My new favorite word is ‘impact.’ I believe that everyone has an impact on someone and it is up to us if that impact is positive or negative; it will certainly be life-changing. Our world desperately needs people who are committed to a lifestyle of postive impact. Apathy has dominated for too long and this has led to an entitlement generation. Entitlement creates dependency, which, in turn, leads to vulnerability. However, those who determine to have a positive impact on their world are the ones who will change the course of the future and write a brighter future for all of us.

I am the founder and president of a Christian youth club, called Club Impact. We have between 20-30 middle and high school members, spread across the United States, who all have a passion for living life in a way that impacts the world for Jesus. Our focus is three-fold: education, outreach, and fellowship. Everything that we do trains our minds for action, builds our character for hard work and service, and strengthens our relationships for lasting support and accountability.

At this point, we have been keeping our efforts close to home with community service and weekly Bible studies. Now we are hoping to expand our efforts through national and international outreach. This will require a building up of our bank account, but we are not seeking handouts. Instead, we would like to work hard for every penny that is sent our way. We are trying to be creative with how we raise money so that each money-raising event also achieves our three-fold purpose of education, outreach, and fellowship.

With that said, I understand that there are many things you would like to do, but possibly don’t have the time, energy, or resources to do it. Here is where Club Impact can help. Is there something that you would like to do but can’t do, that we can do for you? Would you be willing to donate a few dollars to us so that we can fulfill your wish or dream (as long as it is legal and minors can do it)?

For example, perhaps you would like to hike a mountain that is close to our home, but not close to yours. We can do it and we’ll send you proof that we did it with you in mind. Or maybe you would like to pray at our state capitol, but can’t because you live in a different state. We can do it for you and we’ll send you proof.  Maybe you love cats and want to visit the ones at the animal shelter, but are afraid you’ll adopt all of them. We can do it for you…. you get my drift, right? 🙂

Tell us what we can do for you, be creative and think outside of the box (middle schoolers love crazy ideas), tell us the dollar amount that you’re willing to pledge for our time, and we’ll send you proof that we accomplished your mission.

This is an on-going fundraising project, but our current goals are shoes and socks for international orphans, and a spring trip to D.C. for our Club.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all – just write them in the comment box with your contact information.
Thank you!

This is one of the lessons I gave at the 40 Hours With Jesus:

Do you like to walk? When given the option, would you walk or drive to your destination? What if someone made you walk? how would you respond?

Jesus walked almost everywhere, unless He was in a boat or on a donkey. I have been paying more attention to the effect of walking on my spirit and have found that walking:

– relaxes me because I have to slow down my pace of living, and my mind settles down to match my speed. When my mind settles, the stress leaves.

– Prompts me to communicate with whoever is with me. Sometimes it is a friend; sometimes it is my mom or dad; sometimes it is Mochi. If I am alone, or it’s just Mochi and me, I communicate with Jesus.

– draws praise from my soul. I start to rejoice as I feel free from stress, appreciate my surroundings, and build relationships. Who cannot praise, as they smell the fragrant flowers in passing, view the ocean in front and the mountains behind, or wave at friendly passers-by?

But Jesus teaches us even more if we take the time to walk with Him on the path of life. It starts with being led. Jesus followed the Holy Spirit even though it led Him to a dificult place, a time of extreme temptation. (Matthew 4:1)  Yet it was in that time of testing that Jesus proved His identity, through the power of God. And us? What is our identity?

As we follow Jesus we encounter others and learn how to serve. Jesus met people with eyes of love and compassion. he called them to Himself, healed them, and taught them about salvation. The key to Kingdom encounters is in the words, “Come, Follow Me.” We must follow Jesus with hearts wanting to meet and serve others. (Matthew 4:18-23) What about us? Are we willing to care about others? Even the unloveable ones?

Walking with Jesus reveals His heart to us. As Jesus travelled through Israel He saw the helpless masses and had compassion on them. He ministered to them and offered His life as a sacrifice for them. the heart of Jesus is for rescuing the lost and He wants that to be our heart as well. How do you show the heart of Jesus the hurting world? (Matthew 9:35-38)

The Garden of Eden is an example of the fellowship God wants to have with us. And what do Genesis 3:8-9 say? “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…then the Lord God called the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ God enjoyed daily fellowship with His beloved creation. When humans chose to sin, they severed the relationship they had with God and when He came to meet with them, He encountered shame and brokenness. But God has not stopped reaching out. We have a chance to establish our own personal relationship with Him. Let’s walk with Jesus faithfully so that He never has to call out to us, “Where are you?”

