the one about harry potter and the half-blood prince movie

i love the harry potter series. and anyone who knows me today can tell you that i do. i’m always quoting it and using it for illustrations. it even came up once at montreat last week during evening devotions. i’ve read each book at least twice…some more…and i’ve listened to each book on tape at least 6 times…some more…and i’ve seen all the movies. i can’t get enough.

last summer, i took the group to see order of the phoenix during our mission trip to ohio. we had a blast going to see it together on opening night. most of the youth in GOOTH are HP fans, also…so, most of them get my references. with the next movie opening in november, i’m excited about taking the group to see it, too.

last summer was not the first time i took a youth group to see a harry potter movie. back in 2001, i took my then middle-school group in raleigh to see harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone on opening night during a lock-in. that was quite the adventure. several parents stood in line early in the morning, while drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, to get the group tickets. the place was so packed that we couldn’t all sit together…we were all over the theater.

i’ve already invited the facebooking GOOTH crowd to see the movie together, and will invite the rest very soon. i think it is important to see movies that generate a lot of controversial publicity – particularly religious controversy – as a group so that we can discuss any questions people may have. but aside from that, i think that the harry potter stories and movies have a lot to offer as illustrations of christian and religious themes.

the sixth book really begins to get at the heart of the themes in the harry potter books that make it so powerful. at the end of book five, we discover more about harry’s past and the reasons for voldemort’s actions. with that, we discover the power of love in the jk rowling-created world. dumbledore says there is a room in the department of mysteries that remains locked at all times, because it contains powerful magic. that magic is love. it is the magic that gives harry’s mother (lily) the ability to sacrifice herself for her son. in book six, we see harry learn the significance of love in his ongoing battle with voldemort and how it is love that will enable him to defeat him in the end. without love, one cannot grief the loss of a loved one. harry, who is initially disappointed to hear that love is the magic power that he has the “voldemort knows not,” finally realizes that it is more powerful than he can imagine. it is by love that he is able to face voldemort because of his own free will and not as a result of voldemorts actions. “It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.” ~J.K. Rowling, “Horcruxes,” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005. i hope this scene is brought out in the movie.

the series is a powerful series on love, friendship, and forgiveness, among other themes. if you haven’t read the books, i encourage you to do so. but i warn you, you will enjoy it…and you will not get the full meaning of the themes until you have finished the entire series…all 4100+ pages.

if you haven’t seen the new trailer, view it at: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi215810329/

 

the seventh one about nyc: final reflection

when I first proposed the idea for GOOTH to go to nyc for a mission trip, I never realized the impact that this trip would have on the GOOTH. I had hopes for the GOOTH to learn, grow, have fun, and be enlightened…but they surpassed my hopes and expectations. you can read all about their experiences in their own words in the previous nyc posts, but no blog can capture the experience of the “emotional devotional,” as chelsey called it, that happened on thursday night.

thursday’s devotion started like any other. we would let someone from each workgroup share their experience that day with the rest of the group. two simple comments were made that caught my attention in huge and complex ways. hannah platt, a graduated senior, commented that while we did a lot of “fun” stuff together as GOOTH, we needed to do more service stuff back in clemmons as a group. sarah hoyle, a rising 9^th grader, said that she and hannah had a deep conversation that day about their experience. sarah said that by working with people this week, it hit her that the once nameless homeless people now had names…and thus made more human in her mind. (you can read their own words in the sixth one about nyc.)

Hannah and sarah thought they were making simple observations…ones that, to them, were now obvious and “no-brainers.” they are simple observations. but, their comments hit me like a mack truck. their simple statements and the reactions, head-nods, and agreement of the GOOTH made me realize that they GOT it. these youth “got” it. there are many ways that youth react to such mission experiences, and many of them are self-centered or my-world-centered. but their reflections were NOT – they were neighbor-centered. since this was the first such experience for many of the youth, I expected to hear self-centered reflections, such as, “I learned that I’m very lucky to have what I have,” or “I learned that I’m fortunate to be born in clemmons and into a stable family,” or “It’s a shame these people don’t have what I have.” but, that’s not what I heard…not a single youth expressed these or similar comments to me or at the devotion. instead, the GOOTH saw Jesus in one another and the people with whom they worked and encountered during the week and their learning was truly neighbor-centered.

