If only that were true.

I saw a link a couple of days ago breaking down all the wonderful things that the stimulus is going to do for us. I don't care if it's going to pay off all our mortgages, it's not a good idea. One article I read today put it like this: this plan is like taking buckets of water from the shallow end of the pool and pouring them into the deep end in the hopes that it will raise the water level.

Dear Obama: No, it is not a foregone conclusion that the New Deal was beneficial for America. There are plenty of historians, and economists who believe that it extended the depression.

It just goes to show you that the presidency is something like a drug. It makes people lose all connection to reality. Part of the reality that Obama needs to recognize is that the New Deal was a calamity far worse than the initial market downturn that began it. He needs to stop basing his policies on dumbed-down civics texts versions of events and consider the economic logic....You cannot make a country rich by looting taxpayers and paying people to pound nails into siding at public schools! These activities amount to capital consumption. They are not sources of investment....That was also true of Bush’s dumb stimulus program. He was only bailing out his friends at our expense. The effect was to give a little longer life to institutions that were failing anyway. It’s pathetic that the Republicans ever went along with it. You will notice that the scheme didn’t actually work. -- From Obama's Wealth Destruction by Lew Rockwell over at LRC.

I think Obama is right on one thing, everyone is suddenly an economist. I'll admit that I'm not qualified to give advice, but I read a lot of people who have been issued prescient warnings that this stuff was coming, all while being laughed at by the talking heads. And now we're here, and they're warning that we're just going to make it worse by following this path.

In a nutshell, the Democrats and Republicans are following the economic philosophy of John Maynard Keynes. Whereas folks like Ron Paul and much of the libertarian circles subscribe to the economic theories of the Austrian School. From the wiki entry for Keynesianism:

Keynes argued that the solution to depression was to stimulate the economy ("inducement to invest") through some combination of two approaches :

• a reduction in interest rates.
• Government investment in infrastructure - the injection of income results in more spending in the general economy, which in turn stimulates more production and investment involving still more income and spending and so forth. The initial stimulation starts a cascade of events, whose total increase in economic activity is a multiple of the original investment.[1]

Now that strategy should sound very familiar. That's what the government is trying to do. More from the Keynesian playbook:

Keynes explanations of slumps ran something like this: in a normal economy, there is a high level of employment, and everyone is spending their earnings as usual. This means there is a circular flow of money in the economy, as my spending becomes part of your earnings, and your spending becomes part of my earnings. But suppose something happens to shake consumer confidence in the economy. Worried consumers may then try to weather the coming economic hardship by saving their money. But because my spending is part of your earnings, my decision to hoard money makes things worse for you. And you, responding to your own difficult times, will start hoarding money too, making things even worse for me. So there's a vicious circle at work here: people hoard money in difficult times, but times become more difficult when people hoard money.

The cure for this, Keynes said, was for the central bank to expand the money supply. By putting more bills in people's hands, consumer confidence would return, people would spend, and the circular flow of money would be reestablished.

If this is the proposed definition and cure for recessions, then what about depressions? Keynes believed that depressions were recessions that had fallen into a "liquidity trap." A liquidity trap is when people hoard money and refuse to spend no matter how much the government tries to expand the money supply. In these dire circumstances, Keynes believed that the government should do what individuals were not, namely, spend.

So that is the theory behind all this stimulus. Spend... spend... spend. We're not spending money, so the government will do so in our name and send us (or our kids) the bill.

Now a look at the Austrian Theory of the business cycle:

According to the theory, the business cycle unfolds in the following way. Low interest rates tend to stimulate borrowing from the banking system. This expansion of credit causes an expansion of the supply of money, through the money creation process in a fractional reserve banking system. This in turn leads to an unsustainable "monetary boom" during which the "artificially stimulated" borrowing seeks out diminishing investment opportunities. This boom results in widespread malinvestments, causing capital resources to be misallocated into areas that would not attract investment if the money supply remained stable. A correction or "credit crunch" – commonly called a "recession" or "bust" – occurs when credit creation cannot be sustained. Then the money supply suddenly and sharply contracts when markets finally "clear", causing resources to be reallocated back towards more efficient uses.

Government regulation a) forced businesses to lend to sub-prime lenders and b) generated moral hazard by decoupling the rewards of doing business from the risk. Our economy has been built on this house of cards that was dependent on you and I continuously spending more and more and not saving any of our money. It had to fall apart.

Now this is a bit scary: Congressman Paul Kanjorski admitted the following in a recent interview about the start of the crisis back in September (watch the video and see for yourself):

I was there when the secretary and the chairman of the Federal Reserve came those days and talked to members of Congress about what was going on… Here’s the facts. We don’t even talk about these things.

On Thursday, at about 11 o’clock in the morning, the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous drawdown of money market accounts in the United States to a tune of $550 billion being drawn out in a matter of an hour or two.

The Treasury opened up its window to help. They pumped $105 billion into the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks.

They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts, and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn’t be further panic and there. And that’s what actually happened.

If they had not done that their estimation was that by two o’clock that afternoon, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system of the United States, would have collapsed the entire economy of the United States, and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed.

Now we talked at that time about what would have happened if that happened. It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it.

If that doesn't give you pause, I don't know what will...

Tuesday - Called to be Loved

MSG
31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Romans 8:31-39

When I started thinking about this day's theme, I immediately thought of a service that I had put together back when I was helping lead The Door service. It was inspired by a camp program that I saw growing up where we took the story of the Prodigal Son and set it to music and did sing-alongs that told the story. I'm pretty sure that it was a program put together by Reggie Holder.

My take on it was influenced by a sermon I read on the Emergent Kiwi blog, but for our program, I put a bit of a twist on it that wasn't originally included in my Door service.

I originally put together a video for the younger son, the father, and the older son using some images I found on Google, some of the stock photo sites. I set them to music and used the Ken Burns effect for drama. But this time around, I was going to redo them and make them more edgy, but then I discovered Animoto, which pretty much did all that for me. And originally, I basically read straight off the sermon that I referenced on the blog originally, but I never liked how that flowed.

So for camp, I rewrote the sermon as a series of monologues, the first of which was played beautifully by one of our long-time campers, Leah:

The Younger Son’s Story
I was such an idiot. Where do I even start?
I went to my father—my father, who is still living—and asked for my inheritance. I didn’t know how good I had it. I didn’t appreciate what I had. I was selfish and foolish.
Not only did I want my inheritance, I wanted to spend it. That’s like asking your father for his retirement funds while he’s still around. I might as well have told him, “I wish you were dead.” When I told him, his face turned white as all the blood drained from it. I was so convinced that I was missing out on living the high life, that I didn’t care how much I hurt my father, I just wanted out. I was sick of my family, sick of my life.
And what was that inheritance? It was our family’s lands, our livestock. What we had to live off of. It was our lifeblood. It usually takes years to negotiate the sale of that much land and livestock, but I was so selfish and greedy that I sold it off in a couple of weeks, just to get the money quickly and start my new life, on my own. The people in the town called me names and shot disapproving glances when I walked through town. Childish, despicable they called me.
In our culture, in order to do something like this, you had to publicly say that you were cutting yourself off from your family and your city. So, I choose to be cut off forever. The only way I could undo that is to buy back all of the stuff that I sold. I was now, for all practical purposes, dead to my family, to my city, to friends I went to school with, played with, grew up with. I wanted nothing to do with them anymore.
So I left. I went off to live life for ME. But you know, there are some things out there that want to own you. And I willingly let them.
→ Younger Son Song Clip Plays Here →
At first, I thought I had found what I was looking for, but I soon realized that in my quest for the ultimate freedom to do whatever I wanted, I ended up in bondage. A slave. Flush with all of that cash, I had everything money could buy. I soon had all kinds of new friends, and we lived it up. I was throwing cash around like it was going out of style. But then, the economy tanked. A drought hit, one of those once in a hundred years kinds of events. In your time, when some kind of catastrophe hits, you have WorldVision, and all these charities that come to help. There was no Doctors Without Borders, no NBC or CNN, broadcasting live to mobilize the world to come to help. I was completely on my own. My so-called friends abandoned me once the money dried up. I was far from home, I had no real friends, no family to bail me out. I abandoned my family. I went through the ceremony that cut me off from my hometown. I was on my own, just like I wanted, but I was hungry. Even if I tried to go home, the people in the town would hunt me down and kill me before I even got home. In our tradition, once you leave, you’re an enemy, an outsider. What could I do? I was hungry, broke, and homeless. I ran across an ad in the local paper. There weren’t many jobs available, but there was at least one… a pig farmer. Wait, I forget… you don’t understand about my people and pigs. I am a Jew. Pigs are considered unclean in our culture. You don’t eat barbecue, you don’t even touch pigs. The Rabbis say, “cursed are those who feed pigs.” There I was. A Jew, in a pigsty. And this job doesn’t even pay a living wage. I couldn’t even afford 2 meals a day, let alone 3. As I looked at the pigs eating the slop, I realized that even they were better off than me. How much lower could I get? I started thinking… my father’s servants are even better off than me. I could go home, and beg to become one of his servants. But then there’s my having been cut off from the town. I’d have to get past the townspeople if I was going to make it to my father alive. I would be a hired hand. Not part of the family, just an employee. At that time, I wasn’t even really sorry for what I had done, I was just hungry, broke, and scared. I didn’t know if my father would even welome me back as a son. I had squandered it all. I didn’t even deserve to be called his son. I wrote this whole long speech down, ready to beg for mercy from my father, and headed towards home.

