Have you ever picked up a book that totally captivated you to the point that you couldn’t put it down. I just had an experience like this and I am not a reader. I was forced to read so much after completing two degrees. I picked up a book called ‘A day with a Perfect Stranger’ which I found out later is actually the sequel. It’s the perfect book with about 100 pages, still a huge task for me to complete. I sat down one Sunday morning, my son was sick, and finished the whole book.
A dialogue happens between a women on a plane with a person at the window seat and a lengthy dialogue with the aisle person. Not to give it all away, but here’s the beginning. The women is so mad that her husband has found religion and has insistedhe had dined with Jesus. Yeah right she thinks… All she wants is her ‘old’ husband back. Then she begins this dialogue to process why she is so far from God. By the end of the plane ride, she begins to think she has misjudged her husband but also the God he claims to believe in.
What intrigued me the most is looking at the possibility of belief. The stranger talks how he hates religion. “Religion is what people mistakenly do to try to get to God - by being good enough, keeping certain rules, performing certain rituals, and so forth. But God? Of course I believe in him.”
What do you believe?
I have a new opportunity to connect with students and will be doing some outreach work at the Adult Education and Training Centre. I have been asked to help out with their Phys. ED module. I met today with the teacher to brainstorm ideas for this class. I’ll begin on Feb. 27th and will be helping hopefully two mornings a week.
One of the neat things will be off-site trips to some of the local camps. An opportunity to interact with the 12 or so students for an extended period of time. This part is exciting as I can combine my adventure background with my ministry.
One of the interesting components of my journey is raising support. What an overwhelming challenge to seek individuals to partner with me in ministry? Yet, God is faithful. As I continue to call people, the response I get is rewarding. I spoke with two or three individuals whom received my letter in fall, intended to respond, but forgot to follow through. So, more support is coming in. I had one individual who was not able to give monthly support, but gave two sizable cheques. If you want to know more about supporting me, just post a comment and I will get in touch with you.
In response to my previous post on faith, I talked how Faith is moving forward without a plan B. I continue to pray and surrender my doubts when I think of plan B. So, focusing on what I am called to do means there is no plan B. I need to press on by communicating my passion for teenagers and seeking individuals to partner with me to reach this generation.
I was thinking how significant this role I have is. To see an entire generation transformed and live in their full potential impacts everything. I was reminded of our vision statement. “It is our vision that through strategic partnerships and our own front-line endeavours, to see the lives of the Haliburton Highlands youth, attain their full potential as God designed it.”
