Quaker Lake Memories Week

Alan Brown & I entertaining the troops.

I mentioned last week that in July of 2006 I returned to Quaker Lake Camp for a week as the camp pastor for senior high camp.  Before I get around to telling you the story of that wonderful week- my final time at QLC- I thought I would spend a few days reminding you of my history with the place, and letting you in on a few of the things that made camp such an important part of my life.  We'll start with the history lesson.


In the summer of 1973 (the summer after 8th grade) Steve Semmler talked me in to attending a week of camp at QLC in beautiful Climax, NC.  My life would never be the same.  Like so many before and since, I fell in love with the people and the place.  Quaker Lake was not a fancy place back in those days.  My first year as a camper the swimming pool was being built- we swam in the lake.  There were no motor boats or jet skis, just canoes and row boats.  There were no horses for horseback riding, just a few cows out behind the boys cabins. Those cabins were older than dirt, and the bath house was located about 25 yards from the cabins.  And yet, I fell completely in love with the place.  With QLC, it was never about the amenities.  It was always about the people.


My first counselor was a Quaker from Kenya named Richard Shimaka.  He was great, as was the rest of the staff.  I came back as a camper for the next three years and my love for the staff and the campers who would return each summer continued to grow.  Frank Massey, Darrell McBane and Ricky Sessoms were other counselors who instilled in me a longing to one day work there myself.  But it was camp director Neal Thomas who held it all together, and who made me feel like I had something special to offer.  (You can read more about Neal by clicking here).  I volunteered as a CIT (counselor in training) a total of 6 weeks over 3 summers.  I applied to work full-time staff for the summer after my high school graduation, but didn't get hired because all 4 male counselors were returning.  I was almost hired as the assistant cook (and would have been a better choice than the person they hired!), but instead wound up volunteering for 6 of the 8 weeks that summer in a variety of capacities.  I worked summer staff for 6 summers, from 1978-1983- 5 years a cabin counselor and the final year as the Crafts and Special Activities Director (the 1st one QLC had ever had!).  After leaving the summer staff, I volunteered a week in 1984.  I then missed a few years before returning as a camp pastor for junior high camp in 1987, and high school camp each year from 1988-1993.  In 1994 we moved to Florida, and I did not return again until 2006.


I shared many great stories about my days at QLC in the early posts of this blog, and you can see them by clicking on the Quaker Lake label at the bottom of this post.  But there is still so much more to tell.  My personal spiritual journey, my training as a youth pastor, many of my best friends and so many special memories can all be traced back to QLC.  And so much of it can be summed up in one word- music.  More on that tomorrow.


Because of Jesus,

In Tribute

NY''s Finest- March, 2003

"The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it."  - Chinese Proverb


I confess I've been dreading this day for a long time.  Things like marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks are exactly the kinds of things that USAmericans so often get so wrong.  We produce countless documentaries so that those who suffered the greatest losses can watch those planes and buildings blow up over and over again.  We profit from their pain, selling souvenirs disguised as remembrances.  And we focus on the wrong things.  Today is not about the terrorists, or conspiracy theories, or poorly thought out government responses, or military success.  Today is most certainly not about patriotism.  Today is about remembering those who through the most random of circumstances lost their lives 10 years ago today.  And today is about those who, that day and in the days that followed, stood with God and with great faith refused to allow the human spirit to be crushed by the events of that horrible morning.  This is my tribute to those people.

Rochelle Mock meets some heroes

I watched that morning, completely stunned like the rest of the world.  I hear many people talk about how surreal it seemed to them.  It was very real to me almost immediately.  I was living in Chicagoland, and rumor spread quickly that the next target was the Sears Tower.  Marilyn worked downtown, and almost immediately the evacuations began.  Panic and chaos were the words of the day.  As our church staff sat in our weekly staff meeting and tried to figure out some way to respond, we learned a local youth pastor had been on one of the planes.  It was all too real.  Three days later Marilyn was flying to Tampa to check out our new home.  Going to the airport and feeling the tension, being scared of something that had never scared us before, made it all too real.  As we watched for weeks as workers sacrificed, struggled and died in the hopes of finding even one person left alive in the aftermath, it seemed like life would never be the same again.  But eventually, we moved on.  We remembered, but we moved on.

