I just started a course in “boundaries”. I am really excited about this course ever since I visited Children’s Hospital 5 years ago and the Chaplain there recommended the course to anyone who provides pastoral care in any form. He indicated the course gave him tools to be able to deal with the successes, but most especially the failures that are inevitably encountered in his vocation.
Here’s a case study related to boundaries, based on a real situation that just happened to me moments ago before I boarded the train on which I am now writing this blog entry. The specific case may not be familiar to you, but I suspect the nature of the case will indeed ring a bell. I’ll place the case in third person for you to place yourself in the scenario.
You are waiting for your train to arrive at the station on a winter night at 9:25pm, after a long day at work and an evening at school. You’ve had a good night in class because the professor is outstanding, the material you are learning is engaging, and you just barely covered enough of the required reading prior to class that you were able to follow the professor’s points in an effective way.
A distressed middle-aged woman comes up out of the pedestrian tunnel from the inbound tracks and asks you when the next train comes bound for Thorndale. You reply, “Your timing is great it is just 3 minutes away”, to which she responds, “I hope they let me on, my boyfriend’s truck is broke down and I don’t have any money. I’m not sure what to say to them.” Meanwhile you realize you have 15 tickets in your backpack that you bought ahead at $3.75 each. What do you do?
This is no longer a simple decision for me. Ever since I was a college student at Drexel back in 1970 I learned to simply say, “I’m sorry but I’m a college student” whenever someone asks for money. But she didn’t ask me for anything except information about the next train. I’ve also had people give me huge stories before that I choose to believe and I end up helping out. The course I’m taking is teaching me that healthy boundaries mean that saying “NO” is something you need to be able to do. If you don’t say “NO” to a person who always “has a story”, then you are enabling their behavior by helping them when perhaps they didn’t really need the help or wouldn’t need the help if they managed their life differently.
I might have asked her why she needed to get to Thorndale, so I could evaluate her situation. I didn’t ask. In my estimation her distress was real and it wasn’t just about the timing of the train. Am I going to grill her and cause more distress? That might be the right thing to do if she does this every night. I am at the train station a lot. I never saw this person before in my life so I don’t think her behavior is habitual.
I asked her if she does this often. She said “no”. I believed her, and handed her the ticket I had ready in my hand with the words, “use this”. She thanked me, and boarded the back car as I got on the front car with another ticket from my pack.
A mistake? Maybe. For me I think the criteria comes down to discerning on the spot whether the individual is in a situation that they really need help with, or is this normal behavior they use and their entire life is a sequence of scraping by from one handout to the next, never taking advantage of opportunities to live a better life. Is that rude? I’m not sure. I can’t help everyone, I have to have a boundary somewhere. For now, this is where I place it. If in my estimation you are dealing with a burden that is out of your control, I will try to help you. Galatians 6:2 and Galatians 6:5 form a dichotomy between sharing one another’s burdens but carrying one’s own load. My take on the text from our course interprets that to say that if it’s out of your control and it’s a hardship, then I am called as a Christian, and also as a Deacon who is called to a life of service, to share your burden. What do you think?
Until next month, Happy Hiking, and God Bless,
- allen
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR 2011
I am pretty excited right now.
I probably share that with a lot of people as we anticipate celebrating the birth of God coming to live with us as a Human.
I know I also share another excitement with other college students. I am finished another semester! Thank you Jesus! 4.5 years down and only 3.5 years to go at my rate.
I’m also excited about my January term course, “The Holy Spirit and Christian Spirituality”. I wonder what changes that will bring in me. Usually the changes are not at all what I expect. That probably makes sense, since if I expected a particular change, it probably wouldn’t really be a change at all. I wonder if anyone remembers my “Transformer 101” sermon. We talked about change and how some of us like it, but most of us don’t. When I get right down to it, I think I look forward to change because I find it exciting, but at the same time I fear change too.
One of the authors on my personal reading list is Shane Claiborne. I’m actually a little scared to read his stuff. Because it might bring changes in me that I don’t think I’m ready for. I don’t want to pre-suppose what Claiborne’s work will do to me. But, I do suppose that is exactly what I’m doing when I fear reading him. I have heard just enough about “ordinary radicals”, which I believe Claiborne is one, to know that if I follow his suggestions, I may have to make some radical changes in my life that I feel uncomfortable with.
