A Month of Sabbath

Tonight is going to be an epic night, well if the rain holds off on us at least: it is the last Barn of the Summer! This day is always bitter sweet for me. I know, I know you are probably saying, "Dude its just a month till you start up again." But honestly, its both tough and refreshing taking a break for the month of August. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons:

Pros: Teens wear me out... ha ... Or more correctly, I wear myself out when I hang out with teens, so I'm ready for a break, and I'm also ready to cast new vision for the upcoming year. August is a great time for us at the Barn not only to take vacation, but a great time for us to come together and talk about what's going to happen in the upcoming year. It is a time to formulate new ideas and figure out ways to implement them. We have a lot of new ideas and I have some new curriculum to develop for the guys mentor group at Faith Christian School.

Also, it is a great time for students to get ready for the school year and spend time with their families enjoying their summer while they live it for Christ. Summer is always chill to begin with, so it will be a good time for all of us just to take some down time and grow close to Christ personally. I'll still get to spend some time with students one-on-one and to see them at the West End Fair (we have a booth there on Sept. 2nd)! But August is good because it is in essence our Sabbath month - our time to really seek out God without all the craziness.

Cons: Teens fill me up. As much as sometimes I go crazy or get worn out working with teens, there are so many times they just fill me up. Yesterday I went canoeing at Beltzville with 3 of them and it was such a refreshing time of exploration (canoeing, swinging off rope swings and looking at waterfalls). This was a time I loved because I was able to live life-on-life with these three guys and I was able to see their appreciation of all that God has placed around them. So, I'm going to miss having a weekly meeting because that is a great time for me to see how God is working in the lives of students and a time where I can share with them how he's working in mine. With this, it becomes a bit harder to invest in all the students lives without a weekly meeting, but I guess this is just a time for us to entrust them to God, and know that it will only be a month before they are back. We will not have our normal hang out and lessons every week, but we must trust that in this 'Sabbath Month' God will pour his Spirit into their lives and be their teacher, just as we trust he will do the same in our lives.

Thus, I love and hate the month of August. I go on Vacation in 4 days and I can't wait to be in the presence of God and in the midst of his creation. I can't wait to be alone with my family in the middle of no where with no running water, no cell phone, and no technology (not even music... gasp). At the same moment, however, I will miss the students I have come to love so dearly, but I'll see them here and there as August moves on, and I'm sure I'll see most of them at the Fair. Then comes September, and I will welcome the craziness again with open arms!! But for now its time to rest, reflect, and prepare for the this month is over and a new year of Barn awesomeness begins again.