Hit the Back Button to Move Fwd by Gavin Richardson

prayers for the day : resonating

Lord, You have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept
me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken
when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now,
today I believe.

shared from the northumbria community

holy week worship video : worship tricks

next week we are doing our midday holy week services in our youth space (cause its' the coolest) and most artistically driven area and the pastors want to do some more experiential worship stuff. we'll do some prayer stations stuff for sure & some various smells. but what about our visuals?

i've pretty much sold myself on parsing this video stopping it through good friday & then showing the full thing on easter. i love simple & creative stuff. this is right up my alley

image of God : prayer for feb 14th

psalm 144:11 isaiah 40:28-31 luke 15:20

Speaking of younger people today, some really are unbelieving: that is they have recognized that the God of Jesus, this God of tenderness actually exists - and they refuse Him.

Others are not really unbelievers as such since they have rejected only the picture of God they have seen portrayed through certain Christians now or in history.

Adapted from Jean Francois Six

If you are running away from a wrong picture of God, does that take you further away from Him or closer to Him?

from celtic daily prayer

look back into the past : the things that were about this time years ago

in my on going toss out of lifting up some of the archives of this blog from similar time period over the years.

• i jumped in on some oovoo conversations with marketing & tech type people (pretty sure i was the only youth minister participating in the event). that was fun, but oovoo hasn't taken off. tokbox seems to be the next multi person video conference center.
• some ponderings from the desert fathers & mothers on parenting & youth ministry
• everyone can use some new 'faith filled' pick up lines
• an early morning reflection on the homeless in my city
• remember when the nfl was going to sue churches if you had a super bowl party.. seems they have learned from that pr nightmare
• i was again likened to a celebrity.. well, he wasn't so much celebrity then, he's more now
• church shopping & the devices of the entertaining church
• i took the strengths profile test that our church is big proponent of. can you guess what i came out as?
• my abbey journal kept while on retreat at gethsemani. good times, need to get back soon.
• in what is the only time you see capital letters use consistently, my pastor michael williams guest blogged on the theological conversation with miroslav volf
• this is what happens when you are friends with jonathon norman
• thoughts on how justice issues can become an idol unto themselves
• some ponderings on contemporary worship in my church context & how our greater church sold their soul to contemporary worship
• starbucks goes down!

caption contest & freebie : in recognition of inauguration day

inauguration day is always an great day. i know people have their reasons for this year being more special than others, but to know that we have a complete change of government leadership without violence or war is something to behold. so, in recognition of inauguration i've got this caption contest. cool thing, my completely subjectively chosen winner (and you can vote for who you think is best) will be sent a copy of my worship feast prayer stations cdrom project & maybe some more stuff, but i promise that one.

let the captioning begin!

things on tab : stories sex religion church teens and technology

as part of my new integration of lifestream stuff into my blogs newer look. i've been plugging a lot of stuff into my gavin del.icio.us account. so you can track back to these and other links of interest long after this posting (and others) have cycled out of view. i'm working on figuring out how i like stumbleupon or digg.

• simply my favorite story of a teenager & faith that i've read in a long time. here is his official website & a powerful youtube video testimony
• in similar news, jolly blogger announces he has cancer
• a big deal with the episcopalian church break up is, what to do with the property? the umc has the same set up, so this is interesting news for me.
• the wifey wanted me to read this.. its true, i have bad sleeping habits. sage advice?
• i'd say this is pretty darn cool for perkins school of theology
• poor pastor, at least he's got his congregation
• muslim teenagers growing up in america. not so easy to keep to traditional rules
• 10 questions that separate girls from women.. how do you answer?
• some united methodist churches talk merger
• inside of the bernard madoff's 'scam of the century' (though, this century is kinda young)
• phyllis tickle and peter rollins talk emergence shop
• a lot of folks upset or happy about rick warren doing the invocation. this one caught my eye though. ben witherington always has a thorough thought on the subject
• if you missed my sex week challenge article
• reverend mommy's prayer musings and her last supper lunch box
• locking down your own data
• turbulent cleric on reimagining the world a sermon of sorts
• asbo jesus at it again
• sky lowe mccracken highlights the troubles of a methodist university
• chris brogan on the distinctions of a blog post versus twitter post & how to see that in the whole social media spectrum
• is a green shift in home ownership going to save economic times?
• jason's many hats
• newspapers are still figuring out the whole conversation thing, by techcrunch
• top 10 photography tips and tricks plus why you should shoot in raw format
• josh's guide to God blessed college football bowl games

family heirloom : prayer station video

this is a prayer station idea that didn't make the cut onto my worship feast prayer stations cdrom. this features my bud jonathon with a few kids talking about 'family heirlooms.' i think it didn't make the cut cause jonathon's voice got lost in the space, so volume might have to be turned up. you can still hear clearly enough, promise.

