Never just another day……

O dear Lord, what can I say to you?
Is there any word that could come from my mouth,
any thought? any sentence?
You died for me, you gave all for my sins,
you not only became man for me
but also suffered the most curel death for me.
Is there any response?
I wish that I could find a fitting response,
but in contemplating your Holy Passion and Death
I can only confess humbly to you
that the immensity of your divine love
makes any response seem totally inadequate.
Let me just stand and look at you.
Your body is broken, your head is wounded,
your hands and feet are split open by nails,
your side is pierced.
Your dead body now rests in the arms of your Mother.
It is all over now. It is finished.
It is fulfilled. It is accomplished.
Sweet Lord, gracious Lord,
generous Lord, forgiving Lord,
I adore you, I praise you, I thank you.
YOu have made all things new
through your passion and death.
Your cross had been planted in this world
as the new sign of hope.

Let me always live under your cross, O Lord,
and proclaim the hope of your cross unceasingly.
AMEN.

That’s what they are calling it. But, if i go back and read the wording from the original charge- it says that it’s more of an evaluation of conference staffing!

These are the questions that will be asked of me and all other conference employees in a few weeks. Thankfully I get ‘em ahead of time to prepare.

How does what you do match your job description and/or performance plan?
What is the most important task/aspect of your job?
What are the most crucial skills required for your job?
What would you change about hte AC staff structure?
How did you spend your time in the last 30 days and is this typical?
What hcanges would make your job more effective?
What are the rewards and/or frustrations of your job?
How does your work contribute to the ministries of the local church and/or boards/agencies/committees of the AC?

Now- this is the first time in 4 years I’ve ever been asked such real and honest questions. But, this is my question- do you really want the answers? It seems that these days we’re really good about bringing up the stuff that needs attention- but nobody is willing to have any accountability with it.

It seems that if these questions are answered honestly and openly by us all- some of us would need to be cloned and multiplied and others of us would need to be deflated and gotten rid of.

Do they really want honest answers?
I think I’m going to type mine up so I can’t be misunderstood…

I wish I could say it went without a snag. But, I can’t. However, I’ve come to enjoy and find great beauty in the snags. I suspect and suggest that when young people gather for corporate worship- it doesn’t have to be shiny and polished. As a matter of fact, I’m nearly convinced that when it is polished to perfection we do them a great injustice.

So, weekend one is under our belt and I was able to catch views, rather thorough views (not just a scenic drive by) of moments full of grace and/or gratitude this weekend. Those are the words to describe it.

A huge shout- out to my staff. All in all, we’ve got 50 or so young people who volunteer their time and energy to make these weekends happen- and I know there are sacrifices involved with their commitment. But, I want to just ask for prayers for these folks personally. There is some heavy stuff happening in their lives- watershed moments that take courage and strength and most of all faith to walk through. I’m honored and humbled to be able to be a part of their journey. Let my words be few and my ears wide open for the 4 weeks ahead—that I may be a voice of discernment in their lives. But, also as a voice of truth. My desire is to challenge them to grow and mature in their faith as servant leaders- perhaps it is this generation that will bring revival to the church. And perhaps I have a role to play in raising up this generation. What a great blessing and burden! Praise be to God!

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2nd Corinthians 3:18

So, this has been the meditation of my heart the last few days. Really, the entire chapter.

The last week has been a rough one. With Tanya’s departure for Tanzania, Denise’s resignation and leaving Jasper, the start of SLR just days away, work stuff outside of SLR that I choose not to get into here….I’ve felt incredibly distracted from everything. I can’t seem to stop crying. Every little thing just sets me into tears. It’s ridiculous really. There’s such great joy, anticipation, and beauty in these new journeys that my friends embark on, but their departures leave me scattering for a new sense of community. I’m anxiously waiting to discover what great journey all this change might mean for me! But, in the meantime- SLR is just 4 days away and there is plenty to do.

Have you seen Marko’s blog today? It’s actually him reiterating Mark Riddle’s thoughts. It’s a list of misconceptions about the state/role of youth ministry in the church….here are a few that caught my attention that I’ve wanted to shout over the phone at folks or beat it into their brains a time or two over the last few years. It’s also something incredibly relevant to what’s happening lately at the local church with which I volunteer….

…the success or failure of the spiritual nurturing of our kids be based primarily on the person filling the youth position…

…that the youth pastor can/will/should disciple themselves without the guidance of a senior pastor…

…we give lip service to the role of parents in the spiritual nurturing of their children but do nothing to support them…

…we think youth don’t think about theology or aren’t ready for it…

…Jesus himself could not live up to the wildly inappropriate expectations a church has for youth ministry…

ARGH!

Go check out the full list. Print out lots of copies. Pass them around to your SPR- your parents- etc. (just kidding- I wouldn’t suggest that necessarily- however I do recommend beginning the conversation if it’s in order)

Raymond claims it would have been cheaper and easier to let it fall- but they decided to call in an emergency crane. Here’s the story- they were working on the structural framework that they knew had been compromised- thus the work! In that process, Stubbs got his leg crushed by a 1000 lb. beam last week- he’s got to have surgery- it’s going to be a long road to recovery for him. But, today- one week later- the concrete sidewalk and the dirt underneath that which was holding up the temporary framework crumbled. Thus- the temporary framework is being held up by a very slim amount of support with wood just dangling in the air. Sparrowwood could crumble into Cane Creek if the wind blows just right. As I type, the crane just arrived and has stabilized itself enough to put the telephone-like-polls in place to support the base so they can get the permanent replacement beams in. Crazy stuff happening at camp today.

300 teenagers arrive in 2 1/2 weeks for the first SLR- the sleeping space at Sparrowwood doesn’t seem to be in danger….but I have my doubts. I trust they know more about it than I do- so I choose not to worry!

