There is one event in youth ministry that can send chills down your spine. That event is a lock in. The basic premise is that you lock the kids in the church with you for an all-nighter that features messy, disgusting games, lots and lots of food and, of course, the inevitable sleep deprivation. Add into this mix lots of caffeine, sugar and hide-and-go-seek in the dark, common referred to in our Youth Group as predator, and you've got all the ingredients for a great time.
We do one lock-in a year in our church. Other events provide sleepovers and sleeping in gyms, but they do all have one thing in common -- sleep. At a lock-in, you go into it knowing the general idea is to stay awake ALL NIGHT LONG!
Personally, I like lock ins. It's a great way to get to know your youth a little better and they bring their friends too. Outreach opportunity! I also get to pull games out of my hat that I would never try any other time of the year. In the past, we've duct taped youth to the wall (the girls won!). Last year, I dress four youth in garbage bags and had them stand about 10 feet from their team. Their team then threw peanut butter covered bread at them to see how many they could get to stick to the garbage bags. Great Fun! This year, my cool game involves whipped topping and cheese balls. I'll let you know how that one goes over.
Our food will vary from cookies and bars, to chips and pizza and then, at 6 a.m. breakfast. I am always grateful to my breakfast crew. They come in, well rested and make us a healthy breakfast, while we try and keep the kids on their feet until their folks come to take them home.
My lock in volunteers are a special breed. They know exactly when to start the caffeine loading on Friday morning and they are just as cheerful at 4 a.m. as they are at 8 p.m. God has a special place in heaven for those who chaperone lock ins.
I usually do better than the kids do at these all nighters. I know how to ration my energy and my caffeine. I keep busy and don't sit anywhere too long. I don't eat too much and drink lots of fluids. I think that youth workers have special genes that allow for sporatic sleep habits and strange food combinations.
When you retire on Friday night, think about all the fun you are missing. We will most likely be in the midst of movies, snacks, games, predator and duct tape. If you think of it, say a prayer for my adults and I. Watching the sunrise surrounded by sleepy teenagers is not for the faint of heart or stomache. We, too, will be driving home groggily to catch a few hours of sleep before trying to reset our sleep cycles.
If you can't sleep, come on down to Mandan UMC and join the fun! We'll leave the light on for you.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Reflections on Good Friday
My middle name is Grace, which is my mother's first name. It is a name; not a descriptive term. I tend to be a bit accident prone. I once broke my big toe and a bone in my foot when a pizza fell out of the freezer and landed on my foot. Mind you, it was a stuffed crust pizza. Even though it reallt hurt, I waited about 24 hours before seeking medical attention because I didn't want to tell anyone what I had done. When I finally hobbled into the walk-in clinic I was in too much pain to care anymore. By the time I came back from my x-rays, I'm sure that all the staff knew as they smiled as I handed over the films. Two weeks in a walking cast fixed my foot, butr my pride took quite a hit.
As I had predicted in my post on Friday, preparation for the Good Friday service were filled with last minute instructions, some casting changes, an emergency ironing session by a parent and prayer. Finally, after months of practice, there we were in make-up. The sanctuary was filling with people and the music started,
Our dance praise ministry team had the first song and got the people on their feet and praising God. The clown team entered for the second song and the energy level was high. My entrance came during the middle of the same song. Everthing was going well. The adrenalin was flowing.
The third scene depicts Jesus clearing the temple of the thieves and money changers. I came into the scene and flip over a card table. I've done this dozens of times. However, I've never gotten my thumb caught on the table. Immediately I knew something was wrong. Pain shot through my thumb, palm and two fingers. Not usually a good sign. As the scene progresses, my hand hurts so bad I can't use that hand. Not good at all.
I am pretty sure that it is broken or dislocated. But, the service must go on. It wasn't hard to muster up tears during Jesus' prayer in the Garden. Things got worse when my guards tie my wrists to the cross before the crucifixion. Lucky the music was loud enough to muffle my desperate whispers to loosen up the ropes or else!
After the service, everyone headed to the Dairy Queen and I headed to the ER. I had taken off my clown make-up, but it was still an interesting story that ellicited lots of questions from the nurses, docs, x-ray techs and the registration clerk. As I stated in last week's blog, noone believes a story that starts, "well, you see I was clowning and throwing this table." I'm pretty sure they ordered a psych consult.
