thinking about this Thursday

Tomorrow we’re going to talk about the ways in which we think about our faith.  For example, if someone were to ask you, ”Why did you become a Christian” or “What’s it like to be a Christian?”…how would you answer?

We’re going to spend some time looking at the ways Jesus talked about faith and what this whole experience is like, and then we’ll spend some time discussing and sharing.  Think about the questions above, and come with some thoughts on how you might answer them.

a soundtrack for the dog days of winter

So we’ve hit that time in the season where the novelty of winter has sort of worn off.  The cold is cold and the snow is frozen.  The days are getting longer and the light is pale and crisp.  We’re no more closer to the end of the school year than we are the beginning.  Sometimes this time of year feels like a sort of holding pattern, where we’re just sort of waiting for the next thing to happen.

And I don’t know about you, but there are certain songs I hear that remind me of this time of year.  When they play I’m reminded of the snow being this way, and the light in the sky being this way.  I’m thinking about this because I just heard one on the radio the other day and it completely brought me back.

Anyway, I’m interested in hearing from you guys what songs remind you of this late winter time of year.  If you have a song or a short list, go ahead and post them and we can put together a sort of soundtrack for these dog days of winter. 

There is only rule: any song listed must be at least one year old.

yardwork

A couple months ago some of you expressed the thought that the church should use its property for the good of all the community, not just the congregation or for occasional church events.  Since then we have talked about changes that could be made to the current yard that would make it more inviting and beneficial for different types of people in the community. 

Below is a list of what has been suggested so far

• install two basketball hoops on the court (one at each end) so that full-court games can be played.
• fix the night lights over the basketball court (or look into new ones as the current ones seem to always break).
• improve the toys in the fenced playground next to Burgess Hall.
• provide picnic tables for families and moms/kids.
• host a community-wide softball tournament.
• install (affordable? moveable?) soccer goals.
• community garden (a series of raised planting beds with a person or family ‘adopting’ and using a bed for the season to grow vegetables, etc.)
• an area that is landscaped like a mini-park with a few paths and benches that provides areas for people to sit and talk, picnic, etc. and still provide access from Alpine Acres to the field.

Some of the issues to think about:

1. What is the best way to provide areas for as many different people and families in the area as possible…but still make it easy to maintain and take care of? 

2. How can the space be divided and used in the best possible way so various activites in some parts of the yard don’t interfere with others (e.g. gardens and athletic areas, etc.).

So far I think the things that have been suggested are good: you provide athletic space for people who enjoy sports and similar activities.  Space has been left open for church picnics and summer movie nights.  Picnic tables would cater to families or maybe moms and kids during the week.  A community vegetable garden could appeal to families as something they do together or anyone else who enjoys gardening but perhaps can’t plant one in their yard, etc.  A walking/sitting area (park) would appeal to all sorts of people–from teenagers to seniors–as a place to walk, talk, sit, etc.

Below is a clickable image of the church yard.  I’ve marked where the basketball court, volleyball net, and backstop currently are.  The areas marked with question marks are spaces that aren’t really used, and could be possible spots for picnic tables, gardens, etc. 

As you think of ideas, suggestions, or problems, post them on here and we can continue brainstorming and begin to put together a plan that could be presented to the board.  As we do this, it might be good to think about:

- what projects can most easily be accomplished? 
- what projects might take more time/planning? 
- what aspects are you most interested in, and how can you use your abilities and personal interest to help make it a reality?

[roots]

A week or so ago I started a new reference page called “roots” (see the black menu bar above).  My thoughts when starting it was that I would list a few things that would be good guiding principles or directions for us as we embark on this journey in the Plain valley and surrounding areas. 

The thought is this: as we walk and talk together, as we swim and hike and sit on couches or around a campfire or in a car or engage the people and environment that surround us…what would be good to keep in mind?  Why are we doing what we’re doing…and what things might help us figure out what to do?

