by | Aug 9, 2005 | Uncategorized

Ahi Kaa
So, beyond Friday.. I went to the women’s ministry event. There were several significant images that arose again. The tree, the garden and the river from Jeremiah, Isaiah and Psalms. The seasons and passing of the proper time from Galatians 6.9 and Ecclesiastes. The barren woman.

I am an unlit match, being held too close to the fire.

There was a picture of a dam, with cracks and holes appearing, the closer to the flame I get. I am frantically trying to plug the holes and cracks, and yet whilst I am furiously resistant to the dam breaking, I don’t know what’s behind it. So I can’t reason out why I wouldn’t want the dam to break.

Perhaps it’s a safe excuse for avoiding anything larger that might crop up.

Between these images, and feelings, and the growing sense of need for a home fire to be burning somewhere.. I’m a bit lost right now.

I need encouraging words and gentle reassurances.

by | Aug 5, 2005 | Uncategorized

The Fire
I once moved to a church community that convinced me they lived so passionately in the midst of their faith, I wanted to be part of an irresistable movement. Jeremy came past to drop off some photos at the office tonight and talked intentional living spaces. Steve talks about the ahi kaa .. the home fires.

These ideas swirl in front of me, as I sit with lit prayer candles in my office, planning a labyrinth for next week, and asking the question.. where is Jesus inviting me to next?

by | Aug 3, 2005 | Uncategorized

In Light Of This
I am trying to remain at peace in a flurry of the world where I feel compelled to make decisions I have got no handle on, and I can’t even start to think about the possibilities…

But I can’t stop thinking about them.

I have a little place, where I like to hide away, where it all seems effortless. And it takes a little while to get there, for the harmony to sit just right, but by the time we all arrive, I never want to leave, never want to go, I’m happy just to stay… and the song goes on… something like that.

Anyway, the point is, I have this space that’s nothing but a feeling, when something is sitting just right. It’s a harmony about working and sharing and living this life in the space of another life, close enough to compliment.

Most of the time, I don’t live in the immediate sympathy of that harmony, but since the past few weeks, I’ve been luxuriating in it, the easiness and focus of it, the complimentary nature of it. The way it brings out the best in me these days. And it makes me think that I don’t want to leave.

It influences me to stay because there is a ground swell of something happening that’s bigger than me and seems worth the investment of time, energy and pain. So I’m thinking about staying and not assuming that my season here is done when my internship finishes at the end of the year.

by | Aug 3, 2005 | Uncategorized

The Tipping Point
I gave a girl a tip today because she was beautiful. She had acne, quite severe, covered over with makeup, and it was pristine. Her eyes sparkled and she was warm. I thought that she was truly beautiful and I gaver her a tip in the jar at Starbucks. And then I ordered a Caramel Chai Tea Latte.. and I’m glad that I did because it tastes like Christmas. Warm, spicy, nutty and cinnamon-y.

by | Aug 3, 2005 | Uncategorized

d:camp05|spirit

That’s what been consuming my attention since the middle of last week.. so no blogging, no real anything apart from just digging in and getting the job done.

We took less people away this year, but it was a much better mix of crew I felt. There was less posing and falseness, and the Spirit was gentle but very powerful. My youthband did soo awesome; I was just incredibly moved. Lots of good things that feel like lasting fruit happened.

I really enjoyed the crew that I was working with, from the guys doing games to the kitchen crew, to the band, and the various people who contributed from dance items to reading poems in our opening rituals..

There was a moment of real lowness on the Saturday afternoon.. I missed my friend Luke who would ordinarily be running camp with me, but there was something satisfying about the singularity of direction. Everything was cohesively knitted together.. exactly the same sort of strategy that I would like to see in place at Easter. There were some large criticisms from people that disappointed me but they did an about-face on the Saturday night which was also very cool.

Things That Intentionally Made The Camp Better

1. Prayer Partners
I rather randomly split the campers, young adults, leaders and crew into two halves and then paired them off, and scheduled three times over camp where they talked to one another. I trusted God in the pairings.. some with young adults with teenagers, others were teenagers with teenagers.. but I haven’t heard anything but great stories about how the Spirit of God was at work in the randomness of an Excel spreadsheet.

2. Opening Rituals
Every year I think about this more and more.. that the way you bring people into an experience and the way you close it (more later), becomes vital to setting the tone and direction of the camp. Previous years, it’s been a cleansing ritual.. this year it was a thanksgiving ceremony with lots of praise and worship songs, poetry and prayer readings from various people within the community, and a dance. It was very special.

3. Happy Sacks
Once again, these were such a hit. This year, on advice, I used brown paper bags and pegged them with yellow (happy) pegs on a loop of string down one wall of the main room. Over the weekend I filled them with treats at various points, and people wrote notes and thankyous to significant people. One girl came to camp with verses already written to put in them.

4. Intentionally Saying Thank You
With there being so many young adults there that aren’t directly involved with the high school groups, I wanted to really push and encourage intentionality within the older community there. I used the image of a spiders web, how each strand interlocks with so many other strands, in all directions, creating a web that very little falls through. At each gathering point with the leaders, I handed out treats as well, making sure that they felt valued and heard.

Feeling Finnish
I’m going to the Finn Brothers tonight at the Civic. Yayness.