What scares me is that I believe Claiborne is probably right-on, and that not just Claiborne, but Jesus the God-Man whose birth we celebrate now, also calls me to the same changes. I believe I will discover that Claiborne will act as a prophet to me, and as such his work will challenge me in some major ways. Just as much and probably much more than my courses at seminary challenge me to become someone a little different for every course I take. At the same time, I hope that Claiborne can help me learn how to love and place God’s value on my neighbor, and that I can realize who my neighbors are. If I get what God and Jesus are telling me all over the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I am told that my neighbors are everyone, but most especially the broken, the poor, the aliens among us, and the oppressed. I think Claiborne is going to teach me that I need to love my neighbor not just with my prayers and my money, but in the way that seems the hardest today, with my presence and my time. That scares me. I don’t have any time to give away, do I? I’m not rich. But I’d rather give my money than my time.
Then again, I don’t know that is the change I will be called to. I guess I need to start reading to find out. So on January 1, 2011, I will begin my New Year’s Resolution. I intend to open up Claiborne’s work, “The Book of Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals”, and begin to find out, how it might change me.
Who’s with me?
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
I probably share that with a lot of people as we anticipate celebrating the birth of God coming to live with us as a Human.
I know I also share another excitement with other college students. I am finished another semester! Thank you Jesus! 4.5 years down and only 3.5 years to go at my rate.
I’m also excited about my January term course, “The Holy Spirit and Christian Spirituality”. I wonder what changes that will bring in me. Usually the changes are not at all what I expect. That probably makes sense, since if I expected a particular change, it probably wouldn’t really be a change at all. I wonder if anyone remembers my “Transformer 101” sermon. We talked about change and how some of us like it, but most of us don’t. When I get right down to it, I think I look forward to change because I find it exciting, but at the same time I fear change too.
One of the authors on my personal reading list is Shane Claiborne. I’m actually a little scared to read his stuff. Because it might bring changes in me that I don’t think I’m ready for. I don’t want to pre-suppose what Claiborne’s work will do to me. But, I do suppose that is exactly what I’m doing when I fear reading him. I have heard just enough about “ordinary radicals”, which I believe Claiborne is one, to know that if I follow his suggestions, I may have to make some radical changes in my life that I feel uncomfortable with.
What scares me is that I believe Claiborne is probably right-on, and that not just Claiborne, but Jesus the God-Man whose birth we celebrate now, also calls me to the same changes. I believe I will discover that Claiborne will act as a prophet to me, and as such his work will challenge me in some major ways. Just as much and probably much more than my courses at seminary challenge me to become someone a little different for every course I take. At the same time, I hope that Claiborne can help me learn how to love and place God’s value on my neighbor, and that I can realize who my neighbors are. If I get what God and Jesus are telling me all over the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I am told that my neighbors are everyone, but most especially the broken, the poor, the aliens among us, and the oppressed. I think Claiborne is going to teach me that I need to love my neighbor not just with my prayers and my money, but in the way that seems the hardest today, with my presence and my time. That scares me. I don’t have any time to give away, do I? I’m not rich. But I’d rather give my money than my time.
Then again, I don’t know that is the change I will be called to. I guess I need to start reading to find out. So on January 1, 2011, I will begin my New Year’s Resolution. I intend to open up Claiborne’s work, “The Book of Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals”, and begin to find out, how it might change me.
Who’s with me?
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Wilderness Map / Christmas Expectations
Hello!
The Olivet Youth Ministry team has a new monthly youth newsletter, “The Wilderness Map”. December 2010 is the first issue. The Wilderness Map is sent to Olivet Youth and Friends via US Mail. If you know someone who isn’t on our mailing list but should be, please contact our office manager Darlene McCormick, or any of us on the Youth Ministry Team.
Because The Wilderness Map is rich in graphic content, a special “Tidings-friendly” version, without the graphic content, is included in Tidings.
It is our hope that The Wilderness Map becomes the one-stop reference for information about all of the youth ministry programs. However, because any publication is out-of-date as soon as it is printed, we are also working to determine the best ways to communicate updates directly to youth and parents.
There will be a major update to the youth website, www.coatesvillemoca.org. There is also a FaceBook page, Coatesville MOCA (Mount Olivet Climbing Association). If you type MOCA in the FaceBook search window, you should find it quickly. Today we have 43 members. The FB page and the youth website eMail list are both used in tandem to distribute eMail / FB message updates of a timely nature.
