We baptized four young people at the Magnolia Creek community pool Sunday evening. What a great celebration! It felt very right for us to all bring our food and drink, hang out, have fun, and celebrate new life in Christ. Here are a few background notes from the baptisms that you might not have known even if you were there.
First, the parents from all three families were a major influence leading to their kids' decisions to be baptized. We tend to think that church programs or activities generally move people to decisions like this, but not so. Parents are definitely #1, followed by other family members and friends. Church activities certainly mingle in there in the mix, but God's primary instrument of life change is a close relationship with one or more Christ-followers. No contest.
Second, I was surprised to hear how motivated these young people were to be baptized, without prompting. One started looking for info on the internet about baptism. Another wondered whether it was possible to baptize himself. All four of them had conversations with their parents and others about what it means to be baptized. This ancient ritual still has traction in the 21st century, and it's exciting to see young people who want to make this public declaration of their faith.
Third, these are baptisms 5, 6, 7, and 8 for us this year. The others were celebrated in smaller community settings. Nothing is more exciting to me than to know that God is changing lives in our community, and I look forward to many more to come!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Spiritual Retreat
Wow, 20 days since my last post. Thanks, readers, for hanging in there with me. I'll try to catch up on all that's been happening in the last 20 days this week.
In June, both of our boys spent two weeks at Kanakuk camps in Missouri. It was Benjamin's first time to go, but Jacob's sixth consecutive year. Kanakuk is now a must-do in our family every summer, and now Jacob is talking about the possibility of being a counselor there in years to come. I can't say enough about the incredible job Joe White and his staff do at Kanakuk, especially for boys. The camps themselves are nice, and my sons love the sports and activities, but the real value of the camp experience there lies in this: the counselors they recruit are all devoted followers of Christ who my boys deeply admire and want to emulate. I couldn't put a price tag on the fact that the college guys my sons most want to be like are a bunch of fun-loving, sharp, energetic followers of Christ.
Many parents--and just about all kids--wouldn't believe that kids could have what my sons call "the best two weeks of my year" with all the following completely absent: ipods, cell phones, text messaging, TV, video games, cars, shopping malls, movie theaters, computers and the internet, junk food, candy and sodas. If you take all those things away, a lot of kids wouldn't have anything left in a typical day. For that matter, what would many adults have left? That's the beauty of the camp experience and the heart of the principle of spiritual retreat: much of its value lies in what is not there. Removing ourselves from the stifling noise of the everyday allows God to recapture our attention, and often our hearts. Jesus practiced spiritual retreat, as have all of our heroes of the faith. I've never met a follower of Christ I admired for his or her faith who didn't practice it.
Our first group of students from the Springs just got back from camp. In spite of the giant spider in the girls' bathroom and the terrible "mattresses" on the bunks, God still worked in students' lives. We're already working on next year's camp experience for our students, as well as retreat opportunities for adults in the coming year. Spiritual retreat can be a life-changing experience for any person of any age. Although adults may believe camps and retreats are for kids, I would argue that the average adult's need to escape his or her routine for a while is much greater than the average kid's. We adults are also more likely to respond with "I don't have time for that." Exactly. Which is precisely why we need to do it.
In June, both of our boys spent two weeks at Kanakuk camps in Missouri. It was Benjamin's first time to go, but Jacob's sixth consecutive year. Kanakuk is now a must-do in our family every summer, and now Jacob is talking about the possibility of being a counselor there in years to come. I can't say enough about the incredible job Joe White and his staff do at Kanakuk, especially for boys. The camps themselves are nice, and my sons love the sports and activities, but the real value of the camp experience there lies in this: the counselors they recruit are all devoted followers of Christ who my boys deeply admire and want to emulate. I couldn't put a price tag on the fact that the college guys my sons most want to be like are a bunch of fun-loving, sharp, energetic followers of Christ.
Many parents--and just about all kids--wouldn't believe that kids could have what my sons call "the best two weeks of my year" with all the following completely absent: ipods, cell phones, text messaging, TV, video games, cars, shopping malls, movie theaters, computers and the internet, junk food, candy and sodas. If you take all those things away, a lot of kids wouldn't have anything left in a typical day. For that matter, what would many adults have left? That's the beauty of the camp experience and the heart of the principle of spiritual retreat: much of its value lies in what is not there. Removing ourselves from the stifling noise of the everyday allows God to recapture our attention, and often our hearts. Jesus practiced spiritual retreat, as have all of our heroes of the faith. I've never met a follower of Christ I admired for his or her faith who didn't practice it.
