A Bridle and A Bit.

This week at se*lah we were seeking to know how the apostle James(a.k.a Jesus’ brother) could help us live our lives closer to God. During Lent we are using the practice that we came up with, “The work of the people”, to help us in our search and be closer to God. We sang, we drew, we wrote, and we continued working on our on-going lego project we are carrying through Lent. Also, this week, we had the special treat of walking the labyrinth with God. As we walked we came up with an individualized prayer. Doing this made me really think about what I needed from God this week. Through the text we read (3rd chapter of the letter of James) we saw that James is sort of giving us a warning. He compared our tongues to poison. I think he is saying that we really should watch what we say. Every word that comes out of our mouths is deadly, sarcastic or not, rude or not, intentionally or not it could hurt someone’s feelings and hurting others is not a way to live closer to God. If we take James’ advice and watch what we say in our everyday lives we will be close to God on our journey.

 

-Amanda Hyssong

InSearchOf Balance

What were we seeking?  We were seeking what it means to live in balance between “faith” and “works.”

How did we seek it? We sang songs, made art, erased our past mistakes from the sand, ate dinner together, and talked about  the book of James and how it relates to our lives.

What did we find? We found that our sins have been erased by Jesus, so we should live our lives as a people committed to Christ.  Our faith should be shown by what we do and how we live.  We need to have balance.

How then shall we live?  We need to live everyday, and do everything, while always asking ourselves, “Is this how God has called me to live? Am I just talking the talk without walking the walk?” 

The Eternal Prayer

Fasting… The eternal prayer, never ending never ceasing. Even though we have fasted for 30 hours it will continue on without us as long as people are hungry, as long as people have something to say just like the old Christians and Jesus. Fasting is the all immersive from of prayer because it takes all of the body, soul and mind to finish, just with sheer willpower to resist temptation even with people in your own group whose fast is to do the exact opposite of yours. For those seeking total immersion, it is the pinnacle for those who seek it. For those seeking a new and refreshing way of prayer, it is draining and filling during the experience slowly daring yourself of food or whatever that you fast from and becoming satisfied at what you took for granted by savoring and relishing it like no other.
-Ian Hooper

Parts of the Fast

Service Projects -
For the 30 hour famine, we did service projects around the camp site. We painted the main worship room and did work at the bath houses. Both were pretty challenging, to say the least. We had people up on ladders, people with rollers on chairs, and everyone working as hard as they could. It’s amazing to see just how much can be accomplished when we all put our hands to the task. Through our efforts, we have prayed with our hands, given back to the hands that feed (or not feed) us, and gained a lasting sense of accomplishment.
In addition to painting the main worship are at Cumberland Pines, a team of several youth ventured out into an unfinished bathhouse, completing previous drywall work and scraping and smoothing excess concrete from the floor.

Breaking The Fast –
To break the fast, we participated in our traditional game, colloquially known as “the game.” We play the role of early Christians, using clues and scripture to avoid “bad” guards, find “good” ones, and locate a secret meeting place, in the manner of early Christians persecuted for their faith. When we all arrived in the loft of a nearby barn, we were greeted by a peaceful and candlelit atmosphere, in stark contrast to the cold and damp outside. There, we anointed each other with oil to remind ourselves that perhaps we are God’s answer to our prayers. We broke our fast with traditional matzo bread, feeding each other to reinforce that we are a community, together in this fast, before proceeding to chow down at a scrumptious feast, prepared by the wonderful cooks here at mountain T.O.P.

The Harder Fast –
This weekend, we did not just fast from food. In keeping with the theme of “fasting from life,” nobody was allowed to have any electronic devices including cell phones or iPods®. When we arrived on Friday evening, all such things were collected and held in a communal basket. This proved to be a much more difficult fast for some, which will be broken later tonight.

Reflections on the Fast –
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I thought I would be much hungrier, but I wasn’t. I think my favorite part of the fast was “the” game. “ –Emily Grant and Sami Solberg.
“I felt guilty [some did have to eat during our fast]. – Bailey Phillips
“I loved it. I’m definitely doing it again next year. It was a fantastic experience.” – Benton Oberholtzer
“I feel like the intentionality and the connections made go a lot deeper than other 30 hour famine’s I’ve done. And it’s been easier to fast with such a great community.” – Seth Keafer
“This year we really got that the famine is just as much about us as it is the rest of the world. The only way to make poverty history is for us to change how we live in our part of the world.” – Sally
So, as you can see, this year’s famine went just as well as the other years, but with newfound meaning. A repainting of things past. All in all, a resounding success.
-Jack Wesson & Jameson Mohr

Ceaseless prayer

Ceaseless Prayer.
Fasting is more than going without food.
Fasting is prayer with the body.
Prayer is more than words.
Prayer is living with a consciousness of God.
So today we took time to pray with our eyes, our hands, our feet, our ears and our feasting as well as our fasting.
Today we tried to take prayer out of its box.
Today we tried to take the 30 hour famine out of the box.
Today we tried to answer God’s call to pray ceaselessly – to live –wholly live – with a consciousness of our Creator, Redeemer and God.
-Sally

Making Music on the Mountain

Amanda, Flo, Bailey P., Skye
Hey guys! It is still pretty wet and cold up here, so we are inside staying warm. As our stomachs growl, we are concentrating on the task at hand; painting and dry walling. Katie, Mary Kate, and Ally are entertaining us with lovely music as we fast from our i-pods. We are doing our best to see life through God’s eyes today. Right now it is looking very mint green. Everyone is counting down the seven hours left until we break our fast. We are keeping our vigil and ceaselessly praying with our bodies. We are continuing our togetherness also; praying, singing, and opening our eyes. We are still hoping with Sally for snow!