The real secret: who are you when no one is looking?

This past summer I spent I good chunk of my time in isolation. It was a feast or famine scenario: either I had a lot of people around, all the time, OR, I had no one around at all. Not a single person.

It was during these times by myself that I learned a lot. Not just about myself but also about God. It was in these stretches of being by myself, these times when no one was around to affirm, support, direct, supervise, oversee, challenge, (in)validate, and any other action words you can insert here, that the truths of Matthew 6 were impressed upon me.

In this passage, the phrase "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret..." is repeated a few times. It is the "done in secret" that caught my attention.  And we are talking about a "secret" so hidden that your 'left hand does not know what your right hand is doing' (my paraphrase). Others are not to be aware of your giving, not aware of your praying, not aware of your fasting. These actions, which are also practiced as part of community, are assumed to be part of that personal space that no one else sees. In Jesus words: "be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others..." (6.1) but do "in secret."

Why this emphasis on "in secret." Because the incarnate God also truly knows our hearts. He know that we crave human recognition and affirmation of who we are by what we do. He knows that tendency of ours to seek our identity in our performance, and our desire for definition in how we are perceived in the eyes of others.

BUT: it is when no one else is looking that who you are is revealed. It is when no one else will ever know that you scrubbed that toilet, or washed those windows, or cleaned out those cupboards. When no one else knows or even cares that this report is written or that you listened to that song. Or that you looked at that website or that you fantasized about that relationship. 

I'm not just saying this because the age old phrase of "well, God sees" is applicable here. I'm saying this because you are able to know what type of person you are from the way you spend your time when no one else is looking. The "in the secret" part is not for God to know who we are. He knows us more deeply than we know ourselves. No, the "in the secret" part is for us; it is a way that we are able to gauge and measure ourselves. And it is in the secret that our true selves are shown. 

So: who are you when no one is looking?

Things I miss about Sauble Beach & the Bruce Peninsula

Well, its only been two weeks since I left Sauble/the Bruce but there are certain things I notice about being in the city that I did not really pay attention to before. And I have to say, for all you city folks, we need to take a chill pill. (Sorry: learn to relax.) In no order, I miss:

-  families spending time together, facing each other. In the city it seems like we are too busy doing everything, rather than being together.
- the beach & the water (need I say more?)
- people drive here way more aggressively. note to city drivers: SHARE THE ROAD PLEASE!
- in general I miss biking everywhere
- it seems to me that when one has to commute in the country, the journey is part of the experience. In the city, it seems that commuting is an inconvenience. And therefore, naturally, everyone else who is commuting is also an inconvenience. 
- the fact that rest is expected when one is at the beach. life has a slower pace. in the city, rest is considered lazy
- trees
- being able to see the stars at night
- the quiet
- campfire
- snorkeling
- am I allowed to miss outdoors in general.

Yes. I am feeling nostalgic.

Part 2: Don't over complicate

"The Gospel should NEVER get lost in our attempts to theologize...the pain of the cross can speak for itself, without us having to create four syllable words to describe it. The excitement of the resurrection shouldn't be forgotten. It was (is) the game changer."

Sometimes in our efforts to have a deeper or fuller understanding of the Gospel (which may not necessarily be better) we forget the experience of it. In our attempts to think it through, mull it over, and then put it on paper or articulate it, we forget two things:

1. The Gospel lived: it existed as the person Jesus Christ
2. And we are called to live it, not just think about it.

It seems to me that many of our summer interactions most often start with the second question: how do we live out this Gospel in our lives here and now? And I wonder if it is because we often forget, in all of our attempts to understand things better, we forget that is is about understanding a person better. So maybe if we began to answer question number one, the answer to question number two would be more obvious.

In my times spent with kids, I was continually reminded that I had to introduce these kids to a person...not to a theological worldview (for all you Redeemer grads...lol). And people are known not through fact alone, but also through experience. So I can introduce Jesus through story (fact) but I also needed to introduce Him in person (experience), which called me to live it out in my relationship with each kid.

What I (Re)Learnt this summer

I can't believe it was the last day of summer camp...already. It has felt long, but short, at the same time. It was fun, but tiring; easy, but hard.

We went out in true style with a pancake breakfast with toppings that only a kid could come up with. Everything from apples, strawberries, whipped topping, cookies, jujubes, (yep, you read that right), gummy bears, chocolate chips...and syrup on top of all of that. (Really, I'm just sending them home on a complete sugar high to thank the parents for all the energy I got this summer.)

