Early yesterday morning, Thursday, October 30, we lost a friend, a father, an inspiration. Co-founder and owner of Youth Specialties (YS), Mike Yaconelli, was in a fatal car accident in northern California late Wednesday evening. Read more here.

Mike was a huge inspiration to me through the Youth Specialties conferences and his books (Dangerous Wonder, Messy Spirituality). He was the champion of Youth Pastors, encouraging them and standing up for them - still a rebel who hadn't bought into the institution even after 50. He touted a relationship with God that was real, messy and imperfect. My heart is still really sad about this loss, even though he wasn't a close personal friend.