In March of 2003 I took a group of youth from Wesley Memorial UMC in Tampa to NYC for a few days, and while there we headed over to Ground Zero.  We expected to be moved by the destruction, the lists of those who died, and the remembrances of the horror of the day.  And we were.  But those things were not what we really remember from that visit.  It was our stop at St. Paul's Chapel that changed us all.  The little church on Wall Street, which backed up to the devastation, had been an oasis of peace and rest in the midst of the tragedy. It had become a shrine to the human spirit and the love of God.  It honored the dead, but also honored those who had given so much as first responders. It honored those who came as volunteers from all over the country simply seeking to help.  Pews in the sanctuary were damaged by the heavy equipment many of the firefighters wore that day.  Flowers, signs and banners were everywhere in honor of those who had served.  As you read the log books. watched video interviews and walked around the building, you could not help but realize that this was not an USAmerican thing; this was a GOD thing!  It was the loving responses of the many that would not allow evil to claim victory on that site.  

So how will I mark this occasion today?  By remembering these things- when despair overwhelms us, evil wins.  When anger rules, evil wins.  When revenge is our motivation, evil wins.  When faith, hope and love are all we are left with, then God wins.  There is a story told that a volunteer from St. Paul's tells of how he overheard one of the exhausted rescue workers coming into the church for a meal and a break, and he was singing.  The song he was singing was a youth group favorite by Lost And Found- "Oh them lions they can eat my body but they can't swallow my soul..."  And that should be our lasting lesson from September 11, 2001.  It's also in the Gospel of John, chapter 1.  "The Light (Jesus) shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it."  For me, that will always be the story of 9/11.  Today, do not waste energy hating those who are evil.  Remember the fallen and those who were heroic in their selfless, sacrificial, Christ-like response.  That is what this day should always be about.


Because of Jesus,

One Amazing Day

From Back:  Bob McGalliard, Mark Farlow, Elizabeth Hyde, Dan Moran,
Kathy Semmler, Me, Carl Semmler, Mark Hyde, Alan Brown, Martha Farlow,
Beth McGalliard, Marilyn Jones, Lisa Moran, Denise Langley,
Steve Semmler, Andy Maynard and Donna Myers.

In early May of 2006 my family traveled to Greensboro, NC to hold a memorial service for my father.  He passed away in Leesburg, FL on February 15 and had been cremated.  That was his wish.  He also had always said that he didn't want a funeral or any other type of sad gathering.  If there was to be a service, he wanted a celebration of life, filled with laughter and joy.  Dad had always lived life to its fullest; he wanted to go out the same way.  My Mon's first inclination had been to do nothing at all, but after some convincing she agreed to do a memorial service at New Garden Friends Meeting, back in Greensboro where they had lived for so many years.  We decided to wait until May to give Dad's 3 sisters, 2 brothers and all of their families- who are spread out all over the country- a chance to make plans if they wanted to attend.  We didn't do any formal "publicity;" we hoped friends in the Greensboro area would find out by word of mouth.  I would be in charge of the service- in other words, I would facilitate the story telling.


The day of the event arrived, and I knew right from the beginning it was going to be special day.  My dear friend and former youth, Teresa Reep Tysinger, now lived in my old stomping grounds, but she had other commitments and could not attend the service.  Instead, she met me for breakfast at one of my favorite places in the world, Tex & Shirley's Pancake House.  We had an amazing visit, and I already felt much better about what lay ahead.  Early afternoon we arrived at New Garden and were met by my old pastor David Bills, still serving that Meeting after nearly 35 years.  We did a little set-up of the worship room and then waited to see who might arrive.  Slowly but surely the crowd poured in.  It was clear from the start that this would be a group that knew my Dad from every aspect of his life.  His brothers and sisters and their children and grandchildren were there to say goodbye to Billy- or Uncle Billy.  My Mom's 3 sister and their families were there to say goodbye to Jonesy.  People from the Guilford College community were there to say goodbye to Coach Jones.  Neighbors, former co-workers and other friends- including all of Marilyn's family, Dad's old college football coach, and many of my friends, former youth and parents- were there to say goodbye as well.  My Mom was there not to say goodbye, but to soak in the love so many had for her husband.  And Marilyn, Will & I were there to say goodbye to PawPaw.  


The service was conducted after the manner of Friends (Quakers), which means I said a few opening words of welcome and instruction and then invited the crowd to join us in a time of silence, feeling free to share stories of my Dad anytime they wanted to.  And people did.  So many stories of his love and influence in the lives of so many.  It was incredible.  But the real "show stopping" moment came when the then 11 year old Will Jones took a microphone and sang along with a CD of one of his favorite songs at the time, dedicated to his PawPaw and best friend.   The lyrics of the song were remarkably appropriate.  He made it most of the way through the song before he broke down- most of us didn't make it that far.  It was a moment I will never forget; some of my friends still talk about it in amazement.  You can hear Steven Curtis Chapman's version of the song below, with pictures of Will and my Dad.  I recommend at least 3 tissues...

