Tanzania team Update
Thursday, July 19
By: Jenna Chittick

today we went back to lemanyata, the school from monday. the kids were much different as they were when we arrived monday. they were all in class, and it was really cool to see the kids attentive and learning. it was also really cool to see how good the teachers are at controlling the massive class sizes. once the kids finished class we began to play with them. per usual we all had our own little group, however matthew and i had one large group. we began doing head shoulders knees and toes and the kids loved it! we did it for a while until we got so out of breath we took a small break. during our break the kids sang us a song of their own, which was really cool. after a while matthew and i tried to play duck duck goose, that didn’t go too well. then i met this little girl who was probably 5, and she was so attached to me, even when the older kids were trying to push her out of the way she was still holding onto my leg. we also became best friends with a teachers son, edwin. he is the cutest boy EVER. the school was so amazing and i’m really going to miss the kids.

Tanzania team Update
Wednesday, July 18
By: Sallie Reid Pruitt

Today was amazing. We were the first group from the Lunch Project to visit Olkakola and to all of us, that was a big deal. I felt really comfortable at this new school since we have already been to the other two but the kids felt the opposite. The kids at this school were a little skiddish and were reluctant to touch us but sort of came around eventually. This was the kids first time getting served rice and beans through the Lunch Project and that was really empowering to see. When we first arrived we were greeted with a song in english that they had learned and lovely drawn posters that we hope to hang in the church. They performed a sort of line dance and the Masai performed as well. We were brought to one of the Masai chiefs home and were welcomed inside to look around and we got to tour around his beautiful garden. It was really cool to see the differences and similarities between the way people live at home and in Tanzania. I am honored to say I was one of the first people to be at the Olkakola school and can’t wait to see what God has in store for the relationship between them and the Lunch Project in the future!

Tanzania Mission Trip update # 4
Tuesday, July 16
Written by: Cate Watson

Before I start my reflection for today I just want to say a quick prayer. Thank you Lord for putting this journey in my path, and the path of all of the other youth and adults. So far the trip has been amazing and I truly feel like my life has been changed and opened up to the true beauty and struggle of our world. Amen.

Today has actually been my favorite day so far, even though they have all been eye opening. Our day started with a long drive to a school called Engorika Primary School. I usually get very car sick on long, windy, up hill drives but today was a different story. I was truly distracted from my own issues by all of the beauty on the way. The shops and houses were beautiful, the terrain was beautiful, the animals were beautiful, the people were beautiful, but most of all, the community was beautiful. Today’s devotion mentioned community and unity and I am very confident to say that the community in America doesn’t even begin to compete with the community shared in Tanzania. One example was how a bus had broken down, and about 15 people just walking along the side of the road put aside what they were doing and helped to push this bus. They might not have known each other, but the way the people naturally pushed aside themselves and helped each other seemed extremely innate. Once we arrived at the school we were immediately welcomed with the warmest open hearts. The singing and jumping and smiles personally made me feel welcomed and just happy. We started with serving porridge and eventually ventured into serving rice and beans. As I was serving I truly recognized how much us being in Africa and at their school meant to them, which is everything. After our amazing adventure at the school we needed to go find a place to eat where I again had my eyes and heart opened to something amazing. Shanga is an attachment onto a resort where people who have disabilities can work and make beautiful art, where they would be turned away in most other jobs. Their art pieces truly represented the beauty of Africa and African culture. They then sold their creations in the gift shop where part of the proceeds went to helping people with disabilities. We then ate lunch at the resort where I happily played with and fed an adorable blue eyed kitten!!

Today was an amazing day where I saw God numerous times. One specific occasion, and my favorite of the day, was after we had fed the 912 children their porridge. We separated and went to play with the children and we all had huge swarms of kids run up to us. There is some kind of thing about touching a white persons palm in Africa that we had talked about a couple of nights ago and today I truly understood. No matter where I walked hands were grabbing out to touch my palm and after I got used to it, I truly felt the connections formed between touching someone’s palm and holding onto something so dear to the human body. If you looked at their hands they were dirty, their nails were broken and they had cuts. If you look at my hand my nails are thick and long and my hands are soft and seem untouched. The coarseness of their hands represented the struggles they go through in life, and although the hands are so important to the human body, they take in that pain and love with happiness in their hearts and their souls, which I and all Americans should aspire to be like.

Concluding this post I want to inform all of you readers of something we talked about in our devotion tonight. We talked about how although they aren’t as privileged as us, they live their life’s based off of making the best of what they have and living in community and unity. America is more of a “you, yourself, are the most important” while Africa is more of a “you, being another person, is the most important”. I will end with the slightly altered but same message quote from Jeremy Early: “They may not have much, but they have each other.”

Tanzania Mission Trip update # 3
Monday, July 16
Written by: Zibby Shaw

Today we went and visited our first school, Lemanyata primary school. We were welcomed as we pulled in by all of the children singing and holding welcome signs with our names on them. We went straight to serving them porridge made of milk, sugar, corn, and nuts.

After the meal we went into the field and played with the all the kids. We taught them tag and some hand games. It was so exciting to see how happy they were to meet us. We watched a traditional Masai dance and were sang to by the women. During the dance they included all team members and we danced along with them as they dressed us up. The team received necklaces as thank you gifts.

We got to visit the class rooms and see how the kids learn. In a math class I visited, I saw the different strategies they use while learning. One thing I enjoyed the most is when the class gets a problem right they sing and dance in celebration. We then got to serve them rice and beans for lunch. This was a very moving part in the day. Seeing how happy the children were to receive this meal was eye opening to see how something so common for us is a gift for them. We said our goodbyes and now we’re spending our day at the market and catching up on some rest.

Tanzania Mission Trip update # 2
Sunday, July 15
By: Jeff Pruitt

After a well-earned, good night's rest, we set out early Sunday morning to Arusha National park for our first safari. The weather has been very mild so far, and today was no exception, with clouds blanking most of the sky and temperatures in the low 70's. While we welcomed the clouds keeping the temperatures down, it also obscured our view of Mt. Kilimanjaro ("Kili"), which is a key part of our trip through the park. After popping the roofs on our safari vehicles, we set out into the park - less than 10 minutes later, we came upon a herd of zebra and a tower of giraffes (yes, that is the correct term for a group of giraffes, according to our driver/tour guide, Gerald). These were Masai giraffes, the type native to Tanzania. Giraffes are very photogenic and seem to find no issue with 5 or 6 safari trucks full of gaggling tourists stop to look at them (the zebras never looked up from their breakfast). After a few minutes, we pressed on to our first (of at least 8) troops of baboons. The baboon population is thriving at Arusha and we were able to see all sizes of them - adults, adolescents, and even babies less than a month old. As we were leaving the baboons, we spotted a large bull elephant in the road - we all wanted to see an elephant, but were told we may or we may not. Gerald told us he was likely agitated, but he was gracious enough to stay close to the road to allow us some great pictures - he also trumpeted at us a time or two. We were all very excited - all of this wildlife less than 30 minutes into our day!

We proceeded to drive into more dense forest where we also saw some colobus monkeys. The tree canopy was dense and the air was cool - reminding me of the forests in the Smokey Mountains. We came to a lookout point that allowed us to look down into the valley below. Arusha NP includes two mountains, and a large volcanic crater (Ngurdoto Crater) containing both swamp and grasslands. After this stop, we loaded back into our vehicles to drive to another area of the park about an hour away, where we would have lunch. This was also a panoramic view of the crater and a clear, unobstructed view of Kili - unfortunately, though the sun had come out, there was still heavy clouds hiding the peak of the mountain from us. After such a great day, we were wondering whether we would get to see the great mountain!

