I am finally back! I just returned last night from the oddly industrialized city of Cincinnati, OH attending the National Youth Worker Convention. Basically, it is a gathering of some 4000 folks who love kids and minister to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. All denominations are there, tons of folks from their 20's to their 70's! It's an amazing gathering of folks! I went this year, not really expecting to go. My "brother" and his wife, decided since the good ole continuing education rug was pulled out from underneath me, they were somehow going to make sure I attended. They made some phone calls and that was that, my registration was paid for, the hotel was paid for, and the van was paid for. Basically, all I had to pay for were lunches, and whatever else I wanted my grubby hands to purchase.

So, eight of us piled into a large bulbous van last Thursday morning, and drove from Janesville, around Chicago, around Indianapolis, and into Cin-city. The drive was marked with about 100 miles of non-wet pavement as it rained all the way there, some seven hours! For those who have no idea what Indiana looks like, imagine travelling west on I-94 from Fargo, halfway between that and Jamestown. Flat, fields, smells, and wind! We stayed downtown at the Garfield Suites. Not a bad hotel, but I am not going to stay there anytime soon...too many staff people that made it really obvious they do not care about the customer.

I thought I would list then, the highlights of the trip as opposed to me detailing them for you. I might elaborate on a few...here goes:

1) Going to the Rock Bottom restaurant that first night. The waiter leads us to our table, I hear a voice call out my name, and I see one of the coolest, nicest people I know from way back in our college days. She is there also for the same reason. Coincidence? I don't think so...
2) Watching the college football game of the year! I feel your pain Michigan!
3) Seeing, er, hearing Mike Pilavachi speak. Mike is one of my heroes, and is definitely an anointed man of God, and is someone I would love to follow around for a while and soak in his wisdom.
4) Going to a seminar on Porn! Well, actually it was about understanding the power porn can have on our lives and the lives of young people, and how we can be a voice of understanding and change when it comes to addiction or temptation to it.
5) Hearing from the stage, in front of 4000 plus people, the president of Youth Specialties begin his general session speech with, "I am an arrogant ass!"
6) Seeing an actual drug deal go down across the street from our hotel! Oh yeah, fun was had by all!
7) Seeing the David Crowder Band for like the gujillionth time play! They never disappoint!
8) Grabbing a Reuben sandwich from the world famous Izzy's by our hotel. I usually don't like the hoards of sauerkraut on anything, but this was definitely a sandwich that I will never forget.
9) Buying some great books...one of which I have already read. Craig Gross wrote a great book titled, "Dirty Little Secret." It's a book about, as I have already mentioned up top, about the unsaid and destructive addiction of porn, and how it can be combated in our churches, and in our lives. The topic is one that I have seen firsthand how familes and my friends can be prone to its lure and how they cannot defeat it.
10) Driving seven hours through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to come home to Wisconsin is not all that enjoyable, but when you have a strange and fun crew as we had, it can be tolerable! Group bonding in more like it!

Anyway, I had a good time, and I am thankful for my brothers and sisters on this weird journey of learning about our faith and especially how we can all minister to the youth of today. It's amazing! More later...