Connections

Kelly, Wendy Mattocks and Jennifer- EPCOT, 1990

Happy Slurpee Day!  In this modern world of social media occasionally things happen that make me pause and go WOW!  Call it coincidence, happenstance or whatever you like, some days are just filled with technological wonders that bring old friends together.  Here is an example of what I mean...


This past weekend Kelly Allen Olmeda. a former student from Springfield Friends Meeting (where I served as youth pastor from 1986-1994) joined Twitter and followed me. As I said on Twitter yesterday, Kelly is one of my all-time favorites and is one of the funniest people I have ever known.  If you read this blog regularly you may recall the stories of her entertaining us for hours on the Floridays '90 trip to WDW with her tales of Lucretia Soul Disney Murphy Johnson and Tyrone Mouse. You might also recall her efforts at Myrtle Beach to count all of the "Na Nas" in the Journey song, Loving, Touching and Squeezing.  I also love reading her posts on my wife's Facebook.  Kelly still cracks me up. So it was a joy to have a new way of connecting with her.


One of Kelly's good friends and partners in crime in that student ministry was Jennifer Wood Jones.  Jennifer was an early inductee in to my Hall of Fame, famous for once beating a guy with a Bible (among other much more noble things!). Woodhead (as we all called her) seldom missed a meeting or an event, and Marilyn and I both thought the world of her.  We lost track of her when we moved away and she got married and had a child.  We have often thought about her and searched for her on Facebook, but never had any luck.  So imagine our surprise this weekend when her name popped up as having made a friend request! We were both thrilled!  We are looking forward renewing that connection, and I couldn't help but think of that picture at the top and think of how interesting it was that connections had popped up for Kelly and Woodhead on the same weekend.


Yesterday, I asked my followers to show Kelly some love on Twitter and follow her.  One of those who did was James (Jamie) Robinson, another Hall of Fame member from those days and another survivor of Floridays '90.  He was also the very man once beaten with a Bible by the aforementioned Jennifer Wood. :)   Again, I could not help but smile.


Monday evening my buddy Jeremy Godwin (yet another Hall of Fame member) sent me a text with prayer request. Jeremy is someone I came to know through our TNT ministry, and he was also on that 1990 Orlando trip. I am starting to detect a pattern...


One of our favorite songs to sing at TNT in those days was the old America song, Lonely People. As I scanned Facebook yesterday, I saw that my dear friend Marie Allen had posted a link to that song.  I was flooded with memories.  For those of you following along at home, Marie is Kelly's little sister, a regular reader of this blog and one of my best encouragers.  The connections continued...


Also yesterday, my old buddy,  new daddy and youth ministry hero Tim Vestal contacted me asking if I would mind if he resurrected the name TNT for a new outreach program he is planning for his current youth ministry.  I was honored and am glad that name will carry on its legacy among NC Quakers.  


It has been 18 years since I last served Springfield Friends Meeting, and yet the relationships formed in those days continue to bring light to my life.  The connections we make as part of the family of God may often lay dormant for a while, but they never really fade away.  As these connections have emerged over the past few days, I admit to having a swelling of pride that our TNT program had the impact that it did in that little community. I admit to loving the fact that is some small way I am still part of the lives of these students.  I admit to be being more than honored that Tim remembers my ministry fondly enough to want to use our name- a name used by many I am sure, but one that he connects to me.  I am not sure if God has a message for me by bringing all these folks up in my life at one time like this, or if it is just one of those things. In any case, I am left with a huge smile and a warm heart.  I am reminded of the old Michael W. Smith song that was popular during those days- "Pray for me and I'll pray for you. Pray that we will keep the common ground... and one day love will bring us back around...again." Love will indeed always bring us back to each other...and to Jesus.  I am so blessed to have so many amazing connections, past and present.  And if I hear from Wendy Mattocks (the other young woman in the picture at top) in the next few days, I will KNOW something is up! 


Because of Jesus,