Stories To Tell Part I

Preface

Carl's sermon got me thinking yesterday... I know, I know, brace yourselves.  :)  First, I must give a little background to that sentence.  For fifteen months or so, I had the pleasure of working with Carl Utley, a fantastic interim pastor and just what Covenant needed to prepare for new leadership. Carl has been a terrific mentor and more than that become a trusted friend who has supported me through some difficult moments in the last year.  I confess I didn't say goodbye to him yesterday, on purpose.  Not only because he is the new General Presbyter for the next few years so I will see him, but because it fills me with deep sadness that our daily work together has officially come to a close.

Anyway, his sermon struck a chord with me.  He said that we all have stories to tell.  Stories that cultivate hope.  These words made me think maybe that would be a fun series of blogs to do share for the summer.  Just some stories from my life, stories that I think cultivate hope from my own life.

Pocket Road

My earliest memories are of growing up "in the pocket" in Hurt, Virginia.  We moved there from Salem when I was about three years old.  My Daddy built our beautiful house on land that was my Mother's family farm.  Our house was white with black shutters and a porch that stretched across the front of it.  My memories of that house play in my mind like a movie flashback, slightly tinted and fuzzy at the corners.  My adult mind recalls that it was probably really hard to keep the red clay from staining that white siding.  And I remember Mama saying you couldn't put a hoe in the ground without pulling up a rock.  But, for a young, only child, that home, "The Ponderosa" we called it--was a magical place tucked beyond a hay-field, just into the forest where fairies lived in the woods, porch railings were horses, and fireflies were friends.   

I remember Daddy letting me pretend to help him build the house.  I climbed on mountains of sand and hammered nails with my plastic tools.  I did all of this shirtless, as I thought that this was a prerequisite for carpentry.  Again, through my adult eyes I can only imagine what my presence felt like to my Dad.  One part swelling with pride that your child wants to be just like you and  two parts exasperated that you can't get anything done with your little shadow following you everywhere!

When I wasn't at home with my parents, I was with my Grandma Pearlie at her house, just down the road, around the curve.  As I got older, I could walk through the woods to get to her house.  Pearlie's house had been her home since she married.  It was a little gray house with a sunny back porch and a little kitchen that was always warm.  She kept snacks for me in the bread box on white counter tops flecked with gold.  I drank flat coke from a skinny orange cup (that is the way I liked it) and to this day I don't know what happened to that little orange cup and it saddens me.  My favorite recollections of the early days at Pearlie's house include pulling out Mama's beautiful dolls from her dresser drawers and making mud-pies in the back yard.  Mama's dolls were tall and thin, they looked like perfect ladies and their blue eyes closed when you laid them down.  One was a bride and one was a ballerina.  Again, I wonder if we kept those in the attic somewhere.   My mud-pies were baked in the sun on three black rectangle trays with yellow flowers painted in the middle.  I decorated them with stones from the driveway and dandelion blooms. 

I would go to Pearlie's house early in the morning, sometimes before the sun came up.  Daddy would get me out of bed and dress me, Mama had already left for her work at the hospital in Lynchburg.  Daddy and his friend Bill would pile into Daddy's Ford with me in the middle and take me down the road to Pearlie's house.  Then they would go on their way to a construction site for the day.  You see, Daddy had his own company in those days.  He could (can) build anything.  A lot of times I would go back to sleep in Pearlie's four poster bed, the scent of her shampoo on the pillow.  When I woke up she would rock me in her chair out on the back porch until I asked for a snack.  To this day I still love Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese.  

