The 12 Days of Christmas

Forty-Eight hours from now, most of us will have completed or be near the end of our typical Christmas Day traditions. Granted, they may be different this year, but I would wager a guess that they will still include early(ish) mornings, presents, and family. If you're like me, Christmas Day tends to end all too quickly and you're left wistfully staring at the last 6 days of the year, wishing you could go back to the 25th and all the joy (and presents) it brings.

What if I told you that the 25th was just the beginning of the party? 

This is no ruse! According to the liturgical church calendar, the 25th of December is the first of the 12 Days of the Christmas Season. Yes, just like the song (hopefully with less birds, though...). So, I want to help you lean into the lengthier (though still not long enough) Christmas season. Get your Christmas sweaters and wooly socks on, grab a warm Christmas beverage, and get ready to drag this party out. 

What follows is a list of Scripture passages to read and activities for you to try out in order to help you celebrate on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas (you can also follow us on instagram @newheightswhbc for daily reminders).

Day 1 | Friday, December 25

Read: Isaiah 11:1-9

Do: Open and enjoy any gifts you've been given!

Day 2 | Saturday, December 26

Read: Luke 1:26-38

Do: Watch a Christmas movie with family or friends

Day 3 | Sunday, December 27

Read: Matthew 1:18-25

Do: Worship with your church body or at home with your family.

Day 4 | Monday, December 28

Read: Luke 1:46-56

Do: Enjoy or play some Christmas music—maybe even go caroling!

Day 5 | Tuesday, December 29

Read: Luke 1:67-79

Do: Take a nap or sleep in; rest.

Day 6 | Wednesday, December 30

Read: Luke 2:1-7

Do: Read a book with a nice Christmas drink.

Day 7 | Thursday, December 31

Read: Luke 2:8-21

Do: Enjoy a meal with family or friends and celebrate New Year's Eve.

Day 8 | Friday, January 1

Read: Luke 2:22-38

Do: Go ice skating or sledding—maybe start a snowball fight!

Day 9 | Saturday, January 2

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Do: Bring order to some area in your home—clean your room, do the dishes, organize somethign, etc.

Day 10 | Sunday, January 3

Read: John 1:9-14

Do: Bake Christmas treats

Day 11 | Monday, January 4

Read: Colossians 1:9-20

Do: Write and send a Christmas card/letter

Day 12 | Tuesday, January 5

Read: II Corinthians 5:16-6:1

Do: Give one final Christmas gift to someone

More than just reading and doing these activities, though, I pray that the reason for the celebration of Christmas—the coming of our King, Jesus—would carry on in your heart, that you would learn to live your lives in the joyful celebration of God coming to earth, and that your days would be filled with love, joy, and peace. 

Merry Christmas!

Intro to COVIDisms

What a time to be alive. 

I mean, seriously, have you stopped for a moment to just consider the fact that you are living through a moment in history so significant that your grandchildren will have entire chapters in their history books dedicated to it? There will be entire books written about the COVID Crisis. Your children and theirs will ask you what it was like to live through this moment.

Now, grab a bag, breathe into it, don’t hyperventilate. That sense of smallness, of uncertainty, of a lack of control, is a sign that you are beginning to grasp the opportunity of the moment you are in. 

Perhaps, like me, you’ve had moments where you have been completely overwhelmed by the uncertainty, the foggier-than-normal future, the overwhelming amount of information that may or may not be true, the mass of opinions and everyone turning on each other over the way they express them. Perhaps (also, like me) you’ve had moments of complete numbness. Moments where the facts of this situation are just so big that you can’t let yourself think about them so you just robotically do whatever is in front of you to do—make dinner, change diapers, watch tv. Then there is everything in between: anger, sorrow, ironic laughter, exhaustion, fear, wanting to touch strangers for no reason at all, and much, much more. These are the perfectly normal side effects of living in such crazy times.

But what is next? What is at the end of this? Those ridiculously impossible questions are questions that we need to ask—but not just about the world economy, not just about our physical health, not just about how and whether we will gather together or if we’re allowed to hug our grandparents—but about ourselves and the way we live our own lives. 

It would be a great tragedy if after all of this we had learned nothing, if we came to the end when life goes back to whatever we mean by normal and we just blindly jumped back onto the train. 

This crisis has us asking a million questions that simply have no answers and neglecting to ask the basic questions regarding our own personal, spiritual human growth. If we believe that no moment in history is beyond our good Creator and Father, then that means this is not just a time to survive, but a time to thrive. A time to learn to walk better in the Way of Jesus, rather than just longing to get back to how you used to do it. 

Maybe not everything we used to do was the best way we could have lived. Maybe “normal” wasn’t the best normal. 

