Inukshuk along the Rainbow Trail

Inukshuks

"Silent Messengers of the Arctic"

When you see one it means...
'I've been here before; you're on the right path'

Cert School: Day 3

Another great day.
starting with lectio divina

Peer MinistryWonderful family style meals

Biblical Introduction with Professor Frank

a bit of the raising moon over the mountains

late afternoon run

Cert School: Day 2

games, group building, peer ministry, fires
feels like camp!

Rainbow Trail

Rainbow Trail, my 3-week home while leading a Certification School for Youth & Family Ministers. Pikes Peak out front of us and the continental divide, snow blowing off the ridge, directly behind us.

The Bigger & Better Hayride

In the midst of watching Boston Legal last week I decided it was time to create the bigger and better hayride for the church.

It seems the church’s strategy to attract kids keeps revolving around, “If we can only offer something that is more fun than maybe they will show up.” Thus many churches keep thinking they need to compete with Disney, Viacom, AOL Time Warner, Sony and other media corporate giants that constantly study and create for the teen dollar. As Teens age, their yearly discretionary income increases from nearly $1,500 at age 12 to 13 to nearly $4,500 by age 16 to 17. As a group, Teens of all ages spent a projected $112.5 billion dollars in 2003.

Maybe the church doesn’t need to compete. Maybe the church offers something different that is attractive to teens. Maybe the church offers something less plastic, something that isn’t out there but that is in the soul. My assumption is that teens are not nearly as shallow as they are often painted to be. My sense is that they really are looking for purpose, belonging, hope, and usefulness for their uniqueness. So, beyond the bigger and better hayride, what is that the church offers?

A week of groups

After some freezing very windy days all the leaves are off the trees. I worked with several groups this last week including my Concordia class, speaking to 200 junior high kids, a church council and leaders, and a group of 20 youth ministers on the topic of wellness.

Wellness seems like an odd topic for anyone to talk about since I don’t know anyone who is totally well or totally balanced. Wellness is not the absence of illness but is living well with who and what we are. A friend said about those who advocate for a balanced life, that maybe we should be teaching people how to live within an unbalanced life. This would be much more honest and not set people up to think there is a perfect wellness way to be, and most people reach it, all but you, you poor shmock!

So in midst of my own unbalanced places I find myself more balanced and more well, (weller?) than maybe I have been for some time.

Madeleine Peyroux

Madeleine Peyroux

Friday night, French Meadow Café and then over to the state theater, soft old style jazz. Madeleine has a dreamy voice playing a jazz style guitar, backed up with piano, upright bass and drums. It was easy to get carried away in her delicate, romantic, and bluesy style. Very nice night.

Early Morning

Everyone's enjoying an early, chilly morning by the fire.

Harvest Moon and Gloria

nice night
plus Mean Girls

One Year Run

It was one year ago I started to run.

My coffee house coach, Pastor Brandt, after I asked what should I do if wanted to become a runner, gave this advice, "Just run around the block everyday for two weeks, hate every minute of it, and then start." He was right. It felt awful for about two weeks. One year later I am still running on an amazing fall day.

Mt Helena

It has been a traveling week or so again. Worked 3 days in Helena, MT --- two days of "Growing Groups," and a morning of preaching. Made a run-walk up on the side of Mount Helena, a gorgeous hike overlooking the valley and the city. I was impressed with this town. Clean, old and new mixed, friendly, seemed well thought through. It is now on my list to go back to.

From there I came home taught my class, and flew over to Chicago to meet church leaders for a new one year coaching job. Time to catch up at home.

Concrodia '07

My new class! and there they are, happy, bubbly students who all love Jesus, waiting to discover that the church is the best place and the worst place to work. Cute aren't they?

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon was made for swinging in the new hammock after playing in the garden, gathering more green peppers and broccoli.

Seems a bit silly to be proud of dirt but I took it’s picture after digging it up anyway. I made this dirt. Came from my own compost box.

A rocks edges,
much like me,
washed, ground, rounded, rolled, and sanded
with the help of waves and ages
to be stumbled on
to be carried and cared for
becoming a sacred memory
of a new yes

The Corn Moon

How like a queen comes forth the lonely Moon
From the slow opening curtains of the clouds
Walking in beauty to her midnight throne!
–George Croly

Summer endings

State fair corn, a walk along Superior, feeding the ducks, a Joan Osborn concert and a long shadow while running at sunset followed by a trip to Chicago for a little work seems to be the best way to wind up a busy summer. Started teaching at Concordia today, thus it must be back to school time.

B.W.C.A.

Growing up a youth minister, being on a boundary waters trip, there is an inner prompting voice of duty claiming that I should remember to prepare morning devotions, have closing words, organize times of solitude, and lead the singing of a few camp songs. This trip didn’t need a spiritual director. The trip itself was a prayer, devotion, a tribute, and a song. This trip was about being. And, being with amazing wonderful people was everything this youth minister needed for my soul to be fed.

A year

"O that day! One kept waiting for that shattering day to unhappen, so that the real -- the intended -- future, the one that had been implied by the past, could unfold. Hour after hour, month after month, waiting for that day to not have happened. But it had happened. And now it was always going to have happened."

-- Deborah Eisenberg, "Twilight of the Superheroes"
about 911, sent to me from Ken and Mary

A year.
Crystal writes and says that the one thing that changes after this day is that not every thing is a first.

No getting over, around or even through. I don't sense that need. Walking onward, yes, but also walking with, being, and I'm okay with that. The boys and I decided that first night that it was time to canoe, so we are.

Nathan Night

Nathan performed one his best shows ever with about 150 people outdoors in Burnsville's Nicollet park. Creative, fresh, appealed to all ages.

People left saying,

• "How did he..."
• "I never saw anyone do..."
• "That was really...."

Don't miss him at the "318" in Excelsior.

"318"
09/07/2006 07:30 PM -
318 Water Street, Excelsior, MN 55331,US - $5
Stop in for a great night of music, food, and drink!
This will be an ALL AGES SHOW!

www.nathangriner.com

Art Class

Sunday's Art Show

For one day over 50 pieces of art came together in one space and time.

The day…
honoring, remembering, celebrating, connecting, contemplating, being…

It was personally important for me to throw a party I was deliquent in giving. It was a way of marking a year. It was a way for the grinerGUYS to let people know it is okay to come to our house. The house was always meant to be a welcoming, gathering place. But, art was really only a cradle to hold a different kind of legacy. The real magic of the day was the relational linking of people, especially among women. Randi’s greatest art was the deep spiritual bond that she formed between her and so many women. There was a giving and receiving that seemed mystical, joyful, hopeful, and very soulful. I have to say my greatest joy was watching some of these women meet, often knowing of each other but never meeting in person. The chairs on the deck surrounded by the gardens in the midst of a perfect summer day were filled with conversation. I don’t know that the conversation was about Randi, as much as a simple numinous relational life giving spirit shared by mutaual soul mates. Randi’s spiritual bequest is what continues in each of us as new understandings that we all --- ALL --- belong. Randi’s art class continues!