I would live in my imaginary world often outside in the morning sun while Pearlie watched me from the windows until lunch time.  Our lunch routine required eating lunch at the bar in the kitchen, I remember eating cheese sandwiches, or hot dogs.  Sometimes Pearlie made me brownies for desert.  There were also Oreo's on top of the fridge.  I don't know who licked the icing out of the center and put them back together.  Then we would watch The Price is Right with Bob Barker, WDBJ 7 News with Robin Reed (yes I've trusted Robin for the weather my whole life) and then The Young & The Restless and The Bold and The Beautiful..... Pearlie would never, ever tell you she watched those shows on T.V., but I live to tell the tale.   Did I nap in the afternoons? I don't recall.  What I do remember is sitting on the brown, fuzzy carpet by the television, or next to Pearlie on the couch.  I remember well her navy pants, that were slightly rough to the touch and her polyester blouses that she made for herself.  Blue was her favorite color.  She always told me that God must have loved blue and green because he made so much of it.  

One day a week we went into town to the Winn Dixie for groceries.  Sometimes we would see neighbors Margaret and Kyle walking the perimeter of the parking lot for exercise.  If it was too hot they moved indoors making laps around the outer aisles.  One morning a week was laundry day. For some reason I want to say it was Tuesday.  And if I remember correctly, one day a week was the day for Pearlie to wash her hair.  When I was really small Pearlie had long hair halfway down her back.  It was pure white and thick.  Mama said it had been that way since she was very young, even when Mama was a little girl it was white as snow.   Pearlie would wash her hair in the sink and then she would go into the bathroom and begin to coil it around the back of her head.  I don't know how she did it, but I wish now that my young eyes had made sense of what her nimble fingers were doing so I could replicate it.  I'd sit on a tall, white metal stool in her bathroom and keep her company while she hummed hymns and put a million bobby-pins in her hair.  

My Saturdays were filled at home running through the hayfields, laying down in the middle where no one could see me and looking up at the puffy clouds floating by.  I remember waking up before my parents and tiptoeing into the living room to turn on the TV.  I'd stretch myself across the blue flowered couch and watch Winnie The Pooh.  At home, I had a Barbie wonderland under the stairs and I would play for hours while Mama undoubtedly made multiple trips up and down those stairs to the washer and dryer.  Mama would always say things to me like, "I love you skinny legs and all" or "Let me have your eyelashes."  She taught me at a young age to say, "Thank you Mama, you're a good woman."  Daddy was always outside building something, fixing something, mowing the lawn.  In the afternoons sometimes I'd go out and see what he was into.  We always had a basset hound never far from his side.  Gertrude LaRue was my favorite, the girl I grew up with.  I remember her chasing terapins, bringing them from the woods and dropping them at Dad's feet in the garage.  Gertie would  get distracted with something else and the turtle would eventually stick his head out and sneak away.  She'd find him and bring him back.  

On Sundays, Pearlie would pick me up and take me with her to Hurt United Methodist Church.  The morning would start off with what I can only assume now was a brief devotion and prayer in the sanctuary.  I would stare up at a stained glass window at the front of the sanctuary depicting Jesus praying in the garden.  Somehow it seems to me that I always understood that the window was placed in honor of my grandfather, Crebo, who I only met once at three months old.  He was a beloved teacher and leader in the church.  Then we would go to Sunday School.  I would climb the stairs with several other children and go into a sunlit classroom where Mrs. Genevieve was the teacher.  We sat around a table with child-size wooden chairs and the stories of the Bible came to life.  After that, we'd return to the sanctuary and most times Mama and Daddy would join us for worship.  I remember going forward and kneeling at the railing for communion. Or sometimes singing with my friends at the front of the church. Most days I just laid down in the pew and rested my eyes while all the adults had church.  I remember when the pastor left, sometime in early elementary school I guess, and Rev. Marianne Byrd came to be the pastor.   She wasn't there very long and I remember the adults talking about how she wasn't really accepted because she was a woman.  Even then, that seemed odd to me.  I mean all of my preschool teachers were female, my mama worked at a hospital and saved lives.  My days were spent with my doting grandmother--all girls--so why was Marianne not a good fit?  

