This Past Weekend

So the weekend isn't over yet but I'd like to tell you about it anyway...

Friday night was the junior high lock-in at the church. we had twelve kids show up and let me tell you, junior high girls can scream.... loudly.... We talked a little about dreams ate some junk food and played a game of 'Christian' (if you haven't played, you definitely should try it) in which I almost killed a 7th grader by throwing her into a door, I swear it was an accident...

The thing about this retreat that made it all worth it for me was the service we did around candles in the sanctuary. It was all about dreams and sleep and God's presence with us at night.
We ended the service with a circle prayer in which we go around the circle and everyone adds a petition. I was struck first by the fact that every single person in the circle, not only prayed but prayed out loud for everyone to hear. I was moved by the depth of their caring for their friends and their families. So often I'll do this type of prayer with other groups and I'll start off and I'll be the only one to say something, but there I was in a circle with 7th and 8th graders listening to their concerns brought forth before God. Real concerns that they and I prayed faithfully for.

I guess the moral of this story is to be bold in faith and pray as if someone else's life depends on it. Oh, and don't underestimate the depth of a screaming junior high schooler. There's more there than meets the ear ;0)