Family Heirlooms : Prayer Station from Gavin Richardson.

you can purchase the worship feast prayer stations cdrom amazon : cokesbury

anticipating the vision : meditation with nouwen

The marvelous vision of the peaceable Kingdom, in which all violence has been overcome and all men, women, and children live in loving unity with nature, calls for its realization in our day-to-day lives. Instead of being an escapist dream, it challenges us to anticipate what it promises. Every time we forgive our neighbor, every time we make a child smile, every time we show compassion to a suffering person, every time we arrange a bouquet of flowers, offer care to tame or wild animals, prevent pollution, create beauty in our homes and gardens, and work for peace and justice among peoples and nations we are making the vision come true.

We must remind one another constantly of the vision. Whenever it comes alive in us we will find new energy to live it out, right where we are. Instead of making us escape real life, this beautiful vision gets us involved.

you can get get meditations sent to you from the henri nouwen society

prayer stations slideshow : a photo share

for a workshop i did yesterday with our youth ministry institute participants i shared this slide show of some of the prayer stations i've constructed over the years. i have more ideas in written form at my prayer station index. i will also be working in the next few weeks to clean up my data so i will probably run across some other 'pre-blogging' experiences that i will post.

daily prayer txt : sharing in my advent chronicles

i am opening up my daily prayers to be shared with all who wish to be a part. what i've done, and am going to do, is send out a txt msg, once a day (usually in the mornings) with some part of my daily prayers through the rest of advent that spoke to me. could be a scripture, could be a quote, could be some names i am lifting up.. who knows. you don't have to respond back unless you want, but i share this as maybe this will be uplifting to you and a deeper meditation for me.

sign up to be a part of my daily prayers via text message

national youth worker convention : day one, set up day

today was set up day for much of the national youth workers convention. i was part of the labyrinth team, which is a first for me. i'm pretty excited to be a part of what folks experience within the lines of the labyrinth. this particular one is called the 'prayer path' which has guided audio. i don't particularly care for that part of it, i'm a classical labyrinth guy. this one is considered a contemporary labyrinth as well. i went though this labyrinth for the first time some 6 years ago & it was a powerful experience.

after finishing up with most of the labyrinth we got our lunch on, nothing major there. we did a major exploration of the various sauces available to you at chick-fil-a.

once we were back it was sanctuary set up time with lilly lewin. this proved more difficult than imagined. the room was sorta ordinary but with a bunch of doors and angles it was hard to make some focal points that didn't look out of place. some rigged up drapes & a few moves of our main altar we think we found a spot that evokes a little bit of the spirit for the many contemplative practices and hours of prayer.

ran into some great folks today, which is the highlight from getting to set up & prepare sacred spaces. eli roogles & i got reacquainted. we first met last year after being like the only two peeps who twittered the convention at that time (there are a lot more now). i got to meet jenn roogles too who mistakenly thought i was the drummer for the david crowder band last year (he must get mistaken for jack black too). finally, after i don't know how many years, i got to meet andy thompson when he & adam mclane stopped by the labyrinth to say hi. ran into old tennessee pal john stephens on the street, then in front of the ys store. on the way out i got a quick chat & hug with mike king as he was doing his traditional 'walk the crowd.' lastly, but who i didn't get to spend time with was chad crawford who is from the baptist church in my church's town. the neat story with chad, is that he & his family were displaced from hurricane katrina & he was the youth leader that was brought to nywc and given the royal treatment by the ys folks last time the convention was in nashville. he's a cool guy, but i needed to meet with some other folks to get my car out of a parking garage. there are other fine folks i ran into and met,

home now

check out my flickr set from the nywc '09 nashville for some more images of the convention

election prayer : prayer for the week

i am praying this prayer, with some inspired improvisations that might come my way, up to tuesday. if you wish, join us. ken carter, who wrote this prayer is asking to spread it around.

Creator of us all:
you are the source of every blessing,
the judge of every nation
and the hope of earth and heaven.

We pray to you on the eve of this important and historic election.

We call to mind the best that is within us:

That we live under God,
that we are indivisible,
that liberty and justice extend to all.
We acknowledge the sin that runs through our history as a nation:

The displacement of native peoples, racial injustice,
desecration of your creation, economic inequity, regional separation.