I suppose looking back on these early memories of my childhood gives me hope for the future of my own son.  These years were bound to be hard for my parents.  My dad was trying to build his own business in a tiny town which would continue to lose factories and businesses in those years.  My mom was commuting to her job in Lynchburg and working in a brand new cath lab at Virginia Baptist.  They managed to build a home for me where I felt safe and loved.  As I described it to you, almost a magical kingdom for me and my imagination to grow.  I understand now that for my grandmother to watch me all those years through elementary school was really a lifeline for her. She had a difficult life and she'd lost her husband right after I was born.  And yet as a little girl, even though I heard stories about Crebo, I would never have known or understood that grief.  So, when days are difficult I have to remember that this is a magical time for Kemper.  A time for him to make memories with his parents and grandparents.  These early years instilled in me the importance of children's relationships with their grandparents.  It also makes me value the time he spends with me at church.  It is okay if he doesn't "get it"--the stories and the traditions.  He sees the community, he feels the love of the people, and that is special.  

And so I have to close my tablet now, hit publish and be done.  Because there is a little boy in his pjs, begging to go outside with his bubble machine, ready to start his magical day.  

Paving THE WAY As You Go

As I look over the next few weeks in the life of the church what stands out the most is that we are celebrating Milestones, particularly in the lives of our young people.  This Sunday, we will have Confirmation Sunday.  We have 16 Confirmands from 6th-8th grade and two of them will be baptized.  They've spent the last four months learning theology, Presbyterian practices, world religions, and how to articulate their faith. These Middle Highs should be celebrated and I hope in the midst of all the fun we have as a group, we take a moment to recognize the seriousness of becoming a member of the church--with it comes a responsibility to spread their wings and discern what their God given gifts are and how to use them in the life of faith. 

 On June 4th we will hold Graduate Sunday and we will recognize our high school seniors who are graduating and moving toward new horizons, on to big, bold, bright things!  Our Seniors have been instrumental in the leadership of our congregation.  They've grown up here doing everything from attend the preschool to participating in Sunday School and VBS.  As middle and high school students they've guided us in worship and volunteered to serve as leaders for children's events.  They've served on youth council for the church and the presbytery.  They've chosen to be a part of the life of Covenant, in the midst of all the other wonderful activities in which they've participated.  These elements make up who they are.  

These teens would not have been shaped without Covenant and Covenant could not be shaped without these teenagers.  What a privilege.  What a privilege it is for us to know them and love them.  

What shall I say to these young people?  I'm not preaching the sermon for Confirmation, although I will for graduation.  But, what shall we say?  As adults, particularly in light of our faith--we must walk a fine line between the realities of our day and time and the desire to protect our young people from the harshness of a broken world.  So often we speak of them as the future of the church which dismisses them from being a part of the present.  They have so much to say, so much more understanding than we give credit for, so much energy and willingness to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  

When the prophet Jeremiah was called to the ministry, he wrote, "The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."    

Jeremiah responded, "Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak, I am only a child."

God replied, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." 

God has a promise for each of us!  God has a plan for each of us, specifically, God has called us by name and lays out the path for us.  So, at the risk of being cliché or pithy--at the risk of being like those many would criticize in our generation for declaring each of our children, "special snowflakes"-- I would tell each of our youth that they are indeed important! God has big plans in store.  Each of you were born to be someone of greatness.  Each of you were born to be something of endless value.  Each of you were born to go beyond any expectations we can place for you, because you are in God's hands.   Pave the way as you go.  

Sometimes music says it best. Follow the link for some fun, new music from my favorites. 
I WAS BORNPaving THE WAY As You Go

As I look over the next few weeks in the life of the church what stands out the most is that we are celebrating Milestones, particularly in the lives of our young people.  This Sunday, we will have Confirmation Sunday.  We have 16 Confirmands from 6th-8th grade and two of them will be baptized.  They've spent the last four months learning theology, Presbyterian practices, world religions, and how to articulate their faith. These Middle Highs should be celebrated and I hope in the midst of all the fun we have as a group, we take a moment to recognize the seriousness of becoming a member of the church--with it comes a responsibility to spread their wings and discern what their God given gifts are and how to use them in the life of faith. 

