LCMS Nationl Youth Gathering

Every three years, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) throws a huge party! 25,000+ youth show up and bring down whatever town it's in and praise the one and only true God until their voices are hoarse from screaming, their feet are swollen from walking and their adult leaders are ready for a good long nap coma. They call it the LCMS National Youth Gathering. 

This year, San Antonio played their part and they played it well. They were awesome, to say the least. The police were on top of their traffic control, the restaurants served us until they literally ran out of food some nights and the locals wanted to be a part of the energy. Cause honestly, you can't help feeling the vibe when 25,000 young people are wandering the streets with awesome respect, loud voices and God's love showing through their hearts. 

I am going to avoid too many details of the trip and let some photos do the talking. But, I do want to say how proud I am of my youth group. Three years ago, the Gathering was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was too old to attend as a participant, but pretty much made the decision, that unless I was physically incapable of attending, I would never miss one of these celebrations ever again. And so, the door was opened for those a little too old to attend as a participant to volunteer as a Young Adult Volunteer, also known as a YAV. My first experience as a YAV was incredible. It was much more liberating to see the Gathering from the inside and have zero restraints on how I wanted to best experience everything that it could offer. I was a on a team of other young adults who did the ushering for the morning bible studies and the Mass Events at night; which are big parties with music, skits, testimonies and extra thrills thrown in that happen each night of the Gathering. We had so many people attend the Gathering that in New Orleans, we were housed in the Super Dome and last week in San Antonio, we were in the Alamodome!I was blessed enough in San Antonio to not only be able to volunteer again, but lead a team of volunteers and usher the Mass Events once again!

On top of these nightly hooplahs, they have on-site servant events, off-site servant events, basketball courts, indoor ziplines, concerts, speakers, university booths, photo booths, internet cafes, obstacle courses, drum circles, volleyball courts, blood drives and so much more to keep all these kids occupied in between nightly parties. And the party doesn't stop there, they have night life activities at certain hotels where participants can keep the party going even after the Mass Events.

To say that this isn't some of these kids best week of their lives is probably an understatement. These Gatherings are a huge reason why I am where I am in my spiritual walk. I probably never would have become a youth leader in the first place.

When we went to New Orleans, We had 4 kids, 2 adults and myself as a volunteer representing our church. Not bad for a congregation with roughly 140 members. However, in three short years, we sent 12 kids, 5 adults and 2 volunteers! Praise God! I was mostly absent from the youth during the week because I was busy with my duties as a volunteer, but when I met up with them after the Gathering conclusion, they asked me to lead the final bible study for the week. When that bible study turned into an absolutely moving testament of the growth of faith, I was floored. My prayer was that these kids would find some piece of God during the week. They were all in different places in their walks and I just wanted them to find a piece. They found a whole pie. Many are now talking about going to the Concordia University system for college. Some are already going to Christian universities this fall. 

As I look forward to the move in less than a month, I can't help but thank God for the chance to celebrate with these kids one last time. They have taught me more about my faith than I have probably taught them as their youth leader. 

For more photos, please visit www.bonessphoto.com

My Youth Group, Pre Gathering.

Some of my Team of YAVs at Charlie wants a Burger for dinner.

Looking good in their Sunday best for a special Gathering workers Worship service.

At Lulu's for 3 lb cinnamon rolls!

Writing cards for terminally ill kids.

A little drag never hurt anybody.

All of Team Durango in our place of work.

I can't even photograph all the people in the Alamodome at one time there were so many!

4th of July fireworks.

Youth Group - Post Gathering.

Being Christian is Hard Work

"⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!"
- Philippians 2:5-8


Being a Christian is hard. It's not always rainbows and cookies after church. It is a lot of work to maintain. 

Just like any relationship in life there is give and take. You have to put in effort to keep friendships and relationships afloat with any sort of life. You can't expect your friend to always be there for you if you never ask them to hang out, buy them dinner or listen to their problems.

Being a Christian is the same thing. Sure, there are some lifestyle standards that God holds us to. Don't curse, help the helpless, fellowship with other believers, drink coffee after church. Those things may make us feel Christian, but do not make us Christian. Being Christian means we are followers of Christ. It does not mean we attend church every Sunday or work in the food kitchen twice per week. While noble and Godly, God wants us to have a relationship with Him and that is what truly makes us Christian.

I find that I feel less Christian when my relationship with Jesus is lacking. Maybe I haven't been to church in a couple weeks, or prayed as much as I should, or opened my bible for a while. I feel like I am not even a Christian at all without those things. I'm still a good person, I still help people in need, I still tell people I am Christian, but I don't always feel that way because the relationship is hurting.

Anyone can have good morals, stand up for injustice, and do what's deemed right, but what really separates Christians from others is our relationship and I pray that everyone continues to nurture that because just like in any earthly relationship, it is a two way street and Jesus needs your input.

Just Love

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

As I said yesterday, my prayer was that God would guide the discussions that get posted to this blog. And once again, despite working for 11 hours today, God placed another topic on my heart.

I have discussed Christianity a lot lately. I don't mean the Christianity of who Jesus was or what denomination I am. I mean the Christianity of Christians. You know, the people who are Christian. Too often do we get caught up in things so unworthy of our calling, that we lose sight of why we are Christians in the first place.

