Salty People

Today, I have a question for us all.  When people come into contact with us, are their lives changed?  Do our lives speak to them in ways that make a difference, or do we just help maintain the status quo?  To understand more of what I mean, try the following devotional activity.


Get some salt.  Taste it.  Read the scripture below from Matthew 5:13.  Now taste the salt again.  When people "taste" you do they get the "flavor" of Jesus?  Salt changes the taste of everything it touches.  Do you?  This world we live in is in need of change.  Are you an agent of change for Jesus?  Or have you already been "trampled underfoot?"  Are you open to letting God use you to bring a better "flavor" to this world?  And remember these wonderful words from Maya Angelou: "People may forget what you say. People may forget what you do. But they always remember how you made them feel."  How will the people you encounter today feel when they leave your presence?  Will they have experienced the love of God whose name is Jesus permeating your words and your actions?  Will they feel loved?

Today, this is my prayer:  God, make me salty; make me an agent of change in your world.  Amen


Because of Jesus,

Saturday Shout Outs!

Spring is in the air BIG TIME at the Jones household, and so it is time for an especially fresh version of the Saturday Shout Outs!  The 83 degree weather, the Florida Strawberry Festival in nearby Plant City, Spring Training Baseball and Will's Spring Break are all reminders of why this is an awesome time of year to live in Florida!  So who's coming to visit? :)  Now on with the show... and don't forget that clocks spring ahead tonight!

• Happy Birthday, Marie Allen (Springfield Friends Meeting)!!! Our prayers and wishes are with you!
• There were 2 babies born to our extended youth group family since the last time I shouted.  On February 29, Todd & Kristin Willis (mostly Kristin!) gave birth to baby girl Campbell, and all are well.  I think it is so cool to be a Leap Day baby!  Then on March 5, Christy Causey Allen and hubby Greg welcomed Connor to the world!  And as it stands right now, Jerry & Melissa Hanbery are having their baby sometime soon.  Babies, babies everywhere!  What a blessing!
• Jeremy Godwin (Springfield) is having surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow on March 14.  Please keep Jeremy and his family in your prayers. And congrats to his wife Laura on her new job!
• Nina Mock (Wesley Memorial UMC) went over to Walt Disney World on Leap Day and texted me some pictures from the big event.  I haven't decided yet if she was being a good friend or just taunting me, but either way I really appreciated the thought!
• On Twitter the other night I go into a Monty Python & the Holy Grail line quoting contest with Robert Damron and John Clay.  Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite Holy Grail quotes? Leave them as comments for all to see!
• Please keep my dear friend Lisa Jewett and her dear friend (and mom to former youths Jeff & Joe Miller) Carol Miller (Wesley Memorial)  in your prayers today as they help a friend deal with a tragic family death.
• Speaking of taunting by text, Cyndi Reep Browning and Teresa Reep Tysinger did just that last night as they attended a Casting Crowns/Matthew West concert in Raleigh.  I declared Cyndi my favorite Reep and Teresa called me a jerk, but it was still awesome to be thought of on such a fun occasion.  Have I mentioned how much I love getting text messages?  :)
• I will never get used to this being the weekend of the ACC basketball tournament and it not being THE topic of conversation.  My good friend Denise May Langley texted me Thursday night and asked if I was watching the games, which were not even on here.  I told her that in Florida they can't even spell basketball.  All football, all the time. ESPN had the games yesterday and the rest of the weekend, so I do get a chance to say Go Heels!  Right, Ashley Goad Broadhurst?
• I mentioned it is my son's Spring Break this week.  That seems like the perfect time to offer special prayers for anyone you know who is a teacher.  The last couple of months of the school year are never easy.  Feel free to mention yourself or teachers you know in the comments and I will add them to my prayer list!
• Join me in praying for old friends like Wayne Cook, Cathy Thacker, Darin Miller, Becky Memmelaar, David Mercadante, Tim & Sarah Vestal, Ray Luther, Heather Beggs Varner and anyone else who is in the professional ministry in any form or fashion. They carry a large burden, and we need to pray for them often.
• Is there anyone who reads this blog who can remember ever seeing me without a moustache? You would have to be old.  The 'stache is over 30.  Should I keep it or kill it?

