The Burden

As I rounded yet another table, watching the students take a surprise but hard test, my heart went out for them.  I remembered the countless number of times when I took a test.  The teacher or monitor for such tests always stood and announced our certain doom of filling in circles with a #2 pencil.  I remember those days all too well and am thankful they are over with.  At least I hope they are over!  On that day a burden was placed on them, the weight that they are now in America, thousands of miles away from home and attending an American school.  My heart went out to them, especially the new students.

That was Saturday. 

Now after several days of  interacting with them listening to their requests to go to Wallmart or the mall, their desires to exchange roommates or their enjoyment over simple things, such as the desire to see autumn in all its glory, another burden slowly creeps in.  It is a different burden then taking a test…it is the burden of my neighbors, the students who have come from afar to study.  It is the weight of glory for my neighbor.  C. S. Lewis described it this way:   

The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.  It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that even the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.  All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one of these destinations…There are no ordinary people.  You have never talked to a mere mortal…But it is with immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

(C. S. Lewis Weight of Glory)

This…this has been placed upon my heart for these students and I pray it is placed upon your heart for your neighbors, wherever they are.

A Note for Facing Impossible Tasks

A few nights ago, just before bed, I stood staring at my bookcase feeling the need to read something before I slipped under my covers.  I already read a passage in Acts and it was almost as if I needed something light to think on as I drifted to sleep.  The books stared back at me, daring me to open their pages and digest the information within them.  If I read something too deep, I would lie awake pondering it.  If I began a book, I’d be tempted to finish the chapter.

So finally I picked up a book entitled Candles in the Dark by Amy Carmichael.  They contain bits and pieces of some of her letters that she wrote to various people in her circle of influence.  Among one of the pages I skimmed over was ‘to one facing an ‘impossible’ task.’ 

“How appropriate.” I thought.

This year poses a great challenge for me.  Under my care are five dorm parents and ninety-some students, each with their own unique needs, challenges and opportunities for growth those challenges provide.  On top of this is my continual pursuit of where God is leading and directing me.  So with all this on my mind and a few other things I read the following:

“Go with an open mind to be led at the time—not with all arranged beforehand.  It is great to be faced with the impossible, for nothing is impossible if one is meant to do it.  Wisdom will be given, and strength.  When the Lord leads He always strengthens.”

And God’s list of doing the impossible is long:  He gave Abraham and Sarah a child when their bodies were old and worn out.  He sent Joseph to Egypt before the great famine of the land to save many nations.  He sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.  God gave his people enough food and water in the wilderness.  He conquered Jericho through Joshua when the army only marched around the city.  He used Gideon and an army of 300 soldiers to defeat their vast enemy.  David slew Goliath with a sling and stone.  Solomon was given wisdom to understand and govern God’s people…and the list goes on. 

It is good to know I follow after a God who does the impossible and does more then I think is impossible.  So as you and I go about our day, may our God cause us to remember his word in Ephesians 3:20.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”   

Anniversary!

Today, August 17, marks a special anniversary for me.  For on this day in 1982 I encountered a love far greater then any I have known or will ever know--a love that invaded my heart and set me free.  

This is my story…

The afternoon sun poured in through the living room window of our old farmhouse in Clymer, NY.  For everyone, myself included, it was a normal day and we went about our normal routines.  Dad went to work.  Mom was busy in the kitchen.  I don’t remember where my sisters were but I sat in the living room setting up my little, plastic dinosaurs.  The green T-Rex would always go after the red brontosaurus and then the yellow stegosaurus (my favorite) and triceratops came to his rescue.  But somewhere in the midst of my play a question rose in my heart: “Where did dinosaurs come from?”

I do not remember why I thought this or what was going on in my seven-year old mind.  The question refused release until I sought out an answer.  It would not let my little mind rest so I went to my mom and asked her the answer.

