Happy MLK Day

I was thinking about the MLK service, put on by the Consultation of Religious Communities, that we had at St. Mark's last night. Wow. I have to admit, I've never attended one before, so I didn't really know what to expect.

In case you missed it, there were over 200 people from many faith backgrounds, Islamic, Jewish and Christian. There were speakers, music and performances from a variety of groups, including the St. Mark's Chancel Choir, a mime act from Gospel Ministry Explosion, the Kayros band as well as many others.

The Youth of St. Mark's were able to contribute in several meaningful ways, including a skit that demonstrated part of the scripture of James. "Don't ask me how it's going, ask me what I'm doing for others!" The skit was very well received, and they all did a great job! Youth also served as ushers and greeters, and even sang with the choir. I have to say, the part of the night that made me the most proud of the Youth of St. Mark's was the way they welcomed visitors at the door. Everyone was smiling and enthusiastic and they really took their jobs seriously. I love that the Youth were able to represent the church to our friends and neighbors, because, who better!?

I was touched by the reading from Dr. King's Speech/Sermon where he intimates the "An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. And this is one of the big problems of life, that so many people never quite get to the point of rising above self. And so they end up the tragic victims of self-centeredness. They end up the victims of distorted and disrupted personality." This is why we (the Youth Group) need to stay involved in our community. This is why we go on mission trips to places like Detroit, and Tennessee and Cincinnati. We are going out and experiencing first hand what it is like to be the "other," and what it is like to focus on someone else for whatever period of time we can manage. It is my hope that by meeting people with lives so different (but truly, not that different) that we will gain new perspective on the world; that we will avoid the temptation to label the "other" as bad or weird and therefore we will lose that "self-centeredness" that Dr. King describes.

What a great night. It was a long service, to be sure, and I don't blame those who didn't make it all the way through, especially on a school night, but by the end of it, with the entire congregation singing "We Shall Overcome" while swaying hand-in-hand it was invigorating! So much so, that I went home and wasn't able to sleep until almost 11:00 PM, which is late for an "old" parent of young children like me. The only question I was left with was: "Do we really have to wait a whole year before we do it again?"

Blessings,
Rob

The Spark

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12

I love the devotion for the day given to us by Lisa Cheater. She says that Jesus is the "Light in a dark, sinful world." And, while I think we can agree with that, I think we can also go one step further. We are the carriers of the spark. That is, Jesus is the fire, but a little bit of that fire is in each of us. We all carry the spark that is the love of Jesus in our hearts. That's what makes worship so powerful, that's what makes Youth Group so powerful. A gathering of a lot of little sparks makes for a lot of warmth.

That's what I felt last night when I saw so many faces smiling and enjoying one-another's company. We got together and we helped to put away Christmas decorations for the season, then we played games. Not exactly earth-shattering in terms of world impact or deep theological study, just fellowship. Just peace with one another and the chance to know that we are not alone in our belief, in our world. We matter to one another, each of you matters to me.

I hope that we, as a Youth Group, continue to strengthen this bond and that as all of us gain and earn trust in each other, that we can share more of our spark. More of our hopes and dreams, our thoughts, our beliefs. I hope that we can see in each other "encouraging examples of [Christ's] goodness..."

Blessings,
Rob

Summer Mission Trip

Hey everyone. I'm investigating summer mission trips and I wanted to update you on the progress.

This is the first year since I began working as the Youth Director for St. Mark's that a conference-wide summer mission trip has not been offered. Therefore I've been delving into the world of mission trip planning. The first thing I've discovered, the options are endless! Our destination is only limited by our imaginations (and finances, and our willingness to fly/drive)! The second thing I've discovered, I should have started planning this in July of last year... I could spend a month just wading through all of the options.

After many many hours of research I believe I've settled on a trip to Cincinnati, OH. Cincinnati has many opportunities to help with community projects, including shelters, food banks and children's programs. The week would be July 20th-25th (19th to 26th with travel days). The city also has many sights and fun things to do.

What do you think?

Rob

New Year's Resolution: Daily Devotions

For Christmas this year, I (read the church, with much input from my wife, Sarah) purchased daily devotional books for all of the Youth of St. Mark's UMC. If you are a Youth and have not received your book yet, come to church on Sunday, January 5th, (or any Sunday, really) and we'll get it to you. I also gave copies to Bob and Deanna and kept one for myself. My idea was that hopefully this could give us, not only a new opportunity to find a way to pray each day, but also to "be on the same page," if you will, though this year-long journey.

I am very excited about this book called, "Conversations with Jesus: 365 Daily Devotions for Teens" written by Lisa Cheater. It has 365 daily devotions that are very short, but very meaningful. Each one is accompanied by a scripture passage, which I hope to explore in more depth on those days where I find I have more time and/or more need to go deeper into the meaning of the scripture. I am excited by the length of each devotion because it gives me NO EXCUSE not to read it, and, if I were to miss a day, I could catch up in no time.

I will put the suggested scripture reading on our Facebook page each day, but reading the accompanying text will be up to you. I also hope to write blog posts on days where I feel particularly inspired/time permits.

I really hope you will join me on this journey. I don't mind telling you, there are a lot of things that I have started and intended to follow-through with over the course of the year that just never happened, but I think this is something that even *I* can do.

Blessings,
Rob