Almost Heaven Part 2

On the last night of our West Virginia trip, Pr. Mark took our group to a place called "Beauty Mountain." This was a viewing area high in the mountains overlooking the New River Gorge. It's name was understated. This view was gorgeous. We arrived as the sun was setting over the mountains, creating a very serene atmosphere. Pr. Mark instructed us all to sit in silence and take in all that God had to say to us. For at least 10 minutes we worshipped in the silence, yet heard so much. As I gazed over the amazing creation, I felt really small. The mighty river below, that we raced down the day before, seemed almost insignificant. The vastness of the scenery overwhelmed me and I wondered to God, "Who Am I?" Sometimes I feel very important and big. Sometimes I feel that this world could not survive without me, and I have a jaded view of my significance. But on that mountain I felt like a speck of sand on the beach, or a wave on the ocean. This world has long existed before me and will long exist after I'm gone. It was a humbling moment. But, then, I heard God speak to me, saying, "yes, I created all this long before there was you. And yes, my creation is much bigger than you. But you are still more important to me than all of it. Remember, I did not die for the mountains, the rivers, or the setting sun, I died for you. This creation will all end someday, but you will be with me forever in paradise." Of all the wonders that God has created, He still loves us more than all of it. That is also a humbling thought, but a life-giving humbling thought at that! Amen.

Almost Heaven...

Almost Heaven, West Virginia! I just recently returned from a Sr. High trip to West Virginia, where we did volunteer work with the National Parks and then did some whitewater rafting on the New River, & "duckying" on the Gauley River (A "ducky" is an inflatable kayak). The trip involved both hard work and hard play. Our work in the parks seemed unspiritual, but it was hard work and much appreciated by the park rangers. Our evenings were spent playing in the water and bonding as a group. It was a good week. The high point for me was probably on Thursday. Most of the day was spent on the Gauley River where "Old Man River" was laughing at me! The river definitely knows how to humble the proudest of egos. I felt confident going in that I could handle my ducky and not be taken victim like other novices. There were 54 of us, plus river guides, duckying down the river that day. After falling out of my ducky into the first 3 rapids, I was embarrassed, my confidence clearly shaken, and my ego sorely bruised. Luckily for me, thanks to the help of the amazing river guides, that was all that was bruised. As the trip down the river continued, the words to the song "You Never Let Go" started playing in my head. "Oh no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Oh no, you never let go, in every high and every low. Oh no, you never let go, Lord. You never let go of me." The more I sang those words, the more my worries and fears subsided. And yes, I started to figure out how to survive the rapids. I only dumped in one more time out of about 20 more opportunities. What I learned on the river that day was a great metaphor for life. There are times when we can float along peacefully, enjoying the beauty around us (it was gorgeous!), and the company of our loved ones. Those are great times. There are also times when others are in troubled waters and we are called upon to lift them back to safety. It feels good to be a "hero," helping others in their time of need. And then there are times when we can't hold on and the river is taking us for a ride, washing over us, and we are helpless. It stinks to need help from others, but without it, I could have been swept under a rock and possibly drowned. I didn't care how I got back in my ducky, I just wanted back in! Yes it was humbling, but that is what community is all about. Helping when you can, receiving help when you need it, and being thankful for those that were on the ride with you! At the end of the day, only about 5 people didn't fall in the river, but we were all glad to have survived it together. We were all proud of one another, not for our "duckying" abilities, but for the community we had on (and IN) that river. I truly believe Jesus was at the center of it. Remembering that He never let's go of us, AND being surrounded by such a great community, was what kept me going and ultimately provided for me an awesomely spiritual experience. I truly believe that God's greatest gift to us is Jesus, and His next greatest gift to us is one another. Thanks, "Old Man River" for reminding me of what our Christian lives are all about. Amen.

Jesus, My Hero!

On this the holiest of weeks for Christians, I have been encouraged by my Men's group to write why Jesus is my hero. So here goes...
Jesus, you are my hero because you are always changing the old and making them new. You changed the course of history. Dates and times are based on your life. You changed entire cultures and their tradtions. You changed our view of God, how we know God, and how to draw near to God. We don't have to work to get to you, you came to us. You changed religion to relationship. You give us your unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness through your sacrafice instead of our having to earn your love. Because of your resurrection you have conquered the grave, changing our fear of death, and giving us eternal life!
You continue to change hardened hearts, drawing them to you through that love that you lavishly provide for us. Yes, Jesus, you are always changing the old for new, but you are never changing. You are our rock that doesn't roll. You are Alpha and Omega. Yes, you are the same always, but we never will be when we live our lives for you. Jesus, Thank you for being my hero.

