Sometimes taking a moment to exhale fresh air requires the intentionality of Bruthas. Thanks, Larry Acosta, for catalyzing a learning community of friends, colleagues, and leaders who are journeying life together — especially when it means scaling a 700 foot peak via a six mile hike surrounded by deer, hawks, and granite cliffs.

If you’ve never been to Hook Mountain (Nyack, NY), go. Phenomenal vistas and the serenity that only nature brings, a mere 20 minutes from the George Washington Bridge.

More photos to come.

Two churches pastored by friends of mine have burned in the last three weeks. Please pray for the congregations and leaders of Love Gospel Assembly in the Bronx and Baptist Temple in Brooklyn as they rebuild. Meanwhile, Glory of Christ Church reopened July 11 after a hate-filled arsonist torched their Bronx church in December. I’m normally not a conspiracy theorist, but the GOC arsonist was never caught. Coincidence? Hmm…

Links

+ 160 firefighters at scene as Bronx church is gutted by fire that spread to homeless shelter (NY Daily News, July 25, 2010)

+ Historic church burns down in Brooklyn (ABC News, July 8, 2010)

+ “Bronx church reopens after arson,” (ABC News, July 11, 2010)

New York has boasted record gains in Math and Reading proficiency for the last five years. Federal testing suggests differently. Have we been lying to our kids?

[L]ast week, the federal government released scores for the nation and the states, and New York did not fare well. In fact, almost all of New York’s reported gains for the past seven years disappeared into thin air.

The federal test – the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP – is the gold standard of testing. Congress requires all states to take NAEP tests to audit state claims. The federal audit was an embarrassment for New York.

The reading scores released last week show that 36% of New York’s fourth-graders – not 77% – are proficient. And unlike the state scores, which have gone up every year without fail, the state scores on NAEP for fourth-graders have been flat since 2002. The federal test continues to show huge achievement gaps: 45% of white students are proficient, as are 52% of Asians. This contrasts with 18% of black students and 22% of Hispanic students.

In eighth grade, the picture is no better. On the NAEP test, 33% of our students are proficient in reading, not the 69% claimed by the state. The federal test shows zero improvement at this grade since 1998. And the racial achievement gap is shocking: 44% of whites are proficient, as are 49% of Asians, but only 13% of blacks and 16% of Hispanics.

In math, the state does slightly better, but not much. The federal tests show 40% of our fourth-grade students are proficient, while the state says it is 87%. Over time, the federal scores have improved for this grade, but not for eighth grade. There, only 34% are proficient, not the 80% claimed by the state. And, unlike the state, which has boasted of big improvements in the eighth grade, the federal tests reveal that there have been no gains in eighth grade since 2003.

If students in New York made no gains on the national tests, why did state tests report spectacular progress every year? The people of the state deserve an honest answer.

Fortunately, there is new leadership in Albany. Merryl Tisch, the new chancellor of the Board of Regents, and David Steiner, the new state commissioner of education, have pledged to review the entire testing program. Surely they will determine how standards dropped so low that the public was regularly misinformed about student progress.

Now is the time for honesty, integrity and transparency.

Article.

Education officials and charter school backers on Monday lashed out at teachers unions and the Legislature after New York failed to get $700 million in federal Race to the Top money.

Tennessee and Delaware scored a combined $600 million of the competitive $4.3 billion pot of education money to help turn around failing schools and implement other reforms.

New York finished 15th out of the 16 finalists.

“Race to the Top sets a high bar for states to adopt sweeping education reforms, and at least this time, New York State couldn’t clear that bar,” Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said.

New York lost 30% of its potential points because of its failure to pass charter school reform, link teacher evaluation to student performance and develop a statewide data system.

The state also lost points for not having full support from local school districts and unions and not having a strong plan in place to turn around failing schools.

Article.

Cyrus’ First Snow Day

Photos via G1 cell phone

Related

Today was a two-for-one milestone day for Cyrus as he also took his first real walk this morning! Not just his customary one step sit down, but a full fledged walk across the living room to the front door.

[Dedicated to all my rabid Yankee fans and haters.]

Props to DJ for being the first Yankee ever to win the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award. Much deserved. Jeter’s iconic performance and persona transcend his Hall of Fame credentials.

No budget + high profile hostility
+ lousy weather + despondent adult leaders
+ inspired student leaders + 2 weeks notice
+ a community greatly loved + supportive adults
+ viral technology + a God idea
= one of the most amazing youth ministry experiences of my 23 year youth ministry career.

Best of all, for a veteran youth worker: I had nothing to do with organizing it.

All I had to do was show up, with a faith-filled heart and eyes to watch it happen.

