Invisible Children and the King's Way

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Some of you may have heard about Invisible Children already, and I hope it's had the impact on your life that it's had on mine. I'm still sorting out what exactly I'm best suited to do about it, but for now I will definitely at least support my sister Colleen's endeavors and passion in this matter. The link to her xanga blog is on my page here, and now I've added the link to the Invisible Children website at her request.

Invisible Children is a documentary that was made a couple years ago by three young American men, and this December it's hitting theaters nationwide in a fuller version (the documentary that now exists is considered a 'rough cut,' but it's what I've seen and it's quite moving; I can't wait for the feature-length one!). These guys went to Africa with the mission of exposing many of the unknown effects of war in the Sudan region and ended up finding a story in Uganda that they couldn't believe. Their lives were changed and now they're using their lives and great talents to let the world know about the conditions of many people, especially children, that until now were virtually invisible.

The rough cut is being shown around the nation mostly at college campuses; my sister was able to bring it to WVU a few weeks ago. Unfortunately the guys couldn't make it themselves, which they usually do, but it still had a great impact and many more people are on board now in the Morgantown area to help in any way they can. There's contact info on the site if you have the vision to bring it to your town.

When you see it, you will have the pervasive wrenching in your gut that says, 'This is not right. This isn't the way the world is supposed to be.' It awakens something that is inside all of us, something that is able to discern between right and wrong and realizes that we are in a place where right is not prevailing for the most part. And yet it springs hope that right can prevail, and that perhaps even I, in some small way, can be a part of that change. Keep searching this Way, as I have, and you will find that there is a King who has already come into this world and has shown us how to live it...

Recommended blog

Hello! I just wanted to post a quick word on my friend Adam Shaffer's blog. He's been a friend of mine a long time (way back to kindergarten and 'extended studies') and when I moved from Elkins in 1994, I didn't get to see him as much until one unexpected night in 2002 at This Generation, the college church service that was a precursor to h2o. He had recently come to know Jesus and, though the same in many ways, I could tell that his life had changed; there was a joy and light in his eyes.

Since then we've seen each other a lot and were even roommates a short while, and our friendship has been a great part of my life. Adam has a very introspective and thoughtful mind, like me, and our conversations often have a bit of the 'epic' in them. He's also a creative writer, and we've joined his lyrical and my songwriting abilities to create or begin work on at least (correct me if I'm wrong, Adam) 6 songs so far. One of these is Lord, We Believe, which has been featured the last two years (and will be again this year) in The Passion, the musical production Chestnut Ridge Church here in Morgantown puts on each year. I'm sure I'll blog more on that later (I have somewhat of a role in it). :o)

Anyway, Adam has a blog that he started last summer. He's only posted a few entries, but they're very well-written and insightful, and I think they're worth checking out. Plus I thought if enough of you read them and leave comments, maybe we can get him to start writing again! By the way, bloggers love when people leave comments, so feel free to leave me some anytime. Here's Adam's website: adamshaffer.blogspot.com. I've added him to my links section too. Enjoy!

(Oh yeah, here's a picture with me and Adam [he's the one on the far left] and some of my other good friends [Josh, then Johnny on the far right] from my wedding day.)

adam, josh, me & johnny on the wedding day

January '06 prayer letter

Once again, it's been some time since I've posted. I guess I'm just not in the habit of it yet! I hope to post more soon. Here's my current prayer/update letter for partners in the ministry. Enjoy!

Begin prayer letter, dated January 18, 2006:

'We’re off to a great start to the semester and to the year 2006! We have had the most h2o services this school year than ever before, only breaking for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, coming back on January 8th. When we have services that are on ‘break Sundays,’ like the Sundays before and after Thanksgiving, the one after final exams week, before the start of the first week of classes, and surrounding Spring Break, we do them downstairs in the Waterhouse in our open mic setting. These services we call ‘h2o unplugged,’ and I always enjoy them. There is obviously a smaller number of people that come out, but it makes for an intimate atmosphere. The music is very low key, usually just an acoustic guitar (and maybe a hand drum), and Billy (or whoever’s speaking) typically just sits on a stool to give the message in front of the people sitting comfortably on our couches. So on Jan. 8 we opened the Waterhouse doors again and were happy to see about 20 people come in and worship with us. I definitely felt a feeling of newness and fresh hope for the coming year, and for me, after being refreshed by a week of vacation and then inspired by a large gathering for college students and ministry workers in Nashville (Passion06; perhaps I’ll blog more on that later), I felt encouragement and excitement to be back with those with whom I minister.

