Here Comes The Summer Again – 2011!
My life was changed because of a summer camp. And then renewed and changed over and over again as camp after camp, year after year, filled my life with blessing, inspiration and spiritual growth. I really have no idea what my life would have been like without those experiences, but I know I would not be the person I am today without them.
If you count the inner city camps I staffed when I was 14, I have been working with youth now for 40 years… FORTY YEARS!!! I didn’t even realize that until I did the math right now. I am soooo old!!
Back to the point. Summer camps are important! And they have the ability to be life changing, inspiring, freeing. I do everything I can to make sure my kids have the opportunity to be with kids their age in a setting that promotes not only righteous relationships with each other, but with the source of life and love. We have been shown what that source of life and love can mean in the life of Jesus – an example that God gave us to let us know what WE could be like. The worth of experiences with that beautiful spirit in our youth cannot be measured!
So – here comes the summer again! If you know young people who would benefit from these kind of experiences – please mark down these date for the youth camps that will be happening at Camp Quarryledge as part of the Chicago Mission Center youth program this summer.
Sr High Camp -June 12th – 18th
Jr Camp – June 26th – 30th
Spectacular – July 23 – 30th – (Graceland University)
Jr High Camp – August 7th – 13th
It’s not a question if these young people will be blessed – it’s impossible for them not to be.
Have a great SUMMER!!
Before the Summer Begins!
Un-Named person to protect dignity...
I think the last thing I blogged about (a while ago…) was Yuletide in December and upcoming overnighters in Elgin (Sr High) and Highland, IN (Jr High) – those events did indeed happen and were extremely successful!
As I mentioned in my last post – those two congregations are going to be my focus for a while and I have really enjoyed that change in my role so far.
I just had a meeting on May 13th with Keith Dutton – the pastor at Highland – and Brynn Doughty, who will be helping with this Jr High ministry and we were able to set some dates for Jr High events starting next school year. The goal is to have some kind of Jr High ministry available every month for Jr High kids at the Highland congregation. The first one will also be an event that any Jr High mission center youth will be invited to attend. Keith and Brynn are very excited about the fact that we have some dates already set for next school year and the goal is to have some kind of Jr High event scheduled every month – that would include Mission Center retreats that are already scheduled – like the one scheduled for November 19th, 2010 at Camp Quarryledge.
One of the most dynamic experiences I’ve had since
Opening Worship World Conference 2010
I last blogged you – was my trip with my daughter Korinne to Independence, MO as we were able to take in part of the World Conference that the Community of Christ denomination holds every three years. (used to be two years… I kind of miss that…) We had such an awesome experience!! We were able to stay in the home of someone we had never met, who was so gracious to let us stay in his home – after finding out we were looking for a place two days before we arrived! Korinne enjoyed this experience so much, that she actually talked me into (and got her Mom’s permission to) staying an extra day, because she wanted to be there for the Pizza with the President night on Tuesday night. To do this – she said she would give up $250 of her planned birthday festivities to help pay for my loss in pay (because I had to take an unpaid day for that extra day) I loved to see the effect this conference had on an almost 14 year old girl. I kind of think all of our young people
At the Temple - beautiful experience.
need to attend some part of world conference before they graduate from High School – it gives them such a different look at the church they belong to. (by the way – I’m not exactly sure – but I don’t think Korinne actually suffered a $250 deduction from her birthday festivities – because that would have meant she had nothing – and I know that didn’t happen!)
So anyway – here comes the Summer! Just as I have changed my role from Camps and Retreats guy to local congregations guy – Chrissy Pugh has assumed my former role. However – I will still be involved with Jr High and Sr High camp this summer – and along with Chicago MC family camp and another camp I will be going to in a different Mission Center – I will again have a BUSY summer! There is nothing like the experiences young people can have at camp! If you know any Jr High or Sr High age kids – you should really let their parents know about the camps they offer. I was just at a planning session for these camps – and they will be awesome as always!
God bless everyone – hope you have a great summer!
Kevin Henrickson
Things Have Happened!
