Psalm 103: Bloom and Grow

"Our days on earth are like grass, like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows and we are gone - as though we had never been here." --Psalm 103:15-16 I've been thinking a lot lately about blooming and growing and changing! Yesterday, I had to drive to South Carolina to vote (yes, we still have our house there and didn't change our residency to NC in time). As we drove down I-77, my husband and I were quite struck over and over at the beautiful, lush reds and yellows coming from the changing trees! It made me think of how quickly they change and then after one good rain or wind storm they are gone, leaving the somber empty twigs to sway in the col winter's wind. No doubt, though, they are quite lovely at their peak! We know based on the other Psalms we have explored so far this school year (in these emails) that David can be quite negative in the Psalms (though he always seems to be able to praise God through it). But, I'm not sure this is one of his crying out in misery kind of moments! There are so many awesomely positive topics mentioned in this Psalm (like forgiveness and redemption and healing and satisfaction) that it is almost like David is sharing what one commentary I read referred to as the "benefits package" of life with Christ. But I think we are simply a witness to an affectionate moment of David to God and that this Psalm is a reminder that God calls us to make every day count! After my driving experience yesterday with the trees, I was particularly drawn to verses 15 and 16 from Psalm 103. When I read them, I questioned David's inspiration! Was he looking at some blooming beauty or colorful scene as I saw yesterday when he wrote this Psalm? I don't know ... but I think David teaches us a great lesson in these words! Our life is much like a blooming plant or tree cycle: growing, reaching maturity, and then fading away. Think about it! We must learn and feed ourselves so as to have the most impact with our influence = the growing Our time on Earth is a blessing and can produce beauty = the bloom or peak color time Sharing what you've got today, not tomorrow so as to make your mark on the world and leave a legacy. Bottom line - we will all die one day = the fading away So, my advice from this Psalm is two-fold! First, make the most of each opportunity each day. The fact is we don't know if there will be a tomorrow or what that tomorrow will bring! For David, there was a lot of strife. For us, maybe or maybe not. Either way, the challenge is to bloom and grow each day; some days we will also have moments where we wither away! It's all a natural part of our growth cycle! Remember, the beauty that comes from a blooming flower or a fall tree couldn't come unless the withering process happened earlier! The same is true for us! Secondly, remember to stop and have those affectionate moments with God, just as David seems to do here! Those are the moments in which you will experience your peak and be your most beautiful!

Blessings, Gratefulness, and Pumpkins ... OH MY!

This week at Sr. high youth group, we're talking blessings and gratefulness! So here's a little piece to get us thinking ... Close your eyes and think of all your blessings. Was that hard? Yep, if you are like me, it is much easier to think of and ponder and get stressed out by the negative of our lives instead of doing the same with the positive. Here's a quick list of blessings for which we should be grateful; perhaps these were on your list above: life, relationships, gifts, talents and abilities, God's Word, clothing, shelter, transportation, work. The problem is, many of the items on this list can also bring us stress and anxiety (i.e. an argument with someone, not having the right clothes, things wrong with your house, things happening at your job, etc.). It is sometimes easier to focus on the negative than the positive. But, that's just the key to being grateful ... taking time to praise God and being thankful for everything, even our trials. As I've been researching and writing this week's EYC lesson, I've read a lot about blessings and gratefulness. But coming across this was a nice reminder of the call of God to us concerning gratefulness: The Father wants His children’s lives to be characterized by gratefulness. God's Word tells us that an appreciative attitude should be evident in our worship (Ps. 95:2-7; Col. 3:16), giving (2 Cor. 9:12), relationships (Phil. 1:1-3), and even the way we approach spiritual battles (1 Cor. 15:55-57). In other words, thankfulness to the Lord should permeate everything we do (Rom. 14:6). In the Scriptures, the Lord mandates our gratitude (1 Thess. 5:18). We’ll be looking more that these this week at Sr. EYC!! And, we’ll even be carving pumpkins around the theme of gratefulness. The bottom line - thankfulness should permeate everything we do! Realizing the extent of what we've been given, recognizing who we are because of our blessings and trials, and truly trusting that God is the source of our blessings are the keys to cultivating an attitude of gratitude. This is exactly what we want our students to do! So our challenge? Model true gratefulness for our youth! And, remember – “gratitude is formed once you realize what you have been given, who you are, and from whom all blessings flow.”

Psalm 4: Plans, Shmans ...

