The Gospel In Four Minutes (+playlist)

A New Prayer Partner

So the past two weeks were challenging.  Last week because of new schedules and school starting back with all of the welcome back stuff.  I prayer walked campus once but I did not have any pictures.  Left my camera at home.

This week's challenge was something different.  One of our deacons at the Foundry Church and his wife gave birth this past weekend. (Well his wife gave birth and he was at the hospital for a lot of it.) They welcomed into the world a 8lb 7oz baby girl named Phoebe! Congratulations Jason and Jenne.  This event however left them with some holes in their daily lives.  Things that had to be done that they could not do.  So that means for last week I got a new prayer partner.  Introducing:

NUBBY 

Nubby is a Rat Terrier and a bundle of energy.  I did not take him to Widener to prayer walk since I did not want to nor did I have the strength to deal with all that campus had to offer and a dog.  So we walked and prayed around the neighborhood of the Foundry called Garden City.  There are a few things I learned from walking Nubby.

1.  It is difficult to walk a dog, pray and take pictures at the same time.  You have to choose two of those.  (I chose praying and walking the dog.  hence the reason there aren't more pictures of the neighborhood.)

2. When you get a chance to run...then run. not for exercise, but for fun and not far. Just long enough to get to the next tree or whatever.

3. Smell everything.  Even if you smelled it before.  Like five minutes before.  Or a few seconds or like everytime you walk by it.  (maybe there is some spiritual application or life lesson in that)

4. Always be excited when you seen old friends.  

5.  I am kind of like Nubby in a way.  I want to see everything around me and I want to go places that I have never been.  I don't always want to go home, but I can be led and I will when I have too.

The experience walking the dog was fun.  I will be on the list of people who will help with this chore throughout the next couple of months.  I also prayed for this neighborhood.  something We haven't done much as a church.  I saw a lot of children and prayed that they could find their way to the church or to a church somewhere.  There are a lot of lost people right outside the church's door. God show us how we can reach them with the Gospel.  Bring them to us and bring us to them.

Shalom

Hair

Why I made a Rosary and What I learned from it

Okay so many of you know by now that I have decided as one of my spiritual disciplines to make my own rosary, and many of you have questions like why did I choose this and how did I do it.

I have always been interested in the traditions and origins of our church history.  Well not always, but I sometimes feel that most modern churches like to structure their buildings without much flare and art in the construction.  We also have done away with many practices of more established churches thinking that liturgy is unimportant and too practiced lacking in passion and meaning.  This may be true, but I think we may be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

While I do not agree with the Catholic Church theologically and pragmatically on some points, I must admit that they have an excellent model in teaching and perpetuating their faith.  The Rosary is one of the tools they use to meditate on the meaning and mystery of the life of Christ.  I became interested in the Rosary after meeting many Catholic and former Catholics both students and otherwise.  I became more interested in it after reading the book The Year of Living Like Jesus by Ed Dobson.  One of the
disciplines he adopted was praying the Rosary.  I became more intrigued.  Also many of the Rosaries I have seen are beautiful works of art and Jewelry.  I wanted one.  Just to have at first.  I began pricing the nice ones which ranged in price from $50 to $400+ dollars.  I thought that was too much.  Then one day it hit me.  I could make one.  This 6 weeks of disciplines was the
opportunity to do that.

The process I took was to create a different type of prayer rope than a rosary.  I wanted something unique and tactile.  something I could hold and say was mine all mine.  The first week I went to Michael's craft store and found the items.  I wanted a wood feel so I bought wood beads.  I then investigated several cord options from leather straps to rope to yarn.  I landed on 330 Paracord which was Made In The USA (big selling point for me).

I then approached my Catholic Friend Father Peter and asked about the Rosary.  I set to work to make my own design.  I thought I had it, but when I tried to pray through it or with it, I found the design to be more confusing and distracting which was not the purpose of this exercise. I also did not like the color and designs of the beads I was using. I decided to make a more traditional model of a rosary. This past week I found myself at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts looking for better options.  I found raw wood beads.  I bought two sizes.  Went home and stained them myself. and made myself a semitraditional Rosary.

 

What I have Learned from this

1. First I have learned that the traditional design of something is not always a bad thing.  I do not have to redesign everything in order to make something worthwhile.

2. The Rosary is an excellent tool for teaching Christology and reflecting on the life of Christ.  

3. With prayer and guidance every project can be accomplished.

You see the biggest problem I had was finding the right cross.  It not only had to look right, it had to have a good texture and feel to it.  I did not want a crucifix for Christ is not on the Cross, but I wanted a good cross.  the solid wood ones I had were just not interesting.  I could not find a good one in the stores.  but I had this one on my backpack as a key chain/zipper pull.  I cut the cord on it and used it.