After the service, I continued to be amazed at how many of my friends from my days in Greensboro were there.  All of that crowd (see picture at top, from that day) were invited back to Beth and Bob McGalliard's home for a chance to hang out together- many of us for the first time in a very long time.  It seemed so appropriate.  My Dad loved those people so much, and they had always loved being around him.  He was there with us in spirit, and we all knew it.


The day ended with a dinner put together by Cynthia Brewer, class president of my Western Guilford High School class of 1977 (yes I am that old!).  It was great to see a few of my old high school chums again, although I can freely admit now that I (along with Marilyn and Steve Semmler) would much rather have hung out at Beth & Bob's all night.  Still, it was a great finish to an amazing day.  Mom was happy with the whole thing, and I know Dad was too. I headed back to Waycross feeling like we had "done good" for my Dad.  I still miss him every day.  But it is always a comfort to remember his life and all of the love, laughter and shared memories of that One Amazing Day.


Because of Jesus,

One Great Day

Lexi & Stephanie- back in the day!

Today's post was supposed to called One Amazing Day, and was going to be about the day of my Dad's memorial service in May of 2006.  But yesterday was such a Great Day that I decided to write about it instead, saving the Amazing Day for tomorrow.  I think having to choose between great and amazing is a pretty good indication of just how blessed my life was and is...


My great day began early.  At 6 AM I was up reading blogs and leaving comments as a part of Comment Day.  I fixed Will pancakes, drove him to school and dropped him off around 7:20 AM.  On my way home I got a call from my dear friend Stephanie Greife Owens, a former youth at Wesley Memorial UMC here in Tampa.  She wanted to know if we could get together, so we made lunch plans.  After driving Marilyn to work so I could keep the car, I returned home and read blogs for 90 solid minutes, being sure to leave a comment on each one.  I was excited and inspired by so many of the blogs I read, and encouraged by the response I was getting to Comment Day.  Comments were popping up on this blog as well.  It was awesome!

I picked Stephanie up around 11:30 AM and took her to Moe's for lunch.  She had never been to a Moe's, so that made it extra fun!  We then proceeded to talk about life- past, present and future.  We shared some painful moments and some hysterical laughter.  Mostly we were reminded of the love we have for one another.  Almost 3 hours later, we had to go.  I think we could have probably still been talking if we hadn't had places to be...


In the middle of lunch I had received a call from the great Jerry Hanbery, telling me would be in Tampa last night and wondering about dinner plans.  I had to take Will to the orthodontist and then to band practice, but after that the schedule was clear.  I returned home, read more blogs, smiled at all the comments I was getting, and then welcomed Jerry back to our home.  We went and picked up Marilyn, had a great dinner at Miguel's (Mexican twice in one day, but who's counting!) and just had a wonderful visit- including a hilarious group phone call with his lovely wife Melissa.  Later, Will got to visit with Jerry as well before Mr. H headed back to his motel for the night. A text message from Stephanie and a phone call to Lisa Jewett thanking her for FINALLY leaving a comment here wrapped up a great day.


Thanks to everyone- bloggers, readers, family & friends- who made yesterday such a Great Day.  I was reminded again how much I love my family, my friends and my Jesus.  And just think, that was only great.  Tomorrow, get ready for Amazing!


Because of Jesus,

How Am I Doing? (Comment Day #5)

You know those bumper stickers that ask the question, "How am I driving?" and then give you a 1-800-Call-Now number so you can comment on their skills and their manners?  That is exactly what the COMMENT section is for on a blog.  It is the reader's opportunity to connect with the author, and it is very important to us.  Speaking for myself, I want to know how I'm doing.  I want to know which posts connect with your spirit, your soul or your funny bone.  Every comment is meaningful and brings a smile to my face- in fact I consider each one to be a gift.  Getting a comment is like opening a Christmas present- full of joy and excitement!  And I think this is true for most bloggers.  Yet this blog is visited by an average of around 275 people a day, and the comments are often few and far between.  I know of others who get far more visits and even fewer comments. And that is why I dreamed up Comment Day.  It is a day to be intentional about leaving comments- not just here, but on every blog you read today.  Even if it just to say "thanks," I hope this day will inspire you to leave a note for the writers of the blogs you enjoy.


