Resource Review - Videos/TV Shows/Toons That Teach

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

Videos That Teach, TV Shows That Teach, Toons That Teach A series of books to help use video clips in your youth ministry.

OVERALL - Three resources that all offer the same help. How to find and use video/TV clips in your ministry as ways to approach topics and start discussion

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Videos That Teach started all this with Doug Fields and Eddie James doing the first book of 75 movies. That series is now up to four volumes. Then Eddie teamed up with his partner from The Skit Guys(who probably should have gotten their own review in this series, sorry guys!), Tommy Woodard, to create the TV Shows That Teaches with 100 episodes to draw from and then Stephen Case (author of The Book of UnCommon Prayer) jumped in with Toons That Teach (75 clips). All of these guys are top quality and well known folks. And this can be a great resource to keep on the shelf. You get a variety of options on topics for each clip, suggested questions plus the exact timing to find the clip when you need it. Very complete and very useful. Check out the multiple formats you can get these in as well (paperback, ebook, etc)

RESERVATIONS Hmmmm, don't know. Sometimes the topics don't seem to match my thoughts on the clips but that's hardly their fault. Really nothing too serious to question at all.

RECOMMENDATION I'll be honest and say I've only used the first Videos book personally. The quality of the authors leaves me with no reservations at all about recommending the entire bunch however. This is a great piece to use as a regular part of your ministry or to keep as a last minute emergency resource too (not TOO last minute, you still need to get a copy of the video or whatever!)

View From the Phlipside - Friend of the Library

These are the scripts from my weekly media commentary program on WRFA-LP Jamestown

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the movies and more. I love 'em and I hate em' and I always have an opinion. Call this the view from the Phlipside

One of the recurring pieces of advice for folks who try to see into the future is to remember that people insist on doing unexpected things. We get rid of things that people are sure we'll never leave behind and we hang onto things that the experts are sure we are ready to drop at any moment.

Take as an example, libraries. Giant repositories of old school media, books, magazines all that kinda stuff. Add to it the common wisdom that nobody reads any more. Or the slightly more elitist point of view that if people do read today they only read junk. Not like the old days when folks gathered round the fire for a rousing reading of James Joyce.

But I digress. It's probably library withdrawal that's getting to me. Our local library is in the process of getting some very important and needed renovations done. Sadly for folks like me who like having that resource at our beck and call it's going be a little while longer before we can return. As with any big project the work is taking slightly longer than anticipated.

In the meantime we can consider the future of libraries. Which may not be as dark as some people once thought. Curiously it's new technology and media that are leading the way. In fact it's the new technology and medium that some folks thought would finish the library as we know it that may be breathing new life into the institution. The e-book or e-reader, of which the best known variety is the Kindle, seems to be a friend of the library. A few libraries in England have begun lending electronic versions of books and discovered a rather interesting result. The number of library members went UP! The system is very simple, you log onto the library website, select from the available titles, download it to your computer then load it into your e-reader. Actually the only one it doesn't work with is the Kindle which requires proprietary files. Seems the Kindle folks can be placed outside the clan of friends of the library. After two weeks the book erases itself so you don't even have to worry about late fees!

England has seen sharp declines in the number of visitors to its libraries and the number of books being checked out. So anything that actually increases those numbers is welcome. It's easy to overlook what a great resource a local library (and its staff I hasten to add!) are for all of us. So anything that helps bring more people back into those hallowed halls of learning, literature and leisure is a great idea in my mind.

So now we just have to wait patiently while our old friend finishes with the latest improvements.

Call that the view from the Phlipside

Resource Review - getting students to show up

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - "getting students to show up - Practical Ideas for Any Outreach event - from 10 to 10,000" by Jonathan McKee, 190 pages, 2007 Zondervan

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Looking for a direct education on creating outreach events for young people? Jonathan McKee gives a no BS look at what to do and what NOT to do. This book is aimed specifically at outreach events for non-church kids. And I love that it makes very clear - putting on a great "Christian" event is a TERRIBLE way to try and reach unchurched kids. If this is the field you're looking to dive into this book should be in your backpack.

RESERVATIONS - There are some assumptions here that pulled me up short at first till I realized they're not really important. For example all his "model" events inevitably include an altar call. In most Episcopal events the likelihood of including an altar call is close to zero. It's just not part of our tradition or approach to faith. Consequently I don't know that I'd use his outline necessarily for an Episcopal based outreach event. Which is fine, you'll still learn plenty about what to do right for any such event from this book.

RECOMMENDATION I'll be honest and say these kinds of events do NOT fall into my general practice. So like a lot of people I feel a little intimidated. After reading the book I'm feeling somewhat more at home if I ever end up doing one. I like it when youth ministry authors take the gloves off and get honest about what really does and doesn't work. Even when it may gore some one's prize ox (metaphorically). I found myself shaking my head in amusement when I realized that I probably would have fallen into several of the traps he mentions. Nicely written, quite comprehensive and definitely a vital resource if your outreach events are flopping or you want to do one and have no prior experience.

What I've been reading

Haven't seen any movies recently, very depressing.

But I've been reading a lot.

I forgot this one last time I checked in:

"Bad News" by Donald Westlake. I stumbled on Westlake while I was still in high school and fell in love with his funny, dark stories of crime in New York. John Dortmunder is a classic Westlake character both an utter mediocrity at crime and a criminal genius all at the same time. In this one John decides to make some easy money that turns out be grave robbing. Add in Indian casinos and the usual band of wonderful Westlake characters and it's a fun ride. Sorry to hear that the author passed away late last year. Guess I'll just have to enjoy his 100+ books in his memory.