hannah’s observation about us doing lots of “fun” stuff was a significant observation, because that has been my plan all along. I came to CPC in august of 2006, but I had started planning for the youth group 7 years ago. in 2001, I learned my biggest lesson about youth ministry: It’s All About Relationships. over the years since, I began to be attentive to God’s leading for youth ministry and to make mental notes about ways that I could build relationships within the “youth group i would have one day.” we find a theological basis for relational theology in the greatest commandment: love God and love neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27). and if you love neighbor as yourself, then it is clear that you are to also love yourself as your neighbor. Calvin says to know God is to know thyself. the inverse is also true: know thyself, know God. GOOTH has spent the last 2 years building and strengthening relationships within ourselves and developing an identity. by knowing who we are, and by loving ourselves – both as individuals and as a collective GOOTH – we can in turn love our neighbors as ourselves, love God, and know God.

only after a group knows and loves itself can meaningful things be born from it. GOOTH now wants to work side by side more often. GOOTH now understands who their neighbor is, and what it means to love them. GOOTH is closer to God because GOOTH knows who they are. this is the point i prayed for over the last 7 years. even before i knew who the youth at CPC were, before i was called to CPC, and even before i went to seminary, i began praying for God’s guidance to lead the youth group i would one day work with. i asked God to help me find the way to build relationships and create a youth ministry program that exemplified relationship theology. God has done that. and the GOOTH are ready to lead themselves on their continued faith journey.

they have reached this point quicker than i thought imaginable. when i heard hannah, sarah, and others talk about their experience with this mission trip, it hit me. i broke down and cried with joy, amazement, wonder, excitement, love, and praise to God for all that God has done with GOOTH. The Spirit was definitely present that night at the emotional devotional. God only knows what is in store for GOOTH, but i am excited to find out what it is!

 

the fifth one about nyc: the spirit

greetings from the end of a looooooong evening. tonight was indescribable, but i’m sure some thing will be said in a future post. tonight’s devotion was spirit-filled and illustrated the movement of the spirit that paul describes when he says in romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”

the following two posts were written before the spirit-filled events of the evening devotion, and no one had the chance to blog anything tonight. hopefully tomorrow will include some reflection upon tonight’s devotion.

Erica Chatham (10th grade)

Thursday was fun, but it was also very difficult. The Staten Island team split into different groups; some went to a Moravian church to sort clothes and to put them in boxes and others went to the soup kitchen. I, on the other hand, went somewhere totally different. Stephen, the Stovalls, and I went across from the church that we are staying at and went to the Hospitality House. It had stories of apartments for the clients staying there. We were given a big job. We were told to dust the whole lobby. Sure that sounds easy, but when we got there, everything was covered with dust, dirt and what seemed like mold. So instead of dusting, we ended up washing everything. We grabbed a ladder, buckets of water, and wash rags to get started. I am extremely short so it was difficult to reach high places like the pipes and the exit signs. We were so determined to get the job done that we hardly took any breaks. When we finally finished it was after twelve and the four of us were the first ones back to the church. We had our lunch and took showers early, because we were covered in dust and dirt. It might have been a hard and serious job, but there were plenty of jokes for us to laugh at and that is what was enjoyable. When we left it was cleaner and a little bit brighter. The color of the lobby was a dirt white color and I hope that they paint it a dark blue, because it would match some of the weird lights in the lobby.

