Saturday, April 29, 2006

Discovering Your Mission

This is a talk I gave during our Senior high spring retreat last weekend. It was an awesome time in Black Water Falls, WV. I'll get pictures and things up later, but figured I'd post this talk. As a warning, it's a bit long...



Last night Alex was playing Imagine by John Lennon for me. I’m pretty sure it was just for Alex and my benefit, since there was WAY too much noise going on around the table with people playing cards for them to have even noticed Alex had a guitar in his hands. It really was a great evening, and a good way to settle down.

The song spurred me into imagination. I want you to imagine something with me.

Close your eyes… No peeking, even Rachel can close her eyes while Big Bird plays hide and seek with Ernie.

Imagine with me a 10 foot deep hole with a ladder on one side. Now imagine my daughter Rachel doesn’t pay attention and accidentally slides down the side and into the whole. She’s ok, but stuck. Imagine what it must be like for Rachel at the bottom of the hole, looking up at me over the edge and wailing because she feels trapped and can’t find any way out. I’m at the top of the hole pointing, talking and trying to explain how to get to the ladder, but she can’t hear me over her sobs. Until she settles down and actually listens to me, she’ll never find a way out. I can do tons of things, but until she settles down it will all be wasted.

What pit are you stuck in right now? What questions do you feel that you just have to answer right now? Are you wondering what you want to be when you grow up? Wondering what you want to do with your life? Are you asking where you fit in God’s plan? Are you feeling led more by what you think your parents desire for you instead of where you feel God leading you? Have you wondered about entering ministry full-time or go into the marketplace after college?

These questions are always on our minds. Some of these are questions I keep asking myself, and listening to the wrong voices for answers. We’ll stay stuck in the pit of indecision until we look too God and let His answers lead us out.

Okay, you can open your eyes.

Have you ever heard the country song “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere”? The chorus goes like this:

“Pour me something tall and strong,
Make it a hurricane, before I go insane.
It’s only half past 12, but I don’t care…
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere”

At one point the two singers talk about heading out and one singer makes sure that the other is keeping it “between the navigational beacons”. Every time I think about getting directions or being lost (which happened far too much yesterday) I think about keeping it between the “navigational beacons”.

Yesterday night we went around the same circle of road three times. We doubled back and still didn’t make it. It wasn’t until we slowed down and read the signs along the way that we finally found our way out of the endless loop we were stuck in.

God has put each one of you here for a reason. Sometimes we need to slow down and forget about schedules, forget about how upset we are that we’re lost. We need to turn to God and let him give us direction. I have to tell you, when you figure out what God has planned for you, and you follow that path you will find peace and fulfillment. It always begins with God.

Look at James 1:5, the last person to find it gets to read. God is our navigational beacon. “If any of you lack Wisdom, he should ask God, which gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to them. God is generous and wants you to be happy. God gives wisdom if we seek and pray to him”.

So, what is Wisdom?


Those are pretty good answers.

Wisdom is godly understanding. It’s seeing things as God sees them. See, we don’t see things as they are… we see them as WE are.

Wisdom also helps us get a clear focus on our purpose. Going back to our imagination. If I asked you to picture your life, what image would come to mind?

That image is your life metaphor. It’s the view of your life that you hold unconsciously in your mind. If you view life as a race, you’ll value speed. If you view life as a party you’ll value fun. If you view life as a battle, winning will be your ultimate goal.

To fulfill you’re your purpose you’ll have to challenge conventional wisdom. We can’t conform to the standards of the world!

Why is it that adults say high school is the best time you’ll ever have? Why do they say it’s all down hill after college? Why do they want to be “young” again? Don’t they know how incredibly hard life is in high school?

Here’s what those adults really see when they look at you. They see lives that are able to be molded. Lives that don’t have to support a family or a house. Lives where you can do whatever you want. Sure you have to go to class and get through college. But if you wanted you could drop everything and enter the Peace Corps. You can become a missionary and go all over the world, without having to convince your husband or wife to come with you.

You can hear God’s mission and follow it right now. As you get older it may become harder to follow that mission, since you may have to convince others to follow with you. The pressures of the world will keep making your hold deeper and deeper so that your Father’s voice gets harder and harder to hear.

Someone read Jonah 1:1-3 and 2:1. God’s missions for us are pretty clear in our lives. But, just like Jonah, we tend to turn away from what those missions are. We listen to the people around us for guidance instead of going straight to the source.

