Until We Meet Again

I do not know really where to start. I sit staring at this blank document wondering just how I can fully express how I feel as I prepare to embark on the next adventure in my life. As I think about it, I get sad knowing we will not be able to journey together. I realize too we are only a couple hours away and a phone call or text message away, but those first few empty Sunday nights and weekends will be, well, strange. This is going to be a difficult reality to come to terms with as I say goodbye to you.

For three years together we have shared stories and our lives together. We’ve talked about many things, we’ve traveled many places together, making memories and sharing stories all along the way, and it just seemed like yesterday we arrived in Owensboro. Our time together has gone by fast as I sit back and reflect on where we have been. Sunday nights in my life won’t quite be the same as I will no longer head to church at the four o’clock hour, stopping by Starbucks to grab the energy I’ll need for that night, and then prepping and praying in my study as we prepare for a night together.

As difficult as this is going to be for me, I know deep down inside that it will be alright. I know, although my time on Sundays may be spent reading, writing papers, and attending study groups, I know you all will be here, praying, laughing, listening, sharing, and being together. It is hard to imagine a Sunday night without you in it but again, after all that we have been through and all that we have learned, I know you all won’t miss a beat.

I guess then, friends, this is it. This is the tough part, where I say goodbye to you. Where I fight back the tears, look to you with a joyful and hopeful heart, and tell you that I love you, will miss you and will think of you often. When I go, remember those things which you have done together and what your group is all about. Remember that above all it is important to the community that you are there. Remember that the community is not complete without you. Remember that everyone, at one time or another, needs someone to help them along this journey we call life. Remember that at the center needs to be love.

Thus, love one another, welcoming all who walk through those doors who longed to be touched by the living Christ. Welcome them and each other always with open arms and loving spirits. Then when you gather together, break bread and tend to your souls, be still, as often as you can, and be reminded that God is with you. God is always with you.

I hope you have seen Christ alive in our lives and active in our friendships. I have. And, I hope that you will remember to take seriously those times when you have felt God’s presence in your life and continue to fully commit yourself to being a disciple of Christ. Continue, good friends, to do the hard work of the soul as you discover yourself. My hope for you as a community is that you all will find your unique path; the one God has for you. And in the process, you become fully yourself, after all this is salvation. May you always, friends of First Presbyterian Church, be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.

As a faithful, committed community, never forget that your call is to love the Lord with all your heart, your mind, your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. As it is written in the book of Joshua, “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Trust always in God and rely on your brothers and sisters. Lean on each other the way you have done for three years and to those adults who will be there for you. Be Christ to one another.

Good friends, may you continue to let God work in you and through you. If you remain open and willing, God will show you the way, and God will see to it you receive life. What is soon to happen is a good thing. You my friends, will be taken care of well, with little to worry about. As I go, a new youth director will come in, with beautiful gifts and ideas which will take this group to places we’d never thought was possible. Welcome them and show them what an inclusive and loving community looks like.

So remember where we have been together and laugh. Think back to the dance parties on the bus, trips to Loucon and Kum Ba Yah, the many lock-ins, Cracker Barrel Birthday parties, the LOVE discussions, the mission trips, Thursday night Sanctus/bible studies, your friends in the Western Kentucky Presbytery, and smile. Hold on to these and accept it, the past that is, for what it was. Celebrate it and breathe it in. Then grieve it, let it out, recognize the sadness within.

But then friends, let it go. Let go so that you may embrace this new adventure.

Youth of First Presbyterian Church, may you receive from God, as you let go of one legacy and embark on a new one, a new spirit, one for here, now, today.

We will miss you dearly and know always, we love you, but we trust God has greater things ahead for the both of us. Take good care, Youth of First Presbyterian Church. Teresa and I will miss you.

Shalom my friends, shalom.

Adam & Teresa Quine

July 2010 Youth PresbyNotes

The Messiah is With You
There is a story out there about a monastery that had fallen upon hard times and was soon to close its doors. Once a great order, as a result of waves of antimonastic persecution in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the rise of secularism n the nineteenth, all its branch houses were lost and it had become decimated to the extend that there were only five monks left in the decaying mother house: the abbot and four others, all over seventy in age. Clearly, it was a dying order.