The beginning of this topic stems from a lot of conversations lately about what makes a Christian. Is it their tithing? Is it how many souls are saved? Is it believing gay marriage or abortion is bad? Probably not. In fact, definitely not. Too often do people judge me when I tell them I am a follower of Christ. Assumptions of conservatism, craziness, and, ironically, judgmentalism pop into their minds. Who is really being judgmental here?

I am not who you think I am. I have tattoos. I have piercings. I like saving the environment and don't mind sitting in church next to someone openly gay. The point is, I don't care what decisions you have made in your life. God created us ALL in His image. Not just me and my family or those at my church or those at the church next door even though we don't worship together. Not even just Christians around the world or only those persecuted. He created Muslims, Buddhists, gays, black, white, Latinos, disabled, athletic, overweight, blind, and all the others In. His. Image. Period. 

So, if you are a human. I don't mind you. I will pray for you. If you are a God fearing, bible reading, knee praying, Christ follower, I will pray with you. And if you haven't found Jesus yet, that's ok, cause I still love and pray for you. 

Don't judge me. And don't judge others for their differences. When did we lose sight of the greatest commandment? Love. That's all He wants. He wants us to love Him and love one another. It's not our right or our place to judge others for their appearance, baggage, or present circumstances. Life has a way of sorting these kinds of things out and I don't want to be at the front claiming to know how.

Visual Witness

"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed. 
 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all." 
- Isaiah 53:5-6


Welp... It's Monday again. And to add to the start of the week, it dropped 20 degrees over yesterday and snowed. The good news is. I survived. Mondays don't necessarily feel like Mondays to me anymore as I am not in school and have two days off work, not in a row that don't occur on the weekend. The only reason that I truly know it is a Monday is because I went to church yesterday and generally Mondays follow Sundays. Go figure.

I decided that when I started this blog I would let God guide the discussions that I post. Mostly I would allow any ideas that popped into my head to be thrown up onto the screen for all to read. But apparently I haven't taken my ipecac today. So, just as any Christian blogger may do, when inspiration fails, reach for your bible. 

I read today's daily verse from my bible app, which is written at the top of the post, and it reminded me of something mostly different from everything in that verse. Tattoos. 

I am a believer in tattoos. I think they are true art and can have incredible meaning and witnessing principles. Now, before anyone starts condemning me for marking my body. Hear me out. In Ezekiel; Ezekiel 34 to be exact, the bible talks of God as the shepherd of His people. He rebukes the leaders of the church saying. "You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally." He calls those leaders the "shepherds of Israel." They are the leaders, the spiritual leaders of the Jews and they have done a terrible job having any kind of compassion for their flock or passion in their profession. He says that He will "remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them."

The chapter continues and talks of how God will become that shepherd needed by His people. He will tend the flock, guide them and leave the flock to find any and all lost sheep and return them to the flock. He will judge the sheep and lead them to rich pastures. 

I think that is a beautiful portrayal of how God is to be viewed. We are humans. Because we are humans, we make mistakes; we are sinful. We are not perfect. And because of that, even God's chosen people were being led by shepherds that did not have their best interest in mind. But, God never gives up on us, even the one sheep that strays from the flock. He will personally go out and find that sheep and return it to the flock. He has our best interest in mind and will lead us to the best pasture.

I want to get that beautiful portrayal of God shepherding his flock as a tattoo. I want a whole arm sleeve dedicated to this chapter and God's continual shepherding of His flock. I want to have comfort in knowing that God will never leave and I need continual reminders of that fact. We all do. 

However, many of you might quote the most common verse against tattooing in the bible; Leviticus 19:28, which states, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." This is a controversial topic as some people believe this verse as infallible truth. We are not to get tattoos or mark our bodies. I am not one to tell you that you shouldn't follow this because as long as you love God and believe in your heart that what you are doing is the right thing and in God's plan, I have no ill to speak on you. 

The context of the verse is early in the historical narrative of the bible. Moses and the Israelites are defining the new kingdom of God on earth in Israel. Because this is God's chosen land and God's chosen people, He wants it to be pure and He wants it to be unblemished. For that reason, Leviticus can be defined as a book of holiness. It is full of instructions to follow in order to be an individual in the community of Israel under God's protection. Moses tells the Israelites in the verse stated above that God didn't want them to be like the pagans who would cut and mark their bodies as a way to gain attention from their deity's. He wanted them to be more pure and righteous than the pagans. 

However, in our day and age, tattoos are not meant to only be religious in nature. They have gone from a purely paganistic ritual to expressions of each unique individual. People get them for every reason from just wanting one to see what it's like to cultural rituals in which the individual getting the tattoo uses the art as a shield from animal spirits taking over their bodies and actions. Check out the powerful video of this occuring here. 

In my mind, I use tattoos as a part of who I am as a person. I depict important aspects of my core being. God being at the center. I have four tattoos at the moment, all depicting important puzzle pieces of my life that have shaped who I am as a person. Two of them are Christ centered and I intend for them to be witnessing tools as well as reminders to myself of the love God has shown and the reminder of his unfailing support of my life. Tattoos are generally not seen as a christian undertaking, albeit the stigma is slowly changing, and the people mostly drawn to tattooing their bodies are unchurched. If I can reach one of those people on their level because they are attracted to my tattoos, it opens the door to talking about my beliefs and my love for Jesus. Something that God calls us to do; be disciples.

Tattoos aren't for everyone and some people may not think they are pure because of God's instruction and that's OK, because God will certainly use you in a different way to reach people that my tattoos can't. That's what makes us unique and even more clearly defines the unique traits God has placed inside each of us.