So, how the heck do you figure out your mission anyway? Thankfully God has given us two great tools to give us clarity.

Prayer is one gift God has given us to find our mission.

In the van, how do you think my navigation system was able to play music through the radio? It worked because the radio was on the same station that the navigation system broadcast on. So, the Navigation system sent a signal as 106.3 FM and the radio had to be set to 106.3 FM to hear it. Any other channel would have been static or some other music station.

Prayer is the amplifier that takes His words and allows us to hear them. It helps bring us to Hid frequency. God is always speaking to us, but if we’re on the wrong channel we can’t pick him up.

There’s so much distraction and noise around us that it’s not easy to get on his wavelength. We so over stimulated that we don’t let God compete with our busy schedule. We want instant answers, like those we find on the Internet.

The frequency God works on is silence.

We need to create a time of silence to hear God speaking to us.

The second tool God gave each of us to understand His mission for us is scripture.

Yep, that book you keep cracking open whenever we ask you to read Book X, Chapter Y, and Verse Z isn’t just there for us to test your reading skills. It’s filled with God’s words.

Reading His words help us to understand what He wants the world around us to look like. Passages of scripture affect each of us differently. How you feel as you read the Bible helps you find your mission.

How do you know if you’re doing what God has planned for you? You know because you will finally be at peace.

For years I have felt that my job is not meeting the mission God has for me. In the work I do every day, I am not bringing people closer to God. I am not introducing people to God through my products. Every time someone logs into one of my applications, they are not deepening their faith.

I have a wonderful gift that lets me love each and every one of you. Even if you don’t share that love back. I was talking to Ann last night about my “favorites” in youth group. As we were talking I realized that every one of you were my favorites. Everyone here, everyone I see Sunday night and everyone I see Thursday night are my “favorite” in one way or another.

It’s true at work too. No matter how difficult a person is, you can see that they only want to make this world better for those around them. They just may not recognize how.

I thought that making the decision to go to seminary and become a priest would be relatively easy. I know God is leading me in that direction. I know He’s been leading me there for years. I never expected how much my own family would tell me I was making the wrong decision. Even my mom, who goes to church regularly and has kept me faithfully grounded, thinks it’s a bad idea to pursue right now. They all recognize that I have Rachel to raise and a family to help support. That’s impossible if I go to seminary, I’ll become a financial drain instead of a faucet.

At the same time, I do feel like I’m in that pit. The ladder is right beside me, but I just can’t see it. I am in a personal turmoil, and peace feels like it’s the farthest thing from my grasp.

I’m trying to compromise with God. I’m trying to find programming work with a company which produces products that help God’s mission for us. But nothing seems to fit.

It’s like my new van. I was sick of my Nissan Quest. It was expensive and had problems. I just felt uncomfortable in it. So I researched and test drove a ton of new cars. Not one of them “clicked” for me. I didn’t fall in love with a single one of them. Then I looked for a used minivan I could buy with my own money. I test-drove my Chrysler and fell in love with it. It just clicked, and now every time I get in the car I feel at peace. I love to drive again like I haven’t felt since college.

If you’re unsettled or uncertain about where God is moving in your life, it’s time to seek Him out. Once you have found God’s frequency and are following His will, you’ll find the Experience of Peace.

Find another person in the room, put your hands on their shoulders and close your eyes. I want you to pray for that person right now that they will accept God’s will for them in their lives. Also pray that they will receive the wisdom to know when it’s not God’s will.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

I Like This Youth Group the Best

I was talking to one of the teenagers who come to Starbucks on Thursday nights and he made a pretty interesting statement. He’d been to youth groups which had 200 people and others which had far fewer. Some had great leaders and some had insane amounts of money. But tonight he said he keeps coming back to Starbucks because it’s the place he likes the best and feels the most comfortable. He even wants to go on our retreat tomorrow, even though he did just find out about it two hours ago.

Statements like that are why I volunteer to do this job. I have some parents who think my evenings at Starbucks are a joke. There’s not much talk about God and mostly people just hang out in one of two big groups talking about whatever comes to mind. It sure isn’t structured the way many parents would like.

Over the past three years of these meting though I have seen a lot. I’ve been there during break-ups and when one guy asks the girl on her first date (both happened in the same evening recently, if you can believe it). I’ve been in the cold when no one showed up and in the summer when 60 people are running around and the manager came and said we were too loud (and we were sitting outside).

