Resonate 08

Hey everybody I'm writing to you from the beautiful downtown Metropolis of Belleville. I'm at Resonate 08 it is an annual leadership conference for youth pastors and youth leaders. For those of you who don't know, I have decided to take on a more active role in taking care and trying to bring back our youth program. So I figured that if I'm going to this I'm going to do it right. I'm one of those people that if I commit to something I do it completely with 1oo% conviction or I don't do it all. It takes me time to agree or to commit but when I do I give it my all! So this conference was the first step in my transformation.
I have to admit I was a little sceptical and apprehensive at first. I didn't know what to expect or what I was getting into because this was my first youth conference ever. I have to admit that the first day was really fun. The speakers were good and the choices of topics were quite varied and very relevant. But you know what really got me, it was the passion and conviction of some of the youth that is here! Some of these young adults really have IT (reference to Craig Groeschel's book) while others are still struggling but are really open minded to change. I am learning more from watching the interactions between the different groups than I have in the different seminars and to me that's what's important. It doesn't have to be what 1 person says or what 1 course can do for you I personally think it is the whole experience and what you take from it and what God is telling you to do. Too many people come to the conferences and think they are SUPER SPIRITUAL because they attend ALL the speakers conferences but miss the oppurtunities to actually minister and LEARN. They tend to miss what God is telling them to do because they are too busy!
But I'll be honest with you the thing that I have appreciated the most in this whole weekend was the fact that not only was this my first time at a youth conference but it was also the first for a couple of the youth from our church! These 2 guys (which will remain nameless at their request) have been nothing but perfect gentlemen! They have been extremely polite and open to everything that was requested from them. They have gone to most of the presentations and stayed until the end and they have actually chosen to attend some of the meetings. They were like me very skeptical and reluctant at first. Don't get me wrong they're not at the same point as some of the guys and girls that are here but the fact that they are here is phenomenal! I have known 1 of them for years and the other for almost a year now but have never really made the effort to get to know them until now and for that I'm trully sorry. Parents of these 2 boys you should be really proud of them!!!!

Got to go for now talk at you later

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