So there you go!  Leave comments, text me, or email me.  Or come join the fun on Twitter! I love staying in touch!  Have a blessed weekend!


Because of Jesus,

Friday Flashback: The Great Hickey Search

hick-ey   [hik-ee]  –noun.   Slang.  A reddish mark left on the skin by a passionate kiss.

The summer of 1987 brought the Friends United Meeting (FUM) Triennial Sessions to Greensboro, NC.  For those not familiar with Quaker "alphabet soup," FUM is a worldwide organization of Quakers that gathers every three years for business and worship- thus the whole triennial name!  This particular gathering was of special interest to me for several reasons.  It was in our backyard, so it was a great opportunity to experience the grand diversity that is Quakerism.  There would be silent Quakers and dancing Friends and everything in between!  It was also the first Triennial to have a full-blown youth program rather than the typical "baby-sitting" that goes on at these large adult events.  The youth (teenagers) would meet and stay at the Greensboro Airport Marriott (pictured), a very nice hotel.  There would be speakers, musicians and comedians brought in especially for youth.  I had been asked to lead the music at worship times and in the general sessions.  I looked forward to bringing some students from Springfield Friends Meeting and enjoying the event.

The youth program had been planned by a committee of youth workers from around the country, made up primarily of people who held the kind of Yearly Meeting position that I had previously held in New England.   Friends of mine such as David Tebbs, Tom Klaus, Doyle Craven and Brent Bill were among the leaders.  The on-site leader of the event was a man named Steve Pedigo, who led the Chicago Fellowship of Friends.  The FOF was a youth based church begun with Young Life style youth program in one of the worst projects in Chicago- Cabrini Green.  Steve, his wife Marlene, and a number of their youth had made the trip to Greensboro.  I had worked with Steve before at Quaker Lake Camp, and knew the circumstances of his ministry.  Once I had some 10 year old FOF kids in my cabin at QLC, and one night some of the other kids started showing their scars from bike wrecks and skate boarding accidents.  The kids from Chicago showed us their bullet wounds...

Needless to say, Steve saw things in a different light than those of us who spent our time working with mostly white, middle class students.  This different point of view is what led to the long night now known as The Great Hickey Search.  All of the youth participants had boarded buses and headed out for a night of Putt-Putt.  As we returned to the Marriott, Steve was standing out front greeting everyone and telling them to head straight for their rooms.  As he did this, he spotted a teenage couple of the back of one bus, where they appeared to be (in the words of Harry Potter) "snogging."   Steve was outraged.  As everyone stood up and began to exit the bus, he could no longer determine who had been in that back seat.  He called all of the adults together and informed us as to what he had seen.  He wanted the offenders brought to justice that night.  When we asked him how we were supposed to know who had been involved, he told us that from what he had witnessed he was certain that the young lady would have a hickey on her neck.  It was 11 PM or so, and he gave us all a task: Find the hickey, and the young man who had given it.  Tonight!  The Great Hickey Search was on...


We entered the Greensboro Airport Marriott  on a wave of confusion.  The youth were headed to their rooms completely unaware of the door-to-door search that was about to happen.  The adults were primarily split into two camps.  One group was gung-ho and ready for the search.  Those kissing culprits had to be brought to justice!  The rest of us thought this might be the single dumbest thing we had ever been asked to do.

The first group was represented (in my mind) by two sisters from Nahunta, NC.  Jean and Janet Edgerton were unknown to many of us when the event began, but that did not last long!  The Edgerton's were loud and forceful, and quick to take control.  In later years they would both become dear friends of mine and great leaders in the youth programs of North Carolina Yearly Meeting.  Jean's early death a number of years later was a tragedy for so many in NCYM.  But at this point, all I knew was they were going door-to-door searching for a young woman with a hickey, and they were doing it with the passion of Empirical Storm Troopers looking for Princess Leia.  And they were not alone.  Other adults were banging on doors and checking necks as the clock passed midnight.  It was quite a scene.

