Under the streets and over the snow, to cell leader training we go.
Saturday morning 50 people met at Frankford and Norris for our monthly cell leader training. It might have seemed like a normal morning if not for the foot and a half of still falling snow. When I awoke at my house in South Philly there were already two-foot snow drifts in the middle of the street. God bless the subway (of course, we don’t hold it against anyone who could not make it out that snowy morning, special shout out to Camden).
Rather than feeling daunted by the thought of traveling through the snowy mess I was enlivened. It brought me back to the winter days when my brother, Ben, and I used to walk to elementary school in Vermont. If the snow wasn’t too high we cut through the park. Sometimes the snow would be up above our heads! Every snow bank was a mountain of potential to dig tunnels through or slide down over into the snowy streets. 
Traveling through snow these days still gives me that childhood high. I appreciate 50 people journeying out in the snow to meet early on a Saturday morning. I reveled in the opportunity of bounding through the snow like a child and encouraging my fellow travelers. Some people made an even longer journey. One friend overcame her almost paralyzing fear of subways to join us. Another used his cross country skis over the snow-filled streets!
The journey really provides a great metaphor for following Jesus. We need to come out into the cold and unknown. Too often we want to stay inside where we are comfortable. We need to put on our boots and come play outside!
We could use a little more of the ambition and sense of adventure that brought 50 people out through the cold. We are keeping the flame of Jesus alive. Tending the fire and watching it grow.
There is Jesus in this story. There is both the wonder of childhood play and the toughness of the journey that we got to experience. The path is hard and sometimes cold, but filled with fits of childhood joy.
hey, howard. thanks for the post. I especially liked the Scripture references for “child” and “flame.” They ground all your words in the Word of God. Good stuff.
Great post Howard! Also a great metaphor for how sometimes the Christian life suddenly becomes a lot more challenging than what we thought we were signing up for…but always so worth it. Kudos to those who kept their commitment despite the unexpected obstacles–especially in a day and age where commitments often don’t run deep.