Life Teen has had a training conference in Atlanta over the past few days. It is so much fun seeing youth ministers and priests I’ve met around the country so close to my home.

Though it is my duty as the national spokesperson to be seen at the conference, I choose spend as much time there as I can b/c I love it so much. It is an honor to sit in the conference lobby and chat for hours with youthful ministers, all excited, selfless, and ambitious. These people…I just wanted to hug each of them and thank them for having the strength to give up their “day jobs” (and significant pay cut, I might add) to become a greater influence on younger people. Rock on.

I spent a few hours talking with my friends Steve and Mark about relationships. It has been a long time since I have been in such an intense exchange of thoughts, ideas, and experiences. It’s kind of like when I first delved into the world of algebra back in seventh grade, and each concept was so bizarre and mind-boggling, yet proved to be useful for solving problems and understanding chapters in the book. My head hurt by taking in so much information, and my heart jumped as I learn more about my vocation. The talk
was awesome!

There is definitely a fire stirred in me right now, but I am saddened knowing I must walk the single-track path of schoolwork for the next three days. It won’t be long until it is all over.