Footprints in the snow

Here's a blurb from the poem, "Footprints in the Sand"
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

I grew up in Iowa, which is over 1,000 miles from the beach. To me, a walk on the beach is a vacation! A rare treat! It's often bothered me that when the man in the poem saw only one set of footprints, he automatically assumed that God had abandoned him. Has my faith become spoiled so much that when something goes wrong, I automatically assume that it is God that has left me and not that it was I who wandered away? Do I think of my faith like a walk on the beach? Something that is supposed to be easy, relaxing and fun? I like to think my Iowa upbringing has made me a little tougher than that! It's hard to imagine my faith journey as a walk on the beach.

I like to think of it as a walk through the snow. Sometimes it's a whole bunch of fun. However, sometimes your faith gets hit with an unexpected, icy snowball. Do I have a faith that can brush off the snow and keep going? It doesn't take many Iowa winters to learn to look for a set of footprints in the snow. One set of footprints does not automatically inspire the fear of abandoment, in fact, it's quite the opposite. One set of footprints becomes a clear path through the challenging terrain. It means that someone bigger and stronger has gone before you and made a difficult journey a little bit easier to manage. When my faith journey leads me along a snow covered hill, I am grateful to see a set of footprints. It's a reminder that God has gone before me to prepare the way. It means that God knows my struggles and has found a way for me to get to the other side.

I give thanks for the set of footprints in the snow.

Winter Fest is stressing me out!

High School Winter Fest is December 30, 2007 to January 1, 2008. It's over New Year's Eve and I have a pretty amazing party planned. We will have a square dance (which in spite of it's old time reputation is a barrel of fun!) and party games, like "Pin the Cross on the Bible" and hula hoop contests and the limbo. Plus, we'll be in the Activity Center so we can play basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, pickle ball or any other game we come up with. There's also a whole floor of "table games" like air hockey, pool, ping pong, carpetball and others. It will be so much fun. Having High School Winter Fest over New Year's Eve was a great idea. High Schoolers can come and be themselves, be loud and wild and crazy and be encouraged to do so! Parents can enjoy their New Year's Eve without worrying about their teenager driving home late at night in possible bad weather, they know it will be well supervised. It's a great idea . . . on paper.

However, no one wants to come. Registration is at an all time low. Because it's over a holiday, high schoolers look at me like, "Are you really that old to think we'd want to go to CAMP for New Year's Eve??" (No, I am NOT that old!) I don't know how to get people here! The party is really just a ploy to convince people it will be fun and to just kick back and have fun! The whole point of Winter Fest is to give your spiritual life a nice kick in the pants. It's been a while since the Mennonite Youth Convention and our spiritual enthusiasm begins to look as dreary as the winter sky. God is constantly working through people here at camp. It's hard for youth to hear God in the midst of homework, peer pressure and hormones. Camp acts as an amplifier for God's voice. If they aren't here, it's harder to hear what God has to say.

Through this situation, I've often thought of the parable from Luke 14: 15-24.

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.’ The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’

Now, I only wish that I had servants who knew where to find the youth in town that needed a safe place to be for New Year's Eve. Even if I knew where to find the youth that needed to be at camp. My biggest prayer is God would somehow bring the youth to camp. My table IS set, open the doors and fill this house!

Not Ready for Christmas

Christmas is a week away. In 7 days from now, it is Christmas. Oh dang.

I have my Christmas shopping done, I have my tree up and decorated and I even have my Christmas cards ready to put in the mail.

But I am not ready for Christmas.

I've been to church and followed our Advent story. I've sung the Christmas hymns and even sat down and played them myself. I've made Christmas cookies and wrapped presents.

But I am not ready for Christmas.

