nashville nywc recap

this past weekend, i had the chance to head down to nashville for the NYWC.  first off, nashville is great city where one local told me that through the months of september and may there are upwards of 120,000 college students present.  there were a number of great coffee shops i wanted to check out, iron and wine played right next to the convention (bummed i missed that show) and a number of great things happening throughout the city that weekend like the titans losing their first game...

there is something beautiful about walking into a room filled with interns, key volunteers, and student pastors of all denominations.  you get this sense that the majority of them breathe a giant sigh of relief that they can just spend a weekend learning, laughing, resting, growing, listening, and worshipping together.  the venue was amazing, much better in my opinion than pittsburgh because they were able to contain the space and create an environment in an arena that felt very intimate.

everyone i talked to could not stop raving about Francis Chan's talk.  i picked up his book, crazy love and am half-way through it already.  a couple of things that really surprised me was the number of practical contemplative books that were available at the conference.  i flipped through a few books, one by Lilly Lewin and Dan Kimball called sacred space that looked fascinating.  i didn't buy the book because ys doesn't allow you to purchase books during a session; so when i came back the next day it was already sold out.  so i'll order it on amazon today...

yesterday, Corrie Boyle and i led a breakout on creating a junior high ministry that believes students can change the world.  as i sat there and listened to the questions many pastors and volunteers were asking i realized again how important having the right kind of volunteer is to having a ministry that believes in students.  

this weekend to me is all about conversations.  some that are continuning between pastors and volunteers, starting between various leaders, and deepening between God and self.  i loved walking back to my hotel and watching a number of people engaged in conversation that seemed genuine and honest.  whether they were laughing together, huddled around praying for one another, or comparing notes from breakout sessions you could see many were maximizing each moment of this weekend. my prayer is that these kinds of conversations continue to be fostered because we deeply need them in ministry. 

Comments

[ryan guard]

your NYWC speaker bio mentioned Fenway but not Emerson. must be a pretty sweet dog.

[Zach Gibson]

I know that once I got there and got into the groove, NYWC in Sacramento was amazing. The intimacy of the Convention Center was great, and the speakers, save for one, were phenomenal. I appreciated greatly the conversations I had with some fellow youth workers, but especially the aspect of not having to contribute anything but participation was much needed. Congrats on Rock Harbor.
Z

[Angela Ralston]

Hi, I’ve noticed that you’ve blogged about Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. Just wanted you to know that the videos to accompany the book are now available to download at:
http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos

Also, a Crazy Love small group dvd with never-before-seen content will be available in January. Because of your wonderful blog post about the book, I’d like to offer you a free pre-release copy of the dvd to review. Please email me your address, and I’d be happy to send it. Thanks!

Angela.Ralston@davidccook.com

[Brie]

Steve,

Guess what my mom finally had her baby. Her name is Charlotte Jane she is beautiful you can check my blog for pictures. She was born Sunday at 8:18. You will have to stop by our house and see her when you get a chance!

brie beasley

[josh]

i appreciated you spending a few minutes chatting after the seminar in nashville. (i was one of the two guys who stuck around; you gave me an example of how you were helping leaders set ministry goals.) just wanted to say thanks. -josh