A retreat was planned for the following weekend, Jan. 13-14, inviting students and leaders out to Mountain Creek Cabins for a time to look at each of our life’s stories as they have unfolded thus far, seeking to determine life lessons that aid in the pursuit of our individual and corporate purpose, values, and vision. There were 14 people that came out, and we had a wonderful time of worship and prayer together Friday night; I really felt the power of God’s sovereignty in bringing each of these 14 lives together for a purpose, and I believe the bond that binds us in Christ was richly experienced. The next day spanned many emotions, as we looked at both the positive and negative events that have shaped our lives and actually wrote them down on post-it notes and mapped them out on poster board, sharing our stories in groups of 2 or 3. Billy led us through processing these ‘time lines’ and showed us the difference between our lives’ purpose statements (which we each wrote out), our actual values (ones we’re currently displaying by the way we live) and preferred values (ones that never change and that we’re always moving toward but that we sometimes fail in keeping), and our vision (very specific dreams God has placed in our hearts to live out for Him). We’ve already seen fruit from decisions made that weekend; one girl who attended had an opportunity to counsel a young girl who needed a friend and then led her to Christ the very next day! Please pray for these 14 souls as they continue to work out all these important things.

Sunday, January 15th marked our official start to the semester since the students are back, so we went back upstairs for h2o and my, my, we had some fun! Back to full band now, we rocked out at the beginning of the service with an instrumental to get people pumped up for some big worship, and there was energy in the air that could be sensed. Billy started a message series called ‘Trust’ that will hit on areas of stewardship during our time on earth with which God has entrusted us. Pray for our h2o services, that we give them excellently.

That’s all for now! See you next month...

In Christ,
Cameron'

December '05 prayer letter

Well hello! It certainly has been some time since I last posted. I apologize! But now I'm back in the swing of things after a lovely Christmas season. I'll blog more on the holidays soon, but for now I'd like to post my first online monthly prayer letter. This is the ministry update letter I send each month to partners in the ministry -- specifically, people who support Great Commission Ministries for the staff position I have on campus at WVU. I am now making this letter available here each month. It will generally appear about mid-month. So if you're a praying person, you can certainly feel free to lift up the things in the letter if you like!

My letter, dated December 19, 2005:

'As we enter this wonderful season of giving, I’m reminded again of your generosity in partnering with GCM and me in making a difference in the ways that we can in this world. I am so grateful for you in my life, and I think of and pray for you often. Please remember that if you want me to pray for anything, I’m always available and would love to; just let me know.

We also remember the miracle of our Rescuer’s entrance into our world this month; we acknowledge the great love his Father poured out in such an act of grace; and we celebrate the ‘beautiful collision’ of his Divinity meeting our depravity (I’ll give credit to David Crowder for that last thought!). Let’s not forget what this season is all about, especially in light of all the news articles we’ve seen about many large retailers banning the word ‘Christmas’ from their stores. Though it’s sad, it’s no surprise to me that the word ‘Christ’ is still one of the most controversial terms in our language and continues to ignite fiery emotions among many people. It recalls to me the comfort Jesus brought his disciples toward the end of his life and the end of the gospel of John: ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18).’ It is a consolation that Christ has gone through all we do and more than we can imagine. And it is an honor and a blessing to receive any persecution for his name: ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me (Matthew 5:11).’ In fact, Jesus promised his followers that this life would not always be easy: ‘In this world you will have trouble (John 16:33b).’ But in the same verse, just after that, he says, ‘But take heart! I have overcome the world,’ and just before the promise of trouble he gives another, wonderful promise:

‘I have told you these things,
so that in me you may have peace.’

What a gift! That through it all, when we remember Jesus’ words and love, we can know peace. This reminds me of the oft-quoted verse in the traditional Christmas story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2, when a heavenly host appeared to the shepherds in the fields, ‘praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (verse 14).’ Please pray that amidst the craziness that regularly accompanies this season, the peace God intended for you finds you (and me!) as you take time to contemplate His highest glory.

Here’s a shot of our next-to-last h2o for the semester on December 11 (notice the angelic shine on my New Balances as we sing ‘Glory to God in the highest’ in Latin as part of the Christmas carol ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’!). The picture was taken by Sarah Meehan, a fellow GCM missionary who was in my staff training class this year and who gave her testimony at this h2o. She had gone to WVU a few years ago and never knew Christ while she was here. But the Lord reached her through a friend of hers and His Word; it’s an awesome story! I’ve actually written about it in more detail on my new ‘blog’ (which is the shortened lingo for ‘weblog,’ an online journal of sorts where one can post writings and photos), which I want to tell you about. Billy and some of our other friends had these blogs of theirs set up, and from time to time I had gone to the sites and read their thoughts for the day, week or whatever frequency they had posted. Lately I realized what a neat outlet this is for creative and essay writing, as well as for ministry, and so I looked into it and set one up around Thanksgiving. Here’s the website:

