This year instead of a Halloween Party we hosted a Pirate Party. The idea for themed youth group nights came from our summer planning team meetings. The youth were very excited about doing a pirate night at some time and we figured this would be a good way to incorporate that idea into our Halloween party night.

Now, you may wonder how pirates, pirate ships, skulls and crossbones could fit with a church youth group night. Well, it was fairly easy actually. Let me share with you the devotion we had for that evening. We always have a time of worship or devotions for our large group nights.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 says, “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.”

Pirates had many dangers and shipwrecks were one of those dangers. A shipwreck meant the loss of their transportation, their means of gaining income, loss of property and life. If they shipwrecked it meant damage to their ship, loss of that ship. Someone may have caused the shipwreck by not following the map or by reading the compass or stars incorrectly.

Paul is writing to Timothy about the possibility of shipwrecks in our faith. He gives us some guidelines to help us keep on the true course and keep our ship secure. We are first told to follow instructions, follow our treasure map, our guide. That is God. We can read the Bible, be in prayer, attend church and Sunday School. Our faith grows when we read and obey God’s word. We have a better chance of staying on course and not shipwrecking when we follow God.

We are told to hold onto faith. We are not to be like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6-8). We have to keep working on growing in faith. The pirates had to keep working on their ship-cleaning the decks, checking their sails, watching for storms. We also need to keep looking to our guide, being in prayer, being attentive to keeping our ship in top form.

A good conscience means to act in the right way, do what we know is right. If the pirates didn’t keep the ship ready or strong it would fail. They had to do what they knew was right for their ship. Not that their behavior was right, we know that. But, we have many ways to work on having a good conscience. And we need to always be working on that in our lives. Learning from our parents and teachers, applying what we learn from our Bible reading and instruction.

We must obey God (follow our map). We need to hold onto faith (follow the compass, don’t be tossed around). We have to listen and follow what is right.
We work hard not to shipwreck. But, sometimes we do. That may happen. But, if we do have a shipwreck we know we can turn to God to once again point us in the right direction and we can get our ship on course once again.

I had a very nice long post that was just lost into cyberspace, thanks to my free wi-fi time running out. Grrrr!!! But, I still love my Caribou Coffee spot. I will not be mad at them. My own fault for not checking my time. Oh well!!

I think the biggest thing I talked about was the fact I may go to the hair salon in this strip mall and see if I could get my hair colored today. Why? I don't know. It just sounds like a good thing to do. Something I have thought about for a while, so I think I will do it.

I sure love coming to Caribou for coffee and for the atmosphere. The change of location and it is a good way for me to relax after having dental work done. I try to come here or go to the nail salon each time I get my teeth worked on. It really helps me recover from the dental work. Now that they can use more anesthetic and they can use the non-epi stuff for some of the work, I am definitely doing better after the visits. I haven't had a passing out episode for a while. Today I felt a bit strange for a tiny bit, but it is gone. Last time I ended up sleeping for an hour or so because I had to get a double dose of local, but I didn't pass out. I was worried that time. Maybe just knowing that I can get a good dose of local now and I don't have to worry that my reaction could get worse I don't get so worked up about it and thus it doesn't happen. I don't know. Maybe it was all a mental thing.

I also have thought about friendship as I sit here. There have been three groups of women come in here since I was here. They appear to be groups of friends just coming in to have coffee and visit. That is something I miss in my life. I do not cultivate friendships in my life. I spend most of my free time with my husband or my children. I do not take time to be with friends and then I wonder why I don't have any close friends. It is not because I am not likable, but because I don't take time to build those relationships. I wish to do that and that may need to be a resolution in my life, to carve out time to work on those relationships.

Time to go--going to lunch with my kids--no hair coloring today--boo,hoo. It was a good thought, but time with the kids will be better.

I'm finding it frustrating to check in on my blog and find no comments on my posts. I know that some people may not see a reason to comment on my sermon notes or on devotions from youth group, but I always wish that someone would post a comment. It would help me believe that the blog is being read.

Most of the text for Sept. 30, 2007 sermon:

Today we are being called to be countercultural. We are called to be different, to live differently, to love differently, to listen to Heaven’s voice and pursue a life of character-our riches are to be riches of character-godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance and gentleness.