For a few years we have been using and will continue to use short automated phone calls direct to youth and parents for ASP and Creation events. We are considering and have also begun to experiment with the use of concise text messages, direct to youth and parents for urgent updates.
Anyone on the distribution of any of these forms of communication will always have to ability to easily “opt-out” for whatever reason.
Hopefully, The Wilderness Map provides part of the solution for youth and parents to find their way through the pleura of youth activities going on.
Well, that has all been rather technical, hasn’t it?
It is almost the Christmas season. The anticipation is building. What are your expectations this Christmas? What do you value most and hope to get from this season? Would you like it to be different, or the same? I hope to spend some time considering the meaning of Jesus Christ in my life. What could be more important than God becoming one of us? God, being willing to come live with us in all the dirt, sweat, and blood of a human birth 2000 years ago? Christ became the God-Man, Jesus, for each and every one of us. Miracle of miracles. Hallelujah! A Messiah is born!
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
The Olivet Youth Ministry team has a new monthly youth newsletter, “The Wilderness Map”. December 2010 is the first issue. The Wilderness Map is sent to Olivet Youth and Friends via US Mail. If you know someone who isn’t on our mailing list but should be, please contact our office manager Darlene McCormick, or any of us on the Youth Ministry Team.
Because The Wilderness Map is rich in graphic content, a special “Tidings-friendly” version, without the graphic content, is included in Tidings.
It is our hope that The Wilderness Map becomes the one-stop reference for information about all of the youth ministry programs. However, because any publication is out-of-date as soon as it is printed, we are also working to determine the best ways to communicate updates directly to youth and parents.
There will be a major update to the youth website, www.coatesvillemoca.org. There is also a FaceBook page, Coatesville MOCA (Mount Olivet Climbing Association). If you type MOCA in the FaceBook search window, you should find it quickly. Today we have 43 members. The FB page and the youth website eMail list are both used in tandem to distribute eMail / FB message updates of a timely nature.
For a few years we have been using and will continue to use short automated phone calls direct to youth and parents for ASP and Creation events. We are considering and have also begun to experiment with the use of concise text messages, direct to youth and parents for urgent updates.
Anyone on the distribution of any of these forms of communication will always have to ability to easily “opt-out” for whatever reason.
Hopefully, The Wilderness Map provides part of the solution for youth and parents to find their way through the pleura of youth activities going on.
Well, that has all been rather technical, hasn’t it?
It is almost the Christmas season. The anticipation is building. What are your expectations this Christmas? What do you value most and hope to get from this season? Would you like it to be different, or the same? I hope to spend some time considering the meaning of Jesus Christ in my life. What could be more important than God becoming one of us? God, being willing to come live with us in all the dirt, sweat, and blood of a human birth 2000 years ago? Christ became the God-Man, Jesus, for each and every one of us. Miracle of miracles. Hallelujah! A Messiah is born!
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
Monday, November 1, 2010
TRANSFORMER12-2 : The Colors Tour
In my last blog entry, I talked about how the Transformer 12-2 concert came about. Now I owe you a report of how it went. In a nutshell, it was wonderful, just an all-around wonderful experience!
The name of the concert is based on Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds".
Leading up to concert day, our youth were thrilled to have a concert at Olivet, and helped tremendously with the publicity. One of our students got approval to put up posters at CASH. When I visited CASH for “See You At The Pole”, I was told by one of my students, “The posters are up all over the school, everyone is talking about the concert!”.
Finally, on September 26, Olivet Church became the venue for the final stop of “The Color’s Tour” and hosted our first Contemporary Chirstian Music (CCM) Concert. CCM concert is “Christian-speak”, for rock concert. The bands, Leo, and Shine Bright Baby, gave an awesome high-quality performance and were absolutely the nicest group of outstanding young musicians you could possibly ever want to meet. Our adults and youth also did an outstanding job “working the concert” by selling tickets, taking tickets, selling merchandise, cooking and selling hot dogs and beverages, serving food, working with the bands and the sound engineer to load equipment in and out, move and store furniture, work the lights and DVD player, provide wireless internet service and a green room for the bands, and provide security personnel to keep the high-school group of about 70 youth, from wandering into back-stage or office areas of the church. The bands raved about Harvey’s home-cooked meals for lunch and dinner.