And yet we profess a deep and abiding gratitude
for the goodness of ordinary people who have made sacrifices,
who have sought opportunities,
who have passionately loved and cared for the earth and its fruits,
who have journeyed to this land as immigrants
strengthening its promise in successive generations,
who have found freedom on these shores,
and defended this freedom at tremendous cost.

Be with us in the days that are near.
Remind us that your ways are not our ways,
that your power and might transcend the plans of every nation,
that you are not mocked.

Let those who follow your Son Jesus Christ
be a peaceable people in the midst of division.

Send your Spirit of peace, justice and freedom upon us,
break down the walls of political partisanship,
and make us one.

Give us wisdom to walk in your ways,
courage to speak in your name,
and humility to trust in your providence.

Amen.

donald miller : dnc benediction i missed

if you happened to be following me on twitter you might have noticed that i missed donald miller giving the benediction for the dnc last night (i watched pbs coverage, should have gone with the cspan). thanks to youtube, i can catch a glimpse of that part of the evening. the only part i had any real anticipation for.

as you can read in comments on the youtube clip, and this site here (via phil) the response to donald is.. well, predictable. me, i liked the prayer. i haven't picked it apart as some have, for sure, but its speaks to me on a number of kindgom levels. what would have been really nutty is if he started with "mother God." let's start the fireworks show after that one!

praying in virtual : my evening with friends

i spent some of the evening in conversation and prayer with some friends in second life. we had a good chuckle that just about everyone we tell about ministry and gatherings in second life always seem to look at us like we are weird.. maybe we are.. probably

prayers for the chapman's : tragic loss

i am saddened to hear of the loss of maria to the chapman family. i know i am like many who have been impacted by steven's music but their family story over the years. my heart breaks for their loss.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, sheild the joyous; and all for your love's sake. -amen

fatherless : photoblog

Defend the weak and the fatherless;
       uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. -psalm 82

morning prayers : psalm matthew

Psalm 82
A psalm of Asaph.
1 God presides in the great assembly;
       he gives judgment among the "gods":

    2 "How long will you defend the unjust
       and show partiality to the wicked?

    3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
       uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

    4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
       deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

    5 "The 'gods' know nothing, they understand nothing.
       They walk about in darkness;
       all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

    6 "I said, 'You are "gods";
       you are all sons of the Most High.'

    7 But you will die like mere mortals;
       you will fall like every other ruler."

    8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
       for all the nations are your inheritance.

Matthew 5:2-12

2and he began to teach them.
    He said:

    3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
       for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    4 Blessed are those who mourn,
       for they will be comforted.

    5 Blessed are the meek,
       for they will inherit the earth.

    6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
       for they will be filled.

    7 Blessed are the merciful,
       for they will be shown mercy.

    8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
       for they will see God.

    9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
       for they will be called children of God.

    10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
       for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

evening prayer : Israel-Palestine

for prayers today, one of the scripture readings is Luke 24: 44-53. i am sharing some thoughts on what is bugging me. it is not to be a theological discourse in any matter. but a thought...

45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

what i am thinking of.. if we, as disciples, have our minds open. why are we not looking towards beginning the Kingdom in Jerusalem? now, there might not be much you or i can do actively, but how much do we know about or care of the conflict that continues on in Israel-Palestine? it just bothers me. many of us are so up our own church asses that we rarely listen to any concern for the actual spaces that our faith stories erupt from. why?..

the united methodist women have put together a very comprehensive study to understand all the dynamics involved in Israel-Palestine for those who are convicted to know more.

shameless title : save the hymnal

well, the hymnal isn't in a state of saving yet, but there is continued talk of revamping it and putting in and taking out hymns. i am far from the expert on the hymnal, but it has been an important tool in our spiritual formation as a methodist community. i remember reading some person's critique of the last update to the book of common prayer that it made the episcopal church too liberal. i know there is a lot of pull on both sides of that argument to take out hymns because they are not fitting of an ideaology. imho there is so much depth in there to get nit picky seems silly. so i am suggesting everyone revisit the newly opened survey (tip to david) to throw in your thoughts. be heard. more from the gbod.

take this cup from me!

this is a little how i am feeling right now.. tonight for our maundy thursday service we sang hymn 482.. but what was nice was hymn/prayer 481.. you know it like this

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon'
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O' Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

not quite your maundy thursday experience, but it was much of what i am needing in this odd time.