I ended up with either a badly sprained thumb or a torn ligament or tendon. The plastic surgeon will give me the verdict this week. I have a plaster splint and a sling. So much for playing for the Sunrise service. I'm learning to type with one hand, as working is not optional. Vicodin has been a constant companion during the weekend.
Apparently noone knew what had happened at the service outside of the ministry teams. That's good because it wasn't about me - it was about God. I pray that God was reflected through the Good Friday service.
"Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:12
As I had predicted in my post on Friday, preparation for the Good Friday service were filled with last minute instructions, some casting changes, an emergency ironing session by a parent and prayer. Finally, after months of practice, there we were in make-up. The sanctuary was filling with people and the music started,
Our dance praise ministry team had the first song and got the people on their feet and praising God. The clown team entered for the second song and the energy level was high. My entrance came during the middle of the same song. Everthing was going well. The adrenalin was flowing.
The third scene depicts Jesus clearing the temple of the thieves and money changers. I came into the scene and flip over a card table. I've done this dozens of times. However, I've never gotten my thumb caught on the table. Immediately I knew something was wrong. Pain shot through my thumb, palm and two fingers. Not usually a good sign. As the scene progresses, my hand hurts so bad I can't use that hand. Not good at all.
I am pretty sure that it is broken or dislocated. But, the service must go on. It wasn't hard to muster up tears during Jesus' prayer in the Garden. Things got worse when my guards tie my wrists to the cross before the crucifixion. Lucky the music was loud enough to muffle my desperate whispers to loosen up the ropes or else!
After the service, everyone headed to the Dairy Queen and I headed to the ER. I had taken off my clown make-up, but it was still an interesting story that ellicited lots of questions from the nurses, docs, x-ray techs and the registration clerk. As I stated in last week's blog, noone believes a story that starts, "well, you see I was clowning and throwing this table." I'm pretty sure they ordered a psych consult.
I ended up with either a badly sprained thumb or a torn ligament or tendon. The plastic surgeon will give me the verdict this week. I have a plaster splint and a sling. So much for playing for the Sunrise service. I'm learning to type with one hand, as working is not optional. Vicodin has been a constant companion during the weekend.
Apparently noone knew what had happened at the service outside of the ministry teams. That's good because it wasn't about me - it was about God. I pray that God was reflected through the Good Friday service.
"Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:12
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bad Friday?
In just a few short hours, I will put on my clown white and step into the role of Jesus Christ, a role I am seriously unworthy of taking. The Clown Ministry Team has put in hours of practice and we have about 25 people involved in our worship service tonight. The service has been given a total make-over with new music and different characters, but the same Gospel message. The hour leading up to the Good Friday Passion Remembrance are usually fraught with last minute emergencies and creative solutions to those emergencies. Judas is hyperventilating - just breath. One of the youth showed up without their clown shirt -- we keep extras in the office. One final prayer and we are out the door and on our way to worship.
Several years ago when I was relatively new at Mandan UMC, I had an allergic reaction to some cheap clown make-up in the middle of the Good Friday service. Like troopers, the kids pitched in and we got through it. They learned that they possess inner strength they didn't know they had. I learned that the ER doctors really don't believe any story with the words "clown make-up" in it. I now take Benadryl before putting on the white.
Last week, I was discussing Holy Week with my Wonderful Wednesday after school children. One very insightful kids asked me why we call it Good Friday when it wasn't very good at all. In his opinion, it should be called Bad Friday. A very valid point! That Friday two thousand years had nothing good about it. Jesus spent the night in jail after a phony trial, he was beaten within an inch of his life and publically called a fraud. He was made to carry the device of his own execution through a crowded city and was crucified, mocked and died. Not a very good day at all. His mother watched her son put to death brutally. Only one of his disciples was present throughout the entire ordeal. All of the others had fled in fear of a similar fate. At the end of the day, they buried Him in a borrowed tomb. He was very much dead.
Easter would change the face of history forever. But no one present on that Friday could see past the events of that day to the miracle that would come on Sunday.
In the midst of Holy Week, we are steeped in the solemn liturgy and scripture of His last days. On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of the Son of Man who gave us hope for a better life. We have 20/20 hindsight into the events of Easter and beyond. And from what we can see, it was a very good Friday.
Several years ago when I was relatively new at Mandan UMC, I had an allergic reaction to some cheap clown make-up in the middle of the Good Friday service. Like troopers, the kids pitched in and we got through it. They learned that they possess inner strength they didn't know they had. I learned that the ER doctors really don't believe any story with the words "clown make-up" in it. I now take Benadryl before putting on the white.
