The Direction of Anger

I recently talked to a high school girl who was angry. She was angry that she had been wrestling with some issues and praying that those very same issues would change for a LONG time. We talked for a long time about how she felt about those issues and the face that nothing had changed. The feeling she kept coming to was anger. We talked about her anger at the people who were creating the issues and the anger she felt toward herself in the midst of things. And let me interrupt myself and say that this was a very mature 16 year-old with a deep sense of faith. I asked her if she was angry at God. Her profound answer was "I'm not angry at God, I'm angry with him." I never thought about the difference. Angry at God speaks of a distance, standing across the room and flinging anger toward Him about issues we don't understand. Angry with God sounds more like we are allowing ourselves to stay close and express our anger and hurt at the very same time. The with sounds more like David from the Psalms, who always expressed his anger, or whatever he emotion he felt, but also knew of God's love and faithfulness at the same time. Maybe it wasn't so much that He stayed close to God in his anger, as He allowed God to stay close to him. As did this wise high school girl who has much to teach me, and maybe all of us.

The Great Pumpkin (and Lucy)

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."
Dr. Seuss

Kappa Dreams

Last weekend, I had the immense pleasure of going to a reunion for my sorority. We had five different pledge classes and probably eighty women (who felt much more like girls) gathered together for two nights of wonderful conversations, great memories, and lots of fun. My time with them was a sweet reminder of a place and time filled with laughter, vanilla cokes, MC Hammer, and dear, dear friends who, as cheesy as it sounds, did become like sisters. I wrote this several years ago and submitted it to our sorority magazine, but thought I'd share it here...as a tribute to those girls. I hope we're still gathering 50 years from now eating mexican food and dancing to MC Hammer. Love and loyally, Sissy

My friends and family know the signs.
Without fail, I'll be on a trip with friends or home visiting my family, and wake up to that universal question, "How did you sleep?" Anytime my answer happens to be, "Well, I dreamed about the Kappa house," the people I love scatter. Or, they simply groan and say, "What did we do now?"
As a counselor with kids and families, I know very well that dreams often reflect what is happening to us emotionally. We keep our anxieties at bay enough to make it through the day, and then have vivid nightmares about taking exams naked or being chased by a pursuer we can't quite see. Or, maybe we dream about the lying on the beach with the ocean gently lapping our toes and no children asking for rides to soccer practice or the mall.
I dream about the Kappa house. Whenever I am really sad, or stressed, or upset, my sleeping mind will take me back to 800 West Maple—with one hundred girls living together inside a white columned, beautiful home. Usually, I am transformed into a college girl again, and I am getting dressed to go to a function, or running up the senior stairs after class, or even sitting in the dining room with friends having chicken fingers on a Friday.
More recently, however, my two worlds have started coming together in those dreams. Several months ago, I was hiding my dog, Noel, from the Kappa house mom, and all of the girls were joyfully in on the conspiracy. Just last week, I woke up just as I was trying to fit my antique furniture up the stairwell.
I'm not sure what all of it means. My friends and family believe that, for me to dream about the Kappa house, most likely means they have done something wrong and are in trouble. I believe, however, that I'm just not entirely ready to let go. That, even in the midst of my life now—filled with good things that I care deeply about, that there is still a part of me that remains in that big white house on Maple Street. And that, every once in a while, when things get hard in my world, I reserve that one as a place to return. To go back to the laughter of ten girls in the bathroom discussing the drama of the night before, or running for "coke breaks" when we were supposed to be studying, or candlelights, or practicing for rush skits, or any given day surrounded by the warmth and innocence of that place, makes me feel sweetly refreshed.
I hope I always dream about the Kappa house. I want those memories, and that innocent, free, spontaneous part of me to be a part of my world always.

Shake Off the Dust

Yesterday, I ran across a verse that Melissa taught on several years ago at camp. Matthew 10:14. "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town." I don't know about you, but I hold on to my dust...the dust of grievances, anger, frustration, hurt, sadness. But Jesus tells us (actually 3 different times in the Gospels) to let go of that dust. It seems that the dust on our feet does much more to make us dirty than the ones we are actually holding on to it for.

Wednesday Word (a little late)

In our staff meeting, Melissa typically shares some type of thought of a devotional nature with us. This week, she said something that I loved...and wanted to share with you all.
It is not about us focusing on God, it is us receiving His focus on us.
What a great, refreshing word in the midst of the pressure and hectic-ness that surrounds our days!

Analog Parents

A mom recently told us, "I'm an analog mom living in a digital world." We have just this weekend started working on a new book with Broadman & Holman publishers with this in mind. The first chapter is about the digital world...internet, cell phones, gaming, etc. If any of you have a minute, we'd love for you to share your thoughts with us.
1)What are your three biggest fears about technology and your children?
2)If you could have any questions answered about technology and your children, what would they be?
Thanks so much for your time and thoughts. We appreciate you!
Sissy and Melissa

Vote for Daystar!