The Father's Story (performed by his eminence, the honorable Franklin Slaton)

I was speechless, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Surely, I had heard him wrong. I could feel the blood draining from my face. I could feel the knots in my stomach. One of my 2 children, the youngest, my daughter came to me to ask me to let her take her share of our family’s wealth, our lifeblood. We make a living off our land and our livestock, and let her go ahead and have it.
I felt so rejected. Even though it would completely humiliate me in the eyes of my friends in town, I gave her the freedom to go, to live on her own, apart from me.
For years, I waited to hear word from her. You see, we had no email, no phones, not even a post office. I would describe my daughter to strangers who were passing through our village to see if anyone even knew if she was alive or dead.
In our culture. When you marry and have a family, we add onto the house, and keep building and building. Families live together all their lives. I know that you don’t typically live with your grandparents and aunts and uncles, and cousins. In our culture, you stay with your family. When my daughter left us, she had to go through the cutting off ceremony willingly. She had to say that she wanted nothing to do with me, her brother, the rest of our family, her friends. It broke my heart.
But one day, while I was out in the fields, I saw her, from a long way off. I don’t know how I even knew it was her. I just did. And then I remembered the cutting off, and what the people in the town might do to her. And I took off running.
Wait.. I forget, you don’t know about that part of our culture. Running is for the children. Middle Eastern men in my day don’t run. Usually I’m wearing this long robe that stretches to the ground. If I run, I have to pull it up. Exposing your legs is humiliating for my people. But I don’t even care. I run to her.
→ PLAY RECONCILIATION CLIP HERE ←

My daughter weeps in shame, telling me that she is no longer worthy to be called my daughter. She told me later that she had a speech she had written about begging to become a hired hand. She’s my daughter. I didn’t care about the cutting off ceremony, it’s time for a ring and a party. And not just a small party, I invited the whole town to see that my daughter, who was dead, is alive. We are cooking up the fattest cow we can find. That’ll feed about 200 people. We are going to have a massive party, and everyone in town will know that my daughter is forgiven.

And then we broke into groups to process it, because this is a heavy subject, and I've always believed that while our time with the campers is limited, there's freedom in being a part of a community of believers outside of your hometown. It gives campers the freedom to process some things that they might not normally process. And even if that's only done internally, that's ok. We had them spend some time in their groups and emulate the younger son in the story by writing a letter of their own to God, saying whatever they need to say. Here's the instructions I gave out:

In one way or another, we can all relate to the Prodigal Son (or daughter). Give campers about five minutes to write their own “speech” to God, like the prodigal daughter wrote for her father. It’s essentially a personal prayer of confession. Tell them that they don’t have to include their names, and that no one will read what they’ve written. Have them seal their speeches/prayers in envelopes. When the group time ends, they should carry the envelope into the Assembly Hall.
Use the remaining time (about 15 minutes) to reflect on the following questions as a group …
•    What makes us feel like the prodigal son or daughter?
•    What makes us feel unlovable?
•    What makes us feel unworthy of God’s love?
•    What does it mean to you to be a child of God?
•    Can you relate to the father’s love for the prodigal son/daughter? How does that feel, or how do you imagine it would feel?
•    What does it mean to you that God has such extravagant, no-holds-barred, no-matter-what love for you?

Then when they returned to the Assembly Hall, we did it in a very solemn manner. They came in and sat down on the floor and I got up and told them that in a few minutes they would have the opportunity to come up to the front and take their letter and shred it, because just like in the story, God doesn't care about what you did, He just wants you to come home.

My favorite programs are the ones that pull the rug out from under the campers. The unexpected twist. In 2007, we did this. So as I finished explaining what we were going to do, I yelled out the cue for the next phase of the evening: "Somebody get me a DJ!" We had bought a Disco ball, camp already had some strobes, and we already had the blacklights up, so all we needed was some dance music (and if you've never been to a camp at Sumatanga, you don't know that we love to dance). We brought in refreshments, started rolling the place with streamers. I had wondered how the campers would react after all that serious time with such a hard break from serious to silliness, but it went over really well. It was like exhaling and letting it all out. We let that run on for 20 minutes or so. And then we completed the story by having the older son show up outside in the dark. Paul, another of our veteran campers, did an amazing job getting across the pissed off and jealous older son. We had him look in the windows and just generally make a scene. He was mic'd up, so we could hear him and we asked Franklin to go out and take care of it. It was really hillarious because the campers treated it like a fight at school, they all crowded at the back windows to see what was going on.

The Older Son
Paul: Hey… what’s going on in there?
→ Franklin comes out to talk
Franklin: You’re not going to believe this! Your sister has come home!
Paul: What do you mean she’s come home? She cut herself off from us. She CHOOSE to leave. Nobody forced her. She humiliated me. She humiliated you. She humiliated our entire family, and you let her.
And what about the land she sold, she can’t come back unless she returns what she threw away.  That land was part of our family. It was my birthright too.
Don’t you realize that these people that have shown up for your party were all laughing at you just a couple of years ago? Don’t you listen to the rabbis? They say it’s better than someone be thrown into a furnace than to put someone to shame in public.
Franklin: Son… all is forgiven… come in.
Paul: All these years I’ve been working like a slave for you and I have NEVER disobeyed, yet you never even gave me a small party with my friends, but she goes off, blows half of YOUR lifesavings and you have the party to end all parties for her.
-- walks away --

Rug pulled. :-)

I concluded by basically taking the direct thoughts off of that sermon I referenced earlier:

And that’s the end of the story. There is no resolution, no reconciliation.
The musicians wait, the guests watch, the servants are poised with more food and wine.
People wonder: what happened to the older son? Did he let himself be persuaded by his father? Did he finally enter the house and participate in the celebration? Did he embrace his sister and join in the celebration? We simply don’t know. The story ends.
What happens next? What does the elder son say? What does he do?
The younger son or daughter was lost, but now she is found. The older son is lost, even though he never left. What’s his next move?
Maybe the next move is really ours? What will we say and do, because we too have seen love. Jesus left the house of his father to become the prodigal son for us, not as the rebellious son, but as an obedient son. Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for a friend. And Jesus has run toward each of us. Jesus has endured shame and humiliation for each of us. And he returned to his father’s house to save us from ourselves and from sin.
We have see the unexpected, undeserved love of God the father. We know that was in Christ putting the world square with himself, and giving us a fresh start.
Will we act like the older son and remain outside of God’s party? Refuse to accept the love of God for other people? Do we choose to trust or not trust God’s endless forgiveness?
Will we be like the younger son, setting boundaries in our relationship with God?
Serving God as servant or hired hand?