4. Perhaps I learned that I had what I needed all along. 

Sometimes God works like that.

To sum up I have completed this task.  Now I must determine how I will use this in my spiritual journey.

Will I just look at it as an interesting project that I took something away from?  Or will I use it as my Catholic bretheren do?  Or will I simply hold it as I pray? Or will it become just something I wear?  I hope the answer to that last question is no.

my completed project

Week 3: Garden Camp

Okay so this week has been a little difficult to follow through with my spiritual disciplines.  I got back to PA and immediately was faced with work, church, and many other things.

My prayer walking happened on Sunday. Only I was not alone we had a mission team from Church on the Boulevard, aka CoB in Akron, Ohio who worshipped with us.  They came to do a week of Garden Camp with the Foundry church.  There were 17 of them, 5 students from Widener, myself, and 5 people from the Foundry who walked my campus praying for the school and the ministry on campus.   Unfortunately I did not have my camera that night.  So I cannot post a pic from my time there.

However, I did come in contact with a couple walking their dog on campus.  The group I was leading was going to join the group at the seal (I will explain what that is in a minute) when we met.  They asked if we were taking some campus tours.  I told them that we were prayer walking and asked if there was anything they'd like us to pray for.  Her name was Danielle and she had just battled ovarian cancer and it is currently in remission.  We prayed for her that it would continue to remain that way.  She was a believer and was impressed that we were praying for our campus.

The Seal

older pic not taken this week

Under a skeletal structure of a dome in the new garden is the school seal for Widener University.  The new tradition is that at Freshman Convocation every student is to walk under the dome and over the seal signifying their entrance into Widener.  At Graduation the students will walk the other way across the seal signifying their exit into the "real world".  Every student will walk across this seal at least once.  Sunday we had almost 30 people around this seal praying for every student that would cross it.  It was powerful and amazing.

Work Projects and Garden Camp 

This week was also our Garden Camp at the Foundry.  We ministered to about 10-15 kids all week. (not all of them showed up every day) CoB worked hard in the morning doing some yard work followed by a 2 hour camp in the evening.  The days I was not working I joined them in their process of work and I was with them every evening.  We taught the kids about vegetables, God's creation, several parables in the Bible and showed them the Love of God.  It was an exhausting week.
Below are a few pictures from the week of Garden Camp

 

 

 

It was a tough week.   I did not sit down and do my specific individual spiritual disciplines, but I ended up bringing people into the story with me so to speak.  These are my visual prayers.

God Bless the people of CoB.  
Let us continue our friendship and partnership with them and their ministry. 
Once again thank you for their help and their willingness to come join with us.
Thank you for a wonderful week at camp
Bless every child that came and may they come to know you as Lord, Savior, and Friend
Thank you for the ministry you allow me to have at Widener

When you see this seal pray for the
students at Widener University

Continue to bless the students and help me to reach them with the Gospel.
Help me to show them Your love and Grace.
And help me to be a better servant of yours. 
In Christ name 
Shalom
and
Amen 

Memories of Glorietta

(Thanks Brodie for posing for this one.)

So this week was national collegiate week at Glorietta, NM.  I must admit that I spent most of the week in some sort of spiritual reflection.  Be it solitary walks through the beautiful and serene woods surrounding the camp, or watching the sunrise while sitting by the "lake".  I was able to spend time in the prayer garden before others were out and about.  I even had some moments in worship, and learned some things in the breakout sessions.  It was all in all a very spirit filled week.  I think I have reflected, refracted, deflected, and projected in so many different ways.  Oh yeah I even had time to journal and sketch.  These were all amazing and intimate times with my God and my Savior.
There were some great sessions that taught me a lot about ministering to students.  One of the best was attended only by 3 of us and included a conversation about building leaders and perpetuating a ministry that could survive without an official campus minister.  It wasn't on the schedule and was kind of impromptu, and was held in our room, but I got a lot out of it. Maybe we should schedule that next year and invite others.

Glorietta is a beautiful place and I plan to return and possibly have a more intentional purpose to be there.  This year's purpose was to go and see.  Next year I may actually lead a break out session or two.  We will see what happens

As awesome as my time was on the campus, I'd like to tell a story that happened on Wednesday in Santa Fe.  It involves Beautiful music, theology, and a cup of coffee.

Brodie, Scott, Brian and I had traveled into Santa Fe, New Mexico with the illustrious Robert Turner as our leader and tour guide.  We were following faithfully and listening as attentively as possible to myriad of tales and stories related to this City in the Land of Enchantment.  Every step was lavishly and richly described in ways that belong to the distinctive style of Robert Turner. I saw many beautiful and colorful sights and was enraptured with trying to capture every one of them, and attempt to stay current with the conversation and connect the story to the images.

