Class

This week I spent all day everyday inside for Diocesan sponsored classes. For the most part they are good, and I can see that if you are new to youth ministry they could be invaluable to you. The problem is, I have been at it for almost 10 years now, and the foundational stuff does me little or no good.

So you would think...

While the first two days were all about a document called "Renewing the Vision" (a document I review about every six months, and try to implement daily), the third and forth days were nothing but resources and how to use them. I do not care how long you have been doing ministry, if someone is going to give you resources and teach you how to use them to better your ministry, you will be elated... That is exactly how I felt... Elated.

After these days I now have resources to help me easily pass on what I know to my core team, peer ministry and catechists. To someone who in the end wants to be replaceable these resources are amazing. They allow a paper trail of things we have done, things we were planning and evaluations of everything... My guess is that most youth ministers would do almost anything for these resources. If you are a Catholic Youth Minister, or involved in youth ministry at all, google the Center for Ministry Development and see if they offer classes in your area. If they do, register... they are well worth the expense.

I think the other thing is that they serve as a retreat week for me. I get to watch those new to ministry grow and recall my own excitement when I first got involved... Despite the long hours, and overwhelming homework I have left to do, I have come away from this week rejuvenated and ready to take on the world again... Bring it on...

Prayers...

Pisio

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At 2o months old, Mikey is beginning to imitate us at every turn. He is opening up our cell phones and saying hello, babbling in "Mikey Speak" and then saying "Okay, buh bye", ""Di Doo (Thank you), buh bye" or "Lah Yoo, buh bye" and then he "hangs up. It is absolutely amazing and hilarious to watch.

He can now pull himself into mommy's computer chair. He will sit there for hours on end, like mommy, just rolling the mouse around and clicking on things. He will then turn around and yell something at mommy and daddy. Absolutely amazing and hilarious to watch.

He is saying "itchy" and "bobble" and today, I think I even heard "medicine". Sure it came out more like "mesacin", but considering it was right after giving him Benadryl for his "itchy" I think that he knew what he was saying. How fast he is growing up... I am beginning to think that I need to slow down and just appreciate this time of first with our son. Yet, as he gets older, we just seem to get busier. I need Mike to come back so that I can slow down again...

Happy belated Father's Day... especially to Rod. You have been a mentor and guide not only to me, but to many young men. We are all blessed to have you as an example and mentor.

Prayers,

Pisio

The Snail

Some people are curious about what the snail has to do with my blog. Some have even suggested that I change the header to have something to do with youth ministry... I would love to do that, but I feel it would just take something away from the site. I love the snail, and the unique layout that I have. Granted I used a pre-made layout, but I still have not come across anyone else who has chosen it...

Anyway... the snail is actually really appropriate for Random Musings. You see, I am currently just creeping my way through life. I am still feeling out married life, taking courses at UCCS, being a father and everything else that comes with middle age (Yes... I am there/ getting there). This is a personal diary blog, and in my humble opinion, even the layout must match how I am living my life. The snail is a perfect image for me.

For those of you who have commented recently about ministry, and changing the header to match that theme more, I appreciate the input. Yet, even in my approach to ministry the snail is appropriate. I just plug away now... no longer rushing in to things that I can not sustain or that will fall apart when I leave... Nope, I just build what the resources around me allow me to... IF that means sacrificing other things, that is what it means... Just plugging away...

Well... I hope that this really random out of left field post may help those of you who just pass by now and then understand what those who frequent this blog already know... I am the snail, and it is me... we are one...

PUT THAT SALT AWAY!

Prayers...

Pisio

America

From my Uncle:
______________________________________

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin
Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if
our plans for Iraq were "just an example of empire
building by George Bush?"
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United
States has sent many of its fine young men and women
into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our
borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked
for in return is enough to bury those that did not
return.

