Wow! What a weekend!! There were about 40 people here at camp this past weekend for a time of retreating, music-ing and worshiping. (I don't mean Thanksgiving weekend, I mean Nov. 16-17.) This retreat has been in the planning for a long time. I found emails in the MW Retreat file from September 2005! I jumped on board of this bandwagon in August of 2007, so my work was really just the icing on the cake. People gathered literally from all over to join in God's work. While most of the participants were from right here in Southeastern Iowa, we had people travel from Nebraska, Michigan and South Dakota. I love Iowa and its people, but I will stick by my stance that the out-of-state people are always the coolest. (Maybe this has something with me being an out-of-stater in college for 4, *ahem* 5 years.) But people who make things like a Music and Worship Retreat so much of a priority that they are willing to drive 4-8 hours just to attend have something inside of them that is worth sharing.
The overall shape of the weekend was as follows: Corporate Worship, Workshop Session, break/food. As an additional focus, the whole retreat was centered around the Psalms and was subtitled, "Encountering God through the Psalms". On Friday evening, Tom and Lois Harder (the guest speakers for the weekend) led us in worship using the Psalms of Creation. It's always an awesome reminder of how small we are compared to the rest of Creation, but yet how loved we are by God compared to the rest of Creation. Small, but significant.
On Saturday morning, Tom and Lois did not shy away from the difficult Psalms. They focused on the Psalms of Lament. If you think you are upset, take a minute and read some of these Psalms! The authors get honest and express their frustrations without hesitation. One of the Psalms (137) even calls for dashing of babies upon rocks. Yeeks! However, Tom and Lois were quick to point out that the Psalmists always established a deep and true faith in God and ultimately left the next course of action up to God. They pointed out that it is healthy for us as humans to feel these emotions and sometimes express them in appropriate means. However, you can't stop there. The key point to the morning worship was to find closure by letting go and letting God take over.
On Saturday afternoon, Tom and Lois wrapped up our Psalm exploration with Psalms of Sovereignty. Through this we explored the Psalms that express and worship our God that is Sovereign over everything and the ultimate King. These Psalms helped to provide ways to worship and adore this God of the universe who still loves and knows each and every person in the most intimate ways.
Throughout the weekend, various Workshop Sessions were offered. However, being responsible for preparing the next event, I didn't get to attend any sessions entirely. I just popped in to each one to see how things were going. Each session offered a different aspect of worship or the Psalms and it was great to learn together. It was a potluck of knowledge. There isn't one person who could lead "Movement as Worship" AND "How to use the Sound System" AND "Reading through the Prayer Book of God's People." However, because our Workshop Leaders were willing to share what they DID know, people came away learning more than would have been possible otherwise.
So far I've mentioned things that I've had my hand in preparing. I'm not taking credit for these effectiveness or trying to say the weekend was great because of me. Those were just the activities of the weekend that were planned. However, a lot of great things happened that could not have been planned for. Because this event brought together people from all over, people began to connect and fellowship. At lunch on Saturday, people were sitting together and laughing with others that had been strangers only 24 hours before. Mennonites did what Mennonites do best . . . talk. And it was beautiful to see so many connections being made!!
Overall, it was a pretty great weekend. It is exciting to me to see adults in the community give up their personal time to retreat for a weekend and allow themselves to be challenged to grow closer to God. One couple could have been finishing some outside painting, another woman could have been at the Iowa football game. [It turned out to be a good thing not to go to the game because the Hawkeyes didn't do so well, and that's just bad for one's health!] I'm sure everyone at the retreat had a long list of things on their to-do list that could have been checked off during their time away. Instead, they chose to make this a priority and I hope that they were as greatly blessed as I was.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Jesus the Camp Counselor
Mark 5: 35-41 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side," Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher! Don't you care if you drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
When I was at my wit's end with my campers of the week, I would often think of this story. Here was Jesus, tired from preaching and healing and leading crowds of people around. He finally found a chance to take a breather and just get in a little nap. All his disciples had to do was manage the boat. A task that shouldn't be too hard for 12 guys, many of whom were once fishermen. Jesus just wanted a nap. He was just dozing off in the comfortable swaying of the boat, when the disciples run up to him in a panic . . . "The wind! The waves! We're gonna tip over! We're gonna die! What do we do?!?! JESUS!! DON'T YOU CARE THAT WE ARE GOING TO DROWN!?!?!" Sound like anything you've heard before? And all Jesus has to do is sit up, wave his hand at the wind and say, "Cut it out!" And the amazing thing is, IT DOES! He then turns to his disciples and in a sleepy, disgruntled way says, "Really? We're doing this again!? You still don't get it, do you?"
