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Summer is here and for our youth the pressure of school and exams are now safely a memory (except for all that summer reading). We celebrated our end of year party by going to Miyabis. Hibachi steak, shrimp or chicken were sliced and thrown about with great skill.  Mostly everyone came out with at least an extra lunch and maybe a dinner too. We then turned to Cold Stone Ice Creamery and got our favorite combinations. Yum!! This was a great celebration of our year but also a chance to bring on the summer.

Summer for many can be a very busy time. Trying to fit everything into our schedules can be tough. However, for those that are off school it is ‘how busy can I be’. Our confirmation class runs from January through to December with a break during the summer. The session just before the start of summer is ‘Personal Spirituality’. As the youth have the pressure taken off though lack of school the challenge is to make a space for time with God. This is the lifeline for the Christian life. In class we discussed two ways they are to do this. First, they can be present with God at all times. For God is omnipresent and the one time we don’t notice him is when we ignore him. One way Jesus described the Christian lifeline is “I am the vine and you are the branches.” The question is how often do the branches visit the vine before they die? In reality they are never simply visiting the vine, they are constantly connected to it. So, first be present with Jesus, allow him in to every day thoughts and enjoy life with him and let him pour out his love when needed. Second is quality time with God. Time that is set aside every day that is time just between God and them. This is the gas station for the Christian but instead ofstandard or even the premium gas with 93 octane level you get God at 777 times life to the full. This time is so infinitely valuable!! Without it personal spirituality we are just going to run out or turn somewhere to fill up. This is a dangerous place to be, easy pickings for the evil one. However, if we live not to please ourselves but God’s Spirit, then we are empowered to change the world around us. That time with God each day is so valuable. If I carried a marriage certificate in my pocket but never talked to Chelsea there would not be much of a true marriage. Christianity is not a ticket to heaven it is a restored relationship at immense cost. The blood of Christ was shed for us. I’d like to share with you one of the tips I shared with the confirmands about spending time with God. When we spend time with God, we often have mind chatter. Especially in the twitter world we live in. Our minds are becoming more and more difficult to keep focused. Part of our time with God is focusing on our relationship with him. When God makes covenant with Abraham there are animal carcasses split in two on the ground. This is the ancient way of making promises that says ‘may we become as these animals if we break the promise.’ God, in his sacrificial nature, ultimately made the promise with himself on Abraham’s behalf. Abraham’s job was to bat the vultures of the carcasses. These vultures were there to eat away the memory of the promise. I told the confirmands ‘in your time with God do not let the vultures come and eat your precious time with God, they will try and they will be subtle – maybe you’ll think about things like ‘what if I got a text’ or ‘I’m hungry’ or even ‘they were so cute’ sometimes it can turn internally and the enemy can accuse you of past sins or call you ugly- anything to get your mind off of God and what he has for you’. It is my prayer that we can all spend time protecting our time with God and being present with him this summer. Maybe spend a moment right now asking God about the time you spend with him. I’m sure he’ll let you know in a heart beat. As he longs for time with you, may you long for time with him.

Peace Jason and Chelsea

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