Though I do not remember the flow of the conversation, she began to introduce me to the Creator God, the One who formed and made all things, including dinosaurs.  Then she began to share about his love for us.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for my sin—all the ‘bad things’ I’ve done.

As a seven-year old the ‘bad things’ I committed consisted of disobedience to my parents and teachers or lying to cover up a mistake.  If I got in trouble, I knew punishment followed.  But what was perhaps worse then the punishment was the guilt and shame associated with it.  Though I could not have explained either the concepts or the words to you, I understood it as a heaviness of the heart as a result of my disobedience.  My conscious at that age would hound me and refuse to release me from its clutches.

But in my conversation with my mom, she explained that Jesus died for me.  In other words, he took all my punishment so that I would not have to have any.  Furthermore, if I ‘asked him into my heart’ (believed in him at a heart level) he would forgive me.  On top of all this, my mom explained, “he rose from the dead the third day.” 

“How do I do all this?” I asked.

“All you have to do is ask him.”  My mom replied.  Plain, simple and free.

“Should I kneel?” I asked.  I think I had seen pictures of Bible people who did this. 

“You can if you want.”

So I knelt in a sunbeam as she led me in a simple prayer:

“Dear Lord Jesus,” I prayed after my mom’s words. “I know that I have done bad things against you.  Thank you for dying on the cross for me.  I ask you to come into my heart, forgive me of my sin and give me eternal life.  Amen.” 

Then freedom came, forgiveness rushed in and my guilt lifted away.  Jesus rescued me on that day so long ago.

My mom later said about this: “It was as if a little light bulb went on inside of you.” 

She also tells me that I was so excited that I ran over and told this good news to my next-door neighbors, two dear old ladies in the Lord (a mother and her daughter).  I do not remember that part though.

God’s alien love invaded my heart on that day.  Since then I have become familiar with his love and know that nothing is able to separate me from it.  He will attest that I am not perfect by any stretch of imagination—I am always growing and learning about him and what he wants me to do.  But he came down to my simple childish love of giant reptiles, posed his question to me and sent my mom to share the good news with me.  From that my adventure and walk with my Lord began.

I pray that this love and the freedom of forgiveness in Christ will also invade your heart.

A Late Summer's Breeze

A late summer breeze blew in my face as I went on a short run yesterday.  It reminded me that my summer adventures in cities and at camp are over.  I confess that I was sad to see Edinboro Camp come to an end.  The joy of teaching children, the rich fellowship of friends and a heaven-bound family and the proclamation of God’s word was all that my heart and soul needed.  God indeed spoke through his word and nourished me for the days, weeks and months ahead.  He fashioned memories of joy and happiness in my mind so that they will warm my heart whenever those cold, discouraging days come as they sometimes do.  He established friendships for me with others.  Indeed, God is good. 

“Autumn is coming.” I thought as I ran.  With it comes a return to school, work and the daily routine.  And here I know other adventures await me.  Some are anticipated like the ninety some international students that will flood the academy within the next two weeks.  Other adventures will come as a surprise—hopefully they will be pleasant ones—and I will be swept away on some unknown quest, trekking over mountains, fighting vicious dragons to save...well, okay maybe not the dragons.  But God makes each day new and so it follows that he fills it with opportunities to love and serve others.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).  Each of these ‘good works,’ whether great or small, that he has prepared for us to do are part of the grand adventure he leads us on.

So I will put on my new adventure hat, saddle up my proverbial horse and ride off into the undiscovered frontier of the future.

My new 'adventure hat' and globe...I'm ready to go!

Capture the Stars

Capture the flag stands as one of my all time favorite games to play.  So a few nights ago I joined the ranks of the youth when they played the game.  Sometimes, I run fast, snag the flag and become the temporary hero of the game.  At other times I run, get caught and sit in ‘jail.’  I wish I could say I was the ‘hero’ a few nights ago but instead I found myself in ‘jail’ with several other teammates.

We waited together for one of our teammates to ‘jailbreak’ us but no one came for quite some time.     

