I spent the weekend speaking at a retreat for University Park United Methodist Church at an amazing camp about 2 hours east of Dallas called Sky Ranch. If I have ever been at a nicer camp, I don’t remember it.

My friend Garth invited me to speak. Garth and I met about 10 years or so ago. I reconnected with Garth last year in Austin at the NYWC after not seeing him for a few years. Garth was a volunteer at Loudonville Community Church near Albany, NY where I was the youth minister for a couple of years. Now Garth is serving at University Park UMC as an assistant youth minister as he finishes up his PhD work at Southern Methodist University.

The teens of UPUMC were incredible. I had some really deep conversations with a few of them. I was surprised to learn how many of them were considering becoming a youth minister. I was even more surprised at how they acted as one community. Being at Sky Ranch with them was a huge blessing for me as I continue to pray for a generation of students that seek the face of God.

Above is a picture of me and a soon-to-be college freshman named Conrad. Conrad is on his way to St. Olaf in Minnesota to study music and religion. What a great kid. I was impressed with his leadership, compassion for others and his constant encouragement of others.

Conrad was the starting defensive end for his high school football team, a state championship team (which in TX is a bigger deal than most states as football is king — ever seen Friday Night Lights?). When I asked him if he was going to play football in college he said, “They have recruited me to play at St. Olaf. The coach wouldn’t stop calling me until I told him I wasn’t that interested in his team because I was more interested in studying about God and learning to help teens.” Very cool… I look forward to seeing and hearing how God uses Conrad (and the many others of UPUMC) to change the world.