Let It Shine

Every now and then the lyrics to an old familiar song jump off of my iPod and smack me upside the head, bringing some clarity to feelings or thoughts I might be struggling with at any given time. Yesterday featured one of those moments. The song was There's A Place In the World For A Gambler by my old favorite Dan Fogelberg, and these were the words that hit home. No further explanation is needed.

There's a light in the depths of your darkness,

There's a calm at the eye of every storm.

There's a light in the depths of your darkness...

Let it shine, oh let it shine!

Now if only I can heed Dan's advice...

Stars

The music of the late Dan Fogelberg has had a profound influence on my life. A classic 1970's singer/songwriter, Dan's music spoke to my heart from the very first moment I encountered it, when Paula Teague and friends used his brilliant song To the Morning in the first Quaker Lake Camp slide show in 1976 or '77. His music became a staple around camp- especially the Crafts Hut- and was used numerous times for devotions and in slide shows over the next 8 years or so. I purchased all of his albums and saw him in concert 3 times before his death from prostate cancer in 2007. His song Along the Road was featured in the first post on this blog; his lyrics have been used in many other posts along the way. But more than that, Dan's lyrics reside deep in my heart, and on many occasions I find myself turning to his words for consolation, comfort, encouragement and peace. That is still true today.

Dan's music is seldom heard anymore on radio or in movies. His mellow style and comforting voice once caused one of my 1990's Kissimmee students to refer to him as "Dan Fogelfart." Even if you are an old-timer like me, you may not know many of his songs. Songs like Same Old Lang Syne, Part of the Plan, Leader of the Band, Place In the World For A Gambler, Missing You, Language of Love and Power of Love were hits in their day, but few remember them. His great love song Longer is still a favorite at weddings. But for me, the true greatness of Fogelberg is found in listening to entire albums, not singles. Great hidden gems like Wishing On the Moon, Morning Sky, Souvenirs/The Long Way, Once Upon A Time, Stolen Moments, Scarecrow's Dream, Ghosts and Lessons Learned are deep cuts that are among my favorite songs from any artist. And then there is Stars.

The second cut on his 1972 debut album Home Free (right after To the Morning), Stars is a love song- but it is anything but typical. The lyrics capture those moments so many of us have felt in the reality of romance, somewhere between "She loves me yeah, yeah,yeah" and "She ripped my heart out and stomped that sucker flat!" The reality that everything you feel is honest and true and seems to be the most important thing in your life, and yet the other person just does not feel that way...at all. It is a song about how love can be both "true" and unrequited all at the same time. Love can be one-sided and still be authentic and overwhelming. Which, as Dan notes, makes it almost impossible to give up on. How can that kind of love not be shared, not be mutual? It is a question most young people get to ask over and over again in life. Stars is about that kind of love, about that kind of obsession. And for me, it is simply haunting. Sure, it's been a few years since anyone could spend a dime to make a phone call. But many of us know the feeling of trying catch a falling star with some grand romantic gesture...and having that star fall right on top of us. The lyrics hold up so well. Read them. Listen to the song once or twice. And then try to get it out of your head. I dare ya...

Stood out in the rain

Let it soak me down

Before I called you, I called you

Didn't see me there

Hidden by the rain

Beneath your window, but I saw you

Putting on your face

Before the mirror on the wall

Dreaming that the looking glass was me

Catching your fondest gazes

Living through your fickle phases

I love you

And it's getting easier each day

To weep about you

Harder every night to sleep without you

How many years must I be driven

By this dream of love with you?

Spend my dimes on phones

Trying just to talk

But you don't answer, you let it ring

Spend my nights alone

Catching falling stars to give to you love

They're just for you

For stars fall every time

A lover has to face the truth

And far too many stars have fell on me

And as they trail the skies

And burn their paths upon my eyes

I cry

And it's getting easier each day

To weep about you

Harder every night to sleep without you

How many years must I be driven

By this dream of love with you?

With you

With you

Thanks Dan, for writing songs that make the things we feel seem normal- even when they are not. Most love songs strive to make us wish upon a star. You remind us, to quote another of your songs, that sometimes we have to "Wish upon the moon tonight; there's not a lucky star in sight..."  