However, we occupied ourselves with something greater and more majestic then the game.  Above us the stars blazed like sparks of diamonds in the vast, dark expanse.  Even the Milky Way hung across the sky like a hazy glaze of caramel clouds.  It was a very clear night out in the countryside, one that I’ve not seen in quite some time.  Usually I am able to see a handful of stars in a given night in Erie, PA.  But a few nights ago, the twinkling diamonds richened the vast darkness.

So while in jail, I noticed a couple of youth lying on the grass gazing upwards. So I followed suit, laid down on the dew dropped grass and fixed my gaze to the heavens beyond.  A couple of other youth joined us.

I readily confess that I do not know all the constellations but I do know a few.  “There’s the Big Dipper,” I informed some of the younger youth.

“Where?” One of the boys asked me.

I pointed at the constellation that hung slightly in the northwestern sky.  “See the three bright stars.  That forms the handle.  The four underneath it form the cup.  If you follow the bottom two of the cup you will find Polaris, the North Star.”  Once again I pointed and they saw it.  Though I could not see their faces, I heard expressions like “Oh there it is!” or “Wow, that’s cool!”

“I’m always reminded of the chapter in Isaiah 40 where God instructs us to look up and see all the starry host.”  I said, trying to create a teachable moment.  Though by this time someone attempted jailbreak but was caught.  The moment of teaching had passed. 

While some look to the stars for their fortune or future found in horoscopes, whenever I look to the stars I am always reminded of how great God is and how small I am.  Consider a few examples from the Bible:

God asked a weary, worn out man named Job, “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?  Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?” (Job 38:31-32).  In other words: “Job you can’t do this.  I can.  I am in control.” 

In a Psalm of praise, David admires God’s handiwork in the heavens: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, human beings that you care for them.” (Psalm 8:3-4).  Though God is great and created all the stars, he also cares for all of our needs.

And God declares to discouraged nation: “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. ‘Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these?  He who brings the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing’” (Isaiah 40:25-26).  There is no one like our God!

There is no need to look to the stars for our horoscopes or fortunes.  The stars along with rest of God’s creation declare that God is God and there is no other!  You can capture the flag but I’ll take the stars instead!   

A Simple Brushstroke

Last week I journeyed through our capital and one of the largest cities in our nation.  This week I find myself in the countryside on the outskirts of a small Pennsylvanian town.  There are no worldwide famous landmarks or tourist destinations like the Washington Monument or the Statue of Liberty, no stores selling a $2000 jacket like Gucci or ‘Jeffrey’ or anyone’s famous place like the White House of the President or the Trump Tower.  No, none of the things the world longs to see are here at Edinboro Camp.

In fact it is a very simple lifestyle.  

When I first arrived here on Sunday evening, I found out I was to stay in an ‘A-frame.’ 

“Okay,” I said.  “Where are they located at?”

The person in charge of admissions took me to a small, one room wooden building.  A chair, a couch, two bunk beds and a fan were the only items in the A-frame (oh and a couple cans of Lysol disinfectant spray too).  In the evenings, a spider hangs out above my door when the sun disappears from the horizon.  I leave him there to catch any mosquitoes and other bugs that might try to steal their way into my little ‘home.’  Very simple! 

Home sweet home for a week

   

Comfy, no?

But don’t confuse simple with boring.  Quite the opposite—it is an exciting place filled with opportunities to rest and relax, make new friends, converse with old friends, play games, eat good food (including ice cream!) and encounter God. 

For four or five years in a row I’ve taught the children in one capacity or another.  What a joy it is to interact with them, to listen to them worship God along with me as I strum my guitar and to see their eyes glisten when they ‘get it!’  Then usually in the afternoon and early evening, I run around and play a variety of games with them whether it is 4-Square or carpet ball or their favorite ‘Capture the Hat,’ referring to one of my four wide brim hats (I need these to protect my vulnerable head from sunburn).  In the evenings, I go to the main building and listen to the speakers and interact with the adults.