More than anything I’ve gotten to be there for real life. I get to hear the stories of what these teens go through each day, and I get to interject a tiny bit of wisdom whenever it fits. Really though I’ve just loved the chance to be a part of the lives of some teens who don’t go to church. I get to show them the love and acceptance Jesus has for them, without having to plan and keep them structured.

So, tonight was simply a great night. I had another of those chances to hear that what I’m doing does make a difference. As I’ve said in the past, I’ve made a difference in some people’s lives. I could die tomorrow and only regret leaving Erin and Rachel to early on. I love it even more to find out that I’m continuing to make a difference, and people still appreciate what I do.

When is the last time you heard someone say that about what you’ve done? Kevin didn’t say that it was directly anything I’d done. Just that he liked the friends he hangs out with and likes this group the best. I just feel so good knowing that a strong community of teens is forming in front of me. There are screw-ups and there are nerds. But they’re all getting along and growing together. God does work in some incredible ways.

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

What Do You Want To Hear?

I shared this story at bible study last night, but it just seems to be sticking around in my head. I figure that means I should write a blog entry just to get it out there.

I went up to Pennsylvania for a few hours to visit my friend Abby. She and I met during the Mississippi trip our youth group took last November. Honestly, she was quiet and we joked around a little but I certainly hit it off more with two other people, Dave and Amber, out of their group. Over time that has changed a lot. Time and God just keep throwing changeups when all we were expecting was a fastball.

Right now I talk to Amber and Dave every now and then, but have the good, regular conversations with Abby. While IM is a great way to talk, it just isn’t wonderful at getting to know someone. I knew Abby went to church and did some things even outside Sunday morning, but really had no idea where she fell relating to God (I still don’t think I know entirely).

When I first arrived we got to talking about this bible study called the 40 Day Revolution I’m leading at youth group. It’s all about showing the world the love God has for each one of us by going out of our way for other people and praying for their needs.

Monday was simply to color a rock and put it someplace you could see it. Tuesday’s “assignment” was to ask the people beside us in each class if there was anything we could pray about for them. When I write it, and when I present it, it just sounds like such an easy thing to do. Apparently I’m not so good when it comes to living it.

I was talking to Abby about the curriculum and started talking about the assignment from Tuesday. I don’t know whether Abby had look on her face or if it was my own insecurity, but I just really down-played the assignment. Heck, I even made it out to sound kind of silly… As though I was getting too religious or might put her off because of it.

On the ride home I was thinking about the good times we had, but this interaction kept nagging at me. I realized that this was an assignment completely out of my comfort zone and will be really hard to accomplish while looking someone in the eye.

I hold honesty to be a pretty important value in my life. I also tend to hold bluntness up there as well. Don’t say something that hints at what you’d like me to do, or what I have done wrong. Get it out there so we can discuss it head-on. I only ask that you be considerate of what I may be thinking and about how I may receive your honesty.

The last part there causes some of the problems for me. I am too blunt in some cases, often putting my foot in my mouth. Thankfully I am surrounded by forgiving people who see it as one of my peculiarities. Other times I will water down what I am saying so much that I’m really changing my point entirely, just because I think the other person won’t like or agree with what I have to say.

It happened yesterday talking to Abby. My own mind started thinking about this assignment and how she would receive it. I erred on the side of caution and took almost all of the “religion” out of it. I didn’t want her thinking I was weird or strange (which is funny since I really am weird AND strange). I just don’t want people to act a certain way with me because of my religious beliefs. I’d rather we all just be honest and comfortable with one-another while being open to listen to different ideas.

I had one of the most open and honest conversations with some of our youth last night during a small group discussion. We all opened up to one-another and really shared some of our heartaches in life. It’s that sort of honesty I want to be surrounded by. An honesty that is brutal, blunt and opens us to hurt. Conversations like these are what build a strong community. They build relationships that should last beyond the end of the week and into the changes phases of our lives.

For now all I can say is that I’ll be asking Abby what I can pray for in her life. I’ll also ask you, is there anything I can be praying for in your life?

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

Making Time

Lately my job has been roiling along pretty slowly. There just hasn’t been a lot of work that needs to be done. While it’s frustrating to be at work during this time, it has given me the opportunity to use a little vacation time and try to re-center myself.

Yesterday I got to take one of those days and get out of Virginia. I headed up to Pennsylvania, Selinsgrove to be exact, to spend some time with my friend Abby. The drive up and back was uneventful and relaxing. I just get so relaxed by watching the landscape around me turn from urban sprawl to small towns to trees and finally mountains on every side. The East coast is great at getting you almost every sort of land mass you could want (besides desert, but who wants that anyway) within a 3 hour drive.

