TBT: The 1994 Mid-High Mission Trip

This post (slightly edited) was first shared back in 2010, and over the years it has been seen by exactly 9 people. For this Throwback Thursday I'm hoping we can do a little bit better...

One of the things we knew we wanted to do in the summer of 1994 (my first in Kissimmee) was to put together some sort of mission opportunity for the middle school youth of the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee. There had been one for high school students for years, but we wanted to let the middle school kids know that they were important too. Having arrived there in April, it was too late in the season to plan any major trip, so I focused on what we might could do in Orlando. I discovered the Second Harvest Food Bank, and found that they had lots of work for a group of teenagers, sorting food and packing boxes for delivery to shelters and soup kitchens. We decided to keep it short to keep the cost low and encourage more students to participate, and so June 26-29 we were off to O-town!

Our small group stayed at a Days Inn on International Drive, down near Wet'N'Wild in southwest Orlando. We were in the middle of a huge tourist area, especially popular with foreign tourists at the time. This was made even more interesting by the fact that the Citrus Bowl, located just down the road from us, was hosting the opening rounds of the 1994 World Cup soccer tournament. Every where we looked we saw fans of Ireland and Mexico. We spent the mornings working at Second Harvest. I remember the big deal about driving from the motel to food bank was going to down the Orange Blossom Trail. I learned why the OBT (where I had stayed with youth groups on two previous Disney trips) had such a shady reputation with the locals. It seemed like we passed a strip club about every 100 yards or so. And every time we passed one, Nate Hill was there to point it out to us, like a tour guide on a bus!  It became a tradition.  We arrived to work at 8 AM each morning. We didn't work all that many hours at Second Harvest, nor was the work all that hard. But it was hot.  Brutally hot. Just imagine being in a warehouse with no AC, in late June in Florida. When we left at noon, we were drained.

We spent the afternoons goofing off an getting to know one another. I learned a great deal about the youth who were along for the journey. We ate lunch one of the days at an all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut buffet, and the late James (Chico) Fry ate all any of us could eat-  I stayed at the restaurant with him for 15 minutes after everyone had walked back to the motel. There were girls fighting over a guy- and two of them (Hello Erin and Jen!) were cousins. We spent one afternoon and evening at Wet'N'Wild and had a great time, including several of the students riding what ever that thing is that Erin Augenblick is riding in the picture at the top. In short, we worked hard, we played hard, and we built community. In my mind it was a very successful little trip, that paved the way for future mid-high adventures. What I don't remember is who else was on that trip, although I am fairly certain Kay Hill was the other adult. I'd love some help remembering, so give me a shout if you were there. Have a great Thursday! 

Because of Jesus,

Doomsayers vs. Doomslayers

The concepts of "Doomsayer" and "Doomslayer" contained in this post came from some notes I had in a very old file. I would love to give credit to the original speaker, but I simply don't know who it was. I can only say, "Thank you" and praise God for the inspiration all of these years later...

More and more these days I read articles and blogs that seem to take a negative view of our future here on planet earth. They are worried about the end of the world, terrorism, our economy and so much more. Just yesterday I received an email explaining that the prophets foretold the world will end while Obama is President so that history can record that he is to blame. Huh? If the world ends who will record history? There are actually people out there who this minute are worried about the Zombie Apocalypse or an alien invasion. It's crazy! But anyway... Much of this writing comes from people who call themselves Christians, and this concerns me. At a time when so much of the world has become consumed with the end of times and being Doomsayers, we who know Jesus should be positioning ourselves as Doomslayers. While others find their hearts hardened with fear, hatred and distrust, we need be a people who have had our hearts (to borrow a phrase from G.K. Chesterton) "hardened with hope." If those who believe in a risen Christ do not have hope how can we expect anyone else to? Just recently I had a longtime believer write to me talking about how evil this world is, and that there seems to be no hope for good. Her point was that "things are bad now, and will only get worse. We don't know what the future holds."  

Actually... YES we do!