the last week : by TheCorner

if you are in the hendersonville area, or up for a road trip to the 'ville, next week. we will be offering our artistic meditations on "the last week" of Christ. i am pretty stoked for it. directions and such, www.hfumc.org.

if you want to download a poster flower : arrested.

worship feast prayer stations : do you have a copy

are you one of the millions, thousands, maybe hundred or so that have a copy of my "worship feast prayer stations" cdrom? if so could you email me and tell me what prayer stations are highlighted in the cdrom? i was wanting to post some of the videos & pdf's that didn't make the resource but i have given away all the copies i had of it so i don't know anymore what was on there. thanks in advance

in case: if you didn't know, i have this cdrom out there on prayer stations. Worship Feast Prayer Stations, put out by abingdon press. it was set up to be a primer to get people started on doing their own, but have no idea about them or where to start. it has some meditative background images, original music, and video and pdfs on how to do some specific prayer stations plus alternatives which make up a total of around 20 prayer stations. not bad for a $20 price.

thoughts of the day

• i am pondering what sort of relations do a postmodern model of youth ministry have with a methodist church and it's laity driven history.. and the trouble that brings about because it goes against just about every other model of youth ministry out there..??
• i am wondering what all i need to do to start doing a to-do-list to make sure i get stuff done during the rest of this week.
• i am thinking i want to get a new little tv for our bedroom, one that has a remote that works and the sound doesn't go funny when you have at a low volume.
• not sure what books i want to try to finish reading this week... it is a pretty open week work wise, so i've got some opportunities here.
• with some odd church activities tomorrow, we have no regular programming.. do i go and do some observations of other churches or just take the night off...??
• i am going to move into using the prayerbook from the iona community this week.. that is generally a month or two earlier than i have done in the past (usually start in summer)..

the problem with the Lord's prayer

The problem with the Lord's Prayer is neither its content nor its historicity, but its familiarity. Many congregants don't actually think of the meaning of the words or, if they do, find only comfort rather than a challenge. Little children still happily conclude that the deity's name is "Harold" fear that the major sin they might commit is trespassing on someone else's lawn, adn earnestly hope that they are never led "into Penn Station." When placed in a first-century Jewish context, the prayer recovers numerous connotations that make it both more profound and more political. It fosters belief, promotes justice, consoles with future hope, and recognizes that the world is not always how we would want it.

the Misunderstood Jew: the church and the scandal of the Jewish Jesus, by AJ Levine

how true.. and it made me giggle too

update: those crazy folks at church of the resurrection are talking up the Lord's Prayer as well.

contemplative youth ministry : refresher

refreshed myself with this video that jonathon did when we spent time being part of the contemplative youth ministry's blog tour. it still rings powerful with me.

prayer of Brother Lawrence

Lord of all pots and pans and things..
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates!
- Brother Lawrence

just thinking of part of my work today.

willing to be killed but not killing

jonathon put together this little video. not sure why, but i realized today that the voice is of my pastor michael williams, it says so at the end, duh. it is a haunting meditation that is worth time to give space to.

looking forward to 2008

i stopped doing resolution stuff years ago. i realized i sucked at them. so why devote energy that direction. i am however looking forward to a number of things in 2008. in no particular order. i look forward to...

• the first vacation of the year. erin & i are leaving on a cruise on saturday. just us on this trip, no family. this part of a larger group, so we will have some friends that we know, but they are not so close that one feels like they have to spend a significant amount of time with.
• finally training my dogs how to clean up after themselves & shutting the back door.
• "the great adventure" it is a 12 week exploration that our full church is going through. the curriculum written by our own community of believers and it is excellent. i am stoked to see & hear all that happens in the next 12 weeks.
• less quantity & more quality blogging. i am not sure what i mean by that, it is just a feeling i am having
  