Back in our vehicles, we then proceeded to a parking area before setting out on a hike with a park ranger (an armed escort to protect us from any wildlife). From a starting point about 3930 feet above sea level, we hiked an aggressive trail to about 5,300 feet for another sweeping view of the park, after our park ranger diverted us away from a herd of water buffalo. He was also able to share with us some interesting facts about the animals we were seeing as well as some of the fauna we saw on the way. We reached our destination, winded and a bit light-headed. Kili was there, but remained hidden from view! We hiked back down, then detoured to see Tululusia Falls - a 25 meter (about 80 feet) high water fall spilling into a split in the rock. It was incredibly loud, but made for a great photo shoot. We were foot sore and ready for a rest back in our vehicles, so we set out back to the parking area, briefly interrupted by our sharp-eyed park ranger spotting a juvenile puff adder just off the trail. Back in our vehicles, we set out to continue the main loop through the park. Grateful for the chance to sit and enjoy the cool breeze through the open canopy of the truck, we were not as attentive as we had been earlier in the day. We saw a few baboons and other small mammals, but really weren't expecting our trip could get any better. How wrong we were….

After reaching a small clearing for a short photo op with a single Masai giraffe and one of her young, we began to see signs of elephants - large piles of fresh dung on the road, broken tree branches, clear pathways cut by large animals - and began to wonder if we may get lucky again. We did - we stopped at a point in the road where there were 3 elephants just off the road - one on our right and two on our left. They were merrily feeding on the trees in the dense brush and seemed not to notice or care about us. Suddenly, one of the elephants on the left trumpeted and squared its enormous head at us, flapping its large ears and showing its massive tusks. It did not charge us, but gave us quite a show (and some great photos). We were very excited to have seen more elephants and were sharing our photos with each other when we came upon several other parked vehicles about 1000 feet from the park exit. They two had found some elephants - about 4-5 of them about 100 yards out in a field from us - including a baby! As we franticly took pictures of this great scene, we looked up to see the clouds had finally broken and Kili was there, in all of her snow-crowned glory! We continued to marvel at the wonder of it all, as several more elephants crossed the road behind us to join the others. It was spectacular!

I have been fortunate to see many of God's wonders in nature - Yosemite, The Grand Canyon, forests and animals of all shapes/sizes - but this surpassed everything I could have imagined. It was so peaceful to see these marvelous animals moving about in such a majestic and magical location - it was humbling to conceive of the gifts God has bestowed upon us through nature. We have all seen such beauty in books, computer posts and television shows - but nothing compares to experiencing it all in person, in the presence of friends and family.

Tomorrow, we are visiting one of the schools supported by The Lunch Project tomorrow and are looking forward to meeting the kids and continuing this great trip!

Tanzania Mission Trip: update # 1

Saturday, July 14
End of day update from Sarah Brock:

Everyone is EXHAUSTED. We landed on time (early afternoon) and got through the visa process without concerns. Good news! All our luggage arrived with us! It was great to see our old friend, Ernest, and new friend, Moses, waiting as we exited the airport.

During the drive to TCDC from the airport, we caught a glimpse of the top of Mt Kilimanjaro, and the base of Mt Meru. We also saw cattle, goats, and donkeys being herded by kids and adults alike. The towns we drove through were busy - and a few people wanted to stop at the Saturday market! We didn’t, sadly. We had bungalows to get to!

The bungalows at TCDC are set up like dorm rooms. Two beds, two wardrobes, a long desk with two chairs, and a bathroom. The water pressure wasn’t great in the showers today, but it didn’t matter. It was refreshing to take one.

After settling in at TCDC and meeting the yard monkeys (they’re like squirrels in Charlotte), we ventured to Blue Heron (a favorite spot) for dinner. Pizzas, burgers, and spaghetti were eaten happily. But once our bellies were full, our team was ready for bed. 9:20 on a Saturday night and almost everyone is asleep on the way back to TCDC.

We’re leaving bright and early tomorrow for a safari day. We’re excited for what the day will bring!

Grief Helps for Parents of Teens

4 Steps for Helping Youth through the Process of Grief
-Jilianne Booth

1. A Ministry of Presence: Put down your phone, plan a special meal or outing with your teen, sit and watch Netflix together, or blast some music together while driving in the car. Your goal during this time is to be fully present. Your call is to come alongside your child in purposeful, solid ways. Even of it seems strange to you that your child is so upset about someone she/he didn't necessarily know well, loss is loss. Their feelings are valid and healthy.

2. Listen: You can’t “fix” this for your youth or change how they feel. Each person experiences grief differently. There is no wrong or right way. Often for middle school students this may well be the first time someone they actually knew (even though not well) has died. You will want to remember that while grief is a totally healthy and normal reaction, grieving does not feel natural because it may be difficult to control the emotions, thoughts, or physical feelings associated with a death … especially a freak and horrific accident like Polly’s.

3. Reassure and Affirm. Again, it is not your job to "fix" anything .. but if the opportunity presents itself, affirm your student in that what they are feeling is ok:
It’s ok to be sad.
It’s ok to not understand.
It’s even ok to be mad at God (God is BIG and can totally handle that). See Lamentations 3:33.
It’s valid to hurt even if you didn’t know Polly that well. She was a part of our church and EYC family.

4. Join the Journey: Stages of Grief. Because I was one (my dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was 10 years old) ... I truly believe that the absolute best way to assist a grieving youth is to settle into a role of coming alongside them and accompanying them on their journey, called grief. That role, as mentioned above, is to be a listener and a calm presence in this emotionally chaotic time.

There are 5 universal stages of grief. In the grief process, it is normal for someone to go through these stages in a random order and even to return to previous stages. There is no right or wrong way. It may be especially helpful to remind your student that because everyone goes through the stages differently, they may need to be especially patient, loving, and understanding toward their peers who may be at a different point in the grief process than they are.

The stages of grief were developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with loss. I would encourage you to google Kubler-Ross for detailed information.

As you talk with your youth about the stages, it may be helpful to provide a visual representation to help them "see" the concept. Below is a fun meme that is built of emojis! Helping them hear about these stages equips youth to have some sense of order and is a practical tool to help control their emotional chaos. (This meme comes from www.qrius.com)



Grief in teens can look different from grief in adults. Per http://www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com: how a teen responds to the death may shift depending on: 1) their emotional level of maturity; 2) their relationship with the deceased; 3) their previous experiences with death and, 4) the nature of the death (anticipated or unexpected).

It is my prayer that this information is helpful and offers you some practical resources.

Holy Week and Teens

Holy Week and Teens
-Jillianne Booth
03.28.18

Beginning to finish up the self-reflective, lamenting, solemn time that is the season of Lent, Palm Sunday offers us a more blissful occasion in the life of our worship.  And there is something palpable and absolutely inspiring about the movement of the Holy Spirit in the celebration that is our Easter worship! 

But what about the week in between the two?  Holy week!  A week that is most profound and meaningful in our Christian journey.  Without Jesus, after all, would there even be much of a point to this Christian journey we have committed to?  It's a week most easily skipped over because of busy-ness, Spring Break vacations, beautiful spring evenings, and because it is just not necessarily the most pleasant of a worship week ... and don't even get started on the quantity of worship services - there are just SO many (two and three a day at some points in the week)!  

Talking to our teens about Holy week can be tough because it is gruesome, hard to understand, and uncomfortable.  I mean, come on, who wants to touch another persons feet ... much less wash them on Maundy Thursday?  And we don't like to think about or picture the beating Jesus surely endured or nails being driven through his hands and feet.  And why in the heck would I get up and go to church a 3:00a.m. to participate in a prayer vigil?    