Last week when we caught up with David we learned he was fleeing for his life from his son, Absalom, who was trying to de-thrown David and start a coup (see 2 Kings 15 and 16). Yet in this time of distress, King David cried out to God and trusted that God would deliver him. Not much has changed in this Psalm. David is still in under great deal of stress and he continues to cry out to God (and even tries to offer his "enemies" some seriously good advice in this Psalm). We know from his story in 2 Kings that people were trying to ruin David's name and reputation! So, insert yourself into the Psalm here ... when have you been so desperate for God to intervene in your life? Have you ever felt like God wasn't listening to you, not hearing or answering your prayers in the way and time you want them answered? Were you being made fun of? Was someone gossiping about you? Did you feel like your parents were being unreasonable about something? Was some you knew sick and/or dying and not getting better? Who or what has tried to steal your joy? In this piece of Scripture, King David seems to be begging God to listen to him. Most of us can identify and know just how David is feeling – he is completely desperate for God to intervene and make it all better! But instead of complaining about his un-joyous situation, David then does something that is a good lesson for us to remember when we feel God isn't hearing us! He gets humble! First, David affirms that he knows God is in charge and that there is a plan! This example can be hard for us to swallow when we are sure God isn’t working fast enough or answering in ways we want! Nevertheless, it would do us good to always acknowledge and remember that God DOES have a plan and while it might not be how we would do it, the plan ultimately rocks! It can be as simple as saying in our prayers – God here is what I want or hope for but you are in charge and I’ll go with your plan! Or – God I just don’t get what you are doing in my life and I just need Your help to understand Your plan! Second, David makes a commitment that most of us don’t regularly consider. King David decides not to sin by letting his hurt and anger toward his enemies and a God who seems not to care get to him. It is really easy for us not to make that commitment. But then our hurt and anger take over. You see, the hurt and anger we store up inside will eventually consume us and take over our lives, completely separating us from God, if we don’t do something about it and if we don’t admit we aren’t in control! The bottom line? King David sets a great example for us all to remain joyful even when our situations aren’t full of joy! King David sends us a great reminder that God is in control and it’s not our about our timeline or way or doing things, but God’s! Amen?!

Psalm 3: Enemies, enemies, enemies!

EYC Weekly Devotion Psalm 3: 1-2God,! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms, Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery: "Hah! No help for him from God!" 3-4 But you, God, shield me on all sides;You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain.5-6 I stretch myself out. I sleep. Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady, Fearless before the enemy mobs Coming at me from all sides. 7 Up, God! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth! 8 Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! Have you ever been stressed? Have you ever felt like negative thing after negative thing after negative thing was happening in your world? Heard the expression "when it rains it pours!"? Had a bad day or two or three? Have you ever wanted to just give up? Well at the time David wrote this Psalm, he was having a pretty bad day ( life, actually ...)! His own son, Absalom, was attempting a coup to de-thrown David as King of Israel! David was forced to flee for his life from his kingdom and home (see the full story in 2 Kings 15 and 16). We know from verses 1 and 2 of this Psalm that things were pretty bad for David. Things were so bad that he was probably feeling like he was about to die at the hands of his enemies! I don't know about you, but I've certainly had days where I thought I was going to "die" at the hands of my "enemies." You know, our "enemies" don't necessarily have to be people running after us trying to snatch our crown! Our "enemies" can be more metaphorical ... but still VERY real. For teens today, some of these "enemies" may include: *the failing of a test or struggling through a class. *judgement from our peers about our clothes, lives, and abilities (or perceived lack of abilities). *gossip, hatred, or jealousy and struggling to find where and how we fit in adults in our lives who just don't understand or have expectations that are too high and we feel are overly harsh, strict, and critical. *being challenged for time for ourselves and God because of schedules that are too full. *money (too much or lack thereof). *peer pressure to do things one may or may not want to do and explore. Regardless of what your "enemy" might be, the bottom line is we all have these fleeing moments of struggle, just like David. No one is exempt! At this point, I think David knew has two choices: he could give up and let his enemies win or he could persevere with God's help. And let's be honest, we all know what David was likely to choose ... SUCCESS!! After all, he clearly had the secret for being successful! How else could one slay a giant and wild animals, become king, and handle extreme adversity? David's secret to success was simply that he trusted God. David knew, without a shadow of a doubt that God is in charge and that God can "knock the teeth out" of our enemies! To close, I think it is pretty easy to insert ourselves into this Psalm of David! It teaches us two brilliant lessons! First, we are reminded that bad things do happen to good, strong people! Life is not always easy and there will be times of pain and suffering. Second, it's okay to have and feel negative emotions. But we also have to remember they are indicators of what is taking place in our inner world! This is much like the dashboard of our car indicating to us a problem in the engine. After seeing the light on, what would we do? Of course, we would tell our parents and take the car to a mechanic and fix the issue! So, in life, why not go to The Mechanic of our Hearts (a.k.a. God) with our negative emotions and struggles?! That is the example David sets for us in this Psalms. Further, being able to go to God is part of trusting God! After all, there is something very therapeutic about just talking about our "enemies," even if it is just crying our in prayer as David does in Psalm 3! So ... try it! Next time you feel overwhelmed, follow the example of David and cry out to God!