Or will we accept the gift of God, and join God’s party?
I think most people remember this story in terms of the younger son. It speaks to where they are.
However, now, years later, when I read this story, my fear is that we have become/will become like the heartless and self-absorbed older brother.
Our culture is the young son who has runaway from home. The biggest challenge in the parable is not to the young son, but to the elder son, to accept the outrageous grace of God. The shock is that the parable has no ending, the guests wait, the musicians pause and God asks each of us what we will do in response to grace.
Sin is broken relationships, our living selfishly, apart from God and our community.
God is the compassionate father who gives us freedom and who runs to us in humility and shame.
Repentance is accepting the fathers love. God’s love is offered to all, those who go and those who stay to those not yet Christian and those who have labored for many, many years.

Monday - Called to Faith

There's been a lot of talk about atheism vs. belief lately. Every few years there seems to be a new crop of books that pop up about how religion is an evil influence on society. This year, I discovered Tim Keller's The Reason for God. I saw a clip of Keller giving a talk at Google summarizing part of his book and I was intriqued. I added his book to my Amazon wishlist and in a happy coincidence, it happened to be part of our assigned summer reading for work.

My goal for Monday was to explore the relationship between faith and reason and to generate some discussion about issues like evolution and atheism. The teenage years are crucial to the development of a real, lasting faith. It's the time of life where you make the decision for yourself—is this for real? We had a speaker one year who made a comment that stuck with me: for some of the campers, our camp may be the last religious experience they have for 15 years, or ever.

The Premise of Tim Keller's book
Is it ok to have doubts? The premise of the atheism books used to be religion is bad. Now it's gone so far to say that respect for religion is bad. It used to be a common belief among scholars that the more technologically advanced a society got, the less religious it would get. The more economically developed, the more "enlightened," the less religious it would get. Now we know that's not so. Orthodox faith in America has actually gotten stronger, though mainline denominations like the Methodists are in decline. But at the same time, secular thought has gotten stronger as well, leading to this conflict of differing viewpoints. Is it possible to reconcile faith and reason?

I handed out some materials ahead of time to get the leaders thinking about some of the issues that might come up that evening (much of which comes from The Reason for God:

- 1 3 basic kinds of reasons to believe/disbelieve
- 1.1 1) intellectual reasons
you read the arguments and you say, these are compelling
arguments I do/don't
- 1.2 2) Personal reasons
people don't just believe/disbelieve because of intellectual
reasons, they do so because of personal reasons. Something
bad happens to them. Some people take this and say, I need a
God, some say, I don't need a God who would allow this.
Success, some people say they can do it on their own, some
feel hollow
- 1.3 3) Social Reasons
you tend to find most plausible the beliefs of the people in
the community you most want to be a part of
- 2 It takes as much faith to disbelieve in God as to believe
- 3 Evil and Suffering - Look at all the pointless and senseless
suffering in the world, given all that, there may be a God who's
good, but unable to stop it, or there may be a God who is powerful
enough, but not good enough to stop it
- 3.1 How do you know it's pointless? How do you know it's senseless
and that there's no good reason for it? The only answer we have
is "I can't think of a good reason"
- 4 If there really is a God, how can so many bad things have been done
in his name
- 4.1 Out of Christianity came the crusades, out of Islam came
terrorism. But look at atheism -Stalin. If you believe there is a
God, it's easy to twist that into, I believe, you don't and you
must destroyed. But if you're an atheist, you can think: if I can
do this and get away with it, I won't have to pay for it. You can
twist anything into violence. It's a tie.
- 5 I don't know if there's a God or not, but no one can really know for
sure
- 5.1 Agnostics: elephant and blind man: 6 blind men grab the elephant
in different places and come to different interpretations of what
an elephant is like, and that's how religion is.
- 5.2 Newbigin: In that story, the real point is constantly overlooked,
It's told from the point of view of a person that isn't blind,
but sees what the blind men are missing out on. The only way you
could see that is if you think you're not blind. You're assuming
you have the knowledge that you think no one else has.
- 6 Until you prove there's a God, I don't have to believe in God
- 6.1 Problem is that's a big leap of faith: why would you assume that
God would be something inside of the world and provable?
- 6.2 The russians sent Yuri Gregoran into space. He said, we sent
someone to heaven, he didn't see God anywhere.
- 6.3 CS Lewis: If there is a God, you don't related to God that way,
it's more like Hamlet trying to prove there is a Shakespeare.
Shakespeare would have to write himself into the play (much like
Jesus did).
- 6.4 I can't prove to you that I'm not a butterfly dreaming I'm a man.
- 6.5 Moral convictions, humans have rights. How can you prove that?
- 6.6 If you are living as if there is no God, that's an act of faith
- 7 It makes more sense to believe than disbelieve
- 7.1 Fine tuning of the universe
- 8 Why would a good God send people to Hell?
- 8.1 Hell, says Keller, “is the trajectory of a soul, living in
self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on and on forever…hell
is simply one’s freely chosen identity apart from God on a
trajectory into infinity.”
- 8.2 Story about Lazarus and the rich man in the Bible. The rich man,
doesn't even ask to get out of Hell. He's still so selfish and
self-centered, he still thinks that Lazarus should do his bidding.
- 8.3 Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in
your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become
oneself, to get an identity, apart from him….[sin] is not just
the doing of bad things, but the making of good things into
ultimate things.” Everyone no matter if they’re Joe Blow or
Madonna has to find some way to “justify their existence.” And
when you and I turn to anything other than God we Sin.
What are the personal consequences of Sin? One consequence is the
loss of your true identity, and with that any sense of personal
stability and peace. Ultimately “A life not centered on God leads
to emptiness. Building our lives on something besides God not
only hurts us if we don’t get the desires of our hearts, but also
if we do.” Sin’s consequences don’t stop there, the consequences
of sin are not just personal, but social and cosmic.
- 9 Yeah, but aren't Christians just hypocrites
“If Christianity is all it claims to be, shouldn’t Christians on
the whole be much better people than everyone else? This
assumption is based on a mistaken belief concerning what
Christianity actually teaches about itself.” You don’t clean up
and then come to Christ, you come to Christ because you’ll always
need to clean up and his Spirit more than your good intentions
makes all the difference in the world. To mix metaphors the
church is a hospital ward full of sick people, of course its
going to look worst than the world outside.

And then some questions they might share with their group:

1.    What does the word faith mean to you?
2.    Is it ok to doubt?
If you had all of the answers, you'd be God. Being a mature Christian is sometimes about accepting that there are sometimes no good answers.
3.    What do you believe about the way the universe was created?
4.    We were taught that there were rules that govern the physical universe (think of Newton and the apple), but now we know that this isn't necessarily so. How did hearing about some of the weirdness of the bigness and the weirdness of the smallness affect the way you think about God and faith?
5.    How does the circle vs rectangle example affect the way you look at the arguments between Christian denominations? (Make sure your campers understand the concept first) Predestination vs. Freewill?
6.    Make sure the campers understand the flatland example. Flatland is all we have (reductionistic) vs. There's more - nudges, feelings, perception of the greater truth
7.    You might discuss thin places. In Celtic spirituality, certain locations - especially islands, mountains and springs - became sacred and were visited by people on relevant occasions. They were called "thin places", because here the division between heaven and earth was said to be at its narrowest. A lot of us think that Sumatanga is a thin place.
8.    How does the theory that there are 11 dimensions affect your understanding of God?
9.    A Samaritan woman once asked Jesus where her people should worship God - on Mount Gerizim, as had been their custom, or in Jerusalem.

John 4:20. The underlying question was whose religion was correct, stated in terms of the proper place for worship. To this question, Jesus replied:

Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

How does this video affect your understanding of this scripture?
10.    What's wrong with thinking that God is only being in a certain place, a church, at camp? There is no word in Jesus' language for spiritual.
11.    What difference does faith in God make in your

For the actual program, we showed part of Rob Bell's Everything is Spiritual video. I went through the video and outlined it and then cut out parts of it to get it to fit within our time frame. I wish I had a picture of how we projected it, because it was a neat set up visually. The setup of the video is Rob Bell on a plain stage with a big whiteboard. And we set it up so that it was us watching it on a plain stage of a white drop cloth. Anyways, Bell ties Genesis and creation to quantum physics and string theory. It's really fascinating stuff, and it really makes you see things in a whole new way. We got a great response from it, and the counselors felt like it really set up some really great discussion for that evening as we broke into groups.