 On June 4th we will hold Graduate Sunday and we will recognize our high school seniors who are graduating and moving toward new horizons, on to big, bold, bright things!  Our Seniors have been instrumental in the leadership of our congregation.  They've grown up here doing everything from attend the preschool to participating in Sunday School and VBS.  As middle and high school students they've guided us in worship and volunteered to serve as leaders for children's events.  They've served on youth council for the church and the presbytery.  They've chosen to be a part of the life of Covenant, in the midst of all the other wonderful activities in which they've participated.  These elements make up who they are.  

These teens would not have been shaped without Covenant and Covenant could not be shaped without these teenagers.  What a privilege.  What a privilege it is for us to know them and love them.  

What shall I say to these young people?  I'm not preaching the sermon for Confirmation, although I will for graduation.  But, what shall we say?  As adults, particularly in light of our faith--we must walk a fine line between the realities of our day and time and the desire to protect our young people from the harshness of a broken world.  So often we speak of them as the future of the church which dismisses them from being a part of the present.  They have so much to say, so much more understanding than we give credit for, so much energy and willingness to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  

When the prophet Jeremiah was called to the ministry, he wrote, "The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."    

Jeremiah responded, "Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak, I am only a child."

God replied, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." 

God has a promise for each of us!  God has a plan for each of us, specifically, God has called us by name and lays out the path for us.  So, at the risk of being cliché or pithy--at the risk of being like those many would criticize in our generation for declaring each of our children, "special snowflakes"-- I would tell each of our youth that they are indeed important! God has big plans in store.  Each of you were born to be someone of greatness.  Each of you were born to be something of endless value.  Each of you were born to go beyond any expectations we can place for you, because you are in God's hands.   Pave the way as you go.  

Sometimes music says it best. Follow the link for some fun, new music from my favorites. 

I WAS BORN

Giving In Lent, Living In Lent

Lent is such an interesting season in the church year.  Not all Christian traditions or denominations practice the season of Lent and I can understand why.  Lent is meant to slow us down, to bring our attention to the trials and hardships Jesus faced in the time leading up to his final hours, death, and resurrection.  Lent seems to me a very somber season, one which we begin with ashes, being reminded that from dust we have come and to dust we shall return. For most of us, we'd rather get to the fun celebrations of Easter, the glorious Hallelujah Chorus, and all of the secular enjoyments that Easter brings.  But, you cannot have Easter without Good Friday.  You cannot truly engage in the joy of the Resurrection, without experiencing the darkness and depths of our Lord's suffering. 

Lent is best known as the season for giving up something for forty days.  In a spirit of fasting the way that Jesus did in the desert and in the same way that generations of Christians before us have practiced, we tell ourselves that we are making sacrifices to remind us of our Savior's ultimate sacrifice on the cross. For some people, who are deeply entrenched in this digital age, giving up screen time or social media is a choice. One of which many say is very freeing.  A lot of times this means giving up soda, caffeine, or sweets from our diet.  These are admirable goals (I for one don't know that I can give up caffeine anymore) but I wonder if they truly help us get at the point of Jesus' life and teachings. 

In recent years there has been a movement not to give up something, but to take on something.  There have been special daily devotions written, forty day photo challenges which illustrate the importance of the season--and these things I truly love and have used in my own spiritual practices.  Taking on a spiritual practice for many of us does mean letting go of something else to make room for those practices to come to life. 

This year, I am encouraging you to do both. I am encouraging you to give in a way that is truly sacrificial for you.  What if every day or every week you cleaned out a closet in your home and donated it to a charity of your choice? This is what I plan to do myself.  It is beneficial to other people and to me as well.  What if you gave up eating out in restaurants and for 40 days you saved that money and donated it to an organization for which you have a passion?  What if, you gave up one of your treasured Saturday or Sunday afternoons, or took one of your minimal vacation days to use your hands and feet in service to God and others? 

