Ministry

Summer Pt.2 – Youth Camp

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Another summer comes to an end for me.  Now maybe summer isn’t officially over, but for me it is.  For most of my life summer has meant three things – Youth Camp, Family Camp, and Vacation Bible School.  Three things that have brought so much to my life.  Three ministries that many would say their ‘time’ or ‘value’ is fading.  As I finish another ‘summer’, I amazed at the impact and life-change these events have brought and I want to share a few thoughts as to the value I see.

Throughout my life, especially my teenage years, there have been different versions of me.  Let me explain.  There was School Justin, Jr. High Soccer Justin, Family Justin, Church Justin, Cross-Country Justin, and the list could go on and on.  Different versions of me for the different places, people, and cultures in my life (and man was it awkward when some of those cultures collided – I know you’ve been there!).  Of all the “Justins” out there though, my favorite to be was always Youth Camp Justin.

What makes Youth Camp Justin so special?  Youth Camp Justin was the best!  He was free from all the restraints and pressures of the society around him to fit in and meet a social norm.  He was a Justin who didn’t have to work at looking out for himself because he was in a place where he was accepted and loved.  He was a Justin proud of the God and Savior he followed and to whom he devoted his life.  He was unashamed of serving Jesus and excited to stand as an example for Him.  Youth Camp Justin was on fire, courageous, hopeful, and light-hearted.  He  could light up others’ lives so easily with his steadiness and patient smile.  Ready to say to the world, “You be you, I’m going to be like Jesus.”

Few places in life so easily allowed me to be that person.  There were glimpses of that person at home and church, but the nature and culture of youth camp so easily brought it alive.  Every year of youth camp it became my dream to be that person all the time, for there not to be different versions of Justin but for me to become completely and utterly the Justin I liked so much.

As much as I wanted it to, it didn’t happen immediately.  Pressures are tough, wanting to fit in is real, confidence isn’t just bought, friends aren’t always helpful.  But that person I was at youth camp started to make a difference.  It was that version of me that made a pledge of purity and stuck with it.  It was that version that kept me away from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.  It was that version that found life in spreading hope and seeing God’s light open others’ hearts.  And year after year, youth camp after youth camp, that Justin slowly took over, slowly came to dominate every part, every aspect, every avenue of me.  Today, I like to believe that every part of my life is that Youth Camp Justin.

I believe so strongly in youth camp.  Sometimes I am pretty sure I slightly offend people when I try to promote this event to them.  I probably come off a bit strong, a bit dramatic (that does sort of fit with youth ministry though – am I right or am I right?).  I simply want so badly for every teenager to see the youth camp version of himself or herself.  To have a chance to dream about what life would be like if they became that person.

Parents and leaders of teenagers – I could try to sell you on the opportunity to see great speakers, to participate in dynamic worship, to experience great events and building moments, or even plug the greatness of 5 teenager-free days!  Instead, I’ll simply ask this – Have your teenagers had a chance to see the best version of themselves?  To dream about the person in Christ they could become?

Teenagers – Life doesn’t have to be about fitting in.  You don’t have to settle for society’s desire for who you are and how you’ll live your life.  Find the best version of you, the you YOU love to be, and bring that version to life everyday.

As a pastor I hear so many stories about youth camp.  Stories of husbands and wives meeting at camp or dramatic moments of teenagers accepting Jesus Christ for the very first time!  These are the best.  I didn’t find my wife at camp and I had already accepted Christ into my heart at least 7 times before I was considered a teenager.  But youth camp is where I met the best version of myself and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

Summer Pt.1 – Family Camp

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Another summer comes to an end for me.  Now maybe summer isn’t officially over, but for me it is.  For most of my life summer has meant three things – Youth Camp, Family Camp, and Vacation Bible School.  Three things that have brought so much to my life.  Three ministries that many would say their ‘time’ or ‘value’ is fading.  As I finish another ‘summer’, I amazed at the impact and life-change these events have brought and I want to share a few thoughts as to the value I see.

 

The Family Camp I grew up attending had very little amenities to offer.  There was no swimming pool, fairly questionable bathrooms, minimal space for activities, and a dining room that I’m not sure I ever had the courage to eat from.  I loved it!

You may think I’m kidding, but Family Camp was the best!  For one reason and one reason alone – the people.  People of different ages, backgrounds, and lives with basically one connection – Jesus Christ.