When we came back from groups, we showed another 20 minutes of the video, and then at the end of the clip, I spliced together the music from the video into a loop so that I could drag out the end of the video. He essentially ends the video making the point that everything that you do is spiritual. There's no word in the Hebrew language for spiritual. It's ALL spiritual. And that there's a lot more going on in our world than we can perceive. Scientists believe that there are at least 11 different dimensions. Unbeknowngst to the campers and most of the counselors, we replaced the light bulbs in the front part of the room with blacklights. Through some experimentation, I found that you could pretty much hide messages on the walls in plain sight  by taking brown grocery bags and writing messages on them in highlighter. Because they were the same color as the walls in the rooms we were in, they blended nicely.

One of the more vivid examples in the video is of flatland. So we had some folks act out that illustration as a closing. The video ends, the techno music loops, the screen goes dark. We flip on the blacklights. We had marked all of the campers with a Jesus fish logo with highlights (that we disguised, so it wouldn't be obvious that it was a highlighter), and on the walls is written the message "this isn't all there is... there's more" which suddenly is visible, when it wasn't there before. On stage, we have a dramatization of the flatland example. We had 2 people go up and pick up a bedsheet on which we had masked out the 2 stick figures. At a certain point we have them drop the sheet and then we have these 2 figures dressed in white playing the stick figure roles and then a dancer comes in from the back who is wearing a black shirt with a cross on it (I wanted to use the trinity triquetra symbol, but we were afraid it wouldn't translate). The dancer interacts with the stick people and then on a cue, after the dance is finished, they pick up the sheet again (it's actually a 2nd bedsheet), on which we have written "God is near" in glow in the dark ink. We cut the lights and now all you see is darkness and the words, "God is near."

One of the habits that I've picked up over the last year 18 months or so is running several times a week. And one of the reasons I look forward to it is that it has become my devotional time. It's during that time that I listen to the weekly sermon from Mars Hill Bible Church or lately to N.T. Wright's latest book, Simply Christian. I get a lot out of that time. I just let my mind concentrate on the material, with no distraction (I run on a track because of my allergies, so it's just running in a circle over and over again).

I've been leading our Sunday School class through the Faith Lessons video series from Ray Vander Laan's Follow the Rabbi site, a great series to check out if you're interested in teaching your group about the Jewish roots of Christianity. There really hasn't been a week of it where I didn't learn something new, or a new way to look at a piece of scripture. The first few volumes are very heavy on the Old Testament and what became of the Jews with the revolts and eventual destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. And all of this was really inspired by listening to Rob Bell. Rob reference's Vander Laan's work was listed by Bell as being an influence.

I'd also highly recommend watching this Authors@Google talk by Tim Keller, author of The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. He said some really interesting things that might show up in a program at camp this summer. We have a night with the theme of Called to Faith, I can see plugging some of this in. I'm definitely picking up the book.

Tuesday Evening
Tuesday night was a struggle for us this year. Due to some issues that week, we ended up not coming on as strong as we had originally planned. Despite all that, I think that it was pretty memorable and meaningful for the campers.

The setup was supposed to be as much like a desert as possible. My original idea was to give them contemplative time in a room with flowing fabrics hanging from the ceiling lit up in reds and yellows, and to keep it as warm and uncomfortable as possible. We did use some sand.

We started out the evening with a dancer doing an interpretation of the Jesus in the Wilderness story, along with illustrations that I found online a couple of years ago (Si Smith's excellent series: 40) projected along the back wall. For music, we used some a track from Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to the controversial Last Tempation of Christ.
Click here to check out Passion:

The previous afternoon I felt lead to fast for 24 hours. Our original plan had us exploring the wildernesses in our lives that we need to encounter/conquer, but the group wasn't as ready for that deep of an exploration this year, so we toned it down a bit. Instead of having time for campers to share, I wrote this sermon during Tuesday afternoon and shared it with the group:

My first sermon - 40
What is your absolute favorite snack? Sometime you just love and you crave and you can’t get enough of? For me, it’s absolutely anything that involves peanuts and chocolate. It’s a combination of two things that were just ordained by God to be together… in my mouth. Turn to your neighbor and tell them what your favorite snack is.

So, I decided to fast today, for 24 hours. Now, just to be clear, fasting is not about some sort of eating disorder or becoming cranky. Camille was telling me earlier how some of her friends used to fast and they’d get all cranky about things and when she would ask them about something insignificant they’d be like, “LEAVE ME ALONE, I’M FASTING.” To me, that’s not really what fasting is about. Fasting is about spending a day with great focus and intent on hearing what God is trying to tell you, though right now peanuts and chocolate sounds really really nice.

So, what’s really going on with this scripture for today. Reader, will you read Matthew 4:1-2?
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and nights, he was hungry.

So Jesus was led by who? By the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Why would you need to go out there for 40 days and 40 nights and give up food and water and shelter? Just to test yourself? Just to be able to tell your friends at the local watering hole, “Hey, Guess what I just did?” Or is there something else going on here. Something bigger?

He goes out there for how long? 40 days. When a Jew in Jesus era heard this story, he would have paid particular attention to the number… 40. Can you think of any other time that the number 40 appears in the Bible?

It’s the story that we’ve been talking about already this week. It’s the story that kicks off the history of God’s people. Our people. If you are a Christian, then you can claim it as part of your story too. Your lineage goes way back as a child of God.

So, the Israelites go out into the desert, led by Moses. Reader, will you read Exodus 16:1-3?
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them. “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.”

I want you think about this for a moment. Close your eyes and visualize these things. You have just been freed from a couple of centuries of slavery. You have seen miraculous things. Plagues, a river that turns into blood, you made it through a night in which all of the first-born sons of your captors were killed. You escape and come to a river, now we know from earlier this morning how the Jewish people felt about water and now you’re stuck with Pharoah’s army bearing down on you.

Open your eyes now. And now, just 2 months and a few days later, we have whining and complaining and what is it that is drawing the people off track? Food.

So, God sends down manna from heaven for the people to eat. What is manna? Exactly, what is manna. The word manna, properly translated into modern contemporary English is this: whatchamacallit. Which come to think of it is a candy bar with chocolate and… wait a minute.. back on track!

So in Deut. 8, few books past Exodus in the Old Testament, we have Moses reflecting on their 40 year journey in the wilderness. He says, “Remember how the Lord led you on your journey in the wilderness for 40 years? 40 years of testing you in order to know what was in your heart. Whether or not you would keep his commands. Whether or not you would trust what He said. All to teach you that people do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Reader, please read again from Matthew 4:2-4
After fasting for forty days and nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to beome bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

So what is Satan’s first temptation? Food. And where have we seen that before? This is a story about getting distracted by our cravings, our appetites, our addictions, our lusts. And Jesus is saying that Israel failed this test, but he won’t. He will trust in God.

The simple idea here is that life is not just about getting our cravings and appetites taken care of, satisfying our urges. There is a whole other dimension at which a person can understand life. Life is not just making sure that all of my physical needs are met. God has promised to take care of us and there's a whole other dimension on which man can live.

You have a divine, sacred calling to be God’s people in the world. To be the citizens of heaven right here on earth, to bring heaven crashing into earth and show everyone what it’s like. What is it that draws you away from God or distracts you? Whatever it is and I can’t emphasize that enough, WHATEVER it is, God has already decided to love you and accept you. The scriptures say that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.

One of my favorite speakers, said this, “The most powerful phrase in the English language is, “me too.” Whatever it is that distracts you is distracting someone else too. Very probably someone in this room. It might be me.

- FADE IN MUSIC –

God already loves you, already values you, already considers you to be of immeasurable worth. Is there something that is distracting you from being everything God knows you can be?

I want you to spend the next few minutes talking about distractions that we face as human beings. It doesn’t have to be something that you personally are dealing with. Get together in a group of four and talk about it. What are some of the distractions. What are the things that people do to numb themselves into not feeling anything. Overindulging in food, whatever. Not the things that are normal parts of life. Enjoying food, enjoying great music. Talk about it.