Happy Hump Day, my friends!

Along the #NarrowRoad

It has been written here and many other places that one of the great lies of the Prosperity Gospel is that if you follow Jesus and walk the #NarrowRoad then life will be all rainbows and unicorns. You will be blessed with wealth, health and fame. There will be no suffering and sorrow. The preachers and churches who pedal such crap attempt to sell life with Jesus here on earth as if it were a preview of Heaven. It's not. We do not live our lives in the paradise that once was (the Garden of Eden) or in the paradise the someday will be. We live in the real world- and in the real world, sh*t happens. Even when Jesus is walking with us. This is a concept that should require no biblical proof-texting. The Messiah said it plain and simple- "In this world you will have troubles..."

The very first post ever made to this blog quoted the late Dan Fogelberg's wonderful song Along the Road. I share those words again today:

Joy at the the start, fear in the journey, 

Joy in the coming home

A part of the heart gets lost in the learning

Somewhere along the road

For me, there is no better description of the #NarrowRoad. I write today with my eyes still watering every time I think about the passing of my beloved dog Conner this past Sunday. I pray daily for friends who are suffering with disease and heartache, and a part of that prayer is often "Why, God?" There is great joy in our friendships, and great fear and sorrow in their pain. Feeling those things is not a lack of faith, it is a human reaction to the human condition. Following Jesus does not and should not anesthetize us into some sort of zombies for Christ. We are emotional beings, and we were created that way by God. If you know any scripture at all, then chances are good that you know that "Jesus wept." And so do we.

So if walking the #NarrowRoad doesn't provide us fame, fortune, health and constant happiness, then why bother with it? Are we just trying to insure our spot in Heaven, or is there a more concrete earthly reason why life is better when spent with Jesus? I believe there is- and I believe that reason is HOPE. This life is still filled with potholes, but Christ-followers walk in hope with the knowledge that we never face them alone. Dan wrote that "moments of rest and glimpses of laughter are treasured along the road." Even when there is pain, there can be peace. Even when there is loss, there is still hope. Those are the secrets of the #NarrowRoad.

So today you have homework. Take 4 minutes out of your schedule and watch the video below. Enjoy the beauty of the pictures, but don't get lost in them. Get lost in the lyrics. Think about your own journey as you hear Dan sing about the trail. And know this- no matter where you may wander, Jesus is always there to "level and light your way." You want to know the real Prosperity Gospel? God's love NEVER fails us- even when we hurt. Have a blessed day, and enjoy the journey.

Along the Road

I have written often in this space about journeys. I have talked about life as a journey.  I have suggested that following Jesus is a spiritual journey.  I have shared my feeling that life is often not about the destination, but about the journey.  There is joy is the journey.  There was a decent rock band named Journey. I believe in the metaphor of the journey.  

But in recent days, "journey" seems like much too calm a word to describe my life.  It feels more like a Griswold family vacation than a simple journey. Sometimes the road we travel makes very little sense.  Today I'd like to share a personal story with you about a family trip from nearly 40 years ago that reminds me that such vacations do not not always bring joy. Or even sanity.

By the summer of 1976 my father (who was known for such things) had adopted a new personal passion- white water canoeing!  He had even built hi sown "rag bottom" canoe from a kit.  As part of this obsession, he had designed a family trip that would take us on a cross country drive from Greensboro, NC to the Buffalo River in Arkansas.  My mother and I were less than thrilled, but Dad was so excited that we got on board.  We traveled with another family that Dad knew from his work with the Boy Scouts.  We had almost nothing in common with these folks, and having them on the trip turned out to be...interesting.  To say the least.  But off we went, two families pulling small camper with canoes and kayaks on top.  We were told the trip would be exciting and the Buffalo River beautiful and epic.  I guess it was all in your perspective...  

Among the events of that trip (there are far too many to mention them all) that are still lodged in my memory are driving an hour out of the way to visit Sam Houston's School House. This turned out to be a one room building with a window you could look in where young Sammy had once been a student.  Thrilling!  There was the night we camped just to the west of the Mississippi River, and as we lay in our our little Scotty camper I could hear mosquitoes buzzing like B52 bombers all around my head.  I swatted as fast as I could but simply couldn't keep up.  For the only time I can remember, my parents actually moved us to a motel for the night.  When we examined the camper the next morning, there were monster blood stains all over the walls where we had killed mosquitoes. It was horrifying! 

