Coming round/down the Mountain

As our second week in Colorado is about to breach, I am thinking it is necessary to take a moment to reflect on the previous week. The drive out was uneventful, which is always good, as Oklahoma red dirt rolled into west Texas mesas which evolved into Colorado foothills. The morphing geography looked like a moving picture show outside my window. And as conference got underway I think students were challenged. But I can't help but think about what they are doing now, a full day back in their home envirnoment. Have any of them gotten rid of old habits, argued with their parents, gotten drunk, broke up with their boy friend? This is this struggle with doing events - soon enough they leave. And then what? We can create a bubble or a mountain top experience (you choose whatever imagery you like) but we haven't found a way to make "CIY in a can". I guess that is why there is more to youth ministry than just events.