Well – it’s been entirely too long since my last post – so I figured I should try to get this done before January is officially over with! Since my last blog we have had a Sr High retreat in November (which was excellent!) another Sr High retreat (Yuletide) in December (thank God for Chrissy Pugh and Faith Johnson – who pulled it off wonderfully)
I showed up at that last retreat a day late – part of the reason was because my whole schedule was thrown off by the passing of my Father around December 12th. It has been very strange accepting the fact that he is no longer around to ask questions or reminisce about the good old days. He taught me so much – and I would not be doing what I am doing now if it wasn’t for his love and great faith. Reminds me that our best youth ministry comes from parents – it all starts there!
Starting the first day of this new year – my responsibilities and focus has changed – I am now putting my energy into helping congregations build up their youth programs and Chrissy Pugh is taking over the camping program (organizing MC camps and retreats) In fact I’ll need to leave in about 15 minutes for a meeting in W
oodstock, IL that Chrissy has put together centered on just that.
My assig
nment this year is to focus on two congregations – which I have already started to do. I am going to be helping Elgin with their Jr High/Sr High program – working with Stephanie Arnett. I attended a VERY successful open gym last week at Elgin – we had fun with Beatles Rock Band! The kids love it and so did I! (Great Job Stephanie!) We will continue talking about a possible Solid Rock at Elgin (might be called something else) and definitely more open gyms! We are also looking at a possible cell group.
We will also be having a Mission Center overnighter at Elgin on February 27 – 28 – looking forward to it!
Next week I am meeting with Keith Dutton and some folks from Highland to talk about a Jr High event we will be having their on March 6th-7th. This will be my 2nd congregation and I will be focusing on the Jr High area there. This overnighter will hopefully be a kick off to a more sustained Jr High ministry – possibly in the form of a cell group – but not necessarily.
Things have been happening and our going to continue to! God is blessing us and I know we are going to be blessed as we continue to try to reach out to young people of all ages! Pray for us – think of us – and gosh – you can even help us if you want!
God bless,
Kevin Henrickson
JR High Retreat! “Breathe”
I never get tired of being at Camp Quarryledge with a bunch of kids, and adults that love to be there as much as I do! It’s at these events that I am reminded over and over again why we do this kind of ministry. The theme was “Breathe” – in a nutshell – we get so busy – we need to take some time to just breathe in God – God is all around us – but we’re too busy to notice!
What a great time we had sharing together – in every way. Starting with just hanging out in “the pit” for an hour while we waited for everyone to get there on Friday night to the silly icebreakers and games, the snack of peanut M & M’s and chips and salsa following that – and then the campfire and sharing to close out the night. That night alone was worth being there for me.
It was really cool to find new games at the campgrounds when we arrived! There was a game called “Carpet Bowling” which was hands down the most popular one of the weekend. The kids made up their own rules and it was a hot spot for any free time.
But they also really enjoyed the new table shuffleboard game!
Saturday we had a great breakfast and then Faith Johnson taught two of the most masterfully put together classes for Jr High kids I’ve ever seen. (She was also the director!) My favorite part was when she had kids pick up hymnals in correlation to questions she asked about how much time they spent playing games, hanging with friends, computer time, etc. By the time she had finished, the kids were overloaded with stacks of books. Then she asked them to pick up a bean bag off of the ground. Of course, this was nearly impossible without dropping their hymnals. They all came crashing down.
She then followed that with a “Nooma” video that included a story of a son that had been collecting shells off of a beach – later on, the family noticed a star fish floating out a little off shore. They encouraged their son to go get this special gift that had floated to them. He ran out, then returned, frustrated – they told him get out there and get it – go on – it’s yours! He ran out a little farther, then returned, clearly upset. They implored him more enthusiastically – he went out again, and then repeated this a couple more times. They were frustrated themselves – saying “why can’t you just go out there and get the star fish!!” He lifted up his arms and said “My hands are filled with shells!”
Just like the hymnals…. Our lives are so filled with other things – so many things and voices taking up our time – that we don’t have the energy or ability to focus on that one special thing – sometimes the most important thing in our lives. That struck a chord with me – it really did.