Or maybe it was! The point is, these are questions we need to be asking ourselves. As we chomp at the bit to get back into the world, back with each other (back to the barber!), I fear that we will dive headfirst back into the busy stream of the “American Way” and never pause to ask what we’ve learned in all this about the Jesus Way.

I am asking these questions with you. I am wrestling with my situation, my life, the way I love my community, the way I structure my time, the way I filter information (or deliberately choose to not listen to it). The way I Church. The way I live my life before God.

I will be asking these questions out loud—I hope you don’t mind. It will be like talking to myself, only I hope that you will eavesdrop and have the same conversation with yourself. My hope is to write a series of…things. They aren’t necessarily blogs and they aren’t necessarily articles or chapters of a book or tweets. They’re just thoughts.

I like giving weird names to things, so I have decided to call them COVIDisms. I don’t really know what that means, but it’s an undefined term that will define what we are doing together (does that make sense?). We will ask questions together, and in the end I pray that you will take the necessary time to reflect and answer those questions for yourself. Not by yourself, mind you! But in community and conversation with the Holy Spirit about how Jesus might live were He to fill your shoes.

Let’s thrive together. Let’s grow together. Let’s come out of this darkness renewed in the Light of Christ.

Join me.

Josh

Prepare the Way

When my daughter plays, she plays hard. And, being four, she tends to play with many different things for short periods of time. We try to have her put away the last thing she played with before moving on to the next, but sometimes (and especially when her cousins are over) it seems like by the end of the day every single thing in our house has been played with and is in the middle of the floor. 

Most nights we try to have her clean up her toys before bed, but if you’re a parent of a wee one, you know that oftentimes this involves you doing just as much clean up as they are. I don't know if it’s bad parenting to help her clean, but the options at either extreme are not great. Either I wait for her to do it all herself and hours later when none of us ever went to bed and the house is still not cleaned, we just decide it will be easier to move. Or, I do it all myself and neglect to teach her the responsibility of cleaning up what she played with.

Instead, for better or worse, we have decided that the best option is to partner with her, if you will, in the cleaning process (besides, let’s be honest, I was playing with those blocks, too).

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In Luke 3, we read about the man we call John the Baptist who represents a critical character in the Jesus story that we often don’t think much about. But John plays a huge, prophetic role in Jesus’ first coming and gives us a look at what we should be doing as we prepare for His next.

“The word of the Lord came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he went through the whole region around the Jordan River proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, fulfilling the words of Isaiah:

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the LORD,

    Make His paths straight.

Every valley shall be raised,

    And every mountain and hill shall be leveled out,

The crooked shall be made straight,

    And the bumpy ways will be made smooth,

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:2-6

If you were like me growing up, you might have thought John was a little pointless. Like, why does God need someone to prepare the way? He’s way better than us. Was He just throwing John a bone and trying to make him feel important?

What if instead, John’s action of “preparing the way for the Lord” not only revealed something deeply marvelous about God’s character, but also shows us how we ought to live as we anticipate Christ in this season of Advent (and our entire lives)?

You see, God doesn’t need anyone to prepare a way for Him, and yet, time and again, God waits for us to clear a path. The God of Creation, maker and sustainer of all life, Cosmic Lord of the universe, doesn’t need us to do anything, yet He asks us to because that’s how He likes it. The God who is wholly self-sufficient likes to rely on us little failures in order to set His will in motion.

He uses John to ready people’s hearts for the coming Messiah. He uses you and me to ready people’s hearts for His Spirit to move in. Since creation itself, God has shown a desire to work through us, not in spite of us. That can be tough to swallow because we’re fairly aware of how often we screw up, but God delights to use us to help Him do His work. It would be easier if God just cleaned up our mess for us, but instead, He comes along next to us in the midst of our mess and asks us to work with Him.

Even when it seems like I need God to prepare my way, God calls me—and all of us—to prepare His way. Prepare the way for His Spirit to move in hearts. Prepare the way for His justice to reach the oppressed. Prepare the way for His peace to reach the overwhelmed. Prepare the way for His love to reach the lonely.

So this Advent, don’t just sit around passively pointing out the things that are wrong that God still needs to fix. Step into the crooked ways and partner with God in making them straight. Anticipate God’s coming by preparing the world for it.

Advent

I forgot. Of course I forgot. I always forget! It's a little ridiculous really. 

I've learned by now, that if I don't write it down, I will forget it. No matter what it is. I mean, most people who take the time to look at my notes for something, either on the calendar or for a service or program, think I’m a bit insane. I have to write everything down, every detail, or I'll blow right past it in the moment. 

Now before I forget where I'm going with this, I'll tell you what I forgot. I forgot to light the candle. The Advent candle. I didn't write it down, so I forgot. This past Sunday morning as we were talking about starting the Advent season, I did all the explaining, scripture reading, and songs. And I forgot to light the candle.  