In case you missed the memo (or the 100s of #GodBelongsInMyCity Tweets last week), 1,500 people marched through the streets of Manhattan on Saturday, November 14, from 96th Street in the North to Battery Park in the South, with shirts that proclaimed, “God Belongs in My City.”

“March” is actually a misnomer. There was no hostility or militancy. It was more of a walk with a purpose: to radiate love and affection for God and neighbor, while praying that God would be glorified in our City by lives that love others well.

The catalyst for the day was a dismayed youth pastor who asked some of his student leaders why Christians were publicly silent after atheists launched a citywide ad blitz claiming 1 million New Yorkers reject the existence of God. They responded as only youth can — by launching a movement.

Despite a Noreaster bearing down on the Northeast, with flash floods forecast throughout the day, a 1,500 person Flash Mob showed up at the two rally points at 9 am.

God smiled on them. The sun began to shine, and the rains held for four hours, just long enough to convene on the TKTS steps at Times Square for an impromptu worship service followed by a silent prayer meeting beneath the Zodiac mural in the Main Lobby of venerable Grand Central Station.

In the process, adults like me experienced the awe-inspiring joy that can happen only after we have gotten out of David’s way long enough to watch Goliath topple.

Some of the highlights (a sampling of play-by-play tweets from the day, with links to photos):

• The largest silent prayer meeting ever at Grand Central because #godbelongsinmycity http://twitpic.com/pixo7
• At 110 1500 teens will pray silently in Grand Central for 5 minutes because #godisinmycity http://twitpic.com/pi91r
• A choir of angels, a/k/a youth, because #godbelongsinmycity: http://pic.gd/96e3ad. His Kingdom belongs to them
• http://pic.gd/c91920 “they all have God on their tshirts” because #godbelongsinmycity
• Overwhelmed wat happens when youth lead #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/48d618
• http://pic.gd/a049a0 who are these people? #godbelongsinmycity http://tinyurl.com/viralcity
• This is why @mikebloomberg closed the streets to cars http://pic.gd/e66ae4 #godbelongsinmycity
• Thanksging Parade comes early to Macys because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/9c1a7d
• Hark the Herald (Sqare) proclaims #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/172690
• Hustler: you da bloods they da crips? Nah u got God on ur shirts #godbelongsinmycity
• At Madison Square #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/0c6bd5
• Unity at Union Square because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/37d0bd
• Three generations wear it proudly because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/90eb1e
• Mr Mayor: #GodBelongsInMyCity http://twitpic.com/phkln
• We will never forget: #GodBelongsInMyCity. Esp at Ground Zero http://twitpic.com/phiyw “Buried in the rubble r the seeds of revival”
• Even on Wall Street #GodBelongsInOurCity. http://twitpic.com/phhl3 Romans 5:20
• #GodBelongsInMyCity Battery Park rally prayer http://twitpic.com/phg6i
• In case you missed the memo #godbelongsinmycity. Some of the student organizers http://twitpic.com/phg0w

More Viral Videos

Google Video is picking up new “God Belongs in My City” videos each time I search. Watch the first two here.

One Youth Group’s Journey

Here’s another perspective from the North route. (Please comment if you know which group this is. Thanks!)

Sights and Sounds from Times Square

RELATED

+ Goliaths Fall When Students Lead
+ Embrace the Mess: Why Youth Must Lead Now
+ Confessions of a Youth Pastor Hypocrite on Loving the Least of These: Meeting Jesus on the Lower East Side
+ Young People are NOT the Future: Embracing the YW8? (Why Wait?) Generation

A couple of weeks ago, a Brooklyn youth pastor asked several of his student leaders why New York City atheists could launch a massive subway ad blitz with nary a public peep from local churches when, as he mused, “God belongs in my city.”

Their response to his dismay was a viral blitz online asking area students to mobilize for prayer. They created a website and a Facebook group and a YouTube video, composed and recorded an anthem, designed a simple T-shirt, and began tweeting that “God Belongs in My City.”

Finally, they organized a silent prayer walk throughout Manhattan that will take place this Saturday, November 14. More than 1,000 teens are expected to participate, wearing T-shirts that proclaim “God Belongs in My City,” and blanketing the borough from 96th Street to the Battery. My eight-year-old son and I will be following their lead.

If you cannot join us, please say a prayer for what God is stirring among New York City’s two million young people this weekend.

Web // Facebook

November 14. New York.

Web // Facebook

PLEASE NOTE that for September, the Coalition will be hosting the same meeting TWICE on the same day. It’s that important!

Maximize your Kingdom impact by connecting with other youth ministers for fellowship, prayer, training, and meaningful collaboration — especially at the start of the new school year and the related busyness of our youth ministry calendars.

If you are a full-time, vocational youth minister who prefers to meet during the workday, come at 10 am. AND if you are a youth work volunteer with a day job, come at 7 pm.