Category: Benjamin House

Like… five minutes?!

There was a girl on one of my teams last summer (who shall remain anonymous in this post) who gave one of the most memorable quotes of all of Quito Quest 2008. We’ll call her “C” for this post (because everyone who can decipher that already knows who you are).

We were getting on our bus to head to the jungle, and she was already in the back seat, lying down, with a bandanna over her eyes. To be honest, it was about 7 am, and despite Jerry’s snide remarks about how early I got up all summer, I would have been enjoying myself that morning if I’d taken a leaf out of her book and tried to pass out too. But I was responsible and quietly counted everyone as they got on the bus and got ready to leave.

As some of the other students got on, they started talking about various things that had happened their first couple of days in Ecuador, and someone must have said something about prayer. Out of nowhere, “C” (still with a bandanna over her eyes and laying down) says “Guys, have you noticed how people in Ecuador pray for like five minutes?” For those of you who need a little context (that is, if you aren’t Methodist) she meant “five minutes” as an infinitely long time for a prayer to continue.

I’m not even sure what I said. But since “long prayers” and “Sarah Miller” went together in my head right that minute, it probably sounded at least a little more defensive than I meant for it to come out. “C” shot up out of her seat, letting her bandanna fall to her lap the second I opened my mouth. Apparently she didn’t realize that I’d been sitting right in front of her, I guess because I hadn’t actually spoken for the few minutes up to that point that I had been on the bus. Once she had realized I was present, she immediately began apologizing profusely. Everybody around us giggled slightly nervously, but I was laughing my head off at the mere idea that she thought I (extrovert that I am) would be offended.

That would probably still be hilarious if it happened to me now, eight and a half months later. I just find it hard to be real sometimes when I have to pray out loud, so I tend to condense and get it over with. Don’t get me wrong, in certain places and groups, it’s getting me to stop that’s the trick. But apparently I had gotten comfortable enough and made enough of an impact in our two debriefs up to that point that my spoken prayers were atypically long, at least in her mind.

So why in the world is this on my blog now, in March 2009? Because of Jason.

I went to Benjamin House tonight and after chapel, singing, and prayer requests, Jason prayed for us. First off all, I don’t know how the guy remembers every single prayer request that everyone says in there. Toni and I both do decently (she better than I) if either of us is the one to offer the closing prayer, but Jason never misses anything, and still doesn’t slow down, just throwing in praises, thanksgiving, and never worrying about how long he’s been going or anything else happening in the room (which could be quite a number of things at any given time).

We marvel consistently at how he remembers everything anyone says during prayer requests, and usually knows what anyone left out. But I also marvel at how heartfelt his prayers are, from his eagerness to be the one to pray each Monday night to the fact that he both goes to God for anything and gives God the glory for everything.

I can’t say I’ve never in my life been somewhere and didn’t think “will this guy ever stop?” when someone was praying (for Billy- the “Dear Lord” guy in Tyner). But I can say that if Jason prays for “five minutes,” I don’t mind.

Two-Sided Ministry

Something I missed when I came back form Ecuador was the active aspect of ministry, having a consistent outreach opportunity back here. Basically as soon as I came home, the Celebration service was put on hiatus, and thanks to school I didn’t have the opportunity to go to the Benjamin House or La Casa anymore. But thankfully, it has given me some very cool one-time opportunities in the last couple of months and has made me think about what I rally think ministry is and what a church should be.

All that aside, tonight was my second night going back to do the chapel service at the Benjamin House, and I’m immensely thankful that that has worked out. I know it was God’s timing for Toni and I both to be there last week so that I could do it by myself tonight, and what a ministry that is to those twelve awesome people. But I also know what a ministry it is to me.

One of the best things about worship there is that if I can’t find a page I’m looking for in the Bible,  or if I screw up the chords on my guitar or if I just can’t find the key vocally (I massacred “Amazing Grace” tonight), it’s okay. Not because I’m not giving my best to them and for God, but because they are so forgiving. And they are so honest and passionate in their worship. When Ben put his hands up tonight during a song or when Jason listed off nineteen prayer request, it’s not because they are thinking about how anyone else in the room looks at them or for any attention for themselves. It’s because they are taking everything that they are to God.

That was actually something I prayed about this morning, and it’s encouraging to see it lived out. I always ask for a volunteer to pray at the end because I know I’ll never be able to remember all the requests, and not for lack of trying, but simply because there are a ton of them. But Jason seems to always nail everything anyone says, and honestly, I’ve never heard a more heart-felt and eloquent praise brought to the Lord than the one he closed his prayer with tonight. By the time Ben says “Dis….MISSED!”my mind is racing with ways that they both encourage and inspire me to be grow in my faith.

Billy says my blog has recently become a rant against things I don’t like. I hope that was a little more uplifting.

Lacking a "Linebacker"

First off, this will make a lot more sense if you’ve seen the “Evangelism Linebacker” video. YouTube address (dispite my loathing of YouTube for a multitude of reasons all stemming from their liberal interpretation of handling copyrights) is below. For posterity (you know, if my dream ever comes true and there is a Constitutional Ammendment to ban YouTube) just search for “Evangelism Linebacker” and I’m sure you’ll find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYFvhx1dcY

Blog entry proper:

I’ve not been the most patient person lately. I want everything to fall into place for Ecuador this summer. I want my International Teams fund raising account to hurry up and catch up with the count in my head. I want to be done with work and exams already so I can go to the beach, or maybe Vermont. I can count twenty pleasant things I’m eagerly anticipating and fifty more unpleasant ones I’d like to be over with.