Welcome 6th graders!

Welcome to EYC 6th graders!

Sr. High Mission Trip Overview from Jillianne

We had an amazing time serving the people of eastern North Carolina on our Sr. high mission trip! We were able to work with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) in the Pamlico County area of the outer banks! That's near New Bern, NC ... basically on the inner banks of the Outer Banks area! We spent most of our time on or near the Neuse River! Monday through Wednesday we were able to put in a new ceiling in the kitchen and bathroom for Mrs. Mary. Mary was a sweet, sweet woman in her 80s. She and her late husband built the home in the 1960s. Sadly when Hurricane Irene came through last summer, the waves were taller than the house in front of her's and afterwards she had about 19 inches on standing water in her house. Because Mrs. Mary lives on a fixed income; so she is unable to afford flood insurance. Obviously, her insurance company would not cover the damage. And, to further add salt to the wound, FEMA was unable to give her any money for repairs either. FEMA gave her money after another Hurricane in the early 2000s. They require that one they give you money you keep flood insurance. Since she was unable to afford it, she was out of luck as far as getting help from FEMA. Fortunately, we were able to give Mrs. Mary a new ceiling in her kitchen and bathroom. The last day of the trip we traveled around Pamlico county in an effort to help Bruce (our site coordinator) consolidate resources. We moved a couple of piles of OSB and other ply-wood. Then we went to Oriental, NC to move a large pile of shingles out of a handicapped man's yard to a dumpster back at UMCOR's warewhouse. It was a tough day and was very hot, but we were able to accomplish the task! This mission trip was not originally planned back in May when we advertised summer youth activities. It was the result of a conversation that occurred on the way home from the Sr. high beach trip to Garden City. In particular, Katie Sands deserves great credit for helping plan the details of the trip! Sadly, she got pink eye on the first day of the trip and had to go home. We missed her but were very thankful for her research and input in planning the trip! Our theme for the trip was to 'Step out of Your Comfort Zone.' Our evening programs focused on that theme. We talked about how when you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, you grow. Ways you can step out of that zone are by being a servant, knowing and using your spiritual gifts to serve God, being the light of Christ in the world and in our daily lives! We hope you will take a look at the pictures from our week! They can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sjeyc. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Sr. High Mission Trip Day # 4 (Thursday) - Ben de la Canal

Today Jillianne let us sleep in a bit ... we all woke at around 7:15a.m. Breakfast consisted of French toast casserole. We headed to the warehouse then to the farm. At the farm we collected plywood and brought it to the warehouse where we unloaded it into a pile. When that was done we headed to a giant 10,000 ft pile (it felt like) of shingles that we had to clean up and bring to the warehouse and place in the dumpster. It was brutal. The sun burned us, the wind did not exist, and the clouds seemed nonexistent. The bright sun shined down from high above and sent its sun soldiers to come and fire their heat rays at us resulting in our burns. We fought them off; after all we are soldiers of God's light. We called on God and he sent both clouds and breeze. Then we headed off to Topsail Beach watching the movie treasure planet (a famous future style treasure island with space ships that look like the ones from the book Larklight) on our way. Then when we reached Topsail, we settled into our rooms, and had some free time on the beach, then we had devotion and went to bed. Thank you for listening!

