Though spring is in the air, the white snowy stuff still blankets our little town.  So for all intents, this Seasonal fits right into what still feels like winter, though some of you are already living in Spring. We're coming off a busy time these last few months and want to share what we've been learning about teens, about ourselves and about God.

A conversation I had recently with a student through "Ask! LIVE" reveals where many of our students are today. "What happens when I can’t feel God and doubt my faith?"  It's a common question, in fact it pops up at almost every high school or college venue we've had.

In the last few decades we've been allowed to doubt everything, but doubt our feelings.  We can doubt God's existence, our faith in his goodness, the faithfulness of the church, the integrity of our leaders, but there's a silent mantra floating around: Your feelings are sacred, you must never doubt them.  But why not?  Those fickle would-be masters of our souls too often get their wires crossed. Many face the real danger today of basing life, security, relationships, truth, and health on the inconsistent frequencies of emotional charges.  Emotions are valuable, and important parts of being appropriately human, but they are not inerrant, nor are they any more sacred than the rest of our faculties. One student wrote, "God lives in my heart, so I should follow my heart because God lives in it!" Reducing the temple of the Holy Spirit to "God in my heart" theology has created some confusion to be undone. In addition, God does sometimes hide from our feelings and we feel abandoned, but in his hiddenness we learn "to stand up on our own legs and carry out from the will alone duties that have lost all relish" (says Screwtape).

Last month Soulation participated in a couple of seminars hosted by the National Pastors Convention (NPC). Jonalyn was one of four young, female leaders addressing concerns of women in ministry in a 6 hour Critical Concern Course. The discussion created such a buzz around Zondervan (host of NPC), that they intend to do more in the year to come. In fact, the National Youth Workers Convention next October has already invited Jonalyn to present on the theme of "Her Story." She will be speaking on "Comfortable in My Own Skin: Body Image and Identity."

When we left off the last Seasonal, my invitation to speak on "Living with Questions" at the National Youth Workers Convention was just around the corner. I expected 25 at my seminar and had to psychologically revamp my approach when I started with 200 youth workers crammed into the room. Following the talk, a dozen of them came to the front row and we discussed ministry and how to engage students' questions. My admiration goes out to steady youth workers. Not only do they deal with the constant hormonal and brain changes of teens, but the shifting cultural tide is difficult to keep up with.  For all the talk we give about the postmodern era, many of today's teens are still half-modern in their demands for knowledge.

I just learned a new cultural word recently: nymphette. I expect to see it gain more press in the coming months. It's a word that describes sexually capricious teens. Think of the new styles of Disney's Tinkerbell and you get the idea. I came on this word in an article describing Abercrombie and Fitch's pictures of "nymphettes" hung large on the walls. Keep an eye open and see if this words shows up more frequently. MAC makeup already has a lipstick color by that name. This only adds to the sex-charged credentials many teens believe they need.

After the Youth Workers Convention, Desert Christian School was on the schedule. Yet during that week of events, the San Diego fires erupted around the retreat center of our meeting. We became refugees ourselves, scooting up to Los Angeles to stay with family to ride it out.  The end of week Jonalyn spoke in north San Diego County for a Ruby Slippers retreat for a women’s group in Carlsbad. She was able to relate the experience of fire refugee’s homelessness to the homelessness felt by many women in the church.  Here’s one of those talks:

Coming Home: Women's Redemption after Judgment

Speaking of Ruby Slippers, Jonalyn’s book is really getting some press.  Visit her blog (www.jonalynfincher.com) and travel to the right column on the page to see how much Ruby Slippers is in the news (and while you are there, subscribe to her blog too… you won’t regret it!). Many women leaders, including Ginger Garret, have noted the contribution of Jonalyn’s book and the recommendations continue to pile up. Even Biola University hosted its campus wide, Ruby Slippers Luncheon, based on Jonalyn’s book.  You can hear Jonalyn’s inaugural address here:

Biola "Ruby Slippers" Luncheon

Or while it is still online, you can catch the video. This is good stuff:

Biola "Ruby Slippers" Luncheon Video

And to top it off, Biola invited Jonalyn to speak for one of their Centenary chapels this spring. That is also found as a video online here:

Biola Centenary Chapel Series

Desert Christian re-scheduled with us just a week before Christmas.  Regrouping in the mountains of now-charred San Diego, the students welcomed us for three days of engaging questions, and we worked to listen, engage and encourage their young minds and souls. Yet going into this event we had shadowy news that while we had just learned we were expecting our first child, the little one growing in Jonalyn might not make it. We prayed, Jonalyn especially, if this is to be a miscarriage, that God would prevent it until after her final talk. Ten minutes after she spoke, she began to miscarry. God preserved Jonalyn's voice for the students though he didn't preserve the life inside. The following day we drove out of the mountains and straight to a doctor to confirm the results.

