So Long, Farewell

And just like that, it's over. I can hear yells of "Good-bye!" and "See ya next year!" as the church vans pull away from camp to their destinations across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, & British Columbia. It was a great group of kids out here this year. You can tell that they truly plan to make a difference in this world. There's just no question about it in their minds. It's part of who they are as a generation. As one of the speakers pointed out, if you had asked us what or who "Darfur" is when we were teens, we would have been speechless. Yet these teens know the plight of Darfur; they don "Invisible Children" t-shirts; they can tell you the names of the kid they sponsor in Guatemala. When buckets were passed around for dropping in change to help a mission effort, these kids dropped in over $1300 yesterday, and more came today. Teenagers were bidding hundreds of dollars on pictures of Ugandan children during the auction this morning. That's the kind of group this is. This is not the church of tomorrow; they are the church of today. And that's a very good thing.

The Emotional Gamut

The morning came much too soon today. I know I'm getting old(er), but man, those bunks will be the death of me. Or maybe it's the chips and Snickers at midnight. I figure I'm at a teen event, so "when in Rome," right?

Everyone is good and tired today; it's past the half-way mark in the weekend. Spirits are being broken and lives transformed. The Spirit is hitting home runs through the words of the speakers. The small groups, based on the teens' spiritual gifts, have made the lessons personal. Lauren, from Metro Church of Christ, gladly tromped off to her group of "Mission-Minded" peers cheering that it was her "favorite part of the day".

I wish each person who knows and loves FaithQuest could be teleported here for a worship session (that would be my superhero talent if I got to choose). I have been transported to the throne room of God through song and prayer over and over again. It is easy to envision the angelic beings in and amongst and above us, joining in with praise to the Creator.

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depths of your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of you
I stand, I stand in awe of you
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of you

Please Come

One of the most poignant moments of FQ so far for me was something that happened separate from the "script". In the middle of praise last evening, Kevin Woods interrupted as Jason took a breath between songs. "You know", he says, "it seems to me that we should sing this chorus one more time and pause at the end to see if it happens." He said a little more about anticipation and expectation, and then we sang. With hope. With belief. With anticipation and expectation.

Come, Lord Jesus, come
Come, Lord Jesus, come

Teen Interview

I'd like you to meet A'Doisha, a sixteen-year-old from Portland who attends PUMP Church of Christ. This is A'Doisha's second FaithQuest.

What is your spiritual gift, according to the inventory we took today?
Leadership

How do you see that working in your life?
I don't really see it as a gift - it's just something that happens. I'm starting to see that it is something that I can use as a benefit to those around me.

Like how?
Using my leadership skills I can lead others that aren't other sure about where they should go. I can use my leadership as a motivation when people aren't sure about what they want to do.

When it is hard to be a leader?
At my Christian school and at church I am motivated to be a better person. Those are the places that people see me as a leader. When I'm with my friends it is harder for me to be a good leader, an influence for good.

What's been the best part of FaithQuest so far?
I really do like your brother, and not just because you are doing the interview. I like that he shares personal stories. Those are the ones that mean the most to me. He's pretty cool. He's pulling dead bodies out of the water!

What else?
I like coming to FaithQuest to meet new people and hear inspirational stories from the speakers like my main man, Jeff Cash, who came from Uganda. And I enjoyed our one-on-one time, Kristi!

Fish Brains For Dinner Again, Mom?

Chris started us out last night by sharing an email he and the other speaker, Jeff Cash (this author's brother), had received from the FaithQuest leadership. In that correspondence, it basically instructed Jeff to focus on the storytelling role, while Chris is assigned the Biblical, analytical ("put the kids to sleep") role. Chris said he was thinking, "What kind of stories could come out of Texas?" But then he met Jeff. Jeff from Uganda. In Africa. "Oh great."