But all of that paled in comparison to the experience of actually trying to canoe the Buffalo River. It was scenic...I think. But I don't really recall, because what I remember most clearly is that the river had no water in it.  Arkansas was in the midst of a drought, and the river had simply dried up.  For the better part of 8 hours, in 95 degree heat, we CARRIED our boats down that river bed. We got to canoe in certain places, but for the most part, my dad and I and the other man and his son were merely glorified pack mules.  And the other son...whined and complained and cried and moaned the entire time.  It was awful.  My family had a lot of wonderful family vacations.  This one- my last big one with my parents before leaving high school- does not make that list.  We couldn't wait to just go home.  And we did.  But not before a part of our joy, a part of our family bond...died.  The trip would later be something we could look back on and laugh about.  But that took the passage of time.

Like that trip or the Griswold's pilgrimage to Wally World, family vacations often come with frustration, pain, confusion and anger.  So does life.  My life is full of great joy and many blessings.  But sometimes...especially lately...it feels like I keep reaching places where the Buffalo River is dry and Wally World is closed.  It hurts.  And I struggle with my faith. Many of you have noticed a dip in my spirits and my normally positive attitude.  And I have felt and appreciated your love.

I began this blog in 2009 with words from the late singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg's song, Along the Road. At this point in the journey I turn to that song once again, although sharing different lyrics...

Joy at the start, fear in the journey

Joy in the coming home

A part of the heart gets lost in the learning

Somewhere along the road...

Part of my heart is lost right now, and I am still "learning" how to deal with it.  It is not any one thing- my trip is just encountering a few too many school houses and mosquitoes these days.  I am mostly healthy, I have wonderful friends and family around me, and I know that God is faithful. I believe that all things will be made new again- including me.  But in the meantime, my heart is hurting. I am not sure where my journey will take me next. This may well be my final blog post for a while as I sort out my thoughts.  I pray that God will make clear a path, and that I will have the faith, fortitude and wisdom to follow His leadings. My destination is secure, and I know there will be "joy in the coming home." I ask for your prayers, and I covet your support. 

Because of Jesus,

A New Day

I was awake at 4:17 AM today.  As I sat in my recliner reflecting on life and the day ahead, I must admit some of my thoughts were less than positive.  There was a wistful longing for the past. There was a dread of the future.  There were feelings of loneliness. I really just wanted to go back to sleep and skip Friday.

But as I sat there, two quotes came to my mind that helped me focus on what is real in my life and on the truth of each new day.  The first was from the late songwriter Dan Fogelberg and his brilliant song To the Morning:

"And it's going to be a day

there is really no way to say no to the morning.

Yes, it's going to be a day

there is really nothing left to say

but come on morning."

The second comes from Psalms 118:24:

"This is the day that the LORD has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

So I think I will go ahead and have a Friday.  My prayer for today is this- LORD, I only want to say that I love you and I pray for you to make each new day a better day. In every way.  Amen & Amen!

Because of Jesus,

1000 Days

Today is my 1000th consecutive day of posting on this site.  1000 days is a long time, and a milestone I never expected to reach.  Readers like YOU are what has made this worthwhile for me, and I wanted to take this chance to thank you all, and to share these thoughts...

On August 26, 2009, I decided to start a blog.  The decision was not inspired by any awesome revelation from God, or by any encouragement from family and friends.  It was inspired by a viewing of the movie Julie & Julia with my wife.  After seeing the impact blogging had on the life of the Julia character (a true story, by the way) I decided that perhaps it was time for me to get busy with making something of the rest of my life- and a blog seemed like a good place to start.  Who knew that Amy Adams would change my life?!   By August of 2009, it had been over 2 years since my life had fallen apart and I had ceased to be a youth pastor.  I had spent a lot of that time secluded, afraid of how old friends and former students would react to the things I had done. It was becoming clear to me that I needed to forgive myself (which is still an ongoing struggle), to let go of my past and see what God had in store for my future.  I felt like it was time to tell my story and face whatever lay in front of me.  And that is what I have attempted to do for these past 1000 days.


