YL

When Your Story Goes Up In Flames, Remember This:

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

IMG_5092This past weekend my wife and I got the incredible opportunity to spend some time working at Pioneer Plunge, a majestic Young Life camp in Weaverville, NC.

If you’re not familiar with it, Pioneer Plunge is unlike any other Young Life camp. Nestled high in the mountains and hidden away at the top of Windy Gap (another Young Life camp), Plunge consists of only 3 minimal cabins, a pond and a garden. There’s no electricity or amenities of any kind.

The purpose of the camp is to provide young people with a chance to live in the wilderness for a week and discover God’s calling unhindered by any distraction.

Kate and I met as Young Life leaders and look for any chance we can to give back to the ministry. We never had the chance to visit Pioneer Plunge when we were leaders so when the chance came up to participate in a Work Crew weekend at the camp we jumped at the opportunity.

Unfortunately we didn’t see the camp in all it’s glory. In August of 2014 the main cabin at Pioneer Plunge burned down in a tragic accident. No one was hurt by the fire and it was miraculously contained to just the one building. Continue reading →

Jesus and Jerry Seinfeld

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Jerry Seinfeld would have made a great Young Life leader.

Can you imagine the talks he would give? “What’s the deal with forgiveness? Have you seen this? Have you heard about this?”

It’s not just the jokes Jerry would kill at. Jerry Seinfeld is really good at relationships.

For the past few months Seinfeld has been putting out a web series called “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” The show is exactly what you think it is and is absolutely worth 15 minutes of your time.

Each week Jerry phones up one of his famous funny friends, picks them up in a classic car, and picks their brain over coffee.

I’ve never not laughed during an episode. The wisdom from legends of comedy like David Letterman, Larry David, and Don Rickles is valuable for anyone in entertainment, business, or even ministry.

In between the laughter and the glamour shots of Lamborghinis and latte art, what I really take away from each episode is just how simple relationships have to be.As Chris Rock put it in his chat with Jerry, “Everything is about company. A gourmet meal with an [jerk] is a horrible meal. A hot dog with an interesting person is an amazing meal.”

Jerry Seinfeld, unsurprisingly, is really comfortable at talking with people. His conversations with comedians are at once light and deep. It’s something Jerry Seinfeld has in common with Jesus. Continue reading →

Why I’ll Always Love The O.C.

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

http://nowhitenoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ocpilot.jpg

Everything I’ve learned about leadership I learned from The O.C.

Maybe that’s a stretch. But as the landmark soap marked it’s tenth anniversary this past week (and retrospective articles like this one from Grantland were all over the place) I started thinking about why I have such a soft spot for this bubblegum show.

I realized none of the articles I found on the internet really got to the heart of why I loved The O.C. – the heart of it all. Continue reading →

POP GOD POPcast: Episode 1 – Clay Bagby

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

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Welcome to the latest addition to POP GOD – the POP GOD POPcast. Throughout the next few weeks I’ll be interviewing different people in the Augusta community and beyond who are seeking God and sharing his message in unique ways.

This week’s guest is Clay Bagby, Young Life Augusta Area Director. Clay talks about growing up in Augusta and coming back to his home town and alma mater to lead Young Life. He shares one of the best pranks he ever committed, his views on pop culture’s effect on today’s teens, how he got involved with Young Life, and more. Plus Clay takes our first ever POP Quiz! You’ll really enjoy this look into one of Augusta’s leaders in youth ministry. It’s a great listen for anyone in Augusta or anyone not in Augusta who wants to hear a unique perspective on ministry.

I’m so excited to open up POP GOD into a new area and share with you other’s stories of seeking God in the present tense. I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the POPcast.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks. Enjoy.

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