• weddings weddings & more weddings. i love weddings, they are a lot of fun and erin does the stress work on getting the present. a few of the weddings for the year are part of erin's crew from south carolina whom are some of the finest people i've known.
• my future weight loss. currently i'm at my heaviest ever. we, erin & myself, did the join the gym thing a few months ago and are working together to walk or work out at least each day. i can still bang out impressive skills but i can no longer safely fit into my climbing harness. which, is upsetting.. not to mention expensive if i have to get a new one.
• hitting the woods more, camping/caving/climbing, did none if it (church trip doesn't count) this year, that is an all time low. climbing dependent on weight loss as i refuse to buy a new harness.
• our youth missions experiences this summer. this year i get to go to both our jr. high experience at camp lookout & then to asp with our senior high. i like the week trip with our youth and they are always such wonderful missionaries.
• i look forward to finishing some of these darned books that i started in 2007. my "multiple book disorder" took on a whole new level in 2007. i look forward to reclaiming my reading in 2008.
• family beach vacation over july 4th. it will either be wonderful or insanely stressful.
• those unexpected ministry things that seem to come up. maybe some more speaking gigs, maybe some more writing.. i know i'll be going to a few more training and retreat events this year. look forward to new friends with those efforts.
• podcasting more.. i like doing them, but i have yet to figure out a good schedule for making it happen. plus have one other podcast project in the works.
• some extending of my relationship with God.. i've been a bad friend these last few months.
• doing the kids thing. we said we wanted to wait at least a year before entertaining kids. this makes mother-in-law very happy
• the possibility of a 15 year high school reunion? reunion is unlikely, since have yet to have one, but there will probably be some trip to hang out with my hs friends who continue to be the best friends i have & will ever have. three new kids this year, so babies are a great excuse to travel & play.
• not buying the next, latest and greatest, big time technology gadget.. again. i have a solid record of this. heck, i finally got an ipod this summer. refurbed of course.
• the development of some new initiatives within the youth ministry structure. small group stuff, arts & theology stuff, and some more local missions and awareness things.
• picking back up the guitar again.. not sure why i stopped playing. with that, maybe i will start back with the piano some. this means less computer time. erin wouldn't mind that. haha!
• spending some days alone wandering & acting like i am some photographer
• a new season of university of alabama college football
• my second attempt at being a boat captain..
• family reunion in november

seems like 2008 will be a pretty good year. shalom, -gav

rachel weeps

yesterday during midday prayers this was part of the readings.

Yahweh says this "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more." Yahweh says this, "Stop your lamenting, dry your eyes, for your labor will have reward," Yahweh  declares, "and they will return from your enemy's country. There is a hope for your future after all," Yahweh declares, "your children will return to their homeland." Jeremiah 31: 15-17

it reminded me of these thoughts three years ago today.

shane claiborne litany

digesting this litany. see written litany. tip ariah

remembering thomas merton

today is the anniversary date of the passing of thomas merton, or father louis merton. i have been strongly influenced by the gleaning and words of thomas merton over the years. i have spent some time with his community at abbey of gethsemani. today, what i think i remember most partly due to the recent events in colorado, is probably the one quote from his prayer life that i have held onto. this i read in his journals once. it is part of a more complete prayer, but this stuck out to me then and sill walks with me.

"My God, I frankly do not understand Your ways with me."

nywc atlanta : pilgrimage day two

it's late. i've got some sleep to catch up on (didn't sleep much last night). here is the cliff notes from today.

• see my nywc pilgrimage photos.. i got kinda silly with some
• don't forget my twittering.. this is kinda cool for something like this
• interviews with mark yaconelli & jeannie oestreicher were a lot of fun. have more folks to meet with tomorrow. my fav parts, telling mark i wasted money on the cd's for his critical concern courses on spirituality cause they are all basically silent. asking jeannie if she is jealous of her husbands flowing blond locks of hair?.. all got good laughs
• i hooked up with jim's wife.. don't worry jim, she's an honorable woman. we talked about this emerging young adult/youth ministry that has become a homeless ministry. super cool!
• people stare at you when you have microphones on a table.. is it really that unusual to see?
• ran into more friends.. old, new, and in between. with some, had a great conversation about spreading the retreat experiment our community tried last fall. excited to imagine others doing similar
• general session 2. joe castillo (the sand artist) is truly unique and very cool. what a gift, what a vision, what an imagination what a way to share. shane really did do that! i heard the best sermon eva! with some fire breathing thrown in for kicks. shane claiborne, gets up, breathes fire, back flip.. reads the whole sermon on the mount, all of it.. (is he going to stop here? he smiled, does he like that part? is it still going? this sermon is like 15 minutes long.. uh... this seat is hard.. what is that about pagans? ).. closes with "i hope it was the best sermon you ever heard" or something similar. and walks off.. what do we do with that? i loved it.. still don't know what to do with it, but i loved it.
• vespers service.. just what i needed to end a day.

Almighty God, my heavenly Father: I have sinned against you, through my own fault, in thought, and word, and deed, in what I have done and what I have left undone. For the sake of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me all my offenses; and grant that I may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your Name.

