Friends who challenge you

I work at the YMCA as an Outreach Coordinator and run a program called the YMCA Community Action Program. We reach out to high school age guys who are struggling in a variety of ways, including socially, mentally and academically.


I publish a monthly parent newsletter for the program in which I have an editorial section called Community Corner. In this section, I attempt to strengthen community bonds by sharing stories and encouraging students and parents to find ways to connect with others in meaningful relationships.


The following is the latest editorial I wrote for Community Corner.

Have you ever had a friend who challenged you to do something that, when looking back, you think “That could have gotten me killed!?!” Now I’m not talking about doing something that is just blatantly illegal, ignorant or foolish. I’m talking about the type of friend that challenges you in a healthy way, one that pushes you outside your comfort zone. A friend who is willing to challenge you so that you are both happy to be alive, yet feel like you have had more life breathed into you because of your experiences with this person.

I recently had this type of experience with a friend of mine named Ryan. Ryan is the program director for the National Youth Project Using Minibikes at YMCA Camp Carson, and is a far more experienced dirt bike rider than I am. When Ryan and I go for rides on our own – without any students present – he really likes to explore, push the envelope and find trails that have tighter turns, steeper hills and more obstacles to maneuver around than a what the average NFL running back faces on any given Sunday. To be completely honest and transparent, Ryan’s willingness to push the envelope leave me a little nervous, slightly scared and wondering why in the world I’m riding with him!

However, Ryan knows my riding ability. He knows what I am capable of doing. He will not take me on a trail that he knows I will not succeed in riding. Ryan also knows that in challenging me, he is making me a better rider. For these reasons, when Ryan says to me “Hey come check out this new trail I found,” I always follow him. I trust Ryan.

And this brings us to community. In order to engage in true community, I am convinced that we need friends like Ryan that are willing to push us. To make us slightly uncomfortable. To break us of our need for the familiar.

See without a friend like this, we are content to be comfortable. When we are comfortable, we are more concerned for our own wellbeing rather than going out of our way to see the needs of others. As a society, we are much more inclined to choose personal safety over selflessly serving the needs of others.

Without selflessly serving the needs of others, we cannot engage in true community. To take this a step further, I believe that until we are challenged to go outside our comfort zone to the point that we need to rely on others, we cannot truly understand the importance of community.

I have not found a better example to support this need to be challenged than in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived radically different than anyone at the time. He challenged those who would follow him to live outside of their comfort zones. He called them to live in such a way that they were completely dependent on God to provide for them. He showed them how to live in a way that put the needs of others first. He showed them what it was like to live in community.

The cool part about this is that the offer Jesus extended to those who would follow Him years ago is still available to us today. When we have a relationship with Jesus, we automatically have that friend that will challenge us in a healthy way, ask us to step outside our comfort zones and allow us to engage in true community. Jesus is waiting to find adventure with us, to show us how to really come alive. To show us true community.

Over the past year, I have written about experiences that define community, and through that we’ve been on a journey. I’m convinced that there is no better time than now to continue on this journey to community. To break from the familiar and challenge ourselves with the unfamiliar. To put the needs of others first. To be challenged. Will you join us as we continue on this journey to experience community?

Don't forget...

My dad is always a good source of unique trivia, weird quotes and advice with which I'm not quite sure what to do. Don't get me wrong, he has passed on lots of "fatherly wisdom" to me that is invaluable - however, he also has a unique way of phrasing things and leaving me scratching my head wondering what he meant by what he just said.

For example, since the time I was in middle school, my dad would get this goofy grin on his face as he left me with one phrase before leaving for work everyday - "Don't forget..."

My answer was always "Don't forget what?"

He would reply - as the grin grew bigger - "Just don't forget..."

Huh?!?

For years this phrase has left me scratching my head. I've pondered and mused and engaged in deep thought over what I should not forget. I'm constantly wondering what I'm forgetting. I'm obsessing and losing sleep at night over what I could have possibly forgotten - and I already don't have the best short term memory!

Ok maybe its not that bad - I'm not losing sleep, nor obsessing - but it has left me with something to ponder.

Now, as an adult, I am still a little apprehensive when my dad approaches me with the same goofy grin and says "Come here for a minute. I need to show you something!"

This was the case earlier this week. It was about 10pm as I followed my dad outside to see what he "needed to show me!" As I walked out and waited as my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, my dad told me to come over and look through the spotting scope that he uses for target shooting. When my eyes finally adjusted, I could see my dad had the spotting scope pointed toward the sky.

As I knelt down and looked through the scope, I saw 5 glowing blobs in the night sky. One was noticeably bigger than the other four.The larger blob has rings wrapping around it and appeared to be giving off a purple glow or haze around the edges. The four smaller blobs sort of look like stars, but there was a noticeable difference - they weren't twinkling like stars.

My dad then informed me that it was Jupiter and its moons that I was viewing. Apparently Jupiter is the closest to the Earth that its been since 1963, and here I was - looking at the largest planet in our solar system! 

I looked through the scope, studying and pondering and wondering. I'm not even sure how to explain how I felt at that point. Awestruck. Amazed. In wonder. Incredible.

See in that moment, as I looked at Jupiter, I had a feeling of how big God really is, and how small and insignificant I am. As humans, our lives are but a blip on the radar of time - a small speck of light in the vast expanse of the universe.

And yet God - the creator of the heavens, of earth and all creation - loves us enough to desire us each individually. God has the whole universe, yet He calls us each His child. He is responsible for EVERYTHING in existence, yet his heart yearns for a relationship with each of us individually! In Mathew 10:30, we are told that "the very hairs on your head are all numbered."

Amazing!