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~

There was a conference in France where a number of
international engineers were taking part, including
French and American. During a break one of the French
engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you
heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent
an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami
victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our
carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat
several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and
can supply emergency electrical power to shore
facilities; they have three cafeterias with the
capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they
can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water
from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen
helicopters for use in transporting victims and
injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven
such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference
that included Admirals from the U.S. , English,
Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail
reception, he found himself standing with a large
group of Officers that included personnel from most of
those countries.
Everyone was chatt ing away in English as they sipped
their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained
that, 'whereas Europeans learn many languages,
Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is
it that we always have to speak English in these
conferences rather than speaking French?' Without
hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's
because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans
arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went
to France on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly
gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French
Customs, he took a few minutes to
locate his passport in h is carry on. "You have been
to France before, monsieur?" the custom s officer
asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had
been to France previously.
"Then y ou should know enough to have your passport
ready." The American said, "The last time I was here,
I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Americans
always have to show your passports on arrival in
France!" The American senior gave the Frenchman a long
hard look. Then he quietly explained. "Well, when I
came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help
liberate this country, I couldn't find any damn
Frenchmen to show it to."

You could have heard a pin drop
_________________________________________

AMEN!

Prayers,

Pisio

Stability

Man do I need some right now. I feel like physically, emotionally and mentally I am on a merry-go-round of emotion. Most days right now I am down... really down, and I can not figure out why. My best guess is that I have let myself get away from that which makes me strong, yet on the surface things do not appear that way.

Sometimes I wish that I was back on Maui. I had a good friend there that could talk me through these situations. He would never offer advice, he would just ask questions. Through those questions I was generally able to see what was going on whether I wanted to see the answer or not. It was almost like he knew me better than I knew myself.

I guess in a way he did. He had been in my shoes before, and a lot of the situations I was encountering he had already had to work his way through. I guess I was lucky. Throughout my life I always had older male mentors. People who taught me how to be men and loved me enough to let me know when I was being a bonehead. A lot of my friends were left to their own devices to feel their way through life and figure things out on their own. I never had that problem.

Now, without my biggest mentor, my father, here to help and my best friends being half a world away I find myself standing on shifting sands. I have to work my way through this on my own without alienating me from those I love the most. I also have to realize that I am in a position where young men are looking at me as a model. Even Christ took some time away though... I wonder what it was that He said in those times when He was alone, in prayer with His Father... I know that I need to retreat on my own to prayer... Perhaps this time I will say nothing and just listen...

Prayers,

Pisio

Three Days in a Whale

Well, not quite three... two and a half on retreat with my peer ministry team. The retreat weekend served a dual purpose. The first was to allow the team of teenagers I have assembled to help me do youth ministry grow together, learn each other's gifts and strengths and just relax and reflect on their own lives. The second was to allow me to do the same.

I can relate to Jonah, spending three days in that fish. I watched this group of young people grow, prayed and examined the same things I asked them to, and wham... my out look changed. I have been trying to deny that I am called to youth ministry for about the last three months or so. I have been looking for other jobs, working with technology again, and really trying to get out of the call to ministry. I really did not want to go to Ninevah, so to speak.

The last prayer session of the retreat was an affirmation session. Generally I can weasel my way out of being in the middle to hear the kids tell me something positive about me. In my mind it is for them anyway, so why should I go in the middle? Well, this group did not let me wiggle out of it... Despite my protest I found myself in the middle of the circle. I had to hear how I have changed their out look on faith, how they never believed that they could be as close to God as they are feeling, how their experiences have rekindled their faith altogether... what a mentor and leader I was... I was actually close to tears.

I was doing exactly what I tell them not to do... I was looking at myself for what I am not, rather than what I am... I forgot that Christ called fishermen who could not fish to be His apostles, and God has used drunks, prostitutes and murderers to do much more than I thought I could no longer do. The weekend served to remind me that what He can do with me is only limited by what I allow Him to do...

I was locked in a fear of what He would do to my life, a stark regression from where I like to be... Looking in Awe at what He has done with my life... I guess that this is all a process and I have to realize that when I pray "Thy Will Be Done" I have to mean it... His Will is generally not mine and frankly I hope that I can learn to trust Him and be more faithful to His call again...

Prayers,

Pisio

20,000 Visitors

Just a reminder to all of you who frequent this blog. I have a special award for the 20,000 visitor to my site. If you have a blog, or web service you offer, I will review your site and provide a permanent link to it on my blog. There is an added bonus for anyone who is an entrecard member. Click here for details. Note the counter at right, and if you are number 20,000, send me a screen capture to claim your prize. Good Luck!

Prayers,

Pisio