On the grounds of the monastery stood an old hermitage where a rabbi would come rest, write, and pray. He visited frequent and upon his last visit the abbot, having been agonizing over the sadness of the monastery closing, he went and sought advice from the rabbi. He asked the rabbi if there was any advice he could share to help save the monastery. The rabbi explained how he too has noticed how the spirit seems to be gone in his synagogues too and the two of them wept together.

After many minutes of embracing one another and crying, the abbot finally said, “It is good for us to have been together but I did not accomplish what I cam here for. Is there any advice for you to give us in an attempt to save the monastery?”

The Rabbi said, “No, I’m sorry. I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you.”

The next few weeks for our youth group is going to be exciting, with a lot of unknowns. Such as….

What will happen when what was once familiar no longer feel this way? What will happen when the ones we love, will be gone? Not gone but not here with us. What will happen when our normal routines, our normal time together doesn’t look, or even feel, like it used to?

What are we to do?

Perhaps we can find truth and comfort in these words,
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another…Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me [Jesus]…I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you…Those who love me, will keep my word, and God will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them…Do not let your hearts be afraid. Do not be troubled…”

As our time draws nearer to an end, as we become aware of the realities of our Seniors Katie and Jill leaving us, we may indeed become frightened, nervous about what will happen next. Yet, what will happen next is unforeseeable, but there are things we know will happen.

We know that we will still have the opportunities to gather together. We will still have the opportunities to break bread together over shared meals on Sundays and we will have the same friends who will be there when we go. Our calendars will still be made, Sunday school will still happen, and you can guarantee Loucon and other events will happen too.

There isn’t that much that won’t happen. Some of us may not be there, but you all will be and this is important. Remember when Jesus had ascended into heaven and the disciples were left alone? Do you remember what they did? They didn’t go to more athletic events, they didn’t go to other places, and they didn’t leave their friends. No they continued what they had done for 3 years. They made sure everyone was accounted for, checking in regularly with each other, and gathering together.

Even when times became extremely unsafe for the disciples, they continued to meet together, celebrating the joys of life, praying through the pains, rejoicing and loving with one another. Even amidst the chaos, they found comfort in each other, their fellow travelers. As they met together, they did those disciplines and practices Jesus gave them: devoting themselves to prayer, to the teachings of the apostles, to the fellowship of one another, and the breaking of bread. They celebrated the Lord’s Supper with each other. They kept meeting, committing themselves to the promises they made to each other.

In so doing, all that was scary, unsure, annoying, hurtful, and even amidst the disorganization, they discovered the face and love of Christ in one another.

“Peace, my own peace I give to you,” Jesus tells the disciples, reminding them that although he is gone, Jesus remains with them. Jesus makes a promise to send his comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will guide them and go along with them wherever they find themselves. Even when Jesus was gone, the disciples continued to learn, continued to rejoice, and continue to discover what it meant to love.

Youth of First Presbyterian Church, what is to come, we are unsure of but find comfort in knowing you have traveled quite a ways with one another. Find hope in the fact that you all are friends, you’ve gone on mission trips, you’ve gone to youth council’s, you’ve gone to Sunday school together, celebrated birthdays at Cracker Barrel, swam at pools, sung songs, and shared life as a community together. You know each other and God, God knows you and loves you.

Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” It was at a party on the beach when the disciples saw the risen Christ. Jesus invited his disciples to come, eat breakfast with him, and he asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you!”

Jesus stands, in this time of uncertainty, asking you…

“Do you love me? If you do, know I am here with you, always. Take comfort in each other and know that when two or three of you gather together in my name, I am there with you.”

As for the story at the beginning of the article…
When the abbot returned to the monastery his fellow monks gathered around him to ask, “Well, what did the rabbi say?”
The abbot replied how he couldn’t help and explained how they read the Torah together, wept and that the only thing he said was, “The Messiah is one of us.”

In the days and weeks and months that followed, the old monk pondered this and wondered whether there was any possible significance to the rabbi’s words. The Messiah is one of us? Could he possibly have meant one of us monks here at the monastery? As the monks further pondered the rabbi’s cryptic message, they went through each monk there as to why each one could be the Messiah.

As they contemplated in this manner, the old monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each monk himself might be the Messiah, they began to treat themselves with extraordinary respect. As people began to visit the monastery and its beautiful campus, people began to notice the extraordinary respect that now began to surround the five monks. What was once a dilapidated monastery became alive with people visiting more and using its facilities to pray, meditate, and gather.

