If you haven't gotten your sign ups in for this Winter's GEM-K Camp, do so ASAP. Everything is in place for a great experience. We have a team from the US set to help us run the camp. In case you haven't noticed, we've actually extended Winter Camp by a day from previous years. I hope this will give everyone more opportunities to enjoy the Alps and the company. We have officially opened up registration to non-GEM-K MKs so if you know someone who would like to attend, please let them know. See you soon.

Thought you might enjoy some of the amusing videos from Conference:

Here is the Bobbing For Sunglasses video. Anyone figure it out yet ;)


Which is related to this video (that I didn't show at Conference) where one of the lads catches sunglasses with his face:


And lest you forget, Europe is a country:


Sheep (Mission) Vs. Cows:


What if Church Was Like the NBA?


Anyone have any other funny vids I should be aware of?

Well, I don't know about you but I'm just now feeling like I've recovered from Conference. I had a great time. Eoin keeps asking where all his GEM-K friends are. There are loads of photos up on Facebook so be sure to check them out if you haven't yet (and if you haven't signed up for a Facebook account yet... now you have an excuse).

Winter Conference is on the horizon. I can't wait to snowboard (and ski) with you in France again. The dates this year are January 5th-10th 2009. So, please save those dates.

Matt

At Conference I used a word we don't often speak in daily conversation: Shalom (remember all those red arrows?). I tried to convey the idea that our personal missions are like windows into the reality of Shalom in this world.

But what is Shalom? We used the word "peace" a lot and Nina at one point defined it as, "the way things are supposed to be." I think both of those are great definitions but if Shalom is so central to the Christian life, we'd better be able to explain it a bit better. So, here are some additional thoughts:

Shalom is Non-Violent:
"And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them." (Joshua 9:15, NRSV)

Shalom is Right Relationship:
"Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice."" (1 Samuel 16:4-5, NRSV)

Shalom is Prosperity
"And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it." (Jeremiah 33:9, NRSV)

Shalom is Justice
"These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the LORD." (Zechariah 8:16-17, NRSV)

Shalom is Central to God's Story in this World:
Numbers 6:24-26 (NRSV)
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.


Isaiah 9:6-7 (NRSV)
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.


Ezekiel 37:24-28 (NRSV)
My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children's children shall live there forever; and my servant David shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations shall know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forevermore.


So, as we saw at Conference, Shalom describes life at the beginning of all things (Gen. 2) and at the end of all things (remember the two trees?). Shalom thus makes its way into all aspects of our life, from how we shop to how we see shopping malls. It changes how we relate to one another and how we relate to ourselves. It calls into question how we treat the planet and how we treat its Creator.

There is much more to say. In many ways defining Shalom helps us see the world anew. I'd love to hear more descriptions from you.

I thought some of you might be curious as to who's running this year's GEM-K Conference. Allow myself to introduce them (and myself):

Liz Matthews (Ventura, CA) - (Liz's Facebook) 
Liz was at GEM-K Conference 2006 as a staff member. She loved it so much that she is returning again this year. What's more, Liz is currently raising support to be a GEM-K Staff Intern for 9 months and will be living in Dublin, Ireland (not too far from myself).
Michaela Andrews (Ojai, CA) - (Michaela's Facebook)
Michaela was a GEM-K Conference 2007 Staff member. She has a real heart for GEM-Ks and Delice ;) - both of whom she visited back in February in Kandern, Germany. Michaela & Liz are putting together some pretty sweet T-Shirts for us this year!
John Lehn (John Brown University) - (John's Facebook)
John may single handedly hold the record for most attended GEM-K Conferences as an attendee. This will be his first year returning as a staff member. Be warned.
Patty Moore (Canada) - (Patty's Facebook)
Patty loves GEM-K Conference so much that she branded her email with it (no joke, ask her for it!). Patty, again a past GEM-Ker, can't wait to return as a staff member.
Cam Doughty (Malta) - (Cam's Blog)
Cam is about the nicest guy you'll ever meet (apologies to the rest of us). He and his wife Shanna serve with GEM in Malta where they work with university students. Cam & Shanna have two amazing kids of their own.
Tagg Wolverton (Amsterdam, Holland) - (Tagg's Facebook)
Tagg is the most relaxed guy you'll ever meet and he loves working with youth. He's living in Holland at the moment with his wonderful wife Susan and their four kids.
Rod Taylor (Denver, CO) - (Rod's Facebook)
Rod is in charge of GEM-Ks returning to the States for college. So, if you're a junior or a senior you'll be wanting to get to know him a bit better. He has worked with GEM-K ministries the longest and has a deep love for you guys. Rod lives in Denver, CO with his amazing wife Dawn and their two children.
Matt & Hailey Kingsley (Dublin, Ireland) - (Matt's Facebook & Hailey's Facebook)
Matt & Hailey have been running GEM-K ministries for nearly 3 years. Matt grew up as a GEM-K in Ireland and Hailey grew up in California. We have two amazing kids - Eoin & Moia (no Facebooks, sorry) who will also be at this year's GEM-K Conference.

Maybe you haven't been to Hotel Korona in Sopron, Hungary before and maybe you're wandering what sort of hotel this is. Maybe you've been there before and just want to get nostalgic/excited about GEM-K Conference. Either way, this post is for you.

A few years back I flew out to Sopron in the winter to have a look at the hotel. In the process I took some photos of the place. So, here is a slideshow of Hotel Korona for anyone interested.

We're almost one month away from GEM-K Conference 2008! I can't wait. This year's theme: sheep. We'll be looking at what it means to be sent as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt 10:16). What was Jesus on about? How many sheep do you see kicking butt? How many sheep do you see beating wolves? Is this just crazy talk? What was Jesus getting at?

So that's out theme.

Be warned.

Hold the dates of October 25th-27th and lets plan a trip to Ireland. Anois 2008 is a chance to meet other Christians, explore your faith and visit the wonderful country of Ireland. The promo video is below.

I'll be attending an information meeting on Wednesday and hope to have some more details available for those of you who'd like to attend Urban Soul this summer in Dublin. I'd love to see five or six GEM-Ks aged 15 or older by July 1st attend. It will be three days of service in Dublin with nights spent learning from God's word. If you're a GEM-K, let me know if you're interested in joining us. Also, I think it would be fun if you wanted to stay on a few days and we could tour Ireland together! Good times ahead.

I decided to post a few of the videos we used at our GEM-K Winter Camp for your viewing pleasure. I tried my hardest to make them deep and profound but I'm pretty sure I failed. We all got a good laugh though.

I have to meet these kids some day.

Don't try this on the freeway.

This was the song we used at camp when we talked about holy anger.

This ad makes me feel fresh every time I watch it.

I forget how I worked this one into my discussion but I remember it working in my head.