In addition to band merchandise tables, Good Works, TWLOHA, and Compassion International had tables setup in the Garden room. Compassion even provided a speaker for intermission, with a video to show. I briefly talked about TWLOHA and we also presented a dynamic Rob Bell video during intermission. TWLOHA, (To Write Love On Her Arms) is an organization that works to help people in self-abusive habits of many forms.
There were not enough attendees to quite cover all the expenses but Olivet church was financially isolated with the exception of providing the venue, heat, and electricity.
We only had 70 youth show up, but, WOW, WE HAD 70 youth show up! We didn’t cover expenses but after the first song and I saw all the kids get up in front of the band doing “their concert thing”, I knew that my primary message was getting across, “You can be a Christian and you can still listen to rock music and have fun!”
The bands were wonderful to work with and expressed that they were doing what they do, for Jesus. I love when bands express that from the stage! My favorite quote of the night was from our senior pastor, when the fog machine set the fire alarm off. Someone was running to answer the call from the fire department, and Joe said, “Tell ‘em the youth set the church on FIRE!” Yes, I think, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they did!
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
The name of the concert is based on Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds".
Leading up to concert day, our youth were thrilled to have a concert at Olivet, and helped tremendously with the publicity. One of our students got approval to put up posters at CASH. When I visited CASH for “See You At The Pole”, I was told by one of my students, “The posters are up all over the school, everyone is talking about the concert!”.
Finally, on September 26, Olivet Church became the venue for the final stop of “The Color’s Tour” and hosted our first Contemporary Chirstian Music (CCM) Concert. CCM concert is “Christian-speak”, for rock concert. The bands, Leo, and Shine Bright Baby, gave an awesome high-quality performance and were absolutely the nicest group of outstanding young musicians you could possibly ever want to meet. Our adults and youth also did an outstanding job “working the concert” by selling tickets, taking tickets, selling merchandise, cooking and selling hot dogs and beverages, serving food, working with the bands and the sound engineer to load equipment in and out, move and store furniture, work the lights and DVD player, provide wireless internet service and a green room for the bands, and provide security personnel to keep the high-school group of about 70 youth, from wandering into back-stage or office areas of the church. The bands raved about Harvey’s home-cooked meals for lunch and dinner.
In addition to band merchandise tables, Good Works, TWLOHA, and Compassion International had tables setup in the Garden room. Compassion even provided a speaker for intermission, with a video to show. I briefly talked about TWLOHA and we also presented a dynamic Rob Bell video during intermission. TWLOHA, (To Write Love On Her Arms) is an organization that works to help people in self-abusive habits of many forms.
There were not enough attendees to quite cover all the expenses but Olivet church was financially isolated with the exception of providing the venue, heat, and electricity.
We only had 70 youth show up, but, WOW, WE HAD 70 youth show up! We didn’t cover expenses but after the first song and I saw all the kids get up in front of the band doing “their concert thing”, I knew that my primary message was getting across, “You can be a Christian and you can still listen to rock music and have fun!”
The bands were wonderful to work with and expressed that they were doing what they do, for Jesus. I love when bands express that from the stage! My favorite quote of the night was from our senior pastor, when the fog machine set the fire alarm off. Someone was running to answer the call from the fire department, and Joe said, “Tell ‘em the youth set the church on FIRE!” Yes, I think, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they did!
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Train Ride and a Concert
It’s 10:20 pm and I’m sitting on a train just out of 30th Street Station, on my way back to my family shore vacation after an afternoon and evening class at seminary. Tidings input is due tomorrow morning. I’ll walk into our rented apartment in Ocean City, NJ after everyone is asleep, a few minutes after midnight.
There are lots of things I could blog about. I could complain about the life of a half-time seminarian, full-time engineer, and round-the-clock father, grandfather, and husband. But then, I signed up for all of that. So I have no right to complain, after all, most of the time, I love it all. At least, I can definitely say I love seminary after I finish each semester. You might say that’s like saying it feels good to stop hitting yourself too. But, as I’ve told many of you many times, I can truly look back on each semester and be thankful for the changes I see in myself from every seminary course I’ve taken. Changes that I have a responsibility to take into the ministry God calls me to. It is my privilege and joy to do that.