Watch, o' Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give Yourangels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest Your weary ones. Bless Your dying ones. Soothe Your suffering ones. Shield Your joyous ones, and all for Your love's sake. Amen.

google juice prayer stations

hey all, would you do a shameless favor. i have this one post that keeps appearing in google rankings for "prayer stations" i'd like to change that. help a brother out and link to the prayer stations index that i put together a while back. make it easier for folks to find stuff in this site. i don't care to make it to number one in google, i already have that. i would just rather people find the information they are looking for faster.

so give a link shout to "prayer stations" ideas or whatever and link to this prayer stations index page.

praying for my past

i have mentioned it before that my first experiences in Christian leadership were through mountain t.o.p. a short term missions experience for youth & adults. i spent 5 summers through the early and late 90's as a staff person. one of the places i spent a large bulk of time was camp glancy, in sequatchie county tennessee, inbetween jasper and whitwell (pronounced whi-wll). one of the cool spots that we helped serve was a town called orme. orme was nestled up on the backside of a plateau hill east of south pittsburgh. you accessed it through a winding mountain road, or a back road that took you into alabama. when you got to town you went to wayne's house. wayne knew all the people in town and who needed help. he would also give you a sundrop, which was the nectar for the summer.

i read this article, via ken, that orme is experiencing some serious consequences from the recent drought we've experienced. not that i can help it rain either, but i am praying for my friends in the little community of orme.

prayer station index

i have been getting more and more hits for "prayer stations." unfortunately this site is riddle with various ideas and efforts that are not always directed to a specific setting. this is my effort to put all my braintrust into one collection. fyi: these prayer station links are not in any particular order.

• finding God in the ordinary, some prayer stations i put together for connection 2005
• my contemplative worship photo album, random collection of prayer station photos
• review of my worship feast prayer station cdrom project
• epiphany contemplative worship with prayer stations, worship we did on epiphany sunday
• youth minister prayer stations, some prayer stations we put together for a youth minister retreat
• a contemplative pentecost, yup, put together some prayer stations for a pentecost worship
• reflections on a prayer room. my recap of the youth 2007 worship feast prayer room and the prayer stations that we used within that
• youth 2007 photo album with prayer station write ups
• introducing contemplative worship practices to your congregation
• a retreat experiment, not quite prayer stations, but a youth ministry retreat experiment bore out of my various use of sacred space worship
• ash wednesday service prayer station, not for the faint hearted church facilities person
• advent prayer station worship, some of these stations are profiled in the cdrom
• choir of angels prayer station, something we used for an advent service
• at the feet of God prayer station & face 2 face with each other, used when i was a youth groups retreat leader a few years back
• lent prayer station worship, a worship service for lent we had as a youth community
• a prayer station gone bad, my failed attempt at an exodus inspired prayer station

i think that is about it. there are some random pictures within other posts, but this seems to be comprehensive enough. besides prayer stations are more about the context of your community and bore out of that community. so recreating what i have done because it is easy isn't suggested, it may not have the same meaning that it does for us here in tennessee. i hope that it can help to stir some inspiration for you

this is brave

this person put together a video on centering prayer. with 20 minutes of silence and nothing as part of the video. you know, this is something i am not even crazy enough to do. the video that is, centering prayer is just too hard for me these days, but i still enjoy trying.

a mystery weekend adventure

this weekend we set out for our youth communities "mystery trip." it is always billed as a mystery with some elements that the youth most likely wouldn't do on their own. we try to keep the secret of the mystery trip up until they get on the bus to leave. then is when we give information to parents and the teens. this isn't always successful. last years got out of the bag the week of the trip. this year some people found out the night before.

this year we have trekked down to saint simon's island, staying at epworth by the sea. i have had some of the youth blog about the varied adventures. however, not yesterday. we started out having an early morning sunrise morning prayers, ate then off to the beach for a few hours. we then were going to do a little historic tour, but christ church was closed due to a wedding and then it started intensely raining, so we took our show on the road to norcross (a planned halfway home trip). after some traffic jams, dinner and then a movie it was a full day.

wish we could have spent more time in atlanta, maybe another trip. it's on the road again. should be home around noon-ish.

youth 2007 : thoughts & reflections on a prayer room

in no particular order are some of my thoughts, observations, resources and words of wisdom.