Then Camille came up to split us into groups to learn different disciplines/prayers to help us deal with our wilderness times. We came back in and had each group share what they had learned.

Closing
For closing we used the Nooma Breathe video (I think I put in my Monday entry that we did this on Monday night, but it was actually Tuesday). A lot of the campers reported back that it really meant a lot to them. The video talks about how we are fragile beings created for a divine purpose. It's definitely one of my favorite Rob Bell videos.

Brainstorming Document for Tuesday:

Wednesday - Challenged on the Way

Campers will explore the story of Jesus’ journey to ministry through and temptation and learn being beloved of God.

Scripture: Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation—Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-15

21-22After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."

1-2Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.
3The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: "Since you're God's Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread."
4Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to really live."
5-7For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, "They're yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they're yours, the whole works."
8Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."
9-11For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, "If you are God's Son, jump. It's written, isn't it, that 'he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone'?"
12"Yes," said Jesus, "and it's also written, 'Don't you dare tempt the Lord your God.'"
13That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.
14-15Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone's acclaim and pleasure.

Thoughts on the Scripture - WB

This daily theme really builds on Monday night in a big way, because it continues to focus on wilderness and wandering. I was listening to some sermons based around this story and it talked about fasting and how your mind starts to have crazy thoughts about food after a day or so and about how the story mirrors Moses and the exodus. God speaks a blessing over Moses and the Israelites, leads them across the waters, but they grumble and complain about not having water, then they get water and they start to complain about food. A first century Jew would recognize that Jesus experience in the wilderness mirrors the Exodus. So this could be a story about things that pull us off course, our appetites and cravings, maybe a website that we don't need to be visiting, or maybe a website that isn't a bad site, we're just spending too much time there, maybe it's drugs, sex, alcohol, anything that we are overindulging in to numb us. The story also is a mirror of the Garden of Eden, it's food drawing Adam and Even off course.See my thoughts from Monday night for a more complete reflection on the significance of this story in the scheme of things.

Preliminary Plan

Have the assembly hall be setup as a desert. Would be great to have a time in the evening where we talk about going into the desert, and about wilderness periods and how God uses our time in the wilderness to draw us closer to Him and make us depend on Him."When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, the power of the Holy Spirit was with him, and the Spirit led him into the desert. For forty days Jesus was tested by the Devil." Luke 4:1-2a, CEV
Jesus chose to go into the wilderness, not to go around it. This was the place where he had to confront his demons and be renewed and strengthened; be transformed.
What is the wilderness in your life that you need to encounter?

Brainstorm

• Dealing with deceptions, and challenges on the way.
• Talk Show?
• Use WB video from Prodigal Son Door Service with Temptations?
• Roadblocks
• Parents who aren't setting a good example
• Media
• Consumerism
• Evil
• Peer Pressure
• Loss (Loved One)
• Sex
• Self-Image
• Depression
• Self-Esteem
• False prophets
• School
• Busyness
• We need to communicate that whatever, you're struggling with, you're not alone
• Work in personal testimonies
• Ways to pray?
• Collect Prayers
• Lectio Divina
• Breath Prayers
• etc.
• From curriculum: Develop brochure on ways to deal with temptations (in small groups) and present it
• Song - On the Road Again - Canned Heat
• Song - Doubting Thomas - Nickel Creek - might make a great closing song
• Video - Nooma 14 - Breathe - Would make a great closing -15 minutes
  Talks about being a sacred creation
• "You can't be connected to God until you're at peace with who you are. If you're still upset that God gave you this body or this life or this family or these circumstances, you will never be able to connect with God in a healthy, thriving, sustainable sort of way. You'll be at odds with your maker. And if you can't come to terms with who you are and the life you've been given, you'll never be able to accept others and how they were made and the lives they've been given. And until you are at peace with God and those around you, you will continue to struggle with your role on the planet, your part to play in the ongoing creation of the universe. You will continue to struggle and resist and fail to connect." Sex God, Rob Bell (p. 46)
• Music - Passion Remastered by Peter Gabriel would make a great soundtrack to parts of the evening
• Song - God Believes in You
• Isaiah 35
  Joy of the Redeemed
  1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
  the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
  Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
  it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
• Thomas Merton Prayer Uncertainty, Lost
  MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
• Doubt
  From Mastering the Art of Living Talk on Faith and Doubt:
  He asks how many in the congregation have been Christians for a long time, but their biggest of leap of growth in their spiritual journey has been recently.Everyone has faith in something. For some people, it's just in themselves.

  If you had all of the answers, you'd be God. Being a mature Christian is sometimes about accepting that there are sometimes no good answers.

• Visual Idea : Signpost with Signs. Maybe as someone comes in and works in a personal testimony, they add it to the pole?
• Quote - The endurance of wilderness is preparation for great light -- St. John of the Cross
• Quote - I am an invisible man...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind, I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. -- Ralph Ellison
• Psalm 63:1 (NRSV)
  O God, you are my God, I seek you,
  my soul thirsts for you;
  my flesh faints for you,
  as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
• Poem by teenager
  I am desperate, O Lord.
  My spirit is parched
  from worldly cares
  My heart tired and worn out.
  I feel abandoned.
  I stumble into enticing mirages
  in search of a cool oasis.
  Forgive my unbelief, my doubt,
  my questions, my lack of faith.
  You have seen me this far.
  You word says you will never forsake me.
  You have promised to be with me
  until the end of the earth.
  So make right the wrongs, Lord.
  Strengthen my spirit.
  Shelter me through this
  desolate, lonely wilderness.
  Let your divine wellsprings,
  streams of living waters,
  revive and refresh my soul.
  Fill me with the joy of your love
  once again.
  Quench my thirst.
  I long for you, O Lord.
• Psalm 13:1 (NRSV)
  How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
  How long will you hide your face from me?
• Poem - When? by Zack Baldwin, 17
  A missing note is holding back the song I want to sing.
  The needed joy I know is there just keeps on slumbering.
  My throbbing mind is drowning, upside down and lost.
  I'd trade today for yesterday, no matter what the cost.I'm searching past the pathway, screaming for the truth,
  for something to hold tightly, some never-dying proof.
  Lying through a laugh, I hold my head high.
  Dreaming of the past, I pass forgiveness by.

  A missing beat is holding back the flowing of my heart.
  Faithless, sinful melodies have thrown me back to start.
  My calling is a whisper where symphony once played.
  Living, loving moments have turned into counting days.

  Everything can change in the rising of the sun.
  The music will fit together,
  and my song can then be sung.
  The only question is, When will that day come?

• Psalm 43:5 (CEV)
  Why am I discouraged?
  Why am I restless?
  I trust you!
  And I will praise you again
  because you help me,
  and you are my God.
• Matthew 11:28
  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
• Closing?
  Uphill Battle Video
• Video ($15) - Jesus Was Tempted - Good intro to scripture:
• Video - Looping Desert Footage for Effect 1 ($6) Another ($6)
• Video - Good hazy effect for bathing the room in ($6)
• Flashing caution lights like you'd find on a roadblock

Monday Night:
We started out the evening with a mock recap of the Moses and the Exodus story. We played it like I had asked Timmy to put together a short video to bring us up to speed on Moses and then we showed the short video, Moses, Man of God from Worship House Media. It's really kitschy and fun. I played the straight man and got up and acted perplexed about the ridiculous video.

I then summarized the story leading up to Moses going into exile for 40 years. Then we moved into telling the burning bush story in a dramatic way, inspired by Nooma - Breathe, where Rob Bell asks if we've been passing burning bushes all the time and just not recognized it.

We set the front of the room up with 3 screens where the middle screen represented home and the sides represented wandering. I gathered a lot of images of varied landscapes and we had someone play Moses as a younger man, out wandering, tending to sheep. He'd walk back and forth and the video on the screen would have a loop of sheep and a bush and it would say, Year 1, Year 2, and so on. Ben Killen and I created a burning bush to use: Burning Bush (it's kind of compressed and I had to mess with the timing to get it export, it looked smoother than this). So the idea was he'd pass by and finally would comically say after he heard the voice of God, "you've got to be kidding me.. right?"