I am inviting you to give of yourself in Lent.  Just as Christ called you to do--to take up the cross, to leave what is of comfort and familiarity to you, to follow him.  I am inviting you to live into lent and focus on ways in which you can live into your faith.  Perhaps, when the forty days are over, you will not only have made an impact for a season, but changed the way you approach a life of faith for years to come. 

"You Have A Great Day, Mommy?"

Last week I wrote about how difficult it has been for my son to transition to a new classroom at school.  I mentioned how at the end of every day, after crocodile tears every morning, Kemper says, "I had a great day."  Last night, on the way home from church after a meeting, Kemper said, "Mommy, I had a great day.  You have a great day, mommy?"  "Well, yes I did have a pretty good day. Thank you for asking," I replied. 

I spend a good portion of my day at my desk reading emails, planning lessons, organizing programs, or working on worship.  These are things I like to do, things I like to think I do well.  And I always take joy in checking things off my 'to-do' list.  But that isn't what made my day great.  The thing that makes my job most enjoyable during the day in and day out tasks of ministry are the people I work with.  Collectively, we get a lot done in a day's time, but we are sure to have fun while we do it.  Sure, there are tough situations to work through, problem solving to be done.  But, in the midst of that, there is an undercurrent of friendship and support. 

I saw a question a few days ago asking, "what do you and your staff do for self-care?"  The biggest thing we do is support one another.  We listen to one another and offer support to each other as we can, whether the conversation is professional or personal, we are present for each other.  I cannot tell you what a gift that is when you are having a hard day and you just need someone to confide in (or vent to). 

Second, we like to laugh here!  If there was not some battle of wits taking place over sports teams or general sarcasm, I would really be concerned.  Lord help us if our new head of staff does not have a sense of humor (PNC, please read this is a must!).    I think that we work so well together because we are willing to share a joke and tease one another all in good fun.

Finally (although this is not an exhaustive list), we trust one another to do our jobs.  There is no need for any micromanaging in this church office.  We have a firm grasp on what our responsibilities are (which isn't easy because it has changed up quite a bit in the last year) and we trust one another to follow through on what needs to be done.  In addition, if one of us becomes overwhelmed and needs help, we know we can ask one another.  If someone is out for a personal matter, illness, or vacations, we all work together to fill in the gaps.  Because we know that health and family are important, in fact they come first. 

So, yes, because of the staff I am blessed to be a part of, I had a great day.  Most of my work days are great days.  Not everyone can say that they walk into work to do a job they love among people that they love, and for people that they love.  I know I am very fortunate.

What about you?  Do you have a healthy work environment? In what ways do you and your co-workers maintain a positive atmosphere? If you don't have that experience, how does your faith inform how you interact with your colleagues?  What could you do to enhance the experience to become more positive? 

The Hard Week

It has been a hard week to be a mother.  A hard week to be a wife.  A hard week to be a pastor. Just a hard week. Deadlines, responsibilities, fatigue and general grumpiness.  Ever have those?  I'm sure you do. 

The hardest part of our week at home has been the mornings.  You see, our son Kemper started a new class at his school last week. Every morning for the last week our little toddler has woken up crying because, in his words, "I don't wanna go to big classroom."  Our little one has left the familiar space of a class he has been in for eight months or so, and moved across the hall, leaving behind beloved teachers and close friends, for a new teacher and older children, some of whom are friends, and others who are "big kids" and seem a little scary.   Even though the schedule is basically the same, his routine is much the same, there is so much newness it overwhelms him.   The amazing part of it is that every afternoon when we've picked him up he has run to me and said, "Mommy, I had a great day!"  But somewhere between dinner and the next morning, the great day is forgotten and the anxiety sets in again. 

Transitions are hard.  We recognize that don't we, Covenant? Transitions are unfamiliar, and messy. Transitions are frightful and frustrating.  The unknown is agonizing. In 3 years Covenant has had 2 longtime pastors retire.  We've also had an adult ministries and volunteer coordinator and a youth and activities director retire. We have a new preschool director this year.  There has been a huge shift among both staff and laity in terms of ministry responsibilities.  We waited while we called an interim.  We waited while we hired a new youth director.  We wait, still, for a new Pastor/Head of Staff to be called.  God knows he/she is out there and will guide our dedicated PNC in God's time. There is a new class of elders and deacons and we are launching a new organization of leadership with five ministry teams comprised of elders, deacons, and laity.  I feel overwhelmed just typing it all.   Transitions are hard.