Really, it’s fitting that I would forget something when talking about Advent. It is in times of long waiting when it seems especially easy to forget things. When I have something important that isn’t coming up for a while, I have to make pretty extensive notes so that I can pick up on it when it comes. It’s easy to get sidetracked and forgetful when waiting. 

And waiting is what Advent is all about. 

This season of Advent, much like the Christmas Season, has been captured by our consumer mindset. If we have replaced tiny baby Jesus in the manger with Santa’s bag of toys, then it only makes sense that Advent is no longer longing for the baby, but embracing the goodies. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with the cutesy little Advent calendars that mark the days until Christmas (I’m super stoked for mine and Robert’s Advent Lego Harry Potter Calendar!), but it is a shame when we get so busy worried about all the hustle and bustle of Christmas that we forget to wait. 

In Advent, we observe Israel’s longing for a Savior, the Messiah. As we do so, we are meant to lean into our longing and waiting. Not that we are waiting for the Messiah—He already came—but we are waiting for His return. It is certainly ironic that a season that is meant to remind us that all is not yet well has been consumed by an incessant need to be merry and bright. The “Christmas" season which has replaced Advent has become all about being cozy and comfortable, when it should be doing the opposite—stirring in us a longing for more, reminding us that all is not yet well, driving us to our knees before the baby Jesus who is now the Cosmic King!

We need to observe this season because it’s so very easy to forget during times of waiting. And waiting is what this thing we call Christianity is really all about. We are waiting because our King who saved us is coming back to put everything to rights. 

So during this Advent season, don’t fall for the ploys. Don’t buy into the marketing strategy that says if you just get the right gifts, wear the right sweater, see the right people, and go to the right Christmas Eve service that all will be well. By all means, enjoy those things! Just not as an end in themselves.

Get into the habit of waiting, of longing. Because if we are not longing for Jesus’ return, then it’s quite possible that we don’t actually want what He is bringing.

Last Day

Rafting went well, all had fun, got on the river ( as they say) with 19 and got off the river with 19. Success!  We were able to experience God’s beauty and power as we traveled down the river.

See ya’ll saterday afternoon.

Go Trip Thursday

So post number two!  I’m now doubling the number of posts in my life time.  It has been a great 4 days!  Well for me four and half days, as the teens in my van where all pretty much normal volume on the way out here, maybe two 5 minute bursts of craziness. Tim Townsend ‘s van had maybe 10 minutes of non loud and craziness!

Your teens have done a great job!  Worked hard, spent time in relationship with people (people here like to talk and share), loved on kids, put on the VBS, and they have all been on time even with our 4 days of packed schedules.

At our debriefing tonight there was a lot of sharing. Today we did some physical labor in the morning, then went at a church for the the Shoes of Hope and lastly our final night of VBS at Kimper Baptist.  At shoes for hope there were all kinds of different responsibilities and the team jumped in and served with enthusiasm!  Make sure you ask about this if they don’t immediately share. 3 of our teens and one adult spent their time doing the “feet washing” and sharing the Gospel.

You don’t know the names of the people nor can you see their faces but please spend some time praying that the seeds planted and the lives touched will cause a growth towards God!

In grace,
Tim

Go Trip Tuesday

This old guy finally got all the tech issues taken care of and can post something.
Monday we learned about mountain time so some things where slower to get going on the work projects and VBS went well, tech glitches and all.  The teens (and adults) are a great group that serve well.  Today the work  projects went well, it was hot hot hot.  And some of the teens really nailed it, no literally nailed in siding and trim all day. We are headed to the second day of VBS and I’m looking forward to see how God continues to work though our teens.
Keep them in your prayers, I know you are.

Tim

Thoughts From a Snow Day

I won’t lie, I thought I had left snow days in the rearview mirror. They just seem like one of those things that die along with Summer Vacation. I mean, that’s why people become teachers, right? So they can still get snow days and have summer break? Yet, here we find ourselves on this 20th day of 2019, with our second consecutive cancelled Sunday morning Church service. I’m sure there are as many different reactions to this as there are people aware that it is happening, and everything from “toughen up” to “thank goodness.”

As I was going about my morning routine, making coffee, getting breakfast ready for the family, and all in the unexpected leisure of a free morning, I was struck by a reminder from the Lord. I looked out the kitchen window to see the surprisingly blue skies, streaked with pinks and oranges from the winter sunrise. The snow sparkling as the fresh morning sun hit the ice that lies both above and below it. The snow lying in drifts as evidence that the wind obviously had its way last night. And in the midst of all of this beautiful evidence of a creative God, I couldn’t help but remember that today is still the Lord’s day, whether we get together or not.