The second group was represented by myself and Terry Venable.  Terry, his wife Leigh Ann, Marilyn and I were sharing a room that week (Youth Minister = Poverty!).  At first we just went into the room, but as the commotion continued in the halls outside, we went out to watch.  The scene was surreal.  Sensing that "lights out" was not happening for a while, students began to order room service.  They were getting munchies and non-alcoholic frozen drinks, such as Virgin Daiquiris.  Terry and I were laughing so hard at these kids paying $6 for a glorified Slurpee!  The real show, however, were the "interviews" taking place in the rooms of the participants.  The guys were asked if they had kissed anyone that evening.  They girls were asked to show their necks.  It was incredible.  Eventually, Terry and I just slumped down on the floor right outside our room and waited.  Soon we were being visited by youth, many of whom were afraid that the "villains" were going to be sent home- or worse yet, sent to Iowa!  We walked around and visited the rooms of youth we knew well and made sure they were OK.  We listened to confessions from couples who were hickey free but had been kissing and were afraid they were in trouble.  Then we went to bed.  Jean and Janet were still searching, still chasing kids back to their rooms, and still patrolling the stairways when we gave it up for the night.  To be completely honest, I have no idea if anyone ever found a hickey that night.  In 28 years of student ministry I was never part of anything quite as ridiculous as The Great Hickey Search.  The event- FUM Triennials for youth- continued to be a rousing success despite this strange evening.  Even the ill-fated belly dancer (read that tale here) couldn't keep this event from being something that was changing the face of Quakerism for many of those present.  Hickeys and all...


Because of Jesus,

Have Mercy!

I was reminded again this week what a rare commodity mercy is in this world we live in.  I encountered a couple of situations in which it at least felt like that some followers of Jesus were pulling for their brothers and sisters in Christ to FAIL.  Unfortunately, Christians are often seen as the fastest to condemn and the slowest to offer mercy and forgiveness, when in fact this should be just the opposite. Jesus teaches us to love the downtrodden and offer justice to the weak.  It is my hope that in this season of Lent we will focus on sharing with the world the mercy of the Father as shown in the gift of the Son, so that the world may see who we are at our best- loving, forgiving & compassionate.  Today I encourage you to open you bible to Matthew 5 and read The Beatitudes. Then open your heart and your spirit to these words of encouragement and inspiration from some very wise writers.  Live your life mercy-filled.

And what does the LORD require of you?  That you do justice; love mercy; and walk humbly with your God.      -Micah 6:8

You should not let a single person in the world, whatever sin that person may have committed, come before your eyes and depart without having found mercy with you.  And should that person not ask for mercy from you, then you must ask it of him.  And were that person to come to you a thousand times, continue to love them so as to lead them back to the right path.  Always have compassion, for all of us have sinned.
                                                               -Saint Francis of Assisi

I will be my brother's keeper, not the one who judges him
I won't despise him for his weakness, I won't regard him for his strength
I won't take away his freedom, I will learn to help him stand
And I will, I will be my brother's keeper
                                                               -Rich Mullins/Beaker

Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did.  As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.  When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
                                                               -C.S. Lewis

The bread that you store up belongs to the hungry; the coat that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold that you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor.
                                                               -Saint Basil


Because of Jesus,

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction #2

That's Kendall in front, squatting in the blue shirt-
but not at Myrtle Beach!

When you work in the field of student ministry, there are many glorious moments.  You get to see teenagers and occasionally entire families come to know Jesus.  You get to experience programs that actually teach; games the youth actually enjoy; and be part of events and trips that help your students understand what it means to truly be a part of the family of God.  These are moments that make the effort and sacrifice all worthwhile.  But there are other times...MANY other times...when you are left scratching your head and wondering why it was God chose you to work with teenagers!  Today, I give you the curious case of Kendall Crotty...