I have moments like that with my campers. I'm just about to fall asleep and get a little rest after a short night with two bathroom breaks, running around in the hot sun and 3 more days waiting for me until the end of camp. Then all of the sudden, "EEK!! A BUG!!!! JOHANNA! JOHANNA! JOHANNA!! It's a bug and it's HUGE!!" I get up to see an ant on someone's bunk. I either squish it, or catch it on a piece of paper and fling it out the door. "Really girls? We're still afraid of ants? Haven't you been at camp long enough to realize that there are bugs and nothing's going to hurt you? I'm going back to sleep."
To put Jesus in the role of camp counselor even more, consider this! It is very likely that His disciples were only 15 years old. And even more likely that they were, in short, Rabbi Rejects. If young boys of that age were out fishing with their fathers, then they were learning the family trade, not on the way to become a Rabbi. So Jesus, picks out 12 of the smelliest, most average type guys around, and to top it all off, they were about 15. No wonder it's easy to picture Jesus as the camp counselor! However, He didn't have these guys for a week, He had them for three years and he picked them. Now if that isn't an example crazy love, then I don't know what is.
When I was at my wit's end with my campers of the week, I would often think of this story. Here was Jesus, tired from preaching and healing and leading crowds of people around. He finally found a chance to take a breather and just get in a little nap. All his disciples had to do was manage the boat. A task that shouldn't be too hard for 12 guys, many of whom were once fishermen. Jesus just wanted a nap. He was just dozing off in the comfortable swaying of the boat, when the disciples run up to him in a panic . . . "The wind! The waves! We're gonna tip over! We're gonna die! What do we do?!?! JESUS!! DON'T YOU CARE THAT WE ARE GOING TO DROWN!?!?!" Sound like anything you've heard before? And all Jesus has to do is sit up, wave his hand at the wind and say, "Cut it out!" And the amazing thing is, IT DOES! He then turns to his disciples and in a sleepy, disgruntled way says, "Really? We're doing this again!? You still don't get it, do you?"
I have moments like that with my campers. I'm just about to fall asleep and get a little rest after a short night with two bathroom breaks, running around in the hot sun and 3 more days waiting for me until the end of camp. Then all of the sudden, "EEK!! A BUG!!!! JOHANNA! JOHANNA! JOHANNA!! It's a bug and it's HUGE!!" I get up to see an ant on someone's bunk. I either squish it, or catch it on a piece of paper and fling it out the door. "Really girls? We're still afraid of ants? Haven't you been at camp long enough to realize that there are bugs and nothing's going to hurt you? I'm going back to sleep."
To put Jesus in the role of camp counselor even more, consider this! It is very likely that His disciples were only 15 years old. And even more likely that they were, in short, Rabbi Rejects. If young boys of that age were out fishing with their fathers, then they were learning the family trade, not on the way to become a Rabbi. So Jesus, picks out 12 of the smelliest, most average type guys around, and to top it all off, they were about 15. No wonder it's easy to picture Jesus as the camp counselor! However, He didn't have these guys for a week, He had them for three years and he picked them. Now if that isn't an example crazy love, then I don't know what is.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A New Name
So many times in the Bible, when God calls someone to do His bidding, He gives them a new name. Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah. Saul becomes Paul, Jacob becomes Israel, Simon became Peter and the list goes on and on! There are many reasons for these name changes and you'd have to ask a Biblical scholar for the real answers and historical meanings. The following are just my thoughts and personal musings.
