Kid Nation

The Kid Nation finale came on tonight. As a youth pastor, I found the show intriguing. In case you're not a fan, CBS placed 40 kids in the desert of New Mexico to see if they could survive as a society. Three kids got homesick and left Bonanza City, but the other 37 stuck it out. They cooked, cleaned, ran stores, elected leaders, held church services, and awarded deserving pioneers with $20,000 gold stars.

I think Kid Nation proved something I've believed to be true for awhile. Our kids are not our future; they are our today. They can be insightful and articulate. They can organize and lead. They can achieve goals together. Why aren't we challenging our kids to reach their potential? In his book Be the Change, 15 year old Zach Hunter says, "My generation needs someone to set the bar high for us so we have something to live up to or even live beyond." Are we doing that for them?

However, I think the producers of Kid Nation missed one big point: Adults who cared about them (or at least cared about not being sued) created boundaries in which these kids lived. Adults created the structures for jobs, the means of reward, and the protective hand in case someone got hurt. Behind every kid who is living out their full potential needs to be a loving, caring adult providing a supportive hand. We can be there to guide kids, to be a listening ear when they struggle, and to point out the ways God is working as they live fully for him.

The sky's the limit for today's youth, but be there to fly alongside of them.

Politics

I've been reading a new book lately titled unChristian. The author, David Kinnaman, researched the current opinion of Christianity in the eyes of those he calls "outsiders", those outside the church. Specifically, he focuses on outsiders ages 16-29. In the book, Kinnaman reveals that outsiders define Christians as hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.

The chapter on politics got me thinking. Kinnaman suggested that Christians need to be involved in politics, but we need to change our methods and attitudes in portraying our political opinions. I'm still trying to figure out why Christians should be involved in politics in the first place. Kinnaman says Christians should be involved in every part of society. I think Jesus shares a similar sentiment when he prays in the garden for his disciples, "My prayer is not that you would take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." (John 17:15) However, something in me rejects the combination of faith and politics. Perhaps I can explain:

I fear imposing Christian morals on a nation not totally made of Christians. Should we hold outsiders to Christian standards? If all they know of Christianity is Christian-based legislation, will they come to see that following Jesus is all about following the rules? How do we engage in political influence without creating a legalistic view of Christianity? If Christians were to get involved politically, how would they propose demonstrating grace when someone has broken the law? Maybe that's already happening, and I'm uninformed.

Secondly, I feel like trying to create a Christianized country through legistration is inauthentic. For example, I had to go to court the other day for the first time in my life. When I was sworn in as a witness, I had to place my hand on a Bible and swear to tell the whole truth, "so help me God". Given the pluralistic nature of our country, I was baffled. I thought the courts would have done away with that years ago. What happens if you aren't a Christian and you swear on the Bible? It seems contradictory to me. . . . Another example, on our money it says, "In God We Trust." No we don't. If our nation trusted God, I don't think we'd have as many moral and justice issues in our society. God would begin to change our hearts and enable us to change our actions to conform to his standard. I just feel like trying to claim we are a Christian nation when we aren't one is a lie.

But perhaps politics is one of the few ways we can make significant social change to end big problems such as poverty, human trafficking, and civil rights. I'm just not sure what the balance is of being too political and being ignorant. Any thoughts?

Why I don't post more often

There are days when I wish I could post about what God is doing on the OBX. However, the nature of my job doesn't allow me to disclose private conversations. What I can tell you is that God is speaking to the hearts of teenagers. He's calling them to witness to their friends in pretty radical ways. God's mending families and working miracles.

But here's my issue, I deeply long to share these incidents because I want God to receive glory for what he's doing. Being an external processor, it also makes it hard for me to make sense of what's happening without talking to someone else. Journaling helps. Prayer helps, but sometimes it would be nice to have someone else who talks back and shares in the moments when God is glorified. Perhaps sharing it with God and the person involved should be enough. . . .

So, if there's a lapse in my posts, it could be that I'm lazy. It could be that something stressful is going on. Or it could be that God is doing something so awesome and intimate in someone else's life that I just can't share it here.

Thanksgiving a week late

So, I meant to follow up my last post sometime over the Thanksgiving weekend . . . oops! These are my thoughts any way . . .