Basically, what is it you guys want to be about?  If you were to make a list of those things in life that you think are important, what would be on it?

Anyway, rather than just put up a bunch of my own thoughts, I thought it would be good to hear from you and get some input as to what you think are important directions we should be keeping in mind or focusing on, that will guide and direct us into further authentic thought and action.

As usual, post them here or drop me an e-mail…and as I receive them I’ll compile them and begin to list them on the [roots] page.

the soft glow [brighter]

Tonight is the longest night, when the sun is at its greatest distance from the equator and daylight hours are at their shortest.  After tonight the days will get increasingly longer and brighter.

Almost every culture in the ancient world celebrated this return of the light as the time to herald in new life and hope for better days…even at the moment when winter is at its darkest and coldest.  So it makes sense that the early Christian church chose this time of year to celebrate the advent of Jesus the Messiah, the bringer of light and life and hope.

Some of you have heard me mention how unappealing winter is for me: the things that I really seem to connect with and come alive in are covered by snow during this season.  Something inside seems to retreat to the depths of who I am.  
Slumbering.  
Brooding. 
Waiting. 

And I’ve found this is sort of a good thing, a healthy type of rhythm for me each year.  Because the moment the snow falls, I begin anticipating the day when it will melt, when ‘the great white death’ dissipates and is swallowed up by the ground, giving way to new life and possibility.  It’s not an idle waiting, but a working expectation as I prepare myself and my surroundings for what can and will need to be done when Spring arrives.  And when bulbs do burst forth from the ground and birds return from the tropics and fish fry begin to swim in the streams, it all becomes that much more vibrant and exciting.  I find myself opening up again with all of creation, just in time for us to begin celebrating the New Creation that began with Jesus’ resurrection on Easter.

Life is a series of tides, high and low.  It’s a succession of seasons and varying nights and days.  Like the moon, sometimes we find ourselves waxing and sometimes we find ourselves waning.

So this all begs the question: is there any sort of “winter waiting” you’re experiencing right now?  Is there a place in life you want to be — or maybe even a ‘you’ that you want to be — that you aren’t yet?  In what ways does it feel so far away?  And in what ways does it sometimes feel so close?

As always, if you’re comfortable feel free to share.  If not, feel free to e-mail me or even just spend some time thinking about it within the quiet of your own mind.

thoughts on the vine

This past Sunday I mentioned the various metaphors and examples Jesus used to describe this kingdom and reality of God birthing its way into this one.  Another example I used was of a strangler vine.  These plants emerge and begin to slowly wrap their branches and stems around and over the tree.  Over time, their branches begin to flatten out against the surface of the tree and interlocking and interconnecting with each other.  Eventually, the host tree can no longer survive and dies and rots away…leaving only the vine, which by that point has turned into a tree of it’s own (complete with branches and leaves).  From the old one a new one was birthed.

That is what’s happening here and now.  From the rebellion and decay and violence and death of this present world, a new one of life and healing and reconcilation and hope is winding its arms and branches around and throughout. 

Life is swallowing up death.

And as people who follow God and are being transformed within as everything around us is being changed, we are called to be apart of that.  To make it even more.  To tend and work and cultivate hope and peace and healing and newness and goodness.  So here’s what I’m asking of you:

Think about how you (individually) and we (as a youth group) can be apart of this thing.  How can we tend and cultivate and help in bringing all this about?  We’ve spent some time looking at who we are individually–what makes you, you.  Your personal interests and passions and insights will draw you to focus on certain areas to restore.  We’ve also spent a bit of time talking about needs you see in the area and community around us.  So let’s take all of that and begin to move forward with it.  Be thinking about specific projects and hopes and purposes we can begin to help make a reality.

This takes a lot of brainstorming, and thinking both quietly within and ”out loud” with others.  Let’s begin throwing thoughts and ideas out there (either post them on here, e-mail me, or bring them with you to Thursday Nights) and start putting hands and feet to these things.

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You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
     rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
     restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
     make the community livable again.