I do admit that it can get boring (that’s why I have audiobooks). I also sometimes wish I had more time to just stop and walk around in those trees or look out from the top of that mountain. I only had about 4 hours in PA before I had to head back, so I tried to soak in as much as I could at 75 miles per hour.

Having the day in PA helped as well. I got to Abby’s farm house and was easily taken in by the sheer nature around me. Now, Selinsgrove sure it’s not the most exciting place in the world. There just isn’t much to do when you compare it to Northern Virginia. While it may not be a beehive of activity, I got the chance to just sit and talk. I can’t tell you the last time I talked to people without having to worry about what was coming up next or what I was going to be late for.

I met Abby at her house and just chatted for a few minutes. Since I’d only really talked to her face to face three times, it seems a bit awkward whenever we first get together. We soon headed down to Selinsgrove University and I got to have lunch with her mom. Yeah, it may sound a little weird, but it worked out. I got treated to lunch, and got to have a great conversation about work, life and anything with Abby’s mom (I think we left Abby out of the conversation a bit, but it was fine).

After that we grabbed ice cream at Rita’s (or is it custard) and splurged for the rainbow sprinkles (since they taste better than chocolate ones). Over ice cream Abby and I really got to start talking more comfortably. We got to talk about relationships (man am I glad I’m past those days), about lecherous truckers ogling me from the side of the road (ok, they may have been ogling Abby but I was closer to their age so it’s just disgusting in a different way).

Over ice cream and in the warm sun I really just enjoyed talking. I listened to what was going on in her life and got to talk a little about some of the things going on now and about my own past. Even though I did have something of a deadline (to leave by 2 to get back to church) I didn’t even worry about the clock (yeah, I left at 3, but was still only 10 minutes late… The pizza brought forgiveness).

I don’t really want Rachel growing up in a small town; I have just seen what so many teenagers get into when there aren’t many safe things to do. At the same time it does feel good to go someplace where the world just slows down. A place where you can relax and spend time with friends without to worries of what needs to be done next.

Vacations are good, but we tend to spend them with the same people we see every day. It’s good to make some time to just sit with a friend and talk. Maybe I just need more day trips for friend visits.

In any case, when is the last time you made plans to spend time with someone and didn’t worry about the schedules you needed to keep? Often I’ll have lunch or dinner with someone. These are some good times, but there is always the thought that we’ll need to end soon so that we don’t tie up a table or that the person needs to get back to work.

I can only hope that you are able to make more time for those things that are truly valuable to you. Even if it takes a few hours drive to get away, the people you’ll reconnect with will be worth it. Want to join me for a time-insensitive talk sometime?

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

40 Day Revolution

A few people from church went out to St. Louis for a Servant Evangelism conference. Servant Evangelism is essentially the idea that you should do something kind for someone else without expectation of getting something back. That’s the servant part.

You serve others without any expectations except for the hope that the person you served will be happier and spread your example around, that’s the evangelism part.

Have you ever seen the movie Pay it Forward? This kid (played by Haley Joel Osment… Is he even around anymore?) goes out and does some random acts of kindness to strangers around him. All he asks is that you repay that kindness with someone else.

If I help 10 people and even half of them help 10 other people, you can eventually change the world. It will spread like a virus (or an Ideavirus if you read Seth Godin). You’ll have individuals going out in the community and looking at other people as people instead of nameless faces to be ignored or used to get ahead.

One way I live this in my life is through lunch with others. I tend to go out to lunch a bit to meet with people at church. At these lunches I generally try and pay for the entire meal. When someone offers to pay I simply ask that they save the money and use it to take someone else out to lunch later.

For the high school bible study we’re beginning a curriculum called the 40 Day Revolution. This takes servant evangelism and puts it on steroids. The goal for high schoolers is to spend 40 days sharing kindness with students in their school. The ultimate goal is to get everyone in the school, from the administration to the students, to be considering one-another with all of their actions. There is also a hope that some people will find a saving relationship with Jesus.

I was ordering the curriculum and heard a story from the author’s dad believe it or not (he was great to talk to). He was telling me about this school in Florida that was targeted by a couple of churches during the 40 Day Revolution. This was a school which wasn’t the bottom of the barrel, but wasn’t perfect either. They had their fair share of drugs and fighting.