kingfriend.blogspot.com

You don’t even have to type ‘www’! Please check it out from time to time; it will help you get to know my heart and mind a little better. I’m also going to post these monthly prayer letters there from now on for those of you who are on the Internet a good bit. In fact, if you would like to stop receiving the mailed letter and want to just view my website around mid-month to read my letter that way, please let me know (all my contact information is now listed below). I will, of course, continue to send the ‘snail mail’ if I don’t hear from you. Please pray that my blog helps increase my skills as a communicator and that it is effective in encouraging people that the King has landed and is coming. Tell anyone who may be interested about the site!

So the December 11 service was a blast, being our annual Christmas service (the students leave town for break that week after their final exams) where we sing carols and share a meal afterwards. We had about 70 in attendance, which made us quite happy! Sarah Meehan visiting was a special treat, and she touched hearts with the way God touched her life. Please pray for her as she finishes up her own support raising and will soon head out to El Salvador to minister to a Hispanic culture.
We had one last h2o this week, on the 18th, before breaking for Christmas and New Year’s. Billy asked me if I’d like to give the message for the service, and so I did! It was the third part in a series ‘The Coming Messiah’ Billy had spoken on the last two weeks in which we examined various responses to Jesus’ birth. I looked at Mary’s Song, Magnificat, in Luke 1:46-55. I rather enjoyed studying and preparing for the talk, and I hope to have more opportunities in the future. Please pray that I not only rehearse the words I’m going to speak when I teach, at h2o or in Bible study, but that I take the time to internalize them and meditate on the Word for the value in itself as a very important part of my life.

Sarah and I had a fantastic year 2005, obviously in part due to our union as one flesh, starting our new life together. The year has gone by quickly for me; it began with us being newly engaged and beginning to work out the massive details of the wedding ceremony and subsequent joining of two lives. Most of the spring was consumed with preparation, though Sarah managed the second of a two-semester run of straight ‘A’s (she finished this fall semester nearly perfect, with only one ‘B’). The summer saw our beautiful wedding and honeymoon to South Florida and the Bahamas, as well as Sarah’s Young Life camp trip to Lake Champion, NY and my GCM new staff training in Orlando (which I had to leave early to participate in my older brother Christopher’s wedding, a week before mine). Since then we’ve enjoyed being mostly at home, with me doing support raising and h2o and Sarah doing Young Life and school. Please pray for Sarah’s upcoming GRE as part of her application to grad school here in social work. And pray for us as we, amid seeing family, take a little holiday vacation! :o)
In Christ,
Cameron'
Alrighty! Letters make for long posts. Talk to ya again soon!

Meet Sarah Meehan

This past weekend, a friend of mine and Billy came to Morgantown to visit and to speak at h2o. Sarah Meehan was in my GCM staff training class this summer. Her story is quite inspiring to me, as someone who strives to let WVU students know about the Kingdom in which they can become a vital part.

Sarah was a student here at WVU a few years ago. She didn't know God and wasn't interested in knowing Him. She would say herself that she epitomized the 'typical' party student: always looking for a good time and willing to do mostly anything to find it. She immersed herself in all the parts of college life for which WVU is unfortunately infamous.

When she graduated, she came home for the summer, and a friend of hers invited her to a Bible study. She wasn’t into that stuff, but she respected her friend and went with her for that reason. The same friend got her a Bible as a graduation present. Sarah didn’t read it at first, but then became curious and started ‘secretly’ reading, not telling anyone what she was doing. She started with the gospel of Mark, thinking the stories were kind of crazy, but she plodded on.

After a while, she found that the inside back of the Bible had a section entitled something like ‘How to know Jesus personally,’ and when she read it, she realized she wanted to respond. She prayed what is sometimes called the ‘sinner’s prayer’ and asked Jesus into her life.

Sarah’s life, however, didn’t change overnight. She continued to party with her friends and do all the same things she did before (plus reading the Bible), but now she began to feel bad about it. When she asked her friend what that meant, her friend explained how the Spirit was now in Sarah’s life, giving her conviction and direction.

She continued in fellowship with other believers and in studying the Word and allowed the ‘gentleman God,’ as she described Him, to radically change her desires and outlook on the world. Now she has come on staff with Great Commission Ministries with me and Billy and is readying to go to El Salvador (she speaks Spanish quite well) to tell people there about the Kingdom.

