Archives for October 2007

From two army men and Harry Potter himself on their way to school.

We asked students to make a list of statements about their family. They could be fun, tragic, positive, negative, anything. We passed out cards and gave them just take a few minutes in the service last week to describe their family.

We selected a bunch of them to use in a video piece which I’ll post later, but here’s the list of stuff they said in no particular order. It certainly proves family is a roller coaster and students need a safe place to be themselves. Godly mentors are desperately needed to safely navigate this world we live in today. Oh do they need that!!!!!.

(PS… if you’re reading this and on the off chance, your son or daughter goes to our youth ministry- try to avoid assuming that whatever is true of your family was written by your student. There were 110 students who could have turned in cards and lots of their stories overlap. I share them here purely as a reminder of a the varying family situations and feelings represented in a simple weekend youth group meeting.)

1. My mom laughs like a stupid bird
2. I’ve never met my dad.
3. My dad is Australian
4. My sisters and I fight a lot…so when we’re not fighting we feel funny
5. My mom and sister disowned our family. They don’t love me
6. My mom doesn’t believe in God
7. I wished my mom would have died
8. My mom thinks I’m fat
9. My parents are divorced
10. My family fights every Sunday morning on the way to church
11. My mom cheated on my dad
12. My grandma races in NASCAR
13. My brother is my best friend
14. My cousin is in jail for running down the street nude
15. I try to like my brother but lately I just don’t
16. My family is inter-racial
17. I feel like my dad needs to try to parent more
18. My uncle is a pimp/drug dealer/bartender in Costa Rica
19. Both of my parents are illegal immigrants
20. My cousins are prettier than me and my grandma isn’t afraid to tell me
21. (sad face) ☹
22. My mom collects Santas. She has 100s. Its one of the few things I claim as inheritance.
23. My cousin, aunt, and grandma all got pregnant at 17
24. My brother and I don’t have a relationship–at all. I think he hates me.
25. I have 9 brother and sisters
26. My family plays an intense game of spoons every Christmas
27. My mom lives with the pain of a disease
28. My mom always yells so I never know when she is mad or happy
29. My family is very quiet
30. (drew a family picture) Dad (Satan horns), Mom (Satan horns), Me (angel halo), brother (Satan horns)
31. My sister puts me down. Everyday.
32. My sister calls me a mistake.
33. My mom is one of my best friends
34. My grandma writes death threats to the president at least once a week
35. My parents are divorced but best friends
36. There’s 8 people living in my 2 bedroom, 1 loft condo.
37. My best friends have become my family
38. I am best friends with my brother
39. My aunt gets extremely drunk at every family reunion
40. My parents are OLD
41. My grandparents are racist
42. My grandma died when I was 4 and my dad never told me
43. My stepmom thinks she is psychic
44. My aunts think that they are actual, real angels
45. My dad has been in prison since the day I was born
46. My sisters raised me
47. My dad’s a redneck and likes to go bow-hunting for deer
48. My grandpa is a drunk. I haven’t heard from him in a while.
49. My dad speaks in outline format
50. My mom sings really ugly songs all the time
51. I used to not like my mom, but now we’re really close
52. My family is big on talking while the TV is on. I’m the only one who HATES it.
53. My parents can’t stand each other most of the time
54. My dad trusts no one. He thinks my friends steal from us.
55. We eat dinner at the TV
56. My dad is a pastor and my uncle grows marijuana
57. My parents broke up before I was born
58. My family is always on a computer
59. We can’t sing at the dinner table…but we can base on each other
60. I love my family because we all get along
61. My dad and I get in fights everyday
62. My mom and I both snort when we laugh
63. My sister is a recovering alcoholic and drug user
64. My brother enjoys farting on people
65. My cousin is in a psych ward in Chicago
66. The only reason my brother and I get along is because he cooks for me.

We’re in a new series in our high school ministry called, “It Ain’t the Brady Bunch” and it’s all about family. Here’s the series breakdown of the 4 week series:

1. It Ain’t the Brady Bunch…. but it is my family.
2. It Ain’t the Brady Bunch… but they are my parents.
3. It Ain’t the Brady Bunch…. but these are my wounds.
4. It Ain’t the Brady Bunch…. but I can shape my future.

We decided it’d be fun to play our version of the Family Feud on week one. So, we made each table into it’s own family and did some “survey says” contests. You know, where they survey 100 people and then list the top “x” number on the board. Well, I didn’t feel like looking around for the top 100 lists on the internet, so I just poled my kids instead. I asked them each to come up with 3 answers and it then became, guess the top 9 things the Berry Boys said.

My favorite category was “Name Stuff Mom Needs.”

Here’s the list. They make me laugh.

Romans 12 calls us to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. This fire thing we went through in San Diego county as brought fresh perspective to that verse in my life in recent days.

Here’s a church family in Rancho Bernardo or RB that was damaged by the fire. You may want to follow their blog in the coming days to know how to pray and maybe even how to help some fellow followers of Jesus who got their world turned upside down recently.

If there ever was a time in Southern California where people are looking for help and seeking find the hands of Jesus in true community… today is that day.

Driving out of my neighborhood about an hour ago, it started to sprinkle and then God gave us a rainbow. There’s thousands of people in San Diego County that need a rainbow of hope today. I’m praying it comes from God and through God’s people. On Sunday I’m going to join my high school students as we commission ourselves to do just that.