Today we embark on a journey. A journey for a hamburger. 6 students, 2 leaders and over 1000 miles over 2 days. Madness? Probably. But it should be a memorable spring break for the youth.

Please keep us in your prayers for safety and spiritual growth. Yes, spiritual growth! This is actually a contemplative journey for 6 high school students that happens to involve fast food, visiting churches as we drive, prayer, questions and camping on the Oregon coast. I’ll tell you how it goes when I get back.

I’m headed to Cali. Later.

For more about our epic road trip, go here…

- The cleanse is over and I really enjoyed. Now, I was expecting more of an explosive reaction (like Yosemite Sam’s exploding cigar), but the gentle over time method of detoxifying your body is a better choice. I especially recommend you do it with a group of youth pastors. Talking (or bragging) about bowel movements is always a spiritual bonding experience. Go here to get your colon blo on…

- R.E.M. (Athens, GA represent!) has a new album coming out and it sounds good. I mean really good. 

- During my jury duty lunch break I went to a Presbyterian Church that has a contemplative labyrinth set up and I had a spiritualichous time. Slowing down and connecting with the Lord was just what I needed today. Brian (RTYM) blogged on doing this with youth a while back. You should try it.

-We’re taking a spring break trip to In & Out Burger with some youth. It’s a 11 hour (each way) fast food run to have some amazing burger. I’ve never been, but heard it’s amazing. Any recommendations on what I should order?

- Spring is here and the Chacos are out in force. Just thought you should know.

Those are my random thoughts for the day. Any randomness from you?

Today we’re taking 15-20 high school students for a weekend in the snow. Keep us in your prayers for safety, transparency, and authenticity. Our goals: lot’s of coffee and deep conversations along with contemplative midnight sessions. We’ve been totally upfront with each kid that signed up about our spiritual emphasis and they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Sure we’ll play games, but that’s not the point of this weekend.
I’ve found myself, in the past, selling these retreats on the fun activities , but this time I’ve sold it on the spiritual pursuit and we’ve had a good turnout. If you’re honest with kids, they are truly able to step up to the plate. So pray for us this weekend!

After breakfast this morning we decided to try Lectio Divina with my kids. Miriam and I are attempting to expose them to spiritual practices and disciplines. I read a book a while back about this sacred act of reading scripture as a way of prayer. Though James, Aida, and Samuel are young (ages 5, 4, and 2 respectively), they’re never too young to delve into scripture or seek the Lord’s voice.

So for those of you who don’t know…

Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or “holy reading,” and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to engender communion with the Triune God and to provide special spiritual insights. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray from God’s Word.

It is basically meditative reading of scripture, not simply to read, but to consume it and listen. You pick a passage and will dwell on it. You’re not going for quantity or length of scripture, but simply selecting a passage and camping out on it. It is done in 4 basic stages.

1) Lectio

Read the passage slowly several times.

2) Meditatio

Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply to one’s own life. Gravitate to any particular phrase or word that seems to be of particular importance. This is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to one’s own life.

3) Oratio

Respond to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not an intellectual exercise, but an intuitive conversation or dialog with God.

4) Contemplatio

Listen to God. This is a freeing oneself from one’s own thoughts, both mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us. Opening our mind, heart and soul to the influence of God. Any conversation must allow for both sides to communicate, and this most unfamiliar act is allowing oneself to be open to hearing God speak. [Wikipedia]

We cut the lights, broke out the candles, lit some incense (I hit the local hippies store in town, yesterday) and all sat together around the table. I read Psalm 130 (NIV):

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

One of my friends is writing a paper for her seminary class on evangelism. The paper is about community and how we define it. So she asked me some questions and we talked about some random thoughts, then she posed this in her blog:

What does true authentic community look like? What is needed to have an authentic community? Vulnerability, trust, love, faith, hope? I truly believe that deep at the core of every person there is a burning desire for community, acceptance and love. If this is true how do we accomplish this? Is it part of the Church or not? What does it look like? Is there structure? Is it completely organic?

- Jessica Maher

So I want to ask for your thoughts or ideas - partially out of curiosity and partially to give her some perspective for this paper…

What is true community to you?