IN YOUR WORDS…

There has to be a "young" person inside each one of us, that is as we grow out of the younger years and enter the twilight of the "older" generation. At least it is that way for me. From the first reading of your WHY to this issue of Spring, you have given me something to live by and to believe in. For this I thank you both for being the inspiration for this worthwhile project.
I was at General Council this past year and so thoroughly enjoyed having the youth present. As a youth leader in my home church and one who has always has very close connection with teaching Sunday School and Youth Groups, it was a delight to see the enthusiasm and energy that was generated by such a wonderful contingent of young people. I came home with many great stories to tell to the congregation and for our Youth Group.
There is an article written by Kathleen that really touched my heart. Over three years ago (2003), Ed, my husband passed away while we were on a 3 1/2 month trip across Canada. I entered into that realm where I felt that God had abandoned me, even though I knew that through prayers there should have been a connection. It was not there and this went on for so very long. Being lonely became a part of my life and it came to a time when I just accepted it. The outgoing and self-assured person was replaced with a withdrawn and lost soul. The years went by and slowly I realized that God had been there all the time, with so many signs of which I had missed. Not all, but some. Today there are times that I still feel the loneliness and the aloneness, however, in there is also the faint whisper of, "Be still and know that I am God." Yes, we do come through our most deepest hours of hurt and press forward so that we can be of benefit to ourselves, to others and to God. I do draw on the fact that from an very early age I accepted Jesus into my life. Then again, we are human which make us what we were meant to be. God's child who has been given the gift of peace, even though there are times that peace is shattered. Ed had a saying, "Look back only to see if you left a footstep, then surge forward as though you have little time left to finish the race." He left a footstep and lived his life to the fullest until the day come when he had finished his race. All for Jesus.
Thank you– Carole Butler


Thanks for making such a true-to-the-United-Church youth magazine. I just finished reading my first issue, Spring 2007, and I really enjoyed a lot of the stuff you included (especially God's Plan, Random Connections & Kathleen's Life Isn't Perfect)! Lately I've been trying to find myself as a 16-year-old girl in a small Albertan town (Athabasca), with many anti-(or politically correct/neutrally) Christian influences to boot. What are my goals? What's the difference between being nice and too-nice? Where should my morals be? Obviously I'm not perfect, so what am I good at? If I can go day to day thinking about philosophies and religious topics (global responsibilities, etc.) without necessarily tying them to religion, am I a Christian? This leads to questioning whether being totally religious results any differently than "weekly church going but not daily Church thinking"...
These are some of the many questions to ask, that I continue asking myself, but it's always the cynic in me to respond first and shoot them down. W.H.Y. definitely addressed a lot of these questions. Just like you said about Peter Short's writing, this newsletter published a lot of things that were "exactly what I wanted to hear" with "the words to write what I sometimes feel but can't express". Thanks for your time, and for your Fantastic (!) newsletter. I can't wait to ponder the next one! In the meantime, I'll definitely be reading and re-reading this one.
-Judi