Today in Honduras- in the Algalta Valley- three died while on a mission trip with HOI. There are varying stories about the incident- you can read more on the AJC site.

They died because the big WWII truck they were traveling in rolled over while driving on rough terrain. It could have been a car wreck- I’m not sure. But, I know that truck well- I’ve ridden in it dozens of times in really rough terrain myself. My heart goes out to the families of these folks- one of which I know. But, my heart also goes out to my family there at Rancho El Paraiso. It was probably either Ubaldo or Henry driving.

Those folks were somebody’s mom, somebody’s husband, somebody’s sibling, somebody’s friend. My heart is just broken. I’m absolutely devastated. In situations like this- my guess is that folks generally respond in one of two ways. One- they rally up and push forward and speak even more boldly about loving God and loving others. Or- they are bitter and take possible steps to halt the ministry happening around the ranch. I pray for boldness- for speaking of the Kingdom of God, both here and the one to come. And I pray for Henry, Ubaldo, Ishmael, Lucas, Marta, Steve, Dr. German, Maria, and the others at the ranch- as well as Emily and Beth here at the office. I can see their sweet sweet faces as if I had been there yesterday.

While my skills wouldn’t even be evident on the radar, I did two things in the last day that have been pretty cool. I ‘threw’ a pot on the wheel. (I’m not sure that’s the correct way to say that?) I actually failed miserably the first time and played in the clay a long time. But I ended up with something similar to a ring dish. Or perhaps a salsa dish- depending on the need at hand. I was very much overwhelmed with the metaphor of the potter and the clay that we’ve heard and I’ve used dozens of times. Once you are actually sitting there with your legs around the wheel, your elbow in your hipbone, your hands putting pressure on that clay, in complete concentration with being in control so that the very simplest and slightest of moves makes a drastic ripple- you get an even more dramatic picture of our relationship with our maker. It’s comforting yet mysterious.

Then- I made a simple yet colorful stained glass cross with a bright red center. It’s currently hanging in my office at the camp. I think I might take up this hobby. The whole evening was pretty special- simple, quiet, relaxing. I spent last night with a very close friend and then with another friend whom I’ve become increasingly fond of over the last year or so. A few weeks back I shared Irresistible Revolution with her and she sort of shrugged it off saying she’d get to it soon. Little did I know- she was already done! The conversation was good- the chili and monkey bread were amazing- the sleep was short- the drive was long- the jam session in the living room was rare.

“There are plenty of fish in the pond”- The title on the church sign for tomorrow’s sermon. What could possibly be in store for us in the morning?

This is Landon! He’s huge and almost 3 months! I had the pleasure of keeping him all night last weekend. I had my hands full- but enjoyed every minute of it. I’m still just fascinated by him. To just sit and stare at Landon is a form of worshipping God!

It was a simple question- but yet completely loaded. My pepal asked me tonight- “when are you going to come live with us and take care of us?” Honestly, it’s always been a thought in the back of my head. It’s not the first time he’s suggested it. But, I think it was the first time we both took it seriously. I didn’t have a good “why not” to offer. Sure there are logistics of job, responsibilities, living in a different town, etc. But at this very moment as the words are coming through the keys- none of that seems anywhere close to relevant. So, why don’t I? That’s a loaded question for which I need to find an answer. Geez- this is loaded.

Things I’m fond of at the moment…
…strawberry applesauce.
…Leigh Nash tunes.
…Brandon Heath tunes.
…possible ‘wintry mix’ in North Georgia.
…the fact that Lacey is reading Irresistible Revolution.
…the ELF costume we made.

Things I’m rather not fond of at the moment…
…my hectic and rushed schedule.
…my current status of being ‘insanely behind’ with work.
…the holes we have still yet to fill for SLR.
…awkwardness.

…make me so angry sometimes. It’s almost like they have no idea what’s happening within the walls of their congregation. What does it really say about us to let a very small handful of folks - that are so not the majority nor incredibly involved in the ministry at hand- dictate its future.

Seriously, my concern is that church leaders don’t make their decisions based in prayer. It scares me.

A pastor in our conference said to me today- “our church is going to hell in a handbasket and unless folks wake up- our generation is going to watch it happen”.

Music is a huge part of my life, right? So, when I’m driving to & fro I’m constantly looking for lyrics to express what I’m feeling. Many times as a means of prayer!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could communicate with friends and family using somebody else’s words? Not in a lazy way- in a way that better connects. Remember the days of the mixed tape? Seriously- it would be nice to find a song to use when my words just don’t come out the way I intend them to.

Not me. However, I had lunch yesterday with a former summer staff at Glisson. He’s trying to figure out the next steps in life and the manifestation of God’s call in his life. He’s fixin’ to graduate from Tech. He’s a writer. Yesterday in our conversation I was telling him about Radiant and Relevant magazines…a lot of his stuff would connect well with their interests. He emailed Radiant last night and as of today, they are putting one of his articles on their web. It’s about beauty and his name is David Schutte. Check it out at www.radiantmag.com. He’s pumped. I’m pumped for him. Plus, he’s got a bit of hope! That’s just cool.

5 months away!
It’s a voting year so I imagine that the ad campaigns will begin coming soon.
Found out today that we’re having a youth worship service this year at AC.
My fear is that it’ll end up being a bunch of ‘tokenism’ as in years past.
But, I have great hope because I love the theme. Humility.
We’re using James 3:13- Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

The three services preceding ours are themed around the spirit filled life, being called, and a life of servanthood. The youth service will wrap these three up. Not sure what that’s going to look like- but that’s our charge.

I have less than 60 days.
I better get to work.