Jr. High Alive Camp

I wasn’t really sure about whether I would enjoy Jr. High Camp.  I sound like a child, right?  “Mom, NO! You just CAN’T make me go to camp.  I don’t know ANYONE!”  The truth is that I didn’t know if I could enjoy Jr. High camp as much as I did Sr. High camp.  I’ve been volunteering at Night Owl camp for the past several years and enjoy working with the high school kids and just didn’t know if I would have enough patience for the younger youth for a week straight.

The truth of the matter is that I had a wonderful time!  The youth were extraordinary and I’m still coming down off of the ‘energy high’ that I get from a week at camp.  I wonder how many people (especially pastors) are out there thinking what I was thinking, “I don’t have enough energy,” “The kids won’t relate to me,” or (this is the big one) “I don’t have enough time.”  I hope that both lay people and pastors in churches will take time to call the camping office and volunteer for one week next summer.  It doesn’t take any special skills, except the desire nurture children in christian fellowship and discipleship. In fact, each year I leave for camp stressed and wondering how I ever thought I could have time to take a week off, getting to camp and enjoying the experience, and then coming home renewed and refreshed.  It does as much for the volunteer as for the campers!

Racism And Politics

I’ve been watching the Republican National Convention and I’m startled by the contrast between it and the Democratic National Convention.

I’m watching Mike Huckabee’s speech right now and as the cameras move about the room it is predominately old white people (many men).  He stands in a room full of white people in positions of power he then talks about the evils of racism....  I guess he wasn’t talking about institutional racism and tokenism that seems to be pervasive in the Republican Party.

Now don’t get me wrong, I struggle with our party system.  Democrat and Republican party organizations have systematic problems and neither is any more perfect than the other......but when a man like Barack Obama stands up and starts talking about hope and brings a new vision of self, country, and responsibility...and he is made fun of by a bunch of [predominately] old white people I feel sickened.

In one of the video ads by the Obama Campaign “Signs of Hope and Change” one of the men on the video says, “I don’t want a country for me, I want a country for everyone.”  That is what I want.  I want a country that will take seriously the need to inspect our exclusivism, racism, sexism and hopefully one day we will begin to cope with our materialism as well!

Mike Huckabee attacked Barack Obama for going abroad.  I could have imagined (not agreed with) Mike (for) attacking him for wasting money or some other issue in relation to the European tour...but Mr. Huckabee attacks Senator Obama by sayng, “It’s not what he took there that concerns me.  It’s what he brought back.  Lots of ideas from Europe he’d like to see imported here.”  First of all, why not ‘import ideas’ that might make health care more accessible and bring better services (such as preventative care) to our citizenry.  There is an idea to laugh at!  How about ‘importing’ some ideas from countries with better economies, schools, and longer life expectancy than the United States?  There is an idea to laugh at.

Looking at the camera pans back-and-forth, here is what I see:  white Americans who have healthcare and money for good educations  LAUGHING at people who are willing to say, “I don’t want a country for me, I want a country for everyone.”

The Republican leadership in the white house have heard that there are other ways of seeing the world and we know what they do.  They Laugh.  When most of the world says, “no” to a war in Iraq they laughed and ignored them.  When their own citizen’s raised concerns they laughed and said those are just the bleeding heart liberals.  Lastly, when even the republican base withdrew their support of the war and the white house what did they do?  The laughed.

Yes, Republican leadership call Obama an elitist.  They call him incompetent, inexperienced and, of course were happy to circulate the rumor that he was a “secret muslim.”  We have a man standing up with new ideas and a new direction for our country.  This young but competent man, each day, teaches our young people by example that one person can instigate change in the world.  We have a presidential candidate who has proven that he can hear the needs and views of others.  We have a candidate who has already demonstrated his intent to be diplomatic.  Most importantly, if one actually listens to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in it’s entirety, Obama has a concrete and, in fact, ambitious agenda for this country which speaks to personal responsibility of citizens, fiscal responsibility of the government, and social responsibilities of all.

We have serious issues facing America today and we will have to work hard to address them.  Laughing at other people’s problems, dreams, and hopes doesn’t seem like an effective way to make our country a better place.  I do respect John McCain, but I hope he can find some republican leaders who don’t just laugh at problems, should he be elected to the presidency.

Great Floods

I lived near the Mississippi growing up and still remember the flood of ’93.  Today I took a bike ride to photograph some of the Rock River flood of ’08.  I know it isn’t quite as mind boggling as housing falling into the river (Wisconsin Dells) or entire towns underwater to their roofs (Mississippi flood of ’93), but I found the overabundance of water pretty amazing.  Especially since I now live just a few blocks from the river.

I wonder how Noah and his contemporaries felt as the water rose?  As we consider the destruction that has already occurred and consider the destruction that is still to come, we should consider God’s continual covenant relationship with us.  Over and over again God has been with us as we endured pain, suffering, loss and destruction.  Some people might need to curse and scream at God.  Fine. That can be healthy, look at Job who remains faithful to God despite all of his losses.  When we are rebuilding, however, we must also be thankful to God for the chance to start again.