Don’t get me wrong, we MUST meet together as the church! Those who work to find reasons not to meet together often reveal more about their embittered hearts than they do about God’s truth.The author of Hebrews writes that we should not give up meeting together, even as those around us do. And the reason we meet? To encourage each other as we press on towards our end goal! So let us by no means make this a habit. Let us use this slight break as a chance to build up anticipation for our coming back together to build one another up in love and encouraging each other in the good Life that God has made us to live.

But let’s also not waste this Lord’s day. God is still the King, even while we stay in bed a little later. 

The love that we are to share with each other, the love that Christ said should define His people, can still be shared on this beautiful day. Take care of your families, keep each other warm, but also think about your neighbors. Think about those around you who can’t get out and fight these elements. What can you do to be God’s love and presence in their life on this day? 

Today isn’t scrapped because we aren’t singing worship songs together. Today is the day we take our practice to the court. We lift one another up in love and teach about love, let us live it out as well. There is a world out there that needs you because it needs God. Be His presence in their lives, warm their hearts because of the way that God warmed yours when He tracked you down and drew you into Him.

Be safe, and be God's Love in the lives of the world around you.

Josh

There and Back Again

As I sit down to think back on our time in Canada, there are almost too many options for what to write about. There was the breathtaking beauty of the mountains, the humility of seeing a trip come together in a month, and even the fun of showering in the public leisure center. There was the joy of partnering and participating in the Church service on Sunday, and even the warnings of seeing a culture that is a few years further down the road towards secularism.

But when I think about my biggest takeaway, what comes to mind is the unflattering reality of a trip like this. To say it briefly and bluntly: We are not the saviors of the world. Let me explain. Certainly, we are here to participate in the movement of God on earth, we are here to have an impact on the darkness around us, but we are not the saviors of the world, we just know Him. We have a vocational responsibility as God’s people to be His ambassadors (Paul’s words, not mine. See 2 Corinthians 5), which means we are reclaiming our understanding of being made in His image and reflecting His glory to the world. We are not here to fix everything, but (to quote Gandalf), “To decide what to do with the time that is given us”, and to “Use such strength and heart and wits as you have.”

This trip was unlike any I have experienced. Oh yes, there was grueling work that threatened to get the best of us, there were relationships built with the locals (we almost brought one back), there was even the serving of the least of these, but none of these elements defined this trip. If I had to pull my thoughts out of the air about what I perceived to be the defining aspect of this trip it would simply be the team acting as the people of God. In our American mindset, we want to come back from a trip like this feeling like we accomplished something huge that we can hang our names on or to have pictures with hungry street kids that are just thankful for a smile. Well, we don't have those. What we have is more realistic and harder to define. 

We went. We came back. 

We were on mission. We are still on mission. 

God was there. God is here. 

Life goes on as ever it has, and if something is changed, it might be us. If anything made our 10 days in Calgary, Alberta, Canada exceptional, it was simply the fact that 32 people lived together as the people of God. And the lingering thought that nagged my mind as I sat on the plane home and as I sit here at my desk is this: What would happen if we lived like this all the time?

I don’t mean anything extreme like let’s live at a camp and do service projects all the time or travel around like vagabonds living in churches and showering at public pools (although, it was quite an experience). Rather, what if we were always the honest and vulnerable community of people who are being changed by God, rather than pretending to be better off than we are and acting as if God should be lucky to have us?

Before the trip I read an article written by Henri Nouwen called From Solitude to Community to Ministry (find it here), and the basic premise was that before we can do ministry we must be in community with God’s people, and before we can be in community with God’s people we must learn to be in solitude in the presence of our Father. Unfortunately, we tend to constantly get this out of order. One of the most remarkable things about this trip was seeing the immediate benefits of a team that lived in intentional God-community. We began each day individually in the Word followed by communal discussion of what God had taught us. We ended each day with a debrief, communicating the things God showed us throughout our time together serving Him. In the middle was bickering, laughter, tears, frustration, joy, sweat, and accomplishment. But as we rounded off each day, we knew our last task was to put aside any ill-will and come back together as a team to forgive each other and celebrate what God had done in us and through us. 

Was it easy? Absolutely not. That’s why I’ve napped so much since I got home. But it was so incredibly worth it. There are few things more satisfying than seeing a group of high school girls taking another aside and challenging her to open up and be vulnerable for the first time in her life (without any adult telling them to do so). Or seeing a young man take a lonely Calgarian under his wing and make him feel so comfortable in a group of American strangers that we literally could not get rid of him (in the best kind of way). Or seeing someone having the courage to lead his team in musical worship by strumming at a guitar for the first time in front of people and, instead of being mocked, seeing his peers sing all the louder to cover any blunders that may have occurred.