Now, some courses I am excited to take, and some courses God drags me in kicking and screaming. “Theological Field Education”, known to most of you as “internship”, is close to the latter. The course only earns 1 credit per semester even though it requires 10-12 hours of work at my assigned church. I choose to apply for a “home-church waiver”, so I could do my internship at Olivet. My assumption was that I could do what I do now, most of the time over 10 hours most weeks already, and all I have to do is show up for the weekly class and mentor meetings.
Not so fast. I received a reminder letter stating that I am expected to do something new with my internship time. This isn’t what I’d planned. I can’t spend another 10 hours a week. I don’t have another 10 hours a week in addition to what I’m already doing.
But God had something in mind.
Not long before I received the reminder letter, I was working on the Main Stage Crew at the Purple Door Arts and Music Festival. I’ve been doing that every year since about 2001. In a conversation with one of the bands they suggested they come to my church for a concert. This is not the first time that has happened either, and it’s not the first time I brushed it off, this time saying, “you guys are too big for us”.
It was a week later that the letter came, and I began to realize that God may have created this opportunity for a reason, to take advantage of the opportunity to do something new in my ministry. So, I have literally now become a rock concert promoter/producer.
By the time you read this blog entry in tidings, the concert, on Sunday, September 26, will probably be over. You will probably know what went wrong and what went right.
Conversely, I’ll get off the train tonight without much of a clue of exactly what God has in mind for this concert. Will anyone show up besides a few faithful curious church members or will our sanctuary be filled to capacity at 500 attendees?
I pray God will be glorified and that people are drawn closer to Christ through this concert. I pray some of our church members are blessed to be a blessing in providing hospitality to the band members. I pray someone who attends learns something new about what it is to be a Christian. I pray someone walks away with the realization that Christians are real people, some of who enjoy good rock music with good lyrics. I pray they develop a seeking personality because they’ve realized maybe some of the other generalizations they may have come to believe about Christians may not be true either. I pray that God’s love shines through the bands Shine Bright Baby and Leo on September 26.
And for my immediate future, I just hope someone remembered to leave the side-door of the shore rental unlocked because there wasn’t a spare set of keys to take with me tonight and everyone else will be asleep when I arrive!
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
It has been a great ASP summer.
It has been a great ASP summer. I thought I'd share some of it.
As well as the youth trip during ASP week-5, July 10-17, Jay Widmayer made a special trip during week-8, August 1-7, especially due to a special need that ASP encountered mid-summer this year, namely, "Bobby".
Here is a compilation of Jay’s Widmayer’s Texts, and final STATUS from ASP staffers Jill Thrasher Hauserman and Kat Reach, after Jay’s ASP2010 week-8 excursion –
Following that is a Final Summer’s County Update message from ASP Staffer Kevin Lynch –
Happy Hiking, and God Bless,
- allen
JAY’S TEXTS –
RT JW@1230sun- “I have safely arrived in Hinton wv” – Reply with “YES” to get on distribution for Jay’s texts
RT JW@550pmMon: Hey Allen great first day go to meet little Robbie and chuck today awesome people just wanted to put out a prayer request for chucks wife Stacey she in the hospital and having trouble regulating her EKG numbers and keeping her until that happens
RT JW@701pmTUE- So kat’s dad put the oil line thru Coatesville and down business 30, 2 ny volunteers have ties to the area one from Boyertown the other grew up in wc and met 4 sisters at dq one living in Hershey and the other near Chester weird coincidence
RT JW@839WED: I’m with a first time church-by helping them out and bouncing around finishing up small stuff for the staff, Bobbys house has 3 teams working on it, the goal is get the addition Bobby start weather tite anymore that gets done is a bonus and it looks like it should be that way by tomo
RT JW@818wed: It’s hot down here but had a big thunderstorm come thru tonite should cool things off and it’s a bit odd walking around the center and not have any olivet people running around but it’s going well
RT JW@1001wed: Yea they’re great(team jay is helping) and yes I’ve been out there making a lot of their deliveries(staff’s) so I’m not on the job I’d like to be but I know I’m where god wants me to be
RT JW@943PmThurs: 3/4 rain tight and I’ll probly work late tomo & then leave sat morning-(see allens fb 4 pic jay took-robert@asp picnic2dy)
RT JW@832AMsat: Just passed James Madison univ
RT JW@1005AmSat: Made it back to Pennsylvania
RT JW@1015AmSat: I’ve been thinking about that past week, it feels like I’ve only been driving for 30 mins
RT JW@1242pmSat: Asp 2010 excursion has come an end, I’m home --- Thank You Jay for your service & your reports- welcome home & God Bless!
