WEEKEND TRIP: LAVA IS A MANY SPLENDERED THING

Our journeys this weekend took  us to the high desert of central Oregon, to the resort community of Sunriver. While I have visited the famous Village Mall of Sunriver, and while our high school youth group holds an annual winter retreat here, this was the first time I actually stayed in Sunriver. It's like a developed campground, only instead of tents, yurts, and rustic cabins, there are very nice one and two story houses within the tall pines and brush. I don't know what the base population of the town is, but it likely balloons during peak vacation times.

Not that we spent a whole lot of time indoors.  Our daughter, who celebrates her birthday this week, set the agenda for our travels. So after a power brunch at IHOP in Bend, we stopped by an incredible Christian bookstore, then the local Walmart so I could buy a cap (necessary equipment for long walks in the outdoors). And then came our first tour of the day:

The High Desert Museum is an expansive, indoor-outdoor museum featuring wildlife, Native American culture and history, and real life critters of all shapes and sizes.

My amazing photographic skills captured this fish making a jump upstream! Actually, this is a display just outside the doors of the museum.  The water is real, the fish is fake.

On outdoor tours, as in life, this is a good reminder

 

We attended a talk about Birds of Prey, then we visited the Birds of Prey Center

Thanks to a camera problem, I was only able to capture one bird of prey.  But wow...to see the American Bald Eagle that close was exciting.

 

The next day, with fresh batteries in the camera and another power breakfast to fortify us, we made our way to a local volcano.  Lava Butte is actually part of a whole volcanic system in the area. A narrow road that swirls around the mountain takes you to the top of the cone.

We're here!

It's hard to believe this magnificent vista resulted from such chaos

The gray strip is the highway. According to the literature, an eruption could have devastating effects on transportation.  Ya think?

Who's up for a ski trip?

Looking down the rim.  Lots of evidence of destruction, yet, the trees are still making a comeback.

Parking lot at the top of Lava Butte,  looking up at the lookout tower.

This is the parking lot, taken from the upper deck of the lookout tower.

This is tasteless and crude, but I laughed when I saw it (zoom in if you can't read the sign).

Our next stop of the day was a few miles away.  The Lava Cast Forest is a looping trail that takes you through an actual lava flow.

What makes this an interesting place is not only the sheer magnitude of devastation, but the number of "lava casts" along the way.

In simple terms, lava surrounds a tree and begins to cool.  Over the years, the tree dies and decomposes, leaving a tube like cave.  This one still had snow at the bottom of it.

This one was one of the deeper ones. My pictures don't do the tubes justice..they're actually quite interesting to look at.  And, of course, I get lessons from these "lava casts." First, the tree's ability to endure in spite of being surrounded by lava illustrates our standing in the midst of trials. Second, when the tree is gone, there is something ruggedly beautiful left behind.  What is our legacy when the trials have passed?

 

There was far more than sight seeing, of course.  Laughter, relaxation, reading (finished an entire book over the weekend!). It was a great weekend.  Thanks to my daughter for inviting us on a wonderful trip.

DAY TRIP: WILDLIFE SAFARI

Today, we made a day trip to Winston, Oregon, home of "Wildlife Safari." This was my first time to this southern Oregon attraction.  In fact, it was my first time ever to a drive through a wildlife park.  As we passed the huge entrance, all I could hear in my head was Sir Richard Attenborough saying, "Welcome...to Jurassic Park!"

Of course, we didn't see any dinosaurs.  But we did see..

LIONS

 

AND TIGERS

AND BEARS.  OH MY!

 

AND CAMELS

 

AND ZEBRAS

 

AND HIPPOS

 

AND RHINOS

 

AND LAWN DECORATIONS (just wanted to see if you were still reading!)

 

 

Many times, as I go places, I tend to spot principles and concepts.  Today was "Children's Day" at the Safari, a fact we did not take into accout when planning this trip.  As we toured the "Village" (the combination visitor center and small animal exhibits and more), we saw kids constantly squeeling in delight and exitement over God's creation. I believe places like this are a great opportunity to help our kids see the hand of our Maker.

 

And in a more practical vein, Wildlife Safari knows how to do signs well (a lesson from Kidmin Facility Management 101)

 

If you're planning a trip to Oregon, Wildlife Safari is worth a look.

 

 

 

 

AN EARLY EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP

I'm really trying not to sound like I'm bragging, but I used to do children's ministries in one of the largest churches in southern California. If I mentioned this church, you would probably recognize it.  I'm fairly certain you've heard of the pastor (both the current one and the one before).

But to put this in some realistic perspective, I was involved with this church as one of hundreds of volunteers. Being a large church, there were many different children's ministries besides Sunday School, and so the volunteer base was quite large.

But here's "the thing": I was treated like the most important member of the volunteer team! When

Yeah, it was a long time ago!

we had our weekly training meeting, our team leader acted as if every single person in the room was a vital part of the ministry. If I was sick or had an unavoidable conflict, I would get a note of encouragement, prayer, and support, as well as a reminder of how crucial my participation was to children's evangelism. And when I finally moved on to other ministry opportunities, the team leader not only expressed how much I'd be missed, but also her sincere congratulations and blessings on my new adventure.