Nevertheless, Christian discipleship calls us to go to the cross ... and sometimes that means propelling (read: dragging) our teens there.  

I read an article this week from the Fuller Institute that imagined and highlighted several of the emotions that Jesus must have experienced during this week: disappointment, betrayal, and dread.  Good news for parents trying to establish some connection to Jesus with our teens in Holy week (read: dragging our teens to the cross) ... these are emotions that adolescents understand.  The fact that "Jesus can empathize with them and is present with them in these challenging emotions" truly humanizes Jesus to teens in ways that can help them move deeper in their relationship with Jesus. 

Don't believe me?  Just ask your teen to name some disappointments, betrayals, and dread that they experience with their peers, the world, and even you!  Seriously!  Create a safe place for them to talk about their feelings!  You can create this safe space by practicing the following tips:

1. Do not judge!  Have a "Botox brow" and not matter what - do NOT become defensive about what they tell you.
2. Just listen, listen, listen!  Shut your mouth, for the most part, but be empathetic when appropriate ... "I remember when I was your age and something like that happened to me ...")
3. Do not try to fix it for them!  You probably can't anyways plus from the perspective of many teens - you know nothing. 
4. Do your best to relate their feelings back to Jesus!  Connect them to Jesus by giving examples of what disappointment, betrayal, and dread you imagine He experienced.  You may want to think this through ahead of the conversation.

Sunday night at youth group, our students participated in a modern day stations of the cross written specifically for teens.  This presentation was done in PowerPoint with images on the screens!  (You can check it out by clicking here).  When we got to station 7 (Jesus is Nailed to the Cross), I was flabbergasted by the reaction of several of our students to the pain and treatment that Jesus received.  It was as if they had never imagined what it was like for the nails to pierce Jesus' body.  The grimaces on faces clearly spoke to the fact that they could not imagine that anyone would spit on Jesus.  It was like they were hearing the story from a different perspective for the first time.

So, share the story.  Make Easter have an even more profound connection for your adolescent!  Look at the gruesome graphics and edgy modern day interpretations.  Have open and frank discussions with your teen.  Journal about or draw out the scenes and help your youth make an application to their life.  Go to the media your teens are using and do a search for Holy Week or #holyweek.  To these ends, here are a couple of resournces:

Passion Song - The Story of Hoy Week on YouTube


Holy Week Journaling Prompts for Teens 

Advent is a time to hope. Advent is a time to prepare. Advent is a time to be expectant.

We are waiting for the baby Jesus. But how do we push past the busy-ness, the shopping, the school exams and projects? How do we get that feeling of anticipation and excitement? How the heck do we really (and practically) get our hearts ready?

YouTube.

Yep, YouTube is where I'm turning this Advent season. Here are some great resources that I hope our youth families will share around the dinner (or breakfast or whatever time works) table! And if there's not a time you are all together, consistently, start an Advent group chat with your family and friends! Share theses links ... one a day for Advent week 3 and Christmas Eve!

December 17
Advent in 2 minutes


December 18
Re-tooning the Nativity: Things in the Nativity, not actually in the Bible


December 19
Fa-la-la-la-la: Advent Conspiracy


December 20
Hallelujah


December 21
Slow Down: O Come, O Come Emmanuel


December 22
Silent Night Sand Art


December 23
A prayer for the Advent Season


December 24

Advent Resources for Families with Teens

Advent Starts Sunday! A GREAT time to slow it down ...

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!  Please are in the holiday spirit, for sure!  That is evidenced by all the decorations I see up in my neighborhood, the fact that yesterday's Cyber Monday spending nearly doubled (or more) last year's spending, and Christmas carols already playing on the radio! 

I think we, the people, want some happy.  I think we NEED some happy.  With all the drama happening in the news with politicians, famous people, and everyday people, we're just craving some happy.  Christmas has become an easy reminder of happy.  And we're stretching it more and more each year, it seems, even now decorating our houses BEFORE Thanksgiving!   

All of these wonderful, happy "things" are awesome but "if we aren’t intentional to prioritize the Wonderful One of the season – Jesus – before we know it, our hearts and schedules will" just be full of things.  We might miss out on the joy (and happy) God brings us in the greatest Gift ever!   

When my preteen was younger, it was easier to do a nightly Bible story read or a devotional.  But as he gets older, we get busier.  Advent is a good time and reminder to slow it down!  Wouldn't it be great to anticipate the baby Jesus like we anticipate the gift giving, decorating, time with extended family, and happy? 

This year my family will be participating in a daily Advent devotional time (that will take us 5 minutes a day).  Will you join us?  We're going to try using THE WONDER OF THE GREATEST GIFT (an interactive Advent calendar with things to add to the tree and a daily devo). I highly recommend this resource but below are some other resources I found HERE that you can use during Advent in the days leading to Christmas!  There are family devotionals and individual devotionals that are great for families with teens!  If you have Amazon Prime, they will be here in plenty of time to start Sunday!   

xxoo,
Jillianne

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp

Traces the coming of Christ through the Bible
Download & print or purchase accompanying Jesse Tree Ornaments
Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski

Includes activities, songs, and historical fiction story
Companion music available from Sovereign Grace Music on Spotify
Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide

Historical Fiction
Follow Jotham’s exciting adventure in and around Judea in the year of Christ’s birth.
1 of 4 Books in a series
All is Bright by Nancy Guthrie

Detailed coloring sheets for adults
Simplified coloring sheets for kids
Same devotional content as Guthrie’s “Let Every Heart”
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie

Includes song lyrics & prayers
Same devotional content as Guthrie’s “All is Bright”
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper

Daily excerpts from Piper’s sermons
Great book for personal devotions
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus by Nancy Guthrie

Reading from 22 contemporary and classic theologians and Bible teachers.
Great book for personal devotions

Virginia Theological Seminary Interview about 30 Hour Famine

30 Hour Famine: A Youth Event with Staying Power

Posted by Admin on February 24th, 2016

“Don’t be afraid. Don’t short-change your youth – they can do this. 30 Hour Famine is a convicting and moving experience.”


30 Hour Famine at St. John’s
At St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, 30 Hour Famine is more than a youth program – it’s a parish institution. An annual event for 17 years, the 30 Hour Famine invites participants to experience hunger, and to raise money for hunger relief.

Building Faith recently interviewed Jillianne Booth, the youth minister at St. John’s. On February 26th, she will once again lead about 100 teenagers and 25 adults in the 30 Hour Famine.

How would you describe the 30 Hour Famine?
30 Hour Famine is an event to raise awareness for hunger and homelessness. It is actually a nation-wide (and world-wide) program, which you can learn more about at 30hourfamine.org.

The event allows youth (middle school and high school) to fast for 30 straight hours – starting on Friday and continuing until Saturday evening. During the fast, we are all together here at the church. We worship, play games, and do service projects off campus. For many students, the most powerful part is building cardboard shelters to sleep in on Friday night. All the shelters on the front lawn of the church create a ‘cardboard village.’

What is the primary goal?
There are several goals of the 30 Hour Famine. Certainly to raise awareness for hunger worldwide, and to help our youth experience a short period of hunger. Additionally, students raise money for hunger relief by obtaining sponsorships from family and friends. The opportunity to raise money is something our church takes seriously. In 16 years we have raised over 1 million dollars – this will be year 17, and so we’re starting on the next million!

Overall, an important aspect of 30 Hour Famine is encouraging our youth to reach out to the circles of people around them. The students write personal letters to request sponsorships, and this itself is a powerful experience. Students see that can make a positive difference. Another example is that because students begin their fast on Friday during school hours, they often need to explain to their peers why they are not eating.