Then it would start over and we'd be transported to modern times with a picture of a house where a young man goes off in search of God. We used the great Waterboys song with the chorus, "I just found God where he always was." Then eventually he'd pass by the house and one of the shrubs in front of it would be on fire. Making the point that God is here with us now. He doesn't show up, sometimes we just don't look for Him.

Here's where we got into trouble. I summarized the rest of the Moses story. Moses dies before entering the promised land. We're not promised an easy life, we're not promised that we're going to prosper if we just believe. We wanted them to think about their journey. Maybe it has been hard so far and they're hearing messages from TV that if you just believe, God will give you that mansion. We illustrated the point with a clip from Anderson Cooper 360 that talked about the prosperity Gospel with Joel Osteen and Creeflo Dollar. Then we split them into their small groups to talk about this question: What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Here's the handout we gave to the leaders: SH1 2007 Monday Group.

I say we got into trouble because we learned that while we're big fans of putting stuff out there and letting the group discern for themselves what we're trying to say without us having to say it, some folks mistakenly got the impression that we were promoting the idea that if you just believe that prosperity will come and that poverty is a curse from God on people who don't have enough faith. Which was disheartening.

Thinking about Your Path
When they returned to the Assembly Hall, we had reconfigured with about a thousand tealights (See video). It was really visually just stunning. The path led to an altar of candles at the top of the screen. We then asked the group to think about their journeys and to create a life map (see the brainstorm for more info). To lighten things up, we closed with a reading of "Oh the Places You'll Go." Or at least I intended to. We ended up cutting the evening short about half-way into it. The mood just was too heavy for it. It was an amazing evening though.

If we hadn't needed to cut it short, we would have closed with the amazing poem, "Fit Me in Somewhere" by Gerard Kelley. It's in the notes below. His book is great too. Check it out on Amazon.

Our brainstorm notes from the evening:

Monday - Led on the Way

Campers will explore the manner in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness and explore God’s faithfulness on Israel’s journey from slavery to freedom.
Campers will:
recognize God’s presence and activity in the lives of God’s people
identify ways that God guides people
discover that following God sometimes means taking a roundabout way

Scripture Reference: Pillars of Cloud and Fire—Exodus 13:17-18a, 20-22

(The Message)

17 It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt."

18 So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.

20-22 They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.

Thoughts on the Scripture (WB)

I guess the point is about being led and trusting in God to provide. It's also the basis for much of the Jewish faith.Some of this applies for either Monday or Wednesday
WB - Some of the stuff that I've been reading/listening to lately has spoken about these verses, (Leaving Control for Faith, giving me some insight into this. There are some layers of this that we can go into. The shortest path to the promised land was through the land of the Philistenes, but God took them the LONG way. Following Jesus doesn't guarantee you'll be on the easy path. Also, they followed God. They had no idea when they camped how long they'd be there. It could be a few hours, it could be a few days, it could be weeks or months. They had to trust in God without knowing what was coming, they had to live for that day. We want guarantees, we want to stockpile for our comfort, security. When God gave the Israelites manna, He told them to keep enough just for that day. When they disobeyed, they found the manna to be full of maggots.

Numbers 9
The Cloud Above the Tabernacle
15 On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

The only way you know what to do is when the cloud moves, you move, there is no calendar, no schedule. All they're given is directions for the next step. In the journey, there are no guarantees, you do not get to know about what's going to happen tomorrow, God only gives you today. Perhaps we could share times when we were in the wilderness. The wilderness is a time when you are alone, wandering, wondering, asking the question where am I? Who am I? No one can do anything for you. You've prayed, rebuked devils, fasted. Yet you still find yourself in a barren place.

The Wilderness as a Catalyst to Make Us Better
Abraham had to go through the wilderness when God told him to leave his country, his people, and his father's house. That was the only way that Abraham could become great.

God chose Joseph to be a leader. But before that, long before that, Joseph was cast down in a pit. He was then sold into slavery by his own brothers. Keeping God's law, he was tossed into prison for a crime that he did not do.

David was the promised king of Israel. In his wilderness King Saul tried to kill him.

Moses was in the wilderness because of the children of Israel. Sometimes we are in the wilderness to help others get through it. God promised Israel a promised land but there was a wilderness before the promise.

Jesus, the promised Messiah, had to go through the wilderness. he experienced hunger and temptation. Before the fulfillment of your promise you will have a wilderness experience

If you are in the wilderness, do not lose hope because Jesus gives a plan to make it through, even in the midst of temptation.

Jesus -- Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

Immediately after being baptized, Jesus was led into the desert 40 days before beginning his ministry. Even the son of God had to spend time in the wilderness. It was important that Jesus was tested and spiritually strengthened through these 40 days.

Barnes comments, “When the first Adam was created he was subjected to the temptation of the devil, and he fell and involved the race in ruin: it was not improper that the second Adam -- the Redeemer of the race -- should be subjected to temptation, in order that it might be seen that there was no power that could alienate him from God; that there was a kind and a degree of holiness which no art or power could estrange from allegiance.”

We sometimes have to go through dark times to test our faith and strengthen our commitment to God. This could not have been a pleasant time for Jesus. If you are going through a difficult time, try to learn what God is trying to teach you.

Moses -- Acts 7:29-30
When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

Moses had been raised in a royal palace. When it came time for him to identify with his Hebrew brothers, he acted impulsively. He needed to spend time in the wilderness to mature and to learn how to deal with people who were not raised in riches. During these forty years, Moses learned how to deal with shepherds. Since the nation of Israel was a nation of shepherds, this was extremely important.

Sometimes God has us spend time in preparation. There may have been times when Moses felt he was wasting his life on the back side of the desert, but God had a plan for him. He needed to learn how to deal with the everyday occurrences of normal life. Perhaps you feel like your life is being wasted. Remember, that even during those times in the wilderness God is teaching and preparing our hearts.

There is an interesting Aesop’s Fable called The Traveler and the Plane-Tree, “Two Travelers, worn out by the heat of the summer’s sun, laid themselves down at noon under the widespreading branches of a Plane-Tree. As they rested under its shade, one of the Travelers said to the other, ‘What a singularly useless tree is the Plane! It bears no fruit, and is not of the least service to man.’ The Plane-Tree, interrupting him, said, ‘You ungrateful fellows! Do you, while receiving benefits from me and resting under my shade, dare to describe me as useless, and unprofitable’?”

You may feel that what God is taking you through is useless and unprofitable. But there is benefit that you just can’t see or understand yet. If you are willing to place your full trust in God, you will discover that it is during those times that seemed the least important that God was preparing you for his work.

Joseph -- Genesis 39:20-23
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

God was going to use Joseph to administer to the entire nation of Egypt. But first, it was necessary for Joseph to learn gifts of administration. What did God do? He threw Joseph in prison. How discouraging this must have been for Joseph. He was there at least two years and maybe more. He could have become despondent and given up all hope. But instead he tried to do a good job. Little did he know what God had in store for him.

Barnes writes, “An uncomplaining patience and an unhesitating hopefulness keep the breast of Joseph in calm tranquility. There is a God above, and that God is with him. His soul swerves not from this feeling.”

It is because Joseph was in the prison that the cupbearer would later remember him to Pharaoh. It is because Joseph was in prison that he learned the skills to be able to administer the grain storage for the king. It was because Joseph was in prison that he was able to spare his family from the famine. You may feel like you are in a prison, either trapped in a situation or relationship, or you may feel like you are in an emotional prison. Remember, that God used that time in prison so that Joseph could learn the skills he needed to minister to a nation and to his family! Perhaps God is using your prison too.

David -- 1 Samuel 23:13-17
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

David was hiding out in the desert of Ziph. Saul was seeking his life. He knew God had promised that he would be the next king of Israel, but here he was being treated like a common criminal. It was during this time that he learned mercy from Saul’s son, Jonathan. Even though Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne, he was willing to give it up to fulfill God’s plan for David’s life. From this desert experience, David learned forgiveness and mercy which would be necessary for the future king of Israel.

Do you feel like you have been chased into a desert? Perhaps God wants you to learn mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness is never learned when everything is going great and no one wrongs us. Mercy can only be learned and practiced when we have been harmed. Perhaps God has allowed you to go through a time in the wilderness so that you can learn to forgive others.