JILL THRASHER HAUSERMAN FB STATUS ABOUT 7:57PM SUN: today, i watched bobby use running water for the first time! thanks to all who donated to make this possible!
KAT REACH FB STATUS ABOUT 9:55PM SUN: was with a man when he watched water run from his faucet for the first time. Thanks to all who gave him that opportunity.
ASP Staffer Kevin Lynch –
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Summers County West Virginia"
Sent: Sunday, August 8, 2010 10:43:28 AM
Subject: Final Summes County Update!
Hello Everyone!
I hope you are all having a fantastic summer! I wanted to send you all one final update from Summers County: As of right now, we have finished all of our homes! We have been so blessed by the hard work that you gave to our families each week, and consequently we have been able to complete more on each of our projects than we had anticipated. And thanks to your generous donations, we have been able to get Bobby and his brother David running water and a septic system! The gifts you have given to all of our families mean the world to us, and we are so grateful we were able to serve alongside you all this summer. We hope that we will get to see you all again sometime, and we pray that you will be a blessing to your community just as you were to Summers.
Pictures of our county and work sites have been posted and will continue to be posted on our website: www.BuildANew You.org. Click on the Login button on the top right of the homepage, and you will be able to create an ASP profile, then join the Summers, WV group to see all our photos and updates!
Again, I wanted to thank you all for the amazing work you did while here in Summers. You were a blessing to the staff and a blessing to the families, and we sincerely hope that you will return next year to continue sharing your gifts with the deserving families of Appalachia.
God Bless,
Kevin Lynch
Summers County
As well as the youth trip during ASP week-5, July 10-17, Jay Widmayer made a special trip during week-8, August 1-7, especially due to a special need that ASP encountered mid-summer this year, namely, "Bobby".
Here is a compilation of Jay’s Widmayer’s Texts, and final STATUS from ASP staffers Jill Thrasher Hauserman and Kat Reach, after Jay’s ASP2010 week-8 excursion –
Following that is a Final Summer’s County Update message from ASP Staffer Kevin Lynch –
Happy Hiking, and God Bless,
- allen
JAY’S TEXTS –
RT JW@1230sun- “I have safely arrived in Hinton wv” – Reply with “YES” to get on distribution for Jay’s texts
RT JW@550pmMon: Hey Allen great first day go to meet little Robbie and chuck today awesome people just wanted to put out a prayer request for chucks wife Stacey she in the hospital and having trouble regulating her EKG numbers and keeping her until that happens
RT JW@701pmTUE- So kat’s dad put the oil line thru Coatesville and down business 30, 2 ny volunteers have ties to the area one from Boyertown the other grew up in wc and met 4 sisters at dq one living in Hershey and the other near Chester weird coincidence
RT JW@839WED: I’m with a first time church-by helping them out and bouncing around finishing up small stuff for the staff, Bobbys house has 3 teams working on it, the goal is get the addition Bobby start weather tite anymore that gets done is a bonus and it looks like it should be that way by tomo
RT JW@818wed: It’s hot down here but had a big thunderstorm come thru tonite should cool things off and it’s a bit odd walking around the center and not have any olivet people running around but it’s going well
RT JW@1001wed: Yea they’re great(team jay is helping) and yes I’ve been out there making a lot of their deliveries(staff’s) so I’m not on the job I’d like to be but I know I’m where god wants me to be
RT JW@943PmThurs: 3/4 rain tight and I’ll probly work late tomo & then leave sat morning-(see allens fb 4 pic jay took-robert@asp picnic2dy)
RT JW@832AMsat: Just passed James Madison univ
RT JW@1005AmSat: Made it back to Pennsylvania
RT JW@1015AmSat: I’ve been thinking about that past week, it feels like I’ve only been driving for 30 mins
RT JW@1242pmSat: Asp 2010 excursion has come an end, I’m home --- Thank You Jay for your service & your reports- welcome home & God Bless!