All this led to a bitter-sweet Christmas for us. If you'd like to read an emotionally raw and human account, Jonalyn wrote a series from her journal for her blog.  It starts here.

You will find the links to the rest of the installments on the right side of the blog under "Popular Posts."

We felt the goodness of God springing to life in her womb but even that little one sprung back to God before we saw them. It was a struggle of living with questions in the heart of winter.

Rounding the corner into the New Year, we've been encouraged in many ways. Several generously gave to Soulation through our December mailing that has helped us produce more talks and prepare for new ideas in our pipeline, including a new promotional video. If you're interested in partnering with Soulation, look at this page.

Our website designer, David Holman, has worked tirelessly to capture the spirit of Soulation in graphics. What would a website look like that carried both whimsy and intellect, approachability and spiritual formation?  David's design is taking on flesh. But you'll have to wait a little longer before all is revealed in a new website for Soulation.
In January we were invited to the Cincinnati area for a Ruby Slippers retreat and then on to the oldest Messianic synagogue in the country. 

This trip highlighted our new goal for 2008: to have multiple engagements in the same area when we visit. This capitalizes on our time, makes the most of other’s resources and allows us to know and impact one community for a sustained amount of time. We're not fans of flying in for one day, speaking and then leaving the next. We love to know the people and their community as we work among them.

I awoke one morning to find Living with Questions listed in the top 25 religious youth books sold on Amazon. Ravi Zacharias International Ministries picked up my book for their Spring Offer.  So if you haven't purchased it yet, consider going through their website (www.rzim.org) and picking up a few copies. I was also invited for an hour long interview on my story and my book through HisChannel.com. If you'd like to see it, you’ll need to order a copy of the broadcast through www.hischannel.com.

I recently received notice that Living with Questions is in its third printing. Students show up for "Ask! LIVE" on Wednesday nights who have read the book and are looking for more discussion as they live with their questions. A youth leader in Virginia is using the book for her study and has invited me to join their whole group for an online chat event in a couple of weeks. While the chatting medium isn't as ideal as looking someone in the eye and seeing what they might be hiding behind their questions, we do enjoy a chance to interact personally online. And folks of all ages are taking us up on it. I've seen how Living with Questions is doing what I hoped, helping people of all ages who are asking a lot of questions and who want a conversational approach that is both simple and to the heart of the matter. Just last week a youth pastor posted up online that his student turned to Jesus as a result of reading my book. It encourages me to continue writing.

Let me return to last month's NPC. We received lots of encouragement from pastors that week after our seminars. Yet we felt like small fish in a large pond. We met some theological heroes too: Gordon Fee, N. T. Wright, Chuck Colson. As part of the younger constituency among so many well known leaders, we were tempted to think that being on the "cutting edge" or to have "many followers" is the mark of a successful minister of the Gospel.

Jonalyn and I found ourselves discouraged in the midst of it. Over a burger at In-N-Out, we vented with each other the emotional angst of the vast evangelical enterprise and what it takes to be heard, to be known, to be sought after. And the Holy Spirit gently reminded us together than all we have to offer is ourselves and our service.  That's it.  I wrote a blog about it. We bring who we are, what God has built into us, what experiences we have. And we are here, not to be heard, not to be applauded, not to be validated.  We are here to serve the work and serve the people. One of our mottos for 2008 is this: "Be Myself.  Serve the People. Have Fun.

Try that out this week as you shine your light to those around you.  Be yourself. That’s all you can do without crossing into the land of hypocrisy. Serve the people. They are your neighbors who need to see what God is like.  Have fun. Take pleasure in what you do and expect God to open doors and be your best networker.

Thanks for walking with us.

Dale & Jonalyn Fincher

© 2008 Dale & Jonalyn Fincher