In the beginning, my modest goal was to blog every day for one year.  I just wanted to tell stories about the people and places who had made my life so special.  I wanted to tell the stories of faith that made me who I am.  I wanted to tell the stories of my failures.  And I have done all of that.  In the process, I discovered a whole new ministry of encouragement with friends old and new.  God has used the blog to renew my soul and my spirit, to reconnect me with people I love, and to get me back in the game of life in big way.  It has been more than I could have ever hoped for.  I have written about spiritual things, humorous things, old friends, youth ministry, movies, baseball and so much more. I have built my own Youth Group Hall of Fame. I have learned just how precious and valuable a comment is, a fact which prompted to me start #CommentDay. There have been over 30 guest posts and more than a few rants.  I have shared the stories of some great triumphs, and of my own personal abject failure.  But right from the very beginning, my great hope was that these posts would, in their own ways, always point to Jesus.  I am so blessed to have had so many of you share in this journey, and I would love to hear your thoughts on your favorite moments from these first 1006 posts and first 1000 days.  To close, I would like to share a few excerpts from the very first post. It reminds me of where I came from, and excites me about where I hope we are going.  That first post was called So Here's the Deal...


Walt Disney once famously said about the company that bears his name "never forget that it all started with a mouse." The life/ministry story that will be shared through this blog, that of Carl Jones, might be summed up by saying it all ended with a mouse- and a keyboard. But life, and faith, are not about the destination. They are all about the journey. And the journey can be very messy. There are roadblocks and detours, and bridges that wash out along the way. Everyone has struggles and failures. The late Dan Fogelberg wrote:

"Along the road your steps may stumble

Your thoughts may start to stray

But through it all a heart held humble

Levels and lights your way..."

For those of us seeking to be disciples of Jesus, the Christ, this is particularly clear when we look at the lives of the disciples. They often stumbled. They seldom knew what Jesus was talking about. And they sinned, despite walking daily with the Son of God. But they persevered, and in the end they changed the world in the name of Jesus. And thus it has been for me. My life had been filled with enormous successes and happiness as well as miserable failure. But through it all, the light of Christ has illuminated the path.

So I begin this story by telling you that I am secure in my destination. I know that I know that I know that through grace I have been saved. This blog will be about the journey. It's about finding joy in the journey, and understanding how God works among us. And most importantly, it's about how the overwhelming, ridiculous grace of Jesus Christ is available to even the chief of sinners like me. The stories I will share here are true.  I hope they will make you think and make you smile, for many of them are humorous.  After all, no matter how you look at it, life is funny.  I mean I'd laugh- but all this happened to me!


Yesterday I read somethings that really resonated with me, and I will close with it: "When you stumble, just make it a part of the dance."  I have often stumbled over the past 1000 days, but I have loved doing the dance.  Thanks for dancing with me.  May we always allow the LORD of the Dance to lead us...


Because of Jesus,

Happy 2nd Birthday, Blog!

"You, with the past at your back and the future unsure

asked for the chance to try love once more.

Well aware of the consequences should your dreams fall through

You threw down your last defenses wanting to try something new..." 

- Lessons Learned   (Dan Fogelberg)

On August 26, 2009 I gave birth to a blog.  At the time I had spent the better part of two years off the grid, completely out of touch with the many friends I had made over my previous 49 years of life.  We had only just begun to reconnect through Marilyn's Facebook page.  I began writing as a way of expressing my appreciation for the great times we had shared over those years, but with the expectation that few would ever read those stories.  Soon after, I discovered that people were reading (and even enjoying) the old stories - even people who knew my story of sin and failure that ended my days in youth ministry.  The song lyric at the top kept coming to mind as I wrote each day.  I was hoping to reconnect with old friends and "try love once more."  And I was well aware of what the consequences could be if those old friends no longer had a place in their hearts for me...

Now it's two years later, and I can safely say that this blog has been a blessing from God in my life.  The discipline and commitment of writing every day for what is now 731 consecutive days has given me new life, new energy and new friends- and I am so thankful for all of that.  Along the way I have learned a few things, and I thought to celebrate this "blogiversary" I would share a few of those lessons with you.  Here we go...