To be honest, at the time, I never contemplated just how significant this was. When I became a regular children's pastor, I also became a student of children's ministry leadership, and I began learning and growing in leadership principles set forth in myriads of  books, blogs, and podcasts. But it was only then did it all dawn on me: This team leader in this huge church was doing effective volunteer management before children's ministries became a "profession" in most churches. She never wrote a book, there was no personal computing back then, and her weekly volunteer newsletter was a hand cut and pasted affair. Yet the things she did could very well be the chapter titles of a popular volunteer leading handbook.

Let's take a quick look:

• She valued each volunteer's input.
• She kept in regular contact with each volunteer.
• She affirmed that each volunteer was an important part of something big (not just a warm body to fill a slot).
• She cast vision.
• She let God direct the volunteers' paths, even if such a leading took them away.

I'm sure there are more principles, but you get the idea. I don't remember her name and I'm not quite sure she would even remember me, but I'm grateful for this children's ministry pioneer who was "doing the stuff" before there were ever websites to lay it all out.

FIRST SPRING TRIP TO UNION CREEK

Ahhh, spring is here and with it comes thoughts of wandering the back roads and highways, experiencing the grandeur of nature, and enjoying the warmth of sunshine and family, new growth, and the melodious call of creation's splendor.

But those thoughts will have to wait for another day.

Today (Saturday), we went on a picnic to Union Creek Campground, just north of Prospect.

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While it's hardly a backroad, Highway 62 snakes through tall, majestic pines

 

We drove a little ways up the road and parked in front of Farewell Bend Snow Park. As you can see, the ground was not filled with fresh green, but packed snow

 

Finally, the Union Creek Campground.  Or, more accurately, the Union Creek Day Use Area.  Well, technically, the parking area. Campground closed, although if you want to trudge through the snow to the picnic areas, go for it.  We chose to eat in the van.

 

If you look very carefully, this sock and scarf left on a post looks like a grumpy face.

 

There's a little foot bridge at the day use area.  Snow wasn't bad getting to the bridge, so I decided to get a picture of the little island sitting in the creek. Anyone for a swim?

 

Fortunately, the parking lot was plowed, making a rather large barrier to access the rest of the camping and picnicing and putting a slight chill in the air. But that's okay, because I have the INCM long sleeved black t CORE shirt from CPC11 (product placement from a kidmin..whoot!).

 

And thus our first official spring outing was done.  I'm grateful for the laughter and the chance to just enjoy the day.

SECOND LOOK: WHY THE BIBLE ISN'T LIKE THE BIBLE

The third installment of The Bible mini-series has just aired. Jesus has been born, tempted, and calling disciples, even as John the Baptist is being beheaded (oops, sorry, spoiler alert!).

Some "off the grid" folks wanted me to give them a bottom line, thumbs up-or-down evaluation of the mini-series. Apparently, my previous review confused them.  Did I like it or not?  And as I re-read my review of part one, and as I monitor the countless comments and reviews on Facebook and other sources, then yes, there is a mixed reaction, a confusing set of approvals and disapprovals, sometimes in the same post!

So why the confusion? Let me share my gut feeling.

There are really two "Bibles" here (before you take up stones to stone me, let me explain!). As a Christian, I believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of the Living God, sufficient in all matters of faith and practice. But to others, the Bible is a collection of morality tales. A producer can easily portray the latter, but will never be able to accurately portray the former.

Media transfers are difficult. I ended my previous post with the phrase "The Book is better;" that is, I find the source material far more superior than most derivatives. This actually holds true for most publications that have been adapted into a movie or TV show. A movie maker has maybe 30 seconds to show a scene that took up 12 pages in a novel. Even the most "faithful" of adaptations take certain liberties. So when people say The Bible series is not like the Bible, they're right.

But furthermore, no matter how well intentioned a producer may be, they're not going to get it all down. One of the critical reviewers was upset because, not only does the series leave out a lot of material, but it does not explain how the events of the Old Testament tie in to God's redemptive plan revealed in the New. In other words, "why can't The Bible be more of a complete expositional message?" When I think of the many hours spent in Bible survey and introduction classes in college, the answer is obvious: it's not realistic to have a 45 hour mini-series!  With all due respect to those who wonder why The Bible isn't more like the Bible; well, what did you expect?

But I also believe that the positioning of this mini-series was off.  "Positioning" is a marketing term referring to the image or identity of a product in the minds of the consumers. The Bible was pushed and promoted as a way to introduce people to the Book of Books so they might read and study it more. There were whole curriculum packages made so churches could ride this wave. I haven't seen the materials, but I suspect that, in the end, if Bible studies were launched, they were focused more on correcting the unfortunate portrayals in the mini-series and filling in the expository blanks.