Then it happened that some of the younger men who came to visit the monastery started to talk more and more with the old monks. After a while one asked if he could join them.

Then another.
And another.
And another….

May we, in these coming months, come to better understand the love and peace of Christ, so that in doing, our understanding of how important our community is will be revealed with tenderness and mercy. Then in all of our doings, now and always, may we come to see the face of Christ, the Messiah, in everyone we meet.

After all, the Messiah is with us.

Peace of Christ to you friends.

July 2010 Events and Dates
July 1st—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 4th—(Adam will be out of town) No Youth Group 4th of July
July 6th, 7th & 8th—City Sights/City Lights in Murray, KY
July 8th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 11th—Youth Group 5-8pm
July 15th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 18th—Youth Group 5-8pm
July 22nd—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 25th—Youth Group (Maybe trip somewhere overnight?!?!)
July 29th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm

Happy Birthday To…
Will Shelton on the 7th
Kate Bowley on the 13th
William Free on the 13th
Delaney Hayden on the 14
Happy birthday to all of you!!!

Don't forget this week, July 6th-8th, is City Sights/City Lights in Murray, Kentucky. Make sure you are signed up and registered. It'll be a good time had by all.

Misc. Notes
Attention all junior and senior high students and parents!
Be on the look out for additional information about a Six Flags St. Louis trip, along with another day trip. Also, there will be a meeting held with Jonathan and Leslie and myself to discuss future activities for the youth group.

July 18th—Swim Party and John and Marna Loucks’ home for all students. Her is what the schedule will look like:
• 2-4pm—Kids for Christ-bring snacks to share
• 4-6:30pm—Junior high-bring food to share (Contact Debbie Bowley)
• 6-9pm—Senior high-bring food to share, we will eat with the junior high (contact Debbie Bowley)

July 28th—Trip to Holiday World: Splashin Safari—this event is open to all students 6-12th grade. We will need parents to chaperon and possibly drive. We need at least 15 students to go so we can get a discounted price.

Youth Council Meeting held Friday, August 13th and we’ll be back on August 14th in the evening. All youth who went to the mission trip are encouraged to attend. See Adam for more details.

A Discipline of Service

Jesus did not cure the crowds applying proven ministry techniques. He spoke from his heart, acted out of compassion, and left the results to God.
~Henri Nouwen

We are just days away now from heading out east to Swan Quarter, North Carolina, where we will be spending the week offering assistance and service to fine people of this small town, fishing community. For many months we have prepared for our adventure and have prayed diligently about what it is we will be doing. Along the way we have indulged ourselves in a study of spiritual disciplines—the skills and techniques by which we begin to see the image of God in our heart—which have been assisting us in preparation for our trip. Mission work and works of service are just another puzzle piece to the picture of spiritual disciplines and formation. Thus, our time away, venturing off into a new community is yet another discipline we are picking up.

It is helpful to remember that spiritual formation is the careful attentiveness to the world of God, our master sculptor, as we submit to the gradual chipping away of all that is not of God, until the lion is revealed, until we realize that which lies within. Mission work is a time for us to stretch ourselves, denying our own ambitions, and to offer ourselves on behalf of the gospel to those who are in need of an extra hand. However, we must also be mindful of doing the work of service with an attitude of compassion and genuine charity, knowing we go into these places not ‘better than them’ but as brothers and sisters. We mustn’t go in thinking we can provide everything these people need, for if we do, if we focus our entire energies on the ‘good work’ we are doing, we risk not seeing the good work being done to us through the folks we will be helping. We need to approach each trip, each instance of service with eyes wide open and tongues stilled, with no other expectations other than to love and be loved.

To think of service in regards to scripture, there are numerous stories of what service looks like and how to do it. Yet the image which comes to mind is when Christ, the messiah, the Son of God, gathers his 12 closest friends and begins to do something which makes the disciples, makes me, quite uncomfortable. It is cliché it seems to always bring up this particular scene with Jesus, after all it is everywhere in the Christian world, but how fitting it is, and how simply profound too.

Imagine you are in your living room, with your eleven closets friends awaiting a dinner, awaiting the servant of the house to come and prepare you for dinner. As you wait though, you notice Jesus, remember you are in your house, begin to open cabinets and drawers. You can tell he is looking for something but you are not sure. After a while though, the shuffling and searching stops and in walks the Prince of Peace, half naked with a basin of water a few towels.

