Everybody dance now!

I pulled into the gas station this morning to refill the tank (on the car, not me), and when I opened the car door I was greeted by the disco sound of “K.C. and the Sunshine Band” 1979 classic, “Shake, shake, shake…(ba-da-da-da-da)… shake, shake, shake, …(ba-da-da-da-da)… shake your boo-tay, shake your boo-tay!”

Now I was 14 when this song hit the number one spot on the airwaves. I was a bit sheltered at that time(being a Mennonite child who was not allowed to attend school dances or boy-girl par-tays--although, once I lied to my mom so I could go to my friends party, but that’s a story for another time) and really wasn’t sure what a “boo-tay” was, but it didn’t take too long for my friends, who weren’t as sheltered (meaning they weren’t Mennonite and could go to school dances and boy-girl par-tays) to inform me—“Shake your booty” means “shake your backside,” or “get up and dance” as the first line of the song says, “Everybody, get on the floor, let’s dance!”  

Having grown up without the benefit of learning to dance (I did love watching Soul Train as a kid but never learned the moves, my mother would have been horrified had I even tried, but there was a short period of time when I would wear my black shiny go-go boots and "tap dance" on the fireplace hearth), I had, and still don’t have, any idea how to shake my booty, not do I want to learn at the age of 45. I’d probably hurt myself or someone would think I was having a seizure and call 9-1-1.

Anyway, the gas station was blasting that song and, as I was washing the windshield, I glanced at all the other drivers who were similarly engaged, and had a brief and hilarious vision of everyone suddenly dropping window washing wands and letting go of pump handles, to participate in an extemporaneous, yet miraculously choreographed, dance number, all of us shaking our boo-tays (which may or may not be the same as a “groove thing”)! I saw it in my mind, similar to dance scenes from movies like Oklahoma, West Side Story, and The Home Improvement Show when Tim completes his hot-rod and everyone dances to Greased Lightening. People just going about their normal daily routines, when suddenly music starts playing, people drop what they’re doing, and everybody starts dancin’!

Can you imagine this?! It made me LOL!

“Is there a sermon in this, Deb?” you may be asking. Probably, but I can’t think of one right now. I’m too busy looking up songs from the 70’s and wishing I knew how to dance…

Praying for Camp Luz

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ ” Mt 6:9-10

          Recently, I bought a little book called, “The 21 Most Effective Prayers in the Bible.” While I personally balked a bit at the words “most effective,” I decided to use the book as a devotional for the next twenty-one days. The first three prayers are Eliezer Gn 21:12, Jacob Gn 32:26, and Moses Ex 33:15, which is what I read this morning. I am very careful about these types of books because they lean heavily towards “prosperity theology,” and that is not the direction I lean at all! The danger is that these prayers could become all about me; Give me success, Bless me, Go with me. Really, in context, these prayers are about GOD. All three of these men realized their inability and inadequacy to achieve, accomplish, or acquire anything that God was asking of, or from, them. It was in those moments of sudden realization that they cried out to God for help. In the process of discerning a vision for camp, I have had many such moments!

          This new thing that God is revealing is not about me or about us (camp leaders); it is firmly about what He wants to do in, through, and in spite of, us! I continually go back to Tillie Yoder Nauraine’s words from the late 1940’s:

         

          “I honestly believe that the greatest thing we can possibly visualize for the future of this work is a mere glimpse of what God will actually do for us if we place ourselves and our resources at His disposal.”

          This morning I prayed that God would protect me from trying to accomplish the vision by choosing solutions and methods that are within my grasp; I can be near-sighted when it comes to this vision stuff! I need God to correct my near-sightedness so I can see heavenly solutions and methods. And right then the prayer of Jesus popped into my head, “…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

          And I asked myself, “How does camp-on-earth reflect camp-in-heaven?” Am I/are we, lifting our eyes above and beyond the earthly paradigms for camp, to focus on God’s Kingdom ideal for this ministry? A profound question that certainly echoes Tillie’s quote!

          We have two sayings that we use for Camp Luz; “Another Place God Is” and “God’s Living Room.” We toss these phrases around casually, but if we really believe that God is present, alive, and active in and through these fifty acres, than we need to PRAY….

         

"'Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored! May your kingdom come! May what you want to happen be done in this camp as it is done in heaven!’”

Amen and Amen.