What ages does it work best for?
At our church, 30 Hour Famine is for grades 6-12. And I can tell you that the sixth graders handle it amazingly well. As the students get older, they can do the event every year. Some of the high school students even do a 40 Hour Famine, in which they start fasting at 2 a.m. Friday morning. In total, we have 75 to 100 students, along with 25-30 adults participating.

Around Saturday afternoon, the students do get really hungry. Of course, health and safety are priorities. We have many adult volunteers who provide support, as well as drinks, etc. We do provide some food, usually rice and beans, if students need it. But overall, they really begin to identify with those people who lack sufficient food. Throughout the event, we give our kids tools and statistics to understand hunger. We also have children’s profiles from World Vision that we show on the screen in the hall.

How do you break the fast?
We break our fast with Eucharist on Saturday evening. St John’s has a regular 5 p.m. Saturday service – so we all go to that service and the youth serve as readers, ushers, intercessors, and chalice bearers. The theme of our famine is worked into the service in various ways. After worship we have a big meal in the parish hall, with many volunteers from the church providing food and hospitality.

How do you involve the whole church community?
This is a signature event, and it has really become part of the DNA of the parish. Everyone knows about 30 Hour Famine, and we publicize it well in advance. For example, there is big sign on the church lawn with a countdown to the event. We have parish volunteers to set up, break down, cook food, and help lead service projects such as creating small bags to distribute to the homeless. We also have our night watch team that stays up on the front lawn on Friday.

Can you describe a student for whom it was a powerful experience?
We have a student who is in the 9th grade this year. He discover that he could promote the 30 Hour Famine if he he showed up at every church service and met people outside to talk about it. Even the early 7:30 a.m. service! He is there every Sunday, telling people about the Famine. To see his dedication, brought out by this event, is really moving.

Do you recommend the materials from 30hourfamine.org?
Yes, absolutely. We get the kit each year, which is free. When you sign up to do the famine, they send you materials which include lots of practical advice and planning tools. Because we have such a large event, however, we have many additional planning teams and committees (worship, food, etc). We make our own theme each year.

Any other tips and tricks?
• Get the support and buy-in from the leadership of your church.
• Then seek support and buy-in from the entire church community.
• Brainstorm with a planning team.
• Know that there are MANY little details. For example, where are we going to get the cardboard?!
• Consider a volunteer coordinator. This has been a life saver for me!

Do you have advice for someone thinking of running this program?
Just do it! Don’t be afraid. Don’t short-change your youth – they can do this. 30 Hour Famine is a convicting and moving experience; you will be glad you brought this powerful event to your church.



Jillianne Booth is the Youth Minister at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, NC. She has a Master’s in Christian Education from Pfeiffer University. Jillianne’s two beautiful children keep her busy and on her toes; she loves being a mom. In her spare time she tries to be like Rachael Ray and if she could have any other job in the world other than youth minister, it would be Rachael’s! Her other loves are Mexican food and flip flops.

Falling in Love with God

People who struggle to spend time with God don't have a scheduling problem, they have a love problem. Can we really fall in love with God? 100%, absolutely, yes! In fact, the formula for falling in love with Jesus is very simple ... falling in love with Jesus = time + attention.

So why is it so hard to do for some of us? It takes an extraordinary amount of work but God designed, planned, and created us for this work so we know it can absolutely be done! The effort is no different from many of the other challenging parts of a teenager's life. To be good at soccer or swimming, what does it take? To get good grades, what does it take? To have an engaging and fun social life, what does it take? To win or get the ultimate score on a video game, what does it take?

Practice, perseverance, commitment, time, and attention.

In our culture the word love gets thrown around A LOT! I love Mexican food. I love video games. I love my car. I love going shopping. I love Instagram. And on, and on, and on ... to the point that this word, love, has been kind of cheapened. It can be a challenge for teen's today to really grasp the true, intimate, and powerful meaning of love, especially hearing the words "God is love." Do we categorize that love with nachos, Call of Duty, and shoes or do we really get it?

Do we really understand, teach and model for our teens there is a God-sized hole in our hearts that ONLY the Holy Spirit can fill? Yes, it is possible to fall in love with God! It takes a ton of work. We as parents, youth advisors, and mentors can't make the teens we care so much about fall in love with God (as much as we'd like to sometimes). But we are called to make the introduction. We are called to teach and model teens how to love harder, engage more, make time, and most importantly to get over ourselves and be open to God's love.

Scripture is full of examples of God's love for us all. It is God's love letter to us. Don't know where to start with your teen in teaching them time + attention = falling in love with God? Start here:


Dear Child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:1). I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139:2). I am familiar with all of your ways (Psalm 139:3). Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29-31). For you were made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and move and have your being. For you are my offspring (Acts 17:28).

I knew you before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book (Psalm 139:15-16). I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). I knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:15-16).

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44). I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16). And it is my desire to lavish my love on you; simply because you are my child and I am your father (1 John 3:1). I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11), for I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48) .

Every good gift that you receive comes from my good hand (James 1:17). I am your provider and I want to meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33). My plan for your future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I will never stop doing good to you. I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32: 40-41). For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3).

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29). For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). I am also the one who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When you are brokenhearted I am close to you (Psalm 34:18). As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40:11). One day, I will wipe every tear from your eyes and I’ll take away the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4).

I am your father and I love you, even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:23). He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31). Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). His death was the ultimate Expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10). I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32). If you receive the gift of my son, Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23). And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39). When you come home, I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7).

I have always been God and will always be God (Ephesians 3:14-15). My question is, will you be mine (John 1:12-13)? I’m waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32)

<3, God Almighty

Our Plans: God's Purpose

Are you a planner? Some people are, some people aren't! I tend to be a planner. Part of that is a function of my job as a youth minister: planning big events like the 30 Hour Famine or a weekend retreat, planning a Wednesday night Bible study or an EYC lesson, planning who I've missed seeing at EYC lately and want to check in on, planning how to find time to clean my house, do laundry, pack, and hang with my kiddos before heading out of town for the Winter Retreat, and so much more require lots of planning! I like to know what's happening, how it's going to (in theory) happen, when and where it's going to happen, and more! And when they are my plans ... I tend to fall in love with them and, for sure, have a hard time thinking they're not good! :)

That's not to say my plans (that I've been so in love with) haven't failed ...oh boy, have they! Sometimes they are little tiny fails that no one would really notices except for me ... like the time we planned a program using a black light and it went nothing like our team had planned. No one knew except for us and it turned out ok, just not at all what we had anticipated! And, sometimes the failing of plans are way more noticeable: like yesterday when I only printed 20 copies of my presentation on social media safety but had about 50 or 60 people attend the session. :)

We love our plans. We create them. They are good.

Joseph had plans. We've heard this story over the past few weeks, it being Christmas! Scripture tells us that Joseph had planned to quietly dismiss Mary when he found out she was pregnant. His mind was made up and he was ready to move forward. But what happened? An angel appears and tells him to change his plans! And we know, Joseph is obedient.

The wise men had plans! They had been instructed by Herod to go find the baby Jesus and return and tell him where He was to be found. The wise men agreed and proceeded with the plan. But what happened? They had a dream in which God told them to return home another way and not go to Herod. The wise men were obedient.

I had plans! The past four years working with Matt have been tremendous. I had no long-term plan of that changing. And, it was good!

You had plans in terms of the time you (and by you, I mean your kids) spend with Matt and how thankful you are for his leadership of youth ministry at SJE and wisdom.