Jesus then begins to gather you around the circle and gets down on his knees. Now it is really awkward and you begin to shift around in your seat. How can he do this? This isn’t his job. This is not what he is supposed to be doing. After all, he is the one whom we should serve.

Jesus continues to make his way towards you. You sit, fidgeting almost uncontrollably, knowing what is about to happen and not wanting it to. How can He be washing their feet, our feet…my feet? I don’t like my feet. I don’t like washing my own feet, let a lone someone else after I just got done walking and running everywhere. This is quite uncomfortable. I don’t want it to happen…

But it does happen. You stare into the Christ’s eyes and you see the compassion and the tenderness. You see how much he loves you. You see how he looks past the things which you get hung up on. You sit, goose bumps coming over you, as you feel the cold water drip in between your toes and listen intently to the water making its way back into the basin. You no longer feel alone as you feel the once warm, dry towel being wrapped around your feet and feel at peace with every pat of the towel.

Then Jesus says to us, “I have set you an example that you should to as I have done for you.”

And so we are to go, with kindness in our eyes and tenderness in our heart to be Christ to those we meet. We go listening to what God is saying, to what God is calling us to do, and we go with faith. We go with humility, leaving all self-righteous desires at the door. And we go, joining in ministry with one another; after all we are the body of Christ, called to serve one another. Let us be assured though again of the promise Jesus made, “When I go, I will send my spirit, and my spirit will empower you. All things the Father told me, I’m telling you. All the things I’m doing, you will also do, even greater things than I.” We go being a servant, giving up the right to be in charge, the one who will do great things. We go, longing for God’s presence, being freed and available and vulnerable.

We will do greater things than Jesus. We need to trust in the healing power of God, recognizing the ways we have been healed, and allow the same for all of those we encounter along the way. Great things can only happen though when we are ourselves, aware of the gifts we have and sharing them with one another. This work, this service is not to be done alone, it never has been, nor will it ever be. Thanks be to God we have one another. Thanks be to God our body is made up of many parts. Thanks be to God for community.

So as you make your final preparations, take time to let Jesus wash your feet. Take the time to listen to what God is whispering in your ear. Take time and get familiar with your gifts. As you prepare and as we go, may we never forget what God’s name is, Emmanuel—“God with us!” May we find courage then knowing this, knowing we travel not alone, but with each other. May we find the courage needed to be vulnerable with one another, exposing our wounds in order to bring healing to the wounds of others. May we become for the world, a group of wounded healers.

As we prepare to go, find the places where you are called to serve. Find the places where you can be freed by acts of service which will go unknown. Was the dishes, mow the lawn, read to a loved one, visit a nursing home, or walking the neighbors dog. As you middle high prepare for our trip to Murray for City Sights/City Lights, begin to write down your experiences of service, how you felt before and after. Write down those instances where you felt God’s presence and where you met Christ. Begin to think of this discipline of service and how you can begin with small things to do.

Richard Foster says, “The risen Christ beckons us to the ministry of the towel. Such a ministry, flowing out of the inner recesses of the heart, is life and joy and peace. Perhaps you would like to begin by experimenting with a prayer that several of us use. Begin the day by praying, “Lord Jesus, as it would please you bring me someone today whom I can serve.”

Grace and peace to you.


Calendar

June, July and August 2010 Youth Events

June 2010 Events and Dates
6th—Kirk Night
10thth—Youth Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
12th-19th—Youth Mission Trip—Merritt Thomas providing send off meal
June 13th—Junior High 5-7 pm mini golf golfland drivers needed
June 20th—Junior High Pool Party at the Loukes’ 5-8pm bring friends (5th-8th)
June 24th—Youth Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
June 27th—Senior High Pool Party at the Loukes’ 5-8pm
June 28th-July 2nd—Vacation Bible School

July 2010 Events and Dates
July 1st—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 4th—(Adam will be out of town) No Youth Group 4th of July
July 6th, 7th & 8th—City Sights/City Lights in Murray, KY
July 8th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 11th—Youth Group 5-8pm
July 15th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 18th—Youth Group 5-8pm
July 22nd—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
July 25th—Youth Group (Maybe trip somewhere overnight?!?!)
July 29th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm

August Events and Dates
August 1st—Youth Group 5-8pm
August 5th—Youth Group Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
August 8th—Youth Group (off campus trip somewhere????)
August 12th—Youth Bible Study/Sanctus 6:30-8pm
August 13th—Youth Council TBA
August 14th—Youth Council/Presbytery
August 15th—Adam’s last Sunday!!!—Youth Sunday potentially?

