June 21, 2018
National Youth Gathering
This coming Sunday we will pray over our youth and chaperones before we send them off to Houston, Texas for the ELCA National Youth Gathering. They will join together with 30,000 others to praise God, listen to inspiring speakers and perform acts of loving service in that community. These are powerful events that have inspired young people for decades. Many of us have memories of ‘God moments’ from past Gatherings. Our prayers go with Faith, Tyler, Luke, Lauren, Savanna, Kaitlin, Jillian, Victoria and chaperones, Pam and Pr. Jay. May they be strengthened in their faith and inspired to bring back some of what they ‘catch’ at the Gathering.
Back in 1988, I led a group of youth to the NYG in San Antonio, Texas. As we were preparing to return home I told them the story of Heyoka. In Lakota tradition a young brave goes off on a Vision Quest and when he returns from receiving this Vision he is a changed man. Because the experience changed him he does things differently (contrary): ride backward on horses, wear clothes inside out, face away from the fire, go naked during blizzards, speak words backwards…So our kids came back from their mountain top experience, where they received a new vision for life, wearing their clothes inside out as a way to tell others that their lives had been changed by their experience.
My hope and prayer is that this gathering will bring a vision of God’s kingdom to Houston, as it has done in Detroit, New Orleans, Denver and other cities. My hope and prayer is that this gathering will fire up our participants so that they will return with exciting news about God’s kingdom. And then that they will infect us with this Good News that changes everything.
Thanks be to God!!!!!
Please keep our group, and the entire Gathering, in your daily prayers.
Pastor Mike
National Youth Gathering
This coming Sunday we will pray over our youth and chaperones before we send them off to Houston, Texas for the ELCA National Youth Gathering. They will join together with 30,000 others to praise God, listen to inspiring speakers and perform acts of loving service in that community. These are powerful events that have inspired young people for decades. Many of us have memories of ‘God moments’ from past Gatherings. Our prayers go with Faith, Tyler, Luke, Lauren, Savanna, Kaitlin, Jillian, Victoria and chaperones, Pam and Pr. Jay. May they be strengthened in their faith and inspired to bring back some of what they ‘catch’ at the Gathering.
Back in 1988, I led a group of youth to the NYG in San Antonio, Texas. As we were preparing to return home I told them the story of Heyoka. In Lakota tradition a young brave goes off on a Vision Quest and when he returns from receiving this Vision he is a changed man. Because the experience changed him he does things differently (contrary): ride backward on horses, wear clothes inside out, face away from the fire, go naked during blizzards, speak words backwards…So our kids came back from their mountain top experience, where they received a new vision for life, wearing their clothes inside out as a way to tell others that their lives had been changed by their experience.
My hope and prayer is that this gathering will bring a vision of God’s kingdom to Houston, as it has done in Detroit, New Orleans, Denver and other cities. My hope and prayer is that this gathering will fire up our participants so that they will return with exciting news about God’s kingdom. And then that they will infect us with this Good News that changes everything.
Thanks be to God!!!!!
Please keep our group, and the entire Gathering, in your daily prayers.
Pastor Mike