Winter Stories

Greetings!  Another season of Christmas and celebration are here, and with it brings the close of another semester at Edinboro University.  This semester’s end marks my third in ministry and with it the halfway point of my three-year commitment.  In the past three semesters I have, alongside students, endeavored toward authenticity in life, community, relationships and struggles.  Recently, while doing some reading, I learned that the word authentic means “from the author,” which gave me pause as I thought how often I use this word to describe aspects of my ministry.  What does it mean to have community and relationships that are from the author – community and relationships that are authored by our truest parts, as well as crafted by The Author of our lives?  The Psalmist writes:

 My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. (Psalm 49:3)

I would like to share some of those words and utterances that students have shared with me over this semester.  At times it is easy for me to lose sight of the full transformation happening within the lives of students; however, when I step back in an attempt to convey that transformation its authorship blossoms and comes together before my eyes.

 

In October we hosted a Homeroom Halloween party, our house was full and noisy.  We played the games we all grew up playing in our elementary school Halloween parties, ate cupcakes and made lots of noise!  One of the student’s, who attended, had never been to our home and was not familiar with our community.  A few weeks later he came over for dinner.  That particular night dinner was loud, funny and the conversation was authentically ridiculous!  As we were cleaning up, I had the opportunity to talk more with this young man.  I found out that he has had some painful experiences within the church and does not have a positive view of Christians.  As we talked he expressed that he had worried about coming over, concerned he may say something inappropriate or offend us in some way.  Instead, he found himself very comfortable and having a great time at dinner!  This young man was able to have a welcoming experience because the other students at the table were authentic, they allowed the truest part of themselves to shine that night and in that Christ’s face shone.

Throughout the semester I have been meeting one on one with two students who do not live in the house.  The first student is a sophomore and is fearless as she shares her faith with other students.  She invites everyone and anyone to come to our weekly fellowship meetings.  As we meet I am challenged by her authenticity.  Her desire for her fellow students is truly from The Author, and she wants them to share with them His authorship in their own lives. I am thankful that God has allowed me to develop this relationship with Jess and we are able to grow and learn together.

The other student I meet with weekly challenges me in many different ways.  Her beliefs and views are very different from my own.  We talk about whether there is ultimate truth in the world, what exactly is right and wrong and who decides.  She asks hard questions about what I think of people who make different choices and follow different paths in this world.  We also talk about music and movies and school of course!  I appreciate the opportunity to simply show this student love and our conversations are ones that are authentic, we both allow our words to be authored by our truest parts and foundations.  I appreciate my conversations and time with both of these ladies, and I look forward to continuing my relationship with them.

 One of the Potter’s House shared this with me in regards to her experience here so far.  She says the following:

I have learned that I do not need other people to be who God created me to be.  For the longest time I found my purpose and drive in fulfilling other people’s needs and through them needing me in some manner.  In one of our evening house bible studies we discussed our identity and our roles.  This message hit me hard.  I realized my identity was founded in my roles and the things I do throughout the day, not in God.  My heart was changed that evening.  I realized that nothing I do in this world changes who I am when I am abiding in Christ.  When I am focused on Him and swerving His people, I am complete.  I need nothing else: no approval or critique of any one.  I have a more purely rooted passion and a stronger drive to be a Christ-like human example than I ever have before.  While I still struggle with not allowing others’ views of me to bring me down, most nights I can go to bed satisfied that through my God, I am whole.

It’s so amazing to hear what God is working in her heart!  The freedom and truth that these lessons shine in her life and relationships with others. 

These pieces and stories of the ministry here in Edinboro are all about one thing – showing students Christ.  Showing students Christ in ways that allow them to grow closer to The Author of their lives, as well as, challenge them to grow deeper and wider in how they convey that relationship to the world around them and use it to transform that same world  

 

 

 

Four-for-Friday

The other day I read a blog post and got inspired.  It was called Ten on Tuesday (or something like that), the basic idea being that you share ten things on every Tuesday.  I’m not entirely sure of the rules of “the ten” what they should be about etc.  But, I liked the idea, mostly because I like making lists.  So I’m going to try and start my own version to share with you –  it will be Four for Friday.  Why?  Well Friday is the end of the week, I have time in the mornings and I like alliteration almost as much as I like lists!

1.  I’ve heard and heard & read and read this week about politics and the election.  Some good, some not so good, most just down right confusing.  In conversations with students I feel a lot of frustration on their part and mine that the options we have are so formulated and boxed in.  Students feel confused and lost in all the information that they hear.  What is the right way to vote?  Who do we listen to and why?  Why is there is so much focus on making the decision on November 4th?  I encourage students to vote on Nov. 4th, but also to be aware of how we vote on Nov. 3rd and Nov. 5th and every other day of our lives.  A recent article in Relevant Magazine got me thinking about this idea of every day voting.  How do we vote with what we buy?  Where we go?  How we spend our time and energy?  There’s no national campaign for these kinds of votes.  Or maybe there is and we have become so used to it we don’t realize we are being persuaded any more.

