Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Great start to leadership conference.

I'm spending this week down in Orange County with a group of guys for a student leadership conference sponsored by Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry. The conference kicked off Tuesday evening with a great first session: dynamic worship with Jadon Lavik, some hilarious games (and banter) from Josh Griffin and Allison Hibbard, and a strong, inspiring message from Doug Fields.

Doug encouraged the students (and us adult leaders, too) to be the kinds of leaders who stop, learn to be quiet and make a connection -- three priorities that can help us refuel spiritually. Some other memorable statements:

  • Leaders can't lead effectively when they're spiritually empty
  • Each of us has a soul that needs to be refilled
  • Silence is an essential ingredient for spiritual growth
  • God won't fight the noise and distractions in our lives; we must make that choice

There are apparently around 750 student leaders here, from all over the country. Heard about some folks from as far away as North Carolina, maybe even further. We simply hopped in the car and drove 9 hours to get here (some meals and pit stops along the way, of course).

Wish we could have brought a larger group to the conference. I didn't have an adult female leader/chaperone to join us, so I only invited guys next year. It would be great to bring back a larger team next summer.

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