1. I had always heard it said that optimists see life's glass as half full, while pessimists see it as half empty.  Over the past few years I have learned that followers of Jesus understand that the glass comes with free refills!  No matter who you are or what you have done, because of grace there is always more!
2. People like to read their own names here.  My Saturday Shout Outs are quite often my most visited posts, and I think it's because of all the names.  Every now and then people get excited about seeing a picture of themselves as well.  To see LOTS of pictures from all my years in student ministry click here to watch The Great Adventure slideshow.
3. Every post (like this one) seems better when I quote either Rich Mullins or Dan Fogelberg.  In fact,  I quoted Dan in my very first post, as well as one year ago on this blog's first birthday!
4. A few people like to leave comments- most do not.  My favorite example was a post I made earlier this year that received 341 hits in a 24 hour period and got no comments.  You get used to it, but I have to tell you- nothing brings a smile to a blog writers face faster than a comment.  Just so you know....
5. My lovely wife Marilyn did a Facebook survey a couple of nights ago asking which of her "friends" had ever read this blog.  Not only were we surprised by some of the names who responded, we were excited by the diversity.  There were people from my Quaker Lake days, New Garden Friends Meeting, Springfield Friends Meeting, FUMC-Kissimmee, Wesley Memorial UMC and even Trinity UMC of Waycross.  To my knowledge, no one from the Union Church of Hinsdale has ever read my blog.  :)
6. It has been said that Facebook is often a place where you are friends with people you know and never really liked, while Twitter is a place where you really like people you have never met. I can't speak about Facebook, but I do know that the love and support I have been given from my Twitter followers have kept me energized during the past year, and I thank all of them for that.  New inspiration is always good.  And I really hope we can fix that "never met" problem some day soon...
7. When I wrote my personal confession and about the circumstances that ended my ministry and changed my life forever a few months back, I had no idea what the response would be.  What I discovered is that I have the best friends anyone could ever have, and that they still loved me despite myself.  When most of the world was shooting at me, you guys joined me in the foxhole, and I will never forget that.  If you are still reading this blog today while knowing everything about me, then you are a living, breathing example of grace, and I am blessed to have you in my life.  Thank you.

So Happy Birthday, blog!  I don't know exactly where we will go from here, but I do know that this has been an important part of my life and an exciting new beginning.  I can't wait to see where Jesus takes me next...

Because of Jesus,

Happy Father's Day!

"My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man.  I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band."  -Dan Fogelberg, Leader of the Band.

My two favorite guys- my now 15 year old son Will and my dad, Bill - at their favorite place; Walt Disney World.  I am so thankful for my son, who is at his grandmother's house this week.  And I was so blessed by my amazing father, who passed away in 2006.  My thoughts and memories of the two of them make Father's Day one of the best days of the year.  I thank my Heavenly Father every day for placing them in my life.  Have a wonderful day of celebrating your dad!


Because of Jesus,

Hard Days

It seems like several times a year I have to do things that remind me how much my life has changed in the past four years.  Every now and then all of the reminiscing I do as I write this blog slaps me and reminds me of why I am writing a blog instead of still doing ministry in a church.  I am reminded of my own past sins and failures.  I look at pictures, books, my guitar and other reminders of days gone by- and I am saddened.  I try to spend those days in prayer and focusing on the amazing grace that rescued me and brought me to this place. But sometimes the past is a ghost that cannot be so easily swept away.  Those are very hard days- and today is one of them.  And it's a Monday.  Instead of moping, I will leave you with some lyrics from the late Dan Fogelberg's 1974 song Souvenirs.  The song is actually about surviving memories of lost love.  For me, student ministry is just that- a lost love.  And as wonderful as my 28 years of memories are, the loss still hurts. But God is still in His heaven and Jesus is still LORD, and this day will pass.  I'll be back tomorrow with some more memories of the tremendous blessings I have received in my life.  Have a blessed day, and never take anything or anyone for granted...

And down in the canyon

The smoke starts to rise.

It rides on the wind

Till it reaches your eyes.