Last week, I was discussing Holy Week with my Wonderful Wednesday after school children. One very insightful kids asked me why we call it Good Friday when it wasn't very good at all. In his opinion, it should be called Bad Friday. A very valid point! That Friday two thousand years had nothing good about it. Jesus spent the night in jail after a phony trial, he was beaten within an inch of his life and publically called a fraud. He was made to carry the device of his own execution through a crowded city and was crucified, mocked and died. Not a very good day at all. His mother watched her son put to death brutally. Only one of his disciples was present throughout the entire ordeal. All of the others had fled in fear of a similar fate. At the end of the day, they buried Him in a borrowed tomb. He was very much dead.
Easter would change the face of history forever. But no one present on that Friday could see past the events of that day to the miracle that would come on Sunday.
In the midst of Holy Week, we are steeped in the solemn liturgy and scripture of His last days. On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of the Son of Man who gave us hope for a better life. We have 20/20 hindsight into the events of Easter and beyond. And from what we can see, it was a very good Friday.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Child's View of Easter
One of the many blessings of my ministry at our church is working with the Wonderful Wednesday After School Crew. The children are kindergarten through fifth grade, so we have a wide range of ages and knowledge bases. Those of you who have children know better than I that the way children see the world and interpret events can be a bit different than they really are. For instance, the Lord's prayer is full of big words that children do not understand. Let's face it, some adults struggle with the concepts as well. I had heard a story of a child praying the Lord's Pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hello - what is your name?"
My e-mail inbox held this jewel several years ago. When asked to explain the significance of Easter, a child replied, "It's the day when Jesus came out of the tomb. If He sees His shadow, we have six more weeks of winter." Interesting thought!
A couple of years ago, I was playing a trivia game about Lent and Easter. I asked the question where was Jesus arrested on Maundy Thursday. I was looking for one or two answers; either the Garden of Gethsemane or the Mount of Olives. The answer I got was the Olive Garden. Puts a different twist of things, doesn't it? If you were going to eat your last meal on earth, the Olive Garden is an excellent choice.
Last Sunday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. This is one of my favorite Sundays. The elementary Sunday School children parade around the sanctuary waving their palm branches and singing their pure praises to God. I am imagine that God smiles as He watches this procession.
On Easter Sunday, these same children will be dressed in their Easter clothes and excited as they check out the Easter Bunny's gifts. The little girls will have Easter hats that will quickly be flung under the pew. The little boys may sport a bow tie and a vest. They will sing at the top of their lungs and wiggle to get a better view of the service. By the end of the morning of worship, breakfast, Sunday School, worship, they will grow tired and impatient to be out where they can run and be loud. As I watch this scene play out, I believe that they really understand it better than we do -- something special and exciting is happening and they want in on the action. Let us all proceed to Easter like children.
My e-mail inbox held this jewel several years ago. When asked to explain the significance of Easter, a child replied, "It's the day when Jesus came out of the tomb. If He sees His shadow, we have six more weeks of winter." Interesting thought!
A couple of years ago, I was playing a trivia game about Lent and Easter. I asked the question where was Jesus arrested on Maundy Thursday. I was looking for one or two answers; either the Garden of Gethsemane or the Mount of Olives. The answer I got was the Olive Garden. Puts a different twist of things, doesn't it? If you were going to eat your last meal on earth, the Olive Garden is an excellent choice.
Last Sunday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. This is one of my favorite Sundays. The elementary Sunday School children parade around the sanctuary waving their palm branches and singing their pure praises to God. I am imagine that God smiles as He watches this procession.
On Easter Sunday, these same children will be dressed in their Easter clothes and excited as they check out the Easter Bunny's gifts. The little girls will have Easter hats that will quickly be flung under the pew. The little boys may sport a bow tie and a vest. They will sing at the top of their lungs and wiggle to get a better view of the service. By the end of the morning of worship, breakfast, Sunday School, worship, they will grow tired and impatient to be out where they can run and be loud. As I watch this scene play out, I believe that they really understand it better than we do -- something special and exciting is happening and they want in on the action. Let us all proceed to Easter like children.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Holy Week Diet
In the movie "Bruce Almighty", a man named Bruce is given the job of being God. Big shoes to fill! He begins to be besieged by prayer requests that need to be answered. As he sees the overwhelming task of answering each prayer individually, he decides that he will answer every prayer "yes". This results in pandemonium as everyone who buys a ticket wins the lottery and chaos erupts. Bruce is walking by coworkers at a party and you hear one of the women say, "I lost 35 pounds on the Krispy Kreme diet!". Don't I wish!