Jephthah -- Judges 11:3-6
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.”

Jephthah was a great warrior, but he did not have many friends. He was strong, but he was a loner. His family despised him and chased him away to the land of Tob. He was an outcast. But it was during this time in the wilderness, that other men joined him and he learned how to lead a band of fighting men. They were fighting for food and survival, but God would use this experience to help Jephthah know how to lead the army of Israel against the Ammonites.

Jephthah may have been very discouraged. His mother was a prostitute, and his brothers wanted nothing to do with him. He was chased away and had to feel unwanted and unloved. But God loved him and taught him skills in leading others. It was during the lowest time of his life that he was receiving the most important instruction of his life.

If you feel unwanted and unloved, examine your circumstances closely. It may be that God is helping you during this difficult time to learn some skill or ability which you will need later.

Paul -- Galatians 1:15-18
But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.

Paul had been going in the wrong direction for a long time. He had been persecuting the church, but Jesus graciously reached down to him and turned his life around. Paul had a lot of talents and abilities. He would make an ideal preacher. But first God wanted Paul to be instructed by the Spirit. So he sent Paul for three years into the deserts of Arabia. I’m sure Paul would have preferred to dwell with the Christians and be able to minister to others about the wonderful miracle God had performed in his life. But God wanted to readjust Paul’s thinking. There was much to learn and some wrong thinking to unlearn. So Paul went into the desert for three years before beginning his ministry.

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary points out, “The apostle mentions Arabia not as a place for preaching, because, even though preaching was in view in the call, it is not the subject under consideration at this point. Paul is discussing the source of his Gospel. He mentions Arabia in contrast to Jerusalem. No apostle was to be found there. No one was there who could inform him about the Lord and His saving work. It is probable that the new convert journeyed to Arabia to be alone with God, to think through the implications of the Gospel.”

Perhaps you feel like you are just spinning your wheels. You want to begin a work for God but none of the doors are opening up like you want. You feel like you’re in a desert far from where you think God wants you to be. Maybe, like Paul, God wants you to spend some time learning new things and unlearning old things. Before we can effectively minister to others, we must be ministered to by God. Allow God to speak to your heart, even though you are in the wilderness.

Each one of these great leaders had to spend time in the wilderness. What makes you think you are more important than anyone of them? God may very well send you into the wilderness. But never forget that it’s during those wilderness times that we grow the most as we are prepared for the work that God wants us to perform.

Preliminary Plan

Central question for the evening: Where Are We Going?
I think we're going to go with exploring the idea of being led by God. What does that look like? How do you figure out where and what God is leading you towards? Does that mean only good things are going to happen to you? Is God leading you now?

• Walking on Holy Ground
  Have you been walking on holy ground for a long time and just not known it? Moses raised sheep for 40 years before he was told that the ground he was on was holy.
• Personal experiences
  Have some folks share about where they feel God is leading them and how they know. We'd need to perhaps ask the question that morning during announcements and get volunteers. Plus we would use some of the adults for this.
• Search for God
  see brainstorm section below
• Where are we going?
  Is this about a legal transasction or a way of life? Is your faith about some day, about a hope of a day far off in the distance? Or is it about the God's will being done on earth NOW.
• Lifemaps - the whole draw a line across the page and think about the times you've felt closer to God and the times you've felt estranged from God. What does your journey look like?
• Doesn't Always End Well
  Some preach a false gospel of if you do x then God will reward you with y (illustration could be an xy graph, with a straight diagonal line up and to the right). If you take care of yourself, you'll never get cancer. If you raise your kids properly, your kid will never live in some destructive way. If you are faithful, your business will flourish, your business will continue up and to the right. If you marry the right person, read the right self-help books, even Dr. Phil will want to know how you did it. If you just trust in Jesus, you'll get to step into the promised land. I have a great clip from Anderson Cooper 360 that features Joel Osteen and Creflo Dollar that is a great example of this. The truth is that the journey of life is more of a loopy, up and down experience on the xy graph.

Flow

• Music (20 mins)
• Where Did You See God Today? Present images of where people saw God at work or reflected
• Closing: Fit Me In Somewhere reading

Brainstorm

• Sand Candles - http://www.mycraftbook.com/Sand_Candles.asp
  WB - I can see using these for communion
  Perhaps this could be a craft done in the craft hut that is a free craft done for the benefit of the camp, or it could be something done by an interest group that is helping with worship stuff, or doing crafts, etc. -Winstonbaccus 5/15/07 7:52 PM
• Search for God - from younger youth curriculum
  Remind campers that today’s story from Exodus emphasizes God’s constant presence with the Israelites in the forms of cloud and fire. Encourage them to consider the ways in which God is present with them at camp. Send them on a search of the nearby area— within your sight—to find natural objects that represent God’s presence with them. Regroup and invite campers to share what they found.
  WB - What if we did this, but with digital cameras and incorporated it into the program? Might be pushing it for day 2..
  Seeing the Divine, takes time.
  In Exodus, after wandering the dessert for forty-years, it describes Moses seeing something there he had not ever seen before. He encounters a bush that did not seem to ‘burn up’.
  As Moses approaches he discovers God calling out to him from within the bush saying “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5)
  How long had Moses walked through that piece of land, never realizing that it was holy?
  Or the better question might be, how long had Moses been staring at that bush to realize that it was not burning up? That it wasn’t some minor forest fire, but that there was something mystical occurring?
  In the book of Mark it describes a centurion standing in front of Jesus upon the cross, hearing him cry, and watching him die. After which he comes to the realization that “Surely this man was the son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
  The same question applies. How long was the centurion gazing at the cross, before he realized that he was seeing God?
  Could it be that God is closer than we think?
  If only we took the time to really look?
  The Scriptures describe this man named Jacob who after reflecting on a dream and discovers, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:17).
• Mapping Your Journey - from curriculum
  Invite campers to get comfortable, close their eyes, and listen. Ask them to think back through their own life – the significant highs and lows along the way from birth to today. Give them a minute in silence to recall the noteworthy events . Invite them to open their eyes. Explain they are going to draw their life journey map. Give them a sheet or two of paper, and provide crayons or markers. Encourage them to draw a horizontal line across the paper from left to right, and use a vertical line to mark each significant life event they remember. After they have had time to complete their life journey maps, invite them to share with the group. When all who want to have shared, encourage the group to identify the common elements they noticed in the life maps. Ask: What are the common threads? How are our journeys similar? How are they different?
  Have someone read Exodus 13:17–18a again. Ask the group to look at their life journey maps again. Ask: In what ways is the Israelites’ journey like your journey? Where was God in their journey? What was God doing? Where do you see God on your journey? What has God done? What is God doing in your life now?
  WB - Could use this in an evening small group time
• Somehow we create a cloud and a pillar of fire as a visual element for the evening program?
  LeFlame rental: $35 a week, http://www.tlsinc.com/pdfs/Rental_06.pdf
• Fun recap of the Moses Story in 70's Cop Show Style: Moses, Man of God
• Vortex of Fire videos:
  http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/life/home_life/fireplaces/2168021_breathing_flame.php?id=2168021
• Closing - Fit Me In Somewhere by Gerard Kelly
  Fit me in somewhere
  In this giant jigsaw, God,
  somewhere in this work of art,
  you're working,
  select a space my shape can fill
  and with a puzzle maker's skill
  let my contours find their fit without contortion.Teach me which patch I am, God
  in the cosmic quilt you're quilting.
  Show me where my square of selfhood is of use.
  Let the colorful complexities
  of the pattern that is me
  find their purpose in the placement that you choose.Show me my position, God
  in this group photograph.
  Stand me where you want me to stand.
  Put me next to who you will.
  Make me stand, for good or ill,
  precisely in the place your plan demands.

  Tell me what I am God,
  in this body you are building:
  a tongue to taste,
  a nerve to serve,
  an ear to hear.

  Give me grace
  to not be, gracefully,
  the parts I am not called to be
  and to play with elegance
  the roles that I am given.

  Fit me in somewhere
  in this giant jigsaw, God,
  somewhere in this work of art you're working.
  Weave your wondrous tapestry,
  until the twisted, tangled threads of me,
  surrendered to your artisty,
  form an image that is beautiful to see.