"For the Sins of My Father" by Albert DeMeo. The true life story of the son of a mid-level Gambino mobster. DeMeo walks you through the dual life of his family, his father and himself. You walk with him as he slowly begins to understand who his father is including the self deceptions both he and his family needed to survive. I found the beginning slow but the second half was gripping. A very different view of the mob without sugar coating it either. Very good book.

"The Confessor" by Daniel Silva The second Gabrial Allon book I've read and enjoyed. This one focuses on the end of World War II and the unfortunate role of the Roman Catholic church in dealing with the reality of the Holocaust. The church did very well in some ways and shamefully in others. The action moves along briskly. I'm sure to grab another in this series sometime soon.

Had a long drive to Long Island a couple weeks ago and grabbed an audio book for the ride. I've become a big fan of them for drives like this (7+ hours).

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box - Despite his NY Time Best Seller cred I'd never heard of this author before. I like thrillers for the drive, they keep me focused on what's going on so I grabbed it. This was a GREAT "read"! Tense, thrilling, some nice twists. Set in northern Idaho it follows the run by a 12 year old girl and her little brother trying to escape a band of rogue retired cops. Really enjoyed it.

Hope to see a movie here soon...

Peace

Resource Review - Youth Ministry Survival Guide

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - The Youth Ministry Survival Guide by Len Kageler, 198 pages, 2008 Zondervan -

How to thrive and last for the long haul.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is another in-depth look at what it means to be a youth minister, the good, the bad and the indifferent. These books are much less about teaching techniques, class room exercises, activities or retreat themes than they are about living out a calling to minister to young people. There are lots of folks who think it's the easiest job on the planet. "You get paid to go to camp" or "You get paid to play games". Well, yes but as we all know that's the least of what this ministry demands from us. Kageler takes a look at the impact on both the ministry, the "job" (you know that whole this is what they're paying you for stuff), individual health plus impact on family and marriage.

RESERVATIONS - This is really a book for folks in the professional ministry. Some of it translates for volunteers but I think the average volunteer leader/minister will find this book frustrating. I would certainly urge folks who are the primary youth minister in their congregation to read this book but keep in mind a fair part of it isn't aimed at you.

RECOMMENDATION This is another strong contender for "Books that should be given to new youth ministers at the start their careers". It's very sad and very disturbing to the development of young people to see the youth ministers making the same mistakes over and over again. This book lays out a very clear path to lead a beginner into a solid ministry and a veteran to help re-stoke the fire. It may not be the BEST youth minister book I've ever read but it certainly sits very close to the top of that list.

Resouce Review - When Church Kids Go Bad

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)

OVERALL - When Church Kids Go Bad by Les Christie, 201 pages, 2008 Zondervan - A look at the issue of discipline and a look at what discipline really means in the world of youth ministry.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? It's probably wise that Christie never uses the word "discipline" in the title of the book. As he acknowledges people have real problems with that word. He carefully lays out what he's talking about, the different approaches to it, the rationale behind it and how it can be applied both generally and in "problem cases". The book is careful to present all the ideas from a solid Scriptural basis while remaining solidly reality based. Christie is also very good about noting the needs for the youth leaders to be disciplined and talks about those time when it can break down for us (and him) as well. It's a solid look at a very important issue for youth ministries of all sizes.

RESERVATIONS - BUT IT'S NOT THE BOOK I WAS HOPING FOR! I was about half way through when I realized this fact. The sub-title is "How to Love and Work With Rude, Obnoxious and Apathetic Students". So I had gone into it thinking I was going to get some great ideas on how to inspire kids in the ministries. To be fair you do get some of that but it's not until Chapter 10 on page 126. The vast majority of the book is just on how to create a sane, loving environment (that really is the goal for proper discipline) and very little on how to handle and inspire the toughest, most challenging kids. Plus he perpetuates the outdated myth that sweets causes increases in activity levels. The majority of the studies out there do NOT link sugar with hyperactivity. Even worse the sub-chapter titled "Reduce or Eliminate Sweet Treats" talks mostly about a study that recommends limiting treats with additives or artificial coloring based on a 2007 study. This section should have been better presented and researched. I hate, hate, HATE finding these kinds of clunker sections in books like this.

RECOMMENDATION SIGH. The vast majority of this book is really good at what it's about. If you're looking for a discussion of how to bring a faith based and faith filled method of "discipline" (it's not a bad word folks)to your ministry then I heartily recommend it. It will help you understand why your youth may be acting the way they are, your part in those actions and how to make it work for everyone. If the title suggests to you what it did to me then I think you'll be a little disappointed.

Things I'm watching and reading

Just a little catch up on what I'm doing in my spare time:

Books

"A Death in Vienna" by Daniel Silva. Was just looking for something sort of Dan Brown-ish while I wait for a copy of his new book to pop up at the library. Silva has a recurring character who is part art restorer and part Israeli spy. The story revolves around the Holocaust denial movement. It was a fast, fun read (much like Brown) and pretty good history (unlike Brown, lol). I enjoyed it a lot and will probably read some more in the series.

