Sometimes you laugh

Most of the time I feel pretty lucky to be able to work in youth ministry.
Tonight would be one of those times. Working with middle schoolers can be kind of like working in a barrel of monkeys (I guess...since I've never really been in a barrel of monkeys.)

A group of 8th graders had come to the church to practice for an event called "The Living Stations of the Cross", a beautiful and prayerful presentation.
When they were gathered and we were headed up into the body of the church they asked if they could ride the elevator. I told them they could ride up, one time. I decided to walk the short flight of stairs.

As they were headed up I heard one of the boys say, "One, two, three...Jump!" And it sounded like they did.

About that time the elevator reached its destination - and everything stopped. The doors wouldn't open, they couldn't make it move, they were stuck.

The ensuing conversations included things like:
Kelly - Is there enough air in here, are we going to suffocate?
Fletcher - Look at the vents, you dummy.
Danny - If we fall we'll fall three floors and die.

Then there was conversation about Transformers getting stuck in an elevator, and if they did they could change into something and get out and, "Danny, don't jump anymore!", etc. etc.

In the end, they were rescued, nobody fell, nobody died, nobody transformed. When the doors opened they practically spilled out as if they had been poured.

And then, bless their hearts, they got down to work.

Youth ministry, it's the best!

"In my own backyard..."

"The experience of being in the garden is what preoccupies me, for I think that in and around and underneath all the decisions we make about shaping and planting, the most important part of what a garden does lies in the mysterious, subtle, nearly ineffable but heartfelt ways it stirs you to the depths of your soul. That is the magic of gardening. It is only when you are open-hearted in the garden that it can begin to show you what you need to do to take care of it. And what it can do for you. The trick, of course, is how to make the connection."
-from The Paths of Desire - The Passions of an Urban Gardener by Dominique Brown

"In my own backyard, there's no distance between me and my heart."
-a snippet of a song heard on NPR

Here it is Lent, and we set out images of deserts, broken pottery, bare branches...and the earth sings "Alleluia!"

Thich Nhat Hanh, Ceasar Milan and Skeeter

I’ve been thinking a lot about energy lately. Not the energy from a light switch, or the energy that costs us $2.58/gallon - but the energy that is inside us. How much, I’ve wondered, does that energy affect what goes on around us. Can my negative energy affect people around me, can it not only wear me out, can it also stop good things from happening, from coming other places?
And an unusual trinity of teachers have emerged:

Thich Nhat Hanh says,
"My dear friends, we have several kinds of energies within ourselves. There are positive energies that we should cultivate, and there are negative energies that we should be able to transform.", and
"We know that in our bodies and our consciousness there are positive elements that we can call on for help. We have to mobilize these positive elements to protect ourselves and to take good care of the negative things that are manifesting in us."
He talks a lot about the energy within.

Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, also talks about energy. He says he "rehabilitates dogs and trains people". He is also a keen observer of the people he is called on to help. As they’re telling him about their problem dog, he is not only listening to their words- he "listens" to their body language, to the message behind the words. He makes observations to them about what they might be carrying inside and how that translates to their behavior with their dog. Things that have nothing to do, at first glance, with a dog.. He challenges them to tap into that part of themselves that is calm, that part that may be lost in the shuffle of everyday life. And amazing things happen. On one of his shows he said he believes that no dog comes into your life by accident, your dog has something to teach that you need to learn.

So, enter Skeeter, our little rescue, terrier-mix. She, of course, does not talk about energy - she is energy- and barking and pulling on the leash and merrily leading the way on a walk even though she has no clue where we’re going. For a mere twenty pounds she is surprisingly strong.
She had become so loud and so obnoxious to walk that I was about ready to give up walking her.

Then, the mix of Thich Nhat Hanh and Ceaser Milan happened. After a Friday night show I wondered if it was possible to find that calm energy in myself and make it possible for Skeeter to walk without being a neon sign of noise.

Leash the dogs, bundle up...and stop. Breathe, be calm. Instead of letting the dogs charge out the door ahead of me I made them wait by the open door until they were quiet.

Then we started. I concentrated, I hunted, I searched for that place inside of me that might be peaceful. And......I relaxed....a bit. Instead of letting the dogs set a frenetic walking pace, I slowed us down.

And, three times on the walk, Skeeter’s leash was limp. I looked to see if I had lost her! She wasn’t the obedience queen, but she was quieter and didn’t pull all the time.

It wasn’t rocket science, it won’t bring world peace or feed all the hungry, but I felt exhilerated!
There is a place inside of me-inside of all of us-I believe, where peace exists. It gets buried by worry, grief and busy-ness. It gets lost. I can’t always find it, but I can’t see the wind either.

It’s worth knowing it’s there.

a whole new world

Well, this is a whole new world for me. And I'm thinking it's kind of nice if you happen to be the least bit introverted - gives you a chance to think and practice before the words get away from you.
Why "wonder and awe"? In reaction to things like our president's naming of the events that started this current war, the "shock and awe" wave of terror. As if being able to destroy and intimidate are the things we want to hold up as important to our children.
This is my little bit of protest and a chance to add instead one small view of looking at the world with the gift of wonder and awe.