We know exactly what the future holds. Paul wrote that there is nothing- NOTHING!- "that can separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our LORD." We know that whatever we may face, the power of the Cross can meet the challenge. We may not know where the twists and turns our journey here on earth may lead us, but we know where the road ends. God wins! We may not see what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future. And in that future, these things are true:
* The lion will lie down with the lamb.
*  The wicked will cease their troubling.
*  The weary will find rest.
*  There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more hatred.
*  There will be no more hunger and no more war.

So in this world of Doomsayers, it is time for the Church to rise up and be the beacon of hope that Jesus wants us to be. We need to help our friends and neighbors discover the abundant life now (John 10:10) and the eternal life forever (John 3:16). It's time to be a Doomslayer! How? Like this...

• To those who feel weary and unloved, we say, "Jesus loves me- this I know!"
• To those who feel lost, we say, "Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life."
• To those who have lost faith, we say, "Jesus is the same today, yesterday and forever!"
• To those who put their faith in a political party or movement, we say, "There is only one King of Kings and LORD of Lords who guides us."
• To those who have lost their joy, we sing, "Joy to the world!  The LORD is come!"
• To those who have lost hope, Jesus says "Come to me, and I will give you rest...and peace."

Far too many of us stand in church each weekend and sing "Our God Saves" or "Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness," and then go out and live our lives in the chains forged by the Doomsayers. It's time to pick a side. Will we join the mighty chorus of doom that is echoing through our land? Or will will join the great cloud of witnesses proclaiming in a loud and mighty voice, "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" and carrying his overwhelming message of hope to our communities. I cannot speak for anyone else, but as for me, I choose to harden my heart with hope. I choose to be a Doomslayer.  I choose Jesus.

Because of Jesus,

There's a Mystery To It

There is an old song by the band Newsboys that has the following lyrics: "I'm not following a God I can lead around, I can't tame this deity. And that's why Jesus is the final answer to who I want my God to be..."  I love that thought. But far too many Christians do want a God they can define, explain and keep in a box. They want to know that they have ARRIVED as Christians, not that there is still more to the journey. Today I want to share a few thoughts on the continuing search for truth on the #NarrowRoad...and for Jesus.

Matthew 3:13-17 (The Message)

Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you!" But Jesus insisted. "Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism." So John did it. 

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life." 

I love this scripture for a lot of reasons, but primarily because it gives us such a clear picture of the Holy Trinity. Jesus (the Son) is in the water; the Holy Spirit descends like a a dove and lands on Him; and God the Father speaks to Him. It is a miraculous and beautiful scene.

Theologians have struggled for centuries to explain the essence of the Holy Trinity. Hundreds of books have been written and countless sermons preached on the subject, and yet there is still confusion. You know what? Good! The nature of God, the supreme being and creator of the universe and everything in it, should not be easy to figure out. The #NarrowRoad is a roller coaster ride, not a merry-go-round. I don't really want to put my faith, hope and trust in a deity that I can fully understand. The classic U2 song, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, is often misinterpreted. Bono already knew Jesus was the answer, but just like the Apostle Paul he knew there was more to the journey. The question posed by that song is not,"Is Jesus the answer?" The question is instead, "You mean there's more?" And the answer to that is a resounding YES! Always! More to faith. More to Jesus. More to the God of the universe. The revelations of God did not end when the scriptures were compiled. He reveals truth to us every day in new and exciting ways- if we choose to seek and listen. These new truths will be confirmed by the unchanging truth of the scriptures. There will be mysteries right up until we draw our final breath. I plan to seek the joy in my journey down the #NarrowRoad, through all of the trials and confusion, so that some day I will hear the voice of God the Father say to me,"This is my son, in whom I am well pleased."  Stay blessed.

Because of Jesus,

Monday Musings

Having survived a couple of weeks of time away from Tampa, there are a series of random thoughts running through my head this morning as I attempt to write. Since none of them seem to be worthy of an entire post, I'll just share them all- shotgun style! Enjoy!