Our first group of students from the Springs just got back from camp. In spite of the giant spider in the girls' bathroom and the terrible "mattresses" on the bunks, God still worked in students' lives. We're already working on next year's camp experience for our students, as well as retreat opportunities for adults in the coming year. Spiritual retreat can be a life-changing experience for any person of any age. Although adults may believe camps and retreats are for kids, I would argue that the average adult's need to escape his or her routine for a while is much greater than the average kid's. We adults are also more likely to respond with "I don't have time for that." Exactly. Which is precisely why we need to do it.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Spirit of Adoption
One of my favorites from the "Who I Am in Christ" list (see my previous post) is Ephesians 1:3-8, in which we are described as adopted by God.
I wasn't adopted, and I don't pretend to know what it feels like to have been adopted. Apparently the desire to reconnect with one's birth parents is very strong, to understand why they were given up for adoption or what happened in their biological family. But the fact that their adoptive parents chose them must convey something very powerful. This was even more so in the New Testament era, prior to government social services or orphanages. Family was the first and last line of defense in a crisis. For a kid left without one, adoption would have literally saved his or her life. We have good friends who have adopted children from places like Russia and Guatemala. Having visited orphanages in third world countries, I can only imagine what the lives of these happy kids I know would have been like if they had not been adopted.
Brad Paisley, my favorite country artist, wrote a song called "He Didn't Have to Be." In it he tells the story of a young boy growing up without a dad. Then his mom met a man who didn't just love her, but loved her son as well and became a dad to him. Paisley praises him for being a dad when "he didn't have to be." Praise God today that He is your Father when he didn't have to be. He chose to be your Father, and it was His joy to do so, to "lavish " his love and grace on you, as the text says. I shudder to think what my life would have been if I had not been adopted by God!
This week, Rebecca Mourot and the rest of the Starfish Kenya team are loving 84 kids in Kenya who were orphaned and abandoned by the AIDS epidemic, but who have been adopted into a loving family at House of Hope. Not only can we celebrate our adoption, but that spirit lives on in our service to others. As these kids grow up, how do you think they will read Ephesians 1:3-8? Probably not without tears. And it should be the same for us.
What is your favorite from the "Who I Am in Christ" list? Leave a comment and tell us what it means to you.
I wasn't adopted, and I don't pretend to know what it feels like to have been adopted. Apparently the desire to reconnect with one's birth parents is very strong, to understand why they were given up for adoption or what happened in their biological family. But the fact that their adoptive parents chose them must convey something very powerful. This was even more so in the New Testament era, prior to government social services or orphanages. Family was the first and last line of defense in a crisis. For a kid left without one, adoption would have literally saved his or her life. We have good friends who have adopted children from places like Russia and Guatemala. Having visited orphanages in third world countries, I can only imagine what the lives of these happy kids I know would have been like if they had not been adopted.
Brad Paisley, my favorite country artist, wrote a song called "He Didn't Have to Be." In it he tells the story of a young boy growing up without a dad. Then his mom met a man who didn't just love her, but loved her son as well and became a dad to him. Paisley praises him for being a dad when "he didn't have to be." Praise God today that He is your Father when he didn't have to be. He chose to be your Father, and it was His joy to do so, to "lavish " his love and grace on you, as the text says. I shudder to think what my life would have been if I had not been adopted by God!
This week, Rebecca Mourot and the rest of the Starfish Kenya team are loving 84 kids in Kenya who were orphaned and abandoned by the AIDS epidemic, but who have been adopted into a loving family at House of Hope. Not only can we celebrate our adoption, but that spirit lives on in our service to others. As these kids grow up, how do you think they will read Ephesians 1:3-8? Probably not without tears. And it should be the same for us.
What is your favorite from the "Who I Am in Christ" list? Leave a comment and tell us what it means to you.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Identity In Christ
Sunday, I issued a challenge for all of us to be reminded of our identity in Christ by reading passages of scripture each day this week from the "Who I Am in Christ" list on our website. Whether you were at our service or not, I encourage you to bookmark, download or print this list and dwell on it this week. In the Bible, we are constantly reminded by God that we are accepted, secure, and significant because of our position as children of God. It's a core belief of the Christian faith, but functionally, few of us live and relate to others as if it is true of us or true of each other. I love the quote from Neil Anderson at the bottom of the list: "The more you reaffirm your identity in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity." I don't just want to affirm the truth of that statement, I want to practice it, and I hope you'll join me in doing so this week.
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