Samaritain Project

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Grace and Peace

Reflection

The Christian Season of Lent began this past Wednesday. In my church we had the opportunity to come to the altar and have ashes, placed in the symbol of the cross, on our foreheads.

The tradition goes that once you have attended your ash wednesday service you keep the ashes on your head the entire day. This is one of the most vivd sights of christianity. The Church telling the world it’s the church. the Church saying this is where our reflection and hope begin.

A few years ago I participated in Lent with my Wife and her family. It was dark time for our family. None us thought we would ever see light or hope ever again. We have all gone through different stages of seeing glimmers of hope since, but sometimes, those periods are scarce.

My perspective of lent has been this: We begin in the dark, winter, and we move to the light, spring. We start in death and remain there until resurrection.

Lent is a time to reflect.

Today I taught our littlest students what reflect means. I used my iPhone camera and showed the students me and then I showed them, well, them. As I turned the phone’s camera to point at me, as though I was looking in a mirror, I started talking and noticed a few things about myself. I noticed that I can’t grow facial hair, it’s pathetically scraggily. I noticed that I could stand to loose weight. I noticed I had my Mom’s eyes, but my Dad’s coloring. I noticed that I had scar from when my sister hit me in the head with a baseball bat, fun story. I noticed my nose, my blessed original big nose.

After these observations I began to say that reflection is looking closely at your self; seeing the things you can change, the things you can’t, the good things, the bad things, the great things. Reflection is when we look inward, not outward; and observe the good things in our lives, the bad, the great, the things you can change, the things you can’t. Then after you’ve done that you, you begin the process of change, of inward resurrection. You begin to create and shape a better version of you.

My friends during this season of lent, may you reflect. May you see your strengths and weakness. May you see your quirks and your cracks. May you grow and begin the process of moving toward resurrection.

Grace and Peace

Preparation

Studying, reading, preparing these are all things that I enjoy doing.

Being home schooled from Kindergarden to the end of high school I had an easy time with some things and a hard time with others. Around 10th grade I started teaching myself most of my school subjects and I had a real rough time of it. I started hating school, I went through the motions, finishing my work as fast as I could just so I could be done with it.

It wasn’t until College, and really it wasn’t till sophomore year; I met my wife and a few friends. These people where my catalyst, they where the spark that fueled my interest in academics. I immersed  myself in books, journals, discussions over coffee. I mean it was something big.

Today I get to take what I learned from studying hours on end and apply it to what I love which is teaching about scripture. I teach every sunday and wednesday night, with the occasional sunday morning. For the most part I teach pre-k through 12 grade.

The preparations in college where for exams, now my prep time is to mold the minimal hours I get with my students and teach them about belief, faith, love, hope, grace and peace.

I’ve recently read an article about how people have this urge to do what they love, but because we’ve been stuck in a box and routine, we feel as though we can’t get out of it. Getting out of the box is hard. Doing what we love is hard. But if we think about it; staying in the box is wrong choice.

My preparations for thinking outside of the box began when my wife and friends helped me, challenged me, to be a better student.

I want to be that catalyst for you. I want to let you know that yeah, the box, it sucks. What you decide is your choice. Getting out of the box is a risk, but what’s life without a few risks.

I want to let you know that my preparations for what I love doing are only beginning. This love of creating worship environments and teaching are only beginning.

My friend may you prepare. May you study. May you take part of the thing that drives you; inspires you; ignites you. May you grow and show your passions to the world.

Grace and Peace.

Challenges

This past weekend I traveled to the mountains of West Virginia with 14 other students and leaders. Our focus was two fold: skiing and community. As you see in the picture above our community time at the ski lodge was quite fun playing an addictive card game, that can last hours, called Egyptian Rat Slap (ERS).

This game is loud, people are slapping hard and fast on the center deck trying to find various matches and such. So you can imagine that for someone to fall smack a sleep in the middle of a loud games to be almost crazy.

That’s what these trips do, they wear you out.

I wouldn’t trade these trips ever. The community that is built is foundational to the group of students and leaders that attended.

Some would say these weekends are challenges – I would quote a favorite television character and say “challenge excepted!“

When building a youth ministry one excepts these challenges, often and with a smile. I love the time that I got to spend with this group. From hanging out and playing ERS to being taught how to ski from a few of my students to eating dinner and listening to stories from our leaders to seeing student leaders emerge.

These are the moments I live for. This is why I’m so excited about Sundays and Wednesdays. I will never forget these moments of intentional leadership.

May you, my friend, grow in your leadership in whatever vocation you find yourself in. May you be intentional with your time. May you except the hard and fun and rewarding challenges.

Grace and Peace.

Rest

Over the last few weeks I’ve had this steadily growing insomnia. For some crazy reason my brain tells my body that it isn’t done for the day. I then do about four things almost simultaneous: I read; watch TV (or a movie); I write; and I play video games on either my phone or ipad – you should see me when I try all four…crazy… yeah… crazy.

I have a few ideas of why I am this way… one: in college I stayed up hours on end… two: I don’t like falling asleep… three: I’m afraid to forget something important.

resting for me is easy…sleep is hard.

Rest is a period where I can briefly close my eye and brain and charge up for the rest of the day. Sleep is when I’m vulnerable…

I wish that I could describe it better for you… I wish you could know the burden of a person who burns the candle into the wee hours.

I want to rest… I want to sleep…

I think there is something here to talk about.

Sometimes I agree, we need those moments – especially during the day to day – of rest. We need our minds to shut down briefly so we can be a better person. Sometimes we need to take a breath before we speak. Sometimes we need to shut down anger and frustration so we can be more clear.

And yes, some times we need that utter vulnerableness. We need to feel like a new born baby, completely dependent on someone to care for us. We need to be open up to all possibilities of the dark night, and the hopes of a bright tomorrow.

I want to encourage you; if you are like me and have sleepless nights, to look out for the sun and the fortune it holds. All of the possibilities are open to those who are willing to grab for them.