To participate FULLY in God's purpose, sometimes we have to weak/change/re-direct our plans ... those plans we love so dearly and that are so good. Sometimes God swoops in to us just like Joseph and just like the wise men and changes our plans. We know from the story or Joseph and the wise men that it, too, will be worth it for us.

It seems to me that the most profound and impactful moments in our lives don't happen in an instance. Rather, God's plan and purpose for us is revealed over time. However, when we are in the midst of those instances and moments (especially when it involves a big change) it certainly doesn't feel that way. Changes can be tough to swallow because we don't necessarily like them, scary because we fear the unknown, or inconvenient because it wasn't the way we planned.

But to participate fully in God's plan, we must be obedient to God's purpose and plan. Some time months AND years from now, we will be able to look back on all of the moments and instances and piece God's plan together more fully! We'll be able to have a clear understanding of how one moment led to another moment that lead to another opportunity that led to another change that led to another instance. God's plan is good, it will all make sense, and the blessings will continue to be tremendous. I'm excited to obediently lead and guide us, through the Holy Spirit, down this particular path and am excited to watch Matt on his new path, too! Amen?

Science and Faith: Water and Prayer

Prayer is powerful.

Many of you may know I am from South Carolina and still own a house just outside of Columbia. My mom and sister live in that house! I bought it fourteen years ago ... one of the first "adult" things I did out of college and I LOVE my house. When the flooding happened last week in SC, the dam of the lake in the neighborhood just through the woods from my house was breached, sending water flowing toward my house. The pictures my mom sent me were shocking and not knowing if the water would continue to rise, I prayed.

We were extremely fortunate; the house did not flood. But the neighborhood I grew up in (in Columbia) did and a church I served in downtown Columbia took on water in both its buildings, friends from high school and churches I served lost lots. Over the past week, I was consumed and overwhelmed with all that was happening, watching status updates and pictures from people in Columbia I know, reading every news article I could find, and watching live news streaming from Columbia online. I was consumed.

Currently in our Sunday night youth ministry programs, we are tackling a topic in a two week series that our youth leadership team wanted to discuss: Faith and Science. For devotion on Sunday we kept with that theme and talked about the floods (science) and prayer (faith).

Water is mentioned over 700 times in the Bible. At EYC on Sunday night, our youth brainstormed many of those times! We talked about a news report out of Hurricane Katrina where people prayed over and upstream of a very polluted and contaminated Lake Ponchatrain. All of the toxic water in the city was pumped out and into the lake polluting it and killing things in the lake. People were no longer allowed to swim in it and scientists predicated it would take years and years to become decontaminated. Amazingly, the lake was healed much more quickly and scientists could not explain why. Prayer is powerful.

We also remembered some of the times that prayer is mentioned! Ephesians 6:18 says: "Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people." So that is exactly what SJE youth did on Sunday night! We prayed for South Carolina ... creatively.

We took water bottles and drew prayers on them! There were prayers of thanksgiving for relief workers, petitions for safety of South Carolinians in the aftermath of the flood, prayers of encouragement for those who lost so much, and more! Youth drew pictures, wrote words, and listened to the words of "How Great Thou Art" while putting together their prayers. The water in the bottles was colored with food coloring! This way when we face south (towards SC) and tossed the water out of the bottles, the youth could really see their prayers being released to God.

There are two lessons we hoped the youth would walk away form this devotion knowing. First, is that there are situations in our lives and the lives of others over which we have no control, bad or good. They can completely consume and overwhelm us if we allow them to do so. If we don't intentionally offer (i.e. seeing the colored water flow out of the bottles) and give petitions about those situations to God they will only continue to eat away and take over our daily lives. Secondly, prayer works and God ALWAYS answers. It might not always be the answer that we want or expect and it might not always happen in the timing we expect, but God does answer. Praying for others is important. Intentionally releasing our petitions is key.

Do you prayer as a family? For yourselves? For your family? For others?
What are you teaching your teens about prayer?
Do you talk about prayers you offered that were answered or not answered?
Are you modeling prayer for your teens?

Joshua: Part 1

For devotions at EYC the second half of this year, I’ve been focusing on Old Testament characters. Last Sunday night was Joshua. You know … Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy … JOSHUA! A quick read of 24 chapters that includes lots of drama, rule breaking excitement, dreams becoming reality, lots of conquering and plundering and walls falling down, and even a one of a kind moment when God listens to the commands of a human (Joshua) and sets the sun still.

But what can we learn from the character of Joshua? Joshua, you know, the head dude of the Israelites after Moses died! The leader that is finally able to take the Israelites into the promised land and point them in the direction of success if only they will obey God. The story of Joshua truly is a story of human improbability versus God’s ability. Point and case, obstacles one and two in the Israelite quest of the promised land.

First, the Israelites need to cross the Jordan River in order to enter the promised land. But how does one get an entire nation of people (men, women, children, animals, supplies, etc.) across a river like the Jordan? Did I mention there was no bridge or boat?

(Picture from: https://gregorysmagee.wordpress.com/pictures-from-israel/01-13-jordan-river/)

God dries it up, of course! More to come in a future post on this! But once the Israelites had crossed the river, they faced the second obstacle … the city of Jericho.

(Picture from: http://www.womeninthebible.net/buildings_OT.htm)

In ancient warfare, the best position to have was one of holding the high ground. So when people looked for places to build their cities, they would look for a high hill with sharply sloping sides. Then at the top of the hill, they would build a wall around the tops of the hill and their homes inside the wall, further protecting themselves. When an enemy would want to try and overtake a city such as this, it would be tough to do! Here the Israelites find themselves! They are facing a giant, walled city that they know they must conquer but … how? Remember, they’ve just been wandering in the desert for 40 years! This must seem like quite the task!

One thing that worked to their advantage was the fact that Joshua had sent spies to check things out in Jericho! These spies had been hidden and protected by a woman in the village named Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute in the city of Jericho. While everyone else in the town was afraid of the Israelites, she offered them this protection because she believed that God had given the Israelites the land and because she wanted to strike a deal of protection for her family should a battle ensue. The spies were able to escape by using ropes to climb down the large city walls and they were able to return and report to Joshua.

When wanting to pursue a people behind a giant wall, an enemy could try to go over the walls but this would probably mean that many of their people would be killed trying to do so. The people at the top of the wall clearly have an advantage! This was not appealing to the Israelites, I’m sure. Another option would be to dig tunnels under the city. Frequently enemies would do this and then set the tunnels on fire hoping to burn the city down from the bottom up. Again, many lives would be lost in this venture due to tunnel collapse or being burned alive and it would take an enormous amount of time. I imagine the Israelites were anxious to get things going in the promised land so taking time to do this wasn’t really an option! An enemy could surround the city, eventually forcing the city in starvation when their rations and supplies become drained. But this, also, could take a very long time. A final option would be using trickery and then defeating the city once inside. An example of this is the Greeks on Troy when they sent in the wooden horse. The Israelites had been nomads for 40 years and didn’t have these kind of supplies.
But God offers a plan to Joshua. God tells Joshua to have the people walk around the city wall once a day for six days. On the seventh day, God instructs the Israelites to walk around the city seven times and then after the seventh lap give a loud cry. If they do this, God promises the people that the walls will then crumble, giving the Israelites the ability to conquer Jericho. I don’t know about you but I think this must have seemed like a pretty crazy plan! If God gave me some crazy plan like this, I’m not certain my first instinct would be to obey! It truly seemed like a waste of time. But Joshua was faithful and encouraged the people to follow this crazy plan. On the seventh day, after the seventh circle, the people gave a battle cry. The walls crashed down, and the Israelites were able to conquer the people of Jericho.