• It occurred to me over the weekend that we have now lived in this house in Tampa for over 8 years. That's the longest I've lived anywhere since moving out of my parent's home all those years ago. Counting our previous time in Tampa (2001-2006) we've been here a long time now. For Will, Tampa is certainly home. I'm still trying to decide...
• It was good to spend time with Marilyn's family over the past 2 weeks. There were lots of laughs and lots of stories, along with fond memories of her dad. There were also some tense moments and reminders that being a family is not always easy...or fun. And we experienced first hand with her brother-in-law that Alzheimer's is a terrible, horrible disease. Prayers for Bill (and Marilyn's sister Carol) are appreciated.
• One month from today we will be at Ocean Isle, NC hanging out on the beach with some our favorite people in the world. And it can't get here soon enough!
• A couple of other prayer requests for you. Ashley Goad is currently in Uganda doing mission work, and my friend Lisa Moran continues to struggle in her battle with cancer. Prayer matters.
• If you know me you know that I believe everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, just as I am entitled to mine. But I need to announce an exception. If you believe that Donald Trump and that thing on his head should be our next President, we have a big problem. BIG!

• Following up on that, I really miss Jon Stewart. Already.
• Following up on that, but not as much as I missed Lisa Jewett while we were gone!
• I've been re-reading my book Even Better Than Before, this time without trying to do rewrites as I go. And you know what? I really like it. It has a greater emotional depth than I remembered. It's almost like the characters are real people to me. Oh wait... :)  If you want a copy shoot me an e-mail at youthguy07@aol.com and I'll make sure you get one! 
• When I was a kid my very favorite comic books featured The Fantastic Four. I loved the 2005 movie and thought they captured well the spirit I remembered from those old days. I never understood why others disliked those first 2 movies so much; and understand even less why this new one strayed so far from the comics on purpose. I have not seen it; I WILL not see it. I hope it tanks so badly that FOX will relinquish the rights and let them go back to Marvel Studios where they belong. Will and I dream of seeing a scene with the real Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Captain America (also Chris Evans) side by side!
• Traffic continues to be at an all-time high here on the blog, with all 7 of my recent Beach Boys posts now having over 1000 views and several others nearing that milestone number. Thank you for reading!
• Will moves into his new apartment in Orlando on August 22nd. The countdown is on and it's real. His new adventure at UCF awaits!
• The 6th anniversary of this blog is rapidly approaching- August 26th. What a long strange trip it's been...

I hope you found my musings to be worthwhile and at least somewhat amusing! Have a wonderful Monday and a blessed week!

As Useless As a Screen Door On a Submarine

"It's about a useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith without works, baby- it just ain't happening..."

One of my interviews trips during the great job search of 1999 took me to a UMC in Indiana. Strangely enough, it too was located in the suburbs of Cincinnati. Even more bizarre, because Indiana does not recognize daylight savings time, the little community where the church was located spent several months each year in a different time zone from the city to which it was most closely connected. I sure knew how to pick 'em, huh?

But that's not what I came to talk about today. On that same interview there was a great deal of discussion (disguised as an argument!) about the direction the adults involved thought the youth ministry needed to go. Some wanted more serious Bible study (I think one guy suggested all the students memorize Lamentations) while others thought that service to others should be the group's primary focus. A few wanted to play more 4-Square. When asked which of these I felt was more important, I presented them with my philosophy of youth ministry. Ministry should be "wholistic" (from J. David Stone) and purpose driven (from Doug Fields). When they said I had not fully answered their question, I went all Jesus on them and told them a parable. A parable I had learned from Rich Mullins.

A man was in a rowboat- the kind with two oars, one on each side. He decided to row only with his left arm so he could make it stronger, but soon found his boat went only in circles. He switched to his stronger arm, his right arm, and rowed- but found he had only reversed the circling. It was only when he rowed with evenly both arms that he traveled a straight path on the water. So it is with faith and works. Following Jesus requires both.

