Candid Camera

Romans 1: 7a To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: (NIV)

I’ve written several times about St. Jude, the Roman Catholic patron saint of lost items and hopeless causes. My mother taught me to pray to him if I needed to find my keys. Over the years, despite being a Presbyterian pastor, when I get exasperated looking for something I’ve lost, I hear my mother’s words and say a silent prayer to St. Jude. Within a short period of time, I’ve always found what I’ve lost.

Well, at least that was the case until last weekend. My eldest daughter Lynsey was moving to Blacksburg, Virginia to begin her graduate course at Virginia Tech. The town is beautiful and the college buildings are exceptional. It all looks Ivy League to me.

I wanted to take some photos of the town, so I took my digital camera with me (if you want to see some of my past photographs, check out my photos, cartoons and drawings at http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/ ). So, I drove the U-Haul truck to Blacksburg on Saturday morning with all of Lynsey’s furniture.

Evelyn, Lauren, Lynsey and I unpacked the furniture and set up Lynsey’s new apartment. In the middle of the afternoon, we were finished and so we decided to visit downtown Blacksburg. It was then that I sadly discovered my digital camera was missing. We hunted all over the apartment, in cupboards, boxes, purses and even the garbage bags.

I drove back to U-haul and asked if they found a camera in the truck. They hadn’t. I looked over the grounds outside of Lynsey’s apartment and even the parking lot, but the camera was nowhere to be seen or found. That’s when I started to pray to good old St. Jude, but this time it didn’t seem to work.

Glum would describe my mood for the rest of the weekend. Blacksburg was beautiful, but I was carrying my own shadow around with me. Even during worship at Northside church on Sunday morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about the camera, so when it came to the offering, I said a prayer inside of myself like this: “Lord, I give my camera to whoever has found it. May he or she enjoy using it just as much as I have done. Amen.”

St. Jude had obviously missed an opportunity to make a Presbyterian pastor happy, so I just put it down to good old Presbyterian predestination. St. Jude had greatly disappointed me, so the Calvinist within me took over. Praying to the saints is not something that Presbyterians, especially pastors, should be doing. In my mind’s eye, I could see John Knox sternly rebuking me for asking St. Jude to intercede. I felt ashamed.

And then on Wednesday morning, the U-Haul guy in Blacksburg called me to say that he had found the camera hanging under the seat of the truck. Good, old St. Jude had come through! Maybe I’m a Calvinistic Catholic after all!

All together now!...“Oh, when the saints, go marching in…”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the saints of old and for their past ministries. We know that You alone intercede on our behalf for our salvation. Thank You for saving lost souls and for the work of the saints in Your earthly church that goes on throughout the world today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the devotional blog "Heaven's Highway."

Blacksburg Vigil Candle

A stained glass window design commemorating the tragic losses at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg this week. My eldest daughter Lynsey is going to Grad school there during this summer and will be working in Student Affairs & Administration.

Feel free to copy and use the design for your own meditations. The school colors are represented in the candle and flame.

The PC (USA) Office of Youth Ministry Resources to Use with Your Young People

Here is an email I received yesterday from Louisville

Dear Friends in Youth Ministry,

The Office of Youth Ministry has created some resources to use with your young people in response to the shootings at Virginia Tech. You can find them at http://www.pcusa.org/youthministry/

1. 60-70 minute lesson plan for a youth group or youth gathering "Through a Mirror
Dimly". PDF icon

2. d365.org Online Devotions for youth and youth leaders. Special writings on April 17, 18 and 19 responding to the shootings at VA Tech.

3. Liturgy of Discernment and Prayer For a Youth Group PDF icon Contemplative movement for youth groups using scripture and prayer to explore the acts of violence happening in our world (and this past week).

For any questions please contact The Office of Youth Ministry through http://www.pcusa.org/youthministry/.

Hump Day Prayer . . . Words for the Wordless

Your Joy Will Be Their Strength
By Jim and Kaye Johns

Father,
you're close to people whose hearts are breaking,
those who are discouraged and have given up hope.
May You who see their troubles and
grief respond when they cry out.

When they're hurting,
help them find their joy in You,
for ...Your joy will be their strength.

Help them to trust You as their God of hope.
Fill them with Your joy, peace, and hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

- from Prayers for the Moment

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Responds to Virginia Tech shootings

At least thirty-one people were killed in the shootings at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Another 29 people were injured. Many of the victims were students shot in a dorm and a classroom building. This shooting is the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, topping the 1966 shooting at the University of Texas at Austin where 16 people were killed and the Columbine High School shootings where 12 people where killed.

Police say the campus is now secure and that the gunman is dead. No motive was given for the shootings. It was not known if the gunman was a student.

Three members of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance National Response Team (NRT) are on their way to the campus to be a presence and resource to the community. Over the years, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been very engaged in helping communities and student survivors that have been affected by school shootings.

NRT members have been in contact with Catherine Snyder, Presbyterian campus minister, George Goodman, of the Presbytery of the Peaks, and with Alexander Evans, Pastor of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church. Evans is also a chaplain with the fire department.

A convocation service will be held on the campus Tuesday to help the community cope with the tragedy. Counselors are available to students and staff in the West Ambler Johnston residence hall where some of the shootings occurred and in another school building.

Please keep the loved ones of those killed and injured, the school administrators and teachers, the residents of the reservation, and the care givers in your thoughts and prayers.

Monday Question of the Week . . . Responding to the Unimaginable

Lord, help us to deal with that which we can't understand. Be with all those who have been personal effected by unnecessary and horrific violence.

How, as Christians and church leaders, do we respond to the events that took place at Virginia Tech?

Blacksburg

The world's a darker place today
For men with guns have staged a play
Where kids with hopes and lifetime dreams
Have been mown down with bullet streams.

The world's a sadder place today
With broken hearts in disarray
And mournful parents full of tears
With nothing left but painful years.

The world's a broken place today
For who won't turn to God and say,
"Why did You let this happen here?
Why is our world so full of fear?"

The world's a silent place today
And heaven knows not what to say,
For even God is hurt inside
And grieves the loss of those who died.