Johno introduced Jeff as a "master storyteller", and that is an accurate description. He is the most adventurous person I know and has the stories to match. One may even feel a little intimidated sharing in a conversation with him. Johno put it this way: "You say, 'Hey, I got this dog bite on my arm, and Jeff comes back with, 'Well, I once had a baboon climb into my truck where we got in a boxing match and it broke my ribs.' Or you start talking about your great mountain climb up Mt. Adams, and Jeff follows up with, 'I've climbed a mountain - Kilimanjaro. Ever heard of it? Avery Stafford wrote about it in a song.' 'I once had a fly drop into my coffee.' 'Fish brains.'

[apologies to Johno for inaccuracies in the quasi-quote]

Fish brains? Really? Yep. Even my little nephew, Isaac, has enjoyed the delicacy of fish eyeballs. You may ask yourself, "Why?! Why don't you just pass on the offer??" But here is what Jeff taught us today: If God calls me to eat fish brains in the name of Jesus, then I eat fish brains.

Jeff shared about meeting with a witch doctor who lived near the Nile River in Uganda. This man is known as "The King of the Unseen Spirits of this Dark World". Jeff & his friend Daniel met with this man and shared that they, too, are possessed by a Spirit - a very powerful Spirit. "Please do not pray for me," begged this witch doctor, who was terrified of the Spirit that possessed two kids from the West Coast.

Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.

"We'll Get There When We Get There!"

Despite what the handbook might say, Chris Goldman is not Chris Green. Chris Green looks like Donny Osmond, while Goldman resembles Keiffer Sutherland - at least according to Goldman.

Chris relates himself to Mr. Incredible as a superhero. The before Mr. Incredible. The one who can't quite get the belt around his waist. It's not a pretty picture being a superhero who doesn't use their super powers. Christ points out that, in fact, if you are given a spiritual gift that you do not use, you will lose it; it will be taken from you.

That is a profound, impacting thought. A spiritual gift is not about just using the personality preferences or physical talents with which you were born. A spiritual gift is being given something by the Lord for which you are not necessarily wired. It is the shy twenty-something finding that she has something important to teach the ladies of her church. It may be the boisterous teenager discovering that he is drawn to praying fervently for his friends. It is the choir member finding that not only can he sing well, but he now can lead others into a place of worship.

So I am led to ask: What gifts have I been given by the Lord which I am not using? A gift needs to be respected and utilized and handled with care. If one can't handle the responsibility of a spiritual gift, then one shouldn't (or won't) be blessed with such. But it's not hopeless. Now that I can identify a spiritual gift in my own life that I have not been using well, I will pray for strength, insight, and direction regarding this particular gift. And I will hope that it finds roots in me again.

What about you? Do you have spiritual gifts that you are not using? Don't be the before image of Mr. Incredible. That belly hanging out just doesn't look very good.

So It Begins

It is a familiar drive that evokes as many feelings as memories. There's the speed trap that we have all come to know (some too well) in the little town of Yamhill. We wind our way past the cows and horses and picturesque farm homes, glancing at the Flying M Ranch markers at each corner, even though we could make this drive with our eyes closed. Then we hit the gravel road that marks the final lap in our journey. It is impossible not to take a deep breath in and gaze in wonder on the great valley below as we crest the hill. One last deep dip in the road, up the steep hill, turn left, and...there she is. The wooden sign we all love, nestled on the edge of the dense forrest: Camp Yamhill. The descent into camp is always filled with just a tad of nervous anticipation, a remnant of the first time we came to this summer camp as a newly independent third grader.

Before we get too enveloped into this weekend, we took a few minutes to watch the scenes of "Ever After: FaithQuest 2007". Cheers and laughter erupted as friendly faces make an appearance. Good times. Good memories.

And so it begins. FaithQuest 2008 - Who Wants to be a Superhero? It's hard to know what the crazies who lead this event have in store this weekend (not to mention God), but there's no doubt that by Monday we will all be yelling in unison, "I do! I do!"

Live Blogging FQ 2008!

We know that there are a lot of people who wish they could have an insider's view to this spectacular weekend - parents whose teens are participating in this life changing event, former FaithQuest teens who are now at college or working, members of Metro or Vancouver or other churches who have worked hard to make this weekend a success. We also want a place where those who attend FaithQuest can revisit lessons learned and the words of speakers and participants. So visit here for updates throughout the weekend and beyond!