Rich was not trying to say that we can be "saved" by the things we do. We cannot earn salvation. If we have faith, salvation is a gift from God. But it is also true that if we are followers of Jesus we will be in service to others. If we truly believe, our hearts will be broken by the things that break the heart of Jesus. The hungry, the homeless, the sick, the weak- all of the "least of these (Matthew 25)" that Jesus demands we look after, we will want to love in the name of God! As the scriptures tell us, if we truly believe then our lives will show "fruit."

I don't think they liked my answer. They never offered me the job; I wouldn't have taken it anyway. I still believe Rich had it right. He put his thoughts into this amazing little song called Screen Door. Listen, watch and enjoy. But also take this chance to check your own life. If you call yourself a Christian, what do people see in your actions that would confirm that for them? Too many people base the evidence of their faith on the things they don't do. Jesus asks,"What did you do for the least of these brothers of mine?" Don't let your faith become useless...  

Flashback Friday: Myrtle Beach Changes



Ocean Drive Beach, 7:30 am

The following post was written just under one year ago upon the occasion of my return to Myrtle Beach after a 10 year absence. As we drive back to Tampa today after another visit it seemed worth sharing again on this Flashback Friday...

The Grand Strand of South Carolina (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and beyond) has been a part of my life for longer than I can remember, and I can remember getting pre-school age gifts from the Easter Bunny gifts while camping there. For years I went with my parents, then later with friends, youth groups (that I was in and that I led) and then with my own family. It is safe to say that I have as many cherished memories of the beach (when I grew up all you needed to say was "THE beach." Nothing else was needed. There was only one beach that mattered- Myrtle Beach!) as of any place on earth. And I have been so excited to return there after so many years of being away.

So I arrived at THE beach last Monday after a 10 year absence to find that a great deal has changed since my last visit. While this was not a surprise, it was still a shock. Since I had a great deal of time to kill before Marilyn and her family arrived from NC and we could check in to our resort, I decided to take myself on a little tour of some of my favorite memories. My first stop was the former site of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, home to so many great nights of my youth and my ministry. I knew the Pavilion had been closed and demolished in 2006, reportedly to be replaced with condos. So I was stunned to arrive downtown and discover what you see pictured here- NOTHING! Thinking they had demolished my memories to put up condos was one thing- I understand that money rules. But to tear down so many happy thoughts built over so many years for no apparent reason left me standing by the newly remodeled Boardwalk with my jaw on the ground. The arcades were gone. Many of the t-shirt shops were gone. The whole area seemed depressed. This was not a good start.

As I continued my tour- first down Ocean Blvd. and later on King's Highway- I was overwhelmed by memories of things that simply were not there anymore. Favorite motels, favorite restaurants and favorite night spots were simply no longer there. Myrtle Square Mall is no longer there, and just like the Pavilion it has been replaced by nothing. The site is a concrete field. The more I drove and the more sites I visited, the older I felt. The little motel where I once spent a few days alone to rest and recover from a wild youth ministry summer was now a parking lot for public beach access. The movie theaters where I once saw Stripes and History of the World Part 1 on the same day have been torn down. Some of these things happened a long time ago, but all of the change had never really hit me until this trip. My mind was picturing much further back than the 10 years I had been away, and to be honest it was a bit depressing.

Heading into what is now the incorporated city of North Myrtle Beach- there was a time when Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ocean Drive and Cherry Grove all had very distinct personalities, but for the most part those days are LONG gone- I was suddenly very aware of all of the changes I had witnessed to that area in my lifetime. The campgrounds of my childhood- The Ponderosa, Lake Arrowhead and Sherwood Forest- which were in the Windy Hill section of the beach, have been gone for years. Camp Pla-Mor, where we had some amazing youth group adventures when I was a teenager, is still there but under a different name and was barely recognizable. The Jungle Golf where Steve Semmler and I (along with countless other friends) played hundreds of rounds of miniature golf over the years was leveled in favor of a CVS a long time ago. The Cherokee Trading Post (or something like that) next door where we used to go cool off and stare at hermit crabs and tacky t-shirts is history as well. Meanwhile, across Hwy. 17 is a monstrous shopping area called Barefoot Landing. Outlet stores, major restaurants, the Alabama Theater and a House of Blues are just a few of the attractions there. That is today. In my mind, it is still the Village of the Barefoot Traders, with around 6 stores that all sold trinkets or used books. 35 years ago we used to walk over from The Ponderosa. Now you would be risking your life to cross that highway on foot. Most of these changes are not necessarily for the worse (except losing The Ponderosa and the Pavilion)- they are just so very different. And on this day I was having a hard time with different.