Miss T’s Etiquette Expectations

v  If you want to be heard, speak quietly.

v If you want to be respected, be respectful.

v If you want to be acknowledged, raise your hand.

v If you value your belongings, value the belongings of others.

v Greet your teacher when you enter the room.

v Greet your classmates when you enter the room.

v Always answer with either:

• “Yes, Miss T.”
• “No, Miss T.”
• “I don’t know, Miss T.”

v Listen when others speak.

v Sit tall when you are seated.

v Stand tall when you present.

v Make eye contact when speaking and listening.

v Be prompt in attendance.

v Be punctual in turning in your work.

v Always turn in your best work.

v Own your education.

v Be the friend that the person in the mirror would want to have.

vBe the student that Jesus delights in teaching.

Dear Jesus,

I ask that my students will:

–       Consider learning a journey of discovery.

–       Recognize the value of words.

–       Esteem wisdom as a cherished friend.

–       Allow You to be their Teacher and Guide.

–       Treat others with fairness and kindness.

–       Establish themselves in Your Word.

In Your Holy Name,

                                    Amen

Imagine you are on a winding, potholed road in the dusty mountains on the westside of my island home. As you travel this curvy road you are awestruck by the splendor of the ocean that appears to lie just at the base of these windblown peaks. Soon you come to a rustic camp that is tucked away in the foothills of the W Ridge. As you enter the Camp you are struck by something that’s, well, almost divine, though you hesitate to describe it as such.

At the top of a little rise there is a faded yellow house with brown trim. It has the air of a New England cottage about it and from its open windows the clear laughter of young voices drifts through the air.  You weave your way towards the house on a path that is arched by magnificent banyan trees and you are accompanied by confident chickens that have much to say.  You are drawn towards the house by the strumming of a guitar and as you peer in the window you see 20 young adolescents sprawled in the living room. There is a mixture of boys and girls; one of the boys is skillfully drawing out the voice of his guitar and many of the youngsters are singing along with it. Never before have you felt such peace nor witnessed such harmony; perhaps it is divine and you have stepped into heaven’s foyer.

This was the 40 Hours with Jesus.  From the initial spark of the idea in my heart in the spring until the mountain road gate closed behind us on the way home, God placed His signature blessing upon this endeavor.  The schedule for the 40 Hours revolved around eight core lessons:

–          Walking with Jesus à understanding what it means to truly follow Christ and discovering that from the very garden of Creation God has sought people to walk in communion with Him. In slowing down we discover Christ.

–          Conversing with Jesus à learning how to identify and cultivate a prayerful heart. The depth of our relationship with Christ can be gauged by the attitude of our prayers.

–          Mountaintop Moments à discovering the beauty of those blessed moments when we know for a fact that Jesus is with us. What can we take away from those experiences that will help us endure through the valley?

–          Nourishment from Jesus à grasping the fact that earthly hunger cannot satisfy spiritual needs. Our physical needs are what draw us to Jesus because He is the only One who can truly satisfy. What is distracting us from Jesus?

–          Listening to Jesus à realizing that Jesus follows up on what we tell Him.  He listens to what we say and it is of utmost importance that we listen when He speaks, because His words shape our future. “The difference between success and failure is only the width of the boat.”

–          Spiritual Workouts à practicing our faith is what strengthens it and there are 3 main types of “exercises” that build our faith and help us to mature in our walk with Christ. Yet these exercises require daily discipline and self-control.

–          Facing the Fear à grappling with the thought that our greatest fear is to completely surrender to Christ. We must put into words what is holding us back from giving 100% to Jesus. It should be our fears that compel us to go to Him.

–          Witnesses and Testifiers à focusing on the Beatitudes we see that a true Christian lives according to principles that defy human nature. But in doing so we are blessed, and our blessings should testify to the Savior whom we serve.

I taught four of these lessons, and the other four were beautifully planned and taught by two incredible pastors, one of whom was also one of the camp counselors. One father and two mothers came as counselors as well, and provided essential support to the lessons and the general functioning of the 40 Hours.  The students were divided into five equal teams that had an even rotation of cooking or cleaning, freeing the adults to pray, guide, instruct, and counsel. Between lessons and meals the students had time to be alone for Bible study and prayer, or to converse with their accountability partner. The first day concluded with board games, popcorn and hot chocolate. The second day was wrapped up with time around a campfire that included worship songs by our student worship leader, and discussion related to everything learned up to that point.

My earnest prayer for this time was that Jesus would be there with us and felt by all who attended, and that time would stand still so that we could absorb the experience in depth. I knew He was there:

v  When every obstacle to our stay was perfectly resolved with just the right timing.

v  By the number of campers that resulted in an exact ratio of 4 students to every 1 counselor, considering the fact that there were only 2 male counselors versus 3 female counselors (we had 8 boys and 12 girls).

v  By the number of each gender that resulted in a perfect pairing of accountability partners of the same gender.

v  As I observed the willingness of these youth to sit attentively to each lesson (that lasted close to an hour each) while taking notes and reading long Bible passages.

v  Because I never heard complaining about the lessons, the food, the clean-up, the heat, the cold, the early hour of rising (5AM the second day), etc.

v  For there was only joyful harmony between all of the students and the counselors.

v  When it became apparent that all 8 of the lessons overlapped to perfection, though we did not consult each other as we planned them.

