nywc06: saturday pm - pt. 3

Once again, having a stand-up comic at the beginning of the general session was a great warm up. Part of his routine included reminding us how nice it would have been if our years in school had any practical value (i.e. "I've never climbed a rope in my life other than gym class and the last thing I want to do when there is a fire drill is walk in an orderly fashion without talking to anyone.") Personally I'm a big fan of anything that helps me make sense out of how my high school years in many ways didn't make sense.

What was perhaps most funny, though, was that I happened to be sitting in a well lit spot which the comic seemed to take advantage of. Whenever he'd put a joke out there and then eyball me to see if I liked it. If I was laughing, he'd then move his eyeball away and jump to the next joke. If I wasn't laughing, though, he'd give me a double take, lick his lips, and move on. It was actually more entertaining than his stuff.

Jeanne Stevens emceed and had some great thoughts about how we view heaven. As a side note, I once had the opportunity last year during a weekend with a church I interviewed with to sit across the table from her and hear her heart. That is, after she grilled me hard on mine. I really respect her and think the gifts she brings to the kingdom and YS are pretty amazing.

Leigh Nash shared her famous song "Kiss Me," yet seemingly seemed as if she was forced to. Her true joy lit up, though, when she was able to do her new stuff. Interesting... I wonder what the story is there.

After some solid music from Starfield that led us to worship the Lord through songs, Mike Pilavachi hit the stage and shared an amazing message in his Monty Python style mannerisms and dry humor. Here are some highlight thoughts:

• He's God, I'm not, and he prefers it that way. At the end of the day I'm just a big, fat, hairy Greek.
  
• We often build up each other and create a celebrity culture in Christendom that we shouldn't.
  
• Why look for a ministry when we can get involved with what God is already doing?
  
• So much of the Gospels show Jesus leaving the crowd and going after the "one" who was lost. Jesus went everywhere, spoke to everyone, and spent all his time with "twelve idiots."
  
• I love it when secret sin is publicly revealed. Jesus isn't about minimizing sin, but is absolutely about loving sinners. He cannot ignore that which is wrong, but he can redemptively make someone right. He thinks sinful people are still lovable which is why he came for all of us.
  
• The pressure is to create a safe castle and raise the drawbridge... a Christian ghetto where we bubble up the kids in order to protect them. Jesus modeled something different in that the One who is in us is greater than the One in the world.

My takeaway questions:

• What does it mean for me to prepare my boys for the world so that they know their identity in Jesus Christ and help a world of people to learn who they really are... and avoid overwhelming them with culture as well as keeping them from living in a Christian bubble?
  
• What would I sound like with a British accent? I mean, like a real one and not the one I fake when I want to ask for Grey Poupon?