Having a Bad Day?

Questions from Horse Camp Youth

This week I am at Camp Allegheny, participating in the Extended Wrangler Program. It's been an outstanding week so far, and we have some great kids in this camp! The first night, I asked them all to think of a question they have about God, the Bible, religion, Christianity, church, life in general, etc., and to write it down on a slip of paper. Throughout the week, we've been spending time together discussing their questions and trying to come to a better understanding of these important issues. With 36 teenagers, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Would they take it seriously? Would I get a bunch of (or even a few) ridiculous questions? Would I be able to answer them? I am amazed to say that every single one of the campers took it very seriously, and asked GREAT questions. I can't answer them all, but we've had a great time exploring life together as we wrestle with them. Let me share some of the questions with you:

Does God really forgive you for any mistake you've done in the past?

Why is God so demanding? How did he be God?

I feel so close to God here at camp. I feel very connected. But when I leave I feel I lose some of the connection. How can I change this?

How was the Bible formed, and who put it all together?

What race were Adam and Eve?

I read somewhere that the Bible is degrading to women. Is this true?

Other religions that don't believe in Jesus - are they going to heaven?

How do I get to heaven?

Why do people die?

What defines a good Christian?

It's said that God is so loving, but also that we should fear Him. How do we do both well at the same time?

This is just a third of the questions that they came up with. Perhaps I'll post the rest later, but this gives an idea of the type of things that are on these teenagers' minds. If any of you have insights into any of these questions, please feel free to post them! Thanks!

Sunday Night at the Movies!

This Sunday we started something new at Bethany - outdoor movies projected on a huge sheet on the outside wall of the parsonage! We have a perfect setting for it, with the church parking lot right next to the parsonage, and a nice grassy area for people to sit on. We also have a popcorn machine, and everyone had a nice, relaxing time together watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. People invited their friends, and we had some new people come and check out what we were doing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to do this again as a fellowship and outreach event.

St. Matt's - Do We Need Mattresses in Worship now?

Here's an interesting news bit from this week's paper:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man says he was so consumed by the spirit of God
that he fell and hit his head while worshipping.
Now he wants Lakewind Church
to pay $2.5 million for medical bills, lost income, and pain and
suffering.
Matt Lincoln says he is suing after the church’s insurance company
denied his claim for medical bills.
The 57-year-old has had two surgeries
since the June 2007 injury but still feels pain in his back and legs.
He says
he was asking God to have “a real experience” while praying.
Lincoln says he
has fallen from the force of the spirit before but has always been caught by
someone.
Lawyers for the church say other congregants saw him on the floor
laughing after his fall. They say he failed to look out for his own
safety.

Better invest in plush carpet or something, folks!

R. I. P. Grandma

My Grandma Vanderhoff (the taller one on the right, wearing the white sweater - the other Grandma is alive and well) passed away last week, and we buried her this Tuesday. It was such a bittersweet day. She was 92, and had lived a wonderful life full of love, happiness, and faith. The past couple of years she has had Alzheimer's, and has not been aware of very much. Still, even as her mind was slipping away, she was happy, physically healthy, and was a blessing to us and to the people in her rest home. I want to share an incredible story about the last time Karen and I saw her before her death. Mom and Dad had called and given me the news that Grandma wasn’t doing well. Karen and I drove in to see her right away. She wasn’t herself. She was sitting in a wheel chair, her head against her chest. She barely looked up as we came in and tried to talk to her. She definitely didn’t know who we were. We talked to her a little, and told her how much we loved her. She wasn’t very aware of what was going on, and seemed to fade in and out of consciousness. Just before we left, Karen and I prayed with her. As I started to pray, saying, “Dear Jesus,” Grandma suddenly became alert. She interrupted my prayer, and with excitement in her voice, she looked at me and said “He’s talking to me.” She smiled and continued. “He says He’ll be so glad to have me come!” After saying those words, she said "Amen" at the end of my prayer, her head slowly slumped back down to her chest, and those were the last words I heard her speak. What a powerful testimony to such a life of faith and love! I am sad that she is gone, but I rejoice that she is with Jesus. May she rest in peace.

Thank You

Thank you... 2 simple words. They don't take that long to say. And when we do say them, they go a long, long way. But how often do we say them? I just finished writing out a bunch of thank you cards to various people who have helped in ministry in different ways over the past month. It is incredible to see how many people can come together to accomplish wonderful things in ministry. People volunteer, and work hard, to serve God and their church. I often tell them 'thank you,' but I also try to send along a card just to let them know how much I appreciate them, not just appreciating what they do, but appreciating them. I don't send these cards out nearly as often as I should. It's something that I need to do more, and to do better. But when I do make the time to send out that little .50 card with those 2 simple words on it, it speaks volumes to people. So to all of you in blogland who read my random thoughts and various musings, I say "THANK YOU!" Thanks for walking this road of ministry together. God bless!

Teaching vs. Learning

For Father's Day, I got a 2 volume set of magic books by the late Tommy Wonder, entitled "The Books of Wonder." Great stuff, and what better content to post on "Musings of the Magi" than something from a magic book? So, here goes. In the introduction, he says: "I firmly believe magic can't be taught. It can be learned, but it can't be taught. You must do it yourself; there is no other way. There are no short cuts to real results, no matter what some may try to make you believe."
I was struck by the statement, "It can be learned, but it can't be taught." What do you all think of this, not as it relates to learning magic, but to learning anything? I think it's still important for people to teach, and for others to sit under the tutelage of able teachers. But the greatest teacher in the world cannot make his/her students learn. The students have to take an active role in learning, only then will education take place. Spiritually, how can we inspire people to learn about and experience God? How can we get them to want to learn (active), not simply be taught (passive)?