NYMC 08
Delays are Inevitable
Woke up super early so I could get to the Airport super early so I could wait super long for a canceled flight. That is right, I check my bag, get my boarding pass, take the shuttle 2 terminals over to the “small as heck” airplane terminal, only to find out that the flight has been canceled all morning. Don’t worry, I am booked for a 2 pm flight. Lord willing, I will be in Cincinnati by the afternoon.
By the way, I did not know this but “Free Wifi” actually means “$7.99 plus tax for 24 hours Wifi”! I gave in to ATT/Philly Airport’s corporate hungriness. For the 5 hours I am chilling here, it is worth it.
UPDATE: It is now 10:30 a.m. (when my 1st flight was to leave) and the 2nd flight is now canceled. I am now booked on the 10 pm flight from here. Sorry Tony Dungy, but I can’t hear you speak tonight. Maybe if I walked I could get there in time. PS. paying for the Internet was worth it. I am getting caught up on 30 Rock.
NYMC 08: An Early Start
Due to the pending snowstorm that is gonna hit the Northeast, it was decided for me to go to the Philadelphia Airport area tonight (Thursday) instead of tomorrow morning (Friday). The storm is supposed to hit the Philly area around 3 am, which would have been miserable to drive through. Instead, I am typing this post from the Holiday Inn at the Philly airport.
They have a great package here for travelers: if you stay there the night before your flight, you can keep your car there for up to 10 days. They even have a free airport shuttle both ways. And it only cost $10 more! Either I don’t travel too much and this is the industry norm, or this is a great deal. You decide.
I am a little worried about the weather, hoping it will not affect or delay my flight. I am also very excited and looking forward to some fun-filled days.
Pre NYMC 08: Part 4
Here is post #4 of 4 reasons I am excited about the National Youth Ministry Conference. Reasons One, Two, and Three were on previous days. The 4th reason may be the most obvious, or the least obvious. I am excited to Have Fun!
That is right, I am going to a training conference to have fun (and my work is paying!) But really, what else do you expect when you get 2000 youth workers together? I fully expect to see some hilarious videos (I just saw Hotel, Hotel from last year- HILARIOUS!), have some great times in the hotel (”Ain’t no party like a Scranton party!), and just have a great time! One of the hidden perks of being in youth ministry: you can still act like a teen at times!
There are only 2 more days before I leave for Cincinnati. I will be blogging multiple posts per day, so stay tuned for updates on my fun training. I will also be giving away a resource from YouthMinistry.com during the Conference, so be ready for that contest. Finally, be ready for posts about the random fun and excitement that will occur during the Conference. See you then!
Pre NYMC 08: Part 3
The 3rd reason I am excited about the National Youth Ministry Conference is directly related to the previous one. I am looking forward to strengthen my passion for youth ministry.
At times, ministry can be tiring and drawn out. It is especially draining if you are by yourself in the ministry. Luckily, I have some local youth pastors that have been encouraging and uplifting over the past year. I look forward to this conference to energize me even more. I look forward to hearing great speakers, meeting new people, and recharging my ministry batteries.
Pre NYMC 08: Part 2
The second reason I am excited about the National Youth Ministry Conference: To gain new ideas. While in ministry, it is rather easy to fall into a rut and to just keep the status quo. At the Conference, I look forward to hearing a ton of new and exciting ideas from people serving all over the nation. In fact, I look forward to learning so many ideas I cannot use/incorporate them all in my ministry. In that case, I look forward to bringing these ideas back to the other local youth ministers. That way, we can all work toward bringing more students to Christ.
Pre NYMC 08
This time next week I will be heading to Cincinnati for the National Youth Ministry Conference. While there, I will be blogging from the conference, so you can follow me here or a ton of other, more interesting people listed on Josh’s list. I know I will be following these blogs, and hopefully meeting some of these people. While preparing to go to the conference, I made a list of 4 reasons I am excited to go.
The first reason I am excited for this event: To meet new people. While the Jersey Shore is a great place to live and do ministry, I want to meet people from outside NJ. This conference is a great opportunity to interact with others and swap ideas that work/don’t work in our locales. I love hearing stories about youth groups, and love to tell them as well. Heading into this conference, I am fully expecting to meet some new people, gain some new perspectives, and pass on my experiences as well.
Stay tuned for the next 3 reasons this weekend! (Hey, I need something to write about)