Sr. High Mission Trip Day # 3 (Wednesday) - Sabina de la Canal

After eating breakfast we went to our worksite at Mrs. Mary's house. We put up all the ceiling tiles and, even with having almost no tiles in the bathroom yesterday, we finished. We had even worked our way around the lights and put one of the lights back up. When we were done with that we swept and cleaned up. Before we finished Ms. Mary came over with drinks and ice cream for everyone. Then we had lunch and left. We know that Julia and Ian were working at a summer camp near by so before going back to the church we went to see them. We had to take two ferry rides to get there and after Ben de la Canal asked we were shown to the control room where the captain was. They even let Ben blow the horn. We finally got to the camp and had to wait awhile to see Julia because she was on a sailboat at sea. To pass the time we played ninja. When Julia got back she took us to archery where we did two rounds of shooting arrows. Then we got to see Ian. After giving them their cookies we went back to the church where we were staying. Our rule for the out of your comfort zone dinner was that we couldn’t serve ourselves. The solution; feed each other! Everyone had a different way of doing that. Some people were nice about it and some were not. For program we got candles and went outside. We talked about being the light of Christ to people and about how as a servant we shouldn’t hide our lights or spiritual gifts.

Senior High Mission Trip (Tuesday) - Sasha Hege

We woke up and had fabulous breakfast made by Cathy Harrison. After that we went to our work site to complete the ceiling tiles in the kitchen and started on the ones in the bathroom. We had to work around the lights and that was very hard. We had to cut a lot of tiles before we got it perfect. In the bathroom we had to start over many times and when we had at last gotten almost two rows done at the end we had to take it all down again because of one board. We found out Ms. Cathy had to go hospital because she had a kidney stone. On the way back to the church we stopped and Jillianne got us all ice cream. Before dinner we said a prayer while passing each other a ball of yarn and tying it to everyone. We passed it to everyone twice and then had to spend the rest of the day tangled up to each other. This was out 'out of your comfort zone' dinner for the night! We had to eat dinner and clean up like that. When we finally could untie everything we made ninja cookies that did not turn out looking like ninjas. We had program where we sang and had m&m’s again while talking about our day.

Sr. High Missin Trip Day # 1 (Monday) - by Sasha Hege

We went to Ms. Mary’s house for our mission trip. There we started to put up ceiling tiles. We learned how to put them in by Mr. Bruce (our site coordinator with UMCOR - United Methodist Committee on Relief). While we were putting up tile we learned that Katie Sands had pink eye and had to go home. When we got back we had dinner of spaghetti and we couldn’t use forks knifes or spoons. Jillianne had planned a different 'out of your comfort zone' task at each meal! People got creative and used cups and tongs but most people just used their hands. After dinner we had program where we sang a song and then Jillianne came around with a bag of m&m’s. It was our group's way of de-briefing the work day! For every m&m we had to say different topics about the day. For example, if you had a brown you had to praise another youth, yellow was something you learned, and red was to talk about a moment that frustrated you, and so on. We learned that when Jillianne says to only take a few, she means it. Several of us took large handfuls! :) Our topic for the night was Spiritual Gifts! We took a survey about what our spiritual gifts are. We also did a gift exchange with gifts we had bought earlier in the day at the dollar store.

Trinity vs. Shamrock

In honor of St. Patty's Day this weekend, we're talking Trinity tonight at Sr. High Bible study!

Here's a little background on St. Patrick and the Shamrock/Trinity from this week's email ... CLICK HERE TO READ THE EMAIL!

Check out this video we'll be using tonight!

Take a Leap: Accomplish the Extraordinary

So, today is leap day! Yep, it’s February 29th. I found out some news yesterday that has me leaping for joy this morning (more to come later)! And, on the radio on my way into the office this morning, the local radio station hosts were talking about the various types of leaps that people make in their lives! Things like - a leap into a new relationship, or the unknown, or a leap in dealing with our faith, or a leap into a new class at school that you don’t feel equipped for, or a leap into a new family situation, or a leap in dealing with some sort of peer pressure.

All of this talk of leaping (and the fact that we have just entered the season of Lent), got me thinking about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness where He was encouraged to leap! In Matthew 4, we read that just after Jesus' baptism, He was driven out into the wilderness. We read about the temptation of Jesus and the 40 days he spent out in that desert. I absolutely LOVE this video account of what Jesus’ time in the wilderness could have been like …



I’ve seen (and used in youth ministry) this video hundreds of times. Every time I watch it, something new stands out to me. Today as I watched, I was particularly drawn to the joy on Jesus’ face as he chased the chickens and peered over the cliff at the baby foxes. And then the pure struggle on his face as he got stuck in the briars or was weak and crawling on the ground. It is a good reminder that Jesus gets us; that Jesus felt exactly what we feel in our best and worst moments. That helps me in my relationship with Jesus … to know that our amazing Savior struggled through rough times/feelings and also experienced pure joy during His time on this earth. He so gets me!

