From/to

Freedom has a partner, and its name is responsibility.
It’s easy to insist on all the things we should be free from.
But then we realize that we also have the freedom to act, to lead and to confront our fear and our selfishness. Once we realize our own agency, freedom begins to feel like a responsibility.
The freedom to make a difference.(1)

Last month that is what we practiced at church camp: responsibility.  Intentional Christian Community, or any intentional community, is something you have to want.  It’s a balancing act.  It’s a different kind of freedom.  It’s a responsibility.  And that is one of the lessons from church camp this summer as campers and volunteer staff learned about how creation speaks to humanity and God is made known.

The adults that volunteer directors and counselors are the strength of our outdoor ministry program.  The children and youth lived with our Covid-19 procedures with grace and acceptance that this was required for church camp to happen this year.  They altered their own behavior on behalf of the community.  They practiced individualism within community.  We cannot say “thank you” enough to the campers and our adult volunteers.  You’ve set an example for the rest of us about how to be intentional Christian community.

—
Note
1)  Seth Godin, “From/to.” July 4, 2021.

“Take your time”

It means two very different things.

When a person or a marketer takes your time, they’re stealing. Something irretrievable is gone. If your time is taken for selfish reasons, if it’s wasted, there’s no good way to get it back.

On the other hand, when you have enough confidence to take your own time, to take your time to be present, to do the work, to engage with what’s in front of you right now, it’s a gift.

This is precisely what time is for.

We’re not in a race to check off as many boxes as we possibly can before we are out of time. Instead, we have the chance to use the time to create moments that matter. Because they connect us, because they open doors, because the moments, added up, create a life.
(Seth Godin,”Take your time.” May 29, 2021.)

In a “time” when everything matters how do you determine what matters most?  I’m an old Gen X’er and a version of this question has been part of my conscious existence since the middle 1980’s when I was a college student.  The Covid-19 pandemic may have helped some of us answer the question, “when everything matters what matters most?”  Did it for you?  And yet, as people rush back to time before the pandemic I wonder what we’ve learned?  Really.

I think part of our Disciples ethos is that we value the decision making process: how and why.  Church Camp, like other camp experiences, is time away.  This intentional Christian community develops skills to help people, young and seasoned, determine what matters most and how to live into what matters most.  Those skills will develop over time as they continue to practice and participate in the journey of faith.  Church camp can be a mountain top experience, but its best work is the subtle and nuanced preparation for living through the valleys of life.  This preparation happens in small group conversations, games, hanging out during free time, in prayer, craft time and worship.

You can follow summer camp this year through the Region’s social media (Twitter @ccokdoc, Facebook – Oklahoma Disciples, and Instagram ccokdoc) as well as here at the Region’s website.  We may have a podcast episode or two as well.

Thank you for supporting Outdoor ministry (Church Camp) in your congregation and in covenant with the Christian Church in Oklahoma.

A mass noun is one that doesn’t take an S when we have more. “Butter” and “Information” are both uncountable in use, because when we only have only one unit of butter (or information) we use the same word as if we have four or six units. Butter is butter.

Uncountable words are understandably difficult to measure at a glance. They don’t fit easily into the industrial mindset, and we’re often pushed to find things that are less mysterious.

But it turns out that uncountable words like trust, honesty, commitment, passion, connection and quality are a fine thing to focus on.

(Seth Godin, “Uncountable.” April 29, 2021)

Community. Belief. Faith.  Are these uncountable as well?  I think so.

Our summer camp program offers children, youth, and adults the  space to encounter the uncountable.  We do that by blending play, prayer, study, service, and worship every day.

This summer we are putting the “outdoor” back in summer camp.  This will help us hear creation speak and mitigate the possible spread of the coronavirus. Campers and adults will explore some of the stories below this summer at camp.

Summer Camp could not happen without the adults that volunteer their time, life experience and faith experience.  In July, we will offer a proper thank you to all the volunteers.

The Holy One is uncountable, but we trust is encountered when we focus on following the way of Jesus.

Community. Belief. Faith.

“What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated?” (nytimes.com)

Out there, beyond Easter, is a journey through the looking glass.  It’s always been that way, even before Covid-19 restrictions, politics, science, grief, and prayers.  Out there beyond Easter, we have to apply what we’ve learned about ourselves, our communities, communal medical health, citizenship, faith, and following Jesus.

The Regional Youth Council’s Lent devotional suggested that Lent is a daily journey.  And like Lent, those who claim to be an “Easter people” are involved in a daily journey.  We can try to categorize, reference, and program our way into the already, but not yet, empire of God, but the Holy One isn’t easily tamed, named, or claimed.  The divine spark in you knows the whisper of God and what the Holy requires.  There is a lot of noise to silence.  It is a daily journey filled with lows, highs, and the mundane.

Sometimes Christians think of Jesus as a kind of vaccine for the human condition. Traditions and rituals during Christmas and Easter can be a booster shot for a weak spiritual immune system.

In one of my favorite scenes in the movie, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the crowd sings:

Christ, you know I love you
Did you see, I waved
I believe in you and God
So tell me that I’m saved

Jesus, I am with you
Touch me, touch me Jesus
Jesus, I am on your side
Kiss me, kiss me Jesus(1)

How is your spiritual immune system these days?

This summer at camp, we will mix the same ingredients we have for years: play, prayer, study, worship, and service.  Will it be different?  Yes.  It always is a bit different because we are not turning out industrialized, mass-produced Christians.  That’s not the intent.  Physical distance, masks, and the small groups will probably make camp feel different, but “camp will be camp.”  Why?  Because I trust the ingredients. I trust God. I trust the spiritual immune systems of directors, counselors, and the campers who will create the sacred space we call summer camp.

Following Jesus . . . it’s a daily journey.  It is making choices about what I/we/you can do (should do) once vaccinated.

1. Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice, “Simon Zealotes from Jesus Christ Superstar” (1973) Universal Pictures Film Music.