A Great Week Part 1

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, but I have been out of Sioux Falls since Tuesday afternoon. This last week I attended a youth ministry conference in Chicago at Willow Creek Community Church where some of my favorite authors were speaking. On Wednesday we heard Brian McLaren and Shane Claiborne speak, and they were both incredible. I had heard Brian speak before, but not since I finished his newest book "Everything Must Change." It was great to finally hear Shane Claiborne speak in person. His book "The Irresistible Revolution" greatly inspired me and I am in the process of reading his newest book "Jesus for President." I am so encouraged by his lifestyle, that change really is possible in people's lives and in systemic problems of our world.

On Thursday we sat through 4 different breakout sessions which were very good, but the highlight of the day came in the evening. We had the opportunity to see Switchfoot in an acoustic performance, which was awesome. After that we got to see the world premiere of the newest Nooma film by Rob Bell, called "Shells". The video was fantastic and I am looking forward to seeing how it impacts people's lives.

We finished the conference on Friday morning with two more sessions, including Dan Kimball, who is one of the leading voices in the postmodern conversation. Dan briefly discussed his newest book "They Like Jesus but Not the Church," which I am excited to read.