I think this story from Joshua offers several challenges to us today!
1. Trusting God to do the impossible in our lives and in the world is key. Without it the improbable won’t happen.
2. Sometimes the battle isn’t ours, it is God’s! We have to learn to trust and obey that plan, no matter how silly, ridiculous, or hard it may seem.
3. If God can use Rahab despite her bad habits, morals, and lifestyle, God can certainly use us.

The following is a really awesome video depicting the battle of Jericho. The song features a Christian artist, LeCrae (whom I like very much). As you watch the video, think of how you need to trust God for the improbable, what battles in your life do you need to let God fight, or how can God use you, like Rahab, to bring some thing, situation, or person into the fullness of all that God has in store for them?

Happy Adventing!

We’ve all seen them. You know, those beautiful Christmas decorations that have been up in the mall and in stores since before Halloween. And I must say … when I was in Atlanta the week before Thanksgiving the CNN Center had the most gorgeous display of extra-large ornaments hanging from their ceiling … a truly breathtaking sight.

Yea, I guess I get it … Christmas is a HUGE money maker for businesses and they want us to get in the “spirit” as early as possible in hopes that we spend more money. But as I shopped in a clothing store about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, it was all I could do to deal with the Christmas carols blaring on the store’s sound system. Seriously, I felt nauseous. And last week (BEFORE THANKSGIVING) I began to notice several of my neighbors putting up trees and lights and other decorations on their houses. All I could think was … REALLY? IT’S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING YET! We’ve got to get through Thanksgiving before we get to Christmas. I felt like such a scrooge.

Since we’ve been out of town since Thursday, driving into my neighborhood last night was a shocking reminder of all I’ve been feeling these past weeks! There are so many houses fully decorated with twinkling lights, icicles, and Santa’s! Actually really cool looking this year are some of the LED lights! And now that it’s okay with me if you decorate, seeing those lights last night really made me wonder … why?!

Take the retailers and the money the season makes them out of the equation! Why do we normal human beings feel this overwhelming need to bring on Christmas so early? Why rush it getting here? How can we just skip right over Thanksgiving? And what difference is there between Thanksgiving and Christmas if our trees are up and houses are full on decorated before the turkey is even in the oven and our family arrives in town?

And how does this apply to teenagers today? When I was in high school, I remember so vividly wishing my time away. I lost out on so much because I was constantly thinking about all of the great things to come which I thought were way better than I could possibly imagine. And then I spent so much time in college thinking about what was to come and obsessing over my future freedom and how desperate I was to get there that I can only imagine the moments of awesomeness right in front of that I completely let slip by. And I remember being right out of college and realizing that the grass wasn’t so green on the other side and regretting all the time I just let slip by! While maybe not able to fully voice some of this, teens today deal with it! And, further, we’ve become so busy these days that letting time slip through their fingers happens (almost) naturally. In our crazy culture, rarely are there moments to just be and to live in the moment of what is happening here and now!

Yesterday in Confirmation Class we were talking about worship with Fr. Paul. One of the youth asked a question about the true meaning of Advent. Expectant waiting. This is when we Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah! It’s waiting with this great expectation. There’s not a lot of other times during the year that teens get to “wait” like this or encouraged to slow down! And, of particular note, there is real power in waiting and anticipating!

But Advent should be just like that! And we parents and youth workers are called to teach our teens how! We should teach our youth that Advent is a time of getting excited, getting ready, of reflection, and of living in the moment of the joyful anticipation the moment that is to come in Jesus’ birth, not simply wishing it away! For without the baby Jesus, our faith would look altogether much different!

Advent is a time, unlike much other, in the lives of our teenagers! And we MUST be intentional in helping our teens find ways to slow down … because they really may not know exactly how to do it! Just think about it … when was the last time that media, text alerts going off incessantly, selfies being taken, music blaring, or a TV wasn’t on in your house or car when you teen was around? When was the last time you had some uninterrupted time as a family just to be?

Think about this. When we get ready to have a baby in our families, there are some things we have to do to prepare and things that we do to get excited! There are cribs and strollers and clothes to be bought. There are parties to attend so as to celebrate and anticipate the birth with friends and family. Things are just the same with Advent! We need to prepare our families hearts for the arrival of baby Jesus!

I don’t know exactly what or how creating this anticipation and joy and moments of slowing down looks like for your family and it will take some intentional time to create it! Maybe it is as simple as decorating with a nativity set and wondering aloud about the characters together. Maybe it is sharing Christmas memories of past years or Christmas Eve worship service favorite moments (like the lighting of the candles at midnight or the leaping we did in Fr. Paul’s sermon two year’s ago). Maybe it is just watching a Christmas movie together. Maybe it is using some of the resources from my earlier post about Advent. But I do know it is necessary, especially for your teens!

And as much as I hate to say it … we can take a lesson from the retailers (and my neighbor’s) and drag things out or at least give our youth every opportunity to see signs that this great thing is about to happen and help get their heart’s ready! Happy Adventing!

Observe Advent, Don't Fight Santa: Advent Resources for Youth Families

As we start Advent 2014 it is important to remember to slow down! Our rector, Fr. Paul will be issuing a challenge to SJE families and the Parish to do just so! We know that slowing down is tough in our culture ... and slowing down as a family is even more difficult! And ... if you are able to slow things down (even for just 30 minutes) ... what do you do while slowed down?

The resources below are meant to provide you with some help as you slow down! There are some great family time ideas, craft projects, service projects, Advent calendars, and so much more! And, Matt and I will also be posting a daily photo on Instagram and Facebook to try to keep Advent and the anticipation of the birth of baby Jesus in the forefront of our teen's minds and days! Let's think of it as project Observe Advent, Don't Fight Santa! Please feel free to contact Matt or I for other ideas or to ask questions! And, we'd love to hear what you'll be up to .... Happy Advent! Here are a few suggestions:

*Lead (Living Every Day as Disciples) Website: http://waytolead.org/resource/advent-resources-pinterest/
Lots of ideas using Pinterest and other sites to help spark your creativity! Family time ideas, service project ideas, and more!

*Advent Conspiracy: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
Christmas can still change the world! Mtr Suz will be presenting on this in the Rector's Forum THIS Sunday at SJE! The idea is to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all! The site has some great ideas about relational gift giving, fighting injustice, and supporting water wells in 3rd world countries with the money you save by making gifts instead of buying! Your teens could REALLY get into this!

*Family Resource Ideas from The Episcopal Dio of PA: http://www.diopayouth.org/blog/family-advent-resources
This site offers some excellent and practical tools for devotions, texts, video clips of a modern day nativity, and more!

*Living Montessori Now: http://livingmontessorinow.com/2011/11/29/50-plus-december-family-activities/
A great site with 50+ crafty ideas, Advent prayers, family traditions, and more!

Lamps on Lamps on Parties: How the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids is Relevant for Teens Today.

