Grandpa Toad & Rad Night

The prelude to 80s night (Rad night) looked a little something like this:

I was putting on the finishing touches of blue eyeliner and pink lipstick when I see my phone vibrating on the bathroom counter.

Hello?
Annie, it's JD. We are running a little bit late. Do you mind unlocking the youth room and turning on the lights? Oh, and can you plug in your computer and play 80s music until we get there? We'll be right there.
Um sure, no problem. See you in a bit.

I hang up the phone and quickly throw up a side pony with plenty of hairspray, grab the office keys, and dash out the door with my newly puffy-painted flats. One volunteer has shown up already so we get the room ready together, waiting for Sean and JD to show up with the BBQ. Again, my phone rings.

Hello?
Annie, it's me again. The car's on fire.
Excuse me?
Yeah, we saw a lot of smoke and then when we opened the hood there were actual flames. We don't have a fire extinguisher so the fire truck is on its way.
Wait, what?! Really?! No way!
(slight chuckle), Yeah. We'll be there soon. Do you hear the fire sirens?
Yes!!! Ok see you soon...

I hung up the phone and had a minor laughing fit as I relived the conversation with the rest of our volunteer staff. Our car was due any moment to turn into flames. We couldn't drive 3 miles without the hood smoking, regardless of how much fluid we put into the car. After seeing a mechanic, we were told that our car was the equivalent to an 80 year old man and would require a lot of TLC until it finally died. Well, driving it was like driving Mr. Toad's Wild Ride so we affectionately called the truck "Grandpa Toad." Apparently, Grandpa Toad croaked tonight...

The rest of the evening was spent listening to 80s jams, eating BBQ, and playing Tetris with our high school kids... All the while listening to Sean and JD retell their version of seeing Grandpa Toad catch on fire and calling the fire department, only to have the fire naturally go out before the fire truck actually arrived.

Despite the fact that we are now without a car, the night was pretty genius. Here are some photos to give you a visual of our radical outfits and fun:


Upper left: Jess and I in the kitchen
Upper right: Becca and Jessica in 80s attire
Mid left: Pete and Jeff rocking the air hockey
Mid right: Sean and JD sporting mustaches and heinous 80s get up
Bottom left: Me, JD, Sean, and Jess - youth staff and friends

Another reason I love my job...

Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 am are particularly exciting for me. These are the times we as a youth staff have set aside to discuss the ins and outs of ministry... which often turns into hours of brainstorming and rethinking youth ministry. As we left our meeting today I couldn't decide if we should be called hippies or border line commies (jk) who are infiltrating the lives of homeschoolers and military kids of Kailua ;)... It could take years to put the ideas we tossed around today into action, but if they ever grounded into the institution of the Church, youth ministry would begin to look very different than it does today.

"Organic" was the word of the day as we thought of several different models of ministry that might work not only for our church - but that also embody the essence of the body of Christ and represent the Gospel of redemption. What if youth group was not just another program that fills up a night of the week with games and a message for our already over programmed kids, but if it served as a living, breathing microcosm of God's kingdom and the Church as Christ intended... What if we took a spiritual inventory of our kids (not through cheesy surveys or tests, but through the nature of relationships - and probably through small groups) and found out not only where their passions are, but how they might serve the kingdom and worship God with the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit! And then, maybe, just maybe, we might actually put those to use...

Now, I know a lot of churches use their students for leading worship and probably some other areas too, but what if we took it a step further... And I'm not talking about making "teams" or "committees" (i.e. - hey I'm on the prayer team, or I'm on the welcoming committee), not that teams and committees are bad - because I think they can be good and are often used effectively... but what if students used their gifts simply because they're gifted, not because they've signed themselves up for another commitment. Before you think I'm nuts and dreaming out in far left field here (and maybe I am, but I don't care) - let me share an example I thought of this morning...

As I read my "Thinking Theologically about Youth Ministry" book in the comfort of our blue recliner, the concept of using our students and their God given gifts in youth ministry was threaded throughout the chapter and got my brain ticking a bit... I really want to go beyond the realm of meet and greet and worshiping through music as the focus points for using our kids' talents - because let's be honest, not only does it not fit for each teen (singing is not my forte, that's for sure), but it can also sometimes shape our idea of "church" into the box of singing songs and being hospitable (which are very good elements in and of themselves; please don't confuse me on this). But I think there's more we can be doing. For instance - one of our girls designs her own clothes. Another girl takes sewing classes. I myself have made a t-shirt or two... why not use our gifts in designing cute clothes (or not so cute clothes, whatever) and give them to the poor? Or perhaps we get a number of students who care about solidarity and as a people who love Jesus, learn to build relationships with the poor. Or maybe youth group on Wednesday night looks more like a united front of people growing in the name of Jesus rather than a bunch of kids who have every single Bible story memorized but lack true passion for Jesus... (speaking of apathetic teens as a whole, not slamming our kids)

Some of these ideas won't practically work... some of these ideas only work in small churches... and some of these ideas really should be at the heart of every youth ministry. As I write this (rather poorly considering the thoughts that are actually swimming around in my head)... I feel like the typical response to this post might be "wouldn't it be nice..." or "you're dreaming sister..." but I can't help but feel like God - the all powerful Creator of the Universe - has something more for His kids. I don't actually know how that plays out or what that looks like, but I do know that our youth staff is searching for it.

