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| Camp Foxtail - The camp where our confirmation kids went earlier this month |
A couple weeks ago, I went on a confirmation retreat with
the 9th grade students from our congregation. I love teaching this group of kids, but
sometimes it can get really difficult.
If I’m teaching something that the group doesn’t think is relevant, if
it’s too ethereal, or if I just sound like I’m lecturing, they will simply shut
down, and I will wind up talking to myself.
So, to avoid that, I’m constantly wondering if there is any way I make
the class a little more real and a little less boring. That’s why I love going
on retreat to the Mt. Charleston area. There’s just something about the mountains
that makes us come alive! There’s no way
you can be bored!
Well, at least that’s my perspective… but many of the kids did tell
me how amazing the trip was. Some of the
youth even got up before the sun rose to go for a run with me in the 35 degree
mountain air. We jumped over rocks,
climbed a couple thousand feet, and we even had a real snowball fight. Of course, we also had time at the end of the
day to simply sit and worship around the campfire… Amazing! It was so much fun to see these kids living
with such passion!
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| The fall colors were on full display that week! |
The trip was also a chance for some walls to come down. There were opportunities for the youth to
share what was going on in their lives.
They had the chance to talk about some of the difficulties they
faced. Sometimes, I forget how much kids
have to go through in this world – it can be pretty tough! We all need a community that will support us
in our times of trial.
This week, in our sermon series, we are talking about wisdom
literature in the Bible. Personally, I
don’t believe wisdom is just about the facts we have to memorize… Instead, I
think Biblical wisdom is really about finding Hope. When people built kingdoms, they passed on
their hope to the next generation. When
those kingdoms fell, and the people had to live in exile, they still passed on
the hope they had found. Through the
good and the bad, God’s people shared words of hope. That is wisdom! That is also what we’re trying to pass along
in confirmation. It’s not about
memorizing all the facts just for the sake of memorizing them. We are trying to help one another to believe
in God’s love, even the darkest moments.
Biblical wisdom cannot take away the pain we all have to face, but it
can help us to realize we are not alone.
We have a God who always stands with His people – through the good and
the bad. That is what Jesus is all about!
It is my prayer that we would unashamedly share this hope with the world.
Blessings!
PB
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