brian shivers

I had this joke book I absolutely loved when I was little.  The jokes were corny, came with great illustrations, and were absolutely perfect for my 8-year-old brain. Some of my favorite entries were... What time is it when the elephant sits on your fence?      Time to get a new fence. Why did the baseball player throw his alarm clock?      Because he wanted to see time fly. Where did the general keep his armies?      In his sleevies. But for some odd reason, the joke that captured my imagination the most was accompanied by a drawing of a cowboy riding his trusty steed across the desert away from a town.  The cowboy was sitting backwards in his saddle looking longingly at the town he had just left. The joke read... Why did the cowboy ride his horse backwards?      Because he wanted to see where he had been. I probably told that joke (if one can even call it a joke) a thousand times between the ages of eight and eleven.  My parents and my siblings suffered the brunt of my j

I have had the distinct privilege of walking through the confirmation process at Second Presbyterian Church with students every year for the last 24 years.  It is one of the highlights of youth ministries for me. I know that there are people who question the efficacy, necessity, and relevance of confirmation.  There are others who wonder if it is anything more than checking a box to fill a religious obligation.  And I willingly admit that important questions must be asked about confirmation as the church as a whole continues to change in our post-Christendom world.  However, I firmly believe that confirmation continues to be important.  My adventure at Second has allowed me to see the importance of confirmation (and all of that which follows) on the lives of the almost 40 year-olds who were a part of the first confirmation class I had the honor of leading at Second. Admittedly, the confirmation experience does not exist in a vacuum.  There are many more important factors in a young