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. I'd never read it before, what can I say. I've seen parts of movie versions and at least one stage version but never read the original. Talk about a fast read, the book is only just over 100 pages! The story of dreams and hard reality still plays well. Perhaps especially pertinent in these modern hard times too.

Movie -

Wordplay - This documentary about the National Crossword Puzzle Tournament was even more fun than I expected. I started messing around doing crosswords to help get me through Finals week at college and they continue to amuse me. The movie takes a look at some very serious crossword fans (like Jon Stewart, Ken Burns and Bill Clinton) and this amazing tournament. These are people who can dash off an ordinary crossword puzzle in less than five minutes and do the Sunday NY Times in ink. There's also a fascinating look at how crossword puzzles are constructed that just stopped me dead. Yes I'm a word nerd and maybe not everyone else will be as enthralled but the people are fun and funny and comfortable with who they are. I really enjoyed it.

Working on a new Tom Clancy book but I'm not getting grabbed by the throat as much by this one. We'll see where it goes.

Peace

Resource Review - Help - I'm a Frustrated Youth Worker!

(This is part of a year long series of resource reviews I've been doing. 52 resources in 52 weeks. You can see all the reviews in one place here)


OVERALL - Help - I'm a Frustrated Youth Worker by Steven L. Case, 136 pages, 2009 Zondervan - Steven Case is probably best known as the author of the Book of UnCommon Prayer which he acknowledges was inspired by our own BCP. This is a resource for both new and long time youth workers.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? There's a movie where the catch phrase is "You had me at hello". For me Case had me at "pee in your Fruit Loops". Sorry I know that's vulgar and gross but it told me that this was written by somebody who knows how it goes. Imagine my further surprise to discover that like me Case began in broadcasting and landed in youth ministry! From his own experience he tells it like it is about life as a leader in youth ministry. From how to deal with difficult people to stress to feeling like maybe you're getting too old and so much more. I found myself nodding constantly as I read, thinking "Oh yeah", "Got that right" and "Been there, done that". Case is an easy read but with lots of experience behind every word.

RESERVATIONS Not too many really. This book is really aimed at those of us getting paid to do ministry so not all of it is an exact fit for you if you're a volunteer. But the vast majority still hits home. I think some folks will have a little trouble in Chapter 7 which is about change and (very lightly) postmodern theology. Approach it with an open mind, then make up your own. I found the chapter very interesting (but then I would, wouldn't I?)

RECOMMENDATION OK, it's another addition to "Must Have in the Library" list. A quick read that's fun to read, will challenge you, encourage you and even help you figure out if it's time to quit. All for under $12. Yeah, you need to read this one and own a copy. This is the kind of book you're going to want to share for the times when our brothers and sisters in this ministry need just these kinds of words.

Resource Review - Youth Culture 101

OVERALL - Youth Culture 101 by Walt Mueller, 480 pages, 2007 Zondervan - This has been sitting on my shelf for a while and I keep meaning to review it. An overview of the world our young people are growing up in from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding founder and president Walt Mueller.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The book takes an in-depth look at the major influences on the lives of our youth. It takes a long look at the media and marketing but also offers a way to help our kids become more discerning about the media in their lives. There are also chapters on Peer Pressure, Sex, Materialism, Substance Abuse, Depression and Suicide plus a chapter just for parents. In addition there's a web page that offers supplemental resources and information (Here) This is the resource for when you're ready to dig a little deeper in the whys and hows plus get some good ideas about how to react to it.

RESERVATIONS In less than two years some of the sections on media and how youth use it are getting out of date already. That's hardly surprising. I think the overall concepts still hold water. Needless to say everyone will not agree on everything Walt says in the Sex section. Again the basic underlying concepts are solid that we need to help out kids find a much healthier approach to sex than the one their being peddled in the media. Other than that the sheer bulk of the book will intimidate some.

RECOMMENDATION Again when you're ready for a deeper look into youth culture this is a great place to start. Mueller's writing style is an easy read while still covering the material more than competently. This is a solid resource on what is admittedly a moving target. Not a bad idea to have sitting on your shelf.

Books I've Been Reading

Grabbed two books off our shelves here at Maison DaYouthGuy that I'd never read and enjoyed them both immensely.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book gives you a look into life on one of the Channel Islands during and immediately after World War II. Guernsey was one of the only pieces of England proper that the Germans ever invaded and held (the island is actually a whole lot closer to France than England). Mary Ann Shaffer decided to tell the story as a series of letters and telegrams (think "Up the Down Staircase"). This kind of writing artifice either works (a la Bel Kaufman above) or it crashes and burns. In this case it works marvelously well. The characters themselves are in the same boat we are, we all get to know one another through the stories told in the letters. I was fascinated and ripped right through the book in just a couple days. I found myself deeply moved by the death of a character that I had known early on had to die. But it was a shock because I came to care about her. Shaffer grew quite ill during the final stages of writing the novel and asked her niece Annie Barrows to finish it. Shaffer didn't live to see the book hit #1 on the NY Times bestseller list which adds a certain poignancy to the whole thing.

The other book I've finished recently was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Another book that my lady wife had brought into the house and that I hadn't read yet. (I recently did a survey of the several hundred books we own and discovered that I had read something like 95% of them. Most of them several times. Thank God for libraries!). This one is set in 1964 in the South Caroline. It confronts issues of race and women's roles and faith plus gives you a good dose about bees. I kept thinking about "To Kill A Mockingbird" as I read this book. That's largely because of the setting and the fact that the lead character is a young girl who lost her mother at an early age. "Secret Life of Bees" is good but certainly not "To Kill a Mockingbird" good, it just has a similar feel to it for me. The books sucked me in with fine storytelling, great characters and even made bees come alive for me in a whole new way. Once I got started I couldn't stop and read the book (not terribly long at only 320 pages) in about a day.

