Joseph Finished Strong

            Joseph was the eleventh of Jacob’s twelve sons, and he was Jacob’s favorite.  He was rather spoiled as a child and didn’t know when to shut up.  His father gave him an expensive multi-colored coat, and his brothers envied him.  So they sold him to slavery.  He went to Egypt and worked so well for his master that his master set him in charge of the entire household, until his wife framed Joseph and he was sent to prison, where he was again entrusted with administration.  Eventually, he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became second in Egypt.  When his brothers came to him later, he forgave them and eventually treated them with kindness.   When he died, he spoke by faith of the Exodus, commanding the Israelites to take his bones out of the land with them. 

            Joseph was well-established in Egypt.  His wife was from there, his children had grown up there, now his father’s whole clan was living with him in the land.  He could have set his heart on Egypt and its glory and riches, which were all effectively his.  But in his death he chose to look forward to the Israelite’s inheritance of God’s promise.

             He demonstrated courage really throughout his life, in every administrative position he held, he never once (that we have recorded) compromised and used his authority for his own gain, but he always worked diligently and feared God.  Even when his master’s wife tempted him, he refused, saying, “How can I do this great evil, and sin against God?”  He knew that God was on the throne and therefore considered it unthinkable to sin against Him.

            On his deathbed, he called his brethren to him, and left instructions as to his bones.  He did not dwell on his own success in Egypt on his deathbed, but rather on God’s promise to His (and his) people.  In this he chose humility, even after a life of stellar success both before God and man.  He was rich and righteous, an exceedingly rare combination.  But he did not boast.  He trusted God and looked forward to the inheritance of God’s promises.

            After Joseph died, he was put in a coffin in Egypt, but we can be sure that the people of Egypt and Israel alike mourned his death.  But even he did not speak of mourning, but of the promises.  May we likewise consider God’s promises of greater importance than our accomplishments. 

Nehemiah-Champion of the Lord

            Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the king of Persia during the captivity of the Jews.  Many Jews had returned to the Promised Land, but they were in disarray.  The walls of Jerusalem, which were needful for the city to be defensible, were in shambles.  They had never been rebuilt when the Jews returned at first, and the people in the city were living in the midst of the rubble.  When Nehemiah heard this, he wept, fasted, and prayed before God, confessing his peoples’ sins, and begging God to fulfill His promises to Israel, so that the people may live in safety again.  Then the king asked Nehemiah one day why he was sad, because he looked upset.  Nehemiah prayed silently as he explained the matter to the king.  The king asked him what he needed, and Nehemiah listed the supplies.  The king then commissioned him to go rebuild the wall.

            In the process of rebuilding the wall, and later ruling as governor of Judah, he ran into a lot of obstacles.  Enemies, upset people among the Jews, despair and threats, even sin among the rulers of the people.  Nehemiah confronted each of them without fear, because he feared God.  The wall was rebuilt in 52 days, and he ruled the people wisely in godliness as the governor.  He was a champion because he overcame every obstacle set in his way because of his fear of God, and did exactly what God intended, rebuilding the wall, rebuilding the people, and ruling them in godliness and peace.  This is a tough duty, but Nehemiah did it well.

            He impacted the course of history because prior to his administration, the Jews were feeble and still living in sin, but Nehemiah led them to strength and righteousness.  He was yet another stepping stone of the Jews on History’s march to the Messiah.  Daniel prophesied specifically concerning the rebuilding of the wall and its relation to the coming of Messiah.  (Daniel 9:25)

Des Moines Y Camp

            Yesterday, we as Launch visited the Des Moines Y Camp along the Des Moines River near Fraser, Iowa.  It was first of all quite unlike any camp we have visited yet.  It is along the river, so it has a canoe ramp.  The Dragoon Trail, a series of Iowa roads which follows the Des Moines River, goes right through the camp, dividing it in two.  Along the road leading up to the camp are signs that indicate the driver must slow down, all the way to 10 mph.  When I first drove through there on my way to Boone a few weeks ago, I had no idea what I was running into, but was delighted to see such a beautiful and well-organized camp.  The other unique thing is that it is divided again by the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, an old coal line which is now used for tourism, and takes folks on old-fashioned train rides through the beautiful Des Moines River Valley.  The railroad’s Des Moines River bridge is right by the camp.