As I journey through Holy Week, I think back to when I was a child living in the parsonage during Holy Week. Things were busy and there was an excitement in the air as we drew closer to Easter. The Easter Bunny would be making a visit to our house whilst we slept Holy Saturday. There were new Easter clothes to be worn to the Easter worship service. One year I got my ears pierced just before Easter and had a new pair of earrings to match my pretty dress. I think they were in the shape of strawberries.
This Holy Week finds me very blessed. Many people have stepped forward to help out with the wide variety of activities taking place to prepare us for Holy Week. Our church offers a Prayer Labyrinth and the set-up this year was a breeze with so many hands making light work. The Good Friday Passion Remembrance practice was somewhat chaotic, but that is to be expected. A tough rehearsal usually makes for a great performance. As one of my former youth group members quoted to me in an e-mail, "You always tell us that it's not about us, it's about God. Just breathe and remember that!" Such wise words from such a wise mentor.
During this week, lots of convenience foods have been stocked in my freezer -- frozen pizza, frozen entrees, frozen pasta, ice cream. I have already dyed my Easter eggs and enjoy them for breakfast. A dear friend blessed me with a loaf of her terrific banana bread. With all of these choices come the potential to "eat yourself stupid" as Bill Franke would say. However, I am often on the go and tend to grab whatever I can when I think of it.
I am always amazed that I usually drop a couple pounds or more during Holy Week. This is better than the South Beach Diet or Jenny Craig. It also cuts down on the amount of dishes I have to wash. The only thing in the sink are glasses. Double the blessings!
I know that a regular meal schedule with small snacks is the ideal if you speak to dieticians and doctors. That will return next week as my schedule switches back to pre-Lent.
Some denominations fast during Holy days. I envy those who can do this. I know that fasting is a discipline that helps you focus on things above, not worldly things. I have decided to have a positive attitude about my inability to fast for days at a time, so I now fast between meals and feel much better!
I hope your Holy Week is a blessing to you as we make our way closer to the cross and the empty tomb.
As I journey through Holy Week, I think back to when I was a child living in the parsonage during Holy Week. Things were busy and there was an excitement in the air as we drew closer to Easter. The Easter Bunny would be making a visit to our house whilst we slept Holy Saturday. There were new Easter clothes to be worn to the Easter worship service. One year I got my ears pierced just before Easter and had a new pair of earrings to match my pretty dress. I think they were in the shape of strawberries.
This Holy Week finds me very blessed. Many people have stepped forward to help out with the wide variety of activities taking place to prepare us for Holy Week. Our church offers a Prayer Labyrinth and the set-up this year was a breeze with so many hands making light work. The Good Friday Passion Remembrance practice was somewhat chaotic, but that is to be expected. A tough rehearsal usually makes for a great performance. As one of my former youth group members quoted to me in an e-mail, "You always tell us that it's not about us, it's about God. Just breathe and remember that!" Such wise words from such a wise mentor.
During this week, lots of convenience foods have been stocked in my freezer -- frozen pizza, frozen entrees, frozen pasta, ice cream. I have already dyed my Easter eggs and enjoy them for breakfast. A dear friend blessed me with a loaf of her terrific banana bread. With all of these choices come the potential to "eat yourself stupid" as Bill Franke would say. However, I am often on the go and tend to grab whatever I can when I think of it.
I am always amazed that I usually drop a couple pounds or more during Holy Week. This is better than the South Beach Diet or Jenny Craig. It also cuts down on the amount of dishes I have to wash. The only thing in the sink are glasses. Double the blessings!
I know that a regular meal schedule with small snacks is the ideal if you speak to dieticians and doctors. That will return next week as my schedule switches back to pre-Lent.
Some denominations fast during Holy days. I envy those who can do this. I know that fasting is a discipline that helps you focus on things above, not worldly things. I have decided to have a positive attitude about my inability to fast for days at a time, so I now fast between meals and feel much better!