But as much as I want work to be done with, I’ll feel like there’s so much I would rather be doing myself than delegating when I drive by Albemarle Music. And I’ll miss everybody there. Well, not John. (Just kidding, John. I know you account for 80% of my readership by yourself). And much as I want to be in Ecuador, I’ll miss Adan, Bayron, Brittany, Damaris, Eddie, Eric, Jesus, Joe, Luis, Melany, Vanessa, Aaron, Bart, Ben, Carrie, Cynthia, Derrick, Jason, Kos, Susie, Tina, Wade and everyone else that make my “day off” a learning experience and a joy.

I think I forget until each Tuesday that I can still grow in Elizabeth City, despite feeling like I have accomplished what I set out to do when I came back here. I forget to take Qui-Gon Jinn’s advice and focus on the “here and now,” though (being a good Methodist) I’d call it Prevenient Grace rather than the Living Force.

The other six days of the week, I think I need a “Patience Linebacker.”

“Boo-ya, baby! Concrete tastes the same in both hemispheres! Don’t be so anxious, I’ll blow you up anywhere!”

Life Lessons for the day:

“What can we do to show God we love Him more?” -Toni
“Pray once a day and twice on Sundays!” -Cynthia

“[In God’s time] everything falls in place.” -Julie (incidentally, my fund raising is finally where it is supposed to be, thanks to Grace alone)

[unspoken implication that guys should not have long fingernails] -Wade

Avoiding the Whale

Have you ever been asked to do something on very short notice? That was me tonight. Toni called me at about 5:35, giving me roughly an hour to come up with what she requested: a devotion and music for the worship at Benjamin House at 7:00.

Benjamin House is an incredible place. It is a group home for adults with various mental disabilities (seriously, click that link and check it out). It is a very beautiful facility full of warm, welcoming people with the love of Christ in their hearts.

I’m really not sure what I was expecting. I mostly just put my expectations aside (while I stressed about my message) and took it all in as it came. And although I was expecting excitement (Kevin, Mason, Toni and everyone else who has ever done anything over there has always talked about the love and energy they pour into worship), I was still totally amazed at the absolute enthusiasm that everyone shared.

I talked about Jonah. I’m sure everyone could tell it was a hastily-constructed devotion. But I learned something today, both through and about the written Word, and through speaking about it. The last verse in Jonah chapter 1 says that God “…provided a great fish to swallow Jonah.” The whale didn’t eat Jonah because the dude was unlucky, or at all because of it’s own free will (I guess only we get that). God provided it for Jonah- Jonah, who was only out in the sea in the first place to avoid God.

I’d never caught that single word before. In fact, I looked in three different translations of the Bible for one that would highlight that very provision a little less (my original planned message was going to go in a bit different direction that what I ended up). But each one, despite other differences, used the same exact phrase: “God provided.”

So there I was at First Baptist Church and Toni asks my via phone from Fayetteville to lead worship on short notice. I didn’t know it, but I was learning from Jonah already. And then, there I was giving a message an hour and a half later pretty much out of my head, and thinking “no way” could I have come up with this alone.” Oh- and I even asked Adam his favorite Old Testament story, hoping he’d give me something easier to work with than what was already circling around in my brain (Jonah). But guess which stubborn, seafaring Hebrew and eponymous, 4-chapter, single-story book he said? (If that didn’t narrow it down enough, the book, story and man in question are Jonah).

Once I’d squeezed all I could from Big Daddy J (as he was known to his homies in Galilee), Adam and I broke out the guitars and Toni’s Beach Retreat/Benjamin House songbook. I would have played all night if they’d kept calling them out. Nobody cared when we screwed up the chords, or the words, or the melody, or the harmony, or any of the other ways one music major and another ex-music major managed to massacre the music. The eight or nine that live there, plus Sam and Billy truly made a joyful noise. This tiny chapel was louder and had more hands in the air than I’ve heard and seen at most hundreds-members sanctuaries packed to the rafters on a Sunday morning.

When we finally played/sang/worshiped with “Sanctuary” and no one immediately shouted another number, I closed is prayer. Something I mentioned and lifted up to God was our desire to show the world that we are Christians (like the song says) by our love. And the people and Benjamin House certainly showed us. with their love for each other and for 3 total strangers they welcomed with open arms and hearts, and the love for Christ shown through those same acts and through genuine enthusiasm for worship and for Christ.

After Benjamin himself dismissed us from Chapel, he, Bart, and a couple others showed us their rooms, and we got a general tour of the place. We talked about football and wrestling and cars like we were all old buddies. We even got a hip-hop dance lesson.

I’ve been thinking since going to Ecuador last summer about the marginalized people of society. The poor, the homeless. The handicapped of all shapes and sizes go on that list too. I wonder if everyone could see the love, life and energy at Benjamin House if they would think differently about those who are different than them. We tend to ignore people who don’t measure up to us in status or wealth or intelligence of ability. Hut I have been trying to look at peoples’ faith and friendship and simple existence as human being and children of God and not judge them at all.

Jonah was the scripture of the night, but if there were books of the Bible of Bart or Benjamin, they would be my favorite. Because the hero of all three is God.