justjoslyn

This is our last day at NYWC. I didn’t get a chance to write yesterday. The “digital lounge” here is usually pretty packed, and then when I actually DO get a chance to write, I feel guilty taking up time when there is a line of people behind me.

Yesterday, though, I attended a “super seminar” (which means it was 2 1/2 hours in length as opposed to the average 1 1/2 hours) on being a Youth Pastor’s wife. It was more of an open forum, than seminar, as the leader, Cathy Fields, mostly facilitated discussion between women in the room with concerns and suggestions to others on how to better equip ourselves being the wives of men who have unselfishly committed themselves to a career dedicated to helping farm young people into Christ-fearing adults. Whew. that was a long sentence (it was a long seminar). Even though I haven’t been giving Cathy Fields a lot of credit (she has been married to a successful youth pastor/author for 20+ years) I did learn a lot from the other women in the room, who have experienced a variety of rough times, dissention within their churches, a lack of time spent with their very dedicated husbands, etc. I came to realize that so far, Brad and I really have not had to deal with the brunt of what some couples have had to go through in their own churches. I learned that I need to have more grace when it comes to criticism from others regarding my husband’s job performance. I have to accept that there is a more than likely chance we will have to move on at some point. As scary as that is – as much as I don’t want to move away from my comfort zone or leave the students we have come to be so invested in – it is a fact of life and the nature of youth ministry. I am, afterall, a youth pastor’s wife, and to quote Cathy Fields, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I learned a new word today: egocentricabstraction. Apparently this means we all have an abstract way of influencing the way others think and behave, but we don’t care.

How reckless is that? Here we are as adults with the ability to influence the life of a child, teenager, young adult, yet we act so carelessly with our words, actions, and emotions.

It may seem odd that Brad and I are gaining so much knowledge from people named Tic, Chap, and Marko, but it’s true! So far the conference has proven to be uplifting, enlightening, and refreshing – just as I anticipated. Our spirits are being renewed as we are encouraged to “JUMP” (the theme of this year’s conference) back into youth ministry with the same young heart we had at the beginning of this incredible journey.

The next General Session is about to start and I’ve just agreed to let Brad go ahead and find us seats, when finding him will now be quite the challenge in a theater filled with approximately 7500 other zealous youth workers and their undoubtedly committed entourage of volunteers or spouses…

…there are others waiting in line for the limited access to the hot commodity of internet access here at the conference center, so I will leave this post “as is” and write again tomorrow. Tonight we venture to ROCKETOWN here in “Music City, USA” to see a Thousand Foot Krutch/Hawk Nelson concert. Funny how both of these bands have been in Rockford within the last few months, but we finally get to rock out to them here in Nashville…

So my husband told me to post an entry sometime soon as we are getting ready to leave for a 10 day vacation to anytown, USA that just might end with the suffix “ville.” Nashville, Knoxville, Evansville… the only exception is Staunton, where his family lives and where we will ultimately end up for Thanksgiving.

Neither of us can begin to tell you how eagerly we have awaited this vacation. This holiday of sorts. Both of us have careers focused on “serving the masses.” Brad tries to instill a relationship with Jesus Christ in however obstinent and self-righteous, but fun and self-conscious, pre-teens and teens. Myself, on the other hand, work trying to instill socially acceptable daily functions in people who live in the gravest of conditions. So, when we are presented with an opportunity to go on vacation, we relish in the time together – alone. Which, with the amount of time we are going to spend DRIVING on this trip, will be a lot.

I am going to try and post while we are on vacation, especially since we are starting off by attending the National Youth Worker’s Convention in Nashville, TN. This convention is going to spiritually replenish us and give an opportunity to remember WHY we do the work we do. We are going to hear awesome bands (including Jars of Clay – the band I fondly refer to as “my boys”), listen to amazing comedians (who said Christians aren’t funny enough to leave your side aching from incessant laughter?), and most of all, be taught by incredible, educated, spiritually strong people who are serious about seeing our minsitries flourish and see the workers, who are blessed by the hand of God for the work they do, be lifted up and encouraged so they maintain, above all, their sanity.