Tyler Hinshaw (9th grade)

Today, my group of Sara, Patrick, Ian, Niki, the Tellers, and I went to the Bronx. We worked at the Food Bank of New York. To get there we had to ride the ferry, the subway, and a bus. We had a short orientation to Food Bank using videos. Our job was to sort water, vinegar, bleach, and other similar liquids into boxes and only have a certain weight of the product in each box. Then we taped the boxes shut, labeled them, and put them in stacks. Four people (Patrick, Sara, Niki, and Ian/me) put the products into the boxes, taped them, and sorted them. The other three people got the products out of the original boxes they were in and put them on a long counter for the others. In the end, we sorted 4,183 lbs of liquids, which equaled about 3,217 meals. We finished at 12:30, so we got to leave earlier than we thought. Since we had extra time, we went to Chinatown and Little Italy. All of us teens got I <3 NY shirts for $3! After walking around for a while, we went back to YSOP for our final meeting, where we filled out evaluations and talked about our week. For dinner, we had pasta. A group from Michigan and the leaders from PH joined us. Now we are cleaning up, and soon we will begin our shareholder letters. Tomorrow is our free day. Can’t wait!

 

the one about meredith

many of you are now aware that one of my GOOTH members is in the hospital awaiting surgery. meredith was taken to the hospital on tuesday evening, and after a battery of tests, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, surrounded by a cyst. her mother, penny, sent an email to friends and family this morning describing the current situation:

The good news is she is fine right now, just some headaches periodically. And the other good news is that all indications are that the tumor is benign, probably a craniopharyngioma (for those of you who need more information).

The bad news is that the tumor is located deep her brain between her pituitary gland and her optic nerve. The tumor itself is very small but a characteristic of these tumors is that cysts grow off of them and that is what has happened to her and that is what is causing her symptoms now.

The goal of surgery is to drain the cyst to relieve the pressure on her brain to get rid of the headaches and to get rid of the tumor so that it doesn’t “grow” any more cysts. The hard part of that is getting the tumor out without damaging surrounding structures (ie. the pituitary gland and the optic nerve).

the family is “hanging in there right now” by the grace of God and the support of friends and family. through prayer, words, and acts of encouragement, their “spirits are good,” according to penny.

after visiting with meredith several times, it seems hard to believe that she has a brain tumor and will be having a craniotomy tomorrow. one wouldn’t know that she has this tumor in her head by her outward appearance. she is fully alert, fully competent, fully dressed, and unhooked from all the monitors. so many of her friends came to visit today. she said it was like an all-day party. she is the life of the floor. when a couple of her friends came in late this afternoon, all they had to say at the nurses’ station was, “we’re looking for m-” before the nurses pointed over their shoulder and said, “that’s her room.” all the nurses know who meredith is. she has so many people praying for her and offering encouragement…in the midst of this major surgery, God has placed her among a thousand angels to look after her and lift her up on their wings.

please pray for meredith and her parents and sister. because of meredith’s current pre-surgical state, it is difficult to grasp that this is a life-changing event. while the prognosis and hope are that meredith will fully recover from the surgery, this is still a big event in her young life that will forever mark a period of struggle. she is currently a member of our confirmation class and will miss joining the church with her fellow confirmands this sunday. but i know that this event will not keep her from completing her confirmation journey and joining the church at a later date. her class has pledged to stand with her on her confirmation date in the future as a sign of their solidarity with her in faith.

i am so glad to have her as a part of GOOTH and of the confirmation class. she is a bright, sharp, quick youth with a thirst for learning and a faith that is ever-growing. i know this surgery will mark a moment of struggle in her life, but i also am confident that she will grow in faith as a result of it. both at GOOTH and in confirmation class, we have talked about how our faith journeys are made up not only of “mountain-top” and other high experiences, but also of the deep valleys and struggles of our lives. it is in our doubts and our fears that our trust and confidences are built up.

please join me and our church family in praying for meredith and her family. as penny also said in her email:

Again, the power of Christian love in a crisis is a miraculous thing. In my 24 years taking care of people in crisis, I have seen it so many times and now have the opportunity to experience it. While I would rather my family not have to go through this and with everything in me wish that my Meredith didn’t have to go through this, I know that God will grow us all and one day perhaps we can look back on this day and see the lesson learned.

