Life takes courage

Well, to no ones surprise I haven't been the best at keeping up with my blog. I got discouraged because I thought, "hey no one is reading this so why am I putting my thoughts on line for only me to read" but then I had a friend say he was reading this but just never put down comments. So there you go.

DISCOURAGED??? The human emotion of discouragement is one of the cruddiest feelings of all time. Sometimes it's easy to know why your discouraged. You failed at something, things didn't go the way you wanted them, someone totally ripped you apart verbally, etc... But sometimes it just hits me like a wind from no where. I get an email, I watch a tv clip, I just think about a particular event and SMACK discouragement hits me in the kisser.

I found a definition for discouraged that included the phrase "made less hopeful" That makes sense to me, discouragement is a momentary (hopefully) loss of hope in some part or in all. I wasn't able to find it but to me I feel like the phrase "made less courageous" could fit too because when I'm feeling discouraged I am not filled with courage to fight any struggles.

Recently I have been smacked with discouragement while shopping of all things. Becky was sick all last week, so I needed to go to the store to pick up a few things. We are on WIC. (a food program for Women, Infants, and Children that's based on income and family size) There are restrictions and coupons that you have to use to get cheese, milk, juice, etc... Well anyway I went late at night to avoid slowing down a line with the coupons and stuff, but of course there was only 1 teller working and a huge line. So I put my 6 different orders up on the belt all separated by the specific coupon for each set of items. I of course screwed things up by trying to buy items that apparently aren't allowed like baby cereal flavored with apples instead of just plain. I started sweating like crazy, everyone was staring at me, it took 15 minutes easily to go through all my orders. My hope and courage drained until I could have hidden under my cart. I was embarrassed and felt even ashamed, but I love my girls and they have to eat, and I love Southeast Cincinnati Young Life, and even if it can't pay me enough to keep us off of government programs I feel like we need to stay here. But it's a discouragement none the less. So today when I got a tough email I immediately began to think "they don't care about us".

Anyway, here's what I feel all this rambling boils down to. Life is hard, Jesus told us it would be. I also believe that discouragement can be a good thing to lead us back to Christ. I also believe though that discouragement can be a bad thing that leads us to question the goodness of God.

So there you go, no profound answer. Simply I get discouraged and the only thing that gives me hope is Jesus.

Good Friday

Hey friends,

Check out the "New Again" video to your right here on my blog. It's a great song with film clips from "The Passion of the Christ". I want to encourage you today to focus on Christ!

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,In the light of His glory and grace."

When I truly slow down my mind, slow down my life, slow down my heart and simply look to Jesus and at Jesus I feel alive in ways I could never express through words. My eyes come into perfect vision and I can see what really matters. It's so plain, it's so easy, it's so amazing. Why would I settle for anything else? And yet I so often do.

Thank you Jesus for your amazing love for me that led you to a brutal cross where you paid for my sins.

Being Cut

Today Andrew Ellis (Coach Andrew Ellis) and I had to cut 5 guys from our reserve squad at Turpin HS and it was gut wrenchingly painful. Having been cut several times in my life, I have great empathy for the guys that were telling "Hey you're not good enough to be a part of our team." I wish we could field a team of 23 guys but then no one would be happy with their playing time.

It felt like having to break up with 5 girls all on the same day and in consecutive order. I'm not good with crying girls but dealing with a crying high school boy was even tougher.

Tough day!

I Hate Slogans on Church Signs

Hey All,

Long time no talk. Got hooked up with Facebook and have been swimming in the "new" technology of staying in touch with people 24/7. It's crazy. I just keep waiting for someone to post "Andrew is pooping".

Anyhow, we had campaigners tonight at Turpin and I had the pleasure of sharing with our students (8 in all) the amazing truth that the Bible says that they are precious, honored, delighted in, sung over, quieted with love, and love beyond measure by Jesus Christ. I only came to Christ when I finally understood that He did love me. Not just "Jesus loves everyone" because He's Jesus, but Jesus love Ryan Keith Ventura.

So the Title of this blog is spurred on by a lifetime of hating the signs outside of churches that carry those "witty" messages and slogans. Here are list of some of my favorites:

1. "Want a treat? Come try our Sundays!"

2. "Have a Merry Chirstmas" *Take note that they actually mispelled the word Christ. I worked at this church by the way.

3. "God answers Knee Mail"

4. "Come hear the (insert random name here) Family in Concert" Nobody knows that crazy singing family besides the people in your church who invited them.

*****Though I do have a wife and 2 daughters so some day we may be the VENTURA FAMILY QUARTET.

But recently I saw 2 church signs that were fighting with each other. The first, a contemporary church, had "A Church for People Who Hate Church" written on their sign. The second, an old school church, had "A Church for People Who Love Church" written on their sign a week or two later.