When faced with the past

The strongest man cries...cries.

And here is a sunrise

To set on your sill.

The ghosts of the dawn

Moving near.

They pass through your sorrow

And leave you quite still...

Sitting among souvenirs.

Because of Jesus,

Lessons Learned

The late Dan Fogelberg had an obscure song on his Netherlands album called Lessons Learned (FYI- this is my 80th day of blogging and my fourth Fogelberg reference.  I must be on pace to set some sort of record!). I always loved the album and the song, especially the chorus:

Lessons learned are like bridges burned,

 you only need to cross them but once

Is the knowledge gained worth the price of the pain?

Are the spoils worth the cost of the hunt?

Looking back, my nine months in New England were all about learning lessons.  I learned that theological labels can be be very misleading.  Working at New Garden Friends had made me somewhat of a liberal outcast in NC Yearly Meeting in the early '80's.  My faith in Jesus Christ made me a raging evangelical in New England.  Having been seen as part of both extremes, I saw how much damage could come from labeling, and I would try to avoid doing it to others.  I learned that I didn't know anywhere near as much as I thought I did.  My knowledge of youth ministry was superior to most, but I had so much to learn about the church and about Quakerism and about people.  Learning how much you have to learn is a valuable lesson indeed.  I learned that I was not as independent as I thought I was.  I needed friends and family around me.  At the same time, I learned that without friends to lean on, I could always depend on God.  My faith had deepened a good bit in a short amount of time.  Professionally, I now understood that working in the Yearly Meeting office- any Yearly Meeting office- was not for me!  I needed a church family and a group of students whose lives I could be involved in on a regular basis.  I had been called to ministry, not to administration, and I needed to return to a local church- and now I was.

The most important thing I learned, however, is that God uses us in failure as often as He does in success.  Leaving after only nine months without having made any major impact made me feel like I had failed God.  Hindsight enables me to see that I was there to be a John the Baptist type- God brought me to NEYM to prepare the way for Chris Jorgensen (in picture with Tim Harding, modeling the latest in Lady Liberty wear!).  Chris did indeed get the job after I left, and served for a number of years making a huge difference in the lives of youth all over New England.  So the answer to Fogelberg's question is yes.  The knowledge gained IS worth the price of the pain, especially when Jesus is doing the teaching!

I headed out of Massachusetts a week before my wedding, still not having resigned, but ready to take the position at Springfield Friends Meeting.  Marilyn and I had lots of decisions to make- but first, it was time for a wedding!

Because of Jesus,

Random Ramblings and Flashbacks

Greetings! Today I present to you a list of random flashbacks from my years at Quaker Lake Camp. I turn 50 next Tuesday, so I cannot be held responsible for any errors or opinions expressed below. :)