 

the one about ymiLIVE – high school cantata

CPC’s youth group (GOOTH) has entered the video contest at ymiLIVE.org, an initiative of the PC(USA) Foundation Group. the top 3 winners of the contest are awarded a $25,000 endowment for use with their youth ministry.

we finished the video last week at GOOTH – practicing it during one sunday night program, and filming the video during a second. i’ve never been part of a faster musical production! thanks to Ian and Brittany for editing the final video and posting it to the site.

the objective of the contest is to create a video that interprets micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

we chose to do our video in the style of high school musical, and change the words to fit our interpretation of the passage. we hope that you enjoy the video!

to watch the video, one must register at ymilive.org. ANYONE can register as a “supporter” and vote for the video and show support for GOOTH. You need to vote before June 1! Here is what you need to do…

Go to http://www.ymilive.org/
Click on the “Register” tab on the right side of the page
Enter your information (first name, last name, email, and choose “I am a supporter”)
Click “Get Started”
Enter the additional information it asks for
(a “handle” is like a screen name)
Click “Register Now”
You should see a screen that tells you to check your email for a confirmation email with link
Check your email for the email from “ymiLIVE Support”
Click on the link in the email
Sign into ymiLIVE, browse, and vote!!!

you can do a search for our video, OR you can click on “videos” at the top (clicking on “vote” will only show you the rules for voting), then go to page 6 of the videos. find ours, click on it, and then click “cast your vote” on the right side of the page.

We have 59 votes so far, but we need many more! EVERY email address can be registered and cast a vote So, vote all you can!

thanks for your help and support!

 

the one about ARW

what a week i had at montreat! the weather was perfect last week…bright sunshine, clear air, gentle breeze, mild temperatures…montreat at its finest.

if you aren’t sure what ARW is, it is the Annual Recreation Workshop which is held the first week of may in montreat. for more about ARW, visit www.recreationworkshop.org. this is my 8th workshop, and i hope i never miss another one. for more about montreat, a conference center of the presbyterian church (usa), please visit www.montreat.org.

the two classes i’m taking this year are Games Galore and Breaking Bread Together. every morning, we play 2 hours of games of all sorts. i’ve learned some new techniques, tips, and variations on games i know, and a whole bunch of new games. i was also introduced to using common objects for game props…from climbing cords to doggie toys. i can’t wait to get back and try them out with my youth group (aka GOOTH!).

in my second class, we baked many types of breads! it was so much fun! yeast breads, corn meal tortillas, muffins, wheat breads, flat breads, biscuits, scones…we made much more than i imagined we would…including the communion bread for the closing worship service. i’m so excited about trying out the recipes again. i went out yesterday and bought a new pizza baking stone…we used one for baking many of the breads last week…it is a great way to cook.

recreation is an important part of ministry. God gave us our bodies and the joy of play as gifts of creation. playing games together, cooking together, eating together, sharing stories together – these all help to build up the body of Christ in the world. Jesus was a hungry dude…he was constantly eating in the gospels! and what was one of the first things Jesus did after the resurrection? he ate! he broke bread. he cooked fish. he served his disciples as host. the cooking class helped reinforce the tools of hospitality that i’ve learned growing up. i hope to be able to pass those along to others through the art and ministry of cooking.

i was reunited with many old friends and made many new friends as well. friends from california, to florida, to canada, to mexico, to haiti, to ireland were gathered together at Montreat last week…we’re all a part of the body of Christ…and we all enjoy the gift of play and hospitality.

take some time to play this week and enjoy the gift of play that God has given you.

PS – the cardinal in the window greeted me today in my first day back in the office after ARW!

 

the one about golfing at oak hollow

i went golfing today with a group from clemmons presbyterian church. we have a regular golf outing scheduled for the first saturday of every month, where any number of members and friends join to play a round of golf and enjoy some fellowship, amidst a bit of friendly competition. of course, the biggest competition is always between pastor bill and roger.

i’ve played golf for about 20 years. well, let me back up. i first played golf about twenty years ago. i’ve been playing on an inconsistent basis ever since. i’ve always enjoyed playing, even though i am terrible. but there is something about the game that keeps my interest. could it be the fellowship with the rest of my foursome? could it be the thrill of driving the golf cart? or, could it be that i enjoy being outside? i would say a little of each of those things.

at union-psce, i took a course on educational theory. our final project was to construct a theory and write a paper to defend it. the opening excerpt, which stated my question and rationale, read:

Can the church offer spiritual guidance that encourages young people to seek God during the “quiet times” of one’s day? Can the church find ways to encourage a disciplined, committed, and inspiring spirituality in the busy lives of young people? I believe the answer is, “Yes.”

