Risky Breakfast in Bellevue

January 15, 2009January 15, 2009Brian Aaby Leave a comment

(UPDATED Thursday afternoon): I just returned from a breakfast in Bellevue. Food was great; fellowship was great (sat with some good ministry friends) and the subject was pretty risky for this group!

Bellevue Christian hosted this Pastors/Ministry Breakfast and asked the founder (Craig) from XXXChurch to come and share about the ministry. XXXchurch.com exists to help people who have, will have or deal with people who have a problem with internet pornography. Which, according to statistics, almost every person reading this post has consumed it (intentionally or unintentionally) in some way or another (this is certainly not a accusation that you are dealing with a problem, however it is a plea for all of us to deal with THE PROBLEM).

X3 is the accountability software they produced/distribute (free) at www.xxxchurch.com. It is available in both mac and pc. I was very impressed with the presentation and thankful that Craig and others are speaking honestly about an area that has really influenced (read: HURT) millions of lives/families.

Interesting story, a few years ago xxxchurch was asked to provide a cd of their software to all the participants at a large national conference. They handed out 9000 copies of this software to pastors/leaders. They had installed a tracking mechanism simply to count how many people registered out of the 9000. 83. Craig said that hundreds of pastors/leaders had thanked them for the software, said things like, “this is sooo needed in our church,” etc. etc. Hmmm? Only 83/9000 used it.

What is the problem? Well, the problem is that a Pastor, Leader, Youth Pastor, etc. might think that having the program means that others will believe they HAVE a problem. Will pride be the reason a person doesn’t seek accountability? Quick side note: This issue is not just a “male” issue either. Experts predict that 40% of pornography is viewed by/purchased by females.

Here’s how it works: You have the software (download for free here) and you then ask two accountability partners to receive the report, via email, of any questionable web sites visited by the registered computer. The two accountability friends would then be responsible to contact the person who may have surfed in dangerous waters. So the problem (pride): If a person loads the software onto his/her computer it may be assumed that he/she has a problem rather than just assuming they want to live a pure life.

Quick Facts (provided by xxxchurch):

·         53% of Christian men consume pornography

·         57% of pastors call pornography the most sexually damaging issue for their congregations

·         69% of pastors started looking at porn out of curiosity

·         World wide porn industry is: $57 billion; feeding the population of Sudan for a year: $15 billion.

·         Porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises

·         Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites: 72 million annually

·         90% of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online (most while doing homework)

·         Experts believe that a porn addiction may be harder to break than a heroin addiction

So… here’s the risk: Will you do it? I am going to. My wife and another best friend will soon be asked (by x3 software) to be my accountability, NOT because I have a problem, but because I want to strive for holiness in all aspects of my life. Anyone else going to risk?

Grace,
Brian

Rose Hill

January 13, 2009Brian Aaby Leave a comment

I have another Youth Group Winter Retreat coming up soon. I have enjoyed being able to speak for different groups over the last few months. I welcome the opportunity to speak at these camps for several reasons:

Consistent time in the Scriptures preparing for different messages (especially with the varying themes) is always a plus!
Relating with youth from a variety of backgrounds (region, socioeconomics, race, etc.) keeps me up to speed with the youth culture and helps with all other avenues of Youthmark.
Getting away with adults who love teens. Youth Leaders (especially the volunteers) are my heroes! This group is under-appreciated and I look at these camps as an opportunity to celebrate them. This is also helpful to get to hear their heart so I can speak to some of those areas in future Projects as well.
Some of the camps/retreats give me the opportunity to do some new and/or fun things: Some camps have had bungee jumping, climbing/repelling, street luge, skiing (snow and water, but never at the same camp, ha), boating, and much more!
Stealing ideas for future camps and retreats… technology, games, skits, and more; show me good stuff and I’ll take it (and sometimes give the credit to others! Ha.)
I am often invited to bring my family; we take advantage of this from time to time; I do look forward to camps in the future when I bring just one of my kids as well. That dedicated time with just Halle, Audrey or Will will be a lot of fun. And, Lord willing, I look forward to sometime doing a camp with just me and Elisabeth again too (thanks to great Family loving on our kids).

So, pray for Rose Hill Presbyterian Church as we get to do a retreat together soon!

