Fold Day 3

Fold Day 3

If yesterday was Christmas morning, today felt more like New Years morning.  We worked hard yesterday, and our beds might be TOO comfortable.  There wasn’t a lot of conversation over breakfast or during our morning devotional time together.  

We gather each morning and evening for a time of preparation and reflection centered on Jesus.  Day one we introduced the idea of searching for God’s fingerprints—developing our eyesight to see God’s handiwork so that we might see his glory, be grateful for it, and bear witness to it.    That evening we explored the relationship between expectations, disappointment, and anger with the aim of developing a kind of flexibility rooted in humility.  This morning we looked the idea of Love by examining 1 John 4:7-11.

It’s not easy to wrap our minds around what God’s love is like.  It’s too easy to insert our own distorted conceptions of love rooted more in the latest chick flick than the Scriptures.  So when we read, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him,” how is our understanding of love challenged?

We see God’s love manifested by sending us Jesus, letting go of something (Someone) precious.  This act of love was so that we might live—a sacrifice for our good.  This morning, I fought against a kind of mushy, Hollywood lie that defines love purely in the realm of feelings.  We defined love as doing what’s best for another person even if it involves personal sacrifice.  I challenged our youth to look for opportunities to give up their own preferences for another’s benefit.  In the evening, we reflected on times when we saw God’s fingerprint, decided to be flexible, or chose to love.  I’m looking forward to more of the sharing time following that type of reflection.

From a work perspective, we settled into a more sustainable pace today.  Dave and I zeroed in on a healthier balance of work, rest, and play for our youth.  After three days of being together 24/7, our personalities are shining through.  I love it!  It’s easy to put on a face for two hours on a Sunday night or Sunday School hour—it’s tough to fake it for this long or under these circumstances.  I’m looking forward to getting to know them more this week.  In a way it’s plowing the soil for fruitful ministry during the school year.

Plaudits and Accolades:

• Brooke & Erin have more stain on themselves than the walls, but are always willing to do whatever they are asked to do.
• Ethan in fearless and gets parts no one can (or wants to) reach.
• Nicki is a quiet servant, often times doing what needs to be done before anyone realizes it.
• Chad is our creative specialist—looking at the world through a unique lens.
• Hannah is our photo journalist and my personal water jockey when I got thirsty today.
• Bryan and Ben prefer the safety of terra firma, but they still manage their fair share of the painting and scraping.
• Cohen gets the most innovative thinker award for taking the handle off the broom and attaching it to a roller so I didn’t have to risk my neck.
• Rachel and Eirene have attitudes that, though each unique, give the group its pep; their upbeat attitudes are contagious.
• Elam is like Nicki, only a full-size, grown man version.
• Becky is our cook responsible for my added 10lbs.
• Dave should sit at the top of a mountain and change his last name to Lama—he has all the answers.

Thanks so much for your prayers!  We’re looking forward to seeing more of God’s fingerprints and opportunities to model humility in flexibility and sacrificial love.  You can pray that we see that!