Thanks to my friend D. Scott Miller of the Archdiocese of Baltimore for including me on his recent list of "Top 20 Catholic Youth Ministry Blogs " on his website The Catholic Youth Ministry Blog , considered the "411 of Catholic Youth Ministry."  Also on the list are youth ministry stand-outs Bob Rice, Mike Patin, and Mark Oestreicher, to name a few.  I'm excited and humbled to be recognized on the list!

Scott and I have been fast friends ever since we met back in the summer of 2003 in Washington, DC.  In fact, on the day we first met, we ended up with some immediate bonding time as we changed a flat tire on his car.  The rest, as they say, is history.

We've engaged in some good-natured ribbing over the past few years, especially with respect to our respective countries.  And I was part of one of Scott's most memorable projects:  the April Fools joke of 2009 .

It's been a big month for Scott, as his website just celebrated it's 6 year anniversary.  As well, Scott has been hired as the Director of the Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a position he's held on an interim basis for the past year.  Now it's official!

Congrats again Scott, and thanks for the support.  You ain't so bad after all.

I’ve been tagged a couple of times (by Oddwalk Ministries and Gene Monterstelli) in a recent prayer meme going around the internet, in which we are to name our 3 favourite prayers.  Many prominent (much more so than me) bloggers have weighed in, including Mike Patin, Scott Miller, and Roy Petitfils.

And for those of you who are unsure, the term “meme” is used to describe a concept that spreads swiftly via the internet.  Don’t be embarrassed if you didn’t know.  I thought “meme” was the opposite of “youyou.”

Anyway, on to my 3 favourite prayers:

It was one of the lazier days of our family vacation on Wednesday, our last full day in the LA area. So with our trips to Disneyland complete, we did our best American Idol wanna-be impression and went to Hollywood. After a quick drive up and down Hollywood Boulevard, we headed into the hills towards the famous Hollywood sign.

As an aside, it was both comical and surprising that the GPS in our van actually had “Hollywood Sign” programmed as an attraction. When we got to the suggested address, it was actually someone’s house…haha.

Gail and I took the kids to see Toy Story 3 this Thursday on our 10 year wedding anniversary. Four of the five of us were completely blown away by the show (Kayla, not Jake, slept through most of it), making it a wonderful way to spend a “lazy day” on vacation.

I was extremely impressed by the entire movie, as it was a seamless weave of action and emotion. In particular, I was struck by the number of Christian themes in the movies, whether intentional or not.

At the end of the story, when Andy was reluctantly giving Woody to Bonnie the little girl, he described Woody in this way: “He'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.”