The Bible mini-series is what it is: an adaptation of stories from the Bible. Marketing aside, it is entertaining and well produced.  But in the end, it's not that different than dozens of other adaptations of stories from the Bible. If people are drawn to the Scriptures because of what they saw, I'm okay with that. My hope is that they follow up in a good, Bible-teaching church. Not only will they discover the real Bible, but they will also get to personally know the Author of the Book.

A PRINCIPLE ON KID CULTURE

One of my dim memories from my elementary school days was the Wacky Races fundraiser. The classes competed against each other to raise money for a special project. And there, on the giant bulletin board in the hallway, were several straight racetracks, each one marked with a graduated dollar amount. And on each track was a cartoony race car and driving crew from Hannah-Barbara's hit children's program Wacky Races (sigh, I'm dating myself). The campaign was a hit. Kids got excited as they followed their cars' progress, seeing the characters they knew on Saturday morning come to life in their environment. Even parents and teachers got in the act. I don't remember a lot from my elementary school days, but I remember that fundraising theme, because my mom came up with it.

I don't know what her exact role was on the committee, but I do remember her asking me once what my friends and I liked watching on Saturday mornings. And one of the hit shows at the time was Wacky Races, featuring an around-the-world competition among several colorful cartoon characters. So she bought a few Wacky Races coloring books and carefully colored and cut out each car and crew. Making the tracks was easy and before you could say, "start your engines," the fundraiser was off and running.

Naturally, this was a secular environment, but my mom understood something that seems so basic now to children's ministries: to reach kids, you have to understand a kids' culture. For six days, children are immersed in a maze of pop music, video games, the internet, and, partially thanks to cable, day by day cartoons and other children's programming. Then they go to church and are exposed to grown ups who live in an adult world, walls that appeal to adult aesthetics, and technology that seems dated and drab. This sheer disconnected irrelevance communicates that the safe Jesus is a great part of Sunday mornings, but not ultimately integral to the rest of the week.

There is a lot more to this, of course. We are in the world, but not of the world, after all. But just as a general, broad principle, I believe we need to do what my mom did: ask the kids about their world. Then maybe we need to go out and get a couple of coloring books, video games, or action figures. Log on to some children-oriented sites and watch a little Nickelodeon. It's a cliche' but it's applicable: be a kid at heart!

 

MINI-REVIEW: THE BIBLE MINI-SERIES ON HISTORY

This is a review of The Bible mini-seies, part 1.  It contains details and plot points about the show. If you have not seen it yet and/or you do not want details about it, don't read any further.

Last night (March 3), the History Channel rolled out The Bible, a mini-series brought to us by Mark Burnett (Survivor) and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel).

First of all, I applaud the effort to increase Biblical literacy. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have been very public about wanting more people to get into the Scripture. In this day and age of increasing hostility to Christian ideas and values, this is a good thing. I also liked the production values.  Although not necessarily epic in its depictions, it does show life in the desert as dirty and sweaty and man's relationship with God as sometimes challenging.

Most of the instances of "creative license" can be overlooked.  For example, the Bible doesn't depict Sarah figuring out that Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, whereupon she dashes up the mountain to stop him. On the other hand, it doesn't say she didn't do that and the scene does not change the event itself.  The announcement to Sarah that she would have a child was a little eerie to my mind, with a shadowy figure whisping through the tent and disappearing while talking to Sarah. But that doesn't ultimately hurt the Biblical text either.

But the part that got me was (wait for it!)...the Ninja Angels! In Genesis, we read that the men of Sodom were struck blind, so that they grew weary trying to find the door. whereupon the two angels led Lot and his family out of the city.  But in The Bible version, the two angels cast off their cloaks to reveal armored warriors (okay so far).  They then strike the men at the door with some painful condition (I always imagined a bright light, but okay...struck blind...got it!).  And then the angels pull out their swords (no problem necessarily, since the Bible does speak of some angels having swords) and then engage in an extended, martial arts style fight sequence with the armed men of Sodom as they lead Lot out of the city.  It was a neat scene, it was an exciting scene, but one that made me both laugh and shake my head at the same time.

Again, I do not want to disparage any sincere effort to introduce people to the Book of Books. Even the inaccuracies can prompt teachers and students to dig in the Scripture and say, "Hey, this is what the Bible really says...". But ultimately, for me, there's nothing really new here. There have been dozens of dramatizations of Biblical events over the years. Some are high budget, epic depictions (The Ten Commandments), some are evangelistically motivated (Jesus), and yes, there are a few that were so inaccurate and awful that I have to wonder what drug the producers were using at the time (NBC's Noah's Ark). But as good and positive as The Bible mini-series is; frankly, I've seen it all before.

The Bible mini-series is sincerely motivated, respectful in it subject matter, and better than most made-for-television productions. I have not seen any of the accompanying resource material (study guides, curriculum, and so on), but it is being pushed heavily within the evangelical world. But for me, the shortest summary is the one that holds true to a host of adaptations from literature:

"The Book is better."