On August 9th, I will be competing in my first triathlon. It is a sprint distance race and should be fun. My main goal is to get comfortable with the triathlon thing and hopefully train for a few more this year. Either way the money is down on this one.
My hair is long. My face is rugged. I haven't made a phone call in weeks. I am feeling a bit slow and down. I realize I have an entire summer of events that need to be organized; already scheduled but still a lot to do. I have been trying to get out new t-shirts for the last month. Haven't changed a thing within our youth ministry for months (I am normally full of new ideas). To top it all I have been just slow around the office and my desk is a mess! Besides responding to emails my communication to the outside world has been cut down a ton. I am not sure what it is. I recognize the approach, it is the same one I took during college. Go for the 'C' and everything will be fine. Thats not what I want for our ministry and even greater it is not what God wants for our ministry. How can I be more effective? I ask my self. The funny thing is I already know the answer. Put in the time. Do the work God has called you to do. If someone in a business setting did not do their job the entire business would crumble around them, but for some reason I have told my self that the church will be fine and the job will still get done. It won't! I have become to comfortable with the numbers we have been putting up at our gatherings. I am fine with just knowing students names and nothing else about their lives. Should I stop at 50 students and cut off numerical growth? Should I end relationships at a name? No way. I know I must keep going on. I should not rest until I have changed the world. It is easy to see change in one person and feel like the job is done, but there are still millions out there who need Christ. There are still thousands of youth in my own community who don't have a relationship with Christ. Is the job ever done?
Accept,
John Denton
Google 'youth pastor guitar hero' and you might be surprised to see who is number one!!!
This picture was taken four years ago (notice me on the right). It was at my first summer camp with the youth group. After being on staff at Central Community for four years and getting ready to take the youth group to our fifth summer camp. I realize now I am probably a little more experienced than I was in 2004. When I first started out as youth pastor I always had problems with students not taking me serious, and/or talking to me as if I were one of the guys. Now students always compare me to their parents and often ask me if I am over 30 years old. A lot happens in 4 years. Tons of fun stuff, a few hard times, but in all I have loved my time at Central Community and am really looking forward to this next year.
I don’t get to surf that much right now because I am so busy with school, but I spend a good deal of my day dreaming about good waves and fun times with friends. It’s hard to explain in a way that people who have never surfed can understand. There is something about surfing that feels so good. When you are on a wave the only thing you are thinking about is that wave, that moment, and what your next move is going to be. Over the last few months that clear and focused state of mind has appealed to me more than ever. Too much has been on my mind and more stuff keeps piling up. When I have gone surfing the conditions have been less than desirable but exactly what I am looking for; an escape from my daily routine.
Accept,
John Denton
What a better way to celebrate my 100th blog, than with this voice mail I received yesterday. Thank you to everyone who keeps on reading my blog for some crazy reason. I love writing everyday and I always wait around for comments, and try to respond to everyone. Yesterday I was even able to help a guy get online with grand central. Thanks for reading my blog.
Accept,
John Denton
Another day. Today take a few seconds and give me a call. Just click the above button, enter the number of the phone next to you (you have to click off the leave my number private box if you want a call back), your phone rings, you pick it up, magic: its already calling me. Then leave a message in my voicemail inbox. Grand Central is pretty neat. It allows you to choose any phone number you want in the United States, and forward all of your calls from you new number to all of your existing numbers at once (its does tons of cool stuff check it out). Oh yeah, as of now its invitation only, leave your email address in your message and let me know why I should invite you, and maybe I will (I can invite 10 people). I can’t wait to here from you.
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The anticipation is building here in the office at Central Community. We have a new Starbucks coming our way (only a block away to be precise). There was not a Starbucks in Riverside three years ago, now we will have four locations all within three miles of us, on the same exact street. The new Starbucks looks pretty big and it has a drive through. I think I might walk to it every day; maybe I will go read a book, drink coffee, and lounge around?
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I haven’t played golf for two weeks and I miss it. Check the picture of Sean teeing off at Oak Quarry’s signature par 3. Sean is a great friend; we enjoy golfing together, talking about random sports facts, and sharing our afternoons with each other. Sean golf’s way better than I ever will but is still patient enough to wait for me when I am struggling on a particular hole or simply playing bad golf. The last two weeks I have let small things get in the way, and stop me from golfing on Mondays with Sean. Often we let these little minute details destroy our big plans and fun times that we could be having. This week get out there and do it, don’t let small things stand in your way.
Accept,
John Denton
On November 10th, Glue boys, a feature length documentary, will make its world premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the Artivist Film Festival. It will be screening at 8:15. You can purchase tickets now at www.artivists.org or find out more information about the film at www.glueboys.com. Bring a friend, date, or spouse and come out to support this great film project. Philip Hamer, the film’s director, contemplates the future of the world’s estimated 150 million street children and documents the day-to-day plight of a handful in Kitale. The film also unveils the distribution chain of their addiction to sniffing glue, from the small-time street dealers who facilitate it, to the authorities who enable it, to the massive multinational corporations that profit from it (www.Glueboys.com). I had the privilege of working on the project with Phil and have seen his heart and passion for these children first hand. You will not want to miss the world premiere of Glue Boys.
Accept,
John Denton
How to make a video blog:
Step 1
Record yourself talking with your webcam, video camera, or cell phone camera
Tip- unless you are great at improve you might want to make an outline
Step 2 (optional)
Edit your video blog: Add title music, funny pictures to support your vlog etc.
Tip- You can use the software already on your computer such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker
Step 3
Post your video blog to a video host such as video.yahoo.com or use bloggers built in upload video utility to let blogger host the video for you (Safari users don’t have access to the blogger upload video utility).
Step 4
Insert html provided by video host into your blogs html (if you used bloggers insert video utility you will not need to do this step).
Step 5
Publish your blog and look super hi-tech.
Word to the wise: Go out and buy a MacBook and perform all of these steps with ease thanks to the built-in webcam and iLife 08’
Stephanie and I are big fans of Angels Baseball, not the strange kinds of fans who paint rooms red, buy red cars, and haven’t missed a game for five years. We like going to a game now and then and watching a few games on TV each week. I think it’s interesting the community that forms around a baseball team and this community grows in times of excitement, like the play-offs. I, like most Angel’s fans, hope that they make it to the fall classic. If not, it’s ok; they’ve had a great season. Every day I check my email to see if I have been selected to purchase World Series tickets, but I have not received an email yet. To end this random blog I have one thing to say, “Let’s go Angels!”
Accept,
John Denton
Marc Echo, as you have probably heard, purchased Barry Bonds 756 home run ball and held a vote on what should be done with it. The vote came in and 47% of the voters said the ball should be branded with an asterisk symbol and sent to the baseball hall of fame. It bothers me that Barry Bonds has never tested positive for steroids yet so many people are quick to jump to conclusions. If steroids were the magic homerun pill every high school baseball player trying to get an edge by using steroids would be blasting home runs. Not to mention years of Major Leauge baseball players who used them and never came close to hitting 756 home runs. Why would Marc Echo want to destroy a piece of history by putting an unfair and unearned mark on the ball? Let’s Vote on what should happen to Marc Echo (The poll is located in the top right corner of blog)!
Today I played in a golf tournament with my dad and a few guys from church (as pictured...sorry about the low quality image). We signed up for the tournament a month ago looking forward to supporting a great local ministry and having a fun day of golf. Last month it was 110 degrees for a few days in a row, and if you would have told me we were going to have insane rain and 60 degree temperatures today, on the day of the tournament, I would have laughed. Not even the rain could hold us back from having a good time golfing together. In the end it was a nice day of golf and it will give each one of us a good golf story to tell for the next few years.
How to talk like a Pirate-
The basics
Pirate lingo is rich and complicated, sort of like a good stew. But if you just want a quick fix, a surface gloss, a "pirate patina," if you will, here are the five basic words that you cannot live without. Master them, and you can face Talk Like a Pirate Day with a smile on your face and a parrot on your shoulder, if that's your thing.
Ahoy! - "Hello!"
Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"
Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."
Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."
Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "My team is going to win it all," and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!
Go out and have fun with this basic introduction on how to talk like a pirate. After all today is ‘Talk like a Pirate Day.’ I have never been one for talking like a pirate but maybe you will enjoy it. Check out this pirate picture of Stephanie and me.
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