Things to take not of:
• In July we usually take a trip to Holiday World on the 28th
• Parents who are interested in what happens next, we are in need of a meeting with Jonathan the week of VBS, it is important you give me a good date which will work for you
• I would like to make a Six Flag Trip happen or some longer weekend stay adventure for our groups (this could even take place of the holiday world trip)
• There will be lots of miscellaneous things to happen to—lunches, etc.
• Would like 1 more lock-in before we go too

Nature Disciplines

with spring being here, it is easier for us to get outside and to enjoy the beautiful weather, when it is not raining at least. to get up, to head outside, to breathe in the fresh morning air, to be warmed by the warm sunshine, and to stretch our legs on a nice walk.

or if you are not a morning person, it is nice to come home after school in the spring, eat dinner, do homework, and right before the sun makes its final appearance, head outside for a nice long walk. there is just something about being outside in the spring.

is it because maybe after 4-5 long months of cold, snowy and icy weather, we can finally go outside without a jacket on? or could it be that after many months of plants lying dormant, things are beginning to bloom? we walk outside and we smell the honeysuckle, we see the purples and pinks, and now even, a little yellow, as flowers and dandelions begin to bloom.

personally, one aspect of being outside i enjoy in the spring is how one man's garbage can be a...

baby rabbit?

the other day i was on my daily walk with silas when i noticed something off to the right creeping ever so slowly as silas and i approached. at first i didn't think anything of it but with each step i began to get a better look at what i thought was a leaf or a piece of old paper. once silas and i got up to this brown and gray object, i realized that what i thought was a piece of garbage/debris, was actually a baby rabbit sitting all alone in the sun, soaking it up. luckily i noticed it before silas did and we slipped on by without disturbing the little fellow.

as we continued to walk i thought about how wonderful it is to see new life all around us: in the baby birds chirping from the robin's nest, to the little plants in my neighbors garden stretching ever so tall to the sun, life is all around us. had i just assumed it was what i thought it was, i would not have had the revelation of god's goodness coming to us in creation.

this sunday it will be pentecost, the day the holy spirit was poured out upon the church, but until then, we are still in easter, having just worshiped on the 7th sunday of easter. we continue to acknowledge the resurrection of jesus christ from the tomb 2,ooo+ years ago, and the way we encounter the resurrected one today. isn't it fitting how the liturgical year compliments the seasons which accompany it? especially in the spring, we can be reminded of just how much we are connected to nature and all of the other creatures around us.

imagine this for a moment: that indeed we are connected to all creation. that everything you did outside, all the products you used, all the choices you made in fact does affect creation and its inhabitants. would how you go about your everyday be changed? when you walked outside and saw the flock of geese flying overhead in the late autumn months, would you stop and gaze a little longer, being inspired by their honking as they fly over? or the community of ants working ever so hard to get the things they need in order for their community to survive, would you stop and give thanks for the ways we benefit from their diligence?

as we begin to add to our repertoire of spiritual disciplines and as we continue to do the difficult task of tending to God's presence within us, thomas merton says we will begin to see the holiness in the world around us. seeing in this way has power, because we no longer encounter the world only as a physical reality but a revelation of love. "such seeing has the power to transfigure the world and, at the same time, deepen our respect for nature.' we seek harmony with the universe rather than domination, and we walk with a sense that the ground underfoot is truly holy.

much can be discovered in nature: not only about god but ourselves too. merton goes on to suggest that if we open our hearts to the fact that we are part of nature and called to kinship with all, we will begin to see the transformation which awaits us in all of the created order. "one of the most important--and most neglected--elements in the beginnings of the interior life is the ability to respond to reality, to see the value and the beauty in ordinary things, to come alive to the splendor that is all around us in the creatures of God."

to come alive to the splendor that is all around us in the creatures of god....

what more does god want for us than for god's children to be completely themselves and to come alive. perhaps then, we can learn how to do this by taking notice of birds of the sky, the fish in the water, the flowers of the fields, and the roots of a tall oak tree. in doing so, in our attempts to see the presence of god in the mundane, ordinary things of life, perhaps we will encounter paradise, heaven if you will. if we have god dwelling with us, making our souls god's paradise, then the world around us can also become for us what is was meant to be for the first of the garden--god's paradise.

i encourage you then, this weekend, to go outside, take a pen and journal with you, and sit, listen, watch what is going on around you. in the stillness that his nature, listen for the still, small voice whispering in the depths of your being and take note. as you do, maybe you will be reminded of who you are and become fully alive with all creation.