I love parables! Parables are a stories told by Jesus that illustrate a spiritual point or lesson. And Jesus was good at telling parables ... at taking every day objects and the experiences of his day and translating them into some really cool spiritual truth! Sunday in worship we heard the interesting parable of the 10 bridesmaids! I’ve been thinking about it since! Specifically, I’ve been pondering about the foolish women in the story, the mistakes and screw ups they made, and how it relates to the lives of teenagers today! As Fr. Paul pointed out in his sermon, five of the bridesmaids were not prepared, had to walk away, and missed out on a grand party with the groom! This story is not insignificant to the teenagers I am blessed to work with as a youth minister but the awesomeness of it could easily be missed … so here are a few of my thoughts! The parable goes that there was a wedding party and 10 bridesmaids went out to meet the groom. In Jesus' day, a wedding celebration lasted several days and typically would start with the groom heading to the bride’s house at night time! The bridesmaids would have gone to meet the groom as a part of the celebration and would light his way into the house. Further, the guests and wedding party were determined by those carrying a lamp. Those who were not were thought to be intruders! So having a lamp/light at a wedding celebration was very important on multiple levels and everyone knew it! In this parable, the groom takes a lot longer to arrive than the bridesmaids had expected. Scripture says that while they were waiting for him, the 10 women fell asleep. How often do teens today wait for Jesus to show up in their world or situation. When we Christians perceive Jesus isn't showing up "fast enough" (or in the way we want), we give up and go to "sleep" too, sometimes! I'm just sayin' ... In this parable when they awoke to hear that the groom was getting ready to arrive, only half of the women had come prepared with extra oil and could re-light their torches / lamps. The “wise” and “prepared” women were able to re-light their lamps and go to meet the groom, telling the “foolish” and “unprepared” women they didn’t have enough extra oil to share. While the “foolish” women go to buy more oil, the groom arrives and the celebration begins! The women with the lamps and extra oil are invited in to the party and the door is locked, leaving the "foolish" women out! Sometime later, these “foolish” women who had to walk away from the celebration (to go buy more oil) arrive back at the party. They knock on the door and ask to be let in but are told no. The bridegroom says something to the effect of “I don’t even know you!” If we think about this parable as the bridegroom representing Jesus, the 10 bridesmaids representing you and me, and the oil representing our faith, there is a very clear lesson! When the parable starts, note that ALL 10 of the bridesmaids have a lamp burning. As the story goes on, the lamps of those who weren’t prepared with extra oil … or who were carless and foolish … their fires begin to die out. I think this is a lot Christian teens! At some point they all have hearts on fire for Jesus. Perhaps their flame really starts to glow on a church retreat or perhaps because of a Young Life event or through a small group Bible study! But as time goes on, busy-ness takes over, or teens face peer pressure or cultural expectations, the "foolish" or "unprepared" teenager's fire for Jesus begin to grow dim and maybe even dies out. Often when a teen's fire dies out, they walk away from the celebration and party of which Jesus invites us to be a part. God created us to worship and be in relationship with God. When our fire dies out and we walk away from the celebration of a Christian life, it’s like Jesus is saying to us that he doesn’t even "know" us! I mean, come on, we’ve turned our backs and walked away from this amazing party that is the Christian faith! Who would walk away from a celebration such as the one in the parable? Seriously? Who? Us! And it happens more frequently than we’d like to think, especially as a teenager being pulled by youth culture and peer pressure! But, as Fr. Paul says, if being a Christian makes you angry or is stressful then you aren’t doing it right! It’s a party! And there is probably a lesson in the fact that the five wise women who were "prepared" with extra oil weren’t willing to share the oil! In his sermon Fr. Paul talked about being disturbed by this fact. As I thought through it, I think teens can learn from the things Jesus really could have meant by this piece of the story! The first option could be that it truly matter with whom we associate. As a teenager, it is important to be with and surround yourself with people who are generous and who unconditionally love you (despite your foolishness) and will do things to help you as you journey in faith together! Having friends with the same values and morals is key as a teenager. But this can also be quite challenging; we need adults need to understand. And not only is it important to have peers such as this, but also mentors! That's why we work so hard and are so blessed in youth ministry to have adults willing to be present in the lives of teenagers who volunteer as advisors, confirmation mentors, and event Lenten prayer friends! They are a non-judgmental, loving, dependable presence in the lives of teenager and that is so important. The second option could be that Jesus was trying to teach us that ultimately we are each responsible for our own faith. Even as a teen! Often times we grow complacent in our faith (teens and adults). We think we have enough to get by. But faith is about more than getting by! We each need to be accumulating "extra" faith or a stronger faith and knowledge (i.e. the oil) so that when our faith is tested, we have more than enough to make it through. So, ask yourself (or your teen) when was the last time your heart was really on fire for Jesus? Was it during the fall retreat? Last year? Last week? And how are you accumulating an extra jar of oil or working to strengthen your faith and be prepared for times of trail? Prayer, worship, youth group? Are you reading your Bible? Do you even know where your Bible is right now? How big is your fire burning or is it growing dim? Come on, join the party!

