so, as you probably know, i've recently transitioned to pastor of college & young singles at my church. it's weird to not be doing what i've always done (since college, really, when i started interning), working with jh and hs students.

we have a great core group with some real community going on (not to my credit, as it was there before i was on the radar with cys) and great things are happening. the real challenge i'm perceiving is with college students. our area of houston is not a typical college area, even though we have a handful of community colleges in our area hosting TONS and TONS of college students. most of our college momentum comes from students that are home for the summer. i would imagine this is not that rare, but maybe i'm wrong. many community college students probably have home churches already, since they are still home. in that case, it seems like the challenge is reaching unbelieving/unchurched college students on their campuses. houston obviously does not lack for churches or even large events, if you're looking for them, but i'm not sure what other churches are doing. (it's something i plan on looking into!)

in the meantime, does anyone out there have any suggestions or insights about ministering to college students in this type of setting? i'm excited to see what i can figure out and welcome helpful suggestions!

sorry for lack of posting. i'd blame being out of town at camp all last week, but then i wouldn't be able to explain why i never posted before that!

here are some fun facts about me that i'm trying to pass as blog content:

-i realized in the last few weeks that i don't think i have missed HNW student camp since the early 90s when my family joined. that's almost 20 years of summer camp with the same church. yowza. it's been a fun ride!

-people (including myself) don't realize how many bajillion freckles are on my arms because they (my arms, not "people") are so hairy.

-because of said hairy arms, a guy in my freshman english class at cy creek called me "wolfenstein."

-my brother (who is 3 years my elder) and i graduated college on the exact same day. this is not a dig... he slowed down because he started a family. oh, and i graduated early because i'm a super genius. ha

-also, my brother predominantly pronounces my name "jurmee" rather than "jair-uh-mee." (this kind of is a dig but i'm not upset with him or asking/expecting him to change or anything!)

-i know how to say "party" in sign language.

-spaghetti "sandwiches" are probably one of my top 4 or 5 favorite foods.

-i accidentally partook of a carbonated beverage a few weeks ago for the first time in years. (i hate breaking streaks... and i hate carbonation)

so, all of our church staff has transitioned into our new offices. this is my first day in mine (i was out last week on a mission trip in duncan, ok), so i'm still adjusting! i'm sure it'll be like what garth algar said about a new pair of underwear, "at first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you."

i've got three weeks of the exodus series done with the college and young singles and i think it's going well. i was nervous about my teaching style not being what the college and young singles are used to, but i think i'm just a worrier. regardless, i've enjoyed the material.

the mission trip to duncan was really good. the students we took from our church were great. they worked hard, didn't cause trouble and the guys were a blast to be with in the room. it was a great reminder of how awesome student ministry can be. i worked on replacing a roof for the first time in my life! it was funny because i have ZERO construction knowledge/skill, so before the trip i made sure i wasn't signed up to be a crew chief (who oversees a group of students and a construction project). so, i was signed up as an encourager. i fully planned to work hard, i just couldn't lead in the construction. when we met our crews, i found out that my crew chief was the only female crew chief out of all the projects and i was the only male encourager! it was slightly emasculating, but worked out fine. i really liked my crew. they all got along great, worked hard (most of the time) and got the job done. if you're my facebook friend, you can see some pictures of our work and the rest of our time in duncan.

one interesting encounter occurred on wednesday night. all of the world changers facilitated a community carnival and our new student associate, sarah, and i talked with a couple of mormon missionaries who happened upon the crowd. we sat and talked for quite some time. alas, after much conversation, neither party was convinced of anything different than what they believed when they sat down. it was, however, a great reminder of why we should know what we believe and how to differentiate between slight perversions of truth and the real deal.

and speaking of saddle... next week is VBS (saddle ridge ranch edition). the church will be overtaken with rugrats in cowboy hats. (bring on the snack room!)

ok, more updates to come, i hope. it's been a crazy few weeks!