We are trying to finish raising funds to cover the summer for camp--and Christie Cookies is having an awesome giveaway! We'd love for any of you who can to follow the link and vote. If you don't know about Daystar, we'll include that link, too--so you can read about all of the things we're so blessed that God is doing in our little yellow house!
http://www.ilovechristiecookies.com/contest/

Molasses' Little Sister

We wanted to introduce you to the newest addition to the Daystar Family, Blueberry Pancake Trevathan...otherwise known as Blueberry. Blueberry's got big shoes to fill in the hearts of many kids and families, her mom included. But she's quickly winning us all over and will be ready to herd you into the daystar office come september when she officially joins the daystar staff.

August Blues?

August is here. No more piles of tennis shoes and flip flops filling the cubbies at Hopetown. No more children swinging on the rope swing. No laughter floating down from the upstairs girls’ sleeping porch. No strains of “How Great Thou Art” ringing through the house. It is quiet. Except for the whispers of words that have been spoken. Encouragement that has been given. Stories that have been told. And hope that has been shared. We wanted to share just one more story of that hope with you, from a mom of a first year camper at the 2nd-4th grade camp.

“When I first got to camp, my daughter grabbed me and started taking me down the walkway to the basketball swing. On her way she grabbed my hand and started telling me about writing her sins on rocks. She was talking a mile a minute...as if she had been holding this information inside and it was erupting out!! She tells me that afterwards they came down to the dock and threw their rocks into the lake. She then asks me if I knew that Jesus has the power to forgive and then FORGET.... as far as from the east is to the west. I say "yes" and was about to remind her that I have taught her this truth before, however, she quickly interrupts me with more of her story.... never really hearing me at all! She then tells me about how amazing it was and then stops on the path and looks at me. I realize that this is when I should speak...and I ask,"How did that make you feel?" She looks at me and says with the biggest grin I've ever seen...."Mom, it made me feel like a BRAND NEW GIRL!! I don't have to hold all those sins ANYMORE!!"

We had a lot of brand new girls…and boys…and counselors this summer. Thanks to nineteen staff members who gave up their summer to love on 178 2nd through 12th graders. Thanks to board members who prayed and sent notes and packages to a weary staff. Thanks to you, for supporting and covering us in prayers for safety and for God’s gracious movement in the lives of kids. And, ultimately, thanks to Him…who is able to do exceedingly more than we could ever ask. We are more than grateful.

Mighty

The first night of 7th-8th grade camp we watched the made-for-TV movie, A Wrinkle in Time. For those of you who haven't read it, it is a story of good and evil and the power even an awkward, self-conscious pre-teen and her little brother can have to make a difference. Meg, the main character, has three friends who spur her on in this journey, aptly called Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who. They each give her some truth to arm herself with. One of the Mrs. W's asks her if she has the courage to go back and rescue her little brother from the evil that has ensnared him. Her answer is "No, but it's something I'm going to do." Mrs. Who goes on to say that only the foolish don't feel fear. Melissa, our own Mrs. Who, went on to say that "We can be too strong for God to use, but never too weak. Love is stronger than fear. You can be a confident, weak person. You are called in spite of your fear to make a difference." Recently, her 6 year-old nephew came to visit. He wanted to get a rock to put on the rock pile that we've been building at camp all summer. These rocks have had a variety of words painted on them that have reflected something we have learned this summer...be, refuge, rock, to name a few. He wanted his own rock to write on, as the older kids had been doing. When Melissa asked him what he wanted to write he said, "Ben. 6 years old. And God is good.....and mighty." He is and it is his love that not only allows us to be weak, but works through our weakness with even more might. I'm thankful to be in the midst of a very sweet group of 7th-8th graders, who already have had the courage so many kids their age don't. They have stood up and prayed in front of each other, shared powerful words of truth, offered a coveted spot on our new banana boat, and a variety of big and simple things. In short, they have used their voices to have courage and offer who God has made them each to be. And the week is just beginning....

5th-6th Grade Camp

I didn't have much time to blog during 5th-6th grade camp. Maybe it's because we were building a temple...or planning a festival...or having our spirits stirred...basically all "getting to work" in ways that the book of Haggai points to. Melissa taught all week on this book. As she studied it, she said there were three main things that were repeated (which works well for 5th-6th graders). 1)Take a look at your life. 2)Get to work. and 3)I am with you. Through the course of the week, we took good looks at our lives, at how each of us can be like Zerubbabel and be the one whom God uses to stir the spirits of others. Then, it was "get to work." One child, after camp, told his mom that he was inspired to go out and serve God. That is exactly what the campers did during the week as they loved each other...and were living reminders of how much God truly is with us. At one point during the week, Melissa said that the origin of the word "blessed" comes from the same word that means to kneel. Being blessed, she said, is God's attitude toward us. He wants us to be blessed and then to go out and be a blessing to others...which is exactly what this week was for us all!

God is Good...

