We dropped the kids off at McDonald’s at the FSK mall today and the boys and I headed home. It was an intense week of Camp (Centrikid) and we are all very tired. But it’s a “good tired.” You know the kind after you have helped the old lady across the street fix her porch and it took you all day, or serving in a soup kitchen and it emotionally drained you, or swimming to save a child from drowning in the ocean and you struggled to keep your own head above the water.

Anyway, the kids are tired and the leaders are tired (especially me) and the staff of Centrikid are tired. They have traveled all over the southeast for thirteen weeks, and this was their final week. They didn’t show it, and they gave all they had for the kids – but even twenty-somethings get tired (and sick – right Daniel?).

In ministry there are several myths that I have seen that smart and hard working people tend to buy into. Let’s look at three real quick:

1) You should always be tired; you can rest when you go to heaven.

These are the people who are up at 4am (without coffee), work constantly all day, are constantly beginning new initiatives, and have to force themselves into bed in the early hours of morning. They feel guilty if they take a nap or even a vacation. After all, there are still mountains to climb, souls to save, revolutions to begin, etc. . .

The truth is that if you don’t rest and sleep properly then you will go to meet your Creator sooner as opposed to later. Tiredness directly affects your ability to make the best decisions, your emotional quotient, and your health. If you allow your body to rest, then you are able to accomplish more than if you make a series of mistakes that you have to “fix” because you made them while you were exhausted.

2) You should keep the same pace as the leader across town.

Let’s face it, there are some people who only need four hours of sleep and can stay mentally focused the other twenty hours that they are working. But, that’s just not me. I am thirty-six and have come to realize that I need eight hours of sleep, and I need mental breaks through out the day. My kids also need me to spend time with them, oh, and my wife really appreciates it when I spend time with her as well.

The guy across town who is keeping a “break-neck” pace may be on the verge on a mental break-down, his marriage may be falling apart, and his kids may hate him – but man look at what he’s getting accomplished! When we compare ourselves to the guy across town we will never know all the information we need to make a proper comparison. Even if he/she has managed to keep it all balanced shouldn’t we celebrate what God is doing with them, instead of trying to show ourselves better than they are?

Wisdom tells us to know ourselves, and to obey Christ in the position and place that He has placed us. It’s ok to slow down, spend time with your family, and still be able to work hard. The work you accomplish will be of better quality and you will still have those loved ones around you as you go.

3) You should keep the same pace your whole life.

Ok, I already mentioned that I was thirty-six, so when it was time for the campers to go to bed at 10pm – I made them go to bed at 10pm. I was tired and grew increasingly grumpy as the minutes winded past 10pm. In the years past, I probably would have lead an expedition to the Coke machine, a secret splash in the pool, or just to run around in the open fields, finding my way into a bed way past midnight.

But I’m not twenty-something anymore. But who cares, I have much more wisdom now, then in my twenties (at least I hope so). At each stage of life there are pluses and minuses. Wisdom is knowing what your weaknesses are and leveraging your strengths. As you get older it’s ok to slow down and rest – but make sure that you use your rested self in pursuits that are of value.

There was no one on the Centrikid staff over twenty-five (as camp pastor he was the elder). But it was their youth that added exuberance and excitement to the camp that the children fed on like the sugar coated “Nerds” sold in the camp store. But if you looked through the crowd most of the adult leaders who brought the kids were over thirty-five. So there was a good balance of generations using their giftedness and abilities to minister to children. One was not better than the other; both played a very important part.

So I’m going to try and get some rest before my next big adventure. So if you call you may get the machine, and if you facebook it may be a couple of days before I respond. Just know that I may be getting geared up for the next ministry opportunity.

Tuesday’s highlight was the cardboard ship regatta. Churches working together built a ship out of duct tape, cardboard, and as much engineering as nine-years-olds can muster.

Caleb was chosen as the captain because of his mastery of the sea (not really it was because of his size), and I was elected to build it as close to the children’s drawings as possible. The boys talked into the night about what the design should be like — we ended up having to cut the front chain saw and and upper decks.

The Daybreak kids are at Centrikid this week. This is a Southern Baptist Camp that is designed just for kids and is a five day experience that encourages children to live for Jesus and asks them the question, “In light of who God is, how should I then live?” In the pictures to left, Elise P. was chosen from our group to participate in the “Party” which is a large group game time. She did awesome, but was scared to death to be in front of hundreds of kids performing a cup relay.

Joshua and Caleb made a new friend (Sam) who is from another church that joined us for the trip.

The day included checking in, swimming (76 degrees – brisk baby!), eating burgers off the grill with all the fix’ns, a short hike, settling into their rooms, Party Time, small group Bible study, and church devotion time. My boys are not used to such a past paced schedule but they love it.

During an adult meeting the leader of the time asked, “What do you want your kids to get from this experience?” Which is a fair question, after all it cost $260 dollars per kid, and many groups traveled from as far as North Carolina. In the break neck speed of life we move from experience to experience, duty, obligation, family stuff, and on and on we go.

Planning and evaluation, even expectation of things to come are very important concepts to consider. The leader above may have been trying to fill time with the adults while our kids were having their “group Bible Study” but I believe she has had asked a very deep question.

