Do You Remember?

As I continue to prepare for this blog's first birthday on August 26th, I am discovering how difficult it is to cram 28 years of youth ministry into 7+ minutes worth of pictures and music.  But I am really having fun trying!  Today I want to share a few of the pictures I will not be using as part of that event (and some other random thoughts!) to ask the following question:  Do you remember? 

*  On my 28th birthday, someone put a giant sign in my yard at our little house across the street from Springfield Friends Meeting inviting the world to "honk".  They did...over and over again!  It made for quite a celebration.  Who did it?

*  Do you remember Burger Doodle, our once a month trips from New Garden and Springfield to various fast food shacks for dinner after YFYF?

*  Remember playing 4 On A Couch?  Remember how the guys team never won?

*  At some point during the FUMC-Kissimmee years a train carrying Wendy's supplies wrecked near town, and my friend Eddie (who worked for the train company) got us huge boxes of giant Wendy's cups.  There were hundreds of those things...

*  Do you remember the day when the Wesley Memorial UMC youth group skipped our Sunday evening Graceland meeting and went to a local sports bar for dinner?

*  We had this Newsboys stand-up in the youth room at FUMC-K, and I am fairly certain I have pictures of 50 different youth in this very pose!  Were you one of those youth?  Obviously Catlin Esry was!

*  Remember when we used to play Kick the Can in the graveyards at New Garden and Springfield?

*  Do you remember playing Sardines?  How about Murder, the card game where if you got an "Ace" you winked at people to kill them?  Both of those games go all the way back to my own high school years in youth group.

*  Over the years many of our students got to eat at Kyotos, in Greensboro, Orlando or Myrtle Beach.  Were you there the night in Orlando the chefs honored us with our signature rice?

*  Do you remember camping at the Ponderosa, staying at the Betsy B, spending a week at The Spinnaker or crashing at the Ocean Surf Club?  If you do, you probably went to Myrtle Beach with me...

So there it is, a quick little run through the years.  It is just a tease for what you can expect on the 26th.  In the meantime it would be awesome to hear some of your memories and favorite moments from over the years, so leave comments or e-mail me at youthguy07@aol.com.  I have one more picture to share today (at left);  be the third person to tell me who is dressed as Santa and you will win a free sweet tea for 1 at Kado Japanese Restaurant.  In Tampa.  Tonight.  Other restrictions may apply; Prizes that are not claimed never existed in the first place!  Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you tomorrow with some new Hall of Fame inductees!

Because of Jesus,