Afterwards...

Peaks and valleys. The euphoria of a long-anticipated event, and the crash. I know there's a biochemical aspect to it, part of how God has made us. Knowing helps. But it still kinda stinks. I call it a "camp" adrenaline rush.

So many times it happens. From my teen days, youth camps where I felt so close to God, and then the emotional crash when coming back to the real world. Young Life camp, where I would get really close to a bunch of people, and then it was over. Working on plays, where I was with a cast every single day for two months - and then the last curtain dropped. Mission trips - it's hard to describe the empty feeling in my gut when I part ways with friends I have been with 24/7 for a week or more.

And Christmas.

We do so much to build up to this extravagant holiday. A lot of it is hype, alot of it is ridiculous commercialization - no question about that. But that's not the part that gets me. There is something about traditions with family and friends, as well as the church rituals, that work together to produce the "camp adrenaline rush" in me. And so then there's the crash. I went to a movie yesterday after we finished our family Christmas dinner, and that postponed it. But there it was last night, just like most every Christmas, trip, and big event. Just a mild case of the blahs: Ughhh, it's all over. And here I sit.

And that's another reason I am thankful for Jesus. He came to give us joy and peace - joy and peace that's deeper than the fluctuations of our emotions. When I'm in my sweet spot, serving with friends in Ethiopia or gathered with my family around the Christmas tree, he provides joy deeper than the rush. And when I'm sitting at home after it's all over, wondering why I can't shake a blah feeling, he provides joy stronger than the crash.

He entered history 2,000 years ago, and showed us how to live through the ups and downs. He has been through everything we have, and is there to stand with us. Whether it's some temporary case of the blahs, or dealing with real hurt and sorrow - as I know some of you are - he's there. And he understands.

Hallelujah, what a Savior! So Donnie,

Rejoice! rejoice!
Emmanuel
Has come to thee, O Israel.

LIfe goes on, part 2

In my life, I have been blessed with the best friends any one could have. Some of them are from my school days. Others I met at work. As I talked about in my last post, the ones that have endured are the ones I invest time in.

But in the last few days, I have noticed the most common source of friends. I tend to get close to people with whom I share the most important thing in my life. Not surprising really. After all, it's hard to be close to someone when you're not even walking on the same path.

I thought of this because I have been writing and talking a lot with friends I've met in the last two years. People that were on my previous Visiting Orphans teams. People who are currently on or preparing to go on various trips with VO. And the new friends who are about to embark to Ethiopia with me.

And so I look back, and I see that many of my most important relationships (besides family) come from similar places. Friends I made in the early years of being involved in youth ministry at my church. Fellow YoungLife leaders over the years. And more recently, friends I've made through VO.

Yes, there are other relationships that are very important to me and have lasted. But it has been hard not to notice the number of emails, Facebook posts, tweets, and text messages I've shared in the last few weeks with my fellow Kingdom workers. I don't think it's a coincidence.

So invest time in people. And find those who are walking the same life path as you. If you do, I think you'll find the same thing I have: people who make your life far richer than you could have imagined.

Ethiopia 2011: The future

In the days since I returned from Ethiopia, I've posted a series of pages based on what God was teaching me there. So far, the topics have been:

• The second time: how was it different?
• The progress in the community between visits,
• The home visits, and
• The awesome team I worked alongside.

And so now I close the series with a look toward the future. Because how can you walk so close to the heart of God and not have your future changed?

And indeed it has changed. God continues to draw me to this part of the world and I sam convinced that this phase of my life has a mission related to that. At the the same time, I continue to have a heart for young people - the same part of me that led me to be a YoungLife leader for 30+ years.

This trip cemented my love for the people there, and especially for the children whose homes I visited. Also, God taught me alot about the dynamics of a young team by putting me with this particular team. I don't know the path that God has for me, but there are certain things about it that seem to be clear:

• I am to continue my sponsorship of Brouk and Hagersaw. I pray that God will life them up and give them a full sense of his presence.
• I need to be a constant voice for those who can't be heard above the shouting of our busy materialistic world. I want to constantly let everyone I know how important it is to love "the least of these" (Matthew 25:31-46) - the widows, the orphans, and the disenfranchised.
• I want to stay in touch with my new friends from the team, just as I did with many of my 2010 team. God keeps expanding my circle of friends, and I am grateful.
• God willing, I will return to Ethiopia. Right now, I believe God wants me to find a way to lead a team of young people, merging my two passions for ministry. I have some ideas how that might work, but I think it would be wise to share the details of that if and when it becomes a reality.

