I know it the midst of snow and cold it's hard to pull your mind away for a bit and think about the warm season to come, but don't be deceived, it's on the way!!  The snow will melt, the cold will blow away, the grass will come out, and Spring will be here before you know it. 

We've had an unbelievable last 10 years out in Durango Colorado during the summertime.  We open the gates June 1 for six two week sessions where teenagers from around the world come to enjoy the beautiful San Juan Mountains.  White water rafting, fly fishing, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and even our own spot on the cool waters of the Vallacito Reservoir make KIVU a teenager's paradise during the summer. 

And if that wasn't enough, our skilled team prepares to help teenagers think through their place in the world.  We count it a wonderful privilege to lead teenagers through a time tested curriculum that allows them to think about the world around them, examine their belief system, and walk away from our place grounded in their faith.  It's a great joy to watch as a student comes to us wandering aimlessly through their life, and then find direction, purpose, and reasons to reach out to the people they interact with. 

Our vision for the future is bright. 
Opportunities to connect teenagers to places around the world are abundant. 
We see a bright heralding for tomorrow as we believe in today's next generation.

If you're interested in coming out, don't hesitate.  Click here to go to the KIVU website.  Set a deposit up for the summer, and reserve your spot.  It looks like we'll have waiting lists beginning in February, so you don't want to wait too long. 

God bless, and see you THIS SUMMER!!

It's been a great Vacation for the Braner Crew!!  We started this relaxing vacation right before Christmas, but now it's time to get back to the real world. 

We've played till our hearts are content.  
We surfed till we couldn't stand anymore.
We jumped in more pools, swam in more waves, and totally immersed in the waves. 

But now it's time to head back to Colorado.

It's always an important time for us to slow down a bit.  As most of you know, our lives run at Mach - 10.  So to take some time away from it all, and just re-focus, is always a welcomed time of the year. 

But 2010 awaits. 

We're set to get school underway, start our snowboarding teams, pick up music lessons, and get ready for KIVU 2010. 

Enjoying once last day in the sun, and then homeward bound!!  See you soon.

It's that time of Matthew when Jesus and the disciples gathered together in the upper room to have the last supper.  This is one of the most sacred times of the faith, as congregations all over the world take the sacrament of Jesus' last meal. 

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:26-30)

As an ordained minister, I have the sacred privilege of leading others into this beautiful time of commitment and reflection. 

There are a few times in the faith where all believers "do" the faith. 

Baptism, the process of publicly displaying one's decision to follow Jesus, and Communion.  Both, equally awesome as followers show their commitment to the world. 

A few years ago, my pastor challenged the congregation concerning the last supper.  He told us the dinner Jesus and the disciples took was probably a bit more solemn, as Judas just announced his betrayal.  But the communion we celebrate together should be just that, a celebration.

Think about it.

It's one of a few events ALL believers take together. 
The meaning of the dinner is not one of disgrace, rather; it's a celebration of new life.
For Jesus came into the world to save the world. 
He came to stamp a new world into the old one.
He came to change everything we know to be true, and develop a new life where the world can reconcile back to God's intended purpose. 

It was as though I was seeing life in a new light. 

Communion was more about celebration than mourning.
It was a time where the "body" of Christ can come together, and celebrate all the good that comes from Jesus' life here on earth.

From that time forward, every time I'm in charge of the communion meal, we strive to make it a celebration. 

A celebration of new life.
A celebration of sacrifice.
A celebration of family.
A way we can all rally around our common cause.

May you celebrate the life of Jesus in this New Year!

Well, we're not driving in flying cars just yet, but the iPhone has changed our lives to date. 
We don't have a viable solution to Global Poverty, but we do have hope that things are beginning to change in a direction that looks brighter today than yesterday.
War still plagues the world, but the Peace Giver stands by watchful, hopeful, that one day we'll all find the true meaning of peace through His Son Jesus.

Welcome to 2010. 

My prayer is that this year will bring more to the table of God's bountiful grace.
My hope is there will be many who find His way the true way.
My fervent work will be to help teenagers, college students, and leaders of both, to find an amazing spectacle where God's work will be done in great grandeur!

I've already got some amazing plans cooking for 2010, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Thanks for continuing to make this site a fun project in 2009.  Without you, the readers, this site wouldn't be worth doing. 

May God bless you as you embark on a New Year!!

The hardest part of setting goals, for this generation, is the feeling like you're "boxed in."  It's almost as if setting goals is like setting up bars in prison cells to keep you from moving or changing in real time.  It's scary, sometimes, to set goals and try to keep with them.

What if I fail?
What if I change directions?
What if I don't like where I end up?
What if I want to set new goals?  What then?

Let me release you from that feeling.  Goals are not concrete.  It's just like setting guidelines. 

Let's say you want to learn how to speak a new language.  The goal doesn't bind you to speaking something fluently, it just allows you to set a framework whereby you can start learning new words, new culture, and making new friends. 

If halfway through the goal, you find that you don't have the affinity for learning a language, it's not the end of the world. 