So many times the name we begin with develops a strong metal box around us. We begin to feel trapped by the label we've created out of our name and have no way of breaking free. But God steps down into human form and sets us free from the invisible bondage with a simple sentence! Matt. 16:17-18, "Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter [which means rock], and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.'" Jesus simply said these words and Simon was transformed from a simple, clumsy teenager who never seemed to get it right to Peter, the new rock of the church.
In college, you get a fresh start. No one knows what your 'name' was in high school and it's a chance for you to start brand new. Sometimes you create your name by the things you do with friends and how you spend your free time, sometimes you create your new name based on your major or strongest talents. And when the past that you used to depend on is gone, you cling to your new name as though it is all you have. This is fun for a while . . .
I recently escaped from the bondage of my name as a music major. My entire life began to wrap around this name that I had developed for myself. Yes, God has given me a gift of music and the type of soul that sometimes only communicates in music. And I am thankful for these things. However, God has given me much more! I am not just a music major. But that was my name. So all of the other gifts that were living within me got squashed down to the bottom and ignored. But now! I am not a music major anymore. I have been given a new name by the very Son of God. I am Johanna Jean, Program Director. Fortunately, "Program Director" is a very broad name. It means a whole lot of stuff, and that excites me! I will not be stuck just planning programs or just leading games for summer camp. I get to do a variety of things and use ALL of the gifts God has given me.
One time I asked my mother why she named me Johanna. It's not really a family name and it's definitely not a popular name. She said that when I was born, I just looked like a Johanna. In Hebrew, Johanna means "Gift of God". It is also a feminine form of John which means, "God is Gracious". My middle name is Jean, which is a Scottish form of Jane which is also a feminie form of John. So all together, my name means, "Gift of God" and "God is very Gracious."
God has indeed been very gracious to me. I inevitably manage to find myself in the middle of a big patch of thorns with no way out. Before I even have a chance to ask, God has cleared a path in the right direction for me until I absent-mindedly wander off into a whole new patch of thorns. I also know that to whom much is given, much is expected. God has been gracious to me and I know that it is my turn to share this with those around me. I have no doubt that my counselors and campers this summer will provide ample opportunities for me to practice being gracious. My prayer is that I will fully embrace these teachable moments and respond in such a way that people do not say, "Johanna is so gracious!" but rather, "God is gracious indeed!"
So many times the name we begin with develops a strong metal box around us. We begin to feel trapped by the label we've created out of our name and have no way of breaking free. But God steps down into human form and sets us free from the invisible bondage with a simple sentence! Matt. 16:17-18, "Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter [which means rock], and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.'" Jesus simply said these words and Simon was transformed from a simple, clumsy teenager who never seemed to get it right to Peter, the new rock of the church.
In college, you get a fresh start. No one knows what your 'name' was in high school and it's a chance for you to start brand new. Sometimes you create your name by the things you do with friends and how you spend your free time, sometimes you create your new name based on your major or strongest talents. And when the past that you used to depend on is gone, you cling to your new name as though it is all you have. This is fun for a while . . .
I recently escaped from the bondage of my name as a music major. My entire life began to wrap around this name that I had developed for myself. Yes, God has given me a gift of music and the type of soul that sometimes only communicates in music. And I am thankful for these things. However, God has given me much more! I am not just a music major. But that was my name. So all of the other gifts that were living within me got squashed down to the bottom and ignored. But now! I am not a music major anymore. I have been given a new name by the very Son of God. I am Johanna Jean, Program Director. Fortunately, "Program Director" is a very broad name. It means a whole lot of stuff, and that excites me! I will not be stuck just planning programs or just leading games for summer camp. I get to do a variety of things and use ALL of the gifts God has given me.
One time I asked my mother why she named me Johanna. It's not really a family name and it's definitely not a popular name. She said that when I was born, I just looked like a Johanna. In Hebrew, Johanna means "Gift of God". It is also a feminine form of John which means, "God is Gracious". My middle name is Jean, which is a Scottish form of Jane which is also a feminie form of John. So all together, my name means, "Gift of God" and "God is very Gracious."