Family Camp is about one big purpose – people investing in one another.  I see this happen in a lot of ways and it allows us to see the value that Family Camp can still have today:

1. Strengthening Families.

One of the things I love about Family Camp is the opportunities for family members to grow individually while also being together and growing as a family unit.  There is the attraction and value of the age geared activities but plenty of time for families to purposefully unpack everything together.

Too often I worry that church ministries add to the world’s ability to pull family members in different directions.  Camp offers a wonderful opportunity to slow down and be together.  For myself Family Camp meant time with siblings, grandparents, parents, and more.  For my daughter it has already meant special time with daddy, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  It still amazes me that people take actual vacation time to spend on Family Camp.  But what could be more valuable to your family than this?

2. Building Connections.

The book Sticky Faith speaks about the importance of young people (and I believe any aged people) having relationships with mentoring Christians outside of their families.  These individuals don’t even have to be mentors per se, just invested people.  But how to form these at church?  Not a lot of time while passing the offering plate or during your church’s ‘moments of friendship’ (this is what we call the awkward handshake time during service that some love but most of us panic at and remember to stock up on hand sanitizer for – just kidding I love this time…really…) is given for building relationships.

If only there were a magical place (with cement bathrooms) that was filled with snack shop, volleyball, small group, and countless other moments basically making connections impossible to not form. Do the members of your family have enough positive connections to church and God?  Do you?  Family Camp is a great place to build those meaningful relationships.

3. Fostering Belonging.

As a pastor who often works with youth, I have grown to understand the importance of having a place to belong and not just for teenagers but for everyone.  We all need safe places that accept and love us.

Growing up as a Christian at a public school, on high school sports teams, and with a ‘secular’ job (Do we call Sheetz a ‘secular’ job?  Does anyone use the word ‘secular’ anymore?) it was incredible having this ‘breath of fresh air’ place to get support at being me.  It felt like an extension of home.  Do you and your family have places like this?  Safe places, where you get support in being the person God has called you to be.

Okay, Family Camp may not be for everyone – there is the whole ‘camp’ aspect.  I found a little sweat, a little exhaustion, and even a little smell is always worth the people who have and will continue to impact my life greatly.  32 years and they still make me want to go back – every year.

 

Today in Paradise

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(Note: this post was originally a mini-message I delivered at Bethany Wesleyan Church for a Good Friday Service)

How would someone describe you?  Think about it and be honest with yourself.  If someone had to describe you, what would they say?

Obviously, someone should start the description process with the hair.  Alright, maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part.  It has been said that I have the best hair in the Lehigh Valley (okay…the person who actually said that was me…).  We do tend to start with physical attributes though, don’t we?  Hopefully, the description would go deeper.  They’d talk about if you were a nice person, a caring individual, a creative mind, a loving parent, etc.

For most of us we will be described by what we have done.  When I was in 5th grade I had a teacher named Mr. Dippery. (Seriously!  Imagine the fun a 5th grader could have with the name Dippery! Oh the temptation to say Dippy or Drippy.)  We took a class trip to a local park with a creek and Mr. Dippery made it very clear that every year someone fell into the creek.  He made it just as clear that we were not to be that person.  Wouldn’t it be great if this was the year where no one fell in the creek?  Yeah, that would have been great.  I can’t remember if it was hot out, if the water looked refreshing, or if maybe I saw a fish, but I ended up in the creek.  For Mr. Dippery, I became the “fall in the creek” type of kid and that description was probably well deserved!

How would someone describe you?

Jesus is on the cross and two other men are on crosses with Him. Matthew and Mark describe them as thieves. But Luke chooses a different word – a Greek word that literally means “those who do evil works.”¹  This is probably one of the ways we’d all least like to be described.  But the fear is that at one point or another in our lives this could have described any of us.  At one point or another we’ve all done evil. And we all hope not to be remembered for those moments.

Jesus hung on the cross with these two men. One, for some reason or another, decided to berate and mock Him. Did this evil man feel better from his words? Did he feel like part of the crowd? Did resorting to bullying make his situation seem better? I don’t know.

While one berated Jesus and mocked who He was, the other took a different stance.  Something from his evil life changed. Could he change his past? No, every action he had made remained.  Could he change his present situation, of hanging on the cross? No, he was literally nailed to that situation.  But he must have seen something in Jesus’ actions that gave him the hope to believe.  And as his heart began to change, he made a simple plea:

“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.”