The Main Tabernacle at Edinboro Camp

Our evening speaker, a pastor from Dayton, OH named David Smith, began a series on ‘Living in a Hostile World’ derived from Daniel chapters 1-5 or 6.  In his first message he spoke on facing the unexpected.  “When we face the unexpected we are prone to compromise,” he said.  Then from the passage he distilled four points for us to ponder so that we will not compromise our faith: 1) Remember that people, places and possessions do not change us…unless you let them. 2) Resolve is often in the small things.  Here he said that resolve is defined as ‘making a decision before you get there’ and that the little yeses add up to the big yeses and the little no’s to the big ones.  3) Remember that obedience is the pathway to holiness and 4) Regardless of what happens, don’t compromise. 

One of the questions that I asked myself is this: “What do I resolve in my heart to do or not to do?”  

After the service I reunite with good friends like Wes Knapp and we share about what God is doing in our lives.  And when the sun finally sinks below the horizon and the diamonds blaze in the black velvet above, I sometimes go to a campfire, roast marshmallows and fellowship with my heaven bound friends and family.  For a few years in a row I’ve thought: “This must be a brushstroke of Heaven, just a glimpse through a foggy window of what it must be like.”

If you've never had the opportunity to visit Edinboro Family Camp or one of the youth camps, I would encourage you to come and be blessed.          

Shopping

On our final full day in NYC we again embarked on an unprecedented adventure, filled with new sights and long waiting.  It redefined for me a phrase, a quote that I heard in my younger years but never experienced: "Shop till you drop."

Yes...the students who accompanied us on our adventures wanted to go shopping.  So we traveled by foot up and down the famous (or so they call it famous) Fifth Avenue.  I do not remember the first store they went in; however, I do remember the price of a tie ranging about $150.  Yup, definitely a little bit out of my price range.

My fellow chaperon, a student and I passed the long waiting periods by playing the 'Geography Game.'  If you have never played this fun game in the car, it goes something like this: The next person now has to come up with a geographic place beginning with the last letter of the previous word.  For example, if I said, "Jerusalem."  The next person would have to come up with a word beginning with 'M' like "Malaysia."  The next person would have to come up with a word beginning with an 'A' like "Albany" and so on.

Somewhere in our journey up Fifth Avenue, the three of us stopped the 'Geography Game' and I suggested we tell a pass along story.  Someone begins a story and at a suspenseful part or non-suspenseful part will say, "and I pass it on to you."  So our story began in the depths of New York City (original I know) with a Native American named Gaunahanalooha or something like that.  Since at least two of us, myself included, had trouble pronouncing his name, he soon came to be known as Agent 6.  He and Agent 2 and 7 were on a grand adventure in the sewers of NYC tracking down an evil alien called the Gucciwama...we never yet finished the story but perhaps it is best left for another time.

  

Somewhere along the way, one of the students stopped in a chocolate store and bought a box to share with the rest of us.  A little chocolate therapy goes a long 

Chocolate therapy in NYC

Later the students wanted to go to a store that bears my name so we trekked over to this Jeffrey store.  I went inside and noticed that some suit jacket cost well over $2000 dollars.  What a disgrace to my name!  My name means 'Heavenly peace' or 'God's peace' and has to do with the riches of God, not of this world.

Yup, this is the store that bears my first name

Exhaustion set in well before we arrived at our hotel.  We walked miles, took the hot subway and became famished on our way.  Ryan and I decided pizza was the best option for the night.  A couple of the students wanted to go to the Levi store, so I accompanied them there while Ryan and another student went in search of a pizza place.  I must have appeared very serious looking as I waited for both the students and Ryan to return because a black “comedian” came up and asked, “What’s with the face?  Here’s the deal.  If I make you laugh, you give me a tip or a dollar.”  Why did I wear my ‘serious’ face on such a night as this?  Well, let’s see…I walked all over NYC, waited as others shopped, was looking for Ryan and the other student in the crowd, somewhat tired and hungry (it was about 8:30pm when this happened and we had not yet had our dinner).  So…yeah…I admit I was probably looking pretty serious or probably the better word is weary.  