Grace,
Brian

Weekend Agenda

January 9, 2009January 10, 2009Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Ahhh, the weekend! Hope yours is filled with rest, fun, relaxation, accomplishments and more. Here’s what’s happening for me/us:

Kentridge High Basketball Game (contact work for where I lead Young Life), the whole fam is going!
Out with some former BPPC students to Applebees for late-night appetizers
Visit Lake Retreat Camp to check out stage-set up for upcoming Spring Retreat (my brother is leading program for a church so my dad and I are heading out for a quick scout/visit)
Hang time with the family
Elisabeth going to a movie with Jen, Eric and I will hang out with my kids!
B-day party for a new friend of ours from Faith (our new church)
Church
Halle’s 7th B-Day (Sunday) and party with family!
24 (Sunday night debut of season 7)

Have a great weekend!

Grace,
Brian

Calance

January 6, 2009January 6, 2009Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Since blog is a made up word, I figured I could make up my own word as well (for the computer illiterate, “blog” is a combo of web and log). So, “Calance” is my attempt at finding Calender Balance over the next few months.

On the agenda:

A few speaking opportunities, local and out of state
continued consulting (which may mean another few trips)
planning, writing and all the details/teaching for the 2009 Spring Retreats
Several scouting trips for the 2009 summer missions
Writing for several projects, including the 2010 Mission Prep Workbook (the follow-up to move)
Scouting and Meetings for the 2010 mission season
and a few other “not yet on the radar” things.

It may not seem like a lot, but I am trying to figure out the right (and write) “windows of time” to get each of these done. The scout trips will take 2-3 days each and are ideal to do mid-week when Pastors in the receiving towns are available. Balance that with a few weekend speaking gigs, and then you try to make time to do the other things w/o interfering too much with family and you then come up with the term “Calance.”

Pray for my calendar balance, I seek to honor the Lord, my family and my work. I am thankful for the time God has designed for me and gives to me to steward!

Grace,
Brian

A Smattering Of Fun/Work

January 4, 2009Brian Aaby 2 Comments

What day is it?

For some reason the days leading in and following Christmas always seem to throw my internal calendar into a thick haze. I think it is that Christmas and New Years feel like a weekend day no-matter-what. Then throw in an actual weekend and then you’re really messed up. On top of that, as a Youth Pastor, we would throw in the occasional all day event or overnighter and I’d be thrown off even more.

This year, though not a Youth Pastor, was no different. In many ways I felt like I got a lot done for Youthmark (especially in the last days before Christmas), but in other ways I feel like I now need to hit it hard because of the lack of productivity lately.

It was a great Holiday Season, really a smattering (in a good way) of family, friends, work and ministry. Though each felt a little short changed and rushed, as I look back, the amount of time with each was a created a nicely put together puzzle.

A few of the highlights:

Ministry: Able to share at Calvary Chapel South on a Sunday morning, speak at Highlands Community Church Winter Camp and then, today, speak at a parent meeting back at Calvary Chapel South. Oh, and I had a great Reunion with my old Lifeboat guys as well!

Family: Too many, bound to miss some, but having E’s folks in town is always nice; the Aaby extended family Christmas went really well; our immediate family loved doing Advent Sundays together and of course Christmas morning is the highlight of the time with them.

Work: Though ministry and work can sometimes be confused, I will say completing the Youthmark Mission Venture Leaders Guide was a huge highlight, especially getting them out on time, before Christmas!

Friends: Of course taking 4th place last night at the hearts tourney was pretty sweet, but it was equally as cool hanging out with the friends there. On top of that we were able to spend time with many out-of-town folk who were back home for the Holidays. I learned Farkle (or Farkel depending on who you ask).

Though there are more highlights, I need to leave for church, busy/fun day ahead, continuing the smattering for the next couple days as I have set aside times for friends, work, games, ministry and family!

Grace,

Brian

The Eagle Has Landed

December 29, 2008December 28, 2008Brian Aaby 1 Comment

I had the honor of speaking at the Eagle Court of Honor for Alex Randall yesterday. Thanks Alex (Alex was in my small group of guys who just graduated in June of 2008).

I used 2 Timothy 3:10-17 as my text.

Alex last summer on our trip to AZ

My prayer for Alex is similar to the charge from Paul to Timothy:

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

How about you? For the Christians in this readership, are you standing firm in the things the Lord has taught you? Are you following the example of those Godly people who have provided the example? You see, my prayer for Alex, is really a prayer for all of us! Let’s use these last few days of 2008 to examine where we have been, celebrate His work, thank those who have set the example and seek His Word and Spirit for the direction of 2009.

Congratulations, once again, to Alex, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to speak from this passage, it gave me some great moments of meditation!