The purpose of Christian Education is to enrich the lives of people with the love of God. A more specific purpose of Christian Education is to offer young people a practical way of introducing or re-introducing God to one’s life as one walks along one’s faith journey, as well as making spiritual practices and prayer accessible. The challenge that churches face is encouraging young people to look into one’s busy life and finding quiet time. Practical spiritual practices can be introduced into this time, so that one will in turn weave God and God’s love into the larger fabric of one’s spiritual journey. The thought behind the simplistic and perhaps un-prioritized way of praying that I will introduce in my practices is not meant to simplify one’s prayer life or reduce one’s commitment to God. Rather, the underlying purpose is to lay a foundation for spiritual growth. The truly theoretical part of this idea is that as young people begin to bring God along on one’s journey in those “quiet times” that currently exist in one’s busy life, a greater thirst will develop that will allow these simple prayers to develop into a more disciplined, committed, and inspiring spirituality.

I bolded the sentence that i would say is my thesis. Although the paper was written with youth and young adults in mind, the practical portion of the essay presented options that other folks could try. so why do i bring this up when i’m talking about golf? well, golf was one of the main inspirations for the theory and the paper. the short version is, i realized one day that i found myself talking to God when i was showering, brushing my teeth, driving, walking across campus, and a host of other things. i am part of a multi-tasking generation. it didn’t surprise me that i found myself talking to God – better known as praying – while i was doing other tasks. when i thought about the activities and things i’ve done in my life, i realized there were other times that i found myself praying without necessarily knowing it. one was when i used to mow the lawn; another, when i played golf. it was these two things that allowed me to expand my theory to include adult men – a group of people not necessarily known for their spiritual practices. this is what i said about golf:

Outdoor sports and activities offer a deeper level of relationship with God. Talking with God in the midst of the wonders of creation can heighten one’s appreciation, reverence, and praise for God. Golf, for example, presents many options for prayer. When driving or walking out onto the course, one can breathe a deep breath and take in the surroundings – the trees, wildlife, water, grass, sky, sun – and offer a prayer of thanks to God for these things. Thanking God for the gift of play, the gift of God’s creation, and the gift of fellowship – both with fellow Christians and with creation – is a good practice of the discipline of thanksgiving. Golf is a wonderful example of God and humanity working together. God provided the materials, and people moved them around so that a game could be played and enjoyed, without ruining the integrity of God’s creation. At each hole, one should really take a moment to look at the nature between each tee box and green. If this is not one’s first time to a particular course, look for things that may not have been noticed before. One could talk to God like a caddy and get advice on what club to hit, what angle to approach, or whether to “go for it” or “lay up.” Let golf, as well as other outdoor activities, be a way to explore God’s creation and experience humanity’s presence in it.

thinking about golf in this manner opens new possibilities to one’s game. today, i played on a course that i have never played. 10 men and 2 women from cpc met at oak hollow golf course, in high point, nc. http://www.oakhollowgc.com/index.cfm it is a unique course, in that it is situated on a peninsula stretching out into ocala lake. it offered challenges and scenery i haven’t enjoyed on a golf course. the setting of some of the holes along the banks of the lake made for beautiful scenery, as well and challenging play. let’s just say that i got to experience a number of the aspects of creation found in the golf course – trees, sand, water, tall grass, wind. but i do have to say, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day…the sun was bright, the wind was blowing (nice to feel, but not so good for the game), the leaves have filled the branches of the trees, birds and other water fowl dotted the fairways, flowers were in bloom…a beautiful day and a beautiful course. a great way to experience God’s creation with friends.

