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It’s 2009. Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

By BONO
Published: April 18, 2009

I AM in Midtown Manhattan, where drivers still play their car horns as if they were musical instruments and shouting in restaurants is sport.

I am a long way from the warm breeze of voices I heard a week ago on Easter Sunday.

“Glorify your name,” the island women sang, as they swayed in a cut sandstone church. I was overwhelmed by a riot of color, an emotional swell that carried me to sea.

Christianity, it turns out, has a rhythm … 

Read the full article here.
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Small Groups Vision Becomes a Reality!

8 years ago when I began working as a youth pastor full-time, I never would have guessed that I would be so passionate about small groups. In fact, I was almost passionately against small groups. Not that I thought they were bad, I was just more into the big program. Well, God takes Sauls and turns them into Pauls, and that’s what he did with me in terms of small groups. My first senior pastor will remember almost literally having to beg me to put my time and energy into small groups. I didn’t grow up in small groups – although looking back I do remember a few months at one point when I was in junior high that I did go to a couple of youth leaders’ houses which I now know were small groups. I never really participated in a small group as an adult, although we did go to a couple of homes on a couple of occasions for ministry time. I was simply not very interested. I didn’t understand the power of what can happen when people truly go life-on-life. All that has changed. Today, small groups are a mountain I am willing to die on. 
Four years ago when I was interviewing for my current position, I told those interviewing me that small groups were the direction I was planning on going, and that within two years we would launch them. And we did. It was exciting. We went through that initial surge, the dip, and then leveled off with around 45-55% of our regular kids connected in a small group. This spring I decided to try something new. I wanted to do a sex series, but I wanted to use our small group infrastructure to do it. So, I took a risk. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I knew that I had to put my money where my mouth was and prove in my actions that I believe that small groups are the way to go. I actually asked kids to register and pay to be in a small group to talk about the most taboo subject in our culture. The first Sunday we had a fairly decent response, and I was mildly optimistic. The next two weeks, however, I was blindsided, and so many kids signed up. Yesterday I registered even more, using up the last workbooks we had, to the point that I even had to turn several students away, because we simply did not have room or workbooks for them. Unfortunate, but wow! What an incredible win for us! During this series, we have almost 80% of our students in a small group! We have 8 groups, but one group is too large, so next week I am planning on multiplying it and starting another group, so we’ll have 9. Glory to God! Last night I traveled to five of them, quickly saying hi, dropping off a bag of chips, and taking a group pic. Next week I’ll hit the others and post the pics.





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Planet Impact Worship Team Members Part of Mass Choir At Battle Cry!

This past Friday night and Saturday the Planet Impact worship team members had the tremendous privilege and opportunity to participate in the mass choir for Battle Cry at the Izod Center in New Jersey in front of over 14,000 people! It was a great experience, and we are so proud of them for their hard work! Way to go guys!






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1 Year After Back Surgery, 5 Mile Run for Burn Victims!

One year ago I was barely able to get around using a walker following back surgery. To celebrate the one-year anniversary today I ran in the 27th Annual St. James Fire Department 5 Mile Run. The proceeds from the race went to help burn victims. It was a beautiful day, and I completed the race in 48:31. There were probably 300 runners, and I would say I was in the first 100 or so. The hills wee pretty tough. I run a lot on my treadmill, but I don’t really use the incline, so my body is not used to hills. Next time I will train for them, and I am sure I can improve my time. I just learned of the race two days ago, and, of course, my goal was just to finish. lol

After the run, I ate breakfast with the girls, then we went to the church to serve at our church’s workday. Following that I hung shelves and hooks in their treehouse then did a bunch of yard and house work. Then I crashed! Very full and productive day!
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Daddy-Daughter Day




Today Adriana took our worship team members to Battle Cry NYC where they performed this evening as part of the Mass Choir in front of about 15,000 people! We were able to watch them live on www.god.tv and spotted several of our students in the choir. 

The girls and I spent the entire day together. I had a town meeting from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. so they just hung out and colored while that was going on. When finished, we went to a park overlooking the Long Island Sound. The girls played on the playground, and I basked in the sound of their laughter as I read some Leo Tolstoy (The Kingdom of God is Within You). After that we returned home where we got into our work clothEs and painted the outside of their tree fort. We painted the inside back in the fall. It’s really cool! We painted the outside traditional camouflage, and when you open the door you enter girl world – the entire inside is pastel camouflage (pink, light blue, and purple). After painting the tree house I made the girls some dinner and it was off to piano lessons and choir rehearsal. We are now watching a movie together. A fun day with my girls! Thank you Jesus!
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A BIG BEARD for small groups

In celebration of a major win, I am growing a beard for the next seven weeks. I’m calling it A Big Beard for small groups. Four years ago when I was interviewing for the position I now hold, I explained to the pastors and members of the board that within two years it was my goal to launch small groups as the backbone of our youth ministry. Two years ago we launched. It was an awesome time for me. Through the ups and downs, challenges and rewards, we have kept at it, experimented, and said small groups are a mountain we are willing to die on. Well, I was absolutely thrilled last week when we had 67 students register for & PAY to be in a small group for the next seven weeks for a series we are calling Live Pure based on the Good Sex 2.0 curriculum by Youth Specialties. Just think about that. In two years well over 50% of our students are not only in a small group, they were willing to pay to be in one. Wow! Thank You Jesus! May this be an incredible, helpful, fun experience in authenticity and community that will shape how they view their need for Christ-centered fellowship. Amen.

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Love This!

I was checking out David Bazan’s website the other day and absolutely loved what he is doing with his tour … house shows! So great! Check out how he’s doing them here. 

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Making a Family Mosaic



This evening I had to run to Sports Authority to pick up dodgeballs for our Killball Tournament tomorrow night. I took my eldest daughter with me, and before heading home we stopped by Michael’s to get her some supplies for a hobby she is beginning. While in the store I decided to pick up a craft we could do as a family on this our designated family night. I found a Mosaic Stepping Stone. After eating dinner together I mixed the cement and mom and the girls laid out the pieces of broken glass in a pattern that we though symbolized our family. We designed a cross with a heart in the middle and put our first name initials in the four corners along with the year, 2009. It will take two days to completely dry. It was a lot of fun, and a special time of creativity and teamwork. After we finished Adriana went out for coffee with a friend, and my youngest daughter made me some coffee that was really good! She asked if she could have a cup, and I said yes, but then she chickened out. lol!