The God of all creation loves us enough to know something as seemingly minuscule as how many hairs are on our heads. There is only one thing that can motivate that type of knowledge - God's unfailing love for us!


As I stood with my dad looking up at the night sky, it was as if my Heavenly Father was looking at me saying "Adam, don't forget..."

Glass doors we don't see...

Here recently, I've been overwhelmed by work. Its honestly nothing new, as work seems to somehow sneak up on me and smack me in the face - similar to when a little kid runs face first into a glass door he didn't see. It seems I go through seasons where more needs to be done than at most points in time, and it never fails that I'm not prepared for it in the least bit. You'd think I'd start anticipating or planning ahead before entering these times, but I haven't done very well in that department either.

On a side note - I am the person that, as a little kid, ran full speed into a glass door.

Yeah I went everywhere in turbo speed without looking around to see my surroundings.

And I learned my lesson...very painfully.

This leads me to wonder how often I allow myself to go through life without noticing the things around me or anticipating what's to come. How often am I running full speed ahead - not looking up - and BAM! I hit the glass door that I didn't see...

Whether that glass door happens to be work or relationships or simple moments where God is leading me to be still, I wonder how often I am missing out because I'm not taking the time to look around? I wonder how many times I feel overwhelmed because I'm not realizing that Jesus has been there carrying the burden with me the whole time?

As difficult as it is for me to admit, far too often I move through life living like I am the source of my strength. Far too often, I become overwhelmed - simply because I'm running so fast that I'm not noticing God saying "Adam slow down. Lets do this together. I'm the one who makes your life possible. Come and rest in me."

I'm thankful to know that I serve a God who provided a Savior in whom I can find rest and solitude. I'm thankful for the promise that in Christ the "yoke is easy to bear, and the burden...is light." (Mathew 11:30, NLT)

I'm thankful to know that in Jesus, we have access to our Creator. Its awesome having the promise that we can come to the Father and ask anything, all because we are redeemed through Jesus.

"At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." (John 16:23 - 24)

In my life, I'm praying that I can slow down and realize that God is going through it all with me - that he's bearing the burden when I feel overwhelmed. I'm praying that I can live like I'm alive in Him - live like I've already been redeemed.

And last, but not least, I'm praying that God gives me the vision to see the glass doors ahead of me - both literally and figuratively - before I face plant in the door and have to scrape my body off the floor!

My first Lunchable

It had been a long walk through the woods from my friend Corey Stout’s house until we finally reached his treehouse. Corey had a legit treehouse too - it was built onto the side of a tree and even had a rope ladder. It was inside this treehouse that my childhood meal desires were changed forever, because when we reached the top of the treehouse, Corey pulled out a square plastic container. I peeled back the top of the container to reveal sliced round lunchmeat, slices of square cheese, round crackers and, my favorite, a candy bar! I was about to experience my first Lunchable - and have my world rocked!

After that point, and for the next 5 or 6 years, I desired a Lunchable for every meal. It was the best thing ever! I was convinced that when God sent manna down from Heaven, it was it came in a square plastic container, which contained round slices of lunchmeat, square slices of cheese, round crackers and a candy bar.

There was only one obstacle to that - it was 4 foot, 11 and half inches tall - it was my Mom. Rarely would she give in to my constant nagging to buy a Lunchable. In fact, she frequently told me she would by a box of round crackers, lunchmeat and cheese, and I could make my own Lunchables. She never seemed to understand that it just wasn’t the same as opening up a square container and peeling off the top. She always insisted that we didn’t have enough money to buy the actual thing.

Over the course of my friendship with Corey Stout, I found there were a lot of things his parents could afford that mine could not. See, Corey had everything. He even got a pinball machine - yeah, like the one you find in an arcade - for Christmas from Santa. I’m sure my mom had a great time trying to explain to me why Corey Stout’s Santa could afford a pinball machine, but mine couldn’t…especially when there’s only supposed to be one Santa!

Over the course of our friendship, I also experienced several other firsts at Corey’s house.

Legos - I first played with Legos at Corey Stout’s house. To this day, I have not seen a Lego collection as big as Corey’s. I’m pretty sure that he once built a full sized replica of his house out of Legos.

Video Games - The first time I played video games was at Corey’s house. I didn’t have video games until until I was 14 or 15 because, you guessed it, my parents couldn’t afford it!

Trampoline - My first trampoline experience took place in Corey’s front yard. Who knew one could jump that high, all because of springs and a nylon surface?!?

Tonight, as I ate slimy, round slices of lunchmeat and cheese - which I’m convinced isn’t really even cheese - on round crackers, my thoughts drifted back to the first time I ate a Lunchable. Its amazing how some things just don’t seem as special when you’re older - things change as you grow up. My Lunchable that I ate tonight didn’t even have a candy bar in it!

Even though experiences, and the way we perceive them, change, God does not. The way we perceive God can change and the way we understand God definitely changes as we grow, but God does not. He is faithful and loves us despite our brokenness and hurt and pain.

“Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace…”

Hebrews 13:7-9 (NLT)

Even though my perceptions of Lunchables have changed, it is amazing to know that my Savior doesn’t change and loves me the same no matter what.

On a side note - I still love Legos, video games and trampolines!

And it continues...

It all started with a Tumblr account and now I'm hooked...I swore I would never become addicted. But its happening now. I think I'm developing a problem. I think the social networking addiction that I said I'd never get is happening to me now.

I resisted Facebook for years out of fear of this same addiction, but look at me now! At first a Tumblr blog seemed innocent enough, but now BlogSpot as well? I'm not even sure if I recognize myself anymore!

Hi, I'm Adam and I'm developing a social networking, more specifically, blogging addiction.
(Everyone repeat in unison, "Hi Adam")