Not your mama's VBS

Churches around the country have gatherings for kiddies in the summer called Vacation Bible Schools. Not St. Jonah's. We have Going Medieval Arts Camp. Children get to craft gargoyles, cut their fingers on pieces of stained glass, and enjoy other features of life in the Middle Ages without being bothered with pesky notions raised by Biblical stories. My stepdaughters even enjoy it, and the 16-year-old has decided she doesn't believe in God. (My approach to managing teenagers is borrowed from the wisdom of appreciating the weather in New England. If you don't like it, wait five minutes. So I say nothing.) She was, to all appearances, a fine and friendly counselor during Going Medieval, even to the obnoxious five-year-old who everyday he insisted he could do something better than the teenagers. But when it was all over she was going to reward herself by making a purchase at the neighborhood comic store. She wanted a button that asked, "I'm sorry. Was it my job to fill your life with joy today?"