When I worked as a youth director, I quickly learned that it’s always helpful to have a few games and activities that I could pull out at a moment’s notice to use when youth are bored. (This skill literally got me a job at one church, because I was able to turn a chaotic and unstructured Superbowl party into a time of community-building.) One of the tricks I’ve developed over the years is being able to describe an individual’s personality by looking at a picture of a house that they have drawn for me. It’s not an exact science by any means, but after seeing several hundred house drawings over the years, I’ve discovered a lot of patterns.

One of the first things I look at is the person’s orientation toward life: are they a “(P)ast,” “(N)ow,” or “(F)uture” person. “Pasts” or Ps are people who spend a great deal of time thinking about the past, often because of guilt or shame about something that happened to them years ago. “Futures” or Fs are people who are always planning, dreaming about things to come, and wishing something in their future would happen right now (like getting a driver’s license or leaving home for college). Among youth, the largest group are “Nows” or Ns, people who—for the most part—live for today and focus on immediate interests and concerns.

Dear God,

It’s summer and the kids are home from school…the calendar is full…camp, softball, babysitting, sleepovers and more…there are six loads of laundry waiting…my daughter wants to go shopping…the garden needs weeded…there are bills to pay…and worries about whether there is enough money to pay them…the dog wants outside…I’ve been sick off and on for over a month…I’m tired…my son wants to go to the library…there is grocery shopping to be done…and meals to be fixed…every day…the dog wants back in…there is writing to be done…and I’ve agreed to take on another responsibility…what was I thinking…my best friend is moving…to another state…the cat wants to help me type…the car’s air conditioning can’t decide whether it is working or not…and the oil needs to be changed…the dog wants to go for a walk…there are 12 years of photos waiting to be put into albums…and then there are things that I want to do…
 

Few people know of my invisible disability—I’ve been completely deaf in my left ear since birth. In high school band this was an asset, as I was forced to develop near-perfect pitch and to achieve first chair in my section. But if you’re sitting next to me during a meeting or a potluck dinner and try to talk with me, odds are I’ll be completely clueless about what you’ve said if you’re sitting on my left side. Fortunately, my hearing is fairly good in my right ear, but I get pretty nervous whenever I experience any change in my ability to hear due to a cold or flight in an airplane.

So you can imagine my fear when, quite suddenly and unexpectedly following youth fellowship one night a few years ago, my hearing virtually disappeared in my right ear. For over an hour, everything was incredibly muffled and I had a terrible ringing sound in my ear as well. After a visit to the emergency room and (eventually) a couple of MRIs, the doctor was finally able to accurately diagnose the problem—which fortunately has very rarely returned.

The image or metaphor of a Bible as a lamp for one's feet makes complete sense for a ancient world where darkness is dangerous, scary, and a daily reality when most activity ceases. That image, powerful as it is, is less vivid for today's readers. Each of us carries around—consciously or unconsciously—an image of the Bible. Sometimes, these images came to us from literal, physical actions we witnessed in a worship or other church setting, and they affect the way we think about and interact with the Bible.

Some grow up in congregations where the Bible is held above the head of a worship leader as he or she processes into worship. The image communicates a message that the Bible is 'above' us, that it contains a 'higher' wisdom.

I have previously reviewed the music of Bryan Sirchio. One of Bryan’s songs that has stuck in my mind since I first heard him sing it is “Follow Me (87 times)”. The question that has persistently stuck in my mind from this song is, “Are we following Jesus, or just believing in Christ?” Of course, this question begs a follow-up question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus?” How would you answer that question?

My weekly covenant group is in the process of a Bible study using the songs on Bryan Sirchio’s CD, J-walking: Songs for Justice Walkers. (I am in the process of writing this study and it will be available from Different Voice soon!) As a part of this study, the group wrote a creed in response to the above question. I share it with you here.

~Sally Hoelscher

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12

Apologize – and mean it
Be a good example
Care for those in need
Do what you can
Extend an invitation
Forgive

God?
Hey, God, it’s me.
I have a few questions.
I’ve been thinking about this “love one another” thing.
I love my family and friends.
Well, most of the time. There are moments.
What’s that?
Yeah, I probably do have a few moments of being difficult to love…

If you have ever participated in an adult Bible Study, you have likely had an opportunity to try your hand at paraphrasing scripture. Taking a scripture passage and rewriting it in our own words can be a helpful exercise. We are forced to slow down, study the scripture and consider its meaning, as we attempt to put ideas into “our own words”. Reading a paraphrase of scripture (our own or someone else’s) can provide new insight as we hear the message in a different way.

Two nights each week, I work at the homeless shelter for men in my community, preparing dinner, handling phone calls, taking assistance applications, and the like. As you would expect, the conversations often drift to jobs (or more accurately, the lack of them), the inability of the government to make meaningful change, and other political and economic topics. The men who come through the doors each day see things from a very different perspective, they'd tell you, than the "average" person, and generally I think that is true.

This week I got into a long conversation with an extremely articulate, well-educated, creative guest at the shelter who has given up on the people of this country to make fundamental change. "James" didn't have many good things to say about churches and their various missions to the poor. I tried to listen carefully, to really "hear" him.

Two comments especially hit home and stung more than others.