The Betsy B

Sometime in the late 1990's I took a group from the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee on one of our fabled trips to North Myrtle Beach and the fabulous Betsy B! We were there for week and had our usual fabulous time of sun, fun, food and fellowship.  With us on this particular trips was a middle school student named Kendall Crotty. Kendall had been with us for a couple of years, following in the footsteps of legendary older brother Wayne.  Their grandparents were legendary church members and great supporters of the student ministry, and the sewage treatment kings of Kissimmee. Kendall had established himself as a force to be reckoned with a few years earlier on our mystery trip to Myrtle Beach when his mom (who wasn't supposed to) told him where we were going and he told everyone else, successfully ending the mystery before we ever left the church parking lot.  This particular trip was fairly uneventful for Kendall with one exception.  He wore the same t-shirt every day.  Now it is not unusual on such trips for students to wear the same shirt around the house or out to the beach, but our hero wore it every where- out to dinner, downtown to the Pavilion and anyplace else we went.  Our NUMEROUS suggestions that he he try a new shirt were to no avail.  And so we all suffered with the shirt.


Saturday morning came and we began the always sad task of cleaning the Betsy B and preparing to head home.  Kendall, much to our surprise (and joy!), was wearing a clean shirt for the van ride home.  As we gathered the scattered swim suits, towels and flip-flops and tried to determine who they belonged to, someone discovered on one of the oceanfront porches the shirt Kendall had worn everyday that week.  They brought it to him and tried to give it to him, but he refused it.  He said it wasn't his.  The entire group reminded him he had worn it everyday that week, but he told us we were mistaken.  He was adamant that it was not his shirt. We began to remind him of how many times we had ragged on him trying to get him to change OUT of the shirt, but he held fast.  He simply refused to admit it was his.  One of the guys wound up hanging the shirt from the front balcony as a flag, reminding the world of our week together.  As we pulled out and headed home, Kendall was STILL denying ever having seen that shirt.  It was just totally beyond belief.


Youth ministry is like that.  Even in the midst of an amazing trip, there was this totally irrational, completely ridiculous behavior by one of our fine young men.  I was at a total loss to explain it.  It really didn't matter, yet he denied it to the end.  Working with teenagers is never simple, it is never cut and dried, and it is never normal. But it is always memorable and it is always special.  And that, my friends, is why I loved it for nearly 30 years.  Kendall, wherever you are- that shirt was yours!  Claim it!!!!


Because of Jesus,

Let Us Pray

Have you ever considered what a privilege it is to be asked to pray for someone?  It seems that lately my prayer list has grown very long due to requests from friends, and it never ceases to amaze me how interceding on their behalves is a blessing to me.  Yesterday three of the people I have been praying for lately all received significant answers to prayer.  One had a healthy baby, One found a new job. The other received a final "no" on a long standing situation.  There is power in prayer.

Prayer changes things, and not just the people and situations being prayed for. Prayer also changes the prayer.  There was a time in my life when the words "I'll be praying for you" meant that I knew God already knew their need, and since He was in control my actual prayers were not really necessary.  I didn't see that the opportunity to pray was as much for me as for the requester. When someone asks you to go to God in prayer for them, they are giving you the opportunity to step into the presence of God.  How amazing is that? So now, when people ask me if I will pray for them, I do 2 things. I pray then and there, even if they don't know it.  And I add their request to a list I keep and pray for daily.  It is a privilege I do not want to waste.

A number of years ago Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song about prayer that has been very important in my prayer life, as it is a constant reminder of what prayer can and should be.  The lyrics are below: 

LET US PRAY

I hear you say your heart is aching
You've got trouble in the making
And you ask if I'll be praying for you please
And in keeping with conviction
I'll say yes with good intentions
To pray later making mention of your needs
But since we have this moment here at heaven's door
We should start knocking now, what are we waiting for?

CHORUS:
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray

So when we feel the Spirit moving
Prompting, prodding and behooving
There is no time to be losing, let us pray
Let the Father hear us saying
What we need to be conveying
Even while this song is playing, let us pray
And just because we say the word, "Amen"
It doesn't mean this conversationi needs to end

Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence
As our prayers draw us near
To the One who knows our needs
Before we even call His name

Let us pray everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray...

So please feel free to share you prayer requests with me anytime.  I am honored to be trusted with them, and blessed to take them before the throne of God.  And by all means...pray.  You have been given the opportunity and means to TALK TO GOD!!!!  Don't miss out.