The rich man in our Gospel lesson figures out too late that there are other things besides riches that he should have been stocking up on. He recognizes too late that he needed others-He needs Lazarus now. He had ignored Lazarus. Lazarus had almost literally been underfoot and the rich man probably stepped right around him or over him or maybe even stepped on him in his effort to share his riches with his other rich friends and to amass his riches for himself. Where were his five brothers in all of this? Had he been sharing with them?

There had been many chances to share even a bit of what he had with Lazarus and the rich man had chosen to keep it all to himself. Are we like that? Do we have opportunities-our own Lazarus’s right under our own feet, outside our own doors, outside our church doors, inside our communities? Have we looked at our Lazarus and then listened for God to speak to us? To tell us how to serve? Do we have five brothers we need to think about right now? Have we thought about whom those five brothers are that we can’t leave outside because at some point it might be too late?

God is calling us to do it differently. We need to think about “our five brothers”, those people we want to help-to make sure they learn the lessons, hear the Gospel, see the Gospel, have God’s mercy and grace shown to them.

We are being called by Paul in the 1 Timothy lesson to not pursue riches but to pursue the higher calling. We can do so much right now within our Christian community. Paul calls us to “do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share.” Riches doesn’t necessarily mean money or things. Riches can be those gifts that God has given us. Talents, gifts, abilities, skills, past events and opportunities that have helped to shape us, change us, lead us to look at life, people, see everything in a different way. One of the best ways to share is through our gifts and talents. What happens when we hold tight to what riches God has given us? What happens when we don’t share those”? Does it matter at all?



We need to work at equipping each other to share our riches, to help people to open their eyes to Lazarus sitting outside the door. I love the United Methodist church because it is a denomination, a church, that truly believes in living out one’s faith. Our Social Principles, our Book of Resolutions, both texts that describe ways we can live out a life of justice and care

Our denomination has a General Board of Global Ministries, supplying missioners in so many forms-from lifelong career missioners to opportunities for each of us to be in mission to our local church, conference, and country and world through our missional giving or through mission trips, volunteer in mission opportunities for various levels of commitment.

We cannot just expect people to see the Lazarus’s and do something about it. As a church we can’t just assume those who are part of our community see and hear the poor in our area or in the world. I am a youth ministries director and so I am biased on this next point. Christian Education is so important to each individual and to a church’s congregation and its growth and vitality. Studies have shown that a church’s youth and children’ ministry is only as good and strong as its adult ministry. We need to be providing opportunities to grow spiritually. I love looking at your bulletins and seeing all the opportunities available to you for learning and growing. I certainly hope many of you are part of these. Of course, Christian Education isn’t the final step. Once we have begun learning and growing, we need to make that faith, that growth, alive and vital, put it into practice. Our Christian life is one of practice. This is where we identify our five brothers and make sure they have been ministered to before we no longer can do so.

Today we are called to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our mouths, to open our hands, our hearts, and our doors. Are we ready to do that?

My newsletter piece for Oct.

September was an important month for our church. It was the beginning of a new school year of ministry opportunities and events. It also marked two milestones in the faith journey of our children and youth. On Sept. 23 three young people were confirmed. The next Sunday we gave Bibles to our 3rd graders and our new confirmation students. Both of those events are important in the life of our church.

The confirmation service is not a passive one for the congregation. We are asked to do an important thing during the service. The pastor commends the new members to our love and care. We are asked to do all in our power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love. And we renew our own covenant to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. I truly hope that as you said those words at church that day that you thought about them. Or, are thinking about them now. What do those words mean to the youth ministry at Park? May I offer a few suggestions to you as ways you can be doing all in your power to help these young people, not just the three who were confirmed or the young people who got Bibles, but all the children and youth at Park UMC.

I ask that you lift these young people and their families in prayer. Pray for their safety, their health and that we at Park are providing ministry opportunities that are needed for these families. Pray also for yourself that God may show you ways that you may be in ministry with these children, youth and families. We are always looking for meeting helpers, chaperones, cooks, storytellers, phone callers; the list is long. If you have a gift or talent that you are willing to share, we are willing to let you share it.

You can be an example and role model for our children. Find a way to get involved in a class or study. Park’s youth need to see adults in class, hear from parents and others about what they are learning in their classes, see the adults coming to 10:50 am gathering before class. If we want our young people to view Christian Education as a lifelong experience, then we need to be modeling that for them.

I would also ask that as adults we engage our young people in conversation. Learn about their interests, their sports, their goals and plans. We have been working this year to develop activities that are intergenerational and I hope you can participate in some of those.