So, as you take a long hard look at where you want to go, what you want to do in 2010, think big.  Set some cool goals.  You might indeed have a wonderful time learning something new, visiting a new place, or just making cool new friends. 

God bless. 

I love the phrase, "Knowing What you Don't Know." It's the epitome of honesty, don't you think?   Being someone able to look at your life, and know you don't have all the answers, you don't have all the right angles, and in fact; sometimes you're just plain wrong, these are essential ingredients to beginning new and fresh in the New Year. 

The Mistake most people make in analyzing last year's successes and failures is just that, they don't have the fortitude to look at the broken branches.  We love new growth.  We love strong limbs.   But sometimes we just don't take the well deserved time to notice, mend, or just plain cut off the branches that aren't working. 

As you took some time yesterday to look at the successes of 2009, take the same look at the failures.  Look at the times when you intended good, but it worked out a different way than you expected. 

I've worked on several relationships I thought would have worked out a different way.
I've tried to mend my marriage in ways I thought would be beneficial, but for some reason, they didn't tend to translate to Jamie.
I had grand visions of 2009 being a new year to connect with my kids in various ways, but they turned out either not to have the right time, or they weren't exactly the needs my kids were looking for.

Ok, so my plans didn't work out.

No big deal.

We just mend the plan, and try again next time. 

I remember reading of Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb.  Did you know Edison tested over 1,500 different materials to find the right filament to burn inside the glass bulb?  1500 times?  I'm sure Edison was discouraged at some point in the experiments, but think about what a revolution the light bulb has caused over the world today.  You'd be hard pressed to find a civilization alive on the planet today still using candles and flame as the source of light.  1500 tries, and 1 changed the world.

So, as you're looking at 2010, trying to decide what you want this new year to be, don't be afraid of the 1500, keep looking for the 1.  Keep trying to hit the one thing that God created you for. 

Paul said it like this, "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (Phil. 3:13-14)

Are you ready to forget about the personal failures of the past?
Can you look forward to the future?

The beauty of new life lies in the hope we have for the future. 

Be brave.
Be courageous.
Look deep into the heart of what you don't know, and let it go. 
For it is the hope of the new that gives us a fresh new start. 

As you take a little while to analyze all that happened in 2009, it would benefit just exploring the good stuff that happened this year. 

For the Braners:

We moved to Colorado!!
We've made some wonderful friends in Durango. 
We're hooked into the Spiritual scene.
We're reaching out to the community.
We're exploring new family adventures.
We had a wonderful succession in our business from K-Colorado to KIVU.
We've invited a new member into our family (Tiki was adopted from Rwanda right before Thanksgiving)
We continue to count on God as the source of all that is good and right.

Overall, the joys of this year have been really really good.

If you take some time and just think about all the good stuff, you'll find an entire day dedicate to the memory of good.

It's easy to look at New Year's resolutions as "out with the old, and in with the new" but what about all the good stuff that you want to continue.  There's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater right from the get-go.  Let's take some time today to focus on the good.

Interestingly enough, if you read through the Old Testament, Every time God performed a great miracle, He asked the Israelites to build an alter.  The alter wasn't built for a place to worship, as much as it was a place of remembrance. 

It's good to remember the good times.
It's good to take time and be thankful for all the gifts God has given.

May we be a people who build alters to remember.  Maybe not physically, but wouldn't it be a great way to relish the beautiful parts of life as we remember the good?

Let's take time here.  If you feel comfortable, just leave a few of the good things 2009 brought you here in the comment section. 

Tomorrow, we'll work on the other side of the leger. 

As the last little bit of 2009 winds down, and the first decade of this millennium comes to an end, it's the time of year to reflect on the old, dream of the new, and commit to a re-alignment of life.  It's the reason New Year's resolutions are so popular this week.  

Most of the U.S. is under a blanket of winter weather, which gives us a great visual of what's to come.  The temporary death of the trees, the grass, and the crops, gives us hope the newness will emerge with even greater fervency. 

So as the last week draws to an end, I just wanted to take some time (all week) to spend on reflecting on the beauty of newness.  The Braner family has experienced A LOT of newness this year.  Some good.  Some not so good.  But one thing will remain, the beauty of the hope all things will be made more vibrant in the new year. 

As you read the posts for the week, feel free to join in the reflections.  Add new ideas, re-think your own positions, and together we can re-imagine life the way it was intended to be. 

Look forward to hearing from you this week.

I've spent the last year talking to teenagers all over the country about relationships.  It's been a while since a dating book has hit the shelves discussing what's really going on in the world at school. 

I'm almost finished with the 1st draft of a new book helping parents and teen leaders understand exactly what's going on in the dark shadows of the dating world.  And I'd love your help.

If you've got a story about what's going on in your sphere of influence concerning dating, or you've got some new ideas about how we can help a new generation of teens navigate the dating world, please send your story. 

You can comment here, or send me a private e-mail at andy@campkivu.com. 

If you're story makes the book, I'll send you a signed copy of the 1st printed addition. 

Looking forward to seeing if your story matches up with some of the stories I've collected after a year of travels. 

God bless!

Can't wait to share this new work with you.