The community of Christ is not a constant high of emotions. In fact, it’s tough and frustrating and way too honest. But it’s real. The reality of human frailty will not find strength in a good production or programmatic success, but in honest vulnerability and love. In a way that only makes sense in Christ, the weaker we are, the stronger we are. 

If I have learned anything from my time with this wonderful team in this beautiful setting, it’s that there is freedom in being uncomfortably close to a group of people. That the church was made to forgive and celebrate, but we cannot do that if we are hiding from each other (and God). That I am as God has made me, and pretending to have it all together helps no one. That living the Life He made me to live is of more value than being successful or influential.

I pray you are able to hear our stories and share our joy. If I can end with a metaphor it would be this: The Christian Life does not happen in the mountains, but in the farm lands. We loved our time in the mountains, but we did not stay there. We live in the flatlands, the farmlands, the unnoticed, unremarkable, subtly beautiful plains that make the mountains so beautiful. 

Sunday Funday

It is a beautiful Sunday evening here in south Calgary! Today provided an amazing opportunity for us to minister alongside Oak Park Church. I cannot express enough how immensely proud I am of this group. I am not a cryer, but there was an honest moment in which I shed a tear of pride and joy for this group today. They have such an unbelievably joyful attitude and a hearty willingness to serve in any way possible. I need to start telling groups to have more work projects than they think feasible for us to do, because we will always get them done. Be proud of your students and this team.

This morning we served in many ways during the church service. We had people playing in the band, setting up the block party, leading children's music and craft and lesson, and several of us even had the opportunity to simply sit in the chairs and worship alongside the people. After the service we helped run the block party so the people and staff of Oak Park could engage each other and the community freely. They say church attendance in the summer in Canada drops to about 20%, but because of our block party they had an amazing turn out and opportunity to reach into specific individual lives. There are several cool stories about individuals who engaged with the church for the first time, and I am excited for the ways God used our time here this week to weave them into His story.

Tomorrow we head downtown to serve lunches to some homeless folks, Tuesday is mountains, and  Wednesday we're home! It's all happening way too fast and we are doing our best to soak up every minute we can.

Thanks for prayers!

Josh

From Calgary

Hello from the city of Calgary! We have arrived at Oak Park Church of Christ, where we will spend the remainder of our trip.

The time at the camp was great, but tiring. We have been working nonstop to help them get ready for their ministry to kids this summer. Our trip now transitions from work projects at the camp to helping the church minister to their community. Today has been a nice opportunity to rest, and we're looking forward to all that is in store for us this weekend. Tonight we will be hanging out with a couple local youth groups.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Josh

PS: Jake says, "Hey".

Travel and Day 1

We're here!

To be more specific, we are at Pine Lake Christian Camp in Alberta, Canada. Yesterday was a lot of travel and we didn't get to the camp until 12:30am (which was 2:30 back home!). But we arrived safe and sound.

We awoke (earlier than we thought due to the time change) to a beautiful sight as the sun rose over the lake, and it was definitely what you might call chilly. But as the sun rose above the clouds and we began to work, it thankfully warmed up. Today was a full day of doing work here for the camp that would otherwise just be a dream. I am thankful for this group and for their willingness to always work hard. They never want to quit a job until it is finished. Some of us ended the day covered in lake algae, some in mud, and all in sweat, but as we approach the evening and dinner looms (which smells delicious, why am I writing this next to the kitchen?) we look forward to rest this evening. After a long day of travel and not as much sleep as we would have liked, it will be good to relax as a group tonight.

I ask that you continue to pray for the relationships and bonding of the group. We are reading through Philippians in our morning devotional time, and I was struck by the way Paul's exhortation seemed so appropriate for us: "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel". That is certainly my prayer for this group, that we would be of one mind, united by God's one Spirit.

I appreciate your prayers and support. Lynette is working to set something up on facebook to update you with photos. I'll let you know when that is up.

Josh

Nicaragua '18

It’s that time of year! Time to double the amount of clothes you wear with coats and hats and gloves and scarves. It’s cold out there. And even though we’re only outside for the minute it might take for us to walk to our car, we don’t want to feel that cold.

That’s why, if you’re like me, you can battle the cold by thinking about the warmth of Spring. And you know what’s even warmer than an Ohio Spring? Nicaragua.

Did you like that segue? 

I know our minds are on gifts and family and not eating too many sweets (but certainly some), but if you find yourself with a free moment, consider and pray about joining us in Nicaragua next summer.

Our students will once again be heading down to Managua, Nicaragua to minister with our dear friends, the Holsingers. I know summer feels like a lifetime away, and it sort of is, but we are in the process now of putting our team together and preparing ourselves mentally, physically, and most importantly, spiritually for the adventure we will be taking with God.