JILL THRASHER HAUSERMAN FB STATUS ABOUT 7:57PM SUN: today, i watched bobby use running water for the first time! thanks to all who donated to make this possible!
KAT REACH FB STATUS ABOUT 9:55PM SUN: was with a man when he watched water run from his faucet for the first time. Thanks to all who gave him that opportunity.
ASP Staffer Kevin Lynch –
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Summers County West Virginia"
Sent: Sunday, August 8, 2010 10:43:28 AM
Subject: Final Summes County Update!
Hello Everyone!
I hope you are all having a fantastic summer! I wanted to send you all one final update from Summers County: As of right now, we have finished all of our homes! We have been so blessed by the hard work that you gave to our families each week, and consequently we have been able to complete more on each of our projects than we had anticipated. And thanks to your generous donations, we have been able to get Bobby and his brother David running water and a septic system! The gifts you have given to all of our families mean the world to us, and we are so grateful we were able to serve alongside you all this summer. We hope that we will get to see you all again sometime, and we pray that you will be a blessing to your community just as you were to Summers.
Pictures of our county and work sites have been posted and will continue to be posted on our website: www.BuildANew You.org. Click on the Login button on the top right of the homepage, and you will be able to create an ASP profile, then join the Summers, WV group to see all our photos and updates!
Again, I wanted to thank you all for the amazing work you did while here in Summers. You were a blessing to the staff and a blessing to the families, and we sincerely hope that you will return next year to continue sharing your gifts with the deserving families of Appalachia.
God Bless,
Kevin Lynch
Summers County
Thursday, July 1, 2010
On The Threshold of a Dream ...
In the Beginning (Graeme Edge) -
I think...
I think I am.
Therefore I am!
I think...
Lovely to see you again my friend (Justin Hayward) -
Now that you're here, you're going to stay, cause it's...
Lovely to see you again my friend
Walk along with me to the next bend
Turn up the volume!
I once heard a great preacher (H. Joe Tyson) express that the Christian life is an endless series of three major movements: Reflection, Vision, Action … Reflection, Vision, Action … Reflection, Vision, Action. Of course every individual is very complex, and this sequence, or thread, can be operating in different phases in many various aspects of our lives all at once. I’m pretty sure each of us has hundreds of these threads running simultaneously.
Sometimes several of these strands line up together when a significant event occurs such as a wedding or a graduation. Such “rite of passage” events are markers in our lives. Life on either side of the marker is very different. It’s as if the life you lead coming up to the marker has a little death, but leads to new horizons spreading before you as you embark on the new life just on the other side of the marker.
Spiritual events can be markers too. Accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is an obvious one. As we lead our Christian lives there may be other times when we sense the presence of God in special ways such that we are no longer the same. An experience at summer camp, ASP, the Creation Festival, a retreat, an Emmaus Walk or Chrysallis experience, a seminar, a word said during a sermon, an inspirational reading, or perhaps God speaks to us in a way we’ve never noticed before through God’s word.
The first set of markers are somewhat predictable. Graduation, a wedding, your first full time job, have fixed dates we know when they are coming. Conversely, significant spiritual events are not predictable. Who can know when a person will respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit?
As this summer begins, we have a lot of graduations and weddings to celebrate! Hallelujah! These major rites of passage provide natural times for reflection and vision, as we anticipate and prepare for our next actions to follow.
I am very excited about the graduates and newlyweds that I know and I’m sure they are enjoying wonderful, and sometimes appropriately teary, times of reflection. I am also very excited for the spiritual rites of passage that we cannot see but I believe will be happening in the lives of many of our youth as they spend time at summer activities where I know the Holy Spirit will be hard at work in their lives.
In my ministerial life, the beginning of summer is a very exciting time for me to be reflecting on the lives of our youth, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my vision as I prepare for the very active spiritual events of the Creation festival and ASP. On a different “thread”, I also must be appropriately open to the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life. As I move into the action season I can all too easily fall into the mindset of a busy, consumed, work-a-holic, and I could completely miss the “movement of the spirit”.
I pray God invites every one of us to appropriately slow down our minds, to allow a space for the Holy Spirit to take residence, to grow, and to transform our minds.