But, on this leap day, I am particularly drawn to the scenes from Matthew 4 where Satan tempts Jesus with a leap. Never mind the challenge to take a leap and turn the stones into bread, I think Satan tempts Jesus with a literal leap, not once but twice. First, Jesus is taken to the top of the temple and told to literally leap off and He will surely be saved by angels. Second, Jesus goes to the top of a mountain and sees the beauty of the kingdoms. All of this can be His, He is told, if he will just take a leap of faith and bow down to worship Satan.

We can identify with Jesus’ time in the wilderness and the temptations He experienced to leap! Let’s face it, there are many “leaps” we take in life. Some good, some not so good. But, what I can tell from this piece of Scripture is that knowing when TO take a leap of faith and when NOT to take a leap of faith is tremendously important in our lives.

So how do we know the difference in taking a leap or not? I’m glad you asked …. Here’s a couple of suggestions:

1.It depends on the situation! So, know your situation. Think through it and MOST importantly pray through it. Try to look at it from the outside in instead of inside out. Push yourself to think of possible outcomes if you do take this leap and possible outcomes if you don’t.

2.Uncomfortable is good! So, step out of your comfort zone and into the wilderness. Remember, the easy way isn’t always the best. Remember, the wilderness (unknown) can be a lonely, frightful, tempting place. But, it can also be a place of joy and growth.

3.Use experience! So, whose experience? Think about your own past leaps! Read about the leaps of the characters in Scripture (i.e. Peter getting out of the boat)! Ask others around you! Go through the pros and cons of a leap with your friends, a trusted adult mentor, or a parent. Sometimes those who are willing to help you in your leap, literally, become the push you need! Sometimes those persons end up leaping with you! But beware, sometimes those same folks can hold you back from taking the leap. Weigh and consider it all very carefully!

4.If you’ve taken a leap and discover it’s not the right one for you … go back and repeat steps one through three to determine your next move!

Honestly, leaping is scary. And, our tendency is to stay where it’s safe. But I encourage you, leap away, if it is the right time! After all, would Peter have walked on water if he hadn’t of leapt out of the boat? Would persons with disabilities have had a better, more world changing advocate if Helen Keller hadn’t of leapt to meet the challenge of graduating college despite her blindness and deafness? Would Eric Clapton have written such a beautiful song (“Tears in Heaven”) if he hadn’t have leapt through the pain of his son’s death? Would the legacies of Matthew Wright, Jo Brock, or Charlie Butterworth live on in rich and powerful ways if their families and those of missing them didn’t leap to mourn, remember, and honor them?

I hope you take this extra day in our leap year to take a leap of faith and accomplish the extraordinary. I’m leaping right beside you!

"No!"

So, recently, I’ve really been praying that two particular and specific things would happen, one for a friend and one to me. Every day, I pray for it. EVERY DAY! I’ve been waiting and hoping (it seems like forever) for a little good news concerning these desires of mine. But, for now, the answer I’m getting from God is a resounding – NOPE! I don’t want this answer from God and I certainly don’t like it. Mainly, I don’t understand why it has to be a “No.” What I want is what I want and I want them now … selfish, but true.  Funny, I feel a little like the little girl in Willy Wonka as I type that. You know the spoiled brat girl in the scene with the chicken/eggs … hope I don’t end up down a tube!

Most of us don’t like the answer – “NO!” It’s human nature, right? Think about it! Even when we are toddlers and our mom/dad tells us we can’t have or do something … what happens? We cry and get upset.

As the parent of a six year old, the repercussions of my telling Blaine, “No,” are all too fresh! Take last night, for example! We were all watching the Super Bowl and around 8:00pm, I told Blaine it was time to go to bed. He asked if he could continue to watch and I said, “No.” He then proceeded to stomp up every SINGLE stair towards his bedroom, fling himself on the floor at the top of the stairs, and scream at the top of his lungs “It’s not fair,” as tears streamed down his face. His world was crashing in around him … all because of two little letters – N.O.

And, I remember being a teenager and having my mom tell me “No.” “No, you can’t do anything until you complete your weekly chores.” “No, you can’t go to that movie with your friends; it’s rated R.” “No staying out past your curfew will not be okay; not even just this once.” “No, you’re not away at college this week to do whatever you please and we have rules while you are staying under my roof.” My mom (and sister) can attest, I got really good at slamming my bedroom door to express my displeasure at the word “No.”