I encourage you now, take this time of brief respite from school and work to commune with God. Talk to him about Nicaragua and see if he is perhaps leading you there to do his work with us. Whether you are a parent or student, you are welcome!

If you want to be a part of that team, please contact me. If you have questions and concerns, please contact me. If you aren’t sure or have any doubts, pray. Then please, contact me!

Our trip will be June 11-20, and the cost will be $1500. If seeing that price tag makes you black out for a second, see the previous paragraph. Okay, now let’s talk. I have seen from previous trips and my own experience with support raising for my entire salary that money is nothing for God. If anything, it is a chance for him to show off and bless and surprise you. We have methods of support raising, and we as a team will discuss those, but more than anything, if God is calling you to join us, he will get you there. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it does mean that he will show you his sovereignty. And that’s even before we even step foot on a plane!

If you are interested, we have applications available. Contact me and we’ll get you started. Applications, along with a $150 deposit will be due Sunday, January 7. That day will also be our first team meeting. We will meet in the youth room after church from about 12-1:30pm (Bring $3 dollars for lunch). In this meeting we will talk through preliminary information, medical forms, fundraising, and all other questions you are asking yourself as you read this.

I want to conclude with this: God is moving. The Good News of his Kingdom is spreading and bearing fruit throughout the whole world (Colossians 1). With or without us, God is redeeming and restoring his creation, because that is what he does. We have an opportunity to join him in this work with our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua. I encourage you to go to him and consider whether he is asking you to join him and us.

Suburban Farmers

The last activity from our Dayton Trip that I want to write about is our time at Mission of Mary Farms. 

The mission has a special place in my heart because from the first time I came to the farm and met Stephen, the garden manager, several things that God had been teaching me started to collide and morph together to form how I feel God is calling His people to live, and, maybe more significantly, how we’ve been missing it. 

We live in a culture today in which place is unsettled and time isn’t fast enough. We were made for community; we settle for Facebook friends. We exist to reflect the image of God to creation; but the only image we care about is our own.

What if we were created to live in the world more intentionally than that?

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Many of Jesus’s parables have to do with farming. We tend to look at this and suggest it had to do with 1st century Palestine being a largely agricultural community; so we take our moral lessons and leave. What we miss, however, is that maybe Jesus was intentionally using farming metaphors, and that perhaps through this purposeful use of metaphor He was subtly preparing us for the way of the Kingdom, and not just the doing.

Let me explain it this way: Farming is a slow process. Slow, but not lazy or inactive. In fact, farming is a much more “active” type of lifestyle than most of us are even aware of. Yes, the farmer is busy and works long, hard hours, but it’s not just about the farmer’s schedule. The ground itself, the land, is busily moving below the surface. In fact, one might say that in comparison to the work of the land, the farmer does relatively little. It is not the farmer’s role to work himself into a frenzy, it is his to wait and prepare. A good farmer knows that there is little he can do to make the ground work faster, and anything he might try could actually impede the process of growth. Whether planting or harvesting, the farmer is simply stepping into the work that the land is already doing.

But this means that the farmer must know the land; he must trust that it is operating the way it is meant to. The farmer also must understand that his primary role is to operate in support of the land, and that he is largely replaceable. The soil is not.

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There is much and more that could and probably should be said about how this work of the land correlates with the work of the Kingdom. If you are interested, pick up the works of Wendell Berry. I also realize that it is ludicrous to attempt to sum up the vast number of Jesus’s parables into one simple concept. There is so much untapped depth to the teachings of Christ.

The point is this: we must take a hard look at how we live our lives for the Kingdom. Are we deeply invested in the community around us, like a farmer to the soil? Are we trusting God to be working under the surface even when we don’t see it? Are we more invested in what God is up to, or what we think needs to happen? Do we live as if people are being written into our story, or are we looking for how we can step into and be used to change theirs?

In our week at Mission of Mary we were blessed to spend time with people who understand these concepts for both farming and the Kingdom. The week afforded us the opportunity to slow down our busy lives and look around us what God is doing. We got to know our city, and we got to know each other. This is largely impossible at the pace at which we typically run our lives. Learn from us as we learn from others: slow down, know the ground, and step into the work that God is already doing around you.

Target Dayton

One of the last minute, surprise, God-planned things we got to do on our Dayton Adventure was to serve with Target Dayton. Target Dayton is a church located on the corner of Keowee and Xenia whose congregation is made up mainly of homeless individuals. They hold services 6 days a week, which are either followed or begun with a meal. These meals are typically served by volunteers.

