Hi, it’s me, Daniel Butters. For those of you who don’t know me, I was last year’s NAPF Acting President. I have been asked to throw an article into this issue of Crossroads. It works out because I’m at that awkward in-between stage, no longer a PFer, but not quite a Hoper either. It’s like NAPF puberty without the squeaky voice and awkwardness around girls. It is a transition time, and it’s a good time for me to look back on NAPF and the effect it has had on my life.

I wasn’t very excited to go to my first NA. I wasn’t against it but, if my dad hadn’t signed me up, I wouldn’t have gone. I would have sat at home and missed out on some of the best times of my life. I learned so much from NA. But I don’t want to bore you all, so I’ve narrowed it down to 673 items. No, just kidding, I’ve narrowed it down to three. So this is my top three ways that NA has affected my short life.

The first area I treasure are the friends I made. NA provided me an arena to meet some of my best friends throughout the years. These are people that I am still close to today. I ate breakfast last week with one of my best friends from across the country, whom I met on my second NA trip. These people will be my friends for life. I even met my girlfriend at NA! How cool is that? The friends I made at NA are the people that I still today hold near and dear to my heart.

Another major way NA has affected my life are the memories it has given me. Memories are what life is all about, and some of my most cherished ones occurred at NA. I remember jumping and singing with the other PFers and Hopers. I remember the nights I stayed up talking to my roommates. I remember the card games and the socializing we did in between sessions. I remember the water fight we had on mission day! I remember desperately trying to keep up with the good DDR players! I remember and cherish so much; I could devote a book to my NA memories. These are the moments that I look back on and smile.

Finally, and most importantly, I learned about God. There is no other place on Earth where one can be closer to God. God hangs out with you at NA, and you come to know God like you could never imagine. My first NA brought me so much closer to God, and forever changed my future. The rest of my NA’s challenged me and helped me grow in ways that I never thought possible. There is no way for me to describe the most wonderful feeling that I came to know at NA, except to say that it has forever changed my life. Without God, all of the other joys of NA wouldn’t exist. God is the maker of the joy, and it’s a joy unlike any other.

The first two conferences my older son attended were within a three hour drive of home. He had heard so much from upperclassmen in our youth group about their trips to NA and the sight-seeing they had done. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about attending a conference that was so close to home and considered not going. We had several conversations about the reasons for attending – should he go to NA just to have fun and do some sight-seeing, or was there a bigger and better reason for going? Luckily for me (and eventually for him) he decided to attend. He had such a great experience that he went to two more conferences, and his brother attended a total of three as well.

I found myself jealous when they came home and talked about their experiences. They always talked about all the fun they had, but I was more impressed with the how much they talked about the conference itself. The tone of their voices changed and the look in their eyes changed when they talked about how they loved their small groups and the small group leaders; the speakers were "awesome"; they made lots of new friends. Of course, there were many things they could not share, as they did not want to step over the bounds of confidentiality; but whatever those particular experiences were, I could see how much my sons were affected by them. As a parent, it was very rewarding to hear those experiences and nice to know I had encouraged them to do something that would broaden their faith walk.

I had been asked to chaperone a couple of different times, but neither of my sons wanted me to do that, so I stayed home for those years. However, when my daughter was a freshman in 1998, I was again asked to chaperone our PF group to the NA conference to be held in upstate New York. I was so surprised when she agreed that it would be a good idea for me to go along.

Following that conference, I was hooked! I had done things with our local PF group, but this was really different. How wonderful to spend time with kids talking about their faith and how to make it a real part of their lives. These kids were supportive and respectful of each other’s views on the things we discussed in small group. What a wonderful experience seeing kids live their faith and sharing it with others. The counselors were all very caring, and it was obvious that they had made a commitment to these kids. I was not prepared for what happened as the conference ended - there were so many tears, hugs, exchanges of e-mail and mailing addresses along with promises to keep in touch. My daughter was nearly inconsolable when she had to say good-bye the new friends she had made.

My daughter and I attended three more NA conferences together (Indiana, Michigan and Spokane), and when she went on to college, I stayed involved with youth work, mostly because I can’t get enough of these kids. And now here I am ready to complete my second year as a national co-director. God does work in ways that cannot be explained. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined myself in this position in 1999 when I attended my first conference.

I write this hoping that some parent or other adult youth leader, who may have been thinking about becoming involved with youth work, will read it, and hoping that they may be moved by the Spirit to follow through on those thoughts. It’s been an experience that has changed my life. I have made many new friends, adult and student alike. My e-mail is full of messages from kids all around the country asking for prayers or just sharing their experiences after leaving the conference. I come home every year very tired, but full of God’s love and grace, and continuously amazed at how he has worked in my life, even now that my kids are no longer involved in youth activities.

As a final note, my sons both have told me that, had they known how much I was going to get out of this experience, they would not have discouraged me back then. Just think where I might be if I had another seven years of NA experiences behind me!

The picture echoes my own spiritual journey, the path leading to the goal of spiritual fulfillment and eternal life. The same path that so many have walked before and my hope is that my footprints will enhance the path for those that are to follow. Yet, with so many distractions and sidetracks, periods where I feel lost or that I have wandered off from my chosen path, I can only search and pray and seek to be led, to have my footprints rejoin with the others. A danger in wandering is the chance of losing sight of the goal without the strength and support and encouragement of the others that I meet along the path. I worry that when I return to the path, I will not have made progress in my journey.

I must reassure myself that by keeping my Faith before me with daily disciplines, like reading Bible passages and recurring prayers, the events and experiences that present themselves are helping to form the path that I am to walk with Him in this life. I remind myself that no one can walk the identical path as another, we are each unique and individual souls with a unique combination of relationships and experiences that makes each one of us precious to Him.

This might seem pretty strange... But even if you are not a believer, you should read this...

What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 117

What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 119

Which chapter is in the center of the Bible? Answer - Psalms 118

There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118.

There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118.

Add up the 594 plus 594, and you get 1188.

What is the center verse in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 118:8

Does this verse say something significant about God’s perfect will for our lives?

The next time someone says they would like to find God’s perfect will for their lives and that they want to be in the center of His will, just send them to the center of His Word!

Psalms 118:8 (NKJV) "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."

Baker University
Baldwin City, KS

June 26 – 30, 2005