, youth ministry coach, and speaker. Marko blogs about the future of ministry and his own challenges. He is also been a long time virtual friend who I recently met in real life.  [YS top 20]

  >> Youth Specialties  These guys are all about youth ministry and you should be paying attention to them… I do! [YS top 20]  Primary author of the site is Adam McLane [YS top 20], a lifelong Notre Dame fan, so ya’ know, he’s got some Catholic sensibilities about him. Maybe, the Catholic YM Blog might even be included on his list in 2011.

If you believe that you know of a blog (including yours) that should have been included and/or want to call attention a site that you read, e-mail me, please. The spam censor gets sensitive regarding hyperlinks.  I promise I will look and put you into consideration for a future post and/or next year’s list.  Further, comment away about your love for any of the above sites!

No news today, rather, it’s more like the comics mixed in with editorial commentary…

This is the sort of cartoon that I would normally post up on a Saturday as a Funsie…

But there is a greater truth to be found here.

I’m sure that you have co-workers, collaborators, family, and/or friends who are happy to make sure that you know that they know that they have all the answers.

They are ready, willing, and able to “swing at every pitch,” offering a ready response to any uncertainty ever expressed…

and, to me at least, it always rings as disingenuous… and this “cartoon” probably best describes my discomfort with that.

“Easy” answers are sought, but they become transformative only when they respond to “hard” questions – those that involve a climb is part of the process, a struggle to achieve the answers, a little sweat equity into search for solutions.

And, when the answers come quick and far too packaged and rarely nuanced, I feel as if the answerer is not unlike the guru in the cartoon… one who had a elevator ride of a commute hoping not to spill his coffee along the way.

I hope that you have always understood that the blog had been about the questions as well. (I’m confident I have not done nearly an adequate job of communicating that.)  Anyone who blogs (or writes the news or broadcasts over mainstream media) does have an editorial viewpoint… The choices made about what to post (as well as what not to post.)

This blog had a tag line for a long while (and it will return…) that spoke of the “Catholic Youth Ministry rEVOLution.”  Presenting we are discussing “Equipping the Saints for Ministry” which is a title of a workshop that I will be co-presenting in New Orleans for the NCCYM. And that might seem like “answers.”

But, what I am posting is hints towards the stuff that I am looking at regarding our shared field of youth ministry and the questions that might look at together.

Do not imagine me waiting for the elevator below…  I’m on the steps, back pack over my shoulders, climbing up along side you seeking the hard answers to easy questions.

So, please, I need you. Comment away on this blog.  What do you like or dislike?  What sparks your interest? What are the questions for which we need to seek answers?

This is the sort of posting that my friend Gene always warns against.  Too much “inside baseball…,” no one really cares but for you and the rare geek.  << which is why we buried the posting onto a Saturday afternoon. >>

Hey, we updated the format of the web site! Two years ago, my son Clark helped me migrate my then four-year-old blog onto WordPress and we’ve been working from the template he set up ever since.

What’s different now? Most significant is that we are <- -w-i-d-e-r- ->  This means that, on our shorter posts, it is more likely that you’ll see the headline of the next posts… which may spark your interest in continued reading.

We added a date box next to the headline…  We’ve been posting on a near daily basis and previously the date were small enough that you might have missed that.  We “stole” the date box from one of my daily blog reads, Don Miller.

We changed around the sidebar. There is “About” info on the sidebar which features a caricature of the blogger. We dumped the Google Ad for a self-made ad lower. (We’ll change those every month or so)

You can also sign up for a newsletter alert. We’ve sent one out yesterday when the news deserved it.  It was the first since the Haiti earthquake posting in January. Know we will not abuse your trust with “spam.”  Finally, RSS capabilities which were always in the “footer” box are now also on the horizontal menu bar up top.

All this occurred due to the wonderful collaboration of Kashif Ilyas, a consultant who lives in Pakistan that I hired through Elance.com.  He was great to work with – competent, thorough, and quick with a helpful suggestion. (Elance outsourcing was also a suggestion of Gene’s as well. Thanks, bud!)

