When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:2-4

We are blessed with a great bunch of teenagers at Westminster. They are bright, sensitive, inclusive, and a whole lot of fun. Recently, we had a weekend retreat to Erie and stayed at a rustic church campground. We spent time each night and Sunday morning learning about different ways to connect with God through prayer. We learned how to Pray with Color and the Examen prayer.

Saturday evening, after spending the day at Splash Lagoon, we did a prayer exercise. Then we had planned to watch a movie. At least, that’s what the leaders had planned after an exhausting day. But that’s not what the youth wanted. They wanted to do an Affirmation Circle. An Affirmation Circle is when the youth take turns saying positive comments about other members of the group. When it is one person’s turn, they must say three positive things about themselves; then everyone else takes a turn saying positive comments about that person. When you have 15 teens, it takes a long time. Chaperones were struggling to stay awake, but the teens kept going – way past their bedtime.

The first time we did an Affirmation Circle was on our fall retreat to Crestfield. If I remember correctly, it was unplanned as well. It just happened. Almost like the Spirit was moving among us. Here we were, sitting around a room, just like the early Christians, talking about how we see God working in other people around us. Every one of these young Christians was able to identify special attributes given by God.

The next day I had planned to lead a prayer-walking exercise with the teens, but a heavy rain the night before made for a very muddy walk. Instead, I decided to lead another Affirmation Circle, but this time I asked the teens to affirm God, instead of each other. I asked the question, “What positive affirmations can you say about God?” There was no hesitation in naming many of the positive attributes of God and it was obvious that these teens felt God’s presence working in their lives.

There was a strong wind (Pneuma) from heaven that blew outside and inside the cabin that weekend. Each teen took turns speaking of God, as the Spirit enabled them.