 

the one about the cardinal in the window

i’ve got this cardinal that has been pecking at my office window for more than a week, now. he showed up last monday…crash flying right into my window. then he tried flying in a couple more times, but not from quite as far away. felicia (our dce) was even standing there when he flew into the window once. i didn’t react, so she looked at the window, startled, before looking back at me. i casually said, “oh, it’s this cardinal that’s been flying into my window all afternoon.” after giving up on flying in, he settled for sitting on the sill, pecking the window, and chirping. he hops & flies between my window, bill’s window (our head of staff), the bush outside our window, and a tree. i’m not sure why. early on, i thought maybe he was like lassie, trying to signal me to come and save timmy or something…but there are no dangers right outside my window.

several folks have been in to visit the cardinal. ok, so they come to see me, but the cardinal has been there multiple times to greet the same people. kinda weird. you can even sit in my couch by the window, and the cardinal does not fly away. he doesn’t get startled…he just sits there are looks at you. i’ve even gotten to the point that i don’t notice the chirping any longer while i’m working at my desk. it is just part of the background noise.

but, while i don’t notice every chirp any longer, i haven’t forgotten about the cardinal. i actually find myself looking over at the window every once and a while to see if he is there. i find it kinda cool that he is there. how often does a creature from creation set up home and talk to you every day?!?! i don’t know yet what he may be saying to me, but maybe someday i’ll figure it out. could it be God reminding me that spring is here and that while i spend most of my day in an office, God has created a whole playground outside for me to explore? maybe so.

i’m going to montreat next week. i hope the cardinal in the window is still hanging around when i return.

 

the one about evangelism

i just want to write something…with this new blog, i’m itching to write something. someone once told me, with blogs, you have to keep them up to date or people will stop reading it. i think that holds true. so, here goes…

i’ve been having an interesting conversation tonight with one of my youth via email on facebook. he asked me how presbyterians interpret the great commission found at the end of matthew. it turns out that in all his time at CPC, he has heard next to nothing about us telling people about jesus and who jesus is. this led him to wonder how we accept the call extended to us in the great commission. and you know what? he’s right…we don’t do much with evangelism. so, that begs the question, what do we do about it? but it also begs the question, how do we do it?

as presbyterians, we are sometimes uncomfortable with the word “evangelical.” i remember when i was on a pastor nominating committee my senior year in high school and we were writing up our CIF (church information form – which is kinda like a church’s resume). the committee wanted to describe our church as “evangelical.” my first, knee-jerk reaction was, “evangelical? really? i’m not sure i like that word.” they were surprised to hear me say that. i did have a bad taste for the word, largely because of religious television personalities (televangelists) and my less-than-holy experience with peers from the large local church. i thought it was a negative way to describe christians. i didn’t know what the word meant. i thought it was a “bad” word. ironic, though, since it is the greek word for “good news.” i had no idea what the word meant at the time, because my church did not use the word often and my exposure to it was limited to television and that local church. however, as my understanding of the word and the practice increased, so too did my appreciation for the word. we ended up using it in the CIF in the end.

presbyterians are not usually thought of as an evangelical people, but we strive to be. my home church, northminster pcusa (chattanooga, tn) had to be evangelical…they had no choice…they no longer served the neighborhood in which i had been placed 30 years prior. in order to survive, the church had to reevaluate its practice of evangelism to its neighbors. as presbyterians, should we wait until we have no other options left but to be evangelical, before we become evangelical? probably not. i’m still learning how to be evangelical. i hope that maybe i can pick up a thing or two from this youth who made this observation of our church, in addition to my evangelical, liberal, feminist girlfriend, Lynda, when she returns from Peru.

peace.

 

the first one

this is the first of, i hope, many blogs that will be worth reading. i’m not sure about what i will write exactly, or on what i will post comments. maybe i’ll share wisdom gained from books i’m reading. maybe i’ll share my thoughts on a theological topic. maybe i’ll share stories of my church and youth group (GOOTH). maybe i’ll share stories of my family. who knows. check back and find out.