Lunc
h was great – I ate too much for sure. During rest period I ran some errands to get ready for later on that evening.
Recreation was “reverse kickball” – I don’t have time to explain it – but the kids loved it and wanted to play it until we just didn’t have time anymore.And then we painted small pumpkins – there were sparkly ones…
And even a Ninja pumpkin.
And we played with the parachute – it was a blast!
After supper we had some “chat” time, where kids got to ask questions and talk about anything. We used the “question box” – they seem to love that.
That night we played Halloween Pictionary – each team got the same word or phrase at the same time (like “graveyard”) and then they had to beat the other team in getting it right. Dang – these kids are FAST! They had used up all the words in 10 minutes – so we were scrambling for new ones!
Oh – almost forgot the fire in the old chimney outside – roasting marshmallows and making s’mores – always one of MY favorites!
We watched the movie “Nightmare before Christmas” later – I usually don’t like to do movies during weekend events – but this one
was only 70 minutes long. The kids really enjoyed it – it’s a pretty good movie!
Campfire and then some sharing – these kids are such great kids – they are already awesome 
people. We just are hoping that we can help their walk with Christ be a more fulfilling one and that they will realize that THEY are MINISTERS right now!
Last day – we do a lot of cleaning and putting away! Especially since a brand new group is renting the campgrounds the next week! Our closing service seems to be more a time of reflection on the weekend this time – the kids are tired and I think maybe shared out – but we do share some important things and they are always up for singing.
I will miss these kids – they live too far away! (well, accept for Korinne – my daughter : )
We had 9 kids – 1/3 of them were invited friends. As I mentioned in an earlier post – along with the joy, there is also frustration at numbers sometimes. And – it’s not because our kids don’t invite – we’ve had 25% to 33% friends for a long time – it’s just that our congregations are, in some cases, devoid of young people – especially teenagers at this time. So – when you have 33% friends, and you have 30 kids to start with – heck – that’s TEN more kids! The math just isn’t as exciting when you start with 6!
This is why I’m hoping for something drastic – something major – something beautiful. It’s happened before and it can happen again – we need some kids to bring every friend they have one time – we need kids to bring 6 friends at a time – that would be such a shot in the arm – and I truly believe that if they came – they’d come back. We need our congregations to really help us push these retreats – we need our kids and parents to know that if they don’t have enough room in their vehicles to bring their friends that they have church people who would gladly drive them to and from camp. We are fighting for our lives right now as a church. But we have something really really good in our camping program – and we also need to save our campgrounds! Their would be nothing more valuable to our campgrounds right now then to have a influx of campers. But that is secondary – there are literally thousands of youth out there right now that are struggling through their daily lives. We can help – we can make a difference!
Our retreats and camps are awesome! And I truly believe we take them for granted – because they’ve always existed. But I’m telling you – when a kid comes for the first time – that has not experienced this type of love and acceptance – you can see it in their eyes. It’s life changing.
Well – that’s my blog this time. In the next week I have two or three meetings centered around next years youth program – part of it is planning – I hope that the Mission Center will find a way to make this next year the best one ever – we need it to be badly!
God bless, Kevin Henrickson
The Cat in the Tree
Okay, so a long time ago we have this cat. We lived (way out in an old farm house. This cat climbed up a tree and got stuck. My wife (former wife) wanted me to get it down, but my Dad had always said, “If a Cat can get up a tree, it can get down”… (turns out Father does not ALWAYS know best) Anyway, that was my attitude as I went off to school. When I got home, there was the cat in the same tree. So, I did the Kitty Kitty thing and tried to lure it down with some ham or something, but it didn’t work. I figured it would be down in the morning. Next morning, no change. When I got back from school, I figured it was time to get drastic, so I got out the old football and tried to knock the cat out of the tree. (it wasn’t way way up yet) I say yet, because after missing after 4 or 5 throws, I managed to hit the branch the cat was on, and it scampered up another 10 feet…… higher…. my wife gave me “that look”.