As a last resort I turned to three very special and familiar sites to restore my faith in the section of North Myrtle Beach known as Ocean Drive. The first was the beach itself. Still so wide, so smooth and so busy with happy people having the time of their lives. The pier is long since gone, but the OD Pavilion has been re-opened at the intersection of Main & Ocean Blvd. and classic night spots like Fat Harold's and The Spanish Galleon are still open for business. The second was the Betsy B (at right), the past home of many adventures over a 20 year period and future home (in my dreams) of my Hall of Fame. It has been remodeled and is missing the famous outside shower stalls, but it's still there and it is still called the Betsy B. Maybe I was not so old that everything had changed. There was still one final test. I headed back up to Kings Hwy. and drove a little south, past the Kroger store that had provided so many Big K sodas, past the Krispy Kreme that had served us so many "hot doughnuts

NOW!" and up to the site of Painter's Original Homemade Ice Cream. Still operating out of an old, dilapidated white building, the place famous for the best ice cream anywhere since 1952 was still alive and kickin! The sign was new but everything else was exactly as I remembered it from when I was 10 years old and their maple nut ice cream was the best stuff I had ever tasted. Some things had not changed. My spirits were lifted. The following day I would return to Calabash (see previous post) and discover another favorite place that was still keeping my memories alive. And all-in-all I had another great vacation at THE beach.

So my point? I'm not really sure there is one. It may be that I'm getting old, ready for dinner at 4 and yelling at kids to "Get off my lawn!" It may be that it's true that "change changes things-and we don't like it!" Or it may be that despite the truth of those 2 things, it is important to let the past remind of what was rather than remind us of what is NOT now. Memories are great, but NOW is for new adventures, new lessons and new blessings. That's a lesson I am very slow to learn- but I would learn a lot faster if people would quit changing my memories! Spoken like a true geezer, huh?  Be well, my friends!

Because of Jesus,

"Even Better Than Before" - Another Excerpt

Some of you may remember that earlier this year I shared some excerpts from my first novel, Even Better Than Before. It takes place in North Myrtle Beach, SC, and since I sit in that same place this morning it seemed appropriate to share another section today. Enjoy!

When you reach your forties and have raised kids through the years of attending early soccer games and driving them all over town for myriad reasons the concept of sleeping in on a Saturday morning is one that you no longer understand. So despite the late hours the night before by 7 am parts of the house were starting to stir. Steph, Jeff, Bobby and Allyson had made plans to get up and run on the beach before breakfast so they were up and moving. Dan and Billy were staggering around trying to get some coffee going. And Craig was dragging Brent out of bed only 4 hours after he got there. “Doughnut time, my friend!” Even as tired as he was, you only had to mention hot Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts once to get him up and moving. He, Craig and Dan had decided years before that those doughnuts were actually manna from heaven. They dressed quickly and headed out to the MG, where they got the top down with the speed and precision of a NASCAR pit crew. This was not their first clandestine Krispy Kreme run. As they took a quick moment to wipe the dew off the windshield, Craig spotted the green Honda Civic with the Tennessee tag in the parking lot and laughed. “I cannot believe you still have Clyde!” How old is that beast?” Brent smiled and said, “You are not the only one with a classic. It’s a 1999. And still a beauty!” Craig shook his head in disbelief. “1999. So you bought that after you started making the big bucks. You are a real piece of work, Thomas!” The two men grinned, jumped in Moneypenny, and took off in search of hot doughnuts.

