Amazing things happen when two completely different worlds collide.
I was talking to my son Jacob during the ride down, and somehow we got on the topic of "Innovation". He was talking to me about how all the greatest innovations come about when two different cultures come into contact with each other, and both groups of people are quite literally forced to entertain new ideas, new concepts, new religions, new architectures, new foods, new styles of music. This is totally understandable when one considers how we become so completely set in our our comfort zones, and we are suddenly knocked out of our orbit.
Think about how our own church culture and service has evolved over the past years under the guidance of our amazing Pastor John. He came into our culture and brought new ideas with him. He asked us to be open, be flexible, be willing to stretch our minds and be open to new ideas. Thankfully, we were confident enough in our own identity to say "yes, lead us into a new future". And he has.
Well, I'm here to tell all of you that he is continuing to lead us all to new ideas, new cultures and new understandings of how God is alive in our lives. Alive. Not just a story in some obscure Psalm in a bible written a long time ago. Alive. In everything we do.
I want to share a story with all of you back home an experience that dramatically underscores this concept. And, how diversity, going outside of your comfort zone, trying something new, being willing to sing a new song, it all helps us to learn. It helps us to evolve. It helps us to appreciate new perspectives and learn from people who - on the surface - are very different from us.
Today, we all entered the tornado, and ended up somewhere over the rainbow.
Dorothy, we're not in Bedford in anymore!
To say that we were "down in a holler", would be a wild understatement. Wyco, West Virginia is nowhere land. The land time forgot. Many moons ago, it was a vibrant coal mining community. And, approximately 94 years ago, Margaret Pugh was born. Margaret is why we came to West Virginia. Mission Trips are a very unusual experience. You never know what you are going to get. It's like stepping off a ledge into the abyss, and asking God to catch you, and bring you to somewhere over the rainbow where He thinks you can do the most good. For the amazing 17 characters from Bedford that all took the step, we landed in Margaret's front yard. Praise Jesus!
Margaret pulled up to the church today in an immaculately maintained car she bought back in the early 2000s. 93 years old, and she's still driving like nobody's business. She stepped out of that car, and immediately every head in the area turned. We all knew right away that here was someone to pay attention to - someone to listen to very carefully.
At about 2pm, I was completely gassed. My son Jacob, his friend Phil and I had all been up on a ladder all day, painting the gables of her church. The temperature was about 85 or so degrees, but it was really incredibly humid. I was walking up and down the hill at a pretty slow pace, and I was chugging water at a rate of a 16 oz bottle every 30 minutes. I finally decided I had to take a break, so I encouraged Jacob and Phil to take a break and have a chat with Margaret.
Have you ever met someone who had such a commanding presence, that you just shut the heck up and listened, because you knew that every word that came out of their mouth was gold? That was what I discovered.
In the span of about 30 minutes, I learned about the Great Depression from someone who actually lived through it. I learned about the Civil Rights movement from someone who had been ushered out of a "white people only" restaurant to drink a cup of tea in the freezing cold weather outside. I learned about someone whose husband was called away to World War II - and lived through it. Holy mackerel! I think I learned more in 30 minutes than I've learned in the past couple of years. I was enthralled.
And she talked about all of this, without a single ounce of bitterness. Not once did I hear "Oh, we black people were oppressed". Even though they obviously were. When she talked about her husband ultimately died of black lung disease from working day and night in the mines for pennies - did she complain about the mining companies? Nope. She thought that they took pretty good care of her and her family.
In a world obsessed by the Kardashians, Lindsey Lohan and other spoiled brats that get paid far too much money for "entertaining" us, I had encountered a true angel on earth. To me, this encounter was priceless.
After we all came back to the Folklife Center tonight - after a really long, hot day of work, we all unanimously marveled at the life and spirit of Margaret Pugh. I was no longer tired. No longer overheated. I felt like God had delivered to us an experience that we will all never forget, and I am will be eternally thankful for this opportunity to travel once again to this amazing part of America, and meet one of His amazing children.