Spiritual Seeing

On an iPhone you can get/buy "app's", which are media resources for your phone. You can get game apps, you can get sports apps, you can get weather apps, you can get dating tip apps, you can get social networking apps, you can get twitter apps, and you can get...

news apps.

What I have come to experience with these apps is that they can get you what you need to know in a hurry. You get onto the facebook app and the next thing you know, you're updating your status about how you just got done going through a McDonald's drive through while speaking entirely in an English accent.

Or...

You can get up to date notifications on how UK lost in the NCAA tournament, having yet another let down of a season.

Or...

You can get updates from the certain news app you recently downloaded, letting you know all of that is happening in the world of politics, US news, World News, and Entertainment.

These handy, easy to access apps have many benefits and have had an impact on our society and the way we view media and news.

Yet I've noticed something else too.

I have an app for a particular news channel and I have my settings set up so that when 'breaking news' happens I would get an alert, letting me know, just minutes after 'it' happens, what just happened. It is great too. I was one of the first to know when many events occurred.
But here is what I've noticed....

Most of the time, most of the dings I get when I get an update, most of the 'breaking news' is nothing but...

bad

news.

Death toll is up to ____

So and so said this about so and so.

Plane crashes....

River floods....

Volcano erupts...

Terrorist plot....

You get the point.

Too often all we get is bad news. When you turn on the TV, what do you see? Floating heads, accusing someone of saying something and then on the other channels you have so and so saying they never said anything like that. You have one station too ____ and another station to _____.

All of the bad news being reported about makes me wonder, is there any good news out there? Are there any good things happening to people? Are there any good people out there providing hope to those who are hopeless?

It is quite understandable then when we hear people ask...

Where is God...

amidst these floods, bombs, earthquakes, killing of animals and oil spills, death threats, and political mumble-jumble?

God, if you are real, where are you then? Show us a sign. Show us you are with us.

Let's be honest though, what we are really asking , what we really are projecting, is our own fears, anxieties, frustrations and doubts. We join our voice to the cacophony of negative voices that surround us and we get caught up on 'just how bad things really are.'

Again I can't help but to ask, are they really that bad?

Or is it, we focus too much on the negative and spend too little of time acknowledging those good things that are happening in our lives, the good work that is being don, the good news that is coming to us in different ways?

I understand and realize too there are times when we need to express our frustration. There are times when we need to express our anger. There are times when we need to express how upset we are with the way things have turned out. For if we don't, we aren't being honest to ourselves and we begin to hide behind a facade of 'religious and spiritual' nonsense, stripping us of any authentic voices we may add to the community at large. Suppressing any emotion, both positive and negative, can have a lasting and harmful affect.

What to do then? Where does one begin?

This is what is exciting about what we will be doing this Sunday. As we load up in vehicles and as we grab our camera's, we are going to make time to look for the good in our community. Our exercise is to drive around the city...

looking for those places where we know Christ is present...

and...

go to those places where we would least expect to meet the risen Christ.

Henri Nouwen says, "Spiritual disciplines are the skills and techniques by which we begin to see the image of God in our heart. Spiritual formation is the careful attentiveness to the work of God, our master sculptor, as we submit to the gradual chipping away of all that is not of God, until the inner lion is revealed (referring to a marble artist carving a lion of a marble stone, freeing the lion from within)."

I mention this to remind us of the discipline of holy listening...

and watching.

Living a spiritual life is far from easy. Being attentive to God in our lives, amidst our busy schedules, bad news reports, and all the other distractions which get in the way, is difficult. Yet, being formed in God's likeness involves the struggle to move from absurd living to obedient listening, Nouwen would say. Absurd includes the word sardus, which means 'deaf'. Absurd living is a way of life in which we remain deaf to the voice that speaks to us in our silence. Nouwen also said, "It seems that the noisy, busy world conspire against our hearing that voice and tries to make us absolutely deaf. It therefore is not surprising that we often wonder, in the midst of our very occupied and preoccupied lives, if anything is truly happening."