i'm starting a series on exodus with the college & young singles group this sunday. probably can't do ALL the same stuff i did with the high schoolers, but i'm still looking forward to pointing to Christ in the rescue and establishing of israel. ya know... the important stuff!

maybe i'll turn some outlines into posts. that'll give me some content!

also starting piper's what Jesus demands of the world with the college home group tomorrow night. hoping to build some momentum this summer and take it into the fall!

not gonna question plot holes, guess at theories or try to pinpoint the theology of losticism. just gonna throw these out there:

-i think it would have been better to have jack's death scene on the island be the end. the sideways world/limbo story line was "neat," but kind of just came across as a way to make the masses happy and keep people on the show. i like how they went about it and realize that this season was made complete by that whole gimmick, but i don't think the story needed that arc at all. it was just the twisty mystery of this season.

-the jack vs. MiB battle/showdown/duel was SO fantastic! the stare down, jack with a flying superman punch in the rain, etc. epic.

-really enjoyed the eye closing in the bamboo bookend. (as stated before, i think that would have been better left alone without the "closure" of the happily ever after. but i'm not HATING that they added all that.)

-thoroughly enjoyed the star wars references (that i caught, anyway): "i have a bad feeling about this" and "yeah, he's worse than yoda."

-and, of course, loving that jack was the hero (despite what some naysayers may say ... or naysay.) "looks like you were wrong, too."

-little perturbed/disturbed by the wife-swapping and love polygons that permeated the series/finale.

-out of all of the reunion-flashback-memory-trigger things, i enjoyed charlie/hurley (because of hurley) and charlie/claire (because of charlie) the most.

-and i don't know if you saw matthew fox on jimmy kimmel last night but i believe his tears were real. that was the first time he had seen the finale, he said. (and can we get this dude an emmy, please?)

it's the most busiest time of the year. with job role changes, a new home group starting, people graduating, friends getting married, offices relocating, a wedding to co-officiate, etc. etc. it's been (and will continue to be) a little crazy. BUT i can't complain and i know my busy-ness pales in comparison to most people's. i still hope to become a more regular blogger, of course. we'll see how that goes!

quick rundown: mowed my yard last week (this is only "news" because i bought a mower and did it myself for the first time since moving in)...still waiting on official grades from this past semester...it's getting hotter (anyone notice?)...amazing race finale = thumbs down...survivor finale = meh...LOST finale = we'll see...rooting for the suns...missing college football...

the plunge
grades 6-8: july 17-20
grades 9-12: july 20-24

register at hwy249.com

i've been harras... er, asked about my dating life four times (that i remember) in the last four days. now, i'm used to fielding questions on this subject, but the concentrated effort over the last few days has been extra noticeable. (and none of these inquiries came from my parents!) questions/advice ranging from "what about so and so" to "you should(n't) date so and so" to "do you go on blind dates?" and the good ole "we'll work on that" when hearing that i'm single. ha

also, help is being offered from a variety of age groups spanning high school students all the way up to senior citizens. i'm not bashing these people or complaining, either. i appreciate their concern and know i am loved.

just wondered if a memo went out or something recently!

*sigh*

this semester of seminary is ALMOST over. all my papers (doctrine of adoption? check. egalitarianism? check. book reviews/interactions? check.) and projects are in and i'm down to the three finals. by thursday night next week, it's another semester of being in the books... in the books.

i won't be taking any classes this summer. the scheduling and funding are tough to coordinate! in the fall i'll take principles of teaching, elementary greek I and the christian home. i'll also start my required semesters of chapel.

i heard that my bff randy is halfway through his seminary education. kudos, randall. i'm gonna be a while longer.

it's been good so far, it's just slow going when i think about graduating! sometimes i fear that i'm just making the grades and not really soaking in the education. but i know i'm learning and getting to share what i learn with the people i get to minister to.

anyway, here's to finishing strong, all you students out there!