I sort of liked the first sign and sort of agreed with it in some respect; though I would never advertise in that manner. The second sign I found puzzling. I don't love CHURCH. I love Jesus. If there were no buildings that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to worship Jesus in I would be OK. I wish they would have put "A Church for People Who Love the Church" because I could have agreed with that. Church is us, we our the church. As Keith Green put it, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonalds makes you a Big Mac."

I guess it just brought back bad memories of growing up in "church". Going without understanding, without knowledge of Grace, without Jesus.

Anybody out there?

Just a quick question? Has anyone read this in "oh say the last 2 weeks"? If so just leave a post so I know someone is out there acutally reading this.

I love my team

I just wanted to put out there officially that God has blessed me with a stellar set of teamates at Turpin. It all starts with my home team of Becky, Lily, and Sydney who love, support, and pray for me and the work at Turpin high school as I leave our house to be in the high school world. Without them I would be a shell of the man I am today.

I also want to say I am so blessed to have Andrew and Celina as teamates on the high school turf. They are such and encouragement to me and they also challenge me daily with their vigor for the students at our school. They are great! It's awesome to see what God is doing in our midst.

By the way Ellis put together that fun picture up top. He's truly an artist!

F L A B A L A N C H E (fla-buh-lanche)

Today I was reading a devotional book that talked about CS Lewis and his book "The Screwtape Lettters".

First make humans flabby, with small passions and desires, then offer a sop to those dimished passions so that their experience is one of contentment. They know nothing of great joy or great sorrow. They are merely nice. CS Lewis

Lily is a 2 year old. Lily knows daily "great joy and great sorrow". She spends much of her time dancing and singing because Dora came on, she sees potato chips, or the best of all for me; Daddy came home but just as quickly she'll throw herself to the floor wailing because Dora went off, she cannot have another potato chip, or the hardest for me; Daddy or Mommy is leaving.

She is like a human rainbow of emotions. She lets herself dare to be amazed by the small things that fill her tiny heart with joy but she is also willing to throw herself to the floor in a tantrum that makes me think of Biblical times where people would tear at their clothes in anguish.

Faith like a child eh?

Why can't I do this anymore?

I think as we grow we learn to temper our hopes, dreams, and emotions. Some of this is good or else I would often find myself wailing on the floor of an electronics store because I cannot buy the HDTV that I so much desire, but far much more of it is bad. We learn that life is about settling, about waking up, eating (way too much), about an occasional vacation (or Bengals game, or trip, or party, or whatever floats your boat), about just being.

I too often relate with this quote:

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.

Henry David Thoreau

I do not want this to be me and without Christ that's all I could hope for. I am praying for a new found passion, the great joy, and also the great sorrows in my daily walk with Jesus.

The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion; it is apathy - John Eldrege

Her First Stitches

You know how some days you wake up with a plan for the day and then things happen and you wind up in places you never dreamed of?

Yesterday was one of those days for us. At about 10:30 am Lily slammed her finger in one of the baby gates on our steps. It was bad. It looked like the tip of her finger was falling off but to be honest Becky and I could barely look at it without feeling the urge to faint or puke.

So we rushed her to the hospital. Lily was doing great. They numbed the finger topically and Lily seemed to be doing better smiling, laughing, drinking juice. Then the Doctor entered and the terror ensued. They strapped her down to a board but Lily was too strong for the Velcro straps so a nurse and I had to help hold Lily down as the Doctor stitched up her finger. Lily screamed like I had never heard her scream and I had to hold her there for her own good. It was a TOUGH experience looking into her eyes as she was scared, confused, and in great pain.

It just makes me wonder at the parents who willingly hurt their children, they have to be literally insane or something. Then I think of God the Father and how he willingly offered up his Son for us. I think of Jesus and how he willingly stayed on the Cross with nails instead of Velcro straps. I am so thankful for the cross, for the sacrifice, and for the grace that gives me life every morning.

A great weekend

This past weekend we spent about 40 hours with leaders from all over the Buckeye Region at Deer Creek State Resort and Park. I was able to teach my first seminar at Deer Creek without fainting, passing out, or saying anything that would get me fired. So all in all I would call the seminar a success.

Here are some highlights from the weekend-

Zach showing he is the premier rock thrower and football catcher in our area hands down. For about 20 minutes our guys entertained themselves by throwing rocks at a sign (don't worry girls I know it doesn't make sense) and Zach outshined them all by nailing the sign multiple times. He was also like a human crash test dummy giving up his body to catch pass after pass in football.

Our time of prayer on Saturday night. I never feel more connected to leadership than when we spend time together before the throne.

Our late night chats in our cabin. I know I wussed out and went to bed at 2 am on Saturday night when the rest stayed up to 3 but it was still pretty awesome.