Elisha: Ordinary meets Extraordinary

Do you ever feel ordinary? I was talking to someone at church Sunday morning who said she just felt invisible and so ordinary. She felt like nothing she had done recently was "good enough" or noticed. She thought that no matter how nice she was to others it just didn't seem to matter much. She was convinced she was in this rut of just go, go, go and do, do, do for others and no one even noticed or bothered to say thank you. What she described was a feeling of being quite ordinary or maybe even less than ordinary. She felt ordinarily invisible. But ... watch and think about the above video. Almost everyone in the Bible that God uses to accomplish extraordinary things (that I can think of anyways) is pretty ordinary person. Perhaps many of them even felt invisibly ordinary from time to time! So, to my Sunday morning friend, I say take comfort in the invisible ordinary and remember that God is at work and is using your gifts and beautiful spirit each day in ways you may not even be aware! With this in mind and knowing that I wanted to talk about Elisha in my EYC devotion Sunday night, I was reminded as I read through 2 Kings just of ordinary Elisha was! Before being called to be a prophet (one who speaks for God), Elisha was a REALLY, REALLY normal guy. In fact, when Elijah calls him to be a prophet (one who spoke for God) Elisha was literally in the fields, plowing his land. Elijah comes up and puts his cloak on Elisha. This was a symbolic act that Elisha was to follow his now mentor Elijah. Elisha immediately goes and tells his family what has happened and then kills all the cattle he was using to plow the land and uses the equipment / plow as firewood to cook the cattle. This guy was either ridiculously stupid or had a ridiculous faith. I mean that’s commitment, right? At this point there was no turning back for Elisha; this was no ordinary commitment, right? If he decided he didn’t like Elijah or didn’t want to be a prophet, there was no turning back because he just destroyed everything that he used for his livelihood! He was ALL in! So God uses this ordinary guy, Elisha, to accomplish some pretty extraordinary things! This invisibly ordinary guy goes on to get messages from God, performs miracles for God, and tries to get the people of Israel to follow God! When you are an ordinary guy with a ridiculous faith, crazy things can happen! And, how timely, Elisha's and the stories surrounding him in 2 Kings really are perfect for this time of year ... Halloween-like with some gory, nasty, horribly scary details! If you know me, you know I don’t do scary … no rollercoaster, no dark houses, no scary movies! This stuff is scary ... and I could never make this up! Check out all the action in the beginning of 2 Kings! Some of the extraordinary things God worked through Elisha: *Not really gory but really cool is the story of when Elisha saves and entire town and people! Jericho's water source had become polluted and was killing the people and harming the land! Elisha prayed to God, threw some salt into the spring / water source and God fixes things! An entire people saved. Extraordinary. *The next story we hear about Elisha is pretty gory! He was traveling to a town and a massive group of young men came up and were picking on him! The called him baldy (an insult to those who had leprosy) and told him to go away. They were probably getting ready to beat Elisha and there were probably lots of them! Elisha tells them to stop and curses them by probably saying something like "You seriously need to stop, I can't believe how ridiculous you guys are being! Darn you!" All of a sudden two bears come out of the woods and maul the boys, killing 42 of them! Extraordinary. *Another not so gory but amazingly wild story about God working through Elisha is when Elisha is able to help a poor widow! Her husband had died and left a great debt and this widow had no way to pay it. She came to Elisha for help. He sent her away with her only possession, a bottle of olive oil, and told her to go pour it in jugs. She was miraculously able to fill many, many jars which she could sell to repay the debt. Extraordinary. *Still another wickedly weird story involves Elisha and a rich woman in a town that Elisha frequented. This woman frequently fed Elisha and liked him so much that she built a room on her home just for Elisha. The rich woman did not have a son. Elisha strikes a deal (so to speak) with God and the woman becomes pregnant with a son. When this son is an older child, he is out working in the field and gets a bad headache. He dies and the rich woman is devastated that her only son, this gift from God is now dead. She goes and gets Elisha and Elisha lays on him twice; Scripture says the son sneezes 7 times, and comes back to life. Extraordinary. *There was another somewhat scary time when some peeps were having a feast. They had used poisonous herbs and didn't realize it! Elisah pours some flour in and God is able to make the stew edible for 100 people. Extraordinary. *Elisha is able to lead a great army leader (Naaman) to have his leprosy healed. When Naaman comes to Elisha with this gross skin disease and asks to be healed, Elisha tells Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan river 7 times. Naaman thinks this is a ridiculous action to perform and seems to ordinary to heal him. After some convincing by his fellow army mates, he does it and completely healed. Naaman comes to believe in God and have a devout faith because of this! Extraordinary. *There is another story of Elisha that isn't horrifyingly gross but is one of those you had to see it to believe it types of stories! There is a group cutting trees near the rive and an ax head flies off into the river, sinking to the bottom as an ax head would do! Turns out the ax was borrowed and feeling terrible about what happened, the person using the ax asks Elisha for help. Elish is able to make the ax head float. Really extraordinary. *Then there is the disgustingly gory story of Jehu and Jezebel. Jehu had been anointed by Elisha and his team of prophets to be the next king. Jehu then goes on a killing / avenging spree! This killing spree includes pushing Jezebel out of a window in the palace to her death. Jehu tramples her dead body with his horse. Later he sends some servants to go and bury her and all they find is her skull, hands, and feet as dogs had eaten the rest of her. All of the had been previously prophesized that it would happen! Extraordinary. Jehu's killing spree continues to the 70 sons of Ahab living in Samaria. He had them beheaded and their heads placed in baskets and put on display at the city gate. *The final story that we read about Elisha is pretty freaky. Elisha has died in a very ordinary way ... he got sick. After he has been placed in his grave, there is another man being buried. The group burying him gets spooked by a group they think are coming to attack them and they carelessly throw the man's body into Elisha's grave. When the man's body touches Elisha's he is revived and jumps to his feet. Extraordinary. What we can learn from Elisha's ordinary life meeting an extraordinary God is that maybe ordinary is just what we need to be. Maybe invisible is just what we need to be. God can use that. God can make extraordinary things happen. In other words, we can model ourselves after Elisha! Elisha got a call from God, stepped out in a completely ridiculous (in a good way) faith, acted on God's word to him and extraordinary things happened. Our challenge is to take a step back and take inventory of the extraordinary moments that come your way through God's call to you. Now, I don’t know what you God is calling you to do from your ordinary teenage life … maybe it is simply to sit with someone who is alone at lunch or to stop and help someone who is being bullied. Perhaps God is calling you to stop being the bully. Maybe God is calling you to leadership in a way that’s uncomfortable for you on the football field or court or maybe at your dinner table with your family. Maybe the extraorindary act your being called to through your ordinary life is to just learn the name of the homeless guy standing on the corner as you bring him some food. Or maybe it involves a situation with your friends. The challenge is to have a ridiculous faith even when you just feel ordinary and know that extraordinary things will happen if you do.

Water Slides!

Last May at Party with a Purpose (our silent auction / Costa Rica youth mission trip fundraiser), our family won a trip to Orlando over this Spring Break! Blaine and I went on the trip and we had an amazing week and really enjoyed the warmer weather! We ended up spending one day at Sea World's water park called Aquatica! If you know me, you know that # 1 I'm pregnant so there wasn't much I could do in the way of slides other than wait at the bottom with the camera and # 2 I'm not at all a dare devil and fast/high water slides really aren't my thing anyways (remember last summer's helicopter incident on the middle school mission trip - if not, just ask?!). But we found a 50% off deal and Blaine REALLY wanted to go, so we did! They had a great wave pool and kids water playground that he enjoyed. But, my child is a dare-devil (thank goodness he didn't inherit my fears) and he loved going down some of the smaller slides throughout the day. After lunch we were walking through the other side of the park and we came upon "it." The Racer: It doesn't look too bad, does it? And Blaine looks super excited in the picture to be getting ready to go up! It's much more intimidating in person, I promise, to us non-thrill seekers! And they even time the riders to see who comes down the fastest! Of course, fast is the goal! But if you look closely, you'll notice there are several spiraled tubes way up high to go through and then a verticle drop just after them. The verticle drop is what did it for me (and eventually my sweet boy). I didn't want to put the weight of my anxiety on my child and simply asked him if he was sure. I explained he would have to go up alone like the other slide and he was totally fine with that. Lovingly, I tried to point out the verticle drop but he was determined it would be fun and off he went! I made him promise me he wouldn't be scared! :) I've never heard my child scream in quite that way. Sheer terror is what I think he felt. I think his heart was pounding too fast for him to realize what he had just done. He knew he didn't really like it but he simply stated he wouldn't be going on it again until he was much older. We then returned to the wave pool and beach area to relax. Before leaving there was one more slide that he wanted to try. It was a tube slide that went through an aquarium with dolphins inside. It wasn't a particularly fast or tall slide. It was just one he'd been waiting to go on because the line had been long all day. There wasn't much of a line at this point and the slide was all his for the fun! Blaine must have gone up to the top about 6 or 7 times. But each time fear would seize him and he would come running back down the path with tears in his eyes saying he couldn't do it. It turned out he was so distraught because of his promise to me that he wouldn't be afraid! He didn't want to let me down but he just couldn't make himself go down the slide no matter how hard he tried. I told him that I released him from his promise and that I only meant he needed to be brave for The Racer because it was so fast! I hugged him. We watched a couple of other people come down the dolphin slide, noting how slow they came out of the tube. I encouraged him. He tried again but couldn't go down. I told him he didn't have to do it that I loved him no matter what and was super proud of him. He got dressed and we packed up to leave; as we started to leave he turned around, took his shirt and shoes off, and tried one final time up the path to the top of the slide. He returned from the path a few minutes later, tears streaming down his sunburnt cheeks. He just couldn't do it. It broke my heart to see him in so much distress. At the same time, it warmed my heart to know how hard he tried! Wouldn't it be awesome if we treated our faith and relationship with Christ in this way. Determination. What would it look like if we got really good at loving God so much that nothing could stop us, no matter what! What if in the challeging times we tried with all of our might not to let God down. Imagine in the scary times of the teenage years if there was nothing that could pull you away or stop you from climbing the path to God ... no peer pressure, no fear of failure, no view of yourself that you're not good enough, no nothing! I don't know that this exists or is even possible, but wouldn't it be cool to try!? And isn't it a comfort to know that even when we fail and let God down, God loves us more than we could ever even imagine?! Isn't it helpful to know that God is there waiting for us at the bottom of our slides, never turning His back on us but always with His eye on us and ALWAYS there to comfort us!? What a relief we should feel to know that there is nothing we can do (or fail at doing) that would ever stop God from being our biggest cheerleader! There is nothing we can say (or not say) that would ever stop God from loving us and wanting a relatioship with us. There is nothing that we could feel (or not feel) about ourselves that would ever make God feel anything but love for us. There is nothing that could ever keep God from waiting at the bottom of the slide for us. Now ... get busy sliding! Jillianne