There are a few million people around the world who write blogs on a regular basis.  I am connected with maybe 200 of those writers, and I regularly read around 30 posts a day.  On Comment Day I try to double my reading and leave a comment on each and every one.  If we will all play along, this can be a day of great encouragement and enthusiasm for bloggers everywhere.  If you would like to read along with me, there is a list of blogs on the lower right side of this page that you should check out.  I will also tweeting blog links all day today to help push this along.


So enjoy your day, and give your favorite bloggers a "virtual hug" by leaving them comments.  There are lots of ways to share the love of Jesus with others, and encouragement is one of the best.  Now get out of here and go read some more blogs!  But not before leaving me a comment...  (and yes Lisa J- that means you too!)  :)


Because of Jesus,

Meanwhile, Back In Waycross...

In May of 2006, I was excited to get started on my first summer at Trinity UMC of Waycross, GA.  If you've read much of this blog at all you know that summer was my favorite season of ministry, and this was especially true whenever I was in a new location.  So many adventures to be had, so many relationships to be built.  By my standards, it was going to be an abbreviated summer schedule.  There would be only one major trip- a mission trip to Chicago.  Youth Week would be shortened, and I wasn't at all sure we could do a Rec Around the Clock.  There would be a trip to Jacksonville for some miniature golf.  We went tubing and to Valdosta to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2.  Most of my usual relationship building events were on the schedule.  One on One, Happy Hour, SHO-Time and all the rest would give me a chance to hang out with students and begin to get a feel for where this ministry might go.  I was seriously pumped- and so were the kids.  


I was excited about the summer for a few other reasons as well.  Will moved up to join me in June after school let out in Tampa, and it was great to share the Skittles House with him.  Having just finished 5th grade, he was ready to be a real part of the youth group, and I was psyched to have him on board.  Marilyn would arrive in July, and we would move into our new home.  My friend Tim Vestal would be passing through Waycross with his youth group and spending a night in our youth house as part of a mystery trip to Florida.  And most exciting of all, I would be headed to NC for a week in July to serve as camp pastor at one of my favorite places on earth- Quaker Lake Camp.  One of my former youth, Hall of Fame member Heather Beggs Varner, was now the Camp Director.  I was thrilled she had invited me to come serve at Senior High Camp.  It was going to be an awesome summer.


It would also be my final summer as a youth pastor, but I didn't know that yet.  And before I could get any of it underway, we had to travel to Greensboro in May and say a final farewell to my Dad at a memorial service at New Garden Friends Meeting.  That story is coming up Friday.


Because of Jesus,

Does God Ever Get Any New Problems?

It's another day- another day to praise God and be amazed by the grace He gives us through Jesus Christ.  But yet...I wonder.  What is God's plan for me?  Am I still of use to Him despite my past status as a "notorious sinner?"  What is my "place in this world?"  Do I still have a part to play in the Jesus Revolution?  Some days I doubt, and sometimes I despair.  But mostly, I remember the words of the psalmist in Psalm 51 when he prays "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me."  Lois Cheney captures my doubt about my worthiness to serve the Savior in her classic 1969 devotional book God Is No Fool.  One of my favorite passages, read on Youth Sunday by dozens of students over the years, reminds me that I walk the same path as so many others who doubted they had anything to offer God.  Listen to her words:

Moses said, "Oh come on now!  Be sensible!  Not me! I'm a terrible speaker.  They'd never listen to me."  And God said, "Oh for crying out loud!  OK, I'll use your brother to help with the speaking."  And Moses led God's people out of disintegration.

Jonah said, "Oh come on now!  Be sensible!  Not me!  I'm not the type."  And after a rather unexpected vacation in a fish, just thinking things over, he talked to God's people and led them God's way- even though he wasn't happy about it.

And Zacharias said, "Oh come on now! Be sensible!  Not me!  My wife and I are too old to have any kids."  And God said, "Oh shut up!"  And he did shut up- for nine months.  And John was born, and the way for the Christ opened up.

And I heard a child say

"I can't serve God, I'm too young."

And I heard a boy say

"I can't serve God, I'm not good enough."

And I hear a woman say

"I can't serve God I'm not skilled enough."

And I heard a man say

"I can't serve God I'm not pure enough."

I wonder if God ever gets any new problems...

The great songwriter Mary Rice Hopkins wrote "Create in me a clean heart, oh God, that I might serve You."  My prayer on this day echos her words.  May God open our eyes and our hearts to what He has in store for each of us.  The call to the Jesus Revolution awaits.  Which of us will answer?  "Here I am LORD. send me!"

Because of Jesus,