Right now, I just want to stomp up every one of God’s stairs and fling myself on the ground in front of God and scream at the top of my lungs, tears streaming. It’s not fair. I just know it would make me feel better. And surely it would entice God to give me my way ... (yeah right).
And then I remember – there’s a reason the answer is no.

When a toddler, six year old, or even a teenager is told “No” by a parent, there is usually a reason why it needs to be so. Continuing the example of Blaine and the Super Bowl temper tantrum … I had to tell him he couldn’t watch anymore because it was time for bed. The repercussions of him not going to sleep would have impacted many people and our week in so many ways! First of all, we have a very busy week and he’s already potentially going to miss his 8:00pm bedtime call two nights this week; plus his cousins, aunt, and grandmother are coming for a visit this weekend. This means we need find a way to get him a little extra sleep earlier in the week. We have learned that Blaine thrives best when he gets a solid 9.5 to 10 hours of sleep a night. You see, Blaine gets very grumpy when he lacks sleep and, additionally, he doesn’t listen very well. This would mean he would be more prone to have issues at school with teachers or friends, at church on Wednesday night during John E., and at home (to name a few). Getting through the week would be a struggle that could have been avoided, somewhat. But, Blaine doesn’t understand any of this and can’t think forward in that way. On the other hand, it was the best decision for him; and I, as his parent, had a responsibility to enable him to have as successful a week as possible.

I would never pretend to understand the mind of God, but, surely this must be how God feels at my temper tantrum of give me what I want and do it now and it’s not fair if you don’t! While it would be very helpful to me if Jesus would take me by the hand and show me the reason why the answer needs to be “No,” that doesn’t always happen. But I am confident that “No” is the answer because God always intends the best results.

A final note: I don’t believe any of this makes dealing with the answer “No” any easier. I am still upset and downright mad that the answer has to be “No” (especially for my friend). But all this does give me confidence that one day I will understand. And, thankfully, I am reminded through the struggle that God is in control and this is exactly why I don’t need to be. After all, I don’t think God enjoys saying “No”; God loves me way too much for that. It’s just that God has a full understanding of the repercussions to saying “Yes.”

It must take an unbelievable amount of strength and courage for God NOT to intervene in free will situations. But that is just it; that is how much God loves us. God loves us so much that (like me as a parent to Blaine) God is STRONG and BOLD enough to say “No” even when it is not fair. Can you imagine having to do that every single day in every single way? I don’t think I could, especially in a life or death type of plea.

I think this JJ Heller song (“Your Hands”) sums this all up well:

Winter Retreat 2012

Last weekend on our EYC Winter Retreat, we asked our students to focus on growing spiritually. We wanted to help give them some practical / take home tools that they could use to intentionally make an effort to grow in their faith. Our theme for the weekend was ‘UnPlugged.’ That is, unplugging from the world and plugging into God! We spent the weekend focusing on spiritual disciplines and Christian practices that can help us grow in our faith.

On Saturday morning, we asked the youth to commit to a technology fast so that there were no boundaries keeping them from focusing on their relationship with God and the opportunities of the weekend. Every single youth on our trip put all of their cell phones, iPods, and anything electronic in a paper bag and did not touch them for about 26 hours! I have never been more proud! It was not easy for the youth to do this, but I do think it was refreshing, in a way!

We then spent three hours in a rotation of Christian practices. In the first rotation youth could pick to attend three of these four (adapted from Way to Live resource):

#1 – Choices (Jr. High only):
Teens face many choices, and the path to a wise choice is not necessarily easy and straightforward. The Christian practice of discernment—a process of deliberate decision-making within a community that supports us as we explore our lives in the presence of God—can help us to choose wisely. Students learned to slow down, ask questions, pay attention to yourself and to God, find traveling companions, take time for reflection, then act when being decisive. Thank you Matt Williams for leading!

# 2 – Creativity:
God’s Spirit is still moving in the world, even in and through us. When we express the Spirit’s creative movement in our own unique way, we bring something brand new to the world. Sometimes creativity arises from pain, sometimes from joy; but it is always more than “art” done by “creative” people. Youth were able to use a piece of nature and write creatively about it and then were able to mold clay into beautiful creations!