(Isaiah 58:12)

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for this Monday…

I want you to think about the following question:

Who did God mean when He meant me?

What is God’s desire and dream for your life, the way you interact with others and the world around you?  In what ways does He want you to engage this network of relationships and interconnectedness that we find ourselves in the midst of?  Think of it beyond “more like Jesus,” beyond the cookie cutter idea of what we think that means.  It’s a great answer…but what specifically does that look like to you in this world we find ourselves in?  What does it feel like for you?

What about you is unique?  What makes you come alive?  What is it that swims deep within you?

Spend the next few days before Monday Night coming up with words and phrases and sights and sounds that describe you, that speak and sing as to who you are.  Write them down on a piece of paper if you want and bring it with you.  Are there certain images or metaphors that you feel describe you?  What role do you feel you play in the Story swirling all around us?  Bring all of these thoughts and images with you on Monday Night.  Over the next couple weeks we’re going to try and do something with them.

how we relate.

We talked a bit last night about how we relate to and interact with those around us, especially those who might not be Christians.  I want to delve into that a bit more for next Monday Night.

Now, if we’re a group of people who are following God to help bring blessing to all other peoples and partnering with Him to help restore and redeem the world around us (including the people in it), then we’re always going to go about doing that in a certain way, and that way is extremely important. 

In AD 432, Saint Patrick led a small band of Christians into Ireland.  At the time, this island was a land of barbarians (imagine the army of naked guys at the beginning of Gladiator, only hundreds of years earlier).  Patrick was one of the first of a movement that became known as Celtic Christianity.  While the rest of the Church in the known world (under the influence of Rome) were ‘converting’ people in a certain way, the Christians in the British Isles were isolated from the influence of Rome.  They interacted with the native culture and the people in a different way, and as a result, entire clans and tribes decided to follow the way of Christ.  Here are a few of the things that Patrick and the Celtic Christians did  that some historians and scholars say was so unique:

1. They treated outsiders like insiders.
2. They talked about everyday issues.
3. They looked for the good.

What are your thoughts on this?  Is it different from what you’ve seen or experienced?  What do you think is the importance of each of these things?  Why do you think they would be important or meaningful to the person you’re interacting with?

what does God want from us?

Okay, let’s try starting a dialogue about what we’ll be focusing on for this next Monday Night, so go ahead and post your thoughts, comments, and questions (e.g. feel free to think out loud).

Jesus said that “the world will hate you because it hated me first.” 

This statement tends to bring up thoughts of being persecuted for our faith.  Now, I’ve heard people talk many times about being ’persecuted’ in our country for being Christian, but I find it hard (and this is just my personal opinion) to really rank anything I’ve experienced as true persecution.  For instance, if a co-worker makes fun of me or thinks I’m ridiculous for following the way of Christ, well, I have a hard time placing that in the same category as someone getting their tongue cut out or having their family murdered because they decided to align themselves with Jesus and live in God’s version of the Story. 

Regardless of the actual severity of our ‘persecution/suffering,’ I’m curious as to whether we assume that God enjoys it when we suffer “in His name?”  When we’re getting beat down and ostricized, do you think that God is pleased with us for that?

Which leads to another set of questions: when the world hates us, are they hating us for truly valid reasons?  Specifically, are they hating us because we’re in line and actively seeking what God desires for the world…or because people can’t stand our pride or judgementalism?  Is everything we do as Christians that the world hates us for actually worth the division and indifference it causes between us and the world?

In Hosea 6:6 God says: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

Does this change our idea about what God wants from us and what we allow ourselves to be hated for? 

for next Monday…

I think we’ll go ahead and repeat the Question/Doubt Night theme we had at our last gathering as there are still a handful of questions that remained untouched.  Also, if you have any more questions or thoughts about what we talked about last week (or completely new ones), bring those with you and we can try to deal with that some more as well. 

As always, try to be on time so we can have as much time as possible to focus on discussion and conversation.