With Joshua and Caleb, I want them to have a blast at a “church event.” I want them to see older teens and college aged students leading and living out a solid Christian life. I want them to hear about Jesus to be taught solid doctrine, and to grow to love Jesus more. I want them to be changed – no small task for a camp experience.

Today is their first full day of Centrikid, let’s see how it goes.

The Storm

The opening of day four of Cub Scout Day Camp was like all the others, a flag ceremony, a thought for the day and announcements. On this day there was a call for rain and potential thunderstorms. We were given instructions to follow in the event there was lightening – but I was not listening because several of the boys were wrestling, some were talking, and one was just having a rough morning and was crying for his mother. So I tried to comfort him, stop the wrestling, and maintain control of twenty eight year old boys. Needless to say, I completely missed the announcements – besides right then it was hot and there was no cloud in the sky.

Two hours later, a storm blew up within minutes and all the boys were corralled into a large pavilion to wait out the storm. But before we discuss the storm let me go back to the beginning of the day. Before we leave for our first station all the boys are to line up two-by-two and hold up their buddies hand, and in the other hold up their water bottle. They have to go everywhere with their buddy, and they have to drink water constantly (it was hot).

So let’s back to the storm.

As we huddled into the pavilion the light rain turned into a thunderstorm. Lightening cracked, and thunder boomed – and it was a solid sheet of heavy rain that blew through the open air building. The rain on top of the tin roof drowned out the Camp Director’s shouts as she tried to give instructions. The parents who were with our group, and myself made the boys sit down – next to their buddy. Several of the boys began to cry, all were afraid, and one was even praying. So here we were, cold from the rain, huddled together, hearing the cries of our friends, and surrounded by noise that was terrifying (for an eight year old boy).

The boys began to put their arms around each other comforting and telling each other that it was going to be ok. I held the clipboard and was going through our group trying to make sure we had everyone and that no one was missing. We had everyone, and now we just had to wait out the storm. I was amazed at how the boys who came from different neighborhoods, schools, and walk of life put aside the childish fun making and joking – and began to truly care for each other. There are always a few in any group that seem to just be mean toward others because of how they dress, look, act, etc. but not then. Every boy was scared and sought comfort from and helped out his buddy.

We all have storms that come into our lives – sometimes slowly, often times quickly. But what makes the difference is that we can hold up our buddy’s hand and tell each other that “it’s going to be ok.”

Buddies are important.

H.B. London, head of pastoral ministries for Focus on the Family has disclosed “at least 70 percent of pastors in the United States claim they have no friends.” That means that most pastors who teach on fellowship and community don’t have these things within their own lives. They see the need in the life of others, but aren’t willing to take those steps in their own lives. Why don’t we have a buddy’s hand that we can hold up?

First, many leaders buy into the myth that as the leader they can not show favoritism toward others or it will seem “cliquish” and upset others. Some feel they can’t truly be themselves and relax because they still remain to be “the leader.” For a pastor this means that they are always the spiritual leader and always feel as though they set the example for others to follow. Whatever the reason (true or false) many people find themselves in a storm alone. The thunder booms and the lightening strikes, and they are sacred to death – and there is no comfort.

As a pastor I am supposed to tell you to read your Bible and seek comfort from Christ – but we are also designed by God to need other people in our lives. God created “woman” for “man” in the Garden of Eden. The apostle Paul describes the church as a body – and there is a need for all the parts to work together and to present. There are many more examples of Scripture of where men/mankind need friendships, family, and meaningful relationships.

How Do We Find A Buddy?

1) Assign yourself to a person and stick with them all week.
At Cub Scout Camp all the boys chose a buddy and some (for various reasons) were assigned a buddy. Glen was assigned to Jared. Glen took this responsibility very seriously, but Jared would run off from the group, disrupt the “quiet times” during the flag ceremonies with (let’s just say boys sounds), and it was all around very difficult to be his buddy. On the second day I asked Glen if he wanted to make a buddy group of three with another group of two and I would assign our older Scout helper to be Jared’s buddy. Glen said, “no” he wanted to stay with Jared. And he did all week. Glen put up with a lot of grief – but when the storm on day four hit both were comforted. Jared and Glen needed a buddy. Perhaps, as adults we don’t have one because we bounce from person to person, group to group, when they prove to be difficult to be their buddy.

2) Always stay with your buddy.
The reason why Boy Scouts of America pushes the buddy system so strongly is because of the numerous accounts of where a scouts got lost, drowned, hurt, etc.. because they got turned around and there was no one there to keep account of them. We all need someone there to make sure we are on the right path, going in the right direction, and following the safety rules. Buddies keep us safe, it’s as simple as that. The only way for the buddy system to work is that we have to always stay with our buddy.

3) Be a Good Friend.
It is amazing to me how eight-year-old will go all week playing with and being friends with another boys and never stop to ask their name. There have been several times where my children will go to an event and have a wonderful time, and make several friends. But when I ask them what the other children’s names were, they will typically say, “I never asked.”

But if you watch them play together they are good friends. They share, pat each other on the back, cheer when they do well, say “that’s ok” when they don’t do so well. They open up their hearts and share moments in time together as friends. Adults seem so guarded, and focused on what they get out of the relationship – but kids are there to make a friend and have a great time.

The storm passed and we went on our way. It quickly was forgotten about as we went to Scout Skills and swimming. Parents showed up at the end to pick up their kids, and it wasn’t the storm that they talked about with them, it was the activities that followed.