i found myself interestedly watching golf this past weekend. (i know, right?) someone take my temperature! i even alluded to the pain of watching golf in my last survey/post.

i didn't tune in for tiger, either. i did find myself rooting against him, but i didn't tune in to root against him. i THINK i was lured into watching by directv's masters coverage. they had a channel devoted to a featured group, a channel devoted to amen corner, a channel devoted to the network (CBS) coverage and a channel devoted to holes 15 & 16. then they had a mix channel (the previously mentioned 4 masters channels viewable on one channel). add to that an interactive leader board menu and some great golf and i was in.

i'd write about phil mickelson's great shots (the ALMOST back to back to back eagles on saturday and the roy mcavoy shot from the woods yesterday), but if you care, you've already seen them and if you don't, you probably wouldn't even watch them if i embedded them (which i almost did).

i still don't much about golf at all. i know you're supposed to hit a ball into a cup and you keep score by counting how many strokes it takes. i know i took "intermediate golf" as a PE credit in college and got a B (DESPITE my skill level) and the only club i could hit "decently" was the 8 iron. and i know it was impossibly frustrating.

i don't know if all golf tournaments are as exciting as the masters was this past weekend or if phil just found some "magic." don't worry, i certainly don't plan on watching golf on a regular basis. i just think it's weird that i awoke to it this past weekend. guess i'm just a sucker for some good competition. BUT i STILL can't watch hockey. blech.

one of the "giant killers" from northern iowa was on the dan patrick show this morning. here's a summary of the interview from the dan patrick show blog.

Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh joined the show to talk about his huge three-pointer to sink Kansas.

Dan asked Farokhmanesh if he thought his late three against Kansas was a good idea. "If that had crossed my mind, I probably wouldn't have made it," Farokhmanesh said.

Farokhmanesh said that he was thinking that if he didn't take the shot, Northern Iowa probably would have turned the ball over. The Panthers had problems with turnovers late in the game.

Farokhmanesh said that his coach wouldn't have said anything if he had missed, because it's not his style.

Farokhmanesh said that his nicknames are "Mohammed" and "Stroke."

-From danpatrick.com

sorry dude, "stroke" is taken. pretty sure i had it before you (thanks, bird). btw, i had n. iowa winning their first game, but not their second. HOWEVER, my final two teams are still alive... syracuse and baylor. i actually picked baylor to win the national championship. crazy i know... but how many people thought kansas would be gone after this past weekend?

there is a lot of transition coming for our church. it's all been announced publicly, so i can finally refer to the de-bagged cat.

here are the transitions in a nutshell: our student pastor (my boss), darren carver, will be taking on the role of pastor of discipleship. our children's minister, stephanie thames, will be moving to ft. worth as her husband will be pursuing his doctorate in biblical archaeology at southwestern. and yours truly will be transitioning from high school pastor to pastor for college and young singles.

so, lots of moves taking place in the coming months. it's pretty surreal right now because nothing is changing right away AND this is the only ministry i've served in since graduating from college just over 9 years ago. i think i've been on this student ministry staff longer than anyone in the history of the church (at least in the last 20 years since i started coming here as a 7th grader.) i don't say that to brag or in any way take anything away from all the great people that have served on this staff (maybe i shouldn't have said it all.) they are some of my greatest friends and fellow ministers and always will be. i just think it's weird to think about. it doesn't really feel like i've been doing this that long.

anyway, just wanted to let you know what's going on with me and ask that you pray for our church, those transitioning, the families and volunteers that will be affected and for the new team members that will be joining us in the future.

i'm sure i'll be posting more as the transitions become more "real."

so, apparently the wilsonian institute turned 1... last october. time flies when you're a negligent blogger with a handful of readers! to celebrate, i've generated a wordle, showing the 3,000 most commonly used words (excluding the REALLY common ones... maybe... 3,000 is a lot!) from all of my posts from the first to the last.

i don't know why "like" is the most common word. i feel all valley girl, now.