# 3 – Play:
Play is part of God’s good creation and is important to a balanced, happy life. Play is the reset button God gives us to get a fresh take on a situation and to renew our lives. In this rotation, youth simply played … they broke piñatas and played duck, duck, goose! Thank you Lora Braun for leading!

# 4 – Stuff
We should deal with stuff (material possessions) in ways that deepen our relationships with God, other people, and the whole created world. Participants talked about the difference between good stuff and bad stuff and brainstormed creative ways to let go of stuff we don’t need. Thank you Annie Smith for leading!

In the second half of our morning, youth had to pick to attend 3 of these 4 rotations on Christian practices:

# 5 – Choices (Sr. High only):
See # 1.

# 6 – Time:
In a society that is constantly telling us to do so many things, it can be hard to find time for the rest we need. God wants to give us the gift of a Non-Active Period—a time to be with God, a time for renewal, a time to let down our guard and just be. Participants made pillows and … yes … took a nap! Thanks to Caroline and Jennifer Riddle for leading!

# 7 – Music:
Music isn’t some shrink-wrapped product you buy at the store. Making music rises up from our physical bodies and from the very physics of creation itself, opens us to be in community, and attunes us to the peace and justice God desires for all people. Participants spent time in this group making music, listening to guitar music, and singing!

# 8 – Welcome:
Welcoming is about creating space in our lives for other people, and especially for “strangers” or those we don’t know well. This means knowing how to be a grateful guest as well as a gracious host. Communities honor Jesus—who was often homeless himself—as they make people feel “at home” and offer them a place at the table. This group even baked cookies!

We spent the afternoon doing an activity called Zorb. Apparently, Zorb, is quite the popular sport in New Zealand! Our youth had a great time practicing the art of fellowship as we rolled down the hill together!




Saturday night, we focused on the spiritual discipline of prayer! We started with a conversation about what prayer is, why it is important, and did a little prayer 101 where we learned some very simple and practical ways to pray! We learned the ABC prayer, the SPOONS prayer, and the 5 finger prayer.

We then moved to a time of quiet and prayer as we traveled through 10 prayer stations set up around our rental house (adapted form Rethinkingyouthministry.com)

Station 1 – Conversation with God
Students sat across from an empty chair and simply, had a conversation.

Station 2 – Candle Lighting
Students thought of a hope and let it rise to God as the smoke from the match rises.

Station 3 – Newspaper Highlights
Students used a highlighter to highlight items in a newspaper that caught their attention. They then prayed for that situation.

Station 4 – Blessing Enemies / Forgiving Others
Students used smooth stones to write the name of their enemy on and then prayer for that situation. They were then able wash the rock and the name of their enemy away in water.

Station 5 – Word!
Participants used a Scrabble board to create words that came to their minds concerning their prayers.

Station 6 – Idol Worship
Students used play-dough to create idols in their lives and then smash them.

Station 7 – Reflections
Students gazed into a mirror and meditated on God’s abundant love for them and the beauty of God’s creation – them!

Station 8 – Listen
Participants simply got comfortable on the couch, chair, or floor and listened to some meditative music as they sought to hear God’s voice.

Station 9 – Faces of Jesus
Various faces of Jesus throughout history were displayed on a wall. Participants were asked to consider their understanding of Jesus and their call as a Disciple of Christ.

Station 10 – Map of the World
Students looked at a map of the world and stuck a push pin into a geographic location for which they wanted to pray.

After our prayer stations, we had the youth learn how to do a mandala prayer / circle prayer. Basically, the youth were guided through some breathing and meditating techniques and then asked to empty the junk inside of them as they drew in a circle. We then started over and drew the prayers they were truly on our hearts. Their beautiful designs were displayed as a part of our altar space for our Sunday morning silent worship service.

Sunday morning we focused on the spiritual discipline of worship! Yes, worship on Sunday morning was silent. There were words, images, and instructions projected on the wall. Participants learned what worship really is about. They also worshipped very creatively, including dancing to a drum beat and silently praying. We also had the opportunity in the service to learn the secret to knowing if you are growing spiritually. If the youth participate in and practice Christian practices and Spiritual Disciplines, they will develop the fruit of the Spirit! We learned about what the fruit of the spirit are and were invited to come forward and drink the juice representing the fruit we feel we need most!

Matt and I felt it was a meaningful weekend and we had a blast leading it! Thanks to those who attended ... those who didn't - see you next year! :)