Grace,
Brian

Camp Speaking

December 27, 2008Brian Aaby 1 Comment

I am in the midst of studying for an upcoming camp speaking opportunity. Highlands Community Church of Renton has asked me to speak for the Sr. High Winter Camp. This will take place at a retreat facility which sits about 1000 feet away from the ski lifts at Mt. Baker.

The Mt. Baker Chalet in the summer

The lodge is a 4 Story self contained retreat facility complete with a dining area which doubles as the speaking area, a couple of floors of dorm style cabin rooms and a game area. Should be a lot of fun getting to know the 100 high school students and staff in this setting.

The theme of the camp is “Face To Face Friendships.” This is a theme their youth pastor, Wes, came up with and when he asked me to speak and explained his hopes I instantly became excited and started praying for God to lead me to the right text. Beyond the speaking theme, I love that the students are bringing no ipods, cell phones, or electronic gaming devices–all the things which can prevent face-to-face friendships. This will greatly enhance the spiritual side of things and the direction I believe the Lord has taken me…

The Fire and View (where I'll speak)

I have loved my study on 1 Thessalonians. I love the way Paul loved this church and shared his love for them. This letter is encouraging, bold, authentic and gets quickly to the point. I think it has all the makings of “face to face.” So, pray for this camp, the hearts of the students/staff who will be attending and for God to use the messages and cabin times to speak to the students about His desire for face time.

Grace,

Brian

The Disc: A Screen Play

December 25, 2008December 25, 2008Brian Aaby 2 Comments

The Setting: A few days ago; a Starbucks and the Aaby home; an instant message conversation taking place between Brian and Elisabeth

Brian: I probably have about 2-3 hours more to go on this Leaders Notebook

Elisabeth: Okay…the girls are so cute right now, they are watching the kids sled down the hill in front of our house

Brian: That’s so cute!

Elisabeth: Oh my goodness; I just overheard Audrey say, ‘I wish we were them.’

Brian: That’s it, I’m outta here, my heart just melted, I’m going to Fred Meyer to by a sled.

Brian shuts down his mobile office faster than he ever has before; proceeds to Fred Meyer to find that they are sold out of ALL sledding type toys.

Brian calls his mom to see if they still have one of his old snow discs.

Brian succeeds in finding the disc at his parents house.

Brian shows up at home to surprise the girls who knew Daddy was coming home to play outside (but not sled, because they didn’t have one).

The rest of the screenplay can be seen in the pictures below, it tells the rest of the story!

They all sled happily ever after!

Grace,

Brian

Great Trip to SoCal

December 18, 2008December 18, 2008Brian Aaby Leave a comment

I just returned from a quick trip down south. Some of the highlights:

Concentrated Work Time

Both Flights: The quiet time on the two hour flights affords me completely uninterrupted times to get work done (and the opportunity for pleasure reading at take-off and landing when, “portable electronic devices must be in the ‘off’ position”).

Monday coffee and Wednesday Lunch with an old friend from college; able to catch up, but also talk through some potential ministry projects.

Monday Lunch with one of my old roommates from college… we have walked different paths, but it was excellent to get together and share our stories, I pray I have the opportunity to stay in touch with him.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: great times at the SoCal office making progress on a couple projects.

Tuesday: Project planning/dreaming at the office… I even got to do a “press check” at the printers. Plus I completed my outline for the camp I am speaking at in a couple weeks.

I enjoyed times with my in-laws each of these days; great meals together in the evenings (Outback one night and a great stew the second night by my Mom-In-Law).

It is very nice to be back home with my family now as I push to get the Youth Leaders Notebook done and sent out.

For those in Western WA, enjoy the Snow!

Grace,
Brian

Reunited

December 15, 2008December 15, 2008Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Though the roads were slick, the temperatures cool and there was way too much on the proverbial plate, I took the time to be reunited with my old Lifeboat (small group) guys last night! It was so great to see all the guys, only one of our regulars was not able to make it.

Last night was all about the silly things… food and White Elephants; it would be great if the guys could get together one more time over their break so we can have a real “Lifeboat” time (Bible Study, Prayer, Sharing etc.). We started at Azteca and made our way back to Micah’s house for not one, but two rounds, of White Elephant gifts. I walked away with a Calendar and a DVD. Couldn’t be happier, both gifts are actually re-giftable as real gifts (yes, I believe in the occasional re-gift).

Because I had to get up at 0-dark-thirty, I bailed as close to 9:00 PM as possible to brave the frozen roads. I, for one, can say that the reunion was sweet, lots of fun, great food and a real passion to see the guys continue to grow in the Lord!

Grace,
Brian