Now I find myself with only my old friends on the shelves but with a taste for some new adventures. Time to wander up the hill to check out the local branch library.

Peace

The View From the Phlipside

These are the scripts to my weekly media commentary program called "The Phlipside" which airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY Tuesday - Friday at 7:45 AM and 5:05 PM (or thereabouts). I also have a Twitter account for the show @radiophlipside.


My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the movies and more. I love 'em and I hate em' and I always have an opinion. Call this the view from the Phlipside...

Hollywood is such a delightfully weird place. It keeps me in lots of topics to discuss some weird and some wonderful and some, well I'm still trying to figure those out. This time let's take a look at some movies that are just at the very beginning of their process.

We've got several sequels that are getting ready to start shooting in the next year or so. It's hard to explain why they're looking at a sequel to the movie Hitman. What's that you say, you don't remember any such movie? Not surprising, it was a total bomb here in the U.S. for the simple reason that it was awful. But the overseas crowd loved it so we get to see a sequel. More popular around these parts were the first three Pirates of the Caribbean, although I think they get less wonderful with each title. Rob Marshall will apparently be the director. We can only hope he does a better job than he did with "Chicago". Rumor has it that Pixar and Disney are looking at a Monster's Inc 2 which might be pretty cool. Disney has registered the domain name for Monsters2.com which might be a clue, of course they also registered a domain name for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 as well.

On the more inexplicable side we have a remake of the classic Errol Flynn pic Captain Blood. The spin on this one is that the classic pirates tale will be moved to outer space. You mean like Han Solo already did? How about a Mad Max 4? OK how about not? Could start shooting next summer. Really topping the inexplicable list however is Stephen Spielberg's announcement that he will direct a remake of the 1950 classic "Harvey". In case you're not into old movies this was a Jimmy Stewart film about a guy with an invisible friend. A six foot three inch tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. Now that sounds pretty lame. In fact the movie is rather amazing very carefully balancing the question of whether the main character is eccentric or out right nuts. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning play it ranks as the #35 movie of all time according the American Film Institute. It's essentially a perfect film. So what do you do with a remake?

***

So how do you survive the change in the media environment if you're an old line medium? That question is still to be found but the folks at Barnes and Noble are taking a promising approach. I've mentioned before that I'm a dedicated reader and it is my fervent hope that the book industry never fades away. But it is facing some serious challenges today.

So here's what Barnes and Noble is doing - they're finding a way to bring media savvy, digitally connected people into, of all places, a bookstore! And that might just be a good boost to the old business. Barnes and Noble has announced that they are coming out with an ebook reader to take on Kindle, have opened an ebookstore, are offering a free ebook reader application for use on computers and smart phones and oh yeah are now making all their stores free WiFi locations. The ebookstore is offering access to no less than seven hundred thousand titles to start. This is worth noting about that number - about two thirds of them are public domain titles. Still that's four hundred thousand more than are offered by Amazon through Kindle. You can download and preview any of the titles, the pay titles start under ten bucks.

So why do I like this move? Simple first it eliminates a road block to users getting access to your online offerings, Second it's free and the new marketing thinking is that you have to offer a Freemium to the current generation of media users to get them to buy. Start them off with freebies and they're more likely to become paying customers. Third is actually some old school marketing. If you can get the customer through the door your chance of selling them something increases. They come in, check out the free wifi, scan the ebookstore, take a wander through the store to stretch their legs and discover something that appeals to them. Sure they might be able to get it for less online somewhere but here it is, in their hands, right now. No waiting for the package to be shipped, they can take it home this instant. Never underestimate the power of instant gratification. And BANG, all of a sudden you've made a sale.

I'm in favor of anything that keeps people reading and bookstores in business.

***

I never understand why intelligent people insist on acting like idiots. And there's no doubt that CNN talking head Lou Dobbs is a bright guy. Harvard degrees in Economics don't just fall off trees. So explain to me why Lou is caught up in the latest resurgence of the "birthers" debate around President Obama.

In case you're not up to speed on this one the birther question is whether the current President of the United States is a natural born citizen as is required by the Constitution. The question first came up during the Democratic primaries and I thought had been put to rest but apparently not. Lou has done repeated shows on this supposed "question" over the last couple months. Dobbs himself keeps saying he believes the President meets the Constitutional requirement then keeps the story rolling with yet another segment.

Let's be clear: no one in their right mind thinks this is still an open question. Ultra conservative commentator Ann Coulter thinks Dobbs needs to shut up on this question. Pretty much everyone EXCEPT a bunch of far right wing nuts and Lou Dobbs want to move on.

For the record here are the FACTS - The state of Hawaii went into its archives and has produced the original birth certificate with all appropriate seals and signatures. The archives of two separate Hawaiian newspapers show the birth announcement of the President at the time and place indicated. All appropriate authorities have acknowledged that Barack Hussein Obama meets the citizenship requirement to hold our highest office. You may think the President is an idiot but you can't say he's not a citizen. Not without sacrificing an awful lot of credibility.