After pondering the sin of envy, I began wondering more about where envy comes from. Doug Fields suggested entitlement, but why do we feel so entitled? MARKETING! As my parents and I were preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, we heard that familiar jingle that only seems to play before Christmas: "Ch-ch-ch-chia!" Who in their right mind would think a chia pet would be a good Christmas gift? But not only could you get a chia pet, you could opt for a chia head instead. There's just something creepy about grass growing out of a ceramic head. And have you seen the commercial for the electronic garden shears? It's a power saw version of the old style.

To tell you the truth, I have no desire to have a chia pet or electronic garden shears, but I can see how those commercials and others like them can create a society of desire. What we had last year wasn't good enough, so we need a new one. This cell phone looks stupid, so I'm gonna get a new design. The effects of marketing may not affect our pocketbooks (or girl bags in my case ;)), but it's feeding our growing sense of entitlement. Ultimately, I think entitlement comes from a sense of ingratitude for the things God has already given. As a personal example, I often get frustrated with the rate of spiritual growth in my church. However, I'm failing to appreciate the little moments where I see God's grace shining through in someone's life. I want more, I want immediate change, and I want it NOW! . . . It's amazing how commercialism can affect aspects of our lives that we didn't even consider.

So, even though it's post-Thanksgiving, I'm choosing to be more grateful this Christmas season, to thank God for his blessings, and to ask him how I can respond to all he gives me. Worship is a good place to start.

Green with . . .

Envy.

This past weekend, I went to the National Youth Workers' Convention in Atlanta. On Sunday morning, Doug Fields gave a talk about ministerial envy. He said that he had never heard anyone preach on the subject before. I hadn't either until that day. Envy seems to be the sin that many of us ignore. I'm much more apt to repent of my pride, my fear, my judgmentalism. Envy usually doesn't show up on my sin radar. It should, though. The 10 commandments say, "You shall not covet".

Envy is pretty sick, actually. Doug said, "At the heart of envy is the lie that God owes you." Entitlement. God doesn't owe me anything. He's already given me more than I deserve. Every time I envy someone, I slip into discontent. Because I am self-focused, I have less energy to love God and others.

So, in an attempt to not hide any more, I'd like to publicly repent of my envy (and you can hold me accountable):
I envy people smarter than me. I envy youth pastors that seem to have their act together, youth ministries with more volunteer leaders, more regular meetings, and more commitment. I envy my friends who are married. I envy those who are naturally better with people. I envy people who can make good, quick decisions. I envy people who can boldly witness to non-Christians. I even envy non-Christians for not having to witness to their faith.

Father, please forgive me. Forgive us. Change us by your transforming grace.

Half Marathon!

I did it! This morning, I ran the OBX Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Strangely enough, I ran 12 miles a few weeks ago, and my time was 2 hrs 23 minutes. I dropped my mile split times by 1 1/2 minutes! I couldn't believe it. I'm ecstatic!

The whole training experience has been tough work. The three months of long runs, sore legs, early mornings, and carbo loading paid off. I've learned a lot through my training about the connection between the physical and spiritual realms. In the past, I saw physical and spiritual things separately, but what we do with our bodies is spiritual. Our bodies are God's temples, and so that makes running spiritually significant. Thanks to all my friends who were praying for me! I could feel God strengthening me as I ascended the hill and began running the last two miles into the wind.

"'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)

Slow Down

"Slow down, you're moving too fast,
you got to make the morning last
just kickin' down the cobblestones,
looking for fun and feeling groovy."

Nothing like a little Simon and Garfunkel to bring you to reality. Lately, I've discovered the joy of patience. I've been reading Mark Yaconelli's book Contemplative Youth Ministry. The book's main argument is that we need to be more attentive to God and more attentive to the kids and adults under our leadership. If the book had a subtitle, it would be, "Chill out, and just be."

A few weeks ago, I realized that I'm past the age of change. I'm no longer moving every year or starting new classes every semester. My job is stable, and I'm not pursuing any romantic relationships. Until I moved to the OBX, my life had been in constant transition for at least the past 8 years. But now that I'm settling down, I'm seeing that life change takes awhile. Relationships take time to build. Spiritual maturity takes time, too, because it involves relationship building. I so badly want to see youth and young adults come to know Christ deeply, but I'm learning to be patiently prayerful.

Now that I'm lowering my expectations for immediate life change, I'm learning to love just being with God and just being with kids. There's less stress, more appreciation for the way God designed each individual. I'm doing more watching and listening, more intentional loving. It's slow, but I think it's more authentic.

