Leaving This Morning...

Hey Everybody, thought I'd shoot off a quick blog to say thanks for all of your support to my family this week. Whew, it's been a busy one in the Blue household. Sunday/Monday was orientation and registration at Bellarmine (Louisville), Tuesday was a Junior High Drive In Movie Night (30+ kids) in the back yard, Wednesday was the 20 something group (called L.O.L. 18+), Thursday and Friday and Saturday we were prepping for Sean's Graduation Party and the Mission Trip to Cinncinnati...somewhere in there I had a mid term exam at seminary. I can't wait to leave this morning so I can RELAX!!! Keep in touch with the blog me this week. If I have access to the internet we'll post stuff about our trip!

If you want to e-mail me or any of the other campers, use this link. We are at Cinncinnati Week of Hope, June 29-July 4.

Time for a Mission Trip

Hello Heartland Parents! Right next weekend our Junior High youth group (11 students and 3 adults) will be travelling to Cincinnati, Ohio to spend a week living in a church as we serve the greater Cincinnati area. This is the 7th year we have taken students on these trips and I have never came away from one of them disappointed with the kids efforts. They often say "That was the best week of my summer!" I am very excited to take both of our groups of kids to camp this summer.

The theme for this year's camp is “Love Out Loud.” As we serve others, we’ll Love Out
Loud—not just think about it, not just talk about it, but do it. 1 John 3:18—our verse for the week—reflects this: “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (New Living Translation)

As we Love Out Loud for others, we’ll experience the transforming love of Jesus in powerful ways, too. We’ll learn more about Jesus, who showed us how to Love Out Loud. And, of course, the loudest anyone has ever loved was when Jesus died on the cross for us.

Please join me in praying for our kids as they prepare for one of the best weeks of their summer.

Thanks, Ron

PS - Don't forget to help us out by attending our Spaghetti Dinner/Dessert Auction on Sunday, July 13th at the cafeteria right after the main service.

Investing in my family...

WooHoo! Just got back from North Myrtle Beach for a week. Jen, the kids and I had a great time hanging out at the beach, grilling out, swimming in the pool and exploring all the sights that Myrtle Beach has to offer. When I think back to my younger days growing up in my family I will always remember the excitement of family vacations. Camping trips, visiting distant relatives, going to amusement parks or staying at hotels have created memories that will forever contribute to the legacy my family created in my mind.

We will always value vacations in our family. They bring our family together by removing us from the daily grind, they allow us to rest, they give us time to focus our attention on each other, they create memories that are "family oriented." As our kids grow older, maintaining the "family unit" has become a bigger challenge than I anticipated. We feel it's important to do whatever it takes to stay connected with each other and vacations are the way to do that. Through the years we have made it a priority to go on family vacations, considering it an "investment in family."

Dad's Day!

Thought I'd take a moment and dedicate a post to all the Dads out there on this awesome day - Father's Day! My dad, (Phil) has always been a great role model for me as I venture (sometimes wobble) through fatherhood. I don't get to talk to him near enough these days (being a dad is a busy job) but I'll always think of my dad as a guy who was a hard worker, ethical man, sensitive husband and "logical thinker." One of the things I always respect about my dad is how he thinks through any problem and come up with a great solution - I know, it sounds weird, but it's a guy thing, okay? Dad is a great listener, has a great sense of humor, and has always been a very honest and ethical person.

Some of my favorite memories include when he used to set our alarm clocks ahead three hours so we could get a head start on vacation! Later on in our life Dad and Mom started vacationing in Hilton Head which was a tradition we continued as our kids grew up. Other classics includes those April Fool's Day pranks, throwing the baseball in the back yard ("remember to plant your foot son"), telephone calls to inquire about a problem, his expertise in growing grapes and making wine, and most recently, his purchase of a go-cart to use for the entire family (4 brothers and their wives, 9 grandchildren).

Thanks Dad. Happy Father's Day!

Medina Lacrosse Team Assists Schultes with Yardwork

Props to the Medina lacrosse team as they took a Sat. morning last weekend and helped out the Schulte family with yardwork. Bob Schulte has been battling leukemia for the last 2 years and was in need of a little help with taming the growing shrubs and weeds. They layed out mulch, cut grass, trimmed bushes, edged flower gardens and had a great time doing it. Big thanks to Mark Dorman, Ken Walters, and Jennifer Blue for organizing the event. Also a big thanks to the tema who were in attendance with over 25 guys!!! Way to go men! I have included a short three and a half minute video showing the event. In the begining of the clip the Medina Boys Seniors are shown on Senior Night at the last home lacrosse game...the Schulte home footage is right after that. A little bit of trivia involved here...this year's head coach, Ken Walters, grew up in the Schulte home as a young boy - rumor has it that he was digging up old Army men he buried in the flower garden years ago.

College Connection this summer

Just had our first college connection event this past Friday evening. We planned a cookout and disc golf outing at Roscoe Ewing Park. Six students showed up for some good burgers grilled by Pete and some good discussion and a chance to reconnect with some of my favorite people in the world. Cattt, Britt, Ryan, Tim, Justin and Jeff hung out until 9:30-ish. We are planning another event at Justin's house later this month (date and time tbd) so stay tuned to this site or the church website. Though we never made it to the disc golf course we did have some casual conversation on faith issues. Those in attendance seemed like they wanted to make it a regular activity. Saweeeeetttt! Hey, we need to give a shout out to Pete Drury as prepares for his triathlon in the next couple of weeks! Good luck Pete!

Heartland Seniors Graduate!

We had our annual graduation ceremony yesterday in the main service. It's always great to see all those kids on stage sharing what their plans are for the future. I really like putting the videos together for these services because it gives me a chance to reflect on our history with the kid. Some of the kids we recognize haven't been involved in the youth ministry, some make youth ministry their main focus. My heart aches a little for those kids who choose not to make the ministry a priority in their lives. They don't relaize how rich and rewarding their life could be when they pursue God with a group of people their own age.

Props to the Medina High School staff for their commencement ceremony yesterday at the J.A.R. (University of Akron). There were over 570 students who walked the stage, 6-7 speakers, music and 2 fire alarms and they finished the program in 90 minutes! Impressive!

I thought I'd include the tribute video we showed in the main service for your viewing pleasure! Congrats Seniors!