So why is Lou Dobbs so prepared to do just that? Why sacrifice a reasonably distinguished reputation? I say reasonably distinguished because Dobbs did once order coverage of the President's visit to Columbine following the school shootings to be cut short so CNN could return to his show Moneyline. Seems Lou has these slips in decision making periodically. The answer these days seems pretty simple. Dobbs current show, Lou Dobbs Tonight, has been losing viewers for a while now.


Call that the view from the Phlipside

Resource Review - The Episcopal Handbook

The Episcopal Handbook By: Church Publishing Incorporated 256 pages $15.00 Published by Morehouse Publishing

OVERALL - "The Episcopal Handbook provides historical and theological information about the Episcopal Church alongside fun-filled facts and practical tips for being a churchgoing follower of Jesus Christ."

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? A couple weeks ago I reviewed "101 Reasons to be Episcopalian" and you could think of this as a companion piece. If 101 gets the conversation started the Handbook starts taking us a little deeper into the discussion. Again the tone is decidedly lighthearted. Chapters include - How to Survive a Baptism, What Are All Those Books in the Pew?, Is Coffee Really the Third Sacrament? and Why (Most) Episcopalians Don't Kick Dogs (Answer: because we care for God's creation). You also get more serious topics talking about the Creeds, the Bible, How to Pray, How to Tell a Sinner from a Saint, and Why the Episcopal Church Welcomes Everyone. And that only scratches the surface of the book. There has to be close to 100 short chapters that touch on just about anything you could possibly imagine. Not only to do with being an Episcopalian but with being a Christian too. It really does answer, or at least tries to answer, all those "dumb" questions that we so often never ask. We never ask not because we don't want to know but more often because we're afraid we'll look "dumb". I would have loved having this book to fall back on as a teen. Again not written as a youth ministry resource specifically I think it is a great tool for ministry with our youth.

RESERVATIONS Because they are willing to take on all questions it's inevitable that some answers won't be to everyone's taste. Questions about sexuality, evolution and the Bible will not be happy reading for some folks. In reality I think they express the common understanding and feelings of most Episcopalians and are consistent with the stated positions of the church (where they exist). On evolution they note the church has no stated position on the subject explicitly but most Episcopalians agree with it and the church has said that we believe that God can create in any fashion or form, including evolution. That kind of openness is an essential aspect of Episcopal culture. You're either comfortable with it or not.

RECOMMENDATION I'm going to add this to my still theoretical list of "Must Have" resources for youth ministers in the Episcopal Church. (Note I'm aware of similar Lutheran and Methodist Handbooks and there may be others out there too.) The book is fun and funny, easy to read while still being a source for serious answers to deep theological questions. Again as a way to show not only how we live as Christians but also what our Episcopal traditions and understandings bring to the table this book is a fabulous addition to your library. My bet is that most Episcopalians will learn at least one new thing about themselves as they read this book.

Resource Review - 101 Reasons to be Episcopalian

101 Reason to be Episcopalian By: Louie Crew w/ Foreword by Phyllis Tickle 101 pages $9.00 Published by Morehouse Publishing

OVERALL - Gathered thoughts and wisdom from many different members of the church talking about what they love, admire, respect and are inspired by in the Episcopal Church.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is a tiny little book (4x6 inches and only 101 pages long) that you can read through quickly but will come back to ponder some passages over and over again. Most are a sentence or two long, none go longer than a single small page's worth. Some are funny, some are quite serious and deep. All express some small part of what it means to be an Episcopalian. My favorite is #52 from Mary L, Lyons of the Diocese of Olympia - "This is the only church that is as lovingly loony as your family". Yes, that sounds familiar to me! I have grown increasingly concerned over the last decade about how poorly we represent what it means to be an Episcopalian. Why do we do things the way we do, where did we come from, what speaks to us in this tradition that is different from any other? If we can't communicate those ideas to our youth then the denomination has no future no matter how well we may do other things. This book can be an interesting jumping off point for discussion about those issues.

RESERVATIONS Some folks are going to cherry pick through the quotes and get all outraged about certain folks who have been included. The editor Dr. Louie Crew will set off some, the Bishop Spong quote will certainly set off others. If you are looking for reasons to reject this book you'll certainly find them. Better than that why not think and discuss your reasons to disagree with whatever quote you may dislike?

RECOMMENDATION I'm really impressed with this book as an entry level volume for folks trying to find their place in our church. It's not written for youth ministry but I don't see why we shouldn't use any and all options in our ministry. What's great is that the reading is short and to the point (the shortest entry is three words). It's lighthearted without ever dropping into silliness, it's thoughtful without ever dropping into tedium. There, call that my simple reason for being an Episcopalian. I think that describes who we are at our best. Think about sticking this book into your back pocket as an easy discussion starter about being an Episcopalian. I think you'll get plenty of mileage out of this little book

Odds and ends of my life

Just some flotsam and jetsam -

Been reading Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone mysteries. Liking them a lot. I'm only up to D, she's already made it to T.

Tried reading "Crazy Good - The True Story of Dan Patch". I got about 200 pages in and thought this really feels like a Sports Illustrated story. Check the dust jacket, turns out Charles Leerhsen is an SI editor. And there in lies the problem. That breezy, glib SI style that I really enjoy in a 2,000-5,000 word article really starts to rub me raw at book length. All those charming little side stories become increasingly annoying as I'm trying to read about the first true American sports mega-star (endorsements and everything) who happens to have been a horse. Not a thoroughbred either. It's an interesting story, I just wish he'd tell it! Probably not going to finish it.