They headed south on Ocean Blvd. The sun had risen over the Atlantic and was already bright. There was a cool morning sea breeze in their faces. Craig had purchased this car when he was in his early 20’s, and it was still in mint condition. He reached down to adjust the volume on the stereo, and the strains of I Saw Her Standing There came blasting from the speakers. Brent grinned as he looked at his old friend. “Dude, you do know there has been some pretty decent music in the last century, right? I even made some of it myself!” Craig just smiled. “Yeah- but it was too close to country to count. I still can’t believe you sold out on me.” Brent laughed out loud. He had already laughed more in the past 12 hours than in the previous 12 months- or at least it felt that way to him. He looked over at his friend and smiled. Craig was such an old soul. From his musical tastes to his vintage 1975 MGB that he called Moneypenny after the secretary in the James Bond movies, Craig was his own man. He was also the closest thing to a brother Brent had ever known. He and Billy had the creative thing between them, and they knew how to entertain. But Craig had always been a rock, always there for Brent ever since the 8^th grade. Dan had been there too, but Craig was the man. Still, he couldn’t let him get away with that line about selling out. “Maybe my comeback album should be acoustic covers of classic Beach Boys songs. You know, just me and the guitar. Beach Boys unplugged. Then would you buy one of my damn albums?” Craig looked hurt. “I always buy your albums,” he said with a straight face. “I never know when we might get to go SPAM hunting again and I’ll need something worthless to blast with a shotgun!” Craig had cracked them both up, and as they tried to recover they realized they had gone too far and missed the turn that would take them up to the Krispy Kreme bakery. Fortunately traffic was very light, so a quick U-turn and they were back on track again. Craig suddenly turned serious. “I know you were joking about the Beach Boys thing, but seriously bro- is there going to be a comeback album?” The question brought a look of concern to Brent’s face, a doubt that Craig had not yet seen that weekend. He had come this weekend expecting to keep his future plans close to the vest, because they were, in so many ways, still very uncertain. But this was Craig, and they were alone. It might feel good to tell someone what was going on. They pulled into the Krispy Kreme parking lot and Brent said, “Let’s get the doughnuts and I’ll tell you on the way back.” Craig smiled in agreement and they went in to purchase some hot glazed goodness. There were two people in line in front of them, and as they waited the lady behind the counter (a time-worn grandmotherly type) kept looking at Brent. He had seen that look before and knew it could be good or bad. She might be a real fan. Or she might say something insane like, “Aren’t you the guy I saw on TMZ beating his wife that one time?” He just never knew. He briefed Craig on the situation and Craig decided to launch his own preemptive strike. When it was their turn to order he again called upon his extensive knowledge of dialogue from Animal House. “May I help you?” asked Annette (or at least that was what her name tag said), still giving Brent the eye. “Yes!” said Craig in his best Flounder impression. “Could we have 10,000 marbles please?” Annette was dumbfounded. Brent shook his head and tried to help. “Please forgive my buddy. He’s had mental issues. What we actually need are 12 dozen hot glazed to go.” Annette smiled. “Yes Mr. Thomas, coming right up.” Brent gave her a wink. Now to the uninitiated twelve dozen doughnuts may seem like an awful lot for 16 people. To Craig and Brent it seemed a tad conservative. Plus they fully expected there to be only eleven dozen left by the time they reached the Betsy B. Annette returned with the twelve boxes. “I’ll ring ‘em up as buy one, get one free for Mr. Thomas. Soulmate is my all-time favorite song.” As Craig paid, Brent grabbed a napkin and scribbled a quick note. To Annette- my favorite doughnut lady. Thanks for the treats! Xoxoxo – Brent Thomas. He handed her the note, and the look of appreciation on her face made him wish he could put a $100 tip with it. He flashed her a smile, told her to have a good day, and they headed back to the car with their treasure. When they got outside, Craig laughed at his famous friend. “Soulmate is her favorite, huh? She probably thinks you wrote it for her- just like every woman in the house this weekend!” Brent snarled at his buddy. “You know it’s about Nancy. I still can’t believe the hottest woman in the world married YOU!” Another laugh, and then they loaded up the trunk and headed back to the Betsy B. 

~ Carl Jones