And with those words he proclaimed his faith, his belief, his hope, his heart.

And Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Many across the world will remember Good Friday as the day that the world, humanity, a race of “those who do evil works” destroyed the greatest person among them.  It could be the day that they took the one true innocent man, the one Man that certainly was not “one who did evil works” and killed Him next to those who did.

That is one way to remember Good Friday.

I’d encourage you to remember Good Friday like this:  The day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ looked into the eyes of one who did evil works – a representative of each of us, maybe the worst of us – and because that man believed, Jesus invited him to spend eternity with Him in paradise.

How would someone describe you?

Remember that no matter how lost you are – Jesus came for you and on the cross He invited you to paradise with Him.  However your past may describe you – with a confession to Jesus Christ and a belief in Him, He will describe you as one fit for paradise, one made for His family.

How would someone describe you?

If those of us who claim to be Christ’s followers would show the compassion and love that Jesus showed even up to His most painful moment on the cross, think about how you and I would be described!  Think about the difference we could make!

How would someone describe you?  Time will tell.

From Good Friday we do know one thing, how Jesus would describe you – worth it all.

 

 

¹Adam Hamilton, Final Words From the Cross, (Abingdon Press, 2011) p. 38.

Clear Eyes

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Churches are supposed to be welcoming, right?  That’s not really a question, more of a statement.  Like when my wife asks me, “You’re going to do the dishes, right?”  If a church isn’t welcoming it’s not going to accomplish much good in its community.  I think my church is very welcoming, maybe extraordinarily so.  But don’t most church goers think that about their church?  Funny enough it took a rather unwelcoming church moment to help me understand exactly why I can be sure my church knows how to welcome others.

When churches become a certain size they can become targets.  There are always new faces, random meetings, exciting ministries – you might say some hustle and bustle (okay no one actually says that).  It is exciting but it can create an opportunity for someone to try and take advantage.  A few weeks ago just such a person was slipping through local churches, taking advantage.

Then came the Sunday when the individual arrived at our church.  We had been notified to be on the lookout, but the whole thing didn’t seem likely.  I admit, this person made some rounds and probably got the customary smiles, head-nods, and hellos.  But then the unfortunate moment for them came, when one of our church leaders had eyes clear enough to see.  Clear eyes that first searched for ways to connect, then for ways to help, and finally for ways to understand.  And the situation clicked into place and our church became for but a moment a bit unwelcoming.

In Acts 3, Peter and John are on their way to the temple and they pass a man lame from birth.  The man calls out to them for money.  This is a regular kind of occurrence, something that most would say could be ignored.  But I love what Peter and John actually do.  Acts 3:4 says, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John.”  For maybe the first time in a long time someone truly looked at the man.  With clear eyes Peter and John saw the man and saw the real need.  They didn’t have money to give, but they gave what they had, healing by the power of the name of Jesus Christ.

Clear eyes – first off, I’m not referencing the product whose commercials featured the dynamic duo of Ben Stein (Bueller…Bueller…) and a beach ball (anyone else remember these commercials – just me?).  To me, clear eyes is having the ability to put aside our personal distractions, concerns, and self-focus so that we can ‘look straight’ at people.  We can give them the attention, the focus, and the care they deserve.  When this happens the true welcoming begins!

Seeing with clear eyes is not the easiest thing to do.  The biggest challenge is not allowing ourselves to get in the way.  We’re all going to have moments, minutes, and days where this is impossible, that is life.  But this is no small thing and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Having the ability to see others with clear eyes is a key ingredient to effectively ministering to others.  If you never allow yourself to do it, your impact is greatly limited.

I know what many of you are thinking, “Is he going to talk about clear eyes and never actually reference Friday Night Lights?” (A TV show that coined the phrase “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.”)  Of course not!  Ask yourself – are you seeing others with clear eyes?  When you welcome people at church, when you see someone at work, and even when you pass someone in the grocery store – are you looking with clear eyes?  Put aside everything for a few moments and give someone your attention, your focus, and your care – see what they need, who they are,  and how you can make a difference for them!  Because maybe, just maybe, Friday Night Lights got it right.  Eyes clearly seeing others, with hearts full of Jesus Christ, could just be a recipe that can’t lose.