· This picture is from 1988 when I was volunteering as Camp Pastor. I am front right; with me are Jennifer Bills, Beth Phillips Massey, Scott Smith, Jason Dewar, Jay Wilkins, Anita Swaim, Rebecca Howard Jackson and lots more of my favorite people!
· When I first attended camp in 1973, there was no pool, no Jericho Road, no Rappelling Tree, no Crafts Hut (just the Quonset Hut), no paved basketball court and no Crafts and Special Activities Director. They were all there 10 years later, my last summer on staff. Thanks Neal.
· I was the first Crafts and Special Activities Director in 1983.
· One of the assistant cooks in the mid-70’s, Vickie (her last name eludes me), was a vegetarian. One night each week we had either vegetarian lasagna (excellent) or spaghetti (BEANS=YUCK!). 
· When you played basketball with Mike Wall and Wallace Sills you were taking your life in your hands.
· Neal Thomas used to like to hide on the roof of the lodge and pour water on people as they came out the back door to the kitchen- I have pictures somewhere of him getting Gail Steelman and Susan McBane.
· David Fields and Paul Routh were both in my cabin as very young campers. Between the 3 of us we have spent at least one full lifetime at QLC!
· We once sent a staffer the emergency room with a sprained ankle and an insurance form. The form asked how the injury had occurred, and the answer was “injured while being stuffed in the pot sink.”
· Assistant Cooks didn’t last very long in those days.
· My first year as a camper, Team Competition included individual sports like tether ball, ping pong (single and doubles) and badminton (singles and doubles). I still have my blue ribbon for going undefeated in singles badminton.
· Heather Beggs Varner was once on a team called “The Boogers”- and she was chief booger!
· My first counselor was Richard Shimaka, a Guilford student from Kenya.
· The most famous QLC ghost stories were Red Eye Dick, The Quaker Lake Hand, and Nancy Nurse. And no one ever told them better than Ricky Sessoms…
· The only bad part of being Crafts and Special Activities Director my last summer was that I had to play on the hated staff team in the Staff vs. Counselors volleyball game every Friday night.
· Room #2 in the lodge was nicknamed The Ghetto during the years Alan Brown and I used it as our home base.
· The skit where God interrupts a person praying the Lord’s Prayer and talks them through it has been done at Vespers since the dawn of time, along with The Giving Tree and Barrington Bunny.
· The late Doug Morse, who volunteered for years at Senior High Camp, loved to ring the bell every morning. He often would ring it 100 times or more. Several mornings he was almost the only volunteer ever assassinated by the staff.
· The softball field was nice, but nothing was better than seeing everyone’s candles floating on the lake after the Campfire Circle.
· Alice Carrol wrote a lullaby she used to sing around the campfire in 1978. I can still play and sing it.
· The greatest song ever used in a Quaker Lake slide show was Dan Fogelberg's To the Morning, which Paula Teague used in 1976. Unless memory fails me, she recorded that soundtrack on an eight track tape. Go listen to that song, think about QLC, and tell me I am wrong...
· Marshmallows, which can be so good on s'mores, are instruments of Satan in the hands of 4th and 5th grade campers on campouts.
· Lifeguards used to wash all the dishes. They needed something to do while the counselors were doing the REAL work…
· Jay Osborne once dropped guitar off the roof of the lodge. I just can’t bring that up often enough!
· Mark Farlow built campfires so big airplanes used them as landing lights.
*Some of the best meals I ever had in my life were potluck dinners served in small Friends Meetings after the staff would sing on Sundays at worship.
· Secret Documents was a game I brought to camp in 1983. We used to play it growing up at New Garden. The game most of you know as Secret Documents has almost nothing in common with the original version.
· Some of my favorite memories are of washing dishes and singing in the kitchen with Martha Farlow.
· I saw all 3 of the original Star Wars movies with QLC staffers on Saturday nights in 1977, 1980 and 1983.
· The first ever Senior High Camp Banquet was in 1983, it was a Luau, and it rocked!
· QLC once owned an Earth Ball– until it crushed some campers.
· By my estimate, around 25 of my former youth went on to work summer staff at Quaker Lake. This ranges from Ron Osborne, Glenna Osborne, Belinda Marley and Timothy Marley from my very first group at Centre Friends to Jill Gilbreth, Ashley Goad, Mandy Beggs and David Mercadante who all worked camp well after I left Springfield. I take none of the credit and none of the blame for anyone who falls into this category!
· In 1983 we had the first (and as far I know only!) Mr. & Ms. Quaker Lake Pageant during Sr. High Camp. One of the female contestants (I know who, but I'm not saying!) came out in a bikini, with her body fully oiled, and the the pageant came to a stop. This was one of the times I almost lost my job...
· The second greatest song ever used in a slide show was Orleans’ Still the One, used in a montage of past counselors in 1983. Gave me chills every time I saw it.
· How many people remember what a slide was? On the evolutionary scale of picture presentation, slides were somewhere between filmstrips and Powerpoint.
· Terry Venable and Leigh Ann Everhart came to my house after they got engaged, hoping I would notice the ring. I did not. They had to tell me.
· One summer the lake turned red. I kid you not…
· Homemade Orange Sherbet always rocked my world.
· I will never, ever, ever drink red kool-aid again!
· Did I mention that Jay Osborne let my guitar slide off the roof of the lodge?
So there you have it. Flashbacks are a wonderful thing, and the memories are even better!
Until tomorrow...