Replace 'deaf' with 'blind' and this is where we find ourselves, looking and seeing God in a different way.

Prayerfully seeing God in our lives, in our community, in our nation, and in our world.

Being able to embrace the good in our lives, see it, and maybe even embodying it, our attentiveness can grow too. Growing in faith requires a growing attentiveness to perceive where God is active and to where we are being led.

This Sunday, and for the remainder of this study, we shall ask:

Where is God active in my life or community right now?

This Sunday, we go out into the community, we go out into the city and ask:

Where is God active in the community of Owensboro, Kentucky?

May it be then, as we begin our journey down the way of spiritual disciplines, that we will create the spaces in our lives for God to reveal God's self to us in a variety of ways. And in doing so, may we recognize God's claim on us, and may our eyes open, and may we begin to see what God has already been at work doing, even when, while, and during, those times when we asked, "Where are you God?"

See you Sunday!

May 2010 Youth PresbyNotes

Finding Our Way Again
May 2010
Youth Ministry of FPC

Growing up, I lived on 15 acres of land. Mostly open fields and about 5-6 acres of timber. Before our neighborhood became the ‘place to be’, my parent’s property was surrounded by cornfields and more timber. Now though, if you were to go to their house, you’d think I was lying. Some of my fondest memories growing up as a child are those spent exploring with my 3 older brothers in those woods. I was told when we first moved out to the country not to go into the woods by myself because I could get lost. What was funny though was that our acreage of timber was small enough that if I entered one way, kept going forward, I’d exit the other side and know exactly where I was. With all the freedom that comes with being a child with lots of land, I knew that land like the back of my hand.

Or so I thought…

One evening in October, as the sun was going down, I happened to look out my window and see a deer in our field. Me being the young tracker I was, or wanting to write my own version of My Side of the Mountain, I went tracking the deer. Little did I realize though how dark those woods I’d explore a hundred times got even with the sun still barely poking up over the trees. After a few hundred feet in my pursuit of the deer, I’d realized I couldn’t tell where I was anymore. I was lost in a familiar place.

While I was in the woods, I felt my heart rate go up, the adrenaline began to overwhelm my body, and I shook a little bit, even though I was in my woods, I couldn’t figure out which way to go.

What was I going to do? I’ve been here so many times before yet it wasn’t what I’d though it’d be.

Until I saw it, the biggest tree in the woods we named the ‘T-Rex’. Immediately I sprinted over to the tree, my clothes getting caught on the thorn bushes as I ran by, and sounding like a herd of elephants, I hugged the tree and used it to keep myself up as I caught my breath. Then, I began to head in the direction of my house, indicated by a mark on the tree, and finally with the last fading light from the sun, I was out. Pretty scary moment in such a familiar place.

Had it not been for the tree, something to guide me, a sign along the trail, who knows what could have happened.

Perhaps this then is where we find ourselves journeying together in these next few months. We’ve established and are continuing to learn about the importance of community and what it means to love on another. Now we will explore how our community can be transformed by looking forward by exploring a path, trail, of love and practicing it. Being a traveler along the way of Jesus, with our fellow journeymen, is not a momentary incident. No it is a journey, a process, it is a way of life which can be learned and strengthened through a wide variety of practices which have been developed by Christians across the centuries and across traditions. In other words, in times when we may have lost our way, there are different practices and disciplines we can return to, ones which have been a part of the church for centuries, to aid us, to be that sign of hope, in our journey towards our faith in God.

As a community travels together and begins to come head on with life circumstances, it is important to be able to see what we have learned and can learn from both the good and the bad, as a community and as individuals. Instead of being a people of, "Why did this happen God?” we will be transformed into a people who ask, "Where is God in the midst of all this?"

It is our hope then, as we begin this new journey as a community together exploring spiritual disciplines and practices, we will allow our faith to not simply be something we 'do' on Sunday's only, but will set it free and become for us a transforming way of life. As a community, we will begin our 3rd part of our journey to better shape our lives together, learning, practicing, and exercising disciplines which will shape our lives and help us see the sacredness in the normalcy of everyday living.

We will explore the ancient ways that can teach us to practice peace, joy, self-mastery, and justice. The old disciplines--fasting, contemplative prayer, and simplicity, observing the holy days--do for our souls what exercise does for our bodies or study does for our minds. Our youth group and our upper room then will be transformed into a people and place of sincere spiritual formation.