            I ended up with many questions, but I will mostly share the ones I wrote down.

1.  When was the camp established?

2.  Was it the vision of one man or of a group?

3.  What is the history of the YMCA in Iowa?

4.  Why was this spot chosen for the camp?

            I list all these questions together because they were answered for me in one monologue.  The Boone YMCA was one of the first in the state, but did not join the Des Moines YMCA until recently, and was not involved in the camp.  The camp was founded in 1919.  The YMCA of Greater Des Moines had been looking for a camp for a while, but had hitherto only had access to Camp Foster, near Okoboji, which was a long journey by train in 1912.  They went there several summers, but were looking for a place of their own.  Howard Crawford and George Weber, two leaders of the Des Moines YMCA, went on the Des Moines-Fort Dodge train to see a property along the Des Moines River which was for sale near Fraser, which at the time was a booming mine town of 12,000 people.  They decided not to buy it, but as they were waiting at the station, another man from the area told them that an old dance hall was for sale, which had been quite popular before it was closed by the constable a few years before due to some recent stabbings.  So the two men walked out to the dance hall, and decided to buy it.

5.  What is the biggest change that has come about since you’ve been director?

            My original question was, in the last ten years, but the director, who gave us our tour, had been there twelve, so I extended it.  He said the biggest change was the retention rate.  Their rate at his arrival was 11%, meaning that about one out of ten campers from one summer came back the next summer.  Now it is at 78%, an impressive figure, but softened by the fact that they do some medical specialty camps which are not found elsewhere, such as diabetes camp, kids with cancer camp, siblings of cancer patients camp, and the like.

6.  What do you want your campers to leave with?

            I never actually asked this question, because I considered it sufficiently answered when the director explained, “We’re a seed-planting camp.” I assumed, therefore, that their goal is that the kids leave with the Gospel, so I didn’t ask the question.

            One thing that was very different at the Y Camp versus Hidden Acres is the way the staff are handled.  They have established tracks, set responsibilities, and they are not allowed to help another department unless they are asked to by that department.  This avoids burning them out completely.  They will have up and down times of the year, but that’s understandable.  They aren’t giving their all every week of the year.  Here at Hidden Acres, we experience a lot more “Department-hopping” as I would call it, jumping from one thing to another from week to week, or even hour to hour.  Of course, that is the job of Launch, anyway, so that makes sense.  We have our reasons for the way we do it, but they way they do it, they have much lower staff turnaround. 

            Another idea I found quite exciting was their concept of “Boys will be boys” camp.  This allows boys to act like boys with very few restrictions.  This is not really a concept that Hidden Acres as a whole could implement, but I have been churning through my head ways to implement it, in a controlled way, in my own cabins this summer.  Boys really aren’t allowed to be rowdy in school anymore, they are expected to act like girls.  It’s lame.  So my Rule #3 last year was, “Be rowdy, but not nasty.”  That seemed to work pretty well, but I want to have some more exciting adventures with them this year.

            The thing that I appreciated perhaps the most about them was their sense of history.  They are currently in the process of interviewing old veterans about what the camp used to be like, etc., and have hired an author from Boone to write a camp history book for them, with stories and lore.  I would love to see something like this done at Hidden Acres, and it would be even better to do now for us, because most of the founding fathers of camp are still alive.  I love history, so the sense of their continuation of the path set before them by their forefathers was particularly exciting for me. 

Risk

            When I hear the word, “Risk,” I instantly think of the board game of military conquest, deceit, and strategy.  For some reason, I really enjoy playing this game with friends.  Thankfully, they remain friends when the game is over, despite the backstabbing involved.