• working a large prayer room takes a lot of effort and planning. not all spaces need to be this elaborate and grand in scale. i have loaded pictures and write ups of some of the meditation and worship spaces.
• "the cave" prayer station is the hardest place to be. as i have observed this space "the cave" which is just an icon, candle and dark room has had the fewest lasting visitors. youth and leaders alike have entered the space, but they always stay just a short period of time. it is my opinion that because there is little (if any) stimulation that it really is hard to be with just yourself. the longest person in the room was jonathon, two hours, only because he fell asleep.
• i am curious to imagine what youth might take some of this artistic experience and shape this into a passion or a confidence that they can do something they hadn't felt they could before. i know one of our girls who painted a really nice picture has started pricing easels and paints to continue what might be a new passion.
• the labyrinths came from "the labyrinth company" out of maryland. we purchased the reims labyrinth for the event and rented the st.pauls chartres model. in doing some simple research, the youth always identified the octagonal shaped labyrinths as being more interesting. the reims seemed perfect as it gave stops along the way. the rental for the labyrinth is very reasonable, i'd suggest it if you are wishing to introduce or use a labyrinth practice in your ministry.
• may people asked about the music we used. other than the taize' worship cd we used occassionally the main cds we used were from the "relaxation" cd collection at walmart. the ones we used primarily was a native american sounds and an african sounds cd.
• the screens we used for spacing were inspired by a stage set used by the gorillaz. it was a simple concept, clean, easy to construct, and could be used for peaceful settings. obviously we didn't have the lighting or fabric they used, but found that using a colored fabric (cotton or poly) with a clear halogen (higher lumens) shows really well. the white or cream fabric we used with a colored lamp didn't show as well, but it did work. the concept with using the white fabric and colored lights was that we could switch up colors.. something we never even entertained once the space was set up.
• coroplast is my new favorite material. the columns and accordian screens we put together were made of coroplast and plastic sheet of material (depth and structure similar to cardboard) that is used for signs. the 4x8 sheets were about 7-9 bucks each (colored ones a bit more than the white) which was an excellent value. the material is tough enough to be used multiple times for various projects. not something you can say for many materials.
• the "global impact" video we made used images from chris jordan. chris's stuff is amazing. other images we used came from istockphoto. istockphoto is a site one needs to bookmark for images and videos for various projects for worship or for church promotions. the images are cheap for stock photography. it is one of my primary resources when i need content items i don't have time to make myself.
• "the story" is a great idea for youth and adults. all know the scrabble board concept and people love to come back and see how it has grown or just walk around and read the words of others. i can't remember the exact community i was inspired to do this one with, but i have done it for years. i know i saw a picture of something similar at small fire. small fire is a website that host archive pictures of alternative worship experiences at various communities in the uk.

the videos we used for "specto divina" something jonathon has come up with, though i am sorting through a book called visio divina (not quite the same thing, but i like the idea of using imagery in a similar fashion to lectio) came from a collection called "the work of the people." i like the videos because they try to be lectionary based, so there are videos that are usable for the Christian calendar. the particular videos we used were as follows, what we did was put in some black screen and some text to guide the meditations.

• psalm 107
• psalm 34
• the last will be first
• healing of the blind man
• land of the living
• know by love
• jew nor greek

some of the paper stuff we put together.

• Download morning_thur.pdf
• Download midday_thur.pdf
• Download compline_wed.pdf
• Download compline_friday.pdf
• Download evening_prayer_friday.pdf
• Download evening_prayer.pdf
• Download midday_friday.pdf
• Download midday_saturday.pdf
• Download compline_saturday.pdf

i might add to this, but for now i figure this is enough thinking

youth 2007 : day three & four

the third and fourth day of youth2007 was a bit of elation and frustration on the worship feast side. we had a bit more of an expectations from the youth, but again the numbers of participants grew and grew. at one point our art area was filled with youth creating artwork pieces that they started to tear apart our nice painting and drawing books.

it was one of those moments where we had to give away a control and let it be. for me to do this successfully i had to go and get lunch. it is the tough part of a contemplative ministry where you give up control, you have to be willing to allow your ideas and concept of 'how it should be' and allow God to do with the space.

as i would come and go within the space it we started to hear and see results of our efforts in this endeavor of sacred space. our morning prayers and compine prayers were always well attended. some with almost 100 people. for a morning prayers being at 7:30am at a youth event, that is pretty remarkable if you ask me. the taize' worship services we put together were a real highlight for me and i noticed others staying for long periods of time after we could end a service. hundreds of youth and leaders continued to come into the space, we continued to run out of canvas's no matter how many new ones we would purchase we would keep running out. frustrating, but still very cool. youth and adults alike would find those of us tending to the space and would express how much they appreciated the atmosphere, the calm, the opportunity for expression which was very encouraging.