The Race: Finale

I finished running 11 miles about an hour ago. Leave it to a long distance run to make you feel like you've aged 20 years in two hours! My knees, my back, my inability to take deep breaths without coughing . . . ok, ok, enough complaining.

Actually, the hardest part of my run today was miles 3 & 4. I had run enough to have burned off this morning's caffeine buzz, but I was far from my finish line. As I continued on, I actually felt stronger. I glided through miles 8 & 9. Miles 10 & 11 were fueled by a recent memory verse taken slightly out of context, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty"! I knew I had the finish line at close reach.

My life seems to be stuck in miles 3 & 4. When I ran today, I actually spent those miles pleading for God to take away my negative and fatalistic attitude. You see, the honeymoon phase is over in my ministry at Duck UMC. The initial excitement and passion mixed with a good dose of fear has subsided. People are getting to know the real me: my inflexibility, my inability to make quick decisions, my people-pleasing tendencies, and even my insecurity and loneliness. Although we recently launched our new vision for the youth ministry, I feel like we are so far from seeing it come to reality. The "finish line" is nowhere in sight.

I'm learning that life really is a long distance race. There are few frills, just persistant steps toward the finish line no matter how far away it may be. But here is the hope: there is a joyful end! What is our finish line? Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus, "the author and perfecter of our faith". What a great image! Imagine this finish line scene that will appear at the end of your life: You'll be running with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Yes, you will be tired, but when you reach him, he'll stretch out his arms to welcome you home. He'll hand you a bottle of water from that refreshing river of life, and he'll speak these words into your ear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Let that be your motivation. Even if you are on miles 3 & 4 like I am, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:3). May God encourage you as you run the race he's marked out for your life!

The Race: Part II

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

Back when the Bible was written, Olympic runners would strip down to their birthday suits for their races (pardon the mental image, but the reference is in the Bible). Modern runners tend to buy the lightest shoes and least restrictive clothing in order to run easily and unincumbered. I'm not a big fan of training in the winter because I have to pile on layers of clothing for my run. I prefer the summer, despite the heat and humidity, because I don't have to deal with the restrictive bulkyness.

The writer of Hebrews says that our sin and other hindrances weigh us down as we run the race of faith. I believe that the modern church, including myself, struggles with confession and repentance. Unnecessarily, we continue to carry the sins and burdens that Jesus took with him on the cross. The weight is heavy and exhausting. Why do we hold on to things Jesus died for? 1) Pride 2) Shame 3) Comfort and 4) Misplaced priorities.

Some of us fail to repent because we are too self-righteous to admit that we are imperfect. We don't repent because we don't want to prove that we've messed up. Our pride causes us to believe deep-down that we are equal to God and that we don't need him to fix us. If we don't repent, we can convince ourselves that we're OK with God even though Scripture says we all sin. REPENT of pride. Allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and mind. Own up to your sin, and throw it off.

Some of us are too ashamed to repent. We fear God's judgment, so we inflict judgment on ourselves for our sin. We self-flagellate instead of trusting that Jesus' death took the penalty for our sin. Shame often turns into self-pity. Self-pity is a tactic to ignore pain and guilt and focus on our feelings instead of turning to God for freedom. REPENT of shame, and turn to Christ for mercy.

Some of us are too comfortable to repent. We confess our sins openly, but we don't turn away from our sin. We don't let God transform us. So, we let sin continue to rule over our bodies instead of living in the freedom of joyful obedience. REPENT of your comfort. Ask God to give you the grace to accept change that allows you to be more like Christ.

Lastly, some of us have our priorities wrong, so other things hinder our relationship with God. Good things like exercise, work, family, music, and even blogging can get in the way if they are placed before God or not infused with God. Our lives need to be structured in such a way that we spend quality time with God everyday. He must come first.

So . . . Confess, turn from your sin, trust God's promise to forgive, realign your priorities, and run the race unhindered for Jesus.

The Race:Part I

I've begun training for a half marathon. That's right, for some insane reason, I've decided to run 13.1 miles all in one morning in mid-November. Running has always been a hobby of mine, but it's also been an incredible metaphor for my faith. Over my next few posts, I'm going to record some of the thoughts I've had while training.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everthing that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)
I've always imagined that the cloud of witnesses are the fans in the stadium watching me run and cheering me on. However, a commentary I read recently described the cloud of witnesses as fellow Christians who have run the race of faith with you and are now handing off the baton.