Was back on Relevant Radio this morning – my third visit (See June 24 and July 22)  If you want to give a listen, you can either play the Streaming Broadcast or Download for later use.

As usual, we referenced some things on the blog such as Sunday’s Prayer Meme and Would Jesus be in Myspace? which was an article that had been published a few years back.

Meanwhile, thanks to Sean Herriott and the production staff of “Morning Air” for making this all happen.  And Sean…make sure your daughter wears her bike helmet!

Father Austin, my blog’s spiritual advisor, recently tagged me with this meme, after he got it from Deacon Greg, who I read regularly. The deacon broadcaster got it from Julie who received it from another of my blog reads, the IronicCatholic.

IC received it from Mary who got it from Kate who got it from Fr. John Boyle who got it from Karen who got it from Dominic Mary who got it from Mac McLernon’s Mulier Fortis  who started the whole thing July 19th and begat it to all of us.

The rules, as stated by the sources, are: Name your three most favourite prayers, and explain why they’re your favourites. Then tag five bloggers – give them a link, and then go and tell them they have been tagged. Finally, tell the person who tagged you that you’ve completed the meme… The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. I’m more interested in people’s favourite devotional prayers.

Here we go:

> The Classics:  When leading public prayer, I default to involving others in completing prayer with me by reciting together an Our Father, a Hail Mary, or a Glory Be.  With Catholic identity factors as a consideration, it seems a fitting inclusive way to complete spontaneous prayer.

> The Rosary: In tough patches of life, when negative thoughts can overwhelm my attention, a decade of the Rosary proves to be a good palette cleanser. (Yea, I know that seems like doubling up… but deal with it… different purposes make for different prayer.)

> Prayer before Meals: It is a simple little prayer but when reciting it, a mental connection is made between that salad or steak, or BLT sandwich and the company with which it is shared to the Eucharistic supper… 

And, now, to pass it forward…  Hey, Roy Petitfils, Randy Raus, Bob Rice, Judy McDonald, and John Rinaldo… Tag, you’re it!   YOU ALL ARE IT.  Everyone can play in the comments section-What are your favorite (spelling it the non-British way) prayers???

  Joshua Griffin is the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. (Perhaps you’ve heard of it… Imagine having to defend what purpose had driven you to leave a mess in the youth room <youth complex, actually> to Pastor Rick Warren – - yeah, that Saddleback.)

Josh Griffin is a blogger. Find him at MoreThanDodgeball.com.  Most importantly, Griff is a parent who is off on vacation this week. So, he sought out some guest bloggers, I submitted, and, well…

Check it out.

Welcome, Dodgeballians, feel free to tour the blog.  Yea, we are papists, but we are the fun sort that you likely not tell your mother about. Check the state tour and see what our brothers and sisters are doing in your neighborhood.  And, don’t be a stranger! Y’all come back now, ya’ hear?

After an initial interview last month, I was happy to be invited back to visit with Sean Herriott’s Morning Air show on Relevant Radio. You can listen to the Streaming Feed or Download.

In the first fifteen minutes we talk about story of Eutychus (Acts: 20: 7-12). I have a blog set regarding this coming up on Monday! (UPDATED: link here!) We later got to talking about Zombie Church, as well.

Now that I’ve done this twice, I think I can say that “It is always a pleasure” to do this.  Thanks to Sean and producer Doug for making this happen!

Wow.  I know I agreed to this a long while ago, but I have never called attention to it here on the blog.  Let’s rectify that situation right here, right now.

My blog posts also appear on www.ymtoday.com,  I am honored to have my posts appear alongside the likes of Mark "Marko" Oestreicher, Will Penner, Jonny Baker, Rethinking Youth Ministry’s Brian and Jacob, Emerging Youth’s Dan Haugh, Matthew Kelley, and Youthfront’s Lars Rood.

Thanks to the YMtoday crew for making this all happen!