It was my counseling day between camps today. And, as summers go when working with kids, I was blessed to hear about several different missions trips that various girls had been on. Their experiences were a humbling reminder to me. One such experience was from a girl who had been in a terribly poverty-stricken country where there has been much political upheaval of late. She told a story of a man she met in a church who had watched his entire family killed before his eyes. This church service, of which he was an active member, began with the minister recounting the phrase "God is good" to which the crowd replied, "All the time." The minister then said "All the time," and the body said "God is good." These words are even more powerful in light of such tragedy. He is good...all of the time, all of the days, and in all of the trials (and camps) we find ourselves in on this given day of July.

1 Corinthians 13, Hopetown Style

Love is the word leading the 2nd-4th graders this week at Hopetown, along with a cloud and pillar of fire from Isaiah 4:5-6. The first night, Melissa taught on Hopetown's version of 1 Corinthians 13. "Love is...patient, kind, forgiving, trusting God, hopeful--looks for the best, enduring--keeps going to the end, polite--supportive, warm--open. At the end of the night, each child who wanted to turned to the group and said, "This week, I want to love." Then, their "buddy" counselor came to the front and prayed for that child and their week at camp. The second night, we went on to top about what love is not. "It is not giving up, caring for self-not others, seeking revenge or holding grudges, being jealous-wanting what it doesn't have, boasting, being irritable or sarcastic, being resentful, laughing when someone messes up." Day 2 (or night 2, to be exact) gave the kids an opportunity to talk to their buddies about a particular way in which they had not loved that day. They wrote these on a rock and threw them into the fire to "get rid of them" as Scripture suggests. As the week has gone on, we have seen these 2nd-4th graders love in big and small ways. Tonight, Melissa taught on Matthew and giving a cup of cold water--and how it really is giving to others that brings refreshment to us. The kids were then given an opportunity to give back to their buddies--by offering them a cup of water and telling them what they had meant to them over the week. The hearts and words of these precious kids were much more refreshing than water could ever be. It is no wonder that Jesus says to be like a child...in the ways that we love and give and speak honestly from our hearts when we mess up. ""Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best f the three is love." 1 Cor. 13:13, The Message

Hopetown Ho Ho Ho's from 9th/10th

This is our letter to our Hopetown crew...a group of folks specifically praying for and helping with our summer camps! We thought we'd share it with you...
For you all in Nashville, it may be a warm summer day...but here at Hopetown it's Christmas time.

All summer we have been talking about rocks, but this week we've specifically talked about boulders with our 9th-10th grade campers. Melissa talked this camp about a mountain biking trip that she, Sissy, and Pace went on a few years ago. She reminisced on how when she would see a big rock or boulder, she would try so hard not to hit it that she right into it and got all tripped up.

We talked about how the bible uses metaphors like the one above. We are called to follow the path, rather than focusing on the boulders, and consequently embark on the adventure of learning to trust the Lord and see the bigger picture. As friends, we are able help one another when they hit the boulders and remind each other to go to the rock that is higher than you and I (and our boulder).


We are so thankful for all of you who have embarked on this journey with us! As you all know, we often hit small and large boulders at Hopetown....but they are more in the form of boats and vans breaking down, bike tires going flat, more scholarship applications than ever before because of the economy, and so on. We are so thankful for all of you who help to remind us to focus on the path and that there is someone bigger than you and I.

You all have helped remind us of His greatness in many ways. One way, specifically, is that many of you have helped us raise $86,600!! We are so thankful for where we are, but must also look forward and know that we have another $53,400 to go in order to keep the doors open at Daystar and Hopetown throughout the summer. If any of you know anyone who may be interested in (1) underwriting the 4Winns boat to be fixed for $230, (2) scholarship-ing one of the four scholarship'd kids at this camp for $650, (3) donating bikes, or (4) underwriting the rental of our replacement rental van due to a microburst/wind damage to the first rental for $599... please feel free to respond to this email or call Kathleen's cell phone at 214-738-5996 if you have any questions.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and blessings upon these kids and this place. We are truly so grateful for all of you!

Gratefully,
Kathleen Goff & Brian Anderson


"From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
Psalm 61:2-3

Trusting the Shepherd

"God, My Shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows. You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction...Even when the way goes though darkness, I am not afraid when you walk by my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure...Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 23, The Message
This week started off with our shepherd, Jesus and a poignant reminder of who he is from our deeply missed sheepdog, Molasses. Melissa started off talking with the 9th and 10th graders about how much Molasses reminded her to trust, and that it is almost as if she is saying these words from the Message to us...
The Shepherd leads the sheep but never drives them. He doesn't have to, because He knows them. Melissa told us of a shepherd in Lebanon who was recently asked, "How can you keep track of your sheep if you don't count them?" His answer was "If you were to bring me any sheep and let me put my hands on his face, I could tell in a moment who he is and that he is mine." What a powerful reminder of the great love our Shepherd has for us, and the depth by which we can truly trust Him.