Uphill idealist

Image from Playing with Light and Shadow. On Tuesday morning, I was setting up for the youth fellowship group at the local high school. As I was waiting for the pizza delivery, I said hello to a woman waiting in the hall next to me. I noticed her ID lanyard was for a youth services organization and asked her about her work. In a few minutes of polite hallway conversation, I felt as if I already knew her. We exchanged business cards and planned a coffee meeting a few days later. Coffee Meeting: I have to say that I'm still a little dumbfounded how this all came together today. We sat down for a coffee meeting thinking we were getting to know someone new, and to both our shock and joy we were sitting down to talk with someone we've know practically ALL our lives - minus the interruption of last 35 years or so. How could it be that we've lived in the same twenty mile radius for the last 35 years and somehow missed each other? Especially since we both work in such similar fi...

Airbrushed Mural image by Pamela Shanteau Several years ago, I took a group of students to Ohio for a weekend retreat event. It was a large event in a stadium-like atmosphere with lots of bands, speakers, students and very little sleep. If you've ever been on a weekend trip with a bunch of teens, these conditions are par for the course in youth work. On trips like this, you drive a maxi van for what seems to be the entire distance of the US and back and your diet intake is in the categories of candy, pizza and caffeine. The one thing that is always unpredictable, besides the students, is the weather. By the late afternoon on Saturday, the upcoming weather reports were calling for a storm advisory of rain to sleet and eventually to snow. On this particular trip, we'd have to drive back through areas that are infamous in snow belt country. We needed to think of a plan B. Our group held a quick meeting and I let them know the concerns I had about the weather and was surprised to h...

Two weeks ago, we adopted a two-year old female dog from our local Humane Society. Aggie is settling into home life very well and seems to be a very happy dog. I have question though, concerning what breed the Humane Society tagged her as. Yes she is obviously beagle , but as the the Australian Cattle Dog , I have some questions. She has a curly tail that goes off to either side. She cleans herself like a cat, including licking her paws and "washing" her face. She has a wrinkly forehead that makes her expressions quite interesting. She also has bigger ears, that flop over due to being part beagle, but are larger than the average ACD. She will often stand on her back feet to greet people. She very rarely barks. In fact, she may make a single bark if a stranger comes to the door, or will squeak bark at other dogs while on a walk, or when I put her in her kennel when I take off for the day. But she does not bark very much at all. All these qualities remind me of a breed of dog ...

"New York Times best-selling author of 'Blue Like Jazz's', Donald Miller and actress/comedian Susan Isaacs will be performing on Saturday, October 24th at 7:00pm at First Lutheran Church of Jamestown at 120 Chandler Street, Jamestown. Tickets are $12.00 for Adults and $8.00 for Students. Donald Miller and Susan Isaccs will be promoting their new books with a 62 city tour this fall. For tickets call First Lutheran Church at 664-4601 or go to www.itickets.com"

Painting, Glimpse of hope by Among Thorns , found at Flicker . Sometimes, in or after a difficult gray time, I seem to catch a glimpse or flicker of hope, promise, or joy. It sometimes shows up in the gut flutter feeling of excitement in my stomach. It appears over and over again in the things (that I thought had no connection) that I read or watch. Then again this flicker of lightness may come through the voice or a friend, a dream, or sometimes something I can't quite put my finger on. It's like catching a whiff of something that triggers a childhood memory and makes you smile involuntarily, only this memory hasn't happened yet. I'm glad for these shadowy glimpses, for every time they appear; hope is renewed and life has a greater sense of purpose. Cheers to glimmers and glimpses, and to G-d who sends them my way just when I need them the most. 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. >

You may be familiar with organizations like Big Brothers or Big Sisters , Compeer and even locally, Striders makes an effort to pair students with caring adults to help support and build up the lives of students who may be missing out on caring adult relationships. Mentoring Spotlight - Ben and Dennis from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo . This month, my church ( First Lutheran of Jamestown, NY ) will be learning about a new program called, The Mentoring Project , when Don Miller stops in Jamestown on his Million Miles tour with Susan Isaacs , to let us in on the details of his program geared for boys growing up without the regular involvement of a father. My new friend Larry, from Grace Church in Erie, PA is on the board of the Mentoring Project and will be coming to help share more details about the program on October 24th, in addition to Don's presentation. Larry tells more about this opportunity, here at his church's blog. Are you interested in mentoring a child miss...

To book tickets for Susan Isaacs and Don Miller's USA Book Tour, go to itickets.com to search for a booking in a city near you. If you are in the Southwestern NY, Northwestern PA area - come to their booking at First Lutheran Church, October 24th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $12.00 for Adults and $8.00 for Students. Call 716-664-4601 for more details.