            Otherwise, I hate the concept.  Risk is something that I generally avoid, because I like stability and planning.  I was raised in a household that had very little spontaneity when we went on vacation, or really any other time.  The basic framework of everything was well-ordered and well-regulated, which allowed for certain defined liberties in the context of order.  So whatever risks I could take, were limited to ones that had no consequences.  This allowed a really safe environment to grow up in.          

            Still, my aversion to risk is not only a result of my upbringing.  I really don’t like it myself.  I was allowed liberties, but the ones I was given, I barely ventured.  I could have gone on high-adventure scout camping trips, but I chose not to.  When my parents lifted my bedtime and left it to my discretion in Jr. High, I was frightened of such authority in my own hands.  When faced with the possibility of doing something normal or something risky, I so often default to the normal, the standard, the expected, that I must scour my memory for any such occasion when I even remember stoutly refusing to take a risk.  Avoiding it is so natural to me that it doesn’t even leave a blip on the radar. 

            Today, I have been asked to recall a time when I took a risk, another when I avoided one, and the benefits of risk-taking, complete with consequences for each.  To begin, perhaps among the most risky things I have ever done was on Monday, when I went to Ames to witness.  I have had such apparent leadings before, but have always been to terrified to act on them.  I discovered that it is really a lot easier to talk about Jesus than it is to start a conversation.  I talked to two guys, one at a bus stop, and the other in a food court, and both conversations went rather well.  But randomly driving to Ames on my day off to talk to people I don’t know is a rather risky business for me.  All in all, I think it was good, because it was obedience to the Lord.

            On Monday, though, I did avoid possible opportunities.  I could have talked to a store clerk at Casey’s in West Ames (or was it Kum&Go?), or a guy smoking outside a dorm room.  Since I didn’t talk to those people, I spent the time that I otherwise would have talking to them driving or wandering around, looking for other opportunities.  But I found none, so I had to wait until the next one came.  Even though I was in Ames for the purpose of witnessing, I turned down chances to do so.  This was bad as I disobeyed the leading of the Lord.

            Risk-taking in and of itself is of no better value than normalcy.  If a risk is taken out of loving obedience to the Lord, in His will and plan, it is good. But so is normalcy in the same context.  The advantage risk-taking has is that it demands trusting God in the unknown.  This is one thing that normalcy cannot do: bring out trust in God for unknown situations.  Just like some things cannot be developed except through adversity, some things, like obedience and trust, are best and sometimes only developed through risk.  To fear and avoid godly risk is disobedient.  To pursue risk for its own sake is foolhardy.  To seek God and obey Him, whatever the case may be, is what His love incites in us.  

Youth Group

1.  What is the mission of the group you lead?  How will you focus on this mission?

So far as I can tell, the mission is to further the Gospel to students, and to encourage the growth of its strength in their lives.  To do this, I teach, both in front at times, and individually at others.

2.  What distractions do you face as a leader?  How will you focus to block them out?

The chief distraction is to view the students the way the world does, as behavior machines, and thus to be more concerned with how the act than with their eternity.  To avoid this it is necessary to look to Jesus, and see things from His perspective, and know that these students are loved by Him, and that my ministry is not to amend their behavior, but to show Him to them.

3.  What are the blind spots that keep you from reaching your leadership potential?  How will you focus to eliminate or minimize them?

I have limited love for others.  In order to love others, I must look steadfastly to Jesus, for His love is the foundation of mine.

4.  What do you do best?  How will you focus on this strength to maximize your effectiveness as a leader? 

I learn and teach the best.  So it is my duty to learn the truth, and teach the truth to those around me, especially the kids at youth group.  Of course, this truth must necessarily be focused on the Lord.

5.  How will you focus on setting the standard for the people you lead?

My vision is for everyone to know and believe the truth.  I set the standard for this by being totally honest all of the time.  I also have a low threshold of tolerance for any perceived error.  This has gotten me in trouble at times, and I have been far too quick to rebuke in the past, and have always lacked tact.  May the Lord Jesus grant that I may “Speak the truth in love.” –Ephesians 4:15