Because of Jesus,

My North Carolina Bucket List

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much I miss the great state of North Carolina. I lived in NC from birth until age 34 (with one 18 month exception) and I still consider it my home state. There are so many reasons it has been on my mind.  I am reminded of it when I talk to friends who still live there and when I sneak peeks at Marilyn's Facebook.  I am reminded of it when I watch my beloved Tar Heels beat Dook.  I am reminded of it every time I sit down to work on this blog and the memories come flooding back.  They are so many people I miss.  There are so many things I want to see and so much food I want to eat.  I need to get some of this out of my system, so today I will share with you 10 things I look forward to seeing when I finally get to return home to the Old North State.  I don't know how many people there want to see me, but I sure want to see all of them...

1. Quaker Lake Camp-  There have been so many changes made to the old place since I last saw it in 2006 and I can't wait to see how it looks.  My former youth Heather Beggs Varner still runs the place, and she is among the many people connected to camp that I would love to see again.  Very high on that list are very old friends like Neal & Susie Thomas, Susan McBane Tuggle, Terry & Leigh Ann Venable, Jay Osborne, Laura Wheeler and Terri Johnson Harris.  There are also literally hundreds of former campers and staff I would love to run into...
2. That Old Gang of Mine-  So many of the people I grew up with, and spent untold hours with in high school, college and beyond, are still in NC.  Denise, Donna, Tammy & Chuck, Lisa & Dan, Beth & Bob, Carl & Diane, Mark & Liz, Mark & Martha, Alan, Tim and so many more are often in my thoughts and prayers.  Now I just need them in the same room.  And I suppose Steve & Kathy could come from Ohio too- I hate to be a friend hog!  :)
3. Ghassan's, Bojangles and Stamey's-  The best steak and cheese sandwich (that's right, you heard me Philadelphia!), the best spicy chicken biscuit and the best barbecue (or "pulled pork" for those of you who don't speak the NC lingo) can all be found in Greensboro, and I intend to eat my way around the city upon my return!
4. Springfield Friends Meeting- We have been away way too long.  I can't wait to get back to my "one particular harbor" and see so many people I love. Some of you I talk to regularly and can't wait to see. Others I miss so much.  And of course there would be a great party and reunion at the Pizza Inn in High Point!
5. The Reep Twins-  Two of my favorite Kissimmee youth, Teresa Reep Tysinger and Cyndi Reep Browning, now live with their families in NC.  I would love to visit them both, but I may have to hurry. I don't know how much longer both of them will be there...
6. The Roller Derby Queen- One of my former minions at Springfield, Laurie Rees, is now involved in roller derby down in the Wilmington, NC area.  This falls under the category of  "I did NOT see that coming!"  Seeing Laurie flying around the ring doing damage ranks very high on the list of things I need to see...and soon!  
7. The Dean Dome-  There is nothing...NOTHING!...like UNC basketball.  I grew up loving players like Charlie Scott, George Karl, Bobby Jones and Dudley Bradley, and I still love my Heels today.  I need to see another game in the greatest venue in college basketball, named after Dean Smith, one of the top 5 coaches ever.  I am not even picky about who I see them play.  As long as it's Dook...
8. David Bills- He was the pastoral minister at New Garden Friends Meeting when I started attending in 1972.  He still is (to the best of my knowledge).  He (and many others at NGFM) had such an impact on my life, and I really want to take him to lunch and thank him.  He can choose from Ghassan's, Bojangles or Stamey's...   :)  I would also love to see any of my now over 40 former youth from my days as youth leader at New Garden.  Just so many people to catch up with...
9. The Blue RidgeMountains-  There are many lovely things about living in Florida.  But I do miss the mountains, especially in the autumn when the leaves change.  I miss the cool breezes and the amazing scenery.  I miss the picnics and hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  And even though we'd have to sneak across the Virginia state line to do it, I'd love to pay one more visit to the Levering's apple orchard.
10. Calabash-  Since Myrtle Beach is in South Carolina (and trust me, there is a HUGE difference!), I would want to head to my favorite little coastal village in NC, Calabash.  It is basically a town made up of seafood restaurants.  It is the kind of good old fashioned, bad-for-you, fried and battered seafood that is hard to find in Florida. And with LOTS of hush puppies!!!   I may spend a week there, eating in a different place every night!

So there's my list.  NC, I hope to see you soon.  And dang am I hungry....

Because of Jesus,