“As long as it’s a clean joke.” I said.

“What’s your heritage?”

“Russian, German, Irish and Scot-Irish.”

“What’s the worst possible thing a black man could say to an old, Russian, German, Irish, Scot-Irish man?”

I thought to myself, “He thinks I'm old but I’m probably younger then him” but pondered it. “I don’t know,” I finally said.

He gave me a hug and said, “Hi daddy.”

  

“Hi son.” I said with a smile.  I was not offended nor humored. 

He proceeded to tell a joke that I will not repeat—it was really not that funny and somewhat vulgar.  He appeared to be bent on telling jokes degrading African Americans, which was sad because he was one. 

Finally, after several minutes of his ‘jokes’ Ryan and the other student arrived.  He told a few more, which again I found rather distasteful as opposed to funny.  Then he turned to me and wanted pay, which I did not give. 

Now just in case you are thinking that I’m some hardhearted, sour puss who never laughs or gives a dime…well, you are wrong.  My humor is often hidden in the ordinary everyday things or caught as something said.  One of the kids in the childcare center I worked at said, “You are the funniest person I know.”  So yes, it is in me, however, I did feel that my ‘friend’s jokes in NYC were very funny.  

Laughter is one of God’s special gifts to humanity to lighten our weary days.  Considering the great diversity among our humor and laughs, I would conclude that God is the source of what is truly known as humor.  We must remember that he is holy and serious too and that life is not a joke or waste of time but we also must remember to laugh.

Finally, we found the pizza place, ordered it, bought some chips and soft drinks and ate our pizza. 

A final adventure must be told here…

While a student and I went to a little grocery store/pharmacy to grab our chips and soft drinks, I greeted the cashier and asked her how her day was.  Her answer suggested it was not a good day.  “What’s wrong?”  I asked. 

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes, I do.” 

She shared with me that she had a long day, irate customers and different other things going on.  Yes, I’ve walked in her shoes at a different job with a different boss, co-workers and customers.  Some days are very long and tiresome.  We chatted some more and she said, “Thanks for listening.”    

And so this adventure in NYC concludes only to give way towards other adventures…  

Tours and Towers

I pulled back the curtains of our hotel room at nine o’clock this morning to wake the boys up.  This did not produce the desired outcome.  So I called them by name and they grunted back a response…sigh…two words that are nearly opposites: mornings and teenagers.  Nevertheless, the boys rose from their sleepy slumber and we met the others around 9:30am. 

Our first adventure, a necessary one I might add, was breakfast at some corner café.  We bought coffee cakes, croissants and other bakery items with juice, milk or water. 

Our bus adventure began when breakfast ended.  On our way to the bus pick-up, some man selling something greeted me, “Good morning Mr. Hollywood.” 

I turned to my fellow chaperone and said, “It must be my hat.” 

The tour bus would transport us to downtown Manhattan.

The skyscrapers in the sun

"Duck!  It's a red light!"

 We stopped off  at Madison State Gardens and then dined for lunch at Chinatown.  While I am adventuresome in trying foods, I decided being a chaperon for kids in NYC was not the time to try 'intestines with bean curds' or 'fish head with bean curds.'  

"Yes!  No fast food!"

But after lunch we rode past the construction of the new World Trade Center(s). 

Rising up from the ashes

Reflection of the sky

Here we stopped to remember at the 9/11 Memorial.  Remember…remember so we will not forget that on a single day a horror and a terror swept over the city and the nation like never before.  Remember the unsung heroes and heroines who ran towards the danger to rescue the people.  Let us honor them by living like them.  Remember that in a single day some 3,000 people woke up as normal, went about their morning routine as normal but never returned home. Let us remember that life is short but love is long lasting and live in light of it.

