K.C. Wahe - Follower of Jesus, Husband, Father, Pastor, Student, Blogger

Posts will be limited. Getting ready for a  couple of retreats.

I’m not an Astros fan. The team I wanted to be in this spot choked back in April. You got to love it though. 18 innings. 1 winner. And a really tired old man…and a happy young pup who I don’t know, who decides to help end the game with a really big homer. All about the team. Old guys…and young guys. If the Astros don’t make it to the World Series…this game was sure sweet to watch.

(Found this here)

Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters.

I have no doubt that God is in the midst of the news of this weekend that a 7.6 earthquake rocked South Asia. I pray for God’s love and peace to some how enter into the suffering that most of us will never experience in our lives.

Simple. Yet profound. It wasn’t huge. Yet it was powerful.  Recalling some of what I took away from YS…Chap’s ideas…my paraphrase;

1. "Know their names…
Isn’t this the truth? There are days I have total recall and I remember someones name. There are days I can’t even remember my own name let alone someone else’s. There is a pre-school here at our church that I’ve had a wonderful time working with. Monthly I lead a small chapel for a bunch of the kids. This has given me many of an opportunity to meet several of the parents. One day my wife ran into one of the parents at the local elementary school where my kids attend. Deb had a chance to meet this parent and both engaged into some small talk. Deb told me later that this parent commented on the fact that I had remembered her name when I had seen her some where in the community and that she was impressed with this. I believe this is true with our youth. Kids want to be known. Kids wanted to be recognized. They want to be remembered. Knowing their names is a must.

2. "Look them in the eye…
Something about this is powerful. Chap was trying to emphasize the need to connect with kids more then just being that adult authority. Many of the adults in their lives don’t give our kids the time or day when it comes to having that "eye to eye" contact. When you look in a kids eye, you can learn lots about that kid. It also tells the kid that you care about them enough to make eye contact. It tells them that they matter and that they are more then just a kid…and that they are loved and that their life is just as important as ours.

Chap also talked about the need to have a 5-1 ratio of adults to kids. I’ve thought about this and have wondered what this would look like in our youth ministry here at church. Five adults praying, remembering, listening, watching, and celebrating a kids life? What would happen if we got our older generations of our church to participate in this? A kind of behind the scenes mentoring…I can only imagine what could happen…I only would hope that our kids wouldn’t find the need to go into hiding…to run from the junk of life…and to rely on those in their lives who actually care…and what a responsibility for those of us in the church…to not only participate and actually help make this happen…but to help our parents…to equip and to mentor them in the art of loving their kids…in a way that will keep them from feeling the need to go underground…

Old news…just found it here. My new method for outreach…evangelism…and a chance to proclaim the gospel…how come I never come up with the cool ideas??? Silly Princeton… 

After going to one of the many youth specialties seminars this past weekend I was thinking about the whole blogging thing and many of our youth who spend time on their myspace and other blogs…even our adults who’ve gone underground in the land of technology…I know it’s easy to do. It’s another way of coping. I’ve done it. This blogging thing was one of my own issues in the beggining of my own young naive blogging experience in that it was and is a way of escape for many…on the flip side (and I know this is contradicting) I’m an advocate for adding to the world of the blog, a kind of dialogue that is uplifting of the cross and edifies the church and proclaims the gospel in a new way…through the use of our computers…

I pondered what I’d be thinking if I were a kid of this day and time when it came to computers and stuff…for me as a youth I didn’t have a way of going under ground if you will when it came to survival as an adolescent growing up the 80’s…when it comes to youth ministry (heard this "underground" phrase from Chap Clark this past weekend which I strongly agree with)in some ways I wish I didn’t know about blogs like "myspace"…it just means that kids are going to find other ways of going "underground" to deal with the "stuff" of life…

below is something I’ve kind of worked on that I’m prayerfully considering using…as a talk…lesson…or a sermon…focusing on how we as the people of God unfortunately avoid the pain and struggle of life’s "stuff and go underground…(if you borrow it…just give me the credit…pretty please)…it’s just an idea I had…to illustrate the need to face the "hard stuff…and to find another way of coping…other than hiding…like so many of us do…and to run toward the Lord for the peace and strength to deal with life’s junk…and to look for others who would walk alongside us in the pain of life, be it a pastor, a youth pastor, someone who has a love for the Lord…and has a heart for nurturing those who need assurance that they aren’t alone and to be able to move through the "stuff…with out giving up…