But I am thankful for a number of things that I (re)-learned this summer: (in no order, and with expansion to come in further posts)

1) Life is fun, especially when you expect it to be fun.
2) Celebrate the small stuff. It's important. And many small things make big things
3) The Gospel should NEVER get lost in our attempts to theologize...the pain of the cross can speak for itself, without us having to create four syllable words to describe it. The excitement of the resurrection shouldn't be forgotten. It was (is) the game changer
4) Never underestimate the importance of having your own time with God before you spend time with others.
5) Singing never goes out of style
6) Neither does a good game of Capture of the Flag
7) It's important that we learn to listen to each other and that everyone gets a chance to be heard.
8) Prayer. I had the goal of teaching the kids to pray out loud by the end of the summer. (Some did not even know what prayer was.) I saw this goal come to pass, thanks be to God.
9) The phrase "I love you" is not said often enough.
10) Don't forget to say "thanks" to those who impact you. It goes a long way to encouraging them to keep doing what they are doing.

an unexpected glimpse

My experience  and expectation of building relationships with people, and working with them (such as I have been doing this summer) is that more often then not, you don't get to see the impact of your time together. More often then not, we pass each other like ships in port, harboring each other for a time, and then move on to different seas. So it has been rare for me to see or hear how what I have done/am doing has affected someone....even more so in a summer/seasonal ministry.

You never know...
            what seeds you plant
            what sprouts you water
            or what fruit is being born

This week I was blessed with a little bit of encouragement from one of the parents of two of the boys at North Club. For the past seven weeks her sons have attended North Club almost daily, and over the course of those weeks, have learned what prayer is (talking and listening to God), how to pray (closed hands, open hands, closed eyes, open eyes, etc.), what to pray for (thanksgiving, other people, yourself, etc.) and to pray aloud and in front of others.

So I was immensely encouraged to have a mother tell me that because her boys have been praying at North Club, they are now eager to pray at home, with her. They now pray together.

You just don't know what the Lord is doing behind the scenes.

"We don't believe in God.."

This statement came straight out of the mouth of an eleven year old boy, as he, with his brothers on either side of him, joined North Club for the first time this week. The other twelve kids were shocked into silence. So was I, if I'm honest. What a raw moment. "Well," I looked around at the group, "why do we believe in God?" The group sat and thought, and then a few tentative hands sneaked up.

"Because how would every thing have been created?" asked one girl, looking at the three boys. "Have you thought about how the world, how what we see today, came to exist?" I asked. The three shook their heads. No, they hadn't. "Well, we believe that God created the world. Though I'm sure you are going to hear in school that we came from a big bang..." And the conversation went on for a while.

Another hand. "Because no one could have invented all the things that are part of Christianity," another girl said. We all had a bit of a chuckle. "That's true." We made a little list: God who became a man. Died on a cross. But rose again.

[Insert mini-interaction. One five year old raises her hand and asks how Jesus was God. Another little boy, six years old, turns to her and says "because Jesus is the Son of God, and that makes Him God too." Priceless.]

"Well,"  I began, "I believe in God because we are surrounded by suffering, pain, and the brokenness in this world. Everywhere. But I also see good, I see love, I see happiness. And that doesn't come from us. That couldn't come from us. That goodness, that comes from God..." And so I moved into the story of the day.

They are their own theologians.

a (bitter) sweet moment...

The past few weeks at North Club (the kids day camp I run in July & August) we have been doing Christmas in the summer. (Yes, you read that right. And it has been an amazing way of drawing on what kids know or don't know about Christmas, and using that to build how to have a relationship with this baby in a manger. Plus, hopefully this will change the way they see Western symbols of Christmas. Look at at Christmas tree: its wood. Jesus learned to work with wood. He died on a cross of wood...these kinds of connections will hopefully stay in their head.)

We ended this week with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus - and it was one of the most powerful lessons/moments that I have had with these kids to date. For all the theological education and training I have had, I was reminded by the kids reactions to the story of the crucifixion, about the rawness (bitterness) and simplicity (sweetness) of the suffering of Christ. As I was telling the story, some of them wouldn't even look up - you can tell it really bothered them. And they asked such good questions! Like why Jesus did not come of the cross when He could of. Then we talked about what this said about the character of God - and they concluded with: He must really love us. When I asked them the next day what they felt after the story they responded that they felt sad.

