Michael Jackson Concludes Camp
Last week I got to spend a week at Carolina Creek Camp with 250 Middle Schoolers. It has been the highlight of my summer!
The last night at camp is usually a spiritual marker in the lives of students. After the last worship service, each team gathers to discuss all God has done in their lives throughout the week. Tears are shed. Students pray for one another and truly bear the burdens of each team member.
The final service on Thursday night was amazing. As I left the service and walked to meet our team, I prayed for this last team meeting. I was so excited to hear what was on the mind of our students. We huddled in close, and two of the young men shared their hearts. I was getting excited about what God was about to do in this group of teenagers.
A third student slowly opened his mouth. I couldn’t wait to hear the spiritual insight he had gained. He quietly said, “Did ya’ll know Michael Jackson died?”
(In my head I was thinking, “WHAT?”)
Everyone piped in, “Yeah, I can’t believe it.”
“Isn’t he the one who invented the moonwalk?” (Duh! I thought.)
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”
I was a little surprised by the direction of the conversation, and tried to regain focus.
This was supposed to be the last night of camp. A moment we would all remember.
“Yes that is sad,” I responded. “Did anyone else get something from the message tonight? I asked.
There was a brief silence when another team member began to speak.
“Here we go,” I thought, “Some wonderful spiritual thoughts.”
“How old was Michael Jackson?” the student asked.
Everyone piped in, “I don’t know.”
“He must have been really old.”
“I think he was popular in the 80s.”
“He had to be 70 something.”
“Wait it a minute now,” I jumped in. “He’s not that old.”
Michael Jackson’s life preceded all spiritual discussions, and I resigned to the fact that there would be no turning back to the spiritual depth I had hoped for. We all laughed over his songs, interesting facial changes and hairstyles, and dance moves. While we discussed Michael Jackson, a small voice placed a thought in my head. I asked the students, “What was Michael Jackson most known for?”
They discussed his music, his dance moves, and unfortunately his poor choices.
When the final vote was cast, I asked, “When we leave this camp in the morning, what will you be known for? How will each person on this team remember you?”
By the grace of God, students began to share how they would remember each other.
As the discussion died down, I asked, “When you die, what will you be most known for?” Students began to share how they wanted to be remembered. Some wanted to go down in history leaving a huge mark on the world, others wanted to be known in sports, some didn’t know. The time spent answering that question was precious and a moment I’ll never forget. We ended with the thought, “Will we be known by our love of Christ and others?” As we all pondered the question and shared our thoughts, our time together came to a close.
I learned a very valuable lesson that night. God can use whatever He wants to bring glory to himself, even Michael Jackson. Sometimes I expect God to be in the deep, spiritual things of life, but God is in everything. He meets us where we are. Even when we are concerned about the death of a pop star, He’s there. We just have to be willing to find him.
The last night at camp is usually a spiritual marker in the lives of students. After the last worship service, each team gathers to discuss all God has done in their lives throughout the week. Tears are shed. Students pray for one another and truly bear the burdens of each team member.
The final service on Thursday night was amazing. As I left the service and walked to meet our team, I prayed for this last team meeting. I was so excited to hear what was on the mind of our students. We huddled in close, and two of the young men shared their hearts. I was getting excited about what God was about to do in this group of teenagers.
A third student slowly opened his mouth. I couldn’t wait to hear the spiritual insight he had gained. He quietly said, “Did ya’ll know Michael Jackson died?”
(In my head I was thinking, “WHAT?”)
Everyone piped in, “Yeah, I can’t believe it.”
“Isn’t he the one who invented the moonwalk?” (Duh! I thought.)
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”
I was a little surprised by the direction of the conversation, and tried to regain focus.
This was supposed to be the last night of camp. A moment we would all remember.
“Yes that is sad,” I responded. “Did anyone else get something from the message tonight? I asked.
There was a brief silence when another team member began to speak.
“Here we go,” I thought, “Some wonderful spiritual thoughts.”
“How old was Michael Jackson?” the student asked.
Everyone piped in, “I don’t know.”
“He must have been really old.”
“I think he was popular in the 80s.”
“He had to be 70 something.”
“Wait it a minute now,” I jumped in. “He’s not that old.”
Michael Jackson’s life preceded all spiritual discussions, and I resigned to the fact that there would be no turning back to the spiritual depth I had hoped for. We all laughed over his songs, interesting facial changes and hairstyles, and dance moves. While we discussed Michael Jackson, a small voice placed a thought in my head. I asked the students, “What was Michael Jackson most known for?”
They discussed his music, his dance moves, and unfortunately his poor choices.
When the final vote was cast, I asked, “When we leave this camp in the morning, what will you be known for? How will each person on this team remember you?”
By the grace of God, students began to share how they would remember each other.
As the discussion died down, I asked, “When you die, what will you be most known for?” Students began to share how they wanted to be remembered. Some wanted to go down in history leaving a huge mark on the world, others wanted to be known in sports, some didn’t know. The time spent answering that question was precious and a moment I’ll never forget. We ended with the thought, “Will we be known by our love of Christ and others?” As we all pondered the question and shared our thoughts, our time together came to a close.
I learned a very valuable lesson that night. God can use whatever He wants to bring glory to himself, even Michael Jackson. Sometimes I expect God to be in the deep, spiritual things of life, but God is in everything. He meets us where we are. Even when we are concerned about the death of a pop star, He’s there. We just have to be willing to find him.
posted by Stephanie Chase @ 7:47 PM
<< Home