So graduates, newlyweds, church camp lovers, Creation enthusiasts, ASP team, lovers of the Holy Spirit, may we ALL reflect, and dream, as we prepare for action. But let us dream big dreams, colossal dreams, appropriate for our awesome God to fill. Let it be with you as Luke puts it in God’s words in Acts 2:17, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
I am a product of the Hard Rock Music Generation of the 60’s. Please excuse the slightly new age sound of these lyrics. I read them as a Christian and I read what I want to read. To the pure, all things are pure. Intended or not, I see God in these lyrics. So, as the Moody Blues put it in April 1969, I think we are at every moment, but most especially at the beginning of this summer, “On The Threshold of a Dream” …
What dream is at YOUR feet? Reflect, Vision, and then take Action! Put your foot “On The Threshold of a Dream” …
The Dream (Graeme Edge) -
Just as new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure
Gives in return a wondrous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we'll stand
On the threshold of a dream....
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
I think...
I think I am.
Therefore I am!
I think...
Lovely to see you again my friend (Justin Hayward) -
Now that you're here, you're going to stay, cause it's...
Lovely to see you again my friend
Walk along with me to the next bend
Turn up the volume!
I once heard a great preacher (H. Joe Tyson) express that the Christian life is an endless series of three major movements: Reflection, Vision, Action … Reflection, Vision, Action … Reflection, Vision, Action. Of course every individual is very complex, and this sequence, or thread, can be operating in different phases in many various aspects of our lives all at once. I’m pretty sure each of us has hundreds of these threads running simultaneously.
Sometimes several of these strands line up together when a significant event occurs such as a wedding or a graduation. Such “rite of passage” events are markers in our lives. Life on either side of the marker is very different. It’s as if the life you lead coming up to the marker has a little death, but leads to new horizons spreading before you as you embark on the new life just on the other side of the marker.
Spiritual events can be markers too. Accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is an obvious one. As we lead our Christian lives there may be other times when we sense the presence of God in special ways such that we are no longer the same. An experience at summer camp, ASP, the Creation Festival, a retreat, an Emmaus Walk or Chrysallis experience, a seminar, a word said during a sermon, an inspirational reading, or perhaps God speaks to us in a way we’ve never noticed before through God’s word.
The first set of markers are somewhat predictable. Graduation, a wedding, your first full time job, have fixed dates we know when they are coming. Conversely, significant spiritual events are not predictable. Who can know when a person will respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit?
As this summer begins, we have a lot of graduations and weddings to celebrate! Hallelujah! These major rites of passage provide natural times for reflection and vision, as we anticipate and prepare for our next actions to follow.
I am very excited about the graduates and newlyweds that I know and I’m sure they are enjoying wonderful, and sometimes appropriately teary, times of reflection. I am also very excited for the spiritual rites of passage that we cannot see but I believe will be happening in the lives of many of our youth as they spend time at summer activities where I know the Holy Spirit will be hard at work in their lives.
In my ministerial life, the beginning of summer is a very exciting time for me to be reflecting on the lives of our youth, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my vision as I prepare for the very active spiritual events of the Creation festival and ASP. On a different “thread”, I also must be appropriately open to the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life. As I move into the action season I can all too easily fall into the mindset of a busy, consumed, work-a-holic, and I could completely miss the “movement of the spirit”.
I pray God invites every one of us to appropriately slow down our minds, to allow a space for the Holy Spirit to take residence, to grow, and to transform our minds.
So graduates, newlyweds, church camp lovers, Creation enthusiasts, ASP team, lovers of the Holy Spirit, may we ALL reflect, and dream, as we prepare for action. But let us dream big dreams, colossal dreams, appropriate for our awesome God to fill. Let it be with you as Luke puts it in God’s words in Acts 2:17, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
I am a product of the Hard Rock Music Generation of the 60’s. Please excuse the slightly new age sound of these lyrics. I read them as a Christian and I read what I want to read. To the pure, all things are pure. Intended or not, I see God in these lyrics. So, as the Moody Blues put it in April 1969, I think we are at every moment, but most especially at the beginning of this summer, “On The Threshold of a Dream” …
What dream is at YOUR feet? Reflect, Vision, and then take Action! Put your foot “On The Threshold of a Dream” …
The Dream (Graeme Edge) -
Just as new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure
Gives in return a wondrous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we'll stand
On the threshold of a dream....
Happy Hiking and God Bless,
- allen
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