a novel

There's a crowd of people camped in the dessert. They've been wandering through the wilderness for almost two years. There's not much out there, in this dessert/wilderness space. Food is hard to come by and water even scarcer. They've been making their way through the barren land slowly. Every day led by a cloud in the distance, every night guided by a pillar of fire. God has been faithful enough to insure that they survive, feeding them with bread from heaven (otherwise known as manna) and the occasional flock of falling quail. They've learned that when you have faith, fresh water can come sprouting out of rocks. And more than anything they have been sustained these past two years by a promise. We're talking, of course, about the Hebrew people. God's chosen people, the Israelites as we find them in the book of Numbers 13. They've left Egypt and slavery behind them with a fanfare. Their freedom from oppression, from corruption, from Empire was ...

This past week there were 5 kids at APPA. I got the privilege of leading the morning devotional with the kids just after I arrived each morning. They had just rolled out of their beds and come downstairs and some of them were very sleepy, but we sat down at the table and began the bible study time. That hour of time I spent with the kids became a highlight of each day. I was surprised how much I enjoyed talking to the kids about the parables and bible stories we were reading. It was almost shocked to recognize how much information I had stored in my head about the culture and the nuance of certain stories. I really enjoyed sharing with the kids what I found meaningful and encouraging them to think critically and personally about their reflection. It was truly a blessing to study the bible with them and learn with them. This morning, the last morning with the kids, we were focusing on the topic of simplicity in Proverbs 30: 1- 9. We were talking about simplicity, what it means to as...

A lesson I  have been learning this summer, one that has been crystallizing over the past week and finally solidified yesterday is this: God works... No, God is working, in spite of us. ( WARNING: I might sound like a self-righteous prick as I explain the lesson I am learning... bear with me, I will get to that eventually. ) I have been working with an organizational in Washington DC this summer called Action for Peace through Prayer and Aid. I have helped write and edit their public statements, and I can tell you they look good on paper. But in actuality I have been less than impressed with the program, the theology, the atmosphere. Those feelings of disappointment and frustration came to a head with the youth camps that began almost 3 weeks ago. I felt frustrated by the lack of order, concerned that the kids were not getting a meaningful experience, and horrified by the indoctrination they were receiving when there was a ...