Madpriest tipped me to Joey Ryan. Enjoyed the tunes a lot but then I have a soft spot for those singer/songwriter types. As always I offer the warning - if you've never entered the lair of he who is mad go at your own risk. His tongue is sharp and his wit has a real bite to it. You'll either love him or you won't. If you don't it'll hurt his feelings even as he denies it vehemently.

I keep thinking that there must be something profound for me to say eventually.
I'm still waiting.....

Peace

Weekend Update April 27- late!

The Week That Was - Hmmm, a quiet week. Car went into the shop and we can't figure out where the automatic transmission fluid is disappearing to. No spots in the parking space, no damp spots on the underbody. Curious.

Got swept from the volleyball "playoffs" in the first round. Not surprising. It was fun so I'll probably be back for that in the fall.

Went to a meeting on Saturday of the Youth Ministry Revitalization Team. As always this group did some good work when they were together. I think we're headed in a very positive direction. The plan is to have ideas and resources ready to present at Diocesan Convention in October. I think we can really pull it off.

Camp applications are starting to dribble in. Would love to get a whole bunch in (hint, hint to all you families in WNY out there!)

I've been working on clearing up the mess that is my address book(s). I've never really consolidated it in one place. Most of it was in one place then a bunch in several others. So I'm getting it all in one big file on my PDA. Now I'm in the editing and clearing phase. If I can't remember who the person is they get dumped. It's boring work but kind of cathartic as well.

The To Do List - This is such a catastrophe I'm just going to restart it after I get back next week. Right now it's making sure everything is ready for me to go away for 10 days or so. My whole world right now is CREDO,CREDO,CREDO.

What Am I Procrastinating About? - Still doing OK. Hmmmm less procrastinating with no To Do list. Or am I just not as aware of what needs to get done now so I just FEEL more productive?

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To?

Next up is "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ-The Paradox of Modern Iran" by Hooman Majd. Still working on this but really enjoying it. I'm getting a much more nuanced look at Iran and the various power groups there. It's not as black and white as we think. In some ways we are very much alike and in others totally alien to one another.

Working on some Sue Grafton novels as a way to relax. Liked "A is for Alibi" and I'm working on "B is for Burglar" and liking it a lot too. Gotta decide what's going with me to Florida (CREDO,CREDO,CREDO!)


Movies - No movies this week so far.

Music - Gotta load up my ipod with some interesting new stuff and good familiar stuff for the trip to Florida (CREDO,CREDO,CREDO!)

Next Up CREDO,CREDO,CREDO! As one of our priests in the diocese said to me today - You have to work twice as hard the week before and the week after to take a week OFF! In the meantime my lady wife and I are going to check out a local restaurant that a lot of acquaintances just rave about. Looking forward to a nice night out.

How Am I Doing Once I settle down for the trip I'll be fine.
Peace

Weekend Update April 20

The Week That Was - Really rather a quiet week. There was the Louisiana trip fiasco (see below) I'm sure to be hearing about that for years from the family. The car decided to act up (something is going wrong with the fuel gauge. Looks like $300 for parts and 3 hours work. It can wait).

I had a new experience in church! I was an usher for the first time ever. They were short handed so I got drafted. Got several double takes. I also discovered that releasing people from their pews to go up for communion is slightly more complex than I'd thought. It's all a timing thing and it changes the further back you get. Very educational. I don't seem to have brought church to a screeching halt.

Other than that I just plugged away. Did some cooking, fresh spaghetti sauce, spicy peanut chicken soup and a beer and cheese soup. First two were fine, last one needs work.


The To Do List - I've started trying to bring the to do list under control. Right now it's mostly camp prep and some spring visitations I need to arrange. Anyone want the youth missioner to come visit?

What Am I Procrastinating About? - Actually doing pretty well at this.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To?Just finished "Mainspring" by Jay Lake. First of his I've ever read and really liked it. An alternate history kind of fantasy - England stills rules the Americas, but God is in actual fact the great watchmaker and the Divine mechanism isn't running quite smoothly. Our hero has to go fix it. Interesting stuff.

Next up is "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ-The Paradox of Modern Iran" by Hooman Majd. This takes a look at Iran and it's culture through the eyes of an Iranian American. Raised mostly in the U.S. Majd helps bridge the very different ways of looking at the world. This book is a joy to read and a real eye opener. I'm enjoying it immensely. More people should read this book. It gives a much more 3 dimensional picture of who and what Iran is.


Movies - Finally! "The Grapes of Wrath" John Ford's Oscar winning movie of John Steinbeck's classic look at the Dust Bowl years. The acting style is a little dated but Henry Fonda, John Carradine and Jane Darwell are worth the ride all by themselves. It's an interesting movie to watch in today's economic times as well. We still have a lot to learn about caring for one another and accepting the stranger among us. This was a great movie

Music - OK I just "discovered" Todd Snider so I know next to nothing about him. I like his sound and this song just put me on the floor. Please note that I do not condone his pro-psychedelic drugs comments (which are probably tongue in cheek) at the start of the video. Skip by them and groove to "America's Favorite Pastime" a song about one of the weirder moments in the history of my favorite baseball team.

