Josiah Road

A Tribute to See You At The Pole

posted by Sarah Gallagher 29Sep

I miss that time when
we were around the flagpole,
praying and crying.

backpacks and jackets
scattered the blank sidewalk cracks,
coloring us in.

holding strangers’ hands
had never felt more like home
than on that morning.

desperation cried
and passion shouted out loud.
voices sang so sweet.

tell me why that day
cannot be found tomorrow,
around a new flag.

with other backpacks,
and with other strangers’ hands,
and with singing hearts.

noise is praise sometimes;
all the time when noise is pure.
so give me noise, please,

and a stranger’s hand.
I would not be lonely then,
and we would smile more.

I think He’d smile too.
I think someone new would see,
and maybe they’d smile.

maybe changing lives
is not really hard at all.
it starts with a few,

maybe me and you,
holding hands or not at all.
just praying, praising.

Paintball

posted by Luke Harper 22Sep

Recently I attended the “Crazy Love” High School camp with my youth group. One of the best things to do at camp is the paintball course. This being my first year, I didn’t know what to expect. But it seemed like every guy at the camp was totally pumped for some paintball domination. They kept saying, “Paintball is going to be amazing.” The day finally came for the paintball domination to begin. I took the field by force, and I literally felt like the paintball version of RAMBO. At the end of the round, I realized that the guys on my team would compare war wounds. It was almost like you were more respected if you had these wounds. If you didn’t, it was like your part in the battle wasn’t important because you didn’t take any hits for the team.

This got me thinking that life can be like a paintball war. You see, just like some people claimed they were paintballers, without the marks of paint, could you tell they had been in the game? I’m learning that a mark of spiritual maturity is the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others. I desire to be so devoted to this kind of mark that I pursue it no matter what the price. As a follower of Christ I have to ask myself what do people see when they look at my life? Do they even know whose team I’m on? I don’t want to just sit behind the bunkers and play it safe. I want to run towards the task at hand—rolling with the paintballs of life standing, showing the marks of Christ. >Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

The battle is God’s; we just need to roll with where God takes us having the marks to show for it.