But you know what, at the end of each Sunday service I think, "Lord, we had a great day."  At the close of ministry team meetings and staff meetings I think, "Lord, we had a great day."  When we collected 3,324 cans of soup for our community, "Lord, we had a great day."  When I finish chapel time with the preschool children, "Lord, we had a great day."  When we send out college care packages in such abundance that we cannot pack it all into the boxes, "Lord, we had a great day."  When families and visitors return week after week to become involved in our Covenant community, "Lord, we had a great day."   

Somehow, we have to overcome the anxiety, the fear, the inertia, we feel in our transitional time and focus on the great day.  For Kemper, we've tried all sorts of things to encourage him this week.  We've taken him to the playground, we've gotten him special dinners, we've talked about how brave his new Ninja Turtle shoes at school can make him.  We've even let him carry a batman figurine in his pocket.    As a church, we have all the tools we need to come out on the other side of transition.  We each bring gifts and talents to the table, if we are willing to recognize and share them.  We have the Bible to guide us and Bible Studies, Classes, and committed teachers to help teach and interpret alongside us.  We have dedicated leaders who focus on the daily operations of our church, and members who have spent considerable time guiding us to discern who we are and where we are going.  We have the joy of small children and the inquiring minds of teenagers. Even more importantly, we have our Gracious God on our side! 

Next time you begin to feel overwhelmed by the changes or struggle with the difficulties of the past or the uncertainty of the future; ask yourself where the joy in your calling to love God, love people, and make disciples comes from.  Find something that inspires you to say, "Lord, we had a great day!" 

Camps & Conferences: Soul Food for Today's Youth

I've been reflecting a great deal this week on what my camp and conference experiences have meant to me in my faith journey over the years.  As a teenager, I attended presbytery-wide youth retreats, weekend conferences at Massanetta, and week-long conferences at Montreat, both for Youth and Worship & Music.  I was truly fortunate to be part of a congregation that supported these events financially, in their physical presence, and in their prayers.  As an adult I've served on the Presbytery Youth Council, been on planning teams for various retreats and conferences, and attended conferences with youth groups.  It never fails to amaze me how rejuvenating these experiences are for our youth.  I firmly believe that these experiences that are set apart from "regular" Sunday School, Youth Group, or Worship are vital for our teenagers to build stronger relationships within their peer group at church.  Today, more than ever, I find that these opportunities are essential to the faith formation of young Christians and I'd like to share my reasons with you, so that you can support your youth: in finances, in presence, in prayer. 

1)  Road Trip! Traveling or "going away" with your peers is important.  The bonding that can happen on a long car ride is life changing! Perhaps parents or youth have the illusion that youth leaders lock the van doors and force kids into painful discussions on faith and Bible quizzes--not unlike the threat of the uncomfortable "birds and bees" talk while driving down the highway.  In my experience that isn't the case.  However, some fun, ice-breaking discussions can be planned in a pinch if the ride gets boring.  The key is to get the youth engaging with each other and not just on their phones or listening to headphones on the trip.  Some of my favorite memories involve walkie-talkies and van driver code-names so we could all communicate even in separate cars. Some youth may be old hats at this, while others will be nervous to go away for the first time. A lot of times, bonding in the car helps calm the nerves.   Let's not dismiss the value of gas-station snack breaks and public rest stop stretches. There's nothing quite like setting out on an adventure together.