• Robin says:
  I am hoping to do this talk in the chigger bowl and begin with some cloud watching (obviously if weather cooperates).
  I am focusing on the spirit of God living in the clouds and fire… Hebrew word used here – Anan – means dwelling place of the spirit of God.
  Same word used in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles when the cloud fills the temple.
  I will talk about the faithfulness of God – relating it to prevenient grace (preparing the way even before we know)
  Then will move in to the Israelites becoming used to the pillars – not being awed and astonished at the presence of God because it became common place, relating that to us as we look for and don’t see God speaking to and leading us in our everyday lives.Don’t know if you are interested – but Rob Bell makes an interesting analogy in Sex God about the Pillar of Cloud – he relates it to the Chupah (the covering used at Jewish weddings – speaking to our bridal relationship with Christ… it is really powerful (or was for me). It may be a stretch but a wedding that evening could be kinda cool – let me know if you are interested in going in this direction and if you want I will be glad to help out.
• Sex God - Chapter 7 - Under the Chuppah Notes

A couple of sites we found really useful in planning over the last couple of years:
Basecamp and Google Docs.
Both allow for collaboration and keeping up with all the notes, to-do's, milestones. Both are free. This year we'll probably be using ActiveCollab, which can store files and do all of the stuff that Basecamp does, without the project limitations and file limitations. Let me know if you're planning a Sumatanga camp and your group would like to use it. From what I understand, the North Alabama Conference HQ started using it after I showed it to Myrle. It's good stuff, especially when you're working with groups that aren't close enough to meet in person.
Download: SH1 2007 Sunday Flowsheet

Sunday Night
Once again this year we started out the week with a banquet of sorts. Because the theme this year (On the Way) was really heavy in journey imagery, we thought that we'd try to shoot for an airport terminal kind of feel. The idea was to convey a sense that you were restless, waiting for something to happen. Some of the campers thought that we took the metaphor a little too far. Maybe. The first night is generally hard.

We had a security checkpoint with some x-ray footage from iStockPhoto running, several airport images and take-off/landing clips running on them.

We had an idea in place for a kick-off video, but we never really got finished with it. The concept was supposed to be of all these different people, who were packing and coming to camp with different backgrounds. All searching for God, but some more lost than others. Then they'd all meet up at camp at the same time and all come into the Assembly Hall and meet up in the middle of the room staring up at the cross. Problem was that we only really got 1 person's story filmed and so it didn't really work. Now that I think about it though, I still like the concept... we may re-do it and finish it for next summer.

Here's the reason we didn't finish that video. We were too busy laughing.

The suitcase relays were kind of fun. There were several teams and you had to run down, unpack a suitcase, get dressed in the clothes that were in it, run back, disrobe, repack, and then the next person went. All you need is some over-sized clothes to go over the campers' clothes.
Here's our brainstorming notes for the evening:

Sunday - Blessed on the Way

Campers will explore the way in which God told Abram and Sarah to take a journey and promised them they would be blessed and be a blessing to others.
Scripture Reference: Abraham and Sarah—Genesis 12:1-2

(The Message)

1 God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.

2-3 I'll make you a great nation and bless you.
I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing.
I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse.
All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

Thoughts on the Scripture (WB)

Story is about going out in faith, being called and trusting in that call. They left everything the knew for a land they didn't know. They left everyone they knew behind. They had moments of doubt, impatience, questions, but they remained obedient. This is the beginning of God's relationship with a specific people, Israel, His chosen nation. They are drawn out into the wilderness and go willingly. What are our fears on beginning new journeys. How will God use this new point in our journey? We might also introduce the origin of the word Sumatanga and how it relates to being on a journey.

Preliminary Plan

We talked about keeping the meal in the Assembly Hall like last summer and having a kick-off banquet. We decided to go with a airport as the metaphor for starting the journey. Buck and Anne would speak during the banquet, we would again sit in cabins. Would have some sort of games as cabins. Robin will speak. Small group time would be mainly get-to-know-you and icebreaker time, last about 20 minutes. Intro of team, directors, adults. Go over the rules for the camp. What if they ate in small group rooms that were set-up as departure gates? That way tables could be set-up and not be in our way in the Assembly Hall. (Ideas for theming the room/evening:

• Have a security screening coming into the Assembly Hall (actual purpose is to check for nametags)
• Have a food court area where they get their food
• Would be nice to have video from a view out of a window at a terminal of planes departing/arriving (check the movie The Terminal for footage)
• Have a departure board listing the destination as unknown
• Have periodic recorded/live announcements that are like the ones you would hear in an airport terminal
• Have tickets which point them towards their small group
• Have luggage piled around the room

Games

• Suitcase relay where they have to open them, get dressed, get undressed, repack
• Human Bingo - go around and sign sheet of people who have been to places, done things, etc.
• Icebreaker games
• Vis a Vis type game with partners and ask questions:
• What is your favorite ice cream flavor and why?
• What is your favorite food and why?
• Who is your favorite band or artist? Favorite song?
• What is the best present you've ever received? Who gave it to you?
• What are your plans for after high school?

Brainstorm

• Where Do You Depart From?
• Airport, train station, harbor on a cruise?
• Packing the bags.
• Suitcases as props?
• Speaker - Yes, after we eat
• Anne and Buck - while we're eating
• Taking a risk, being open to God's promises. Laughing
• Good idea for closing? Curriculum has a section where you read Gen 12:1-2 and then ask questions. What is God asking us to believe or do? What things is God asking you to believe or do that you have a hard time with or are afraid to do?
• Orientation video - to get people familiar with the camp. Showing how to get to dining hall, health lodge, canteen, pool, etc. I'm picturing something with fast-motion trips from the assembly hall to the place. -- Insprired by curriculum which has a time for everyone to journey around campground to get oriented.
• Team Theme Intro? Good responsive reading from curriculum:
• L: We do not come here this week to get all the answers, though a few would be nice;
  C: We do not come here to look good, though we hope to do some good;
  L: We do not come here only to see our friends, though we are glad for those who are here and for those we have barely even met;
  C: We come to listen, O God, waiting to hear how you dare us to move, what way you would have us go;
  ALL: We come to ask you, O God, for the courage to take the first step.
• Hear the Scripture: Genesis 12:1–2
  Respond to the Scripture:
  Have those responsible for worship prepare a skit of packing for the trip to camp, the journey, and the greetings and discoveries and questions upon arrival. Talk about how this compares with journey of Sarai and Abram.
  Close:
  L: We have inherited God’s promises, let them guide us this week.
  C: We will listen for the voice of God and go where God leads.
• Cabin Prayer Time - from curriculum
• Invite campers to take a moment to get quiet. Read or tell Abram and Sarai’s story from Genesis 12:1—-2. Invite the campers to close their eyes and recall the events of their day. On this first day, they might recall the trip to camp, first impressions of the camp and housing and group, and so on. While they still have eyes closed, ask them to silently reflect silently on the following questions: For what are you most grateful today? What were you expecting that you didn’t see or get today? When did you get a glimpse of God today? How did you sense God’s Spirit nudging or calling to you today? After another moment of silence after the last question, allow another moment of silence. Invite the campers to briefly share their answers aloud. Close with prayer.
• Sunday – prepare the campers for the fact that we’re going to go deep, and we're going to be exploring how we can bring about the kingdom

Flow

• Registration
• Icebreaker Games
• Suitcase Relay
• Human Bingo
• Meal
• Anne, Bart and Buck
• Ticketing - receive journals with small group numbers on them.
• Meet in Small Groups (20-25 mins)
  Purpose: Just to get to know your group, play some name games, etc.
  Team breaks down food area during this time
• Telephone pictionary
• Music (20 minutes)
• Presentation of Guidelines for week (In a fun way, flight attendant, purposely dorky video?, vulture horror spoof idea?)
• Presentation of Theme in Creative Way (Team + Adults) (see brainstorm section for possible idea)
• Robin - I'm thinking that most of the push for the daily theme is going to be here.
• Dancing
• Closing
• Canteen

As always, Rob Bell speaks truth in a meaningful way.