JP JONES

Earlier this week I wrote an e-mail to the church about what great things were happening at VBS.  I also placed a post here that shared some of my stories from when I was a kid.  Anyway, several have responded to one of these messages or the either, and now I want to share with you one that I thought was just awesome.  It comes from one of our volunteers who is out serving each evening.  Two things I’ll share.  First, think of the blessing of someone with a heart like this teaching and leading the kids of FCC.  Second, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Here’s what was written (shared only by permission)

“I love the VBS experience and am glad to be a helper!  These children are such a blessing!  I started writing some thoughts down about VBS.  There are so many different experiences we each are having, and this hardly touches the tip of the iceberg but I just thought I’d share a snapshot of my thoughts and observations.   I hope you don’t  mind.  There is no need to share with anyone else.  I just wanted you share with you how God is working in (and developing) each of us, according to His purpose.”

“This past Sunday, Vacation Bible School started (6-8:15) and I am a helper in one of the rooms.  We have 21 kids – a nice mix of boys and girls, and they are great!  Each one of the children has become very special to me.  As one of the helper bees, it’s going to be hard on me when Friday comes and VBS is over…probably harder on me then the kids.  There parents should be very proud of them, I am.”

“There’s one little boy who reminds me of the cartoon character Simon, at least I think that’s the character.  He is a super intelligent boy who is also sweet, sensitive, and very compassionate.  He has 17 imaginary friends!  That’s impressive.  I’m a little concerned as he grows older, his peers won’t understand him and may start to see him as a nerd, and he isn’t (is anyone?) – his heart is as gentle and as tender as I’ve ever seen in a little boy.  God has big plans for this little guy.  So, I pray He will continue to watch over him. “

“Another little boy who is special to me reminds me of a future football player, or some type of athlete.  He has a perfectly round head, is stocky, and is an all around boys, boy.  He, too, is a sensitive and compassionate person.  He goofed on his art project last night and asked if he could have another one to take home and fix because the kids in his neighborhood make fun of him and everything he does, and he’s just getting tired of being made of fun.  (Of course, I got him another craft to take home).  Kids (people, in general) can be so mean to each other.   Why are we like that, God?”

“Then there are the little girls.  We know little girls are sweet, intelligent, compassionate, and orderly; these little girls are no exception to that rule and most of them like to be helpers, too.  When snack time is finished, they are very quick to start cleaning their tables AND the other tables.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see some of the boys help, too.  It’s not that little boys aren’t taught to do these things, it just seems to be a harder lesson to get through to little boys.  It’s something I’ll never understand, but God does – Thank you, God.  One thing I do know, regardless of gender, they  look forward to a  little TLC and at least one band-aid.”

I could go on and on about our experiences… there certainly is much more to say and this hardly scratches the surface, but these are the few things on my heart and mind so I’ll leave it here for now.”

God is Good!

We are two evenings into our VBS experience for the year.  To say that it has been anything less than “marvelous” would be a complete understatement.  If you haven’t been by to check it out, come.  You’ll love it.  The kids are hilarious.  The workers are awesome.  The whole operation is blowing the doors off of our expectations and hopes.

So, as I was driving home the other night I started thinking about my VBS experience as a kid.  Two things stuck out to me.  First, the crafts when I was a kid were incredible.  Now, mind you, I went to a little bitty church.  So, they could do some things that others couldn’t simply because they were only doing them for a very small group of kids.  But that being said, we made some really cool stuff.  For example, one year the boys made this wooden rack where we could hang our of our bats, balls, and gloves.  The pieces were already cut before we got there.  Then the next 3 nights we sanded.  The fourth night we glued, and the final night we stained.  It was cool!  I just threw it away a few years ago (Yes, I probably should’ve saved it to pass on to my kids, but I throw most everything away.)

Second, I distinctly remember the transition from “old school VBS” where basically the kids all stayed in the same place and the teachers/leaders rotated and the new style of theming rooms and making stations.  I never actually had the opportunity to participate as a kid in the “new style,” but I have had the opportunity to teach/lead and it’s so much better today than it was when I was a kid.  The way people have been able to transition rooms to being “new places” and then allow kids to experience (see, smell, touch, etc.) the kinds of things they wouldn’t normally get to experience because we’re centuries away from when these Biblical events occurred is great.  It makes the learning so much richer and deeper.

What about you?  What are some of your memories from your experiences at VBS?

On Saturday afternoon I found myself making loops on my motorcycle all around our neighborhood. No, I wasn’t lost! My kids were taking turns riding with me. It was kind of cool because they all have different styles of riding. For example, Kadyn likes to go fast. Addi likes to wave at every person we pass. Kai likes to try and make the same sounds the cycle is making. All of them crack me up.

Anyway, it made me start thinking about what I really like to do in the summer. So, here’s my list of 8 favorite summer activities (not necessarily in order).

1. Going to the lake — skiing, fishing, tubing, and just simply relaxing

2. Going on walks with the family — There’s just something about walking with Molly as our kids are riding their bikes.

3. Grilling out — In my humble, opinion there’s no better way to cook than over an open flame (BTW: If you use a gas grill it’s just not the same — don’t even pretend that it is).

4. Mowing — I use to hate it as a kid, but I love it now. Throw on the ipod and get to work. It’s like my own little getaway.

5. Golfing — Duh!

6. Sitting on the porch and watching people — It’s like a “Mayberry” moment thing, but who doesn’t need a little more Opie time in their life.

7. Riding the motorcycle — Great thing to do early in the morning or late in the evening. It’s best when Molly can come along.

8. Running — Lately it hasn’t been that much fun because the air has been so thick with humidity it’s like trying to breathe water.

There it is. That’s what I like to do. By the way, I also rank the seasons in the following order (best to worst): Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter.

What do you like to do? How would you rank the seasons?

I was driving across town a couple of weeks ago.  It was a bright sunny day.  The air was warm (maybe even hot).  It was one of those afternoons when there are a ton of people out even though it’s a work day.  There were people on the sidewalks, out in their yards, playing at the pools.  They were everywhere.

So, I’m driving and suddenly the cars in front of me are slowing down and stopping.  It wasn’t a corner and I didn’t see any lights ahead of me.  So, I wasn’t sure what was going on until I saw them.  There were four of them.  They each had on a pair of shorts and a tank top but more to the point they weren’t in any hurry to get where they were going.  They also felt a compulsion to stare at the cars that were having to slow and stop.  Though I couldn’t hear any words coming out of their mouth (at least initially) their stares said plenty.

A car a couple ahead of me gave a short beep on her horn.  I’m sure she wasn’t looking for any trouble.  Most Senior ladies seldom are, you know?  Anyway, you would have thought she had threatened these guy’s lives.  As soon as the horn sounded they started yelling and making gestures and pointing at themselves as if to say, “You don’t want to mess with us!”

My initial response to all of this was, “Are you kidding me?  Is that really necessary?  Can’t we cooperate with one another without it becoming a test of toughness?”  Then I got to thinking about some of my own immaturity.  Some of those moments when I make selfish decisions (i.e. walking across the street expecting the world to stop for me) and I think it proves my toughness, or my strength, or my capacity to live of my own accord.  I’ll bet that looks just as ridiculous in the eyes of God as those “tough guys” did to me.

Anyone else ever had one of those moments of spiritual recognition?  What happened?  What did you learn?

All right, I have been really out of the loop on getting things updated and shared.  I hope you will accept my apologies.  I hope you will also start to check back on a regular basis.  From this point forward I should do better.

In fact, check back tomorrow and I’ll have another post ready and waiting.  God’s best to you!