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Dear friends: September 30

Dear friends,

We began the school year the way any respectable congregation should: at a roller-skating rink! Somewhere between 80 and 90 children, youth, and parents packed Rollerland West for our Back-to-School Party in late August. There was skating, laughter, pizza, and only a few reminders that we are not all as young as we think we are. Then, after the party, 60 of us boarded two buses, headed back to First Pres (with a stop at Curly’s on the way) for our Youth Lock-In Overnight. It was loud, exhausting, great fun, and a wonderful way to begin another year together! (Plus, after 21 years at First Pres, I have grown a little weary of making t-shirts for every special event. So, for this year’s Lock-In, we changed things up and had plaid pajama pants made, complete with an embroidered First Pres Youth logo. The youth loved them, and they also served as a helpful reminder that, despite all evidence to the contrary, sleep is actually required at our Lock-In!)

Our Sunday evening Youth Group theme this fall is “Teachable.” That seems appropriate at the beginning of a school year, though we are not talking about grades, homework, or remembering your Chromebook charger. To be teachable is to admit that we do not have it all figured out. It means asking good questions, learning from unexpected people and even our mistakes, and being willing to admit that maybe we do not know as much as we think we do. That can be difficult, especially for those of us who are quite certain we are always right.

Which brings us to Jonah. This fall, our congregation is exploring “The God of Jonah” in worship. Jonah is wonderfully certain about God. He knows where God should go, who God should love, and what God should do about people Jonah does not particularly like. God, it turns out, has other ideas. Jonah has a lot to learn about God, about other people, and about himself. So do we.

Following Jesus does not mean having all the answers. It means trusting that God still has something to teach us…through Scripture, through people we never expected, and (every now and then) through discovering that we were wrong. Sometimes faith means being willing to let God change our minds. We are off to a great start in practicing all this together, and I cannot wait to see what God still has to teach us this year. Stay teachable, friends!

Keep on keepin’ on,
Rev. Dr. Josh Stewart
Associate Pastor – Youth

Dear friends: September 2

Dear friends,

I have always thought there is more than one New Year. January gets most of the attention, but the beginning of a new school year has always felt like a new year to me too. New schedules, new teachers, new routines, a chance to start over a little bit, and maybe even make a resolution or two.

This month has had a couple of big milestones for me. It marks my 21st anniversary here at First Pres, which is pretty hard for me to believe. Plus, our twins started 6th grade, which means that after all these years of leading Youth Group, our own kids are now in it! That is really hard to believe!

A number of years ago, Annie and I visited the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, a museum dedicated to the great American folk singer, songwriter, and good troublemaker. Woody was about as down to earth as they come, and his words had a way of sneaking up on you. One of my favorite lines of his is, “Take it easy, but take it.” Well, we loved the museum so much that we later took a wonderful  group from First Pres and Mount Moriah there (along with the newer Bob Dylan Center, of course) as part of our second Civil Rights Pilgrimage trip. 

One of the many things I remember seeing was a list of thirty-three New Year’s Resolutions (AKA: “Rulin’s”) that Woody Guthrie wrote in 1943. Some of them make me laugh. “Change socks.” “Shave.”  “Eat good – fruit – vegetables – milk.” “Save dough.” And, my favorite, “Wash teeth if any.” But, then, mixed in with those are some that have stuck with me. “Write a song a day.” “Don’t get lonesome.” “Learn people better.” “Keep hoping machine running.” “Love everybody.” “Wake up and fight.”

That is quite a list, isn’t it? Brush your teeth. Change your socks. Write a song. Learn people better. 

Maybe January does not get to have all the resolutions. As another school year begins, I think I might borrow a few from Woody. Keep the hoping machine running.  Love everybody. And, when the world gives us plenty of reasons not to, wake up and fight for that love anyway.

Take it easy, but take it,
Josh
Rev. Dr. Josh Stewart
Associate Pastor – Youth