So…. we called the electric company, they couldn’t help, called the fire dept., we were too far out, called the police, no help. Finally we called an animal shelter – they said they would come out. So I went to school relieved. Just in case it didn’t work out – I thought I’d ask all the smart kids and teachers at the private school I taught at how they would solve this problem. Nobody came up with anything new – nuttin. When I got home – there was the cat – in the same
place. Turns out – they were going to have to shoot it with a tranquilizer and let it fall out into a net. But – just before they pulled the trigger, the guy
turns to my wife and says “this might kill it” – well, that cancelled the exercise. So here we are, cat still in the tree – for 3 days now – and it’s getting cold and drizzly – it was October in Ky.
That night, while we laid in bed, I turned to my wife and said – “you know, I’ve prayed about this darn cat and I know you have – but we never have together –
and the bible says something about praying together having a little more umph to it – why don’t we do that. Now listen – I promise you – the following is the
truth. Right after the amen of that prayer – it was like a picture – maybe 5 second video – shot into my brain, and I told my wife – “the cat is as good as down –
it’ll have to wait until morning, but it’s down” And this is the answer I somehow was given.
That morning, I woke up and got our picnic basket, I drove to a store and got some rope. I took one end of the rope and tied it to the picnic basket, I took
the other end and tied it to something heavy. The animal people had tried some sardines, I took that can of opened sardines and put it in the picnic basket – I
took the end of rope with the heavy thing tied to it and through it over the branch the can was on -way up there. I then took that same end, and pulled it until
the picnic basket started to lift up towards the cat. I slowly got the picnic basket right up against the tree limb. The cat smelled the sardines, got in the
basket and I gently and slowly lowered the basket backto the ground. When we have problems – where do we go first? To the smart people at my school, the electric company or fire department? Well, I did – but I should have gone straight to the source of intelligence and love. When I did – I got the help I needed. And it was beautiful!
Blog Number 3
Last week I left off on Sunday, when I got to hear James speak at the Elgin congregation. Monday night I drove up to DeKalb and met Chrissy Pugh, Faith Johnson and Evan Easterhouse at Blackstone – a great little restaurant. We met to discuss several different things relating to the Mission Center youth program. We talked about fundraisers to help raise money for Camp Quarryledge – sounds like a Bowlathon will be one of them – probably in the Spring of 2010 – be ready to support the young people in this with pledges!
We also talked about the Jr High retreat that is coming up this next weekend and the Sr High retreat that is coming up the first weekend in November. We had a lot to talk about! I love these three dedicated ministers! They care more than you will ever know about the young people of this Mission Center – and since they have been involved with youth ministry basically all of their lives – they understand it from the inside out. What a blessing to have them involved with our young people.
It was a very good, very productive meeting – I felt God’s spirit there and it stayed with me on the drive back to Montgomery.
I wanted to follow that meeting up by getting together with Evan on Saturday evening to talk about some of his ideas for the youth program and some more on the Sr High retreat that he is directing in November. We were meeting at the Panera’s close to the Elgin congregation – where Stephanie Arnett was having the Gym open again for any kids who might want to come by. Decided to take about an hour nap before I took off – and set the clock for 4:15 AM!!! Robin woke me up and I was going to be an hour late, so I just met Evan at the church. Didn’t have any kids show up – but Evan and I got to talk about youth stuff, about the retreat – and once again, I realized I was talking to someone who was on the staff of about every retreat and camp we’ve had since I’ve been here – since he’s been a camper! It was great sharing with Evan – the only bad thing about the evening was when we went to Panera Bread from the church and the didn’t have sourdough bread OR french baguettes!! Are you kidding me!
On Sunday – the OnEdge young adult ministry had their annual “Cellgate” where they have their get together/worship evolving around a football game (instead of “tailgate”) We decided that we were going to be there for that – it was scheduled from 12 – 6PM and we stayed for the whole thing!
It was at Brian Obers house up in Lake In The Hills, IL – Brian is a powerful minister. Such a dedicated gifted minister. It was so good to be able to share in this loving, exciting, ground breaking ministry. Brian is a huge Bears fan, unfortunately, when Brian scheduled this event – he did not realize that it was the Bears week off! So we had to watch the Vikings play!