I told them that something special happened - and then shared the story of the resurrection. About how at first Mary didn't recognize Jesus. About how Thomas didn't believe until Jesus came and showed him the scars in his hands. And about how He went into heaven - AND IS STILL LIVING. (Which they all thought was SO cool. A good reminder, eh?) Then one girl asked a question: would a girl in her class, who didn't believe in Jesus, still be able to see Him when He comes back? And then the moment: one of the other kids looked at her and said "Of course. Jesus will go to her in the same way He went to Thomas."

I just thought that was such a beautiful moment: them helping each other to understand - and teaching me more about the character of God. Who is teaching who?

\manda

Young Adult Church Dropouts...? Or just Adult Church Dropouts?

A few years ago, I read a book called "Quitting Church" - which in essence was a study about why more and more faithful, bible believing Christians were leaving the "conventional" church and moving on to, well, nothing. (Yes, I and I see that some may take issue with the fact that I used the term "faithful" but I'm not going to get side-tracked.) It seems that these people, all have a genuine faith and a sincere desire to serve God, are finding that their experience in the church was not that helpful in facilitating the growth of that relationship - especially in relevance to every day life. And as a result: they stop going.

Now part of working up in a beach filled with party-hearty young people, fewer and fewer which I see in the pews on Sunday, makes me reflect again on the relevance of church into everyday life. I recently read a survey by The Barna Group (full article found here) on the Five Myths about Young Adult Dropouts. In essence the five myths were: (mostly in my own words)

1) It happens because of high school
2) Its just a phase
3) It happens because of college
4) Young Adults are Biblically illiterate
5) They will come back (which they don't)

Remember these are myths.  So The Barna Group researched and found that this fantastical thinking is how people frame the absence of young adults in the church. To quote from a new book by David Kinnaman called "You Lost Me": 

"Churches, organizations and families owe this generation more. They should be treated as the intelligent, capable individuals they are—a generation with a God-given destiny. Renewed commitment is required to rethink and realign disciple-making in this new context. Mosaic believers need better, deeper relationships with other adult Christians. They require a more holistic understanding of their vocation and calling in life—how their faith influences what they do with their lives, from Monday through Saturday. And they also need help discerning Jesus' leading in their life, including greater commitment to knowing and living the truth of Scripture."

I read that and I only hear one word: relevance.  To quote: "how their faith influences what they do with their lives, from Monday through Saturday." But isn't that the question for all of us? How does faith influence our lives...every day...from the time we step out of church until the time we step back in? In "Quitting Church" the issue wasn't age - the issue was relevance. When we focus in on an age (such as young adults) we get specific issues that they face at that time in their life...but let's not do a disservice to everyone who is not a young adult...because the reality is that we all struggle with how to make our faith relevant. We all want to know what difference creational thinking is going to make in our relationships with co-workers. Or how understanding the Trinity will change our view of the environment. Or how knowing that the fruit of the Spirit isn't manifested in road rage.

And maybe, maybe, we are one step ahead of ourselves. Maybe instead of asking "how" will this make a difference, we need to ask "why" will this make a difference. 

A shout out....

This past weekend I got to hang out with a youth group from the Owen Sound First Christian Reformed Church. Now, these are group great teens and I was blessed not only by their hard work, but also by their sense of fun and their willingness to learn. They spent two days scraping, painting, and working outside in the hot sun, then coordinated a concert and a pancake breakfast, and helped lead a Sunday service.  Just wanted to thank you guys (and your leaders) for all your hard work! On behalf of North Sauble Community Church

The other half

So I have begun the second half of my  job - which is running a kids club from 10am-12noon. Yep, its not long, but boy do those kids have a lot of energy! Already, I find the honesty of my kids refreshing and here are a few things I have learned from them (and people think I'm teaching them....haha)

- they are refreshingly ready to love you. I forgot how easy it can be to just look for reasons to like someone. I hope I can keep learning
- there is no guile - what you see is what you get and what you hear from them is what is. Yes, there may be the exception, but kids just say and do what they want. There is no masking of behaviour. What a person sees or hears from them...is.
- small things are fun. I believe this, but its easy to forget
- small things should be celebrated. Affirm what is good.
- they are expecting things to be fun, and with that expectation they make things fun

When did I lose this?

sign of the week