Hall of Fame: Carl's Angels

You have probably seen the picture to your left before, and you will quite likely see it again.  It is one of my all-time favorites, featuring three of my all-time favorite people.  They were all such an important part of my FUMC-K group.  I could have shared other pictures of them, but this is the only one I have of all three, and the only picture of them in their Charlie's Angels pose.  And that is important- because this is the day that Carl's Angels make it to the Youth Group Hall of Fame! 

The Angel in front is the famous Chrissy Weaver, who you can read all about by clicking on her name, since she was already a featured character on this blog!  To the left is Lauren Carr (who had a birthday yesterday- Happy Birthday Lauren!), who came in with the first 6th grade group I had in Kissimmee along with Chrissy.  Lauren was a tiny, shy little thing at the time, but after suffering through The Giant Cookie Machine in Melbourne for her birthday (twice, I think) the shyness faded away a bit.  She was not as active in youth as the years went by, but that didn't change our relationship much at all.  I once told her that "youth pastors aren't supposed to have favorites- but we do, and YOU are!"  (I think I said similar things to all three of these young ladies.)  Amber Herrick was a year younger, but will always be connected in my mind to the class ahead of her.  She had many friends, but it was with Lauren and Chrissy that she had some of her greatest adventures at youth.  She was among the first to let me know when I was wrong, among the first to let me know that I was loved, and the very first to call me (with great love!) a JERK when I left!  She would also tell you that she was never an Angel; she was always a little demon!  These three girls meant the world to me.

I have already told many tales of them here- Lauren and the Frosty, Chrissy mooning people at Myrtle Beach, the night the 4 of us spent together hanging out at Friendly's, Amber punching Chrissy (and vice-versa!) at a Super Bowl Party (oops- don't guess I actually told that one yet...) - and there are so many more I could tell.  But I won't.  You see, one of the things most special about my relationships with each of these Angels is that they were among the first FUMC-K kids who trusted me enough to let me in to their lives.  So many of our stories will just remain our stories.   They didn't always like each other (providing more eveidence of the 3 Girls Rule I learned from Beth, Terri and Kathryn back in my New Garden days!) and they didn't always like me- but we never quit on each other.

I know that Amber and Lauren occasionally read this blog, and I know that they both have busy and productive lives.  I still have no idea where Chrissy is these days.  Sometimes it is difficult to express with words how much people mean to you.  It can all sound so empty when you see it in print.  I don't put people into this fictional Hall of Fame lightly.  It really means something to me.   Amber, Lauren and Chrissy are no different.  They were a huge part of my life, and I am glad to honor them today.  When I left FUMC-K Amber and Lauren gave me the keepsake you see here, so that I would never forget them- like there was any chance of that!  The puffy balls represent warm fuzzies, from a story I liked to tell about sharing love with one another- it was a very significant gift.  I look forward to the day when we can all cram into a booth at a Friendly's somewhere and catch up on life one more time.  There are new stories to tell and much to learn- plus I know you guys want to try and make me blush one more time...  I love you guys. Come back tomorrow and we will take a look at 10 of my all-time favorite youth group trips!

Because of Jesus,