I was humbled by the impact of this church, and mostly by the things they are successful at, which would seem to be the things that matter in God’s Kingdom. I was humbled into considering the things I think make us successful as a church of God and whether those things are evidenced by our (my) actions? Or do I say one thing and show with my actions very different priorities?

Am I attempting to reach the lost and serve the least of these, or am I focusing on comfort and reaching the nominal? Am I directing the gospel towards all who need to hear it, or just those that make it convenient for me?

I don’t like wrestling with those questions anymore than you do, and yet, I feel that we must.

I was so proud of our team and how they allowed themselves to be put in uncomfortable situations. They didn’t just put up with being uncomfortable, they thrived and loved those they encountered. This “service opportunity” that I didn’t plan (and was actually leaning towards not doing) turned out to be one of the most impactful and enlightening parts of our trip.

I’m also proud to say we’re going back. I fear there would be mutiny from our team if we did not. But it’s not just us who are going back, we want you to join us.

On Saturday, August 26, we will be meeting at the church at 3:15 to go downtown and worship with our less materially wealthy brothers and sisters and we will then be serving them a much-needed meal. Please join us. See for yourself the need around us that God has put us on this earth to address. Join our amazing, God-fearing, least-of-these-loving students who were willing to say ‘yes’ when asked. The question is now posed to you. Will you be uncomfortable with us?

Dayton VBS

One of our two main activities on the Dayton Trip was to do a VBS for kids of East Dayton hosted by Emmanuel Baptist Church. There were so many good lessons and takeaways that came out of this opportunity, but I prefer stories to telling lessons, so allow me to tell you another good one.

One of the little girls we got to hang out with at VBS was named Pandora. She was a cute, little redhead who loved to sit on our girls’ laps and both show and receive affection. But what started as a cute kid to whom our girls got a chance to show the love of Jesus, quickly became a humbling lesson.

One day our girls were talking with the kids and Marie asked Pandora if she liked bagels. Pandora said they were too big for her mouth, so Marie logically replied that you can cut them with a knife. It was then that Pandora told her that they didn’t have a knife at home because her mom couldn’t afford one.

Later in the week she asked to take her shoes off in gym because she had a blister because her shoes were too small and she couldn’t afford new ones.

Pandora lives right off Wayne Ave. We passed her house all week. I pass her house frequently. And yet her life is vastly different from mine.

We were able to buy her shoes and it felt great to do that for her, but it doesn’t change the fact that her life is drastically different than ours. And yet God is still pursuing her.

Pandora’s story reminds us of the very real reality of poverty all around us, but along with that we are reminded that God is pursuing every single person, whether they share our level of material resources or not. I pray that we can be his agents in the lives of all those around us.

Weekend Update

This post is slightly delayed, but consider this your update from our weekend here in Dayton.

I could tell you a lot about this weekend. 

I could tell you about our time at the Miami Valley Women’s Center Saturday morning and how we powered out more projects in one day than I’ve seen us do in several months combined.

I could tell you about our Friday night hang out at the site of the first NFL game (Go Triangles!).

I could tell you of our adventures on the RTA Saturday afternoon as we explored our city.

I could tell you of our Sabbath rest on Sunday spent at John Bryan, and how many of us experienced very real healing. I could even tell you of our Sabbath play at Young’s Dairy and how I was better at the driving range than all the students. Okay, I guess I probably shouldn’t brag about that.

I could even tell you of our worship and service at Target Dayton Ministries Sunday night and how for many of our kids it was their first real interaction with the homeless population here in Dayton (roughly 1000 people on any given night).

I could tell you about all of that and more, and I hope to, and I hope our kids do, and I hope you ask.

But I want to tell you about Ron.

Ron lives in Dayton. Ron’s mother passed away a couple years ago. Because of the grief of the loss of his mother Ron began drinking more. And that drinking led to a DUI. And that DUI is the reason Ron found himself on the RTA with us Saturday afternoon. Obviously confused as to why 30 obviously suburban kids piled onto his bus, Ron began a conversation with one of our adults and told us his story as we told him ours. 

You see, Ron knows he shouldn’t be drinking. He knows he should be reading his Bible and trying to live how God wants him to live, but it’s hard.

And that’s why Ron was stunned when he was told that there were 30 high school students from his city that cared enough about the broken and hurting and loved God so much that they would give up a week of their summer to help others. Perhaps stunned isn’t the appropriate word. Ron was moved.

His exact words were, “It was no accident that you were on my bus today”.

We probably won’t see Ron again (although we could, we do after all share a city with him). But Ron’s story is just one small example of how God can and will and has used our students, your students, to do the subtle, quiet, incognito, subversive, powerful, unstoppable work of His Kingdom.

