Ben Meredith, Author at BenandJacq in the Browser

July 4, 2009July 19, 2010

Loading a Cannon to Clarify our Mission.

“Even as we were coming here today, I still didn’t have a good grasp on what exactly you guys are doing here”

As I shook the sand off of my foot to put my flops back on, I reflected on what Perry had just said. Perry and Natalie are avid readers of our blog. They typically check out our goings-on at least three times per week. (Go ahead and comment, already!) And even they weren’t so sure exactly what our summer was all about.

We were walking down the boardwalk, watching their kids ride roller coasters and enjoying a brisk July evening by the bay. They drove over an hour from their house to see us. It was great hanging out.

There’s something to be said for coming out and seeing for yourself what a summer project is all about. But for those of you who (unlike Perry and Natalie) live thousands of miles from here, you’re relying on our blog and newsletters to communicate what we are doing.

Perry was interested to find out, for example, that the students are here for 10 weeks, and that the staff leave after 5 weeks. That’s right, on Tuesday morning we are stuffing the last few items into our then-fully packed Windstar and heading out. We’ve appointed and trained our replacements in every area of the project, from the student directors all the way down to Action Group Leaders of each individual study.

Once the staff leaves, the project can really start.

I don’t even remember the last name of the staff guy who discipled me on summer project in 2000. That’s because the best part of project is once the students take over. If it wasn’t for facebook, the students here would forget my name, too.

It’s humbling to think that God is waiting for me to leave to really take my students to where he wants them. But it’s so satisfying to know that the whole reason I am here is to set the stage for the real play. Just because I’m not the one who gets to fire the cannon doesn’t mean it’s not exciting to load it. I think I’m done with conflicting word-pictures. By the end of this paragraph we’ll be firing actors out of a cannon.

So, swing by sometime between now and Tuesday. We can get you a pass for free rides on the Boardwalk, and I’ll be able to really explain what a summer project is.

July 5, 2009January 22, 2010

Christ says, ‘give me all.’ …Hand over the whole natural self. All the desires that you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked — the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself, my own will shall become yours.

CS Lewis, as quoted by Don Ferris this morning at church.

July 11, 2009August 20, 2010

Somebody Else Waving Our Flag.

Link: Somebody Else Waving Our Flag.

You might have recieved this letter (click the link above) a week or so ago. But many of the readers of this blog aren’t on our mailing list.

Mike and Sharon Mehaffie have been on staff for 33 years with Campus Crusade for Christ. They directed our summer project this summer in Santa Cruz. I greatly enjoyed learning much from them about what it means to lead and what godly parents and directors look like.

Mike offered to write a letter to our ministry partners after I shared with him how things have been going financially. We wanted to send the letter for two reasons. First, as the title of the above link indicates, it is great from time to time for someone else to wave our flag. You get letters twice a year from us asking for money. Mike has an interesting perspective on raising support, having done so for so many years (he raised his salary in the midst of the last major US economic crisis!). We thought it would be good for you to hear from someone else about the impact that your giving has had, and for someone else to encourage you to continue taking financial steps of faith with us.

The second reason we wanted Mike to write a letter is that we wanted to show folks that there are people who do this as a career. Many of the folks we challenge to join us financially may be of the impression that we are going to be in ministry for a few years and then go get “a real job.” Our heart, however, is to be in this for the long haul. I’m now on the verge of 30 years old, and I feel like I have learned a lot about myself and about ministry in the past 7 years. I am just now hitting my stride. I’d love to be in this ministry until I’m 60 years old.

The letter was not in any way meant to be just another appeal for funds. We want to sucessfully navigate the tension between being bold in asking folks to join God in what he is doing in this ministry and being sensitive to the fact that many people are in serious financial difficulty now, and we’ve already asked for money once this summer. Our heart is to be honest in our need (which is significant) but also fully acknowledging that God has been so faithful to grant our every need, and even many of our wants!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about this or any other issue, please don’t hesitate to call or email me at ben.meredith@gmail.com

If you feel like God is calling you to respond to Mike’s letter, you can do that here.

July 12, 2009January 22, 2010

Finding Down Time

“What did the Lord teach you this summer?”

The words taunted me from the page as I filled out my post-project staff evaluation. I felt a wave of insecurity wash over me as I realized I hadn’t gotten some big revelation this summer. Maybe I didn’t pray enough. Maybe I should have spent more time reading my Bible.

In summers past, the answer to that question has taken some form of “I used to think _________ about God, but this summer He showed me _______________.” Some new way of seeing a passage of scripture, or some new way of relating to God.

This summer has been full. I’ve said that in previous posts, but I am confident I’ve never had more things crammed into each day than I had this summer. I’ve been forced to meet with God… differently.

That’s when it hit me. I have been relating to God differently this summer. I’ve gotten some extended time to spend with God, but more importantly I’ve met God in the midst of my life. I’ve learned (in small, gracious glimpses) what it looks like to be a full-time husband and father and a full-time minister, with a side of full-time follower of Christ. I’ve also learned how worthless my attempts at ministry are if I am not making any attempts to be a good husband and father.

I’ve learned the spiritual value of sippy cups. As a dad, the most spiritual thing I did at times this summer was refilling a sippy cup, or crawling on the floor “tackling” my son. In other summers I’ve met with God on my down time. This summer I found “down time” in the strangest places. Rocking a boy to sleep, or walking to downtown to buy dinner, or answering emails. Down time. I met with God all summer long, and often holding a poopy diaper in my hand.

That, I suppose, is what the Lord taught me this summer.

July 16, 2009July 19, 2010

The day I had a conversation with Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan was pretty blatantly avoiding contact with the gallery as he approached the first tee of the 2005 Tahoe Celebrity Golf Invitational. I had procured spots right by the makeshift fence (think yellow rope) on the first row for myself and the friends who were with me. Again, keep in mind that Mike was ignoring all the fans gathered there, even when he was directly addressed.

He broke out a cigar that was approximately the size of a two-year-old’s arm, and proceeded to light it, having just teed off. A hush fell over the crowd as the foursome of celebrities began to make their way off of the tee box. I seized the opportunity like Eminem in 8 Mile and shouted, “Hey Mike, I graduated from Carolina in ‘02…”

[Insert awkward pause as everyone, with the notable exception of his Airness, looked at me.]

When it became obvious that all of the humans in earshot were waiting for his reply, he sarcastically (and without even so much as glancing my direction) said “congratulations,” not bothering to take the toddler’s-arms-worth of tobacco out of his mouth.

There ends my tale of conversing with Michael Jordan. It might have been sarcastic and borderline rude, but the greatest professional basketball player ever had spoken to me.

He’s back in town today, playing in the 2009 version of the same tournament. Maybe I should go and scream out “Hey Mike, 4 years ago I told you that I graduated from Carolina!” Just to see what he’d say.