Back when I ran track in high school, I always preferred relay races over individual competitions. I didn't feel alone. I had my team running with me instead of against me. Relays were exciting because every runner ran their best for an incredibly fast combined race. However, the handoffs were always nerve-racking. With anticipation, you waited as your teammate approached at full speed. My heart would pump faster and faster the closer they got. I knew my part of the race was coming. My teammate would yell go, and I would take off with my hand trailing behind. As I received the baton, I would run my hardest for my team.

That's what our faith is like. Saints before us have paved the way. God himself has empowered us with grace to run well. We just need to be willing to take the baton and continue God's kingdom work in our time and in our place. Of course, you will get tired. Your body, mind, heart, and soul will hurt. You will sometimes wonder why you entered the race of faith at all. But those of us who are runners know the rush of a runner's high, of a race finished that was well run. So, run with perseverance. This isn't a sprint; be prepared for a marathon. But trust in God's grace to give you endurance to run and finish well for God's team.

The Word

I've been studying a lot about God's word recently. God's empressed on me the importance of, sufficiency of, and praiseworthiness of his Scriptures. In that vain, celebrate with me through the words of this hymn:

Laden with guilt and full of fears

I fly to Thee my Lord

And not a glimpse of hope appears

But in Thy written word

The volumes of my Father's grace

Does all my griefs assuage

Here I behold my Savior's face

in every page

This is the field where hidden lies

The pearl of price unknown

Thy merchant is divinely wise

To make the pearl his own

Here consecrated water flows
To quench my thirst of sin
Here the fair tree of knowledge grows
No danger dwells within

This is the judge that ends the strife

Where wit and reason fail

My guide to everlasting life

Throughout this gloomy vail

O may Thy counsels, Mighty God

My roving feet command

Nor I forsake the happy road

That leads to Thy right hand

"Laden With Guilt" as sung by Caedmon's Call

Come Be My Light

For those of you who don't know, my home page for my web browser is cnn.com. Awhile back, I decided that I needed to stay up to date on the news. I don't watch local news or read a newspaper besides the Coastland Times (today's top headline -- "KDH votes against turning glass atrium into office space" -- yep, Kill Devil Hills town council, baby!). Cnn.com is my only outlet to the world beyond the OBX.

One headline caught my eye on Friday -- "Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith". Instantly, I was engaged. I decided to delay my usual morning Bible reading because I had a feeling that what the article held would speak to my own walk with God. You see, something inside of me has changed since I first became a Christian. I used to fear doubt. I feared questions about my faith. I had many non-Christian friends who loved to make me uncomfortable with philosophical banter, hoping to throw me off my devout faith. In hind sight, I realize that doubt and questioning only made me seek God more. Did I find answers? Hardly. I found more questions; but my understanding of the vast mystery of God has led me to worship more deeply.

This is why the new book Come Be My Light attracts me. The book is filled with Mother Teresa's personal letters and prayers confessing her feelings of separation from God. At one time, she had known God closely and could recognize his voice, but during the last 50 years of her life, she felt alone, dark, and unsure of the Love that she was proclaiming in action to the poor in Calcutta.

When I was 18 or 19, my youth pastor casually asked a group of us, "Who is your hero?" I pondered the question like a good college student. I tried to think of someone whose life matched their message. Hesitantly, because I could think of no others, I said, "Mother Teresa". My understanding of people and faith has changed since then. My hero has not. I am more fascinated now than I was then with Mother Teresa. I'm entralled by the fact that this "pillar of faith" doubted. I'm in awe of her perseverance and dedication to God's call even when she didn't feel his presence. Was she a hypocrit? Hardly. She was human. Yet God used her to meet great human needs! . . . Knowing that, what might God do with a questioner like me or with someone like you?

Epistemological moment

I was enamored by this thought today:

The greatest Reality that I know is Someone I can't see, hear, or touch; yet He is what sustains all I know, see, hear, and touch and what motivates all I am and will become.

Home

In case I needed more proof that I'm a "young adult", I recently experienced my most intense summer wedding tour to date. This has been my schedule for the past month: 5 day trip to Houston for Raegan and John's wedding, 4 day local youth mission week on the beach, 3 day road trip to Pittsburgh for Lindsay and Rick's wedding, 4 days of intense office work, 3 days in Charleston, SC for David and Carolyn's wedding.