I hope your Holy Week is a blessing to you as we make our way closer to the cross and the empty tomb.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Holy Week
In scripture, it speaks of a time when Jesus begins preparations for His final trip to the Holy City. "And Jesus turned His face toward Jerusalem." During Lent, we are encouraged to turn our face toward Jerusalem and prepare our hearts for Easter and the events leading up to this High Holy Day. For many, we have "given up" or "taken up" a discipline or favorite indulgence to remember Jesus' suffering. For some, this spring has been so long and hard that we have just given up!
Next week is Holy Week, a favorite time of the year for me. As a PK, Holy Week was always busy at our house. My father usually had at least 7 services during this week and Easter Sunday afternoon was spent dozing and then getting in some serious napping. Now that both of my parents serve two churches each, comas are the normal routine. However, some of the most meaningful and symbolic services are offered during Holy Week.
Tenabrae, the service of light and darkness, is observed on Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is an observance of the New Covenant that Jesus instituted with the sharing of the cup and the bread. We do this in remembrance of Him when we take communion.
Good Friday service is always a somber service. We are admonished to remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and the hopelessness that his mother and followers must have felt after they had watched him die and put him in a borrowed tomb.
Our Good Friday service is being celebrated by our Clown Team Ministry and many others within our church family. We remember the last week of Jesus' life from Palm Sunday to His Ascension. A loft goal in 45 minutes of music, but we manage to squeeze it all in. It takes hours of preparation, but the youth and adults involved look forward to the service. I enjoy all of the preparation and time with the clown team as we rehearse. I am portraying Jesus this year, which is a daunting task. Talk about miscasting. My unworthiness makes me a little timid as I approach Good Friday. During the crucifixion scene, I am lifted up from the ground on a wooden cross. This part is tough for me as I am tied to this cross to prevent being thrown into the congregation as the cross is being put into a standing position. However, my lifters are great and I have not yet suffered any injuries. That would be a mood killer!
We encourage our congregation to participate during the service by joining in the Palm Sunday scene, kneeling at the cross and basically doing whatever the Spirit moves them to do. They even get to yell "Crucify Him" during a point in the service. Some people wait all year to shout these words at me. Perhaps they enjoy it a little too much!
Whatever your plans are for Holy Week, I encourage you to take advantage of the worship opportunities you have to prepare your heart for Easter Sunday. Could a Risen Savior be quite as wonderful if you didn't first experience the sadness of a man crucified? Will you truly feel the joy of a promise kept if you don't understand the cost of that sacrifice?
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Next week is Holy Week, a favorite time of the year for me. As a PK, Holy Week was always busy at our house. My father usually had at least 7 services during this week and Easter Sunday afternoon was spent dozing and then getting in some serious napping. Now that both of my parents serve two churches each, comas are the normal routine. However, some of the most meaningful and symbolic services are offered during Holy Week.
Tenabrae, the service of light and darkness, is observed on Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is an observance of the New Covenant that Jesus instituted with the sharing of the cup and the bread. We do this in remembrance of Him when we take communion.
Good Friday service is always a somber service. We are admonished to remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and the hopelessness that his mother and followers must have felt after they had watched him die and put him in a borrowed tomb.
Our Good Friday service is being celebrated by our Clown Team Ministry and many others within our church family. We remember the last week of Jesus' life from Palm Sunday to His Ascension. A loft goal in 45 minutes of music, but we manage to squeeze it all in. It takes hours of preparation, but the youth and adults involved look forward to the service. I enjoy all of the preparation and time with the clown team as we rehearse. I am portraying Jesus this year, which is a daunting task. Talk about miscasting. My unworthiness makes me a little timid as I approach Good Friday. During the crucifixion scene, I am lifted up from the ground on a wooden cross. This part is tough for me as I am tied to this cross to prevent being thrown into the congregation as the cross is being put into a standing position. However, my lifters are great and I have not yet suffered any injuries. That would be a mood killer!
We encourage our congregation to participate during the service by joining in the Palm Sunday scene, kneeling at the cross and basically doing whatever the Spirit moves them to do. They even get to yell "Crucify Him" during a point in the service. Some people wait all year to shout these words at me. Perhaps they enjoy it a little too much!
Whatever your plans are for Holy Week, I encourage you to take advantage of the worship opportunities you have to prepare your heart for Easter Sunday. Could a Risen Savior be quite as wonderful if you didn't first experience the sadness of a man crucified? Will you truly feel the joy of a promise kept if you don't understand the cost of that sacrifice?
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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