i do enjoy (almost used the "l" word) that the way i think is pretty well represented, though. and i'm not talking about all the "churchy" stuff (though that is encouraging). i mean the thinking, knowing, reasoning, "anti-emotional" stuff!

anyway, happy belated blogoversary to me!

this video is brought to you by the band that did the "treadmill video." if you haven't seen it, check it out here. it's genius. they also have an alternate video for this too shall pass which is pretty impressive. but i prefer this one:

ok, readers with opinions. it's time, again, for you to share.

i'm contemplating upgrading my phone to a blackberry or similar pda type device. i read a rumor that iphones MIGHT be coming to other carriers, but also heard that it would never happen.

i'm also considering joining the twitter revolution.

please tell me why or why not to do these things. and i'm not looking for compliments here like, "you would be a great tweeter." i'm already aware of that ; ) ha! but seriously, lay some logic and reason on me. pros/cons, etc. i'm interested in your arguments. feel free to use personal experiences/reasons to support your case.

and if you like this survey, maybe i'll write a big long one for you to fill out!

i read this the other day:

...the metaphysical realm is beyond our abilities to ever perceive. For example, when we see a tree, we see its outward appearance--e.g., the bark, leaves, branches--not its "treeness." We cannot perceive such things as that.

and it reminded me of this (scroll down past the rashy hands) and the conversation in the comments.

some people (andrew) really take to philosophical thought and some (molly) just don't. (for the record: molly's really smart, so i don't doubt that she understands it.)

it's just really cool (and often entertaining) to me how differently God wires us!

thinklings moot-ichlorian counts:

rod: 35,000

bird: 28,000 with tolkeinian pipe (20,000 without)

bill: 21,500

shrode: 19,000

blo: approx. 18,500 (never around long enough to calculate)

i wanna give a shout out to the year 1985. it was, pop culturally, a really transformative year for me. not the actual year, per se, but what came forth from it. such as...

ronald reagan is sworn in for his second term





we are the world
i love the description on this particular youtube upload: "its by michael jackson and a couple of people. and its super touching :]"

compact discs

the dairy queen blizzard

the tv show growing pains

a ton of great movies, including a few of my absolute all-time faves:

spies like us






fletch




back to the future




the goonies

some killer cartoons:

m.a.s.k.




thundercats




wuzzles






and one of the biggest, eternally insignificant, influences of my entire life: the nintendo entertainment system

1985... my hat's off to you. (readers, if you're not standing and applauding by now, i worry about you and am sad for you.)


honorable mentions: microsoft windows 1.0 is released (figured that might draw some jeers), teen wolf, disney's gummi bears, jem

our student ministry's promo videos now have a home on youtube! check them out here. (copyright infringement probably abounds, but please don't call the popo... paul quoted other writers in the bible.)


here are a couple of my faves (and not just because i'm in them... promise):



*couple of insider jokes that aren't too hard to "get" here: adam really hasn't interned with us or lived in houston since 2005 but was home for some special occasion when we made the video and riley is 18 now (and not 3 feet tall).

and (after that) if you're tempted to think we're not original:

ok, so just a quick update... watch me for the changes and uh, try to keep up...

my home computer died, great christmas with the fam, good to see my bro, becky, and the girls, pleasant "surprise" visit from my cousin justin, got to moot (missed the last one) and even tried to participate in non-movie discussion this time, uncle danny brought the best tasting smoked turkey i've ever tasted and rambled entertainingly about texas history as usual, new year's in dallas (avatar, the village church, lame bowl game), da bomb's wedding in arkansas, back to work (not an easy adjustment), replaced dead computer, washer and dryer should be coming tomorrow, too, grades from the fall finally in (not too shabby), cracked some cases at the college partay last night after abs.com and, of course, national championship tonight!

i won't go so far as to call those all the highlights because there were great moments that i'm sure i'm forgetting/leaving out. i know you feel like you were right there with me! now go hunker down as God debunks global warming...