Off to Almont Summer Camp

Tomorrow I depart for Almont Summer Camp with my daughter Ava and teens Nina and Holly. This is my 45th consecutive year. We will be driving to Rochester, NY for an overnight with my cousins, then continue on to Almont to arrive sometime late Friday afternoon. I then pickup my wife Shelley and other daughter Zsa Zsa from the airport in Detroit on Saturday morning. This is an exhausting but extremely satisfying time of year for me. It is work and vacation, which is difficult to do. The busy camp days teaching the 7th - 9th grade class, trying to spend time with the teen group (called the Survivors) and playing with my family (immediate and extended) along with all the great conversations with friends wears you out. But spiritually, it is the most fulfilling week of my year. Church twice a day, lectures, class and wonderful discussions lead to a real time of enlightenment. I love Almont and am so happy to be introducing the summer camp to these two teens from Maine. I'm sure Nina and Holly will have great times with all of their SCYL friends. I'm also sure that they will share their experience with all of you, either here on this blog, in Clear Blue Sky or in person. But most of all, I hope they find the camp to be as meaningful and inspiring as I do and that they want to return year after year.

The Good of Life

The July edition of the Chaplain's Corner by Pastor Dave, SCYL Chaplain (the second in a trilogy of truth, good and love)

Almost every Christian sect talks about the need to be born again. This is Biblical, because Jesus says that we need to be reborn to enter the kingdom of God. For many Christians, this all happens in an instant when one accepts Christ as one’s personal savior. But for Swedenborg, actual personality change takes place. One’s ideas grow, and one’s actual emotions change, and a person’s motivations and intentions change. This cannot take place in an instant—that is if the change and growth is real. For Swedenborg, the process of rebirth begins in infancy and continues even to the very last days of life here, and even continually ever after in the next life.

Spiritual rebirth, then, is a lifelong process. It starts by our learning truth and doctrine from church, personal study, and experience. This stage in spiritual growth is especially evident in youth and early adulthood. Then, a person is delighted as he or she learns knowledge. Knowledge as an end in itself is the primary goal in this period of life. Later in life, one wants to learn about life and how to live better. At that stage, knowledge is acquired with the goal of living a better life. Truth tells us how to act and we are essentially doing truth, when we do good from what we know.

But there finally comes a time when we are doing good from a love for good. At this point, truth takes a secondary role. When we are so completely accustomed to doing good from practice and habit that it is second nature to us, we then act from our heart, not our head. We feel what it is to be good, and we do good because our heart tells us what it is to do good. This is a very advanced stage in spiritual growth. It comes late in life. Confucius describes this process almost identically with the way Swedenborg describes it. In The Analects of Confucius, we find,

The Master said, At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right (Confucius, Analects, Book II, no. 4).

Heaven and Hell

At the end of Convention this year churches, groups and Associations put on short performances summarizing a work by Swedenborg. The SCYL was responsible for Heaven and Hell. Janice (lyrics/vocals) and Ethan (music/guitar) wrote an incredible original song about the afterlife and other members of the SCYL performed a skit to go with the song (starring Cody awakening in the afterlife; Nina as punk rock God; Rachel, Celie and Alice in a heavenly community; and Holly and Sam in a hellish community). Here are Janice's lyrics to the song and the video of the SCYL performance of Heaven and Hell.

I Will See You Soon

[Chorus]
No matter no matter who you've left behind.
They will join another time.
Say I will see you soon.

We are as we are.
Unchanged the same remains.
We are who we are.
Where we are is where we are.

Look at their insides.
Glowing with generosity.
Dazzling dancer won't you dance for no other.
Every pour sweats of beauty.
No they don't stray.

Chorus

In the darkness those who rebel.
Satisfied to be unsatisfied.
We wouldn't think they were happy but they are happy.
Happy to be unsatisfied.
They have a fight to fight
Revenge for their losses.
Vengeance for their pride.

Their was a little boy his heart filled with joyful sadness sick
and couldn't get out of bed.
He looked at his mother as she stroked his head.
Closed his eyes and was taken towards the sky.
Between two worlds he saw a whole new way of life.
Before him all his options.
A day in a new world another in the next.
Now he walks that path.

There was a little bit of everything there.
There was a little bit of everything.
There was.
Take this take that.
I love you I hate you thank you.
Which do you love.

Darkness and light both shine just as bright.
Morally which is in the right.
Which do you wish upon.
Which do you belong.

Chorus

I know I'm a little confused.
I know that this is something that I couldn't choose.
I know which I belong.
But do I fit.
This big question remains which do I have to take.
One day I'll break the struggle.
One day I'll be sure I touched the sky.

The most beautiful place within me.
Is where I will be.
This is my tranquility.
This is where I'm supposed to be.
So I say.

Chorus
Say I'll see you soon.

Convention 2009!

Wow. What can I say. These 5 days in Seattle were perhaps the best experience I have had with the SCYL teens since I began my position as youth director 8 years ago. Just an amazing time, with an amazing group. The talent, maturity and enthusiasm was remarkable. Fun outings, meaningful worship and accepting community. What more can I add? You teens were incredible at Convention. Thank you, each and every one of you for just being who you are!

Here's my memorable moments in no particular order (you can comment or email me with your own).

• The boat song and all Steve Mason did to help us write and perform it
• Rachel at the zoo - just so much excitement and joy
• The care you all took to try to help Jake in his wheelchair
• Disc at the Quad
• Listening to Ethan strum the guitar and solo (his disc throwing isn't bad either ;-0 )
• The pool table and the fish that Alex scares
• Seeing Mt. Rainier on the last day and watching the sunset color it red and orange
• The candid lunch discussion I had with some of the teens at the Ram
• The scary chain wall basement garage nightmare on elm st. thingy
• Riding planes with the teens. It makes delays so much more fun!
• Colors of the Wind trio - Nina, Celie and Alice
  
• Janice rocks - everything she does is golden. House of the Rising Sun, Heaven and Hell song she wrote and performed with Ethan's great guitar rhythm, "I will follow you into the dark" with Nina was raw and moving as always
• The EMP - my drum solo, hand drumming
• Watching the teen girl's fountain play to MJ's music
• The EMP security guard struggles to record Nina's hair color on the accident report
  
• Riding the buses and helping the deaf group find their way to UW
• The Limo ride to UW
• The heartfelt response and respect that so many adults shared with the teens
• Seeing Jake and Sam vote in the Presidential election
• Holly's quiet leadership and grace
  
• Cody on the bass
• Alex taking charge and stepping up whenever needed
• All the love, gifts and beauty that you shared with each other in community