I'm excited about the future. Because I know who hold the future. Can't wait to see what he has in store.

YoungLife: A changing of the seasons

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

This past Thursday night was my last YoungLife club as a volunteer leader. It was a very strange thing to think about and definitely emotional, and yet it seemed very right. Because Solomon was right in the Scripture above. It was a great season, and a long one (I became a leader as a college freshman - if you know me, you do the math). But as I have prayed about this, it has become evident that God has other roles for me in his kingdom, both outside and inside YL.

I don't know of a ministry that portrays God's pursuit of us any better than YoungLife. Jesus came into our world and lived on our terms, showing us unconditional love and hanging out with all types. He then gave his life for the very people who rejected him. A YL leader is called to take the same approach - to sacrifice his/her comfort and enter the world of the teenager, loving them in all their imperfect glory. I still can't believe God chose me to be a part of his work through YL, but I am so glad that he did.

How big has it been in my life? Well, the picture at the top of my blog page was taken with friends at Windy Gap, a YoungLife camp. (As I look back, memories rush upon me like a flood. In no particular order:

• Countless crazy skits and songs both meaningful and silly.

• The fear that takes over when I would walk into a school cafeteria with no idea where any kids I knew were. And going anyway.

• So many 30+ hour bus rides to ski camp in Colorado (and rides nearly as long to camp in Michigan) that I literally don't know the number. Not comfortable, but there's no better way to really get to know people.

• Scores of friends, many of whom I've lost touch with but so many that I'm still very close to. Both former YL kids and fellow leaders.I don't know what I'd do with out them.

• The fear I was felt when embarking on the ropes course at camp. I'm not much for heights, but it was always fun to conquer with the kids we brought.

• The simplicity and power of the basic message that Younglife proclaims: God created us and loves us, all of us have turned our backs but he loved us so much he sent Jesus to bring us back to him by his death and resurrection.

• Countless weeks at camp. (Again, literally countless - I don't know how many.) Nobody does summer camp better than YL. It is crazy fun, and I have seen so many lives changed there.

• Musicians like Allen Levi and Drew Holcomb, whom I would have never known about apart from YoungLife.

• I could go on and on. But I can't end the list without mentioning the one that means the most to me personally. I have seen YL play a major role in the spiritual growth of my nieces and nephew. I got to be a leader at camp with some of them, got to lead a Bible study group that included my niece Macy, and watched as College YoungLife in Tuscaloosa was a major part of Macy and Haley's growth. At the top of my list for life goals is being an influence for them to grow in Christ, and I am forever indebted to YL for how it has been a part of that.

So what now? Well, I want to always be a part of the ministry, it's just time to move on from volunteer leader. Maybe as a part of the Committee (the support structure for local YL), maybe as a mentor for any leader who wants advice, definitely through prayer. And as a reader of this blog you know the passion I've developed for international ministries and orphan care. I am very excited about the future and what the Lord has in store for me.

But now, as Ecclesiastes 3:1 becomes a reality for me, is the time to pause and look back. Thank you, Jim Rayburn for founding such an awesome ministry. Thank you, God, for letting me be a leader for so long. Thank you, friends, for, well, being my friends. And thank you to everyone in YoungLife for shaping my life and the lives of people I love.

My work is not over, just changing. I'm ready - bring it on.

All part of the experience

Not all Christmas traditions are family traditions, are they?  Of course our earliest ones are.  As children, we had no idea how much joy it brought our parents to see us excited about Christmas.  As they took around to look at lights, decorate our tree, and of course saw us open our presents, they would glow just watching us glow.

But over time, we develop more traditions, and one of my favorites is tonight.  Ever since my friend Tommy came home to Montgomery to lead YoungLife, he and his wife Andrea have hosted a Christmas party for YL leaders at their house.  He cooks very spicy and delicious chili - as I am only an hour or so from eating it, I can almost taste it now.  Grilled cheese sandwiches.  There are the usual delicious Christmas treats.  We talk, play games, and just hang out as a leadership team, and I always look forward to it.  And then, we always top off the night with our annual viewing of Christmas Vacation.

It's a classic and leaves me in stitches..  Along with Elf and It's a Wonderful Life, it is a must-see for Christmas season.  Fortunately, because of our tradition, I don't have to worry about when I'll fit it in.

So, as I head out for Tommy's house, I'll leave you with a quote from the movie:

Ellen: Clark, Audrey's frozen from the waist down. 
Clark: That's all part of the experience, honey.

Yes, it is all part of the experience.  And I love it.