Baptism is deeply connecting to creation and flood.  By the water washing over us we have symbolism of the water destroying our sins.  As we rise up out of the water we rise up to re-creation.  A new life begins.  Out of destruction can come new life and new opportunities.  We must stay hopeful for this in 2008.


Title Image: A young girl ponders the flood waters in Janesville.  Photo by Scott Carnes, Copyright 2008, All rights reserved.

Door-to-door 4 God

Nope, we’re not Jehovah’s Witnesses or anything, but last Sunday I sent my youth door-to-door.  We didn’t hand out anything, by the way, either.  We collected stuff.  We played a well-known youth game called “Bigger and Better.”  Each group got a paperclip and then went door-to-door.  At the first house they would say, “We’re from Cargill United Methodist Church and we are playing a game called bigger and better.  If we give you this paperclip would you help us with something “Bigger and Better?”

It was  lot of fun.  This kids came back with tons of stuff including: chairs, 2 microwaves, a bench, 2 car seats, hats, toys, a clock, lots of non-perishable food and over $30.00 in cash.  Not bad for a walk around the neighborhood.  We’re going to take the stuff we collected to Echo, the Salvation Army and the Hospital thrift shop.  We are also going to take the money we collected on our mission trip to St. Louis so that we can purchase classroom supplies for the Kingdom House (a social services outreach of the United Methodist Church for low income families which provides low-cost childcare and preschool).

What would happen if we all went door-to-door 4 God?  In this case we proclaimed the name of our church, acted out our faith, and challenged others to help us.  It doesn’t have to be difficult, but it is often uncomfortable to walk up to people in this day-and-age regarding faith issues.  If North American Christianity is to survive, though, we must learn to step out of our comfort zone and take part in world-changing and attitude-changing behavior.

Take a moment to think about how you might share your faith today. Might you invite a friend to church?  Could you challenge someone to do acts of kindness for others?  What would the church look like if we all began acting out our faith and unashamedly proclaimed our love of God?

Evangelism does not have to be “in-your-face,” but it is also not “just” doing Good Works.  Evangelism is different things at different times, but I believe that it can include: Sharing our faith story with individuals or groups, Helping others in the name of Christ, showing love in our daily lives with no expectation of reward or recognition.

Music To My Eyes

Sometimes I like to just pull out my guitar and strum.  No matter what I’m playing (or attempting to play), I find myself relaxed.  What is it that you do to relax?

It is important to relax.  Reading is the way that I used to relax, but now that I’m at seminary I find myself with an inordinate amount of reading and writing.  When a person spends all of their time reading theologians and Biblical commentaries it is hard to find the time to enjoy a Harry Potter book, for example.

I hope that you will take a moment to think about the last time you were truly and completely relaxed.  Don’t think of it as a luxury - but as a necessity - and make time to relax more often!

Overwhelmed and Tired

It is difficult to balance school and work, especially this week.  I had a great week when it comes to being “Scott Carnes, Coordinator of Student Ministries,” but I have fallen far behind in being “Scott Carnes, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminarian...”  As of earlier today, I had three papers to write.  I finished my assignment for tonight, but I am struggling as I try to catch up.  There just seem to be too few hours in the day.

I am also in the midst of scholarship and tax season!  I am trying to apply and re-apply for scholarships and it is clear that I can not (and should not) expect the same level of financial support from my home church as I received during this past year.  I guess I am just feeling very stressed out.

The good news is that I am where I want to be.  I have a kind and loving home church who support me from a distance.  I have a wonderful job at a church which is immensely supportive and accommodating of me as I work through seminary.  Lastly, and most importantly, I am in school and receiving an education is primarily where I want to be right now and I am thrilled to be learning at seminary.

It's More Than Just Staying "Informed"

I’m now in a church that does not have a regular newsletter, nor a heavily used website.  I hear from around the church council table and staff meetings that communication is one of our biggest needs.  The truth is that I was most recently at a church with a monthly newsletter that was very professional and a highly used website and I still heard the same concerns.

Church newsletters are necessary to keep people informed and in today’s world websites are even more important in order to share information, but faith is more than being informed.  It is about being activated.  It is time we stop asking “how do we keep people informed” and begin asking questions like “how do we build community and activate that community?”

Youth know how to use their technology to do such a thing.  Using social networking youth have taken relationship building on-line.  They have found a way to make technology work for them and enrich their relationships.  Some churches and religious organizations have tried to create similar “Christian” communities on-line, but why a separate endeavor.  When Kings were going across the Atlantic ocean to a New World the church did not say, “Well, it is dangerous and there are ‘savages’ there we should go find our own island to create a paradise...”

No.  The church can no longer be in the business of just creating a website and hope that people stumble across it (or even if we advertise it).  We must look at the internet as a new world and begin moving our faith out into that world in a natural but competent way.  If we had pornographers, prostitutes and drug lords moving in to the lots next door we would get activated and take back our community.  It is time for us to get out into the internet and share our faith on-line and “take back the neighborhood.”