God has indeed been very gracious to me. I inevitably manage to find myself in the middle of a big patch of thorns with no way out. Before I even have a chance to ask, God has cleared a path in the right direction for me until I absent-mindedly wander off into a whole new patch of thorns. I also know that to whom much is given, much is expected. God has been gracious to me and I know that it is my turn to share this with those around me. I have no doubt that my counselors and campers this summer will provide ample opportunities for me to practice being gracious. My prayer is that I will fully embrace these teachable moments and respond in such a way that people do not say, "Johanna is so gracious!" but rather, "God is gracious indeed!"
Thursday, November 8, 2007
a perfect box of crayons
They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. If such is true, then artists through out the ages and of every culture have been creating compliments like crazy. This past week has been picture-perfect fall. It's as though the most perfect box of crayons exploded all over the earth. The sky is such a brilliant blue and the leaves are every color from green to deep red. Even the browns of the trees is so perfect.
I got to dog sit my "niece" while my brother and his wife were out of town. We went on a walk through camp and oh my. It was just fabulous. A thesaurus does not have enough words to describe the crazy beautiful things we saw. From the animals of fur and feather to the growth of green and brown. I thought I had seen it all at camp before. I haven't even scratched the surface.
The point of this blog is just to say that God is many things. One of which is the most amazing creator and artist of all times.
I got to dog sit my "niece" while my brother and his wife were out of town. We went on a walk through camp and oh my. It was just fabulous. A thesaurus does not have enough words to describe the crazy beautiful things we saw. From the animals of fur and feather to the growth of green and brown. I thought I had seen it all at camp before. I haven't even scratched the surface.
The point of this blog is just to say that God is many things. One of which is the most amazing creator and artist of all times.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Priority of Prayer
I've grown up thinking that prayer is something done in church, before meals and in one's own time. You are supposed to get up 15 minutes earlier (ha! yeah right!!) to do devotions or stay up 15 minutes later to do them in the evening (much more likely). You steal away to a quiet place to pray or you do it in the privacy of your own home. You pray at Bible Studies and with groups of friends and at Sunday School and before tests. There are many places to pray and very few places not to pray.
However. I have never thought that prayer was something one could get paid to do. Often I find myself at my desk with a challenge or an obstacle sitting before me.
To make this program the most effective, should I do it this way or that way? Is there something that could make it even better? Is this what people need or is it just what I want? How do I know if this is what God wants accomplished or what I want accomplished?
Staring at my computer does not provide any answers. However, leaning back in my chair, staring at the ceiling in prayer does, just not always immediately.
The most obvious and easy answer is prayer. Just ask God! I mean, duh! He's all-knowing, omnipotent, He sees the past, present and future all at the same time. What an amazing resource ready to answer any question I ask. Before I even ask the question, I know God will answer. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Mt. 7:7-8 It seems so obvious, prayer!
God has truly blessed me to prepare a place for me to work where I can learn what it means to put Him first in real life, not just a theoretical and hypothetical life we dream about in college.
However. I have never thought that prayer was something one could get paid to do. Often I find myself at my desk with a challenge or an obstacle sitting before me.
To make this program the most effective, should I do it this way or that way? Is there something that could make it even better? Is this what people need or is it just what I want? How do I know if this is what God wants accomplished or what I want accomplished?
Staring at my computer does not provide any answers. However, leaning back in my chair, staring at the ceiling in prayer does, just not always immediately.
The most obvious and easy answer is prayer. Just ask God! I mean, duh! He's all-knowing, omnipotent, He sees the past, present and future all at the same time. What an amazing resource ready to answer any question I ask. Before I even ask the question, I know God will answer. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Mt. 7:7-8 It seems so obvious, prayer!
God has truly blessed me to prepare a place for me to work where I can learn what it means to put Him first in real life, not just a theoretical and hypothetical life we dream about in college.
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