You begin the Revolution by sending a letter to your principal, letting them know what you are doing. This Florida principal was more than skeptical, he was openly critical of the idea. At the end of the 40 days the principal went up to the youth minister leading the group and actually thanked him. He offered the school’s auditorium for the closing ceremony and asked if they would continue doing the Revolution within the school. Turns out that the year the school did the revolution they only had one drug incident and one fight. How incredible a change that is. That a group of youth was able to help the entire school grow.

Richard Mull, the author of the 40 Day Revolution really aims at making this bigger than a school. Once a school has bought in, bring in a community. Once you have the community taking part work on the county. It goes up and up, until we have the entire world caring about one-another in ways we’d never thought was possible.

I’m looking forward to what changes are going to come across in my own life and the world around me. How will I apply this stuff to my job, my family and those around me? It’s definitely going to be a step out… a step I’m really excited to take. Are any of you up for joining me? I’ll definitely let you know how it all works out.

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

Monday, April 17, 2006

Consumers and Producers

When I was on the vestry (board of directors) for church last year a term came up when referring to parishioners (regulars and visitors who join us) in the church. As a forewarning, I really hope not to offend anyone, but if you read my last entry you’ll remember that a little offense is something we can work through together.

Anyway, we looked at the people who came to church and made two general categories for individuals. People were either consumers or producers. The consumers were people who came to Sunday morning services, and maybe some other activities. These people consumed what we had to offer, but had not made the life decision to give back to the world (and regardless of your opinion, Christ does want us to be giving back). Those people, who made a life commitment to Christ, volunteered their own time and actively worked to bring others to Christ we called “producers”.

If you’re really going to get politically correct, we should probably call them “potential volunteers” vs. “actual volunteers” (though that doesn’t accurately reflect these people). Consumers and producers just make more sense in our day and age (and rolls off the tongue).

The reason for this grouping was that we were constantly asking ourselves, “How can we change people from consumers into producers”? How can we bring people from the pews into a lifelong commitment to Jesus and all of the potential He wants our lives to be?

I say all that to recognize that lately I’ve been much more of a consumer than a producer. In the blog world I’m reading 53 blogs every time they are updated (some once a week or less, others multiple times a day), not including the Mosaic podcast each week and any regular e-mail newsletters I receive (though all except the New York Times newsletters I get as RSS and ignore others). At the same time I’ve posted a whole 0 times in the past two weeks. Yesterday was the first time in what feels like forever.

This actually helped me recognize some of the ways I have been slipping in my own life.

Since last August I’ve made some changes to how I’m living, including how I eat. That has somehow translated to me losing about 22 pounds since August (a benefit I hadn’t expected). Over the past month my weight leveled off and actually went up by a tiny bit. I’ve found this to be a great barometer to see how I’m living.

If my weight is going up, it means I’m eating more than I need to. It means I’m consuming more than I’m producing. Looking at my blog posting habits was another example. I’ve tried journaling but just don’t make the time for it. Blogging has been easier for me, and I do make time for it. When I stop blogging it means I’ve also stopped making the time to journal, never a good thing.

This got me to recognize that I’m also consuming more in other ways. I’ve been buying more DVD’s (two or three in the past 2 months, not terrible, but I’ve seriously considered buying some that I don’t care about).

I’ve also been taking more from church than I’ve been giving back. Letting other people do all the work while I sit back and watch. I’ve also begun being sarcastic and teasing with people instead of making jokes which build people up.

Even with family I’ve been consuming. During our weekly get-togethers I’ve been a bit more reserved, and feeling very disconnected from the conversation. Simply wanting to be alone.

St. Matthew’s had a prayer vigil last Thursday and Friday and I took part from 12:50 – 1:30 a.m. That really helped me to recognize what’s been going on, and that it’s time for me to get back on track. So far even recognizing this has helped and I’m doing a bit better.

So, are you consuming more than you’re producing? Sometimes we do just need a break from life for a while to recognize how much we gain from helping others. I do have to say that it’s beginning to feel good getting back into the swing of teaching and volunteering again.

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Good and Bad about Being Episcopalian

One of the great things about being an Episcopalian is also one of the things which make it hard for us to really grow.

Being Episcopalian means that my focus on this world is centered on community. It is through a strong community that people really do see God working in this world. It’s through community that I become more than I can ever be by myself.