A memorial to remember

The Remembered Response

Roses to remember

After the memorial, we took a break at Battery Park and then resumed to South Street Seaport.  We had hoped to take a water taxi to the Statue of Liberty but it was sold out for the day.  So we took the ‘Shark.’  This speedboat zipped us around by the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.  This gave us a spectacular view of both Manhattan and Brooklyn.  However, the salty waves that dashed against the sides also spilled over unto us!  And if somehow you managed to avoid the chilly waves, one of the crewmembers had a squirt gun (as if we didn’t get wet already).  Now he successfully squirted all of the other students and staff except for me.  They, of course, wanted him to squirt me and pointed towards me.  This is usually not a good strategy because it usually backfires, which it did.  But then he shot at me…but I ducked as if I knew it was coming.  Besides, I was already soaked!

The 'Shark'

Racing a galleon

Manhattan's skyline

Brooklyn's skyline

The Brooklyn Bridge

A little bit wet!

We returned to Times Square where the boys went shopping for a little bit.  The boys went in the Levi jeans store for quite some time but I stood outside with Ryan and a couple other students.  Suddenly, some girl pushed by me with her camera and took a picture of some couple walking by.  I suspect they were celebrities of some sort because they had a trail of fans with cameras following them.  But you never know whom you will see at Times Square at night… 

Times Square at night

The Dark Knight

Until the next adventure...

Stations, Skyscrapers and a Sunset

Somehow.  Somehow we boarded the wrong train at Washington DC’s Union Station.  All of us showed our tickets to the gatekeeper and I asked where we should sit.  They had ample opportunities to tell us that this was not train # 84 but an express train to NYC.  So we boarded, sat down and began to get comfortable.  About ten minutes into our journey, one of the ticket collectors came by our group.  He punched one of the student’s tickets and then took another.  He eyed it and then said, “You’re on the wrong train.  How did you get on the train?”  We of course had no idea we were on the wrong train and he kindly told us that we had to exit at the next station. “Train 84 is about ten minutes behind us.  Though it might be delayed a little bit.”  He assured us.

We exited the train in the middle of somewhere, Maryland.  “Where are we?”  One of the students asked.

“I’m not quite sure,” I replied.

So we grew in patience and waited...  

"What to do? What to do?"

Finally, train #84 crept up to the platform and once again we were on our way.

There is much to be said about New York City.  For the untrained eye it is a concrete jungle filled with pigeons and people, stores and sightseeing opportunities.  For some the dizzying heights of skyscrapers, the constant noise of traffic, the wail of sirens and the buzz of people bombards the soul’s quiet shores.

Looking down from our hotel room from the 39th floor

 

"Light the way, Lord!"
(Another view from our hotel room with the lamp reflected)

Looking up in Times Square

People, people and more and more people.

But I have journeyed to cities before and know there is more to a city then first meets the eyes and ears.  The people who flood the busy streets possess a hidden beauty, molded by an almighty hand and carved by the creative words of God.  Yet it remains clouded over by the gloom of an alien plague called sin.  But a greater Beauty beyond our comprehension humbled himself to conquer the gloom. Like the sun rising in its strength, he will restore us to a beauty beyond us. 

Speaking of beauty…while I am not one for cities and heights, the view from the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center was simply...well, beautiful!  We rode an elevator sixty-five stories up (I think), and then could walk a couple more flights of stairs to the very top.  Since the time we arrived in NYC, clouds hid the sky and the sun...

In the elevator looking up

Looking towards downtown Manhattan

Another view of the city

View of Central Park

However, as evening drew to a close, the sun blazed through the bank of clouds with its golden rays igniting the sides of buildings with a fiery glow.

The sun's radiance reflected on the skyscrapers

Sunset view from the Top of the Rock

In his time, he will make even the gloomiest day something beautiful.