After the game – we shared in cell group worship – Brian presented questions and everyone was encouraged to share. The best thing about a cell group is that everyone ends up sharing, everyone ends up telling us about good things that are happening in their lives, and things that aren’t so goo
d. It’s a time when these young adults can feel supported and loved – it’s good. And many of these young adults were kids that came up through the youth program, especially those who are involved in keeping this ministry going. This group is also so important to the youth program – because they staff our camps and retreat. Our kids relate well to these young adults, old enough to have the separation needed to be counselors and staff, but young enough to be totally approachable for our teenagers so confide in. Do you realize how important that is!? Do you realize how blessed we are to have that kind of ministry available to us!? I’m afraid we take it for granted. Thank you On Edge for your ministry, passion, caring, and dedication!
This coming weekend is the Jr High retreat – pray that we will be aware of God’s spirit and that the campers will respond to God’s love and be ready to learn those things that will help them in their journey. We want our kids to be ready to face the world with the knowledge that God is with them always!
The next blog entry will probably be mostly about the retreat. Please contact me if you need any questions answered or have any questions for me OR have any suggestions for the Mission Center youth program. Thanks for listening!
I just posted another true story – if you like the “Hitch Hiker” story, you might also like the “Cat in the Tree” story – check it out. God bless.
Blog Number 2 – Birthday Parties, Chip Happens… someday – and James.
This has been a busy weekend! Friday night I decided to take my 13 year old – Korinne – to Audrey Lai’s 16th birthday party held at the Elgin congregation – first of all – because Korinne really really wanted to be there and so did I – but secondly is because I thought there might be a “few” young people hanging around.
So – we get there – Korinne and I walk in through a side entrance – I can hear the dance music going – I figure I’ll make a grand entrance into the room filled with kids I hadn’t seen in a while – the “gang”.
I walk in flailing my arms back and forth – groovin’ to the beat. Accept – the “few” young people was more like 150 – and the “gang” was a gang of kids that I’d never seen and who were seeing me for the first time. Awkward….. Korinne turned on the after burners and got away from me to escape association – I did the same thing in the other direction – finding familiar faces in the room that was lighted and away from the music. But – after that initial comedic moment – in its own awkward way – I had a blast! So many youth! Now – to have a birthday party EVERY week – and get Jesus involved somehow. That does remind me of “Solid Rock” however – a ministry model that we used in the Highland congregations several years ago – hmmmm…. Time for a re-emergence?
Not so Chipper
Friday night flew by and the next morning it was a work day at Camp Quarryledge. I got there at 9 am – and sure enough there was Glenn Kreuscher – one committed campground board president – ready to get things going. I got to help Larry Stoneking cut down dead tree branches. Now – when I say help – that means – I held the ladder and then hauled the branch over to a pile of soon to be fire wood. (Jan was inside the lodge cleaning away)
The big project for the day was to throw branches into a chipper we were renting – but alas – the chipper got bogged down within the first 3 minutes and the rest of the time was spent trying to fix it – which wasn’t going to happen.
Wasted day? Absolutely not! The association, discussion, fellowship with Larry, Glenn and Evan was well worth the time spent on a not so bad Saturday morning – until it started raining right at the end – when Evan’s truck got stuck in the mud trying to get the chipper up the hill…. Okay – some frustrating moments – but not wasted time.
Chip happens. (just not that day)
Next day was Sunday – (today) – it was good to be able to follow up with my discussion with Stephanie Arnett last week and attend her Sr High class at Elgin. She is doing a great job – I flashed back to when she was a sophomore in H.S. – attending one of our camps as a friend – and fitting in so fast and sharing so quickly. And now here she is – teaching a Sr High class and doing a great job.