By the way, a lot of these questions and ideas stem from our ministry directly (high school, not junior high - jr. high is it's own little story). We have a group of extremely mature high school students who are natural leaders, and who we are trying to stretch and challenge beyond the model of ministry implemented at this point in time. Wacky and crazy games have their place in ministry, as does snack, corporate worship, preaching, etc., but as our culture shifts and the needs of students change, the old school model of youth ministry is rapidly losing its place and the church today finds itself at a critical crossroads in terms of how ministry is executed (which we will have to revisit for another day).

So maybe our students turn out to be hippies who make their own clothes and hang out with the poor because they recognize the sanctity of the Least of These, but hopefully they love Jesus in a raw and refreshing way because they've seen Him in a context that is real and tangible and goes much further than the doors of the church.

Love my Job...

There is something to be said for seeing a middle schooler stick palm branches down his shirt and carry them over his head in attempts to remain "hidden" during an intense game of Capture the Flag... coupled with face paint and pitch black access to the entire church grounds... It was a game of epic proportions for these kids. And I'm not gonna lie, it brought back pretty sweet memories of my junior high youth group and the church-wide Capture the Flag games we played - anyone out there remember the RAD zone??? ;) Anyhow, off to bed after an exhausting but fantastic evening of ministry... Tomorrow brings North Shore with the parents as we cruise around the island to watch enormous waves, sip Hawaiian-grown coffee, and walk around quaint Hale'iwa.

Glory-filled Skies

This morning caught me waking up to my obnoxious phone alarm at 6 am. My goal was to hit Morning Brew early, finish some reading, and hammer down my lesson for tomorrow night... all before 10 am and the craziness called Thursday. As I walked out of our cottage, a glance around the parking lot and then the sky beyond it caught my breath as I muttered a "thank you" to God for placing me in such a beautiful place. Really I think God was just showing off this morning - as if He woke up early and decided to design an extra special sunrise with extravagant pockets of rose, gold, gray, and aqua hues... all tucked beneath streaky white clouds surrounding the steep mountaintops that border our small world. A drive through sunrise caught me seriously considering a detour to the beach or the marsh near our cottage to sit and watch the sky transform. I thought better of it when I remembered I'm trying to cram two days of work into one (my parents are coming tonight so we're trying to front load our work day in attempts to spend more time with them). A cup of coffee has appeased me and the gray sky outside only holds memories of this morning's splendor. Must get back to work... Just checking in :)

A Discovery

For your viewing pleasure, I have now compiled a few photo albums of life since the wedding - you can view them by clicking on the link to the right...

Dill Pickle and Peanut Butter Sandwiches... and Eggs

I've been an experimenter since I was a kid. In elementary school I tried my hand at baking a cake from scratch - without a recipe. Had I used baking powder, the cake might not have been flat as a pancake. In junior high I discovered my love for dill pickle & peanut butter sandwiches... or, if I was feeling really clever, peanut butter with cake sprinkles sandwiches. Throughout high school my friends scoffed at my love for green olive & cream cheese croissant sandwiches which often frequented my lunch sack. A delicacy, in my opinion.

Along with my experiments & odd taste buds, I am also capable of being a complete disaster in the kitchen. On most days I can follow a recipe pretty decently... most days. There was the day when my cousin Julie and I put two CUPS of salt into the gingerbread cookie dough rather than two teaspoons (we were eight I think, and it was probably my fault - she is a fantastic cook). The lovable men with cute buttons who are supposed to have that sweet gingerbread taste came out of the oven tasting like they'd been immersed in the ocean. On another tragic occasion, I attempted to make low fat muffins which called for self rising flour. We had all-purpose - which means it functions with multiple purposes right? Wrong. The muffins looked like play-doh.

Then of course, there are the days when the recipe is followed closely, but my clumsiness (or stupidity) takes over and peanut butter is splattered all over the entire kitchen because I tried mixing the peanut butter with the wrong hand blender (my mom might still find some behind the refrigerator or in the lazy susan), or the ground turkey I've just made and put into a plastic container is suddenly sizzling because the plastic container, which I brilliantly placed on the previously hot burner, has now melted completely through so that the meat is reheating and a funny plastic odor fills the room (hey I'm getting used to electric - and yes, this did happen two nights ago. ground turkey everywhere).

Believe it or not... I do have my fine moments when experiments are a success and a recipe is followed to the "t" without any mishaps. For instance, I have been on an egg kick for the past few years. I love eggs - well, egg-whites - and one of my favorite things to do is create more ways to use eggs in my meals. In college, my roommate Jackie and I came up with the 310 Scramble: egg whites with diced ham, avocado, cheese, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and garlic salt. This particular breakfast was served at least three times a week with either an english muffin or corn tortilla, and always with coffee. We also enjoyed sharing a large artichoke dipped in garlic butter sauce served with raspberry mochas (don't ask why - but for some reason the flavors really complemented each other)

With adjusting to our family economy (aka - dirt poor), we have discovered newfound creativity in the kitchen with leftovers. Lately, I have enjoyed fixing an egg white omelet filled with JD's Puerto Rican beans (which have green olives in them for flavor), rice, hot sauce, and plenty of cheese... the Groves omelet. JD prefers more of an egg bake: a bowl stacked with rice, beans, cheese, two or three fried eggs on top, and more cheese... eggs a la' JD . I might add, these meals may be served for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner...


Now that you are probably completely freaked out and wondering if I do much of the cooking for the family, it will give you great relief to know that JD is the chef and we eat quite well when he wears the apron. If I do attempt to prepare a meal, however, JD keeps a close eye on me until he can't handle it any more and flees to the living room while he waits for dinner to be served...

Bon Appetit?