Father's Day Stats

Here are some statistics my pastor shared with our congregation this morning in light of Father's Day (obtained from the National Organization of the United Methodist Men):

• Percentage of youth actively involved in their church's youth ministry remaining Christians in adulthood: 17%
• Percentage of youth whose mothers bring them to church who will remain Christians in adulthood: 35%
• Percentage of youth whose fathers bring them to church who will remain Christians in adulthood: 93%

Sobering statistic for those of us in youth ministry, and a strong call for men to fulfill their roles as the primary disciple-makers in their families . . . It makes me wonder if youth ministries should spend more time ministering to and equipping fathers to do what God has called them to do than planning youth programming.

To all the fathers who faithfully raise their children in the Christian faith . . . Happy Father's Day, and thank you!

Smokey Is Wrong: NC Wildfires

Eastern North Carolina has been fighting wildfires since a lightning strike last Sunday evening (June 1). Smokey, you say, "Only you can prevent forest fires." I'm not sure we could have prevented this one. Since it has not rained since June 1st, firefighters are having a tough time containing the flames. The fires have spread to 56 square miles (about 36,000 acres).

Though the fires are a county away, we are experiencing our own effects on the OBX. My house smells like smoke. My throat and eyes start burning when I go outside (it didn't help that I rode my bike in the smoke last night). There's a hovering smoke haze over the island. The picture below is from my back yard just before dusk.

Apparently, the local hospital is having a hard time filtering the smoke out of its ventilation system. Can you imagine what it's like for people who have lung and breathing problems? It must be pretty rough for those who actually live in Tyrrell, Washington, and Hyde counties.

It's windy here, and the ground soil in this areas is filled with flame-accelarant peat. Without significant rainfall (little rain is forecasted for the next 10 days), the fires could continue to spread and not be contained for up to two months.

Student Devo Website

A few youth pastor friends of mine and I have started a daily devotional website, www.studentdevo.com, for youth in 6th-12th grades. We take turns writing the devotions. Each day, we look at a different chapter of the Bible. For June, we'll be in the book of Matthew. It was a challenge to write a blog entry on an entire chapter, but it was fun. Our hope is that students will use this site to grow daily with the Lord. We also want to help students develop other spiritual disciplines, so we will soon be adding links and articles about prayer, Scripture memorization, tithing, etc.

Feel free to share this site with youth in your church. We want youth to not only read but also to comment on our devotions and share their stories with one another. I'm excited about this new resource for our kids!

Top 10 OBX Signs of Summer

10. The arrival of 2800 international student workers

9. The average speed on roads is 5 MPH below the speed limit.

8. License plates from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and Kentucky (I even saw Alaska last week . . . must be a rental)

7. Lifeguards in the stands on the beach

6. Low flying airplanes with trailing banners

5. The haze that hovers over the ocean

4. Drivers slaming on their brakes to check out a store or tourist trap

3. People riding their bikes on the left side of the road without a helmet

2. Lines at the seafood buffets

1. Awesome worship services! (people who go to church while they are on vacation have an amazing relationship with the Lord)