Another big moment of today was a young man you need to meet if you haven’t yet – James Hukill – it was time for James to speak for the first time – and it was going to be at the Elgin congre
gation – the contemporary service. James was to talk about the worth of ALL persons. This young man has been through a lot – he’s had a curvy up and down rollercoaster of a path so far in his young life. He’s been to some dark places and hit rock bottom – but he is a treasure! Because the unbelievable people involved with the On Edge ministry believed in him – had faith in him – had patience with him – he has blossomed into a treasure. And – what a better person to talk about the worth of all persons than James. Because those around him like Brian Ober and Evan Easterhouse and Chrissy Pugh and all the good people at On Edge saw the worth in James and were determined NOT to give up on him – no matter what – James has blossomed! In his own words James says that his life was saved – and now – the relationship he has with God is the most important things in his life.
James touched everyone today – he talked from his heart – God worked through this young man – and after he shared – when it was time to take communion, you could see it – you could feel it – we truly shared “communion” together today at Elgin – and God used James to help create that experience. Personally – I was so glad to see several young people there to experience that moment – these types of moments in our congregations unfortunately – correct me if I’m wrong – do not happen every week. Our young people need these types of experiences. They need to know that the love and acceptance we feel in camp settings can also take place in our congregations.
Well – besides the fact that the Bears won today – that’s about it. More later! Pray for our youth! We have three events happening in the next 32 days!
Well Shucks – I’m a blogger! (I always wanted to be a clogger though… maybe next year… ; )
God is working in my life. It is a transformation. Even though it started with a not so gradual physical change (lost 55 lbs since April 12th – and YES on PURPOSE) – it has become an all encompassing change of body, mind, and spirit. I am so thankful. It’s mostly been fun – but when God is transforming you – it can also be painful – because – I found out that…. well… I’m NOT PERFECT! In fact – far from it. That is my best news of the good news today!
One goal of this blog is to keep people up to date on what is happening in my life and what is happening with the youth that attend the camps and retreats that I am responsible for. I say “the youth” because this is not limited to “members” of this denomination – but open to all young people.
Quite honestly – it is frustrating right now – frustrating because we are in a down cycle – not as many young people to draw from right now – and the busy, busy, lives of the young people we do have. However – there is always good stuff in the middle of what may “seem” not so good.
What an awesome summer we experienced in the Mission Center however. Great Jr High and Sr High and Jr Camps that were not only incredible experiences for the kids – but because of some innovative ideas brought t
o us by Bob Pranaat – an On Edge guy – (do you know him? – you need to know him before he joins his wife out west!) we also had some welcome rejuvenation of program. I had really felt led to ask Bob to direct Sr High camp – and as the camp progressed – I knew why – thank you GOD!
A couple of weeks ago we invited the Sr High of the Mission Center to participate in an overnighter at the Plano congregation – the beautiful people at Plano treated us like royalty – and we were allowed to plan and implement the entire morning worship service. This was our first attempt going back into the congregational setting since I did this when I first came to the Mission Center about 10 years ago. It was deja vu like – because that first experience happened to be at Plano – and just like then – we had 6 Sr Highers to work with. Now – actually – getting 6 kids this year, to show up at an event that is NOT at Camp Quarryledge is pretty good, especially considering how far a drive it is for some people – when it’s only an overnighter – we had some kids that didn’t come precisely because it was not at the campgrounds. (if you didn’t know yet – our young people are in a deep love affair with our campgrounds – it is truly hallowed ground for them – don’t take my word for it – ask them about it) Back to Plano – when I found out that there would be six kids at Plano – it reminded me of the disappointment I felt almost 10 years ago when I realized that was the number I would be working with. However – I learned a lesson then – and was joyfully reminded of it again. The number did not matter! And it was true again – these kids had a great experience – will definitely need more experiences like this to refine their skills at sharing and commanding attention – but a great experience. I have heard good reports from others about the kids comments about their experience after they got home. Thank you Plano! And thank you Chrissy Pugh and Evan Easterhouse for being there – doing their quality work as usual. If you don’t know Evan and Chrissy yet – you need to get to know them – they are awesome and extremely gifted. And they have a love for working their butt off… (no other way to say it… or there is… but this was the best choice… : )
Today I read on Facebook that Stephanie Arnett from the Elgin congregation was going to offer an open gym from 6 – 10 PM for any Sr High youth that would like to attend. That is awesome! So – I decided to attend myself. Unfortunately, as I was getting ready to leave, Stephanie called me to tell me that there were several activities going on in Elgin tonight – dances, etc. – and nobody was going to be able to make it. Stephanie was one of those special kids that grew up and is still special – a friend brought her – just like Chrissy Pugh – to one of our youth activities – both are members now – they are some of our greatest success stories – attending because one our kids reached out. She’s been through some rough times – but her heart is wrapped up in working with young people – and she is definitely open to God’s call. She is trying to do some great stuff in Elgin – so I figured it might be a good idea to go on up that way and sit down with her so we could talk about her vision – plans – hopes – and general youth related stuff. And also… well Starbucks Hot chocolate is pretty good – and, oh yeah – did you know that there is Rocky Mountain Chocolate place right next to Starbucks at the “Commons” in Geneva? (the Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are Maaaaarvelous!)