Our first weekend with our new committee chairman Brandon Little. Not only did his church provide 90% of our food but he was also a dish washing machine. He's a true servant!

A great weekend was had by all and oh yes we did play football on the Deer Poop field.

I do wonder though where is the Creek? There's a HUGE lake but no creek?

Shown Up By An Athiest

Well today I am still working on my seminar for our upcoming leader weekend. I've been trying to track down a few teaching points and I came across a blog called "God Hates Yeast". It's by an athiest guy who is currently reading the Bible cover to cover in the NIV and KJV. He's only made it to Leviticus and he got his title from the many verses he's read about not eating anything made with yeast.

I guess I was just blown away by the fact that this guy who is an athiest is reading the Bible cover to cover! and in 2 versions! (NIV & KJV). Obviously his motives in reading the Bible aren't super pure. He pretty much is just finding new points for his "No God Exists" argument, but it's sort of VERY convicting. To be honest it's been years since I've tried to read the Bible cover to cover. Well this guy has inspired me to do just that.

Killing the TV

Tonight we were all home for dinner. This is not a common occurrence as on many nights either Becky or I are out with students, leaders, friends or family and not able to eat together.

With nothing in particular to do tonight I had an urge to just grab Sydney turn on the TV and enjoy some father daughter bonding by vegging out to some sweet shows on the Discovery Channel, but I resisted that urge and just sat holding her. Soon Becky and Lily were done with dinner and crazy enough good old fashioned conversation began to happen, at least among all of the Ventura household that can speak at this point in their life. Lily is actually quite the conversationalist already at age 2 and 1/2. Sydney pretty much just gurgles, farts, burps, and cries.

I'm by far not to the point of some you who maybe don't even have a TV, but I would encourage everyone to take a night or even a block of time and just turn off the TV, Internet, or whatever fills the background of your life, and just be.

By the way I do get the irony of saying "turn off the internet" even though I'm on the internet now writing this on the night where not watching TV has spawned these thoughts, but to quote "What About Bob?" BABY STEPS.

Behind Enemy Lines

Today I am planning and organizing a seminar to teach at this weekends Deer Creek leader retreat. This will be my first time sharing on one of these weekends as I've chickened out during the past 7 years of possibilities. So I am excited but also a little nervous about the whole thing.

Lucky for me I have felt a real leading during the planning process for this talk so I believe God has led me towards what I am speaking about this weekend. The title is "Behind Enemy Lines There Are Sometimes Allies" and the summary is that we have to enter the community of our students in every way and that also means their school. So I am going to encourage leaders to coach, volunteer, tutor, sub, grade papers, pick up trash, or whatever they can to serve and be a part of the school where they lead.

So in the spirit of Deer Creek, I thought I'd list some of my favorite memories from these leader weekends.

• Deer Poop Football- It's always a blast to get a bunch of guys together to play football on Saturday afternoon on the field that is ALWAYS covered with about 2 tons of Deer Poop. From hence forth I should call this the Deer Poop Leader Weekend. Were pretty much playing football in the toilet of the deer population of Deer Creek State Park.
• Snow, Snow, Snow. I have no idea what the weather is supposed to be for this weekend, but I do know that almost every year we have had a major snowfall to contend with as we drive either to Deer Poop State Park or home on Sunday.
• Ryan Mecum doing program and running for President of Young Life against Denny Rydberg who just happened to be speaking on the weekend. My favorite argument was "Denny Rydberg has never done contact work."
• I love cramming into a cabin with every guy in leadership. Late nights lead to great conversations about Christ and our lives.
• The gift shop that I've never entered in like 10 years of going to Deer Creek. They would make such a killing if they had a Starbucks.
• The awesome feeling of being with 500 or so other folks who are in the same battle as me for our high school friends.
• But my favorite thing about these weekends has got to be just being with our leaders away from the day to day world. Everyone seems to come to these weekends with a heightened desire to grow in Christ and to love on each other.

In the beginning...

To blog or not to blog.

I would like to say I have spent years struggling with the issue of should I blog or not? Is it just a trendy thing to do? Am I just pretending people might actually get something from my thoughts? etc... But that would be a lie. I pretty much just saw a friends blog and thought "Hey that might be a fun and interesting for me to do". So here we are.

My decision to blog has pretty much come down to my desire to have an outlet for any thoughts or ideas that should make their way past the Advil Cold and Sinus and into my brain. I enjoy writing, though my grammar is horrific, but my life on Young Life staff leaves my opportunities for writing limited to returning emails or making "To Do Lists". I occasionally do get to put together a "were sorry you're kid got hurt at camp letter" or the always fun "our operating budget is in the red and I can't feed my kids poem" but unfortunately even these do not scratch the itch to be somewhat creative in my thoughts.

I also thought it might be a good way for folks to keep up with what were up to if you are interested.

So again, here we are.