2) Covenant Check! There is value in coming together and building a covenant between all parties involved in the camp or conference.  Perhaps there are specific rules given by the conference that needs to be addressed.  But, in addition to this, the teens and adults who are in this thing together, can gather and build a covenant that everyone can abide.  It can be a time of great laughter if everyone is coming up with silly things to add to the list in jest. But even more important is the transformation that begins to occur when youth are reflecting on what is important to them when living in community together. The foundation of each covenant is respect.  A lot of times things like, "Don't talk over one another in back home group time" and "Don't go anywhere with out a buddy" and "no purpling" or "leave room for Jesus" make the list. Whether living in a house together, or being roommates in a dorm, mutual respect is taught.  Everyone has to agree on the terms and sign the covenant in commitment to work together and hold each other accountable.  I guarantee at some point in the week you'll hear a youth call someone out and say, "Covenant check (this may not always be serious)!"

3) Walking on Holy Ground.  These spaces of worship and learning that are set apart for God's people are sacred.  Sometimes they are described as "Thin Places" because the presence of God is more easily experienced there.  Oftentimes at camps or conferences, participants have what we might call,
"mountaintop experiences," which bring them into a more intimate relationship with God. 
I've said before, I believe that people are hardwired to long for the presence of God, to seek places in their lives where God’s presence is palpable; holy ground, thin places.  We learned this from Moses, who needed assurance from God that his presence would go with him; he wanted to meet God face to face. For me, Montreat is such a place and has been since the first time I went there.  While it is every pastors hope to create thin places in worship and all congregations want to have mountain top experiences in their own churches, there is something special about going to a place set apart, where all of the efforts and energies are focused on drawing closer to God and Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It gives you some momentum to return home to your every day reality with a renewed spark of the Spirit.

4) Being Affirmed in Faithfulness.  There are many extracurricular activities in which our youth can build community.  Sports teams, especially travel teams create community through both traveling together, participating in the sport, and creating collective covenants as a team.  Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts also create great spaces of community through fellowship and service.  There are many other valuable clubs and opportunities for our teens to experience.  But there is something deeply stirring about attending a camp or conference where you are surrounded by other people your age who are struggling to figure out what it is that they believe.  Suddenly you are in a place where it is safe to talk about what you believe, or ask questions about what you don't know.  In workshops, worship times, and small group gatherings, youth can focus on a particular theme that is relevant to their place in life, and supported by a Biblical foundation.  They can sing songs that reflect their faith, they can witness other youth in leadership, they can feel that there are adults around them who not only have some recollection of what they are going through, but deeply desire to listen and guide them on their faith journey.  Participants can draw closer together within their youth group, but they also get to meet teens from other churches, whether right down the road or several states away.  We all know that with modern technology, those relationships can continue for years to come.  I have a friend I met at Montreat in 2001.  We have remained connected through all these years, we ended up attending the same seminary and now have shared experiences in ministry.  Making friends with people who are not in your immediate community can be a huge blessing to a young person who may struggle with something too painful to share in their immediate context. 

5) Learning a language of faith.  Young people don't have many opportunities to be vocal about their faith in most cases.  Retreats, camps, conferences give them a chance not only to consider their faith but find ways to articulate that faith to others.  Maybe they see for the first time that worshipful music can be played with a wide variety of instruments.  Maybe they experience Communion in a large group where they can be served the elements and also serve someone else.  Maybe they find that art, dance, and theater can all be ways in which we talk about God.  If we adults are lucky, we will have a chance to have these youth return to church and reflect on their experiences.  We can be blessed by the messages that they bring back and also in the ways that they convey that message.  In the best of all circumstances, they will return changed, and if we are paying attention we will be able to see a stronger group at work, with a sense of belonging and purpose for the shared ministry of the church.   If we are smart, we will find ways to encourage their enthusiasm and channel their mountain top experiences into positive reinforcement for a lifelong journey of faith. 

So. Encourage your youth to attend.  Embolden them to take a leap of faith.  Equip them to express what they've found. Empower them with your encouragement and your prayers.  Amen.

