Jason Batt

Smart Student Ministry part one: Primal Teen

2010-05-02T10:46:00.001-07:00

To begin our adventure in "Smart Student Ministry," let's start with some required reading. The first book that you need to plow through is Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch. The book's subtitle is a solid explanation of why you should read it: "What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids." The world of brain science (primarily due to the use of MRI for study) in the

a quick thought on inspiration (or "how to begin something new")

2010-05-02T10:45:00.003-07:00

If you're wanting to create something new, you must either start with an original idea or a problem. My experience is that both are equally profitable and equally inspiring. Don't reject problems; they might be nasty, covered in trash, fleas and slime, but clean them up, get to know them, and they'll take you to the same place that the nice cute (but more elusive) original idea will.

Gravity

2010-05-02T10:45:00.001-07:00

I'm quite enjoying my new life as a celestial object. Tristan and Keaghan, 8 and 5 respectively, are at a sweet spot of an age and I'm guessing it won't always be like this (I'm either quite perceptive or fairly full of unneeded concern; I'm not sure which-- it's likely not the first; it's probably worry). They are full of independence, creativity, and dripping courage in every step. They

Friday: Celebration

2010-05-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

My small group is a week behind in the series "The Life You've Always Wanted." So we are now just getting to the discussion on "Celebration & Slowing Down." The one thing that came out of our time together was an analysis of the need to slow down simply for the purpose of allowing yourself opportunities to be refreshed. We all rush from thing to thing and we fail to recognize the power of

A Change

2009-08-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

This week saw my eleven-year work with junior highers come to an end. I officially signed off as the junior high pastor at Capital Christian Center and am now serving as the Small Group Pastors. I'm excited about the change and yet still struggling to get my bearings. Taking over the 678 department is an amazing young man, Jared Flowers, who has a passion for middle school students! In the next

Collide Final Update

2009-06-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

We returned yesterday from an amazing week away in the woods outside of Bodega Bay. The week was amazing: great games, great music and more. We saw so many students make major changes in the directions of their lives. The last night culminated with a focus on the Holy Spirit. Numerous students were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to operate in the gifts, all with a focus on taking

Collide day four!

2009-06-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was an amazing altar experience. Started opening up for prayer at 10 and the last people left the altar two hours later! This students are hungry and our leaders are outstanding. Tomorrow is baptism and we have a large group signed up to be baptized. I'll post photos when we return because the Internet connection here is not great. Thanks for your prayers-- they really help!!!!

An update from collide!

2009-06-25T21:27:00.001-07:00

One day in and we're already blown away. The games have been amazing, the set is amazing, but the one true noticeable point is how quickly the students have connected with each other. This collide is unique with a larger number of first time students ... Most of these knew very few other students when we started and in one day these students have made lifelong connections here! Raul and the

A Perfect Dad

2009-06-21T12:11:00.001-07:00

A large chunk of my life is the intervention into the lives of struggling teenagers. Because I spend so much time wrestling with the issues in their lives and so many of those issues center around rough relationships with their fayher, I've become hesitant to share about my own dad. This isn't because I'membarrassed of him. it's because he was so amazing it's almost unbelievable. Was he perfect

Anne Rice returns to speculative fiction with "Angel Time"

2009-06-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge Anne Rice fan-- her two latest books on the early years of Christ are still with me! She is returning to the world of the supernatural with her first new book in a new series: Angel Time. Here's a description from her site (www.annerice.com): In keeping with my commitment to do Christian fiction in a variety of forms, I am developing a new series called Songs of the Seraphim. The

Green Lantern Motel

2009-06-14T14:41:00.001-07:00

Green Lantern Motel, originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk.I've always wondered where they hang out.

Two weeks to Collide

2009-06-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

There is not a better way to spend a summer week than Collide and it's just two weeks away. This is simply a reminder . . . if you haven't signed up, do it now! This is a can't miss week! DO IT NOW!

MySpace and Citysearch Team Up to Challenge Yelp

2009-03-31T19:45:00.001-07:00

I wrote about this type of thing a few posts ago . . . maybe MySpace is reading my blog (ha!). But Facebook needs to get on this because this is a great idea: MySpace and Citysearch are combining forces to launch MySpace Local, which combines CitySearch’s database of local businesses with the MySpace community, allowing users to initially review restaurants, bars, and nightlife spots, with

Scientists Uncover Previously Unknown Terror Of The Deep [Predator X]

2009-03-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

unbelievable. Calling all SyFy execs: Archaeologists in the Arctic have found fossilized remains that could become the star of your next Saturday night movie. The scientists are even calling their discovery "Predator X." The creature, discovered in Svalbard, had a head twice the size of a Tyrannosarus Rex, and four times its bite force, according to scientists. Estimates put the size of the

Go Out and Play!

2009-03-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is a great article I found on the value of play. In 678, we focus a lot of time on fun and have always received some confused looks as to why it's a major focus. For years, due to hours sitting in psychology classes, I tried to explain the mental, psychological, and spiritual benefits of having fun. This is a great article that explains the value of play better than I ever could. Enjoy! And

The start of the iphone

2009-03-14T22:45:00.001-07:00

Interesting look at an early model mix of the phone and a touch-screen apple. Never released to the general public but still an interesting note in history . . . [From Phone%20Mac%20-%20Studie%20mit%20AT%20&%20T%20(1984)%20-%20(1).JPG 590×600 pixels]

If the Rubik's Cube is too easy for you . . .

2009-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

If the Rubik's Cube is too easy for you . . . [via I New Idea] [From Final Frame: Petaminx Pwns Rubik's Cube]

The iPhone Prototype: Blast from the Past

2009-03-14T19:51:00.001-07:00

Saw this earlier and thought I'd pass it along. This is an early prototype of the iphone that ended up on eBay and then was quickly removed by Apple. We all think that iPhones and Crackberrys are the phones to beat right now. That's why looking at how Apple came to design the iPhone is so interesting. It reveals some of the thoughts and ideas that went into the winning design and functionality

You are not this cool. You never will be. Neither will I.

2009-03-08T22:12:00.001-07:00

via http://www.shawnhogan.com/2006/07/david-hasselhoff.html[From David Hasselhoff]

Let me tell you what I do

2009-03-08T20:53:00.001-07:00

I work with middle school students to navigate the difficult decisions of their lives. I coordinate programs and events to focus them and provide one-on-one mentoring as they move throughout the most challenging years of their lives.

Kindle + iPhone = Great Bible Study Tool

2009-03-07T11:10:00.001-08:00

With this week's release of the Kindle app for the iPhone, some great new tools for Bible study have become available. So here's a few steps:1. Download the free app for the iPhone2. Set up an amazon.com account and navigate to the Kindle Store (via your web browser; you can't purchase items out of the app -- you still have to do that from amazon.com)Great item:Crossway books is giving away the

Television on Facebook?????

2009-03-06T10:30:00.001-08:00

This post came across my RSS feeder and thought it was worth sharing: Yesterday, Josh Elman – one of the representatives at Facebook Official Blog, amazed the Facebook users by confirming the news to bring in television on Facebook very soon. Now, Facebook Users will have one of the most fascinating experience to watch their favourite shows like Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy and many more while

Facebook Reach 175 million Users

2009-03-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Saw the following post on the Facebook Developer's Site and thought it was good to pass on: What American accent do you have? (Best version so far)Midland("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it's a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn't mean you're from the Midland.Click Here to Take This Quiz