As we talked – I had a sense of just how much dedication and calling Stephanie was feeling – and how much potential there was in Elgin! Some great things are going to happen there – and our conversation could not have been more focused or more intense about the possibilities there. She is teaching a Sunday School class that is planned out for months! And at the end of each section – an overnighter is planned that revolves around the subject area for that section. That is COOL! I am hoping to make that first overnighter in October – but just as a kind of chaperone – Steph has it under control!
Jr High retreat is coming up in just a few weeks – October 16 – 18. (You can get the registration form at http://www.QLYouth.com or just go over to the panel to the right of this blog – there is a link there as well) I will be there of course – but I’m really looking forward to this retreat because I have asked Faith Johnson to direct it – one of our many gifted youth Ministers – and I know it’s going to be good – and probably a little different. That’s the cool thing about having different directors – they all bring their own touch to it – their own take on the gospel. Our Jr High group right now is our biggest group we have to work with – and they are trying very hard to bring friends with them. Pray for this retreat! It is always such a blessing to gather at Camp Quarryledge with your youth – it means so much to them – which means the world to the staff – who end up being ministered to in almost indescribable ways.
Sr High retreat is coming up the first weekend in November – cannot wait! Pray that our young peoples schedules will allow them to attend and that they will be aware in even greater ways of the spirit of God that meets us there every single time!
Today – when I was riding my bike – one of my favorite things to do now – it’s kind of spiritual, kind of a release, (kind of gives me calories so I can eat things – like chocolate covered strawberries) – I found out that it’s not such a good idea to ride after it’s rained – at least not fast. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that it’s not shorts weather anymore – cuz I got a really bloodied scraped up left knee and right shin (on asphalt – OUCH!) However – I just got up and rode 15 minutes back home – very peaceful, very calm, it was noticeably serene for me – God was present even in that kind of everyday moment. What a blessing – even with blood coming down from both legs – I was able to bask in the knowledge that God was with me – that life was amazing! That I was one of the lucky ones – allowed to be a part of humankind. In my younger years I might of added – “born in the United States – to parents who were educated and middle class”, etc. But no – just allowed to be part of humankind is the truer statement. I’m not sure how lucky I am to be born in any certain part of the world or socioeconomic group. Just let me breathe in the air from around me – have a view of a sunset or sunrise – know what it is to love and be loved. Let me run on a beach or pick up MY baby. Let me know what it is to give of myself with no thought of getting anything back. Let me receive a gift that I don’t deserve. Let me know God – let me understand Jesus – let me try to walk in Christ’s footsteps. Let me have JOY!
I want the youth of this Mission Center to feel like that about life – I hope everyone wants that for our young people. If you feel the same way – help your congregation find ways to reach out to them and to those you don’t even know yet.
If you need help or suggestions – let me know! The transformation begs for opportunities!
Don’t forget to read the next post – “The Hitchhiker, Me and God…”
The Hitchhiker, Me, and God
Okay – I have had this written down already – so all I had to do was copy and paste.
This happened when I was 28 or so – it still boggles my mind. Believe me – this stuff doesn’t happen everyday to me – but these isolated incidents kind of make their mark on you.