This list of evidence could last for pages, for every moment of that 40 Hours bespoke God’s immense presence in the midst of us. Yet the truly most powerful moments came with the prayers of the girls as they talked to Jesus in the middle of the night when they volunteered to join me in an all-night prayer vigil, and the trail of sweat left by the young worship leader as he carried his guitar on the two-mile hike to the mountaintop because I mentioned it would be a beautiful place to worship.  These students served, listened, and opened their hearts to the quiet; they came away with a sense of contentment about who they are as individuals created by a loving God.

Never before have I experienced Christ so richly and fully as I did with my students and the other four counselors. For me, it was a glimpse of God’s ideal. He came and asked, “Children, where are you?” and we could say with a whole heart, “Here, Jesus!” In our final debriefing before leaving the mountain one boy thoughtfully asked, “Why did the 40 Hours seem longer than 40 Hours?” Because my prayer was answered and time stood still.

This afternoon I am taking 20 students into the mountains in order to spend 40 hours with Jesus. We will spend our time reading the Bible, discussing what we’ve studied, and praying about our impact on the world around us. The mountains were chosen for this endeavor because Jesus often withdrew into the mountains when He needed time to be still, or when He had an especially significant message to share with His followers.  In a world where information is just a touchscreen away, adults and students alike should deliberately step away from busy and intentionally listen for the voice of the Shepherd.

It is my prayer that during these 40 Hours with Jesus time will stand still so that we can truly relax. I pray that all 20 students and 7 counselors will come down from the mountain renewed, refreshed, and ready to Impact the waiting world for Jesus.

I will write more when time resumes.

This week I returned from a lovely, 19-day getaway to Virginia and Switzerland. I was able to spend everyday time with beloved friends and family in addition to absorbing how life is lived in these gorgeous locations. It got me to thinking…

Switzerland is a lush country. It truly is the most picturesque place I have ever seen, for it is even more appealing than the well-known postcards and calendars that seek to capture its beauty.  The pictures cannot emit the sounds and smells that enhance the panorama of this tiny land. The Swiss people are connected to their land; they gain their strength from its unique geography and heritage of hard work, punctuality, and cleanliness. The production of quality is a timeless value of the Swiss heart. The Swiss strive to be efficient, thorough, and adventurous in all they do.

Yet I was saddened to see even more grafitti than before, splattered across the weathered stone buildings bordering the train tracks. I saw garbage spewed along the sidewalks and streets. Houses were beginning to look neglected, and the people had a wary look in their eye when approached by a stranger. Prices  for train tickets and simple items had soared from the last time I visited and I noticed an increase in the number of raucous loiterers on the streets.  When I inquired into these changes I was informed that the Swiss government is having difficulty managing the flood of immigrants from the Muslim countries in eastern Europe and Africa. These people come in with an entitlement attitude versus a desire to assimilate to the Swiss culture. They take, use, and discard whatever the Swiss provide for them.

Virginia exuded the aroma of history of the past and in the making. I could nearly smell the yellowed pages of the ancient documents or hear the clink of metal hitting stone as the words of our foundation were chiseled into time. Each day I saw street names that bore testimony to the monumental events that shaped our nation’s character.  As I passed under the vibrantly green trees I could almost imagine them having waved their branches at the great people of the past as they rode by on horseback.  It caused me to think about myself and the people with whom I was spending time with: adults who worked in the Pentagon or the Secret Service or negotiated multi-million dollar international business deals; children cheering about the end of school and the beginning of hot summer days spent at camp and the pool; parents faithfully providing a secure and loving home for their young ones. These are the people who, along with their peers throughout the States, are making tomorrow’s past.

My island home greeted me with a plumeria-scented breeze and a long walk to the baggage claim. It was a refreshment to be back and able to settle into my apartment and routine. I realized how much I do appreciate a small corner of the world that I can call my own (even if I do have to pay rent for it). My critters took their time investigating my luggage and laying claim to my souvenirs. Bills, housecleaning, and work welcomed me back with open arms. But I really didn’t mind. The time away and my many observations of the lands and people I visited had settled something in my heart, something that helped me to make better sense of myself: I belong.

