| In Memory of an Inspiration
I am saddened to be inspired to write in this
way, as it is the death of a well respected, unique man that has
led me to the words on this page. Last week, the world of youth
ministry learned that Mike Yaconelli, a pioneer in the field, tragically
passed away at the age of 61. I say tragically, because even though
some one past the age of 60 has a far greater likelihood of dieing
at any moment then say, someone your age, Mike was not the kind
of man who seemed 60 years old. He was a very young 61, with energy,
fun and love for God and life galore.
“Who is this guy with a weird last name?”
you might ask. He was the co-founder and owner of a company called
“Youth Specialties.” Again, you might be in the dark
as to this name and company. However, I assure you that if you are
on this website by now, chances are you have some faith in God which
means that chances are you’re associated with a church and
chances are you’re therefore associated with some sort of
youth group and chances are you’ve most certainly been affected
by, or at least experienced something that was made possible by
“Youth Specialties,” and thus, Mike Yaconelli.
Yaconelli has always had a passion for God,
passion for young people, and a passion for those who minister to
young people. More than 30 years ago, while frustrated trying to
find a publisher for a book of “youth ministry ideas,”
him and a buddy decided they would create their own company to publish
the book. This started “Youth Specialties,” a company
that would forever change the face of modern youth ministry. Fueled
by the unique, wild and radical ideas of Yaconelli, the company
has emerged as the largest of its kind in the world. The company
provides countless resources for youth, youth workers, churches
and even pastors. Most of you reading this right now have most likely
experienced a lesson, game, worship experience or something that
came about because of Youth Specialties.
Back to the man of mention. What a guy! I was
blessed enough to encounter this man personally a number of times,
watching him speak, attending his workshops at conventions, and
met him close up a couple of times. I’ve also read his two
books, “Dangerous Wonder,” and “Messy Spirituality.”
From the above encounters I will attempt to give you a glimpse of
what this man was like in the paragraphs below.
The first time I heard of this guy, he got up
on stage at the final session of a 4 day convention I’d been
at. “Yaconelli?” I thought… cool name! The first
thing he said stuck with me clearly since that day… “Put
your notebooks down. I don’t want you to take any notes. It
only distracts you from hearing and truly listening to what I’m
going to say.” Immediately I said to myself, “That’s
it! I love this guy! He’s my favorite speaker!” As I’d
been at this conference with my college, and of course we had to
make something academic out of something that was so much fun. So,
I put the notebook away, sat back and relaxed, as this man mesmerized
me, and actually finished early! (Most of the speakers struggled
to finish on time at this convention, and well, in Christianity
in general). I don’t even remember necessarily what he spoke
about; I just knew I liked him.
I heard he was coming out with a book, just
about the time the next convention rolled around. I was fortunate
enough to go this time with my church, so it was a little more laid
back. In any case, I bought the book, and had him sign it. When
he heard my last name (quite Italian) he said “Ah, my pison!”
And signed it with pleasure. It was a memorable few minutes of contact,
but on the plane ride home I blew through about half of that book,
“Dangerous Wonder, The adventure of Childlike Faith.”
This book was a true joy to read. Mike wrights like he’s having
a conversation with you. His ideas are refreshing, and his stories
are captivating. He says it like it is, and isn’t afraid to
make you feel uncomfortable, or even offend you some times, for
the sake of glorifying God’s desires for us. This is a book
that I continue to struggle to live by, though we all need to have
the sort of abandon of a childlike faith, it’s tough to achieve.
But it’s a book that has greatly inspired me.
Mike’s second book, I have no trouble
achieving. Its title “Messy Spirituality,” is the epitome
of all of us, struggling to keep up with a God that gets lost in
the haze created by our worldly surroundings and human blunder.
Mike challenged me in this book quite a bit more with some of the
idea’s he posed, but I come much closer to achieving a messy
spirituality than I do an ideal childlike faith. Which is why the
book is so intriguing and important. The point is that God’s
love and grace extends to all, those with neat and messy spirituality
alike. A true challenge and test of our often keen ability to judge
others.
My final reflection of Mike Yaconelli came just
a little more than a year ago, while again at the Youth Specialties
Convention. This time we were in Pittsburgh, and while four members
of our staff were able to attend, a few could not make it. One of
the women, who could not make it, made up a scavenger hunt for us
that did go, to be completed while on our 5 day trip. This was particularly
appreciated by me, as I’m always making up the scavenger hunts,
and never get to participate on them. In any case, one of our tasks
was to obtain a photo with group members and Mike Yaconelli with
an Oreo in his mouth. So, knowing the kind of man that Yaconelli
is, I had the plan, and we entered one of his workshops. At the
end, we waited while he finished up answering questions with various
people. We asked some one to “Take our picture with Mike.”
We all waited, and then the time was right. We walked up to Mike,
I with Oreo in hand. We surrounded him, without saying a word. I
lifted up the Oreo, held it in front of him, shoved it in his mouth,
and Click, the picture was taken. We then laughed about it, explained
what was going on, and had a brief conversation with him. This very
event characterizes quite well the character of Mike Yaconelli,
and will forever be the picture in my mind of his awesome, unique
spirit.
Mike Yaconelli
July 24, 1942 - October 30, 2003
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