Todd Snider "America's Favorite Pastime" @ Yahoo!7 Video

Next Up CREDO week. I'll be going to Florida for a week in early May. It's a program underwritten by the Church Pension Fund for clergy and lay employees of the church to help us find a healthier place to live and minister mentally,physically, spiritually and financially. I'm excited a little nervous.

How Am I Doing I'm OK at the moment.
Peace

Resource Review - "I Am Standing Up"

I AM Standing Up By: Luke Long 153 pages $9.99 Published by Zondervan

OVERALL - Stories from a self described "freak of nature" (Luke is full grown at 5 feet tall and by his description about as wide as a sumo wrestler). It's a funny walk through being different and living a life of faith.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Luke takes a light hearted look at what it means to be different and some of the lessons he's learned. The book is a combination of quick stories, "freak factoids", "Stories with Uncle Luke" and comics that he's created as well. It's a funny, heart warming and very familiar tour through the painful process of trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in. Given his physique these issues are writ large (small?) in Luke's life. And he explores them all - "momentary hormone-induced stupidity", being picked for teams in phys ed, dates, friends, visits from angels and more. This book is perfectly aimed at middle school age (in fact the MS boys are gonna love chapter 12-The Peach Cobbler Story and chapter 18-Soiling Myself Shogun Style). You could treat the book as a book or just take it one chapter at a time. Each chapter has its own faith connection and Lang generally does a very nice job tying them with clear faith connections. Each chapter is an easy chunk (in a 153 page books he's created 27 chapters plus 6 other pieces)and could get some great conversations off an running. There are plenty of places for folks to connect with Luke's stories. As a parent I couldn't stop laughing at chapter 19- Cow Manure and Grace.

RESERVATIONS There are a couple places where the faith connections are awfully simplistic. Concepts like give everything up to Jesus and the pursuit of the kingdom. The ideas are certainly good but they are rather like jargon. Relying on quick pat phrases does nothing to help our young people really come to grips with a life in faith. I don't want to teach kids the cliches of faith. I wanted him to give a more solid explanation of what that means for the kids. I also got a little itchy with a small aspect of the story in the anointing of David. These are small things but because so much of the rest of the book is so GOOD these little things glare out a little more than normal.

RECOMMENDATION Once I got started reading this I wanted to finish it. Lang's stories all had a very familiar feel to me. Chapter after chapter I got the "Oh yeah, been there, done that" feeling. He reminds us that Jesus called the freak, the geek and the weak. The book isn't written as a youth program but it'll fit in very quickly. This would be a great place for a middle school group to start talking with each other. Plus you'll have fun reading the book and it just might make a huge difference for your young people.

Weekend Update April 6

The Week That Was - This was a strange and varied week. Beginning with the bad news on Monday morning, it moved on to be frantic and fun and wonderful. So it was an interesting experience. Because I was on a short week getting the first two batches of camp apps had to be a priority. And against the odds I got them out. I should get the final batch out first thing this week. But it was fold, fill, fold, close, address and stamp over and over and over. When that was done I moved on to the Province II youth ministry network meeting in Buffalo. It was the first time the network had met here and I wanted them to enjoy the city that has become very special to me. A great group of folks - Pat Mitchell from NY, Ron Rhodes from Long Island, Kep Short and Debi Clarke from New Jersey and Roger Speer from the Virgin Islands (Kai Alston from Newark is also a great person but couldn't be with us). So we got our work done (we're looking at some leading edge stuff as goals), had meals at great restaurants (Anchor Bar with Bishop Garrison, Towne Restaurant (greek) and the Pearl St Grill), checked out Niagara Falls, got some walking in and shared lots of ideas and stories. Everything you could hope for from the group. Drove home on Friday feeling like the Queen City had be well represented (and the Diocese of WNY too)

Saturday was a great feel good day. I went out and bought some new clothes - in a SMALLER size!!!! Dropped a size in the waist and the old pants were just hanging on me. So 3 new pair of pants, new shorts for the summer and a new swim trunks. I'm not really that into clothes but the smaller size just made it feel great.

My lady wife and I scoped out a new restaurant just up the road (Sapore in Westfield) and came away very impressed. Palm Sunday at church, home for the Formula 1 race in Malaysia and a quiet evening the rest of the way. Baking some bread, movie night. Very relaxing.

The To Do List - I'm in a To Do List crisis and I need to confront that. It's been a month since I updated it and I'm losing track of projects. Seems like as soon as I sit down to work on the list I draw a blank on what needs to be added. Bad sign. I know I need to add the program stuff for Senior High since I will be leading that this summer.

What Am I Procrastinating About? - The To Do List mostly.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To? Stephen King's Duma Key, is now done. An excellent read, I really enjoyed it. Plus it's made me thinking more about creativity issues again. Now I'm working on two books - Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations by David Warsh. The first is a radical, new, faith based way of approaching politics that is very different from the current faith based approach. The second is a history of economic theory. I'm reading it on a bit of a whim but it got pretty good reviews. I'm trying to fill in some gaps in my education.

Movies - Nothing this week. "Grapes of Wrath" is up next and I'm told I MUST watch "Say Anything". Been watching old Lovejoy episodes and the first installment of Ken Burn's "The War"

Music - Been hearing a lot about the group "The Decemberists" and got a chance to hear a little bit. Sounds like very much my kind of stuff. I'll have to dig around some more and find more to listen to sometime soon.