There and here are apart of me, and who I am. When I came home I realized that I brought Switzerland and America back with me, and when I went abroad the Island came too. Switzerland and the USA are battling many of the same issues: a saturation of immigration; high taxes; crime; broken homes; moral debt; the challenge to keep tradition valuable to the younger generation, as the old pass away.  I want to help both countries; I want to do my part in making a difference in both places that I cherish. At first I was torn between the two, thinking I needed to move to one so I could help, causing me to abandon the other. However, that is not true.  I am connecting one with the other. There and here are in my heart and I will help both by being myself.

Faith died this week. It came as such a shock to me and everyone who knew that spunky little kitty with a huge heart for enjoying life.  I never had a chance to say good-bye to her; I didn’t realize that when I picked her up it would be for the last time. This summer I want her memory to remain abundant in my life, so this is what I’m going to do:

Take time to enjoy the scenery.  Faith knew every window in our house and made sure that she surveyed the view from each one, each day.  I never realized how interesting chores could be until I looked at them from her perspective. She delighted in watching the birds flying, the bunnies munching, and me cleaning.

Relax with all your heart.  Faith knew how to relax. Who would have thought that it could be so entertaining to watch someone take a nap? Faith was that someone! Even on her busiest days she found time to relax. She could chill as if she was on a Caribbean cruise.

Practice having fun! Faith always grabbed the chance to be silly. She liked to turn the mundane into humor and could always make me laugh, even on the bluest of days. She learned how to open cabinet doors to investiage the hidden world of bath towels, or pull open drawers to check out the cosmetics. She put her head into empty tissue boxes and ran around the room, just to put a fun twist on the ordinary pace of the day. Fortunately, her fun-loving, adventurous spirit is being kept alive by one of her housemates who intently observed her every move.

Never be afraid to be beautiful.  When Faith entered my life she was the ugliest little ragamuffin I had seen, yet her eyes grabbed my soul and urged me to keep her alive. She had a knack for accentuating the beauty of an ordinary moment. There seemed to be a light in her that shone brighter each new day she was alive, as if she knew that each day truly was a gift; that light spread to all who knew her – animal and human alike.

This summer is going to be the best one yet. Faith taught me to enjoy the scenery, relax every day, be silly when I get the chance, and to find the beauty in life and myself and delight in it. None of us knows how much time we have left.  It turns out that Faith had less than three years on this earth, but she maximized every breath that she took.

Perhaps that was the greatest lesson of all.

In the past few weeks I lost two significant things that I had previously thought were impossible to live without: my voice and the contacts on my phone. Instead, they proved more valuable in their absence than in their presence.

The first to go was my voice. It happened with little warning, and little time to prepare. I woke up one morning and realized I couldn’t talk, or even whisper. I am a teacher. This makes things complicated. Fortunately, my students can be relatively helpful and independent, so, with the help of a portable dry-erase board and improvised sign language, I showed a few kids the lesson and had them teach. They were delighted! In fact, they were more attentive than ever before because they actually wanted to know what I was trying to say and worked together to understand my coded communication.  I felt like I had the rare opportunity to step outside of myself and see the influence my presence has had on people. How would they respond to me when I could give little feedback to their words and actions?

I was blessed that it was a rewarding discovery. I heard my students using the quips and phrases I always say, and saw them using my methods and mannerisms when teaching. I frequently caught conversations beginning with, “Miss T said…”  They know my routine and tried to follow it as closely as possible. I also discovered how much pressure there is to respond in verbal form to questions and situations, and what a relief it is to not actually have to say anything! As useful as words are, they can really get in the way of life sometimes.

In just a short time after the retrieval of my voice, my phone went on the blink and crashed before I could have my contacts transferred to the new phone.  Initially I was devastated! I did not know how many contacts I actually had, nor who all of them were.  My mind raced with all the people I would lose touch with if I didn’t have their numbers.  But since there was no getting around the situation, I simply had to deal with it. I used e-mail and Facebook to spread the word and then decided to sit back, relax, and see who sincerely wanted to stay in touch with me. And then, believe it or not, the fun began! My phone lit up with texts and voicemail, as people made sure that I would not lose touch. I deliberately took new pictures and filmed updated videos and realized that a fresh start is not a bad thing.

It’s not uncommon for humans to get stuck in ruts. We eat  pre-cooked frozen meals,  buy pre-paid phone cards, teach pre-made lessons, follow set routines, pray rote prayers and review yesterday’s thoughts and plans.  Before too long our lives grow stagnant, our relationships grow stale, and enthusiasm for life fades. How do we expect to impact the world if the vision we had for our own life has atrophied?  What does this have to do with a voice and contacts, you ask?  The brief leave my voice took showed me that it’s good to shake things up a bit and find new ways to teach people. Find the angle from which life has never been previously viewed.  The cell phone crash taught me the importance of taking stock of my priorities and to not let dust settle on the relationships in my life. Keep track of the ones that matter and be willing to let go of the ones that only serve to drain my energy.

Seize the unexpected moments and learn from them.