It'll begin this Sunday after dinner, in the upper youth room where you will receive your 'gear' which will provide good assistance to you as we explore the spiritual disciplines.

Happy Birthday to...
03--Meredith Coomes
22--Katie Duncan
27--Tori Gossett

Youth News – upcoming events, May 2010

We had a short meeting on Sunday, April 25th, at the church wide meeting. This is a letter to inform you of upcoming events in the life of our youth ministry. Please take a few minutes to read through this information, and mark the dates on your calendar. Also, every Sunday, please check the board outside Adam’s office for any additions/changes. Thanks.

a) Thanks to all who helped with, and donated to the breakfast on Sunday 25th, it was a great fundraiser and we made about $250 to help defray costs for the mission trip.
b) The kids attending the Mission trip went to a team building event in Princeton on 25th April, meeting with other youth that are also going. It was a great event, well worth our time, with the students hanging out and getting to know the other people going with them to do God’s work.
c) The “fast that lasts” had to be postponed because of conflicting schedules. This will be rescheduled at a later date.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Bible Study dates in May: 6th, 20th and 27th, 6.30pm-8pm. NO STUDY ON 13th.

2nd May : 5-7pm Youth group, Junior High, 5-8pm Senior High

9th May : No Youth Group for Mother’s Day, spend quality time with your wonderful Moms!

15th May : Car Boot Sale. Encourage your friends and family to come and support our sale out of our cars. The cars that are selling stuff will be parked in the lower parking lot. The kids working it will need to be here at 6am to help with set-up and parking, and then work for as long as they can. All who attend will have money added to their account for the mission trips, or other youth group events. CANCELLED IF RAIN.

16th May : Youth Group 5-8pm for all. DESTINATION UNKNOWN. We are in desperate need of parents to be drivers for this event – please contact Adam or Debbie asap if you can help with this event. If we do not get enough parents to help with this we may not be able to do this.

21st May : Presbytery Youth Council meeting. This will be hosted by us, an overnight here with kids from other churches in the Presbytery, from 6pm until 11am on Saturday. Contact Carla if you can help with providing a simple breakfast.

22nd May : Senior Banquet for Katie and Jill. All other youth need to be here at 5pm.

23rd May : Spring picnic for all youth and families at Panther Creek – 4 – 7.30pm. Please see below for RSVP form.

30th May : Drive-in movie night for senior high. * this is dependent on availability of appropriate movies. If none are available, this will be held at the church.

June dates : Mission trip, June 12th-19th. VBS June 28th – July 2nd

July dates : City sights City Lights, entering 6th grade through exiting 8th grade students. More info later.



RSVP FOR Panther Creek family afternoon 5.23.10

Family attending_____________________________ Number of family members attending____________


Will bring: Hot dogs_______ Hamburgers________ Buns________ Dessert_________ Fruit________

Chips________ Drinks_______ Plates and cups ________

Spiritual Disciplines Sunday

As a community travels together and begins to come head on with life circumstances, it is important to be able to be able to see what we have learned and can learn from both the good and the bad, as a community and as individuals. Instead of being a people of, "Why did this happen God?” we will be transformed into a people who ask, "Where is God in the midst of all this?"

It is our hope then, as we begin this new journey as a community together exploring spiritual disciplines and practices, we will allow our faith to not simply be something we 'do' on Sunday's only, but will set it free and become for us a transforming way of life. As a community, we will begin our 3rd part of our journey to better shape our lives together, learning, practicing, and exercising disciplines which will shape our lives and help us see the sacredness in the normalcy of everyday living.

We will explore the ancient ways that can teach us to practice peace, joy, self-mastery, and justice. The old disciplines--fasting, contemplative prayer, and simplicity, observing the holy days--do for our souls what exercise does for our bodies or study does for our minds. Our youth group and our upper room then will be transformed into a people and place of sincere spiritual formation.

It'll begin this Sunday after dinner, in the upper youth room where you will receive your 'gear' which will provide good assistance to you as we explore the spiritual disciplines.

On Thursday nights for Sanctus, we will continue in our study of disciplines and begin to practice them as well as study a book, An Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Book is $5 a person.

Sunday Night we will gather from 5-7pm jr&sr high. sr. high 7-8pm.

Peace to you t his week.