i did three "splatshops" or workshops on spiritual practices over the week. day two we taught and practiced lectio divina, day three we worked through the awareness examen, day four we taught the Jesus prayer. it is an interesting experience to talk to a group that may not be listening at all. good thing i spent all that time as a state of tennessee trainer.

our general sessions were way fun. some high energy and over stimulation for me. i retreated backstage a number of times to take pictures and just hangout with the design team folks there. i took one of our youth backstage to help move some of the artwork we brought for on stage. he really enjoyed being backstage, though i told him this meant he had to be on design team in 2011.

our speakers were wonderful people. i couldn't say enough about them. as with every speaking engagement i take little bits with me. to close my personal journaling for now i will leave with what i gleaned from ray buckley.

"we take the things that god has given us and give them away. this is the dance"

i am thinking that this worship feast dream was part of our dance.

i will continue to keep posting worship feast room pics on my flickr. check out youth 2007 stuff experienced by our group at our hfumcyouth flickr site.

youth 2007 : day two #2

it is actually time to do my day three update, but i still didn't get a day two finished. i will direct you to some of our youth blogs. two of our guys sat down to give a mid event update.

for me yesterday was a bit stressful. i was up late working on some things for prayers and the videos for the next day. went to bed at what could be considered a normal time for an event like this. set my alarm clock on my phone. when i woke up the phone was next to me in the bed.. which was not where i left it. i knew then something not so pleasant was up. picked up the phone & saw that it was 7:46. prayers were to start at 7:30. i dressed quickly and ran downstairs with computers in tow so that i could get the videos going and help direct what part of prayers i needed. luckily jenny and jonathon had prayers covered. we had a great crowd, but i wouldn't allow myself to enjoy the moment. i buzzed around with these videos and let it all just set me wrong.

for the duration of the morning i was off balance in some measure.

this was the first full day of youth2007 so we were intrigued to see how things went over. simply put, it went over amazingly well (even with my agitation). we probably saw over 500 youth and leaders over the course of the day. something we were not expecting. most everything was fine, if you count; running out of canvass, freight train like groups going through the labyrinth, and having difficulties with printers. through it all, we count our blessings, people used the space to the extreme and we couldn't have been happier.

as i mentioned in pre-day two coverage, i was asked to lead a lectio divina reading from the main stage in the evening session. i was certainly nervous about the whole deal. how does one lead a contemplative practice with 7,000?.. let alone, 7,000 teenagers. the cool part of it all was that the prep involved in being on the stage allowed me some personal space. up to that point things were decided on by me. so i had to say bye to everyone early in the afternoon and go for a sound check. afterwords i just hung out with some of the speakers, superchick, the stage crew, and some design team friends. it was a good few hours to focus on what i was asked to do.

in the scheme of the evening i was the "calming" factor in the worship which was themed "pray." i walked up through the middle of the stage after fusebox did a two or three song set. walking up i see the crowd of kids & youth ministers pumping fists "one more song! one more song!" all i could do is look at them and say, "give it up, i know who is in charge & you are not getting one more song." i greeted with a blessing of shalom and started on. eventually people figured out that we were not going to mosh pit, so they sat down or ran back to seats.

luckily i had planned a somewhat energetic introduction to lectio. after that we began with the readings from Matthew 6: 1-9.. stopping before the Lord's Prayer for your super scholars. times of silence, times of reading, light instructions, then a quick share with your neighbor. it's kinda amazing how much sound 7,000 can make in a whisper. &:~)

we closed by finishing the scripture we were reading by saying the Lord's Prayer together. during which i walked out of the lights and off the stage. there was a pretty loud applause, so it was either that we were done or they enjoyed it.

nervous and weirded out, i wandered the backstage after that. many people said it was wonderful/well done/great job.. which was affirming. in some ways, it takes so much to lead others through a contemplative practice. you give it out, but you never own a response or get that instant feedback to measure your connectivity. i did get a great compliment however. i ran into nina reeves behind the stage. i hadn't seen her in few years and just adore her. she's wonderful & respected storyteller. i introduced myself saying "hey, you don't remember me, but..." and before i got far into all that story she starting giving me praise over what i had just done. "not just anyone can do that" she said. standing next to her was ray buckley, another whom i have great respect for. same intro to ray and i received back similar praise. i continued to wander in a haze i cannot explain

we closed our day with compline which has been a wonderful blessing for myself and i believe for our group. even though none of us ever went straight to bed after compline.

posting worship feast room pics on my flickr. youth 2007 stuff experienced by our group at our hfumcyouth flickr site.