Sarah’s story gives hope to me, for when she was at WVU she was like many students I come across now. If God’s Word can change someone like that in a way that doesn’t show up till after college, then maybe my efforts here have an impact beyond what I can see. Thanks Sarah! (And correct me with a comment if I got any details wrong!)

Part 2

Thanks for waiting for the end of the story! (If you haven't read the blog just below this, you'll need to do that to understand this one.) I won't keep you in suspense any longer...

When Sarah, Colleen and I realized Misty didn't want to leave the car just yet and was interested in talking with believers, I could definitely feel an excitement and willingness to commit, as late as it was, to seeing through to sharing the good news with this interesting stranger.

Misty seemed encouraged to realize that she was with Christians, and she told us how we were different from her friends, gesturing vaguely to the college students mingling around the hot dog stand and walking down High St. She said at one point that her getting a ride from us didn't just happen by chance, and I definitely agree!

In the back of my mind I was a little worried that it was possible Misty might not remember too much of the conversation the next day (as I said before, she was more than a little 'under the influence'), but I proceeded to unfold a condensed version of God's story. I started with Creation and how we, humans, are the ones who messed things up and broke God's heart. We're the ones who introduced all the horrors of humanity and the proneness to depravity and other gods. Misty knew that to be true, and was very aware of the sin in her own life, telling us briefly of some hauntings of her past. Our hearts went out to her, and we continued to share.

She sat forward and seemed to be attentively listening, saying things here and there, and often coming back to the tornadoes in Kansas and that in the end days we won't be able to tell one season from another. She kept asking us when the end would be, wanting us to confirm that it was very soon, seeming to really believe that we knew the exact hour. We could only tell her that it could be any time, and that we need to be ready (to have accepted Christ) when it happens. So we tried to always bring the conversation back to what she personally needed to do to have hope, but she often despaired about the end of time, and when she did ponder what we were saying about having a relationship with Jesus, she seemed to lose heart because of her own sin, not believing God could forgive her for all she's done. Sarah and Colleen were particularly comforting during those times, I thought, speaking words of hope and encouragement. I knew that she probably wasn't going to make a decision that night, and she needed to be more clear-headed when she was ready. We were hoping that we were planting the seed, though.

After a little while, she asked us if we thought God would be okay with her having a cigarette because she wanted to try and calm down a bit, and we sort of chuckled and said that it was probably okay (God doesn't expect every bad habit to change overnight). But I asked her not to light up in the car, and offered for her to sit on our porch back home (we live just a few minutes away) where we could talk more. She appeared okay with the idea, but as we pulled into my driveway and the inside car light came on, it seemed to me that she maybe saw our faces fully for the first time and she got a little scared and wanted to leave right away. We comforted her and said that if she didn't want to sit on our porch, we could definitely drop her off to her brother's place back downtown, since that was where she was originally going. I just wanted to make sure she got through the door of a place where she could rest, so when we got back to High St. we asked where specifically it was. She told us that she was just going to meet her brother on the street, and though we were reluctant to just let her out like that, she was politely insistent and so we gave in. So we wrote down our phone numbers, told her to call us and invited her to h2o, which she was interested in coming to, and said goodbye. We watched her walk for a few minutes to make sure she was okay, but we lost sight of her in a parking lot as she was lighting her cigarette.

When we got back to my house (Colleen was spending the night), we were hopeful and prayerful that she made it to her brother's place okay and that even if she didn't come to h2o the next day that she would call us and want to talk more, because we didn't ask for her phone number. It's now Wednesday night and she hasn't called, but Sarah and I are still hoping for more opportunities to care for this hurting person. She told us where she works so we think we might 'bump into her' sometime soon.

Misty, if you ever read this, know that I shared this story here so that friends can pray for you and hopefully care for you as well. Please don't be embarrassed because you opened up so much to us; letting others in is the only way to let healing and trust begin, and that's just as true with God as it is with people. We're here for you if you need us.

Misty, part 1

I had an opportunity to share the King’s good news with someone who desperately wanted to hear it, but who could not yet believe that He could accept her in light of the way she’s lived her life so far.

Sarah, my sister Colleen and I were heading back into Morgantown late Saturday night (12.3.05) after a weekend in Erie, PA helping with the program for a Young Life Fall Weekend (which was a great experience; I think many high schoolers’ lives were touched). After we turned onto the Star City exit from I-79, I saw someone walking along the side of the road that goes down to the turnoff for the new University Town Centre. As we got closer, I saw it was a girl, and she had her thumb sticking out as she walked. I normally wouldn’t pick someone up with my wife and sister in the car, but I suppose I felt a little safer since it was another girl. Plus it was pouring down freezing rain. I suppose God had a hand in my decision as well!

