The phone rang. Had I known this call would change my life, I would have run a little faster to answer it. On the line was a girl I had never met. Her name was Darchelle. Since our parents knew each other and we were around the same age, she thought that we should be friends.

As we became closer, I realized how special she was and how much I needed a friend like her. We swapped stories about being preachers’ kids. We found a sense of sisterhood in being the only girls among a brood of brothers. We laughed and even prayed together. Darchelle showed me God’s grace.

The Pain of Disease

Darchelle suffered from a painful and life-threatening disease called sickle cell anemia. It deprived her body of oxygen-rich blood and caused episodes of extremely painful circulation in her chest, joints, arms, and legs. Sometimes the crises were unbearable; and she would end up in the hospital for days, weeks, and even months.

Sickle cell caused emotional pain as well. Darchelle’s self-image suffered as she lost her hair and her eyes turned yellow from jaundice. At times, she needed a cane to stand and to walk. People didn’t understand, and their stares and careless remarks hurt her deeply. Darchelle endured the ache of disappointment. The unpredictable nature of her disease disrupted her daily plans and canceled her dreams for the future. Day after day, year after year, she missed out as life passed her by.

Inner Strength

Darchelle learned to cope with her discomfort and frustration. She had bad days, but she never complained about the way life had turned out for her. She lived one day at a time, cherishing each moment she had been given. Nurses poked IV needles into her veins; but God was at work too, pumping supernatural doses of strength, peace, and joy into her spirit. Second Corinthians 12:9a (NIV) says it best: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Instead of moping around, Darchelle became the perfect hostess. From her sick bed, she served drinks, music, good conversation, laughter, and encouraging words. Evident in her life were the words of Isaiah 12:2a (NIV):

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song.

The Ministry of Suffering

Although Darchelle has gone home to be with the Lord, her life has left in my heart a portrait of God’s grace. Even though she was in agony, as God’s ambassador, she smiled and was kind to others. She celebrated life, even when she had no apparent reason to rejoice. Darchelle used her disease as a stage on which to spotlight God’s power and all-sufficient grace. I’m forever grateful that God loaned her to this world, even for just a little while.

DIG DEEPER

Think about this lesson Darchelle taught me: sickness, hardship, and discomfort may be blessings in disguise. In them, we see our limitations and come to lean more fully on God’s grace. Let Isaiah 40:27–31 and 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 speak to your heart today.

I often wonder what my life would be like without my disability. I would be able to tie my shoes, and I would be able to run. A myriad of tasks would be simpler. Sometimes I wish my life were different, but then I would be a completely different person. I was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that makes it difficult for me to walk and to perform tasks requiring fine motor skills. Cerebral palsy has dictated everything I have ever done or ever will do. On the other hand, I don’t know how to live without it; I can’t look back at what I have lost.

I used to hate the word disability. I didn’t want people to apply the term to me, but I got upset when they didn’t. I thought I had to prove myself and that asking for help was a sign of weakness. I was miserable and angry. I never felt as if I belonged. I thought that people did things for me because they felt sorry for me. The idea that they could like me for who I am was incomprehensible. Finally, I realized that I had two choices: I could cry about something I was powerless to change, or I could learn to deal with it.

I am not completely OK with my disability. I am frustrated by having to improvise to do simple tasks. I wonder what I did to deserve this. I can’t comprehend that I am not a mistake. I wonder why God allowed me to be this way. I cannot walk without crutches, but still “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14a, NIV).

I recently finished treatment for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer. I had two surgeries to remove the tumor on the back of my arm because the cancer had reached such an advanced stage. I was unable to move; and in ten days, I had lost over half of my mobility. For the next eighteen months, I was on medication, hoping that all the cancer was gone and would not return. I had to learn to walk again, and I could do nothing without assistance. Looking back, I am thankful for the experience. Being completely helpless, along with the bilious side effects of the treatment and the uncertainty of my fate, taught me that I can no longer take my life or my limited mobility for granted.

In the way I live, I try to show that my disability does not define who I am; my scars are only on the outside. Some things I will never be able to do, but my life is not tragic. I have learned to change my perspective and to focus instead on what I can do. I no longer think that God is cruel. I definitely would not have asked to have cerebral palsy; but through it all, God has been with me, shaping me into the person I am.

DIG DEEPER

Read Exodus 4:11 and John 9:1–3. Think of all that God has given you. Focus on what you normally take for granted—your ability to walk, to see, to speak—and give God thanks. Encourage people you know who have a disability. Pray for them and remember that they too are made in God’s image.

Get started today!

The word viral has long been used to describe infectious diseases. More recently, the term has been associated with computer viruses. Now viral is also used to describe the successful spread of videos or images online. Videos that have gone viral include five seconds of drama with a hamster, cute babies laughing, cats with attitude, music videos, clever cartoons, even a rant from someone’s bedroom.

What Makes a Creative Piece Go Viral?

Unilever hit the viral charts with “The Dove Evolution,” a video that features a woman being made up, styled, photographed, and “retouched” for an advertising campaign. The film got people talking about ways the media make us feel about our bodies.

Cadbury went viral with a video clip of a man in a gorilla suit, playing the drums to Phil Collins’ hit “In the Air Tonight.” Why the excitement? The video was pure entertainment, a gift from the chocolate manufacturer. (Of course, they failed to get permission to use the song, so the original video is no longer available online. )

“The Digital Story of the Nativity,” put together by an advertising agency in Portugal, tells the story of Jesus’ birth using social media, web, and mobile technologies. The video is meaningful, funny, and clever, offering a contemporary way to experience the Christmas story. The video spread quickly through blogs and has been shown in churches around the world.

Tips for Creating a Video

• Spend some time thinking through the concept for your video. Do you want to promote something or someone? Do you want to relay a message? Do you want to inspire action? Do you want to bless people with a gift? Is your idea fresh and to the point?
• What format will you choose for the video? Will you do on-the-street interviews? Will you go with a scripted drama, a personal revelation, a confession, or a rant? Do you want to try stop-motion animation? an animated text? a stunt? a music video?
• Recruit a team. Look for people with abilities in scriptwriting (deciding who says what), art direction (thinking carefully about setting, props, costumes), directing (helping actors do their best), filming (getting the angles and lighting right), sound design, mixing, editing, visual effects, and music.
• Keep it short. Most viral videos are between 15 and 60 seconds long.

Ethical Considerations

As far as possible, make sure your material is original. Use original music or music in the public domain. Respect the privacy of others by getting their permission before including them in your video. Avoid inciting hate, distrust, or suspicion.

Seeding a Video

Getting your material out there is an art form in itself. Encourage your friends to help you spread the word. Get help from people who have large online audiences.

DIG DEEPER

Take the challenge! Use your passion, your creativity, your faith to create a short video with a message. Share it with your friends, your family, your youth group, and your church family.

Better yet, before August 15, 2012, enter your video in devozine’s “Go Viral” Video Challenge and spread your message to young people and adults around the world. To get started, visit www.devozine.org today!

A wet glob of clay becomes an intricate vase or a lovely bowl. A potter has the incredible job of transforming, of taking an ordinary substance and creating something beautiful and useful. Jeremiah 18:6b says that we are like clay in God’s hands. God shapes us and transforms us.

Centered

After preparing the clay, the potter centers it on the wheel, applying pressure to make the wobbling clay settle down. The clay is centered when it is still, resting in the potter’s hands, even as the wheel turns.

How do we become centered and still in God’s hands, even when everything around us is spinning? With school, sports, friends, and activities, we rarely slow down. Yet it is moments of quiet reflection and times of prayer that make us clay God can mold. We need times of stillness so that the Potter can center us.

Shaped

Once the clay is centered on the wheel, the potter uses a thumb or fingers to create an opening and to hollow out the base of the pot. Then, by pinching and lifting the clay, the potter gives the clay shape. Walls form, and the cylinder stretches upward.

Our lives grow and take shape as the Potter works with us. God’s hands form us through the daily challenges of life: the test we’ve been dreading all week, the friend who needs our encouragement, the sister who borrowed a favorite sweater again. We can harden our hearts in frustration, or we can let God mold us with hands of love. As we learn to look to God for grace and strength, we are stretched and shaped into the people we were created to be.

Fired

Going through fire is part of becoming. The hours of firing at high temperatures in a kiln make the piece durable. Without this step, the pot doesn’t hold water. Intense heat transforms the clay so that the pot can be used.

The heat gets turned up in our lives too. Intense pressure and difficult struggles test our faith. We are tempted to follow the crowd or to doubt God’s presence. We find ourselves in troubled relationships. Going through the fire isn’t easy. Given a choice, we would probably say, “No, thanks.” Yet just as the firing process makes the clay strong and useful, our times of testing strengthen us and prepare us for God’s purposes.

Ready

Once the potter has fired the piece, glazed it, and fired it again, the creation is ready to be used. It is beautiful and strong, a unique reflection of the potter’s creativity. As we are molded by God, lovingly stretched and shaped, strengthened by the fire of testing, and filled with God’s Spirit, we too become unique, beautiful creations, designed for good purposes.

Ordinary people in the hands of the Potter become vessels that hold the precious treasure of God’s Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:7). Amazing, isn’t it?

DIG DEEPER

Which part of the process describes your life right now? Is God asking you to be still and centered? Are you being stretched and shaped or put through the fire? Can you imagine yourself being filled with God’s Spirit and used for good purposes? Spend a few minutes writing in your journal. Then rest in the Potter’s hands, knowing that you are God’s beautiful creation.

Remember Who You Are

• Created in God’s image. Genesis 1:26–31

• Knit together by God’s hands. Psalm 139:13–18

• Nurtured by God’s love. Hosea 11:1–4

• Molded by obedience. Luke 2:21–24, 39–52

• Strengthened by the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:1–16, 22–24
• Nourished in faith. 1 Timothy 4:6–16

While I was growing up, Dad had an old Canon AE1 camera with all kinds of interchangeable lenses and flashes. He would take the camera to sporting events and, with a huge zoom lens, would snap incredible action shots that made you feel as if you were right in the middle of the game. It was an awesome camera, and I loved the pictures Dad created.

Following in my dad’s footsteps, I decided to take a photography class while I was in college. My dad loaned me his AE1. I loved the class so much that I took every other photography class my school offered. The creativity fostered in those classes kept me sane throughout college.

Another creative outlet I had in college was leading a boys club in the projects on the south side of Chicago. I needed to be creative to organize a bunch of college students to go down to the projects each week and to come up with something to do with the kids once we got there.

I got to know quite well a couple of the young men at the boys club, and I decided to mix up my two creative outlets. One day, I brought my camera to the projects with me, and I gave the boys a chance to take pictures of their lives from their perspective. On another day, I invited my young friends to come to my college portrait studio to take portraits of each other. When we were done, we developed and printed the film, a side of photography the boys had never experienced. Those two days were eye-opening for all of us, and we produced a lot of creative images.

The Creativity Circle

As I think back on this creative act, I see a kind of completed circle. My dad gave me the chance to be creative by showing me the fun in taking pictures and by lending me his camera. I passed that joy on to other children and loaned them my dad’s camera (supervised, of course) so that they could learn how to create images.

Actually, the circle is even larger. In the beginning was God’s creative act (Genesis 1–2). God enjoyed creating. At the end of each creative day, God stepped back to survey the work and declared, “It’s good!” Then God created humanity in God’s image and declared, “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Part of what it means to be made in the image of God is receiving this gift of creativity and the joy that comes from creating.

God gave my dad the desire to create. My dad gave me the desire to create. I passed on the desire to two boys. I like to think that our shared creativity helped open their eyes to something beyond the projects. I hope it gave them a chance to see that they could be creative too. Most of all, I hope it gave them a little insight into the joy our Creator felt in creating each one of us.

DIG DEEPER

What do you like to create—pictures, videos, drawings, food, scrapbooks, websites, plays, songs, gardens? Think of two or three younger kids to whom you can pass on your knowledge, love, and joy of creating. Offer to spend a day teaching and mentoring them in creativity. You’ll live out the image of God in you by sharing creation with someone else.

Bullies: Some live in your neighborhood, some go to your school, some go to your church. Bullies have always been a part of my life.

In the second grade, a girl pushed me as I stood in line. “Hey!” I said, “You pushed me.”

 She screamed, “I didn’t push you!” Then she bit me.

The teacher asked the class if anyone had seen her bite me, but everyone denied it.

In the seventh grade, a kid shoved me across the hall because he said I was in his way. Another year, a guy called me names and picked on me every day, taunting me and spitting at me.

In grade school, I made it through the torment with prayer and steadfast belief; but now the pain was growing worse. I was pushed to the brink; I couldn’t take it anymore.

CHANGE

In 2006, my youth director encouraged me to go to our Youth Annual Conference (YAC). A bit skeptical, I thought, Sure, another place for kids to torture me! But I went anyway. That week, I met people who were nice to me; and I began to feel better about myself.

While I was at YAC, I heard about the Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM), a group of United Methodist Youth from all over South Carolina who serve by helping other young people. I wanted to be part of that group; so although I was a bit reluctant, I decided to apply. I was so excited when I was selected!

About a week later, the CCYM went to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. I met a girl named Gabriella Garrison, and we clicked because we had the same last name. She was kind to me and helped me to see a new side of myself. She encouraged me to pray in front of people; and when I did, my shell cracked open.

STANDING UP TO BULLYING

Once I was happier with myself and able to find strength in myself as well as in God, I realized that I could stop the bullying. I didn’t have to resort to violence, but I didn’t have to back down either. One day at school, a kid kicked my seat and shot spit balls at me. I just looked up and said, “Dear Lord, forgive him; he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” He thought I was weird, but he left me alone. From then on, God has protected me from harm.

DIG DEEPER

If you’re being bullied, maybe you too need to be bullied to the brink in order to stand up for yourself. And at the brink, may you find:

B-ravery to stand up and be strong.

R-ighteousness, which connects you to God’s strength and power.

I-ndependence built on belief in yourself and the courage to move on.

N-ever-ending belief in God, who will be with you when bullies come.

K-indness not only to friends but also to enemies and bullies. Now that I’m happier with myself and stronger in my faith, I’d like to thank the bullies who pushed me to the brink!

TIPS FOR DEALING WITH BULLIES

> Confront a bully or talk to his or her parents.

> Pray for bullies, for they may not know what they’re doing. Often they are acting out because of some pain in their own lives.

> Talk to an adult or an authority figure and ask for help.

TAB Member John Garrison, 16, of Greer, South Carolina, has published a book of poetry entitled Reflections of a Teenage Soul and is working on his autobiography, Unspoken Word: The Story of John Garrison.

Looking at Katelynne Cox’s face on the cover of her debut CD or in the pages of a magazine, you’d never guess she was the victim of bullying.

“Broken, hated, trash, worthless, and a nobody—that’s how I really felt.” Then she adds, “I thought I was the only one going through it; but now looking back, there were so many people going through the same thing.”

Though people think only the quiet, socially-awkward kids get bullied, Katelynne is proof that anyone may be targeted for abuse. A cheerleader and winner of several beauty contests, she endured being pinned against the wall and sprayed with cologne, having her cheerleading uniform stolen before a big game, and being called names she didn’t even understand. People stalked her house and even threatened to kill her.

The bullying was so severe that Katelynne changed schools nine times. All of this took an emotional toll on her, and she took an overdose of pills. “I wanted the pain to go away. I wanted it all to go away,” Katelynne says. “I’m so thankful that God came into my life when he did because I had a lot of issues, not just with bullies but with myself. I believed what they were saying about me.”

At one point, Katelynne dyed her hair black and tried to fit in with her tormentors. She felt so far away from the Lord: “I kept asking myself, Why would God put me through this if he really cared about me?”

During the roughest times, Katelynne found comfort clinging to Kitty, a stuffed animal she’d had since she was six, and having long conversations with her mom, who was always loving and supportive. She also got involved at church and, with her pastor’s help, began to see herself through God’s eyes. “I remember when my pastor looked at me and told me that I was a great person and that he could see God in my heart,” she recalls. “He said, ‘I’m excited to see what God has in store for your life.’”

Now, Katelynne sees that God can use her story to minister to others who are being bullied; and she is using the platform God has given her to help make a difference. She recently filmed the documentary One, which deals with bullying and will be shown in schools. “One Girl,” the title track of her debut album, “talks about being one girl in a crowd, standing up and saying what you want to say and not trying to blend in with everyone else. It talks about being proud of who you are and being unique.” Katelynne also does some motivational speaking about the issue of bullying. She is eager to share her story with others, believing that one voice can make a difference.

DIG DEEPER

Katelynne says that one of the best ways to deal with bullying is to talk with people who can help you through it—your parents, your pastor, or your school principal. “I would advise you to do it quietly, not to make a big drama out of it because being known as a snitch is one more reason for people to pick on you. But if you have adults in your school system who are willing to take a stand, to put an end to bullying, and to listen to your side, that’s really important.”

If you are a victim of bullying, Katelynne encourages you to contact her at katelynne@katelynnecox.com. “If you have questions or need someone to talk to, I would love to talk to you. You are not alone, and you don’t need the approval of others to feel good about yourself. Pursue what you want to do, and you’ll find your good friends along the way.”

Reading the Bible and praying the Bible are two very different undertakings. To pray the Bible is to apply listening and silence to the Word of God in order to hear God speak. This prayer method known as lectio divina, “divine reading” or the sacred reading of scripture, is being practiced by more and more young people and youth groups today as they seek to listen to God.

It All Started with Saint Benedict

Sometime after 500 c.e. an Italian we now know as Saint Benedict gathered a group of ordinary people into a community, which would be called a monastery. . . . To guide his community, Benedict wrote a rule, a set of guidelines for the common life and spiritual practice of the members. The purpose of the Rule was to help create a “school for the service of the Lord,” a place where people could come and learn how to be with Jesus.

One of the three primary tools of this school was reading; the other two were liturgical prayer and work. Yet this was not the kind of reading we know today. Rather, Benedict prescribed lectio divina, sacred reading, a prayer practice designed to cultivate contemplative listening. For it was through such listening that the monks could become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and minds.

This process of reading takes seriously the notion that the Bible is the living Word of God. Through the Bible, God can actually speak to the reader directly, now, in real time. What is required in order to hear God’s voice is a practice that teaches the believer how to “incline the ear of your heart.” In order to do this Benedict wanted the monks to ruminate on — literally to “chew” or “digest” — the Word of God, much as a cow would chew its cud. This practice became a staple of monastic life for fifteen hundred years and is handed to us as a gift from the distant past.

The Practice of Lectio Divina

Lectio divina, as a formal prayer practice, consists of four steps or phases. These steps are not mechanical activities you must perform correctly in a certain order to “get it right.” Sacred reading is a living conversation between you and God. In the same way that conversation with another person has rhythms, ebbs, and flows, so too does sacred reading. A rich, lively conversation encompasses times of listening and times of responding, times of speech and times of silence.

Use the outline below in your personal quiet time to practice listening to God.

DIG DEEPER

What if your prayer doesn’t follow the outline? What if you hear nothing? You may feel frustrated and angry because all you thought about during your prayer time was being at the mall or blowing the big game or something else seemingly unrelated to God. In a society that places ultimate value on “getting things done,” the experience of “nothing happening” can be maddening. However, from Benedict’s perspective, such “failure” is a normal part of our fallen human condition. If encountering God’s Word were easy, there would be no need to practice prayer! Prayer is not a product; it is a relationship. Even if you did not experience the wonderful event you imagined, God knows your intention. You wanted to spend time with Jesus, and in some way, you did. So express your frustration to God; ask for help and for the strength to try again. God does not require that we be successful, just faithful.

Individual Lectio Divina

PHASE 1, Lectio (reading/listening)

• Choose a passage of scripture. Although any passage will do, a psalm, a story about Jesus, or one of the poetic passages from a prophet works very well. For example, try Mark 1:14–20 or Isaiah 40:1–5.
• Read the passage to yourself twice. Don’t be caught by the literal meaning of the scripture. Rather, listen for the word or phrase that catches your attention.
• Silently focus on that word or phrase. Repeat it a few times. Allow it to sift through your heart and mind.

PHASE 2, Meditatio (pondering)

• As you continue to focus on your word or phrase, pay attention to the thoughts and feelings it evokes.
• What images, what thoughts, what memories come to mind?
• Continue to ask God to speak to you through this word, and listen for the reply.

PHASE 3, Oratio (responding)

• At some point you may find yourself wanting to reply to God. What desires has your prayer awakened in you?
• Maybe you have found an area of your life that needs some work.
• Maybe you are grateful for something and you wish to express that gratitude.
• Maybe you feel called to a new course of action in your life.
• Whatever you sense, do not rush the prayer. Continue to wait and listen as God forms your prayer and desire in your heart. Speak your prayer of desire, longing, or action to God. Continue to listen in the silence.

PHASE 4, Contemplatio (resting)

• In this final phase of the prayer, the conversation with God draws to a close. Having heard a word from God and having expressed your response to that word, you now allow yourself to rest in the silence.
• Allow your mind to settle.
• When you feel that the prayer has come to an end, express your gratitude to God. This can be as simple as saying “Thank you” or “Amen.”

OR try Lectio Online.

—This article is adapted from Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices. © 2003 Daniel Wolpert. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books.

—If you want to try this prayer practice with a group of friends or with your youth group, use the outline for “LECTIO in a Group” on pages 176–177 of  Creating a Life with God. (To order, call 1-800-972-0433 or visit www.upperroom.org/bookstore)

When I was twelve, my most prized possession was my baseball card collection. I spent hours poring over the cards, memorizing the statistics on the back of them, and looking up their worth in baseball card magazines.

One card I wanted was not in my collection: a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card. Being the first card from his first year made it quite valuable. Though I had never seen it, except in a magazine, I loved that card—and I wanted it.

From time to time, Nathan and I got together to trade baseball cards. Nathan was 15 and the coolest guy on earth. He had an incredible baseball card collection, which he kept in a three-ring binder with protective sleeves. One day, I was flipping through his collection when I saw it.

With trembling voice, I said, “You have a Ken Griffey, Jr. 1989 Upper Deck rookie card?”

“Yeah, it’s my best card.”

“Well, of course it’s your best card,” I said. “It’s the best card in the whole wide world!” I wasn’t very cool.

I offered a trade. I put all of my favorite cards on the trading block for that one card. Nathan refused. I could have put my whole collection out there, but it would not have equaled the value of that one card.

I realized that because I had nothing to trade for the card, nothing to equal its value, my only hope was to receive it as a gift. I asked my family to get me the card for Christmas; but it was valuable, rare, and not-for-sale in the local store.

On Christmas Eve, my extended family came over to exchange gifts. We were eating, playing, and being a family when I heard someone pulling into our driveway. I ran out to welcome Nathan. With a strange look on his face, he handed me a white envelope. Inside was the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card.

I couldn’t believe it. The expression on his face showed he couldn’t believe it either. I hugged him. Now please understand, Nathan and I didn’t hug. He was 15, rode a 4-wheeler, and worked with livestock. Nathan just stood there with his arms outstretched while I hugged him. We never talked about it again; we didn’t know how. But I have never forgotten that extravagant gift.

GOD’S EXTRAVAGANCE

Ex • trav′ • a • gant  (adj): going beyond what is deserved or justifiable

The resurrection of Jesus was an extravagant gift of life. Make no mistake—it was not a fair exchange. God saw the plight of God’s people, their brokenness, their hopelessness; and God gave them the one thing they needed: Jesus.

We can give our gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We can dress up and go to worship on Easter Sunday. We can offer ourselves in service to the poor. We can give a number of beautiful gifts to God, and we can be sure they bring joy to God’s heart. But the gift of Jesus, God’s son, is a no-trade-possible gift. All we can do is receive the gift and then latch on to the giver in some attempt to say thank you.

DIG DEEPER

Read John 20:1–18. As you celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the culmination of God’s extravagant gift for the world, consider what God is calling you to do. In response to God’s gift of Jesus, how can you give yourself to God? How can you give extravagantly to show another person God’s love?