2.  Acorn Squash Bread – Amazing!!  I love fall and I love baking.  Acorn squash bread marries these two loves in a beautiful and delicious union!  I’d never made acorn squash bread before, but we had two left over acorn squash from dinner a few nights ago.  So instead of letting them go bad, I looked up a recipe and got to work.  I had two squash and ended up with three loaves – not bad!

3.  After listening to a discussion on Race and Religion in the Presidential Election, I had to come home and look up a few words.  One being plutocrat, a word used several times in the discussion.  A plutocracy is: rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth. In a plutocracy, the degree of economic inequality is high while the level of social mobility is low (thank you Wikipedia!).  What I also found in looking up this one word was a host of other “cracies” or ways of ruling.  From the familiar anarchy to the not so familiar kritocracy (rule by judges).  I was amazed by two things.  One, the vast and numerous ways we as people have created to rule and be governed.  It seems to say that we know we need to have governing in our lives, but how we go about that is still up for debate.  Two, you can waste a lot of time on Wikipedia . . . I found myself reading about the Spartans of Ancient Greece and their political structure at 12:30am.  At that point I knew it was time for bed.  

4.  His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.  Psalm 1:1-3 

What does it mean to have yourself planted by streams of water?  To have your roots sank so deep in the goodness of God’s word and will that your life is a lush and beautiful expression of His love and laws. I am wondering why the tree in these verses is planted by streams of water?  Why not a pond, or a river or an ocean for that matter? I am also wondering this week – What if my roots were in that richest of rich soil?  The soil that is by those streams of water.   

These are just my own thoughts and ramblings on this Friday!  Enjoy your weekend!

Opening Scenes . . .

Buying books, telling summer stories, moving into a new home, late night trips to Wal-Mart (to get all the stuff you forgot at home), seeing people you haven’t seen for months, roasting a 150lb pig in your back yard on the first day of class and then inviting 100+ people over to eat it all!  It’s all part of the fall semester and all part of our life here at the Potter’s House.  As I sit writing this we’ve all moved in and although there’s still a few random items that need sorted, for the most part we are settled in our home and our life has begun to flow together.

The past week has been full of big events and big days.  And in those big days and big events the Potter’s House has transformed from its summer silence and emptiness to a living, breathing, overflowing community.  The excitement and anticipation spreads through the house as we dream about our year together and begin to catch glimpses of how our community will take shape.  In the hopes of sharing the energy of the beginning of the semester with you, I’d like to share two of the events that took place as the fall semester got going.

First the biggest of the big events – our annual Pig Roast, hosted at the Potter’s House.  It happens on the first day of class, and is our first opportunity to open our home to our neighbors and community.  We had an absolutely beautiful day this year and welcomed over 100 students and community members into our back yard.  At times throughout the evening I became overwhelmed with trying to make connections, remember names and find more cookies, but then I would remember Katie.  Katie is one of the ladies living in the Potter’s House this year.  A sophomore, studying fine arts with desire to teach in the public school setting, she is a fantastic and hilarious addition to our community.  As a freshmen Katie came to the Pig Roast we had last August, she felt welcomed and cared for as a guest.   And now she is not only living and growing in the Potter’s House but also reaching out to other students in her life and reflecting Christ’s love to them.  And amongst all the craziness of the Pig Roast, that’s really what the event is about.  Offering hospitality and welcome to new students in the hopes of sharing His transforming story and its impact in their lives.

Plato said:  You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. This is one of my favorite quotes, partly because I love to play but mostly because I think it’s true.  When you play with someone you engage them in a way that’s not possible in basic conversation.  This past week I had the opportunity to help run a sand volleyball tournament for students.  It was a blast, even if it did rain on and off throughout the evening!  There were between 30 and 40 students there throughout the evening, some played rather intense games of volleyball, some played less intense but really funny games of volleyball and some just enjoyed the bonfire.  It was truly a great night of playing together and discovering what people where about.           

During the tournament I met Liz, a freshmen, she was invited to come along as part of a group from her dorm.  She’s an animation major and has enjoyed her first week of college.  Liz used to attend church; however, she always found it boring and somewhat sad.  This past week she came to The Tuesday Night Thing (a student fellowship group), she said it wasn’t anything like she remembered church being, and then this past Sunday we had the chance to sit together in church and chat for a few minutes afterwards.  Liz and Katie are just two examples of students who have been reached through the ministry here in Edinboro.  Please pray for Liz, Katie and the rest of the students here in Edinboro as we continue to grow in our relationships with one another and in our relationship with Christ.  Allow me to thank you on their behalf for you willingness to be an influence in their life through partnering with the ministry of the CCO at Edinboro University. 

