TOP TEN REASONS TO TRY YOUTH GROUP:

10. Football games don’t start that early, right? (MSYG meets at noon on Sundays)
9. After being home on Saturday, there’s no food left in your house by noon on Sunday.
8. You’re already here for the 11:00 Mass.
7. Homework is like Purgatory: why go there before you absolutely have to?
6. Positive spiritual activity in the lives of youth often leads to positive spiritual activity in the lives of their parents.
5. You’re still not sure whether Adam & Eve had belly buttons.
4. Rumor has it you can earn extra points from Mrs. Prevot for attending.
3. You haven’t discovered yet how to pray while simultaneously playing charades.
2. As Bishop Conley would say, “If you want to go to Heaven, why walk when you can take the bus?!”
1. We will be really glad to see you!

How is God working in YOUR life this week?

From a young adult who volunteers her time at All Souls:

God got my Mom and I home safe from Europe this week and looked after us while we were away. We had many trials on this pilgrimage but since God was so prevalent in our group, we were able to make the best of the situation.

Has EWTN joined the 21st Century? :)

To be honest, I usually only watch EWTN when I'm trying to fall asleep, since the voices, music, and graphics on their channel are usually either nondescript, soothing, boring, or some combination of the three... (with the exception being Fr. Corapi, who has a voice created to preach).

Anyway, I just caught a quick clip from their latest creation, "Crossing the Goal", a show about masculine spirituality based on a sports desk/talk show concept. The good news: it actually looks like somebody put away their 1990's floppy disk with "Catholic Clip Art for Classy Bulletins" and handed the concept/design over to a legit graphic artist.

You can check it out here:
http://www.crossingthegoal.com/video

I'll have to try watching a whole episode to see if it's engaging. I wonder if they'll feature "player profiles" or "sideline commentary"...instead of just hanging out in their fancy studio sound stage.

In Case You Missed It:

Here are the youtube clips from our "Jaywalking" session (we used a smaller segment of each).





And here are the related discussion questions for families to consider at home:

1. If you saw a Jay Leno walking toward you on the street, would you talk to him if he stopped you to ask questions for his “Jaywalking” segment?
2. How would you respond if he asked, “Why do you attend youth group?”
3. What if he asked you, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
4. Why does it matter who we say Jesus is?
5. Would knowing—really knowing—your answer to this question change anything in your life?
6. If we’re not sure how to answer this question, how can we discover WHO he is? Where can we look?
7. What are some examples of “Fake Jesus” we see in pop culture?
8. Who is Jesus NOT?
9. Refer to Matt 16:13-17

A walk in the park...

While I'm looking forward to the golden aspens of autumn, a few lucky office workers will still be appreciating a "walk" through lush, green grass with these grass-growing flip-flops that Krispy Kreme passed out in the UK. (The grass allegedly lasts four months! That's well into blizzard season here in Colorado...) :)

What do grass-growing flip-flops have to do with youth ministry?

Well, since I can relate just about any two apparently incongruous topics, let me tell you!

I just returned from a wonderful retreat in Vail, CO. It's a three day/two night retreat opportunity offered annually for youth ministers in the Archdiocese of Denver. In addition to praying and worshipping together, we learn from a guest speaker, and share ideas on topics like mission trips, volunteer appreciation, and peer ministry training. The best part, though, is the chance to hang out with each other. It was so great to spend time together on the ride up, over meals, on walks, while playing "Battle of the Sexes", and in our rooms at night, chatting before falling asleep in the big, comfortable beds, piled high with feather pillows and down comforters. (And no, we obviously weren't "roughing it"! I called it a retreat--not a pilgrimage or a mission!)

What's that have to do with odd, grassy flip-flops? I kinda think both offer an opportunity to "step" out of the ordinary. While the flip-flops might remind us of a carefree romp through a green, grassy meadow, a retreat reminds us of our God-given purpose and our calling to our True Home...Heaven. There's something about a retreat that puts our ordinary lives in perspective and arms us for returning to the battle of daily life. And I firmly believe that retreat experiences are essential to the life of any practicing Christian. After all, Jesus modeled it for us! He spent 40 days in the dessert before he entered into his work on earth as prophet, priest, and king. Who are WE to insist we don't need a similar time of prayer, reflection and formation?!

When was the last time you experienced a retreat opportunity? Have you ever?? We'll have both fall and spring retreat trips for both junior and senior high youth. Consider joining us. (And if you're a parent, we can help you find opportunities for grown-ups, too!)

Oh, by the way, Vail was beautiful.

We were awed and blessed by the chance to spend a few days there!