A day to make pies

Homes are to be shared, to laugh in, to share in and to create in. Today was a wonderful day; I was able to have 5 of my young 14 year old friends over to my home. We were able to share lives, conversation, learn how to make apple pie, create a huge mess of crumble all over the floor and laugh an awful lot.

As I walked them home quite exhausted we stopped to play at the park. As I watched them race for the swing, screaming at the top of their lungs through the rays of light streaming through the trees I just breathed in deep. I love seeing those moments of complete freedom and live bursting out of them. They are 14 years old and far more adult like than I desire. In these brief moments of child likeness I find great joy as the fully abandon any image they strive to keep, all pressure from peers and just release in abundant joy and freedom.

As I was busy washing a counter full of dishes and vacuuming up about a half a bowl of crumble from the floor I reflected on the afternoon and was grateful for not only the time I could have them in my home but relationship I have with each of them. For the truth they are eager to receive, for the curious questions they have, for the countless times I remind them to lower their voices, for the amount of times we are able to laugh together. For the moments of trying to get them to leave when they discovered the Q-tips in the bathroom and are all over excited to clean their ears. I am thankful for the hugs goodbye at the end of the day, and for the fact that I get to journey with them not just today but tomorrow and the day after that. 

First encounter with Easter

Most of the children and youth that come out to our after school programs have some understanding, some history and some form of experience with Christianity. Catholic school, family influence or church attendance or having grown up in UPT after school programs are all factors in this.

Often kids know about Jonah and the big whale, David and the giant, Noah and the big boat and other biblical historical figures. Often times what I find our time of studying the bible together does is it teaching them about having a relationship with  Jesus Christ rather than having the title, label or identity of being a Christian because they were born into a Christian home, taught to be a Christian or have attended a church or catholic school. It is a lot of conversations around it being personal, live changing and real, relationship rather than religion sort of stuff.

Last Thursday we shared the Easter story with our kids and youth through reading the story and having hands on activities to have an opportunity of experiencing the Easter story. They got to taste vinegar, hammer a nail, carry and cross and other tangible things like that. At the end of the day Sonya ask if we could talk because she had some questions. Sonya has been coming to camp for just over a month now and she is believes in the Muslim faith. She had some questions about Jesus and we talked for over a ½ hour about Jesus, sin, result of sin, death, a merciful God, how we can receive life in heaven and so on. As we stood at the bus stop on the way home she said to me, “I knew what Easter was about until today, and I still don’t really understand it”.

Five days later we sat down together and read through the entire Easter story. Her questions astonished me and we didn't have enough time as we talked through all the significance and meaning in just a few short chapters. Please prayer for Sonya as we continue to reading through and discuss the truth of the Bible and Jesus Christ.