Jesus Camp

Hmmm. The "Jesus Camp" movie was just brought to my attention for the first time today.

I repeat. Hmmmmm...

Let me give you a bit of my background and then I'll give you my unsolicited opinion. I was raised Baptist, conservative. In college, I leaned more toward the charismatic. My husband and I have ministered in about every type of church you could imagine from Lutheran to Pentecostal. I've had hands laid on me, prayed for healings, raised my hands during worship, felt God giving me a sense when praying for others and even privately speak in tongues on occasion while praying. I believe that God hears me just the same, though, when I pray silently or sing a hymn.

I watched this trailer today and have watched several other commentaries and opinions.

Mine?

I love God. That's the bottom line. And not much thrills me more than to see Him working in and through children. What concerns me, though, is the extreme I am observing. I hear these kids saying things that are not "kid" things to say. It seems they are repeating by rote something that has been taught to them; something they might not even understand. I'm wondering if there is a heart connection. Also I've noticed something else that I'm not crazy about, here and in many other charismatic and pentecostal circles. The "gifts" are there to enhance our relationship with God; much like a toolbox. I always get concerned when the gifts become the focus.

Our personal philosophy in ministry has become much more practical. Sure, you can come to church and have a great experience with God, but are you different when you leave? Better yet, are you in a place to be a tangible blessing to someone else?

Yes, we are warring for a generation. I definitely understand that. How are we going to reach a world though, if we're not speaking their language? I don't mean to compromise the message of Christ by any means. But I've seen a sweaty construction worker on a hot, summer day genuinely blessed by someone offering him a cold bottle of water. Would he have been as touched by someone approaching him to ask if he was saved? The bottle of water might offer that opportunity, though. And it might not. God may have that job for someone else down the road.

Can we focus on teaching kids to look for tangible ways to be a blessing to their friends and then trust God to open doors? Why do we feel such a desperation to lead someone to a relationship with Christ the way we think it should be done instead of operate within His timing.

OK. I'm off the topic. Sorry. Maybe we would do best to stick to the example Jesus set for us. He strived to obey God at all times, but he also chose to be very aware of the practical needs of those around Him. He fed hungry people. When they were sick, he fixed them. He did go off and spend time with his Father when he needed to, but most of His ministry was spend making His Father's plan relevant.

Your comments?

My 15 years of school... in retrospect

OK. So I'm copying Becca. But having my kids in 7th grade, 2nd grade and kindergarten, respectively, does make me reflect on my school years. Here's a recap:

We didn't have preschool in the late '70's.

Kindergarten - I went to River Valley (we moved the next summer). Mrs. Gandert was my teacher. She was nice but I really remember the assistant, Mrs. Comstock. She and I had the same favorite color -- orange. I got in trouble for stealing a candy lipstick thing off of the desk and holding it my hand for all of recess. I got in trouble. It was slightly traumatic.

1st Grade - Pleasant from here on out. I had Mrs. Short. She was... short. I sat next to a boy named Chad who ate glue and I faked a nap on my desk once.

2nd Grade - Mrs. Kay had a reputation for being mean, but she was OK. I coughed in the direction of a girl who was friends with a girl I wanted to be my best friend. I wanted her to get sick. That wasn't very nice. She didn't get sick anyway.

3rd Grade - Mrs. Michaels was my favorite in elementary. My best friend, Tara, was in my class. We learned cursive. It was a good year.

4th Grade - Got my hair cut short and permed. I had Mrs. Truka. My sister had her too. She was nice, but I sat across from a girl who was mean. I did a book report on Amelia Earhart and dressed up like her. A picture of me reading to my mom was in the yearbook. I was in the first gfted and talented program with only one other girl from my grade.

5th Grade - Mrs. Young was nice. We were in the junior high building. I liked to read Noelle Streatfield books from the library. I had Mrs. Sharp for math. She was grouchy.

6th Grade - Mr. Gorby went to our church and I liked him. Jen had him, too. He had every class build bridges out of posterboard. I had Mr. Covert for science. He was mean. Cabbage Patch Kids were big that year.

7th - 8th Grade - These two years were not the highlight of my school career. I was tall and awkward. I had some teachers I liked and some I didn't. Mr. Coffman was cool. I had Mr. Stevens for history and he was HARD. I flunked two tests in that class and cried a lot. I liked Mrs. Dendinger. I was in her class when the space shuttle blew up. I loved my band director, Mr. Holsinger. He let me march in the high school marching band in 8th grade.

9th - 12th Grade - High school was fun. I could sing and found my niche. The best teacher by far was Mrs. Gruber, the librarian. I never sat through a study hall because I was busy working or hanging out in the library. I still keep in touch with her. I also loved Mrs. Burris, the chorus teacher. Mrs. Stoneburner was a hard English teacher but also the drama director. I got in trouble (with my mom) for getting mad at Mr. Hall and yelling at him. Overall, I really enjoyed high school.

13th -14th Grade - I was a vocal performance major at the University of Akron. My sister was there, too and we had fun. Dr. Schiller was my voice teacher. She was rarely on time for lessons. It was annoying. I liked our choir director, Dr. MacClary, and our opera scenes guy, Mr. Anderson, even though he usually smelled like alcohol.

I got married the next summer with plans to go back, but things went in a different direction. I'll go back someday.



That was fun. Thanks, Becca.

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