My whirlwind tour of the country has gotten me thinking about home. It's been almost exactly a year since I moved to the OBX. However when I had an incredibly hard time leaving Texas, I questioned whether or not the OBX is home. Those of you who've had to leave behind dear friends to pursue God's calling would understand. My seminary friends came to define home for me in a whole new way, but now we have parted ways so God and I can create that type of community here.

So where is home? I know I'm supposed to have one. I have this innate feeling that I'm supposed to belong somewhere. But God's teaching me that I wasn't made for this place. He created me for perfect fellowship with Himself. He wants to always keep me longing for that Home, and he has a pattern of sending his people to foreign lands to help them appreciate Home. I keep thinking that perfect fellowship with God is impossible on this side of eternity, but maybe I'm underestimating God. Home is both a present possibility and an eternal promise. Both require surrendering all desires for earthly homes. My questions are: How do we begin creating Christian communities that place our Home with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit above all but also demonstrate a similar feeling of home among believers? Or am I trying to separate two things (love for God and love for man) that are entwined? How can we continually remind one another that we are only at home with the Lord while celebrating Christian community?

Youth Web Page

It's finally up, folks! Our youth ministry web page has gone live. You can check it out
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/duckchurch/Youth%20Web%20Page.htm.

Let me know what you think (a few things are out of date because I'm not yet able to post the updates myself).

Harry Potter

I saw Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix a few days ago. True confessions: I cried several times. It was so good! Why? Not only was it a well made movie with a great story; it made me think of my youth.

If you don't know the story line, let me try to summarize. Harry has just seen a friend of his killed by the dreaded Lord Voldemort. However, most of the adults in the wizarding world don't believe that Voldemort is back. The ones who do, the Order of the Phoenix, discourage Harry's desire to fight back for his safety. Throughout the movie, Harry battles feelings of loneliness. He longs to do something, but even his class on the Defense Against the Dark Arts becomes a centered around book study. How can he fight evil by sitting still? His friends decide to believe him, and they form Dumbledore's Army. Harry trains them to use magical powers to fight against evil.

In some ways, I see my youth as Dumbledore's army. They don't want the book knowledge of the Bible. They want Truth Himself. They want to know how their faith in Christ plays out in the real world. Often, they don't even care about my lesson plans, but they want practical wisdom gained from years of walking with God. They want the tools to battle against evil, sin, and destruction so they can change the world for God's good. But could they band together? Could they choose to be a community that stands together for God's purposes? Could they strengthen and encourage one another instead of dishing out sarcastic cut downs?

I see hope in two things: 1. A quote from Harry Potter himself, "Every great wizard has started off where we are now. If they could do it, then why not us?" My youth are young, but so was I when God started to change me so I could change the world for Him. It's a process of learning to walk with the Lord. God starts teaching us now. 2. Nothing is too big for God. Regardless of age, God can use anyone to fulfill his purposes no matter where they are in their faith development process.

I believe it. God will transform these youth to transform the world, and I pray that God would equip me to help them know how through practical life lessons.

Lighthouse Tour Part Deux and Relevant

A while back, I said that I'd post a picture of the Currituck Lighthouse to go along with my pictures of the other three OBX lighthouses. Well, here it is, a month later. This one has special significance to me since my aunt and uncle work there. Hooray for free climbing privileges!

While I'm giving random endorsements, I'd like to plug Relevant Magazine. It's my new favorite way to stay on top of current issues relating to God, life, and progressive culture. The magazine's web site is also highly informative www.relativemagazine.com. Relevant is my secret weapon against the curse of being in your 20s: reaching the point where your list of pop culture references remains stagnant (I discovered that phenomenon while trading Billy Madison quotes with my brother).

Update

Wow, I haven't posted in awhile because life has been CRAZY!!

Last Monday night at 9:15, I said goodbye to my pastor, David, and his wife, Libby. The next morning at 10:15, I greeted our new pastor, Ray, and his wife and daughter. Methodists don't leave much time to process through a transition. It's definitely been a wild ride, but I absolutely believe that God is in control and on the move to bring salvation and revival to the Outer Banks!

Part of the excitement about living on the Outer Banks is the variety of people who come here in the summer. For the past month or so, I've had the opportunity to work directly with college students from Russia, Poland, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Moldova, Macedonia, and the Ukraine. These students move here in the summer to supplement the work force during the tourist season. Pathways International is a Christian organization that helps these students while they are here. We help them find housing and employment. We provide them with a free Internet computer lab so they can stay in touch with family at home. We offer English classes so they can improve their language skills. And we try to spread the Gospel through special events and personal interactions. It's an awesome ministry that God is using to change the world!