Eventually the leadership of Mr Turner was replaced with my camera.  I separated from the group and continued my own personal tour of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I saw many other creative and colorful sights  and was moved and inspired by many of them

 
   

Some are profoundly important while others simply appealed to my eyes and my other senses. My journey took me to many places in the City and I saw many things and may people.

 

 

And I took many photos...
Every turn I saw something new and exciting.
With all the pictures I took this next one is the most important.  And I will explain.  


At some point I decided it was time to return to my group and find the people with whom I came.  As I returned to the square that was our designated meeting place I heard a beautiful melody wafting through the air.  It had a serene and peaceful sound that carried with stories fom the ages.  The people seemed not to notice it or recognized it as they walked along the street.  I followed the sound and found a man standing in front of store playing a wooden native american flute.  He was a man who seemed young and old at the same time.  He wore a long white and gray beard, a short sleeved buttoned down shirt that was weathered and worn with time and lack of cleaning.  On his head was this unusual black hat that fit close to his skull.  I spoke to him about his flute and was led to leave some money in his cup that was beside him.  I stopped and listened to his music.  I convinced him to play me a song. As the song ended He began to tell his story of how he had traveled the world from Moscow to California and many places in between. He told me of his vision of the Great Spirit and how he cleaned up his life.  My new friend's name was Dennis.

Another friend I had made came and joined the conversation.  Unfortunately the conversation turned from a collaboration of theology to a forcing of Jesus down his throat.  I had felt the Spirit leading me to share the Gospel and I did in a way that continued the conversation.  My other friend decided to jump straight to the Jesus lines and the typical "You must understand religion and my Jesus my way now!" line of witnessing.  It was direct and confronting.  Soon the conversation became antagonistic and Dennis was becoming more defensive and angry.  I interjected as often as I could and finally asked Dennis, who let me know he was ultimately homeless, if there was anything I could do for him.  He said he needed caffeine and told me where a starbucks was.  I went to Starbucks and to buy him a large coffee.  As I was standing in line, I saw in my wallet a Starbucks gift card I had gotten from Brian Musser earlier that week with $.60 still on it.  I took the $20 bill in my hand I paid for his coffee and placed the change on the giftcard.  I returned to Dennis and gave him the coffee and the card and said "as God has given me  his grace upon grace, I give you this cup of coffe and this card to get more."  He was touched.  We left him to ponder that. He seemed slightly befuddled.  My prayer today is that he is confronted with the grace of Jesus everytime he drinks a cup of coffee.

Week One: Prayer Walker

First let me start off by saying that for some time I have been interested in some things concerning spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation.  One of the things I have attempted in the past to do was journalling however I have been unable to consistently keep track of my thoughts and spiritual journey.  Mostly because I was attempting to do it in a linear and traditional fashion.  You know just writing down my thoughts and disecting scripture and all of the traditional things that I thought journalling was about.  However I have always known that the traditional ways do not always suit me to a T.  I don't always do things the normal way.  In fact I sometimes find that boring.  Corrections I OFTEN FIND IT BORING, and contrary to popular belief.  I don't like being bored.  So I have been challenged to find new and creative ways to journal.  Hence this Blog.

One of my spiritual temperments is Sensate so I respond to aesthetics and imagery.  So this blog is going to be connected to another discipline-Prayer Walking.  God, my camera and I will be walking together once a week.  I will post at least one picture here to share with the world what I have encountered that week.

This week I was walking and praying for my campus. As I pass Campus Saftey officers I usually say hello and whisper a small prayer for them, but I felt led to stop and ask one officer if there was anything he would like me to pray for.  His name is Thomas Hightower.  Officer Hightower and I had quite a lengthy conversation about the spiritual nature of the students, the President of Widener and the school in general.  It impressed me that Officer Hightower was a believer who spent much of his time while he was patrolling the school praying for the students, Widener, and Chester.  We prayed together and continued our talk.  He told me about the building listed above and this blessed my heart.

Off in a corner of our campus is an elementary school, (pictured above).  If you haven't heard, Chester school district has been closing schools right and left due to budget cuts and other money issues.  This has been another mark on the reputation of Chester.  Widener University purchased the building that houses the school near campus in order to keep it open as a school.  Widener is deeply committed to its community and the people around the school.

Pray with me for Chester and the Young minds in their public schools,  Oh and pray for Officer Thomas Hightower that he may continue his strength and witness as a fellow worker for Christ.

Shalom

Oh yeah.  Here is a final parting shot of a rabbit who was gracious enough to help me find a good background for his picture.