The Leader of the Band

Today would have been my Dad's 75th birthday. Not a day goes by that Marilyn, Will and I don't miss him and think of him. Anyone who ever knew Bill Jones has great memories and stories of him, and so many shared those stories at his memorial service. He was a wonderful father, husband, coach, boss and friend...and he was a GREAT grandfather to Will. There are so many stories I could fill this space with today, but the one I want to tell you is about Bernard Hughes.

In the early to mid 1970's my Dad was coaching little league football for the Guilford College Steelers. It was late one summer, and teams were organizing and he was out looking for players, ages 8-10. As he drove through a very rough area of our community he spotted a couple of kids tossing a football around, so he stopped and asked them how old they were and if they would like to play for his team. One kid in particular was very excited. His name was Bernard Hughes. After some searching, Dad found Bernard's mom and asked her if it would be OK for Bernard to play football. She said yes, and signed the release to let him play. We never saw her again. Dad quickly discovered that Bernard had nothing. Dad would pick him up everyday and take him to practice, and then take him home at night. Bernard had no decent shoes, so Dad bought him football cleats. We soon found that Bernard was a natural football player who could run like the wind. But he didn't know his left from his right, so Dad taped "L" and "R" on his respective feet so he would know which way to run. He wound up being a pretty good player for the team.
Bernard started coming by our house and hanging out, usually so he could get something to eat. Dad would give him things to do and feed him. One Thanksgiving, Bernard came by and helped us pick up leaves in the yard, and Mom invited him to stay for dinner. You have never seen anyone enjoy a meal more. Bernard became part of the family, until one day he just disappeared. His mom moved and took Bernard with her, and we never even knew where they went. There were other Bernards as the years went by, but he is the one I remember best.

Jesus said in Matthew 25 that they way we treat the least important people in the world is the way we treat Him. My Dad was not much of a church-goer for the last 35 years of his life, but he understood Jesus. It never occured to him to treat Bernard, a poor black kid from the projects, with anything but love and respect. It never occured to him to treat anyone with anything but love and respect, and that is why everyone who knew my Dad was touched by him.

So today, even more that usual, I miss him. And though I continue to fall short, I want to live life with the same joy and love that he did. To borrow from the late Dan Fogelberg (again!): "My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man. I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band." May Jesus use us to touch all the Bernards of the world in His name.

Because of Jesus,

So here's the deal...

Walt Disney once famously said about the company that bears his name "never forget that it all started with a mouse." The life/ministry story that you will share through this blog, that of Carl Jones, might be summed up by saying it all ended with a mouse- and a keyboard. But life, and faith, are not about the destination. They are all about the journey. And the journey can be very messy. There are roadblocks and detours, and bridges that wash out along the way. Everyone has struggles and failures. The late Dan Fogelberg wrote:

"Along the road your steps may stumble

Your thoughts may start to stray

But through it all a heart held humble

Levels and lights your way..."

For those of us seeking to be disciples of Jesus, the Christ, this is particularly clear when we look at the lives of the disciples. They often stumbled. They seldom knew what Jesus was talking about. And they sinned, despite walking daily with the Son of God. But they persevered, and in the end they changed the world in the name of Jesus. And thus it has been for me. My life had been filled with enormous successes and happiness as well as miserable failure. But through it all, the light of Christ has illuminated the path.

For 28 years I told students in my youth ministries that there are only 3 things in the Bible that we couldn't argue about. First was "in the beginning God..." We could discuss the method God used, or when the dinosaurs came, but "in the beginning God" was not open for debate. Neither was John 3:16.  Jesus, God's only Son, came and died and was resurrected for us. And finally, we can argue the Revelation of John until the end of time and we still will not understand what it all means until we see Jesus face to face! But we cannot, we must not, miss the revelation found in the Bible's last book- GOD WINS!  And so do the followers of Jesus Christ!

So I begin this story be telling you that I am secure in my destination. I know that I know that I know that through grace I have been saved. This blog will be about the journey. It's about finding joy in the journey, and understanding how God works among us. And most importantly, it's about how the overwhelming, ridiculous grace of Jesus Christ is available to even the chief of sinners like me. The stories I will share here are true.  I hope they will make you think and make you smile, for many of them are funny.  After all, no matter how you look at it, life is funny.  I mean I'd laugh- but all this happened to me!

Because of Jesus,