I'm not quite at the bah-humbug stage, but I was yet to catch the Christmas magic. Until Sunday. In church we talked about Mary, the mother of Jesus. And no matter how much of a Scrooge or a Grinch I'm being, she always gets me. And to be fair, Mary had 9 months to get ready for Christmas, we only get 4 weeks of Advent. But when I stop and think about Mary, the bah-humbug's go away. She was probably no more than 16 years old. She and Joseph were so in love, I'm sure you could see them giggling and holding hands anytime they were together. She was ready to get married and be a wife, but then the Angel Gabriel shared a change of plans with her. And now this teenager's biggest concern was not whether or not to have chicken or beef at the wedding, but how in the world she is going to raise the SON OF GOD! I mean, the Messiah, the One they've been waiting for! The one they've been expecting!! SHE would be the mother of their Savior. Wow.

I imagine in the moment when she was talking to the Angel Gabriel, her faith in God was not just a belief or a hope, it was absolute fact. As real as the ground she walked on and the air she breathed. But then, the Angel left. And she still remained, and now had to share this good news with the people she loved. I know that Mary was highly favored by God, otherwise how do you share that news without sounding crazy? "Hey, Joseph-honey. I'm pregnant with the Messiah." or "Guess what Mom and Dad! You remember the Messiah that we've been waiting for all these years? I'm going to give birth to him in 9 months!" Unless you are truly favored by God, there is just no way to say that and have anyone believe you!

She understood the magic of Christmas, the outpouring of God's love into a form so real that no one could deny it, but yet in the form of a tiny little baby. Now, I've lost my chance to be an unwed pregnant teenager like Mary, and I'm not really that sad to see it go, but just thinking about her fills me with the awe and wonder that is God's love. She didn't just believe in God, she knew God.

Now, I'm ready for Christmas.


And just for a fun little Christmas anecdote. Hymn #210, Good Christian Friends, Rejoice can be a bit tricky. The last line of the first verse is, "Christ is born today" and the last line of the last verse is "Christ was born to save." When most of the choir sings the right verse and says, "Christ is born today" but a couple alto's sing the wrong verse and say, "Christ was born to save" it ends up sounding like "Christ was born Tuesday." And well, this year, the alto's were right.

As cold as ice!

On Saturday, our first winter storm of the season hit with full force. The effects ranged greatly all over Iowa with the Southern parts getting off a little easier than the rest. But don't start to think that Camp escaped untouched. To start with, the only group planning on attending camp for the weekend rightfully cancelled because of the horrible forecasts of the weekend. Throughout Saturday, camp was slowly frosted in ice. What started as rain began to freeze. And then what may have melted on the ground began to work together to make the most solid and smooth sheet of ice I've ever seen on roads! The lane into camp had a little bit of ground peeking out so that my car could grab on and slowly proceed towards the office. However, once past the pond, everything was just ice. I've never seen a gravel road freeze so perfectly and utterly smooth. A Zamboni would be jealous! So anytime someone had to go outside, he or she carefully scooted across the ice while the rest of us watched from inside, secretly hoping for a royal wipe out. :)

Apparently, the front of the camp has nothing to complain about compared to the back of camp! The road back to the pavilion and activity center is virtually impassable. Between the bend-y curves and small slopes, vehicles just aren't going to make it. And the normal exit road is officially closed for the winter. I can only imagine what it would be like to try to make it down and up those hills! First if you survive the downward slope without shooting through the trees and into the actual Crooked Creek, you'd have to wind your way uphill before making it to THE HILL. I have to talk nice to my car during the summer to convince him he wants to drive up that hill. The winter conditions would be impossible even for James Bond.

As humans, we became almost helpless in the aftermath of a winter storm until our huge noisy machines come and provide a way. The deer, raccoons and rabbits do not have snow plows, ice melt and special rubber gripped shoes to easily maneuver around the woods. God saw this coming and naturally equipped them for all the weather they need. Although one can't help but picture the classic scene from Bambi when our fearless fawn tries to cross the frozen pond. But it's always a little bit amazing to me that all of the creatures of the woods know how to prepare for and survive these blustery months. I crank up the heat, but what do they do? I just put on another sweatshirt, they can't instantly grow another fur coat!

I'm not willing to trade my blanket-filled apartment with the shivering bunnies of the woods, but they do have my respect for being able to make it. And God has my amazement for creating them in just the way they needed to survive.