The Bent Twig

Yesterday evening, I was reading in Psalm 71 and came to verses 17 and 18:

"O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come."

Though one day it may be the old and gray part that resonates the most, at this juncture in life, the words I find most compelling are related to purposefully sharing Jesus with this generation. In these verses, I see a balanced view of living. The Psalmist looks into the past and reviews God's faithfulness. He embraces life in the present by intentionally declaring God's attributes to those around him. He also has a vision for the future that extends even beyond the existing generation.

In applying some of these thoughts to the work of Aim Right, I recall the past and am amazed at the provision of the Lord for this ministry. This year has been an especially challenging season with regards to finances, but even in uncertain times, He has shown Himself faithful.

Staff and volunteers gathered Friday evening for a program planning meeting, and how to impact this present generation was central to our discussion. Aim Right's vision remains to "help youth find direction in life," and we are blessed with a passionate group of leaders who are excited about advancing that cause.

What does the future hold? Perhaps it is that some who were once ministered to through the programs of Aim Right have matured in their faith and now are assuming leadership roles, sharing Jesus with a new generation of children and youth. I would hope that this process of replication can continue to grow.

I believe it is helpful to have a few reminders around you that life isn't just about you -- things that define how you live in the present and how you view the future. This poem by Martha Snell Nicholson, now in dog-eared form from being tucked away in the pages of my Bible, has been one of those reminders for me. Though the language of the poetry is somewhat dated, the theme of sharing Jesus with children while they are young and impressionable is timeless. Here is Nicholson’s The Bent Twig—

It hurt my heart to see today someone with whom I used to play.
He was a gentle, merry lad, friendly, and easily made glad.
But now the change! The marks of sin were graven deep, without, within.
His body, once so slender and trim, was huge and gross. I looked at him
And wondered when and how and why it came to pass? Why he, not I?
I loved his mother, long since dead; so, thinking of her, I said
What she often used to say, “Jimmy, have you been good today?”
“Not very, I’m afraid,” he said and hastily turned his head.
I think he had not cried for years, but now his eyes were filled with tears.
Suddenly I seemed to see the little boy who used to be,
The small clean lad of yesterday who somehow, somewhere, missed the way,
Bewildered, lost and sad. He had not meant to be so bad—
It somehow “happened.” Then I tried to tell him of the One who died,
Who took on Him the sins of men, to make them pure and clean again.
He listened well to what I said, but he was hardened in the mold.
The twig was bent, the tree inclined, and so his heart and soul and mind
Found it too hard a thing to do. I thought of the young lads who
Are living in the plastic years. Will they, too, know remorse and tears?
I lifted my heart in prayer for little children everywhere.

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What tender twigs do you know? What hardened, bent ones? And how does that impact how you live?

Of Methodists and Love

Since Aim Right programs don't begin until September, I have taken advantage of a lighter schedule to tackle some much needed paper shuffling in the office. With great glee, I have filled File 13 a few times. With great disappointment, I have stared at what is left -- that which I cannot responsibly discard -- and had to kick the brain into full gear to decide how to best store it, file it, or conveniently lose it.

Just kidding on that last part. That wouldn't be responsible.

What has been great fun throughout this process is reviewing some of Aim Right's history. For example, I found this photo of our current facility, circa 1999, I believe, around the time of its purchase. The building was in major disrepair:

The property today, looking much more inhabitable and inviting:

This plate is mounted on the brick wall near the main entrance of the church and attests to its longevity in this neighborhood:

The abbreviation "M.E." stands for Methodist Episcopal. Since my familiarity with the history of Methodism is rudimentary at best, and the thought of Episcopal Methodists sounded downright intriguing, I wikipedia'ed those M.E. folks to learn more about them.