Mission Trip Post #4- Wednesday Night

Wow! Today was our best day. Everyone felt fulfilled in the work that we did. My group served lunch at the Salvation Army to an extremely diverse clientele. Others switched to work with the elderly and others did Kids Club for the first time. We were all blessed by and through the work that we did today. I must confess that my group's day started a bit rough. We were an hour late for our worksite because we set out for the wrong Salvation Army. To make matters worse, we got lost looking for the place that we weren't supposed to go to. Sometimes I am not so bright! When we called to get corrected, we were told that our site was about 5 minutes away from the church. Oh well, at least we got to see new parts of Brooklyn.
The real power of the day came in the evening. We got to go have fun at the world famous boardwalk area known as Coney Island! We rode the "Wonder Wheel," played games, ate coney dogs, and had some much needed fun. When we returned for the evening worship time, the spirit really moved us. "Club" time is what they call it when all 65 of us gather together to sing, listen to a helpful talk about the day's theme, and pray together. The other part of the night is spent in our own church groups. That is when our kids had a time of spiritual purging. The mood had already been set in the large group, and we continued it in a powerful, Holy Spirit filled way. We affirmed one another, forgave one another (for those who needed to do that), sang togeher, cried together, prayed together, and knocked down some major walls spiritually. Our youth became more real to one another and to God tonight, because He became more real to them.We were weak, but Christ was definitely strong in our weakness. I am very excited for tomorrow's day of service and tomorrow night's grand finale. The Holy Spirit is moving, and I am just trying to hang on to it for our kids' sake. I'll see you tomorrow. Keep praying! Amen!!!

Mission Trip Post #3-Wednesday Morning

Sorry gang, that I didn't write last night, but immediate sleep sounded better. Yesterday was a good day, too. We repeated our work sites and will be switching sites today. My group will be going to the Salvation Army, while others will be switching to elderly care homes or kids club (VBS) sites. Our youth who have been working with the elderly have been pleased. They are meeting many people of great diversity, and with wisdom in their stories. I told you earlier that we are in a neighborhood with pockets of diversity. One section is Chinese, another Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Hassidic Jews, etc. They asked us last night if we live in cities with "pockets" of diversity. I told them that we live in the Swedish ghetto with a few Germans and Danes mixed in. I said it has explosive potential, but we maintain the peace pretty well. It's interesting that the peace in Brooklyn is kept pretty well. We are free to walk in these neighborhoods in our free time (not night time), with an adult. We have not felt threatened or unwelcomed at all. To me, that is a taste of the Kingdom of God. We are not where we should be in our integration, especially of the Gospel, but getting a taste makes me want to strive for more.
OK, I'll give details of our new work sites tonight after we visit Coney Isand. Amen.

Mission Trip Post #2- Monday Night

We survived our first day at our worksites in Brooklyn with a mixed bag of responses. Most of our group were working with elementary aged children, while some worked with the elderly. Not everyone had a moving experience. Some of us were left feeling useless and wondering what good we were doing. Others were very inspired and even one was moved to tears. Kyrstin met a boy at VBS who told her that he had recently witnessed a shooting. A handful of other children were talking about other, similar, experiences that saddened our hearts. We all agreed that 6 & 7 year olds should not have these experiences. Despite the variance of emotions and expriences, just on day one, we all believed that God was at work and that we would all be challenged in many different ways. We have been talking about stepping out of our comfort zones and trying to see the world around us with God's eyes. This is not easily done, but it is definitely worthwhile. We will keep striving toward those goals as we journey into day 2.
Personally, my highlight of the day was singing, loudly, in the subway station! There is nothing like praising God in unique places. I'll talk to you all tomorrow. Please keep the prayers rolling. Amen.

p.s. The Brooklyn Bridge is very cool! We got our picture taken with some aspiring models. How fun!

Mission Trip Post #1- Sunday Night

We made it to Brooklyn! We weren't the last ones and we made it without incident. We did get a little turned around in Newark, NJ, but that was just a hiccup. Kathy and Dawn split the driving in one van and I, miraculously, (with the help of a bottle of "5 hour energy" and some great worship songs) drove the entire trip on only 3 hours of sleep. God is good! I never felt tired, or that I was putting any of our kids in jeopardy. Overall, the trip took appoximately 14 hours, including the stops. The kids were great. They mostly slept, but we did have some fun interactions as well. We arrived in Brooklyn driving through Staten Island. We could see the Statue of Liberty off in the distance as we crossed from the island to Brooklyn. We arrived at our church by traveling through a smaller, but highly populated version of Chinatown. The  community we are in is highly diverse with "neighborhoods" sectioned off in different ethnicities. I mentioned the large Chinese section. In addition, we are close to a Puerto Rican community, Hassidic Jewish community, Indian, and Middle Eastern communities as well. We begin our work tomorrow, and I am very excited for our youth to be working amongst and with this broad range of diverse people. Now, I am off to pass out! Good night and Amen!