My Visitation

Tonight I did visitation...Youth Ministry visitation. What does visitation look like for a youth pastor? Tonight it looked like a Middle School band concert. Last week it looked like the East High musical. The week before that it was the East-West game. Every week it looks like a high school cafeteria. I do visitation...mine just looks like a concert.

Why? Because when I do visitation I meet new people. I meet students who are consistent in my group and I meet their friends. I meet parents. I see students who come to be youth ministry every once in a while and I remind them that I know their names and they matter to me. I see members and non-members. Visitation matters.

This weekend, I'll probably see many of the students I saw at band concert. Every week after visitation, I see more students. It's good stuff. It's good to be seen in the community and to see others. I like visitation...even Middle School band concerts.


By the way...We got a house! The church purchased a house and offered it to us as a parsonage! This means that we're going to move from our 14 x 34 cinder block apartment to a real house! It's a great old house that's been recently remodeled! We'll be living the upstairs which is probably 3x bigger than our apartment! Washer, dryer, etc etc...It'll be great for life, sanity, ministry...Thank you God!

Shuffle Up and...

The first five songs that come up when I shuffle my iPod/iTunes...Just for fun...
1. Lead of Love-Caedmon's Call
2. What Would You Say-Dave Matthews Band
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For-U2
4. How to Save a Life-The Fray
5. Prodigal-Casting Crowns

Just kind of fun...

Lord Have Mercy

I walked to school today in the pouring down rain, the type of deep rain that soaks everything. Beth had the car, so I had to walk. It's not a long walk, but it's surprising how long a 7 minute walk can seem in a bone-drenching rain. By the time I was at the end of the street I had water dripping off my hair and eyebrows. My sweatshirt was soaked through, and I knew that I had a long way to go before I finally got inside. I kept hoping that someone I knew might see me walking to school and stop and pick me up, but it didn't happen, so I walked in the rain. As I walked, I kept singing the words to the Michael W Smith song "Lord Have Mercy." It's a song that we're teaching our Youth Group during Lent, and I find it particularly meaningful. The chorus is simple:

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy on me
Lord have mercy
Christ have Mercy
Lord have mercy on me.

As the water started to run down my face and drip off my nose, I kept singing "Lord have mercy on me." As I sang and contemplated my wetness, I kept coming up with one phrase

"Lord have mercy. Wash me clean. Lord have mercy and wash me clean."

May the Lord have mercy on my selfishness. May the Lord have mercy on my power-hungry attitudes that often seem like I've got it all figured out. May the Lord have mercy on my ignorance of those who are hurting. May the Lord have mercy on my oppression of the poor and hurting. May the Lord have mercy on us all. May the waters of baptism and redemption flow off our heads like raindrops. May we be clean.