The famous Wesley brothers--John and Charles--are credited with founding the Methodist movement as a whole in Europe, along with George Whitefield. When it came to extending the reach of Methodism to the United States, John gave the approval for two men, Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, to serve as the first Methodist bishops in the United States. At a conference in Baltimore in 1784, this newly formed group christened themselves as the Methodist Episcopal Church. Perhaps the choice of "Episcopal" was indicative of the close ties most early Methodist leaders still had with the Anglican church.

As is the case with almost any denominational movement, there comes a time when parishioners disagree over the color of carpet in the nursery or whether the organ should be placed on the right or the left side or whether the bulletins should be typed in serif or sans serif font. And so they form a new denominational branch so they can be happy about the carpet color, organ placement, and bulletin font.

It's hard to imagine weightier issues than the ones mentioned above, but the Methodists were dealing with some tough ones -- slavery, for instance. Abolitionists formed the Free Methodists and the Wesleyan Methodists, while the staunch slaveholders left the traditional M.E. Church and creatively labeled themselves the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The church remained relatively divided for close to 100 years, until 1939 when the North M.E.'s and the South M.E.'s finally agreed to come together again. Joining them in this merger was yet another branch -- the Methodist Protestant Church. The three churches put their heads together and came up with a brilliant name for themselves -- The Methodist Church. However, there were some who were still fiercely segregationist and opposed the merger, forming yet another entity -- the Southern Methodist Church. It wasn't until 1968 that The United Methodist Church, as we know it today, came along as a result of yet another merger.

Having grown up in the Baptist-plentiful Midwest, I rubbed shoulders with Free Will Baptists, Independent Baptists, Southern Baptists, First Baptists, Bible Baptists, Missionary Baptists, and undoubtedly a few other genres of Baptists I can't recall at the moment. The only Methodists I knew were of the United variety, but now I know, as Paul Harvey would say in his gravelly voice...."the rest of the story." They haven't always been united.

Attributed to St. Augustine is this saying: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." My intent has certainly not been to pick on Methodists or Baptists in this post, for the church as a whole struggles to authenticate her faith as it relates to genuine love for believers and unbelievers. As Francis Schaeffer writes in his short work The Mark of the Christian, which you can read here, "Love--and the unity it attests to--is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father."

Schaeffer also states, and the emphasis is mine: "The point is that it is possible to be a Christian without showing the mark, but if we expect non-Christians to know that we are Christians, we must show the mark."

Finally, in the words of the Lord Jesus, the One who calls His bride to bear this mark: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." John 12:34-35

A Splash from the Past

Our Kids Klub finale on May 27th included water games, and during the evening, a photographer who is doing some freelance work for Aim Right stopped by to capture some of the action. Enjoy the faces of Kids Klub -- made in His image, so fearfully and wonderfully!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Good-byes

Good-byes are never easy.

In July, we said farewell to intern Brittany Yoder, who completed a 15-month term. For many of those months, Brittany served as Aim Right's only female intern. She was much loved by the kindergarteners in her Wednesday evening Kids Klub class, as well as by the group of teenaged girls she mentored. We miss you, Brittany, and wish you God's best in the future!

A pair of wonderful servants will be moving away from Phoenix later this week. Keith Byler served as Aim Right's Teen Ministries Director since the summer of 2007, and his wife Emily also invested much of her time in the lives of at-risk children and youth. Keith began the Out Loud program, a monthly teen worship service accompanied by separate guys' and girls' Bible studies. He challenged youth to live every moment "out loud" for their Creator, not just while they were in a church or worship setting.

Keith & Emily will soon be challenging and encouraging a new group of people -- those living in the vicinity of Apple Creek, Ohio, where Keith will be serving as the associate pastor of Fairlawn Mennonite Church. While Keith & Emily will be greatly missed here, we pray that God will continue to use them to further His kingdom -- even though it seems it's wayyyy too many miles from Phoenix!

To know Keith is to know he has an incredible sense of humor.

Byler #3 is coming soon!

On second thought....perhaps it is a good thing we're saying good-bye to these...um....shady-looking characters!