So, I was at a “World” conference for our church and it was about an 8 hour drive from where I lived. I love this particular conference because I get to see so many people – people I may have not seen for years. I usually get up early everyday – it’s a week long conference and go to the early morning event – usually about 6:45 am – then, as a delegate – all day meetings – after that, special events each evening,but I mostly would get together with groups of people I hadn’t seen for a while, and we’d hang out at a restaurant till late. I’d usually get to bed around midnight and then it was up again early the next morning.
So – as you might guess, after a week of that schedule you can become exhausted. I decided that if I was going to drive back on Sunday, so that I could teach the next morning – I was going to have to get to bed early on Saturday night. Of course – I ran into someone I hadn’t seen forever and was up late again.
Here’s where it becomes extremely interesting. That next day – I had to leave for Kentucky at about 1 PM. About twenty minutes down the road my eyes do that thing, when they are going to close whether you want them to or not. I could tell there was no way I was going to make it – so I started praying – God – you have to help me stay awake, I have to get home today.Help me get home. I kept saying this prayer over and over as I struggled to stay awake.
Then the oddest thing happened. Just like that inner voice had whispered to me several times in the past, I heard it gently tell me – “Pick up a hitchhiker”…. WHAT????? yes – I was sure something I had eaten was messing with my thought process – so I just kept on praying. Again – that thought came back to me even stronger. I was like – no way God – that’s not an option. The third time it came to me even stronger and I said, within myself… Hey God – I might consider it – but I haven’t even seen a hitchhiker anywhere on this highway – so how am I supposed to pick one up???
I swear – I went under an overpass at that moment and on the other side – there he was – a hitchhiker, carrying a black garbage bag with all of his stuff in it. My foot was on the brake and I swerved over to the shoulder, more out of shock than anything else. Before I knew it – that hitchhiker was at my window. Oh My God – what am I doing… This guy had greasy, slicked back, long hair and looked to be about 50 years old or so. He wanted a ride that would be about a two hour trip down the highway – I heard myself say – “get on in”.
So now – here I am – still falling asleep, with a greasy hitchhiker and his garbage bag next to me. I was trying to figure out how this was better – now that two people were going to die in a head on collision instead of one… nice going God.
Well, it finally came to me, when he said he’d been helping is brother in law work on a car. I heard myself say – “oh – so you drive?” that’s when it hit me – he was supposed to drive WHILE I SLEPT!!! And so I just said it – hey – I’ve been at this church conference all week – I’m exhausted – I was praying about how not to fall asleep driving – I think you’re supposed to drive – what ya think? Now it was just getting ridiculous – but – it would solve my problem. He said that would be fine with him, if we could pull over so he could use the restroom. So we did, he
took over the wheel and I got in the back of my beautiful 10 year old gigantic gas guzzling Bonneville. He was testing the brakes as we pulled back on to the highway – I was thinking – this is nuts. But I was so tired I was already falling asleep – as I drifted off, I remember thinking – “I wonder if I”m going to wake up at the bottom of a lake?”
About two hours later – he wakes me up and says we’re almost there. I’m feeling SO much better, I take over driving – I start telling him about my week at the conference and he starts sharing – he says, “I used to pray and read the bible and stuff, but ever since I was a convict…….. A CONVICT!!!! Dear LORD what did you send me anyway!!!!! Turns out he didn’t kill anyone – just emptied out his ex-wife’s house with a moving van… But still – I’d been sleeping with a convict driving me around – he was at a halfway house now, so that’s why he had the weekend off. He continued about not praying or reading the bible as much as he should. (who does) I asked him if he’d like to pray with me and as tears ran down his face – we prayed together (I didn’t close my eyes however…) And soon we both shed a few tears. Instead of dropping him off at the exit, I drove him all the way to the halfway house, got his address and he ended up going to one of our congregations several times for services.
Wow – what else was God going to do with me if I was willing to take a few risks. My lesson in this was – if you want to have some excitement in your life – don’t be afraid to take some risks – when you’re on the edge is when “Life” happens. That’s the real “good life” – Joy in the depth of your soul, not the fringe stuff.
Needless to say – I was WIDE awake all the way home.
Kevin's Blog (youth stuff and me) 