If there is a theme to our trip it is redemption because we worship a God who is in the business of redemption. God is in the work of healing his creation and calling it all back to Him. We are honored to be part of that work. We look forward to telling you about it. We pray for the continued redemption of our City, and for the life of our new friend, Ron.

Technical Difficulties

We all love technology, right? Gets us where we need to go, teaches us what we want to know, never works when you want it to. Perfect! I promise I wasn't being lazy when I didn't post on the blog, the internet was just having a joke at my expense.

Well, I obviously got it figured out! I still want to share with you the blog posts I put together to update from the trip. It may not be timely or useful, but allow me to share our thoughts from the trip in the following posts over the next several days!

Thanks for being patient and forgiving and thanks for allowing me to spend time with your amazing kids. They humble me.

Josh

Dayton Trip Price Reduction

It's still not too late to join us for Dayton 2017.

This blog is to let you know that it is still not too late for you or your students to join us for our trip to Dayton this summer. We have pushed the application and deposit deadline back to next Wednesday, March 1st. If your student is interested in being part of the team, but has not managed to turn in their application, make sure they find the gumption to get it in. If you would like to join us on the trip as an adult leader we would absolutely love to have you be part of the team as well! Please contact me if you are interested.

One other piece of information I'd like to share with you is that we are dropping the price of the trip from $500 to $250. 

The reason for this change is that we want the trip to be affordable for all our students. We know that your families have many costs in the summer, and we don't want the price to be a reason for you or your student not to be part of the team. The initial $500 was in interest of raising funds with which to support our partnering local organizations during the week, but our planning team decided this should be an additional and supplementary goal.

Thank you for your support of our ministry and for sharing your students with us. I look forward to being able to share more details about the trip with you as we continue to solidify our plans.

Josh

Here I Am

The phrase “Here I am” appears 24 times throughout scripture. All but one occurrence takes place in the Old Testament. Eight times it appears in Genesis in the story of the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Five of its appearances are found in the story of Samuel’s calling in the temple in I Samuel 3. 

This statement, by nature, is a response. 

But it is also, by nature, an unnecessary statement. 

Let me explain.

When someone asks you where you are or says something to you and your response is, “Here I am”, you are not telling anyone anything they couldn’t have said themselves. To say, “Here I am”, is to say, “I am here”, but of course you cannot be anywhere other than where you are. So you see, the answer itself is not useful in giving your location. Furthermore, in most of these stories the speaker was responding to God. God did not need help finding them. So why is this response significant?

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We live in a culture that does everything it can to change the statement from “Here I am” to “There I am”. Whether it is our compulsive need to live inside the world wide web or simply our desire to know what is next and be there, we struggle to be present.

I see this in almost every conversation I have with students. We have created a culture that forces our students to constantly focus on what is next. Where are you going to college? Where are you going to work? Who are you going to marry? Are you going to live here or there? High School has essentially become a launching pad to the future, focused solely on getting students to the next stage.

Please don’t hear what I’m not saying. It is obvious that High School should prepare us for the rest of our lives, but what I want to suggest is that we have created a system that is willing to sacrifice experiences now for what you will be doing then.

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One of the more difficult stories involving “Here I Am” takes place in Genesis 22. The story starts with God calling to Abraham, and Abraham responds by saying, “Here I am”. God was not asking where Abraham was, he simply called his name. Yet Abraham felt it necessary to respond by stating his location.

Here is the significance of Abraham’s response. Abraham was present. Abraham was “here”. 

He was not throwing on his coat, preparing for God to send him somewhere else. 

He wasn’t getting his passport so he could go to another country. 

He wasn’t waiting until he received his education or “grew up” a little more.

Abraham was present, ready for the task God had for him in that very really moment and in that very real location. 

What if we responded to God right now? What if we served God right here? What does it look like for God to use me as I am and where I am, instead of assuming he needs to fix me and my circumstances before He could find a use for me.

Forgive me if this has gotten long, but this is the fuel behind our “trip” this summer.

At the end of our trip to Nicaragua we as a team shared the same thought: “This is great and we love being here, but how can we do this at home?” I fully believe that God is stirring the hearts of our ministry to love and heal the city we call home. We are creating partnerships with people who are way ahead of us in this work. We are building relationships that we hope will last beyond a single week of ministry work. We hope these relationships can allow us to continue to spread the Kingdom of God here in Dayton.

So this year’s experience is not so much about “there”, although “there” is good too. But this year we want to focus on “here”, because “here” is, after all, where we are.

I truly feel the Spirit of God calling our ministry and our church, let our response be “Here I am”.

2017 New Heights Go Trip Details:

Location: Dayton

Dates: July 14-22

Price: $500

Applications are available at Washington Heights and are due February 1 with a $50 deposit. 

Please feel free to contact Josh Tuttle with questions.