 

Movement Together

I’m always amazed by how we relate to one another when being physically active and interactive.  The opportunity to physically engage together and move together is truly awe inspiring.  Last Thursday we (The Potter’s House Community) had this opportunity in the form of low ropes elements and team initiatives.  All eight of us engaged in activities where we had to literally hold each other up in order to get out of the Black Hole, from which we could only escape by going under a rope laying on the ground without using our hands.  And it getting all eight of us from one side of the Giant Stop Light to the other side . . . without touching the rope of course!  To add to the difficulty level and to give us a micro view of our lives together . . . many times some of us were blindfolded, unable to speak or move without the assistance of another member of our community.

This experience was small in some ways, but very large in others.  It gave all eight of us a very tangible starting point for our lives together.  It gave us tactile and touchable examples of what happens when one of us has a very real limitation or weakness.  These very real and very tangible examples allowed us all to start a conversation about times in the year to come when our limitations and weaknesses may not be so visible or so basic.

What happens when one of us say “I’m fine” in that voice that makes it obvious that we are very much the opposite of what our words are saying?  How far and how hard do we push each other with questions and concerns?  How do we realize that when we enter into community we give up the right to do whatever, whenever with our lives and time?  And how do we respect space and time but not allow one another to hide?  

These are all very hard and very good questions to ask.  They reflect that by entering into community we are all hungry for something . . . the reality of having our lives witnessed by others daily.  We are hungry for the intentional and authentic presence of others in our lives.  We are seeking grace and mercy in our lives lived together.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

About Wandering

So this thinking of mine began with a co-worker sharing some thoughts on walking, being a pilgrim and the way we move through our daily lives. To start I must say thanks to him for starting the thought process – Thanks Josh!  

A pilgrim is primarily defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as simply a wanderer.  This I must admit took me by surprise when I decided to look up the word and concept of pilgrim.  I expected more, an explanation of the religious significance of traveling to a holy place or a reference to those who landed at Plymouth in the 17th century.  (These definitions do follow as second and third in the dictionary, so Webster’s did not disappoint)  

And wanderer is defined, again by Webster’s, as one who roams aimlessly, or rambles.  So does that make sense then as part of the definition of a pilgrim?  Pilgrims, to me, are those who have a specific destination in mind, an individual who left one place to travel a difficult or arduous path but always with purpose or intent.  But then again as I sit here in anticipation of my second year of campus ministry, I reflect on the year that has gone by so quickly.  At times I felt very much like a wanderer and not a pilgrim.  I felt as though there was so much going on that it was difficult to fix my path and aim my way through it all.  In some way I felt I did ramble through the lives that were placed before me and that my intentionality in meeting others where they were was very lacking. 

One of my favorite quotes for many years and especially for my first year of ministry is from J.R.R. Tolkien.  “Not all who wander are lost.”  To me this very comforting and reflects that there are times in our lives when God calls us to wander, to go far from what we have known and where we are known.  And in the midst of that we know that there are things we are called away from and things we are called towards.  

When a pilgrim wanders along his path, he is called away from comfort and the daily convenience of knowing his work, where he will rest, eat and be at home.  He is called away from the ease and familiarity of companions long known.  He is called away from home.  In the midst of all this wandering though, the pilgrim is called towards things as well.  He is called towards a new community of fellow travelers, new experiences and deep gratitude to those who are hospitable and gracious.  His is called towards a dependence and faith that his journey will bring change and transformation to his life and others.

I believe and think that after a year and a few months of campus ministry.  I recognize what God has called me away from and I see now more clearly what the wandering is calling me towards.  I am grateful and excited to see the way I may wander this coming year.  The lives and the stories that I will meet as I walk the path before me.

Summer Stories

The Potter’s House is typically a place of community, gathering and fullness.  However, as the summer has progressed that fullness has diminished and it becomes a little emptier as the weeks go by.  It is a strange experience to be in any place that is characteristically full and overflowing with people, when it is empty.  There is a feeling of loneliness and purposelessness. Over the past week I have been planning the start of the fall semester and am anticipating the fullness and busyness of it all.  In that planning I have spent time reflecting on the moments at the Potter’s House this summer that have neither been full or exciting.

Throughout the second book of Kings, the prophet Elisha performs a variety of miracles and one of these involves a women who has lost her husband and is in danger of losing her two sons in order to pay his creditor.  She has nothing but a little oil in her home.  Elisha instructs her to ask all her neighbors for empty jars, not just a few, and then go inside and shut the door behind her and her sons.  She is then to pour her oil into the jars she has collected.  The provision is that there is more oil than jars, and the woman is able to repay the creditor without losing her sons.  Two images from this passage stood out to me.  The first image was that in order to be full to the point of overflowing there needed to be great emptiness in this story.  The woman was instructed to ask for “not a few” empty jars from her neighbors.  She was faithfully obedient to the instruction to create great space for the provision of the Lord, something that is not easy to do.  It is hard to not run from the empty moments in our lives, it is harder still to actively seek them out in obedience to God.  But those moments of emptiness offer the space needed for God’s provision to fill us to the point of overflowing. I have felt led and continue to be led to those empty jars this summer.  To find places within my life, students’ lives, and the ministry itself where God’s grace and mercy can restore and fill to overflowing.   