The summer has brought some good changes in the youth and young adult ministries at church. My youth group meets on the beach every Wednesday for fun in the sun and a short devotion. It's been fun to hang out with the youth and to learn, together, how we can change the world in a big way. My young adult small group has exploded! This group that consisted of 6 people when I got here has now grown to 15. God is drawing people within and outside our church to more authentic fellowship with Himself and His people. It's awesome to be a part of God's work!

And the last update . . . my brother got engaged this past weekend! Even though several of my friends are tying the knot this summer, it feels like a whole different experience (in a good way)when it happens in your own family. My big brother is gonna get married! AHH! Congratulations Adam and Kari!

Life and Death

This week has been an interesting juxtaposition of life and death. I'm not sure whether to tell the life or the death stories first, and even if I tried to decide I probably wouldn't be able to define which stories deal with life and which ones with death. . . .

My young adult small group has decided to study The Passion of the Christ. I immersed myself in the Holy Week Scriptures and tried to understand why Jesus died. That was Monday and Tuesday morning. Then, our church received a phone call from someone needing counseling. Our lead pastor is out of town for Annual Conference, so the phone call was diverted to me. If you know me well, counseling isn't really my bag. I set up a meeting anyway--so glad I did. The guy was a tourist from Ohio who realized he was having faith issues. It turns out that he had never surrendered his life to Christ, so after 30 minutes of conversation, he decided he was ready. He accepted Christ! He is saved through Christ's sacrifice! Life from death! I told my small group that night, and they were excited. By the end of our meeting, though, our hearts were heavy again as we realized the reason Christ died for us: It was God's will all along that God Himself would have to provide the blood sacrifice for our sin. Why did he go through a gruesome death? For me . . . for you. Sobering . . . .

Yesterday was hard. I wrote a lesson about Stephen, the Christian martyr. I mourned with the persecuted church as I searched for images to help my youth understand Christian persecution. Then, everywhere I turned things seemed to fall apart. I watched a friendship splinter. I realized some of my own faults. I tried to help several international students with transportation and job issues, but we resolved nothing. Then the kicker -- I got an e-mail from the seminary saying that David Gichuru (a student from Kenya) had passed away. I frantically searched the prayer list for details. On vacation in California, he jumped into the ocean to save one of his children who was being tossed by the waves. He drowned. The child is alive. My heart is heavy at the loss of such an amazing man of God. I only knew David a little from being in a class discussion group with him, yet he taught me the importance of holding on to your cultural heritage. He and other African brothers taught me that poverty does not mean lack of joy in the Lord. He will leave a legacy of sacrificial love with his children, yet he will be greatly missed.

I don't know what to think or feel after a week like this. Oswald Chambers asked in my devotion, "Am I abiding? Am I taking time to abide?" (My Utmost for His Highest, June 7). He's saying life's not as much about what you think or feel but whom you are with. Abiding -- that's where we find life. Him in me, I in Him.

Incarnational Oops!

Well, my friends, I've done it. I let a few of my youth sucker me into doing something I shouldn't have done. That's right . . . I went skateboarding at a skate park.

Let me get this straight, it was my intention to take the youth to the skate park. My role was to be the responsible observer and cheerleader. Then, with their little puppy dog faces and my desire to be seen as cool, I strapped on a helmet and some pads and grabbed a board. God did not create us with wheels for feet for a reason!

First mistake: I was wearing bad shoes that provided very little grip on the board. Second mistake: I went down a very small ramp (6 inches) and grabbed the fence for stability. I fell off the board and jammed a few of my fingers. Third mistake: After a little more practice on flat ground, I felt ambitious and went after another ramp, this one a tad larger. As I descended, I knew it would all end badly. My board kept going, but I wasn't on it! I got a little bit of air and fell back onto my tailbone. OUCH!!!

For the record, that was a week and a half ago. My tailbone still hurts, and one of my fingers is still slighty swollen. David, my pastor, asked me what went through my head that made me think that skateboarding was a good idea. "Well, incarnational ministry, of course! Go where the youth are; do what they do. Meet them where they are like Jesus did." David's response: "What part of in-the-world but not of-the-world do you not understand?" So true. From now on, I'm sticking to the observation bench when it comes to skateboarding. But something about summer at the beach makes me think that some of my students just might convince me to learn how to surf. Ohh no!