Michael Davison Blog

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” (Carl Reiner) 

As quickly as the new year has entered our lives, so too winter.  But, not far off in the distance past the sneezing and storms of spring, out there beyond the perimeter of Easter and Pentecost is summer.  Da da, da doo, ah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boo.  Summer!

June and July are the months that Disciples trek into the wilderness.  It is ground here in Oklahoma, and in every Region, that is made holy, named holy, because intentional Christian community is put into practice differently than in our home towns and cities.  We call it church camp.  This year the Region offers a variety of camp experiences for children and youth in grades 2-12.  The Summer Ministry team hopes every week offered is sold out.  The Summer Ministry team encourages every congregation to participate by:

• Sending campers;
• Praying for campers, counselors, and directors;
• Supporting the adults from your congregation that volunteer as counselors and directors;
• Offering to pay some or all of the cost of the camp fees for your campers;
• Supporting the Region’s Outdoor Ministry with financial gifts even if you don’t send campers.

The Camp Registration Guidebook is available on our website.  Download it to learn more about registering for camp.  Contact me if you have questions about registering or supporting this shared ministry of the Christian Church in Oklahoma.

This summer campers, counselors, and directors will explore a ‘Fearless Faith.”  Registration opens February 8.

Do you remember that last time you wrote, hand wrote, a “thank you” note? Getting anything that is hand written these days is something to marvel. I can remember sending and receiving hand written letters a long, long time ago. The Internet has made it easier to say “Happy Birthday,” “Happy Anniversary,” or just “Thinking of You,” as it only takes a couple of minutes. It is one way that technology has changed our culture and daily lives. Social media, specifically Facebook, has become the digital bill board that makes it easy to “please and thank you” for a variety of needs, causes, and issues that are personal and corporate.

Jimmy Fallon uses the idea of writing ‘thank you notes’ as a comedy bit, and it is instructive as we begin the journey toward Thanksgiving and Advent. If you tune in on Friday nights, or watch on the Internet, you will hear him say something like, “It’s Friday and I usually catch up on some personal stuff and write thank you notes.” The first step of saying thank you is being intentional. In a world clamoring for your attention, making time to type a few words on a person’s Facebook page, or to write a note and put it in the mail, that is time you chose to make that person the center of your attention. Hand written notes require more time, more thought, and more concentration as most of us don’t hand write much of anything anymore and many, maybe like me, might be self conscious about their handwriting. How well or how often do you make another person the center of your attention when you don’t need anything from them?

So, this November and December I’m making a change to my weekly routine. I’m adding 30 minutes to my Monday for handwritten thank you notes. Simple and overdue words of appreciation for persons that have helped me through life, allowed me to walk along their journey in faith, or asked me big questions that challenge my worldview.  And now, one of the big questions I was asked : Is Jesus of Nazareth worth following without knowing the Easter story?

I beg your indulgence to offer a few digital “Thank You Notes” in this space.

• Thank You, to the 90 adults that gave their time, their life experience, and their faith experience as Summer Camp Counselors and Summer Camp Directors this year.
• Thank You, parents, grandparents, and guardians that trust your congregation and the Region to teach the language of faith and the practice of Christianity to your children and youth.
• Thank You, to the Commission with Children, Youth, and Young Adult for your service, ideas, and energy for this missional ministry.
• Thank You, Regional Youth Council for your willingness to be community, and create opportunities for community for youth and youth workers in our Region.
• Thank You, to the adults that were sponsors for the International Affairs Seminar and Chi Rho Heifer Spring Break Trip this year.
• Thank You, First Christian Church in Cherokee for your financial gift that funded the site fee for the adults volunteering at Chi Rho Camp this summer.
• Thank You, Disciples Men’s Fellowship for your organizing and fundraising for the Leave No Child Behind Fund.
• Thank You, First Christian Church in Stillwater for hosting CYF Koinonia this year.
• Thank you, to the individuals that supported their congregations and the covenant we call the Christian Church in Oklahoma through the years with their time, ideas, talent, and with your financial gifts.

Be a blessing Disciples.

For the longest time I would make a hotel choice based on two criteria: non-smoking rooms and free Internet, either wired or wifi, in the room. I am brand loyal between three companies. One offers both, non-smoking hotels and free Internet which is where I most often stay when I have a choice because it fits me best; and a perk is that if fits my budget though I do pay a little more.

When I was in third grade, my family chose the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) because First Christian in Paris, TX, welcomed us after another denomination refused my father, and our family communion, because my father is a member of the Masonic Lodge. First Christian connected my family to a new way of thinking about God, and practicing faith alongside a community through worship, service projects, Sunday school, youth group, and fellowship.

The people of the parenthesis, as Disciples were known then, connected me to a journey in faith through conversation at youth group, church camp, retreats, and leadership in the church that led to ordained ministry. But, it was a collaboration within the people of the parenthesis that led to my call, because, the summer between sixth and seventh grade, we moved from Paris to Beaumont, TX, where we found another Disciples of Christ congregation that met me, met my family, on our journey. And then, during Christmas break of my junior year of high school we moved from Beaumont to Waco, TX, where we found another Disciples of Christ congregation that like the others met us on our journey.

All these congregations were different sizes. They were different and similar in worship style. They had conservative and liberal members, but those labels were not important, nor defining, like they are today.

What was important, and defining, was connecting people to a community that would challenge and comfort, proclaim good news and be good news, and welcome persons whom were beyond the parenthesis to the table, to the journey in faith, to leadership, and to be accountable for consistent living with the way of Jesus.

I think this is what makes our 21st century movement for wholeness relevant and alive. But, in a culture with many, many choices, we have to be comfortable knowing that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is not the choice for everyone. Some people cannot live with the collaborative tension of intentional Christian community that disagrees about the importance of tradition, the interpretation of scripture, the role of the Church in culture, and the definition of ‘mission,’ but claim Christ, commune together, and are accountable to one another about following the way of Jesus. That’s what I trust we are teaching, and sometimes preaching, through the shared ministry we call, Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministry.