So far in 2008...

Well, since 2008 began I have been several places. We started out the year somewhere between Winter Park, Colorado & Arlington, Texas. I spent a few days at home trying to clean up Christmas, catch up on work & mail, & then I got on a plane & headed to Orlando, Florida. Every 4 years everyone on Young Life staff (national & international - about 4,000 people) get to spend 5 days together at an all staff conference. The great thing about this is that it is such a gift to be able to stay in a place that no one on YL staff could every afford to stay at, see all of our friends who do ministry around the world, & we get to be hear from great speakers & great leaders who have gone before us.

Some highlights of last week were:

*Jeff Foxworthy & giving us a list entitled, "you know you are a young life leader when..." (he & his wife are Wyldlife leaders in Atlanta - here is a link to him at the conference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLtbMVolfAs)

*Donald Miller & other great speakers teaching all of the staff

*Being with old friends, I don't get to see very often.

*Seeing about 4,000 YL staff (including their spouses)- it was so cool to see all these people, b/c if there are 4,000 YL staff & each of them have relationships with at least 10 kids (which most probably have relationships with way more than 10) that means at least 40,000 kids around the world have a Young Life leader & are hearing the Gospel!

After five days at the conference I got on a bus & headed about an hour northeast to Daytona Beach for area director school. Before you get too jealous of me being at the beach, it is really not great weather here & I am pretty much in class from 7:45am to 10pm - with a few breaks here & there. I am learning a lot, the classes just get a little long.

I will leave you with a word of encouragement that was offered to us this morning - Chazok! Chazok! Venit Chazak! (Be strong! Be strong! Make each other strong!) This is the word of encouragement offered my members of the synagogue to encourage the person who had just offered the reading of the Torah.

View of the beach from my porch