Morning After Reflection

This week's post is written by a guest blogger, my dear friend since middle school, Rev. Erin Gaston Morgan.  Erin is the Associate Pastor for Youth and Outreach at South Aiken Presbyterian Church in Aiken South Carolina where she lives with her husband Jeff.  Erin has degrees from Presbyterian College and Columbia Theological Seminary.   When I tell the story of being King Herod in the Christmas Play at Bedford Pres, in which I was interviewed by a "reporter a foot taller than me," this is her!  I am blessed to call her a friend and a sister in Christ.

Erin was involved in the planning and implementing of a special event in Aiken over MLK Day and here she shares her reflection. If you'd like to read more about the event, attached is an article from the Aiken Standard Race relations discussed at King Day event in Aiken.  Thank you, Erin, for your willingness to work toward reconciliation for all God's people.  And for your willingness to share your reflections and your heartfelt prayer with us in this way.

"It's only by God's grace that this King Day Dinner and Movie Selma event happened, all were fed (loaves and fishes), and conversations were had around the table. I am struck by how similar our gathering was to the many gatherings of the women, men, and young people in the 1950s and 1960s. These brave souls ignited the Civil Rights Movement and set a Holy Spirit fire throughout our nation that manifested in more equal rights in more lives through the love of God. Folks, the civil rights movement is not over. We still have a lot of work to do. We are stronger when we work together, regardless of background, color or creed.

I am in awe at the power of the Holy Spirit because what took place last night was true communion fellowship with sisters and brothers in Christ. It's what Jesus modeled with his own disciples time and again. It's the love that Jesus modeled with the Jews and Gentiles, yes even with those Pharisees. It's what Jesus modeled even to those folks (governmental folk and street folk alike) who killed him when he stood up for love, truth, justice, and peace. The promise of the Easter resurrection reigns true each and every moment of our lives. Death never wins, but God’s love conquers all. 

Christ’s own words from the gospels of Matthew and John echo in my ears and touch my heart: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ 
Friends, we will continue to have these difficult and necessary conversations. We will not stop with words but will act with love toward one another until we are truly able to see one another as beloved children of God. Lord, bless our incoming president, Donald Trump, and his team, whether we voted for him or not, whether we agree with them as a leadership team or not. May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be the lamp that lights our path as we build bridges of love and peace for all people. Christ is the bread of life. 

This is my hope and my prayer to the One who cries first at hatred, discord, hurt, pain, and injustice:
 
God of all ages, take away our fears and shed light in places void of love and hope. Now when our land is troubled, be near to lead and save, precious Creator. May leaders in our nation, community, religious bodies, neighborhoods, offices, homes, and streets be led by your wisdom; may they search your will and see it clearly. If we have turned from your way, help us to turn back and ask for forgiveness. Give us light and your truth to guide our steps & continue the conversation. 

We are a nation of immigrants. Heal this land and all lands across the globe that have been destroyed by warfare, power struggles, arrogance, rape, hurt, and fear. Giver of Life, we lift up our incoming leader and his team, whether we agree with them or not. When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful; and, in troubled times, do not let our hope fail. 

Continue to grant prophets, holy God, to cry out for justice and mercy, to say things that we don’t want to hear or admit about ourselves. Give prophetic, every-day people the fire and love of your Word. Grant, O Creator, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that the barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease, and that, with our divisions healed, we might live in justice and peace. Lord, Martin Luther King, Jr., fondly known as “King” was one such person. He once said in a sermon on courage, delivered on March 8, 1965, in Selma Alabama: "A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true." 

Giver of life, throughout the years, you have given women, men, children, youth, and adults the voices to stand up for that which is right, regardless of birth, station in life, economic status, political status, job or no job, likes or dislikes, belief or creed, origin of belief. May we not forget this call that has been given to us as human beings, seres humanos. Convict us that it is okay and right to stand up for those things that matter: for our neighbors that don’t talk like us, for our neighbors across the street, on the other side of the tracks. May we not be silent about things that matter, for we know that death comes with silence. Life follows in the footsteps of speaking the truth in love. May we all be instruments of peace who empower life-giving conversations and opportunities instead of death and destruction. 
This we ask in the name of your one and only Son who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen."