Two for the price of one this week. Adam McHugh's Introverted Church blog is another long-term occupant of my reader; his book - Introverts in the Church is on my wish-list. What caught my eye last week was his quoting Aubry Smith's marvellous 'Introvert Summer Camp' , which tackles two important topics: Introverts and Youth ministry.
Granted my only experience of Youth Camps when younger was Guide Camp, where (mercifully) I can recall little of the horrors Aubry relates. (I'd have run a mile!). From the little I can recall, the chief qualities required way back then were a cast-iron stomach and that peculiarly British stoicism needed in order to transcend mud, constantly damp clothes and boredom at not being allowed to do very much. Or at least - not being allowed to do what we wanted to do. (My patrol's illicit midnight hike over into the adjoining field to visit the Scouts was the final nail in the coffin; I was politely directed out of the Guide Association not long afterwards!).
But as an adult, I'll admit to having a bit of a love-hate relationship with church weekends away, festivals and the like. I've a few horror stories; a few places I'd not touch with the proverbial barge-pole and others - like Greenbelt festival, for example, where I've gained so much that I'm prepared to put up and work with stuff that takes me outside of my comfort zones. Not that Greenbelt in any way resembles the horrors hinted at in McHugh's and Smith's posts. A fair bit for me is to do with maturity and self-awareness, balance; the advantage of having the time and wherewithal to prepare beforehand for potentially tricky situations.
So, yes, I'll be bookmarking this particular post and going back to it over the next few months.
Thanks to both of you.
Last week's Blog of The Week: The Year of Living Frugally.