Sarah and Colleen were sleeping but woke as I pulled the car off the road. I explained that I thought we should give this girl a ride. When she got in the back seat with my sister, she was softly crying, and we asked if she was alright or if she was hurt. She wasn’t hurt physically (thank the King!), but she said her friends deserted her out there. She also told us she was drunk. She began to warm up to us, telling us her name was Misty, and saying she now had a real respect for homeless people because ‘that stuff is cold!’ meaning the rain, but she used another word for ‘stuff.’ This made me naturally think to say that people being homeless in our world really doesn’t seem like the way it was supposed to be. Misty wholeheartedly agreed.

Misty proceeded to tell us that she was 21 years old and had a 2 ½ year old daughter, and that though she loved her daughter dearly, this was the first weekend in a long time where she had a night to go out and just ‘let loose and have a good time.’ Her night obviously hadn’t turned out quite the way she thought it would, however. We interjected here and there, but we mostly just listened as it seemed she wanted to talk some things out.

As we neared downtown, Misty started talking about the weather. Not just in Morgantown that night, but the tornadoes in Kansas, the hurricanes, and other odd or disastrous occurrences. She said that she read in ‘Revelations’ in the Bible that near the end of time, we won’t be able to tell one season from another (I haven't found this reference yet, but I haven't thoroughly studied Revelation) . I parked the car near the hot dog man on High St., ready to keep talking (it was a little after 1 AM) if she wanted, and she made no movement toward the door. When she referenced the fact that world will at some point end, she asked if we believed that.

I looked at her and said, ‘We in this car definitely believe that.’

More on this intriguing story in a near future blog...

Art, Sub-creation and Mortality

Over the past few years I've become quite a fan of The Lord of the RIngs by J.R.R. Tolkien. I admit it took the amazing movies to really get me started (I now own the extented version box set), though I had read the prequel The Hobbit actually more than once before the movies came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. My brothers had read LOTR before the movies came out, my older brother all three books at least three times through thus far. So I finally picked up the book this year (contrary to popular misconception, the book actually is not a trilogy; it's one novel "sometimes published in three volumes" as the preface in my 50th anniversary edition notes) and I really love it. My brothers and others had always talked about rich it is and how much detail there is and how it feels like it could be something out of real history, add a few Elves and Dwarves. As I watch documentaries on Tolkien's life, I can tell why it's so rich: he spent his whole life thinking about it and developing it. He was always pondering things of Middle-earth, whether it be the functioning languages he created or the epic poetry telling the stories of his characters or the lengths of the reigns of his Númenórean kings.

What an inspiring contribution to the art of the twentieth century! As a songwriter, I strive for the kind of depth and beauty Tolkien's work arouses in my heart. This desire reminds of one of our faith community's values: "creative expression." Tolkien certainly valued this as well. In the second edition of The Silmarillion (which my wife got me for my birthday!), Tolkien's book published after his death that provides some of the "vast backcloth" (in his words) to his story in The Lord of the Rings, there is included an excerpt from a letter written by Tolkien to a friend in 1951. This was a few years before LOTR was published, and the letter contains some good explanations about the themes that drove his work. Tolkien disliked allegory; he preferred "history, true or feigned." I think this is cool because it kind of just lets one's art be what it is, with the option of "applicability" (as Tolkien called it) however the reader chooses to interpret it.

Anyway, he said in his letter that one of the themes his "stuff" (writing) is concerned with is "Mortality." He says "[It is concerned] With Mortality, especially as it affects art and the creative (or as I should say, sub-creative) desire which seems to have no biological function, and to be apart from the satisfactions of plain ordinary biological life, with which, in our world, it is indeed usually at strife. This desire is at once wedded to a passionate love of the real primary world, and hence filled with the sense of mortality, and yet unsatisfied by it. (The Silmarillion, 2nd ed., p. xvii)"

I'm going to close this post now because it's getting quite long, but I just want to end with asking you to ponder how interesting it is that this desire we have to create (or truly "sub-create" as Tolkien says, which acknowledges the fact that everything we see has been created by Someone else) gives us pleasure that cannot be credited to any biological function, and that helps show us the beauty of the world around us, and that yet leaves us wanting to find deeper satisfaction in something other than this mortal place.

(In Tolkien's stories of Middle-earth, the mortality of Men was said to be the "Gift of Men," given by the Creator so that men would not be confined forever to the "circles of this world," as the Elves were. It was called by the Men who possessed it, however, the "Doom of Men." How often do we live only for the circles of this world, calling death our doom, when all the while we've been given life that goes beyond the here and now?)