It’s also through community that I get to see what forgiveness is all about. I’ve taken on more than I can really handle lately. I’ve also put some things that aren’t all that important ahead of others. I have definitely let some of those people in the community around me down. That’s probably most especially true with the youth, and it hurts.

That same community which I’ve hurt has always been there supporting me, and forgiving me the times when I’ve failed them. In some cases they haven’t even mentioned some of the times I’ve messed up.

Thursday night I was at church and had the chance to simply kneel and pray from 12:50 – 1:30 a.m. Initially I thought it would just drone on and on, and I’d keep looking at the clock. It kind of hit me how little I have been spending alone with God. Those 40 minutes flew by before I’d even realize they were over.

During my simple time of reflection and talking with God I was told pretty clearly that I’m actually doing pretty well in life. I am very often my own worst critic, and it holds me back more than I realize. It’s time for me to begin forgiving myself, and recognizing that this community I am in forgives me as well.

So, what’s the bad side about all of this? Well, we are a community centered on the belief (not all Episcopalians, but most of the one’s I’ve met believe this) that we will all find god in our own way and in our own time. We’re a group that will welcome you even if we don’t necessarily agree with you. We’ll support you even when you’ve made some mistakes, both big and small. We will accept you even if you haven’t accepted us or Jesus.

Can you see the problem? This mentality is awesome, and why I love the church. It’s also why we tend not to talk about our faith very much. We prefer to live a Christian life and hope someone will recognize that God must exist and that you can live a fun and rewarding life through Him.

We just don’t want to tell people that they are wrong. If you believe God doesn’t exist, we don’t want to tell you that you are mistaken.

Many people won’t even say aloud the changes God has made in our lives. Some won’t even say it within the church. We just don’t want to offend someone.

Well, change never happened without causing some offense. I’ve been married to Erin for 4 years (this Thursday) and I know I’ll offend some people when I talk about it. I’ll say it’s been 4 whole years, and offend those people who have been married for 30 and thing 4 years is a joke. I’ll offend those people who are desperately looking for a mate and only feel more alone when they hear how great marriage and parenthood is.

I’m not great at talking about my faith publicly. I am too worried about what people may think. But right now I’m in a bit of a lull in my career, with little interest of “getting ahead” any farther. I think it’s time to stop taking stock in the opinions of my co-workers, many of whose live lives I would never want, and who just seem so lost I can’t agree when they get excited about new purchases or golf scores.

It’s time to start focusing on what’s really important. Time to start building a community that feels free to offend one-another. A community that knows that even when we disagree we’re together for the long haul. How will you start changing your communities?

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Watching

Right now I’m enjoying something I don’t often get to do. I’m sitting in my car at church and just watching.

Ok, a little more background, for fear you’d think I was some weird church stalker.

I got to church youth group a little bit ago and was just relaxing and reading a book. Then the middle school group came outside and started playing a game. Thankfully they either haven’t noticed that I was in the car, or haven’t had a chance to say “hi”.

So now I sit here, typing a little and watching. They’re throwing what looks like a heavy blue ball back and forth. Based on their actions the ball must be as heavy as a bowling ball. They’re all just out smiling, laughing and having a great time trying to throw a crazy heavy ball to each-other. One almost went straight at Lanae’s face.

The best was watching Amanda wind on and use everything she had and the ball plopped neatly right between her and her partner. All of them just laughed together. That great laugh where you know you’re laughing together. The knowledge that each of them will have the same problems soon.

Now they’re trying to balance a napkin on a straw (or maybe have a relay race with it), while holding the straw in their mouth.

All I can say is that we have an incredible community around us. People will do so much for one-another. People really can love one-another so much that they’ll make fools of each-other, and laugh the entire time. Sometimes I wish we could do that more as adults.

There are two great leaders giving their time every week to make all of this happen. Jen and Martha plan activities, lead talks and just commit themselves to these 6th – 8th graders. Trust me, from doing this for 4 years, that is something very few people are willing to do. Even fewer are any good at it.

I am just so excited that people like this are around my family. That Rachel will grow up sharing a laughter with others, instead of a laughter at others.

Well, it’s almost time for people to arrive for the senior high meeting, and for me to stop “watching”. Well, the peacefulness always must end; I can only hope I can impart some of that unconditional love I’ve just witnessed.

Often high school is that time we become more jaded in life, and it just seems to get worse. I hope you are looking at this world with some excitement and recognizing the beauty. I also hope that you’re not laughing at anyone, but instead that you are enjoying laughter at no one’s expense.

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

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