The second image that struck me was that of being instructed to shut the door behind her.  Having the doors open at the Potter’s House is part of our witness to our neighbors and community.  This summer it has felt odd, to see them not open quite so often; however, in this too God has been working.  In closing the doors of the Potter’s House I have had the opportunity to go out and see what God is doing in the individual lives of students this summer.  First I was able to visit several students working at camp for the summer, and to see just how transforming it can be for both the student and the campers.  At camp I saw students from Edinboro leading and modeling Christ’s love to junior high age campers in many ways, yet I was struck by one specifically.  Each night the counselors allow campers to place questions in a box, and then spend significant time answering these questions.  Some questions are profoundly silly and others profoundly serious.  Whichever question was asked, the counselors took time to answer the campers genuinely and with Christ-like patience.

I was also able to visit Alison (who lived at the Potter’s House last year) in Ocean City, as she participates in the Ocean City Beach Project.  Alison is spending her summer with 19 other college students studying, learning, and understanding how to lead from who they are created to be in Christ.  She daily shares Christ through her life with those she works with in the community, people she meets at the local laundry mat, playing Frisbee, volleyball or just spending time at the beach.  She is also excited to bring back new ideas and perspectives to Edinboro and the Potter’s House as she returns for her junior year.  I am no less eager to see how her experience will change and grow our community in the coming semesters.

So through closing the doors of the Potter’s House for a time, God has shown the influence and impact that Christ, through these students’ lives, is having across states and generations.  Your support and partnership with this ministry is what makes this all possible.  Your thoughtful investment in the lives of students is enabling change and transformation in ways beyond our knowing.  So thank you sincerely for your faithfulness and presence in His work at Edinboro University.

 

Camp, The Kingdom and Capture the Flag!

     All year long at the Potter’s House we’ve been hearing stories about camp, comparing one camp to another, talking about what this summer would bring.  Some who had never been to camp were a bit frustrated and not so sure why it was such a big deal!  Personally though I have had the opportunity to be both camper and camp staff.  I’ve actually worked in different capacities at several camps.  I’ve been a lifeguard, cleaning staff, cabin counselor, and wilderness staff member.  I loved each and every experience . . . well okay I honestly didn’t love being cleaning staff.  Not only did you clean up what the campers had left behind but also anything the variety of woodland animals had left behind!  

  About a week ago I had the opportunity to visit some students I know at the camp they call home. Several of the students are working on full time staff and some are volunteering during the summer when they are able.  On Thursday I drove up to camp and arrived during elective time.  I had the chance to observe two of my students leading electives.  One was teaching a bible study on forgiveness and the other was facilitating a group at the climbing tower.  From there we moved through a whirl-wind of noisy mealtimes, a game of what is best described as extreme rock, paper, scissors (just add 40 people and lots of running and you’ll get the idea), some time by the lake and an intense and competitive time of capture the flag.  Now if you’ve never been to camp . . . here’s the thing.  Camp is pretty much about doing as much as is physically possible in the period of the day. From the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed – you move, eat, play, sing, yell, etc.  So it can produce an enormous feeling of energy as you are taking part in all these activities but it also requires an enormous amount of energy and intentionality to keep it moving in a positive direction.  

  Throughout all these activities one thing stuck out to me about the college students I knew.  They are amazing leaders and very passionate about camp.  I have to say I was struck by how engaged they were with all the campers.  They only have a week with the kids in their cabin and they were making the most of it in order to transform their young lives.  It reminded me what an incredible experience camp can be for both the camper and the staff person.  Camp is an opportunity to live in an intense and close community, a community that is all focused and moving in the same direction. Relationships are key, you are saturated with time together and with the small elements of each others lives.  Late night talks across bunks, questions answered around the evening camp fire, the counselor who models Christ’s love for you.  These moments can change a life.  The students I know have taken it upon themselves to live out the lessons and life they have been a part of at the Potter’s House this past year.  They are sharing in small glimpses what the Kingdom community is about with around eighty to a hundred kids a week!  Who knows if the kids they will talk with and play with this summer have ever heard the Good News or had someone take the time to answer their questions about Christ, who he was and what he did for their lives.  But these college students are doing just that . . . each day at camp living their lives for His glory and taking seriously the time they have at camp.  That’s exciting and I am enormously proud of them!!