Next Up Final camp mailing, To do list update, some other camp related stuff and start thinking about Credo (less than a month away)

How Am I Doing The visit with the P2 folks was a great balm for me. I'm doing better. And that feels really good.

Peace

Weekend Update March 30

The Week That Was - I honestly have very little energy to do this after the news from yesterday(see post below). But I know Lee loved the daily details of what his friends were doing. So as with so many things at a time like this you carry on.

The end of last week saw me dispatch one of my least favorite parts of my job. The individual mailing for camp applications. It's a targeted mailing to past campers. And I have to do it all by hand, fold the application, insert health form, fold again, put on mailing sticker (to hold it closed), address label and stamp. Repeat 201 times. Many thanks to Fr. Eric for sitting and talking with me and helping out.

Went to see the kid get inducted to Alpha Zeta chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma,
the scholastic honor society for Catholic Universities. You have to be in the top 10% of the junior or senior class based on grades to be invited to join. Smart kid. The ceremony for about 40 lasted less than an hour followed by a reception. Very nice.

The To Do List - Hasn't been updated in three weeks. That's very bad. I need to put that on my to do list to get done. Plus the Province 2 youth ministry network is coming to Buffalo and I'm the host.

What Am I Procrastinating About? - Congregational camp mailings. That must get done.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To?Finished Scott McClellan's book "What Happened - Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception". It wasn't too bad. Now I'm reading Stephen King's Duma Key, his 54th novel and another #1 best seller. And I'm liking it a lot. I've never been into his scary horror stuff (Salem's Lot) but I loved The Dead Zone and The Stand. Good stuff.


Movies - Nothing this week. "Grapes of Wrath" is up next and I'm told I MUST watch "Say Anything"

Music - I've re-discovered a "local" band (they're from State College PA) that has been a long time favorite. Don't know why I hadn't put "Cartoon" on the CD player or the ipod recently but I remembered why I love them. Very folk, harmony kind of thing going on. Here's their MySpace page (my favorite here is "I Shall Carry Water"). I think you need to have Facebook to access this one from Kevin Dremel who is a member of the band. Check out the Angry Song. You can buy Living Room, the CD I've been listening to HERE

Next Up CP2 network meeting and the congregational mailings are at the top of the list.

How Am I Doing Saddened by the death of my friend, looking forward to seeing my other friends, hoping that the snow has made its FINAL appearance this morning.

Peace

Weekend Update - March 23

The Week That Was - Oh it was a beauty! About mid-week I lost my voice (my vision of hell is me trapped, voiceless for eternity) caused by the head cold that has sunk its claws into me. I probably didn't help it by singing Irish folk tunes mid-week. I'd been invited to a parish to talk about youth ministry as part of their Lenten program (thanks St. Matthias!) and they did an Irish sing along after. Which I couldn't resist. Next morning, no voice.

The groundhog continues to evade me while making more holes. And the weather, which had promised that it would get a tiny bit warmer, has instead gotten colder. Oh frabjous day.

On the bright side I fixed two problems on my lady wife's car. One involved a little creative Bondo work. My father taught me the basics of Bondo for body work on cars and I've found it's very useful for lots of other things. House repair. Repairing trim pieces on car interiors. Felt very good to get that done. Did some cooking for the first time in a while (warming up food to eat is not COOKING. Cooking involves carefully selecting and preparing ingredients and then combining them with love and whatever level of skill I can muster. COOKING is an act of prayer for me these days). Made some spicy peanut chicken soup and some red pepper/garlic hummus. Bumped off a couple other small but satisfying chores around the house too. So on the whole not too bad.

The To Do List - I hate my to do list. There I've said it. Let's move on.

What Am I Procrastinating About? - Being sick and voiceless really limits a variety of things for me to do. I MUST get the camp applications done and printed this week. Everything else is secondary.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To?Still reading Scott McClellan's book "What Happened - Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception". I keep thinking that I've lost interest then I get back into it. Need to move it along however.


Movies - "Hollywoodland" - Wow, what a cast! Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins and Diane Lane (sigh, Diane Lane). The movie revolves around the death of George Reeves, the man who played Superman on the old TV series. Reeves probably committed suicide but the standard of police work around the movie industry back in the day leaves plenty of holes to poke at if you into conspiracies. Affleck's Reeves is a rather shallow, insecure guy who was alternately a really nice guy and a jerk. The director sticks closely to the known facts and offers three possible answers to what "really happened". The problem is he gets too cutesy at times for my taste and comes off trying to show off his chops. Allen Coulter was primarily a TV director and this was his first feature film. Brody's character of the detective is the real lead in the movie but I didn't really ever care that much about him. I wanted to see the Reeves story which is much more compelling. So great cast, solid script, and an OK movie. If you're into old Hollywood, if you remember George Reeves' Superman and you've got a lazy afternoon to burn you'll enjoy this one.

Music - Back to the no music routine. It's tough to get into it when you have to keep unclogging your ears. Just put the ipod on shuffle and took whatever came. I spent part of the week with Jimmy Buffett's "Barometer Soup" and part of the week with a Sesame Street song stuck in my head. No idea why. I'm thinking of checking out a girl group called "The Pepper Pots" a Spanish group (apparently) that does a ska thing. Got a pretty good review at SXSW this year.

Next Up Camp applications plus at the end of the week the kid gets inducted into a Catholic University honor society. Very cool.

How Am I Doing Still hanging in. Hopefully I'll make some forward progress this week.

Peace