I was talking to my son Jacob during the ride down, and somehow we got on the topic of "Innovation". He was talking to me about how all the greatest innovations come about when two different cultures come into contact with each other, and both groups of people are quite literally forced to entertain new ideas, new concepts, new religions, new architectures, new foods, new styles of music. This is totally understandable when one considers how we become so completely set in our our comfort zones, and we are suddenly knocked out of our orbit.
Think about how our own church culture and service has evolved over the past years under the guidance of our amazing Pastor John. He came into our culture and brought new ideas with him. He asked us to be open, be flexible, be willing to stretch our minds and be open to new ideas. Thankfully, we were confident enough in our own identity to say "yes, lead us into a new future". And he has.
Well, I'm here to tell all of you that he is continuing to lead us all to new ideas, new cultures and new understandings of how God is alive in our lives. Alive. Not just a story in some obscure Psalm in a bible written a long time ago. Alive. In everything we do.
I want to share a story with all of you back home an experience that dramatically underscores this concept. And, how diversity, going outside of your comfort zone, trying something new, being willing to sing a new song, it all helps us to learn. It helps us to evolve. It helps us to appreciate new perspectives and learn from people who - on the surface - are very different from us.
Today, we all entered the tornado, and ended up somewhere over the rainbow.
Dorothy, we're not in Bedford in anymore!
To say that we were "down in a holler", would be a wild understatement. Wyco, West Virginia is nowhere land. The land time forgot. Many moons ago, it was a vibrant coal mining community. And, approximately 94 years ago, Margaret Pugh was born. Margaret is why we came to West Virginia. Mission Trips are a very unusual experience. You never know what you are going to get. It's like stepping off a ledge into the abyss, and asking God to catch you, and bring you to somewhere over the rainbow where He thinks you can do the most good. For the amazing 17 characters from Bedford that all took the step, we landed in Margaret's front yard. Praise Jesus!
Margaret pulled up to the church today in an immaculately maintained car she bought back in the early 2000s. 93 years old, and she's still driving like nobody's business. She stepped out of that car, and immediately every head in the area turned. We all knew right away that here was someone to pay attention to - someone to listen to very carefully.
At about 2pm, I was completely gassed. My son Jacob, his friend Phil and I had all been up on a ladder all day, painting the gables of her church. The temperature was about 85 or so degrees, but it was really incredibly humid. I was walking up and down the hill at a pretty slow pace, and I was chugging water at a rate of a 16 oz bottle every 30 minutes. I finally decided I had to take a break, so I encouraged Jacob and Phil to take a break and have a chat with Margaret.
Have you ever met someone who had such a commanding presence, that you just shut the heck up and listened, because you knew that every word that came out of their mouth was gold? That was what I discovered.
In the span of about 30 minutes, I learned about the Great Depression from someone who actually lived through it. I learned about the Civil Rights movement from someone who had been ushered out of a "white people only" restaurant to drink a cup of tea in the freezing cold weather outside. I learned about someone whose husband was called away to World War II - and lived through it. Holy mackerel! I think I learned more in 30 minutes than I've learned in the past couple of years. I was enthralled.
And she talked about all of this, without a single ounce of bitterness. Not once did I hear "Oh, we black people were oppressed". Even though they obviously were. When she talked about her husband ultimately died of black lung disease from working day and night in the mines for pennies - did she complain about the mining companies? Nope. She thought that they took pretty good care of her and her family.
In a world obsessed by the Kardashians, Lindsey Lohan and other spoiled brats that get paid far too much money for "entertaining" us, I had encountered a true angel on earth. To me, this encounter was priceless.
Margaret (Orange Hat) & Her Daughter Geneva
After we all came back to the Folklife Center tonight - after a really long, hot day of work, we all unanimously marveled at the life and spirit of Margaret Pugh. I was no longer tired. No longer overheated. I felt like God had delivered to us an experience that we will all never forget, and I am will be eternally thankful for this opportunity to travel once again to this amazing part of America, and meet one of His amazing children.
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