Meet my best friend…I have lots of friends. Well. Maybe some. On a daily basis I try. I try to get people to like me. I talk. I listen. I share. I watch for what’s in and what’s out. I’ve even been on the side that has hurt others and has been hurt by others. I’ve been caught in the middle. Rumors. Things said about me. True. Some of it. Most of it a lie. A lie to get others to accept me. To care for me. To love me for me.

When I think about it though nothing works. I’ve been hurt. Bruised. Abandoned. Those who’ve been my friends have left me. I’m alone. The friends I have don’t even know my name. Don’t know what I look like. As a matter of fact I’m a different person when I’m around them. I’m beautiful. I’m liked. I’m as popular as the next person. I’m rich. I’ve had sex. Well. Okay. Maybe not, but in the kind of circle of friends I’m talking about I’ve had lots of sex. I’ve even lied about my race.

You see, if my best friend could talk, it could tell you secrets. Secrets. Secrets that my parents would die over if they knew about. Secrets that could change the course of time. Secrets that could haunt me, have haunted me, and will haunt me for as long as I live.

Meet my best friend…

My computer keyboard…

You see. I can talk to my best friend daily. When no one listens. My friend listens to me. When I’m on-line, I can rest knowing that my keyboard will keep me safe from the hard reality that life just plain sucks. Rejection. Hurt. The pain of knowing that there isn’t a soul in this world who would dare like me if they knew me for who I really was.

In many ways my best friend has protected me from every kind of hurt. Twenty-six of his buddies help me formulate my wall of protection. Protection from the world outside. When I know I’m about to be hurt I can delete anyone and everyone from my list of friends if I wanted to. My blogging "my-space" friends. My instant message friends. I’m also quick and witty. I’ve always wanted to be witty. I’m so jealous of those who are quick with their words. When I’m in public I have this tendency of shutting down. Not being able to say a word. For fear of being

Laughed at…ridiculed…rejected…

And when I get home. I can sit in the quiet of my room knowing that I can. I am. I’m able. To just be me. TO be free. To say what I want. To listen if I want to. Knowing that if you hurt me. You disappoint me. I will delete you. I will tell you how it is. I will even let others know how you hurt me. Because. You don’t know me. You won’t know me. You can’t know me. And I’m not afraid.

Mom and dad don’t know. Don’t care. I cover it up well. They try. They forget that this is my day. I’m quick. I learn fast. I can change passwords. I can log in onto other places. I can even post from that cell phone they got me. And they don’t know what happens when I’m out at my friends house. By the way? Did I tell you there are several of me?

My keyboard. I will always have my friend. My friend is universal. The letters don’t change. And my friend has another friend. Meet my mouse. How I love my wireless mouse.  

Just some thoughts. It makes me even want to work harder at loving our church and it’s youth for Christ…and that he would intervene in those places that hurt…

I’m realizing I went crazy with the wonderful discounts YS usually has in the area of books and music…I’ve added a few books to my "emergent" library…and  acquired some of  Mr. Crowder’s stuff.

It’s been a slow couple of days since YS. My oldest son asked me about YS last week and said, did you have fun?" My response was…"Yeah…it’s kind of like summer camp for youth pastors…Youth groups tonight…normal stuff. Next week I get to go here for a "first call" pastors retreat. Then I come back here for a presbytery pastors retreat with this guy who I have no doubt will be a treat to hear. Planning a trip here in November for the family unit. It’s been a while since we’ve lounged with Mickey.

Pastor Carol showed me this today. Isn’t this the truth about church and ministry sometimes?

Back home safe and sound…

Back home safe and sound…