Learning to be content...

Today in church the pastor spoke abut the necessity of being content with where we are and what we have. To be satisfied with where God has us, and not reaching outside our means to find our satisfaction. We all have our situations and circumstances, and we can say 'Well that guy seems better off than I do, there is no way I can be content.' The truth of the matter is, we are all called to content with what we have. We see this in Philippians 4:11-13

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

It is easy to look to our finances, our material possessions, or whatever we want for our source of contentment, but it is only in Christ where we will find the strength and the peace to be content in the circumstances that God has us in. Jesus Christ is the key to finding joy, fulfillment, strength. God, help me to be joyful in where you have me, with what you provide for me, and to remember that you are the source.

The Pursuit of Healing

What a crazy past few weeks. Lately I feel like I have been the front seat passenger on an emotional roller coaster that I am not ready to handle. My life is changing, which is not a bad thing. It hurts, and it is painful, but I know that God is working up something great.  In the past week, I have moved to Cran-Hill Ranch. The process of adjusting to a new lifestyle, a new way of doing things is hard. Emotionally I am all over the place. I am trying to live in the present. To enjoy what I am doing now, and be excited about what I am doing. It's a hard thing for me. I am excited to be on this journey with God, but it's hard not to feel alone in my circumstances. I am learning to recognize the wounds that I have. The deep seeded emotional wounds that I have. Why do I feel the way I do? Why do I hurt the way I do? Why is is so hard for me to be real with people? These are all questions that I am learning how to answer for myself. This is all the process of healing.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds." Hosea 6:1

Recently I read in 'My Utmost for His Highest' this devotional, and it hits right at home for me.

"The first thing that God does with us is to get us based on rugged Reality until we do not care what becomes of us individually as long as He gets His way for the purpose of His Redemption. Why shouldn't we go through heartbreaks? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us fall and collapse at the first grip of pain; we sit down on the threshold of God's purpose and die away in self-pity, and all so-called Christian sympathy will aid us to our death bed. But God will not, He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, and says.--"Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart." 

-Oswald Chambers

Let Go

For the past week I have had the words 'Let Go' written on my hand. Why would I write that on my hand? I often write things on my hand to remind me of the attitude that I need to keep. I use my hands for pretty much everything that I do on a daily basis. Every time I look at my hand I get a 'handy' reminder of what my attitude should be. Letting go is something that I have been learning to do a lot of lately. My life belongs to Christ. I am not my own. I need to constantly remind myself to let go of my need for control, in both my life, and in my experiences with others.  It is so easy to get trapped in thinking about the future, and wanting to 'do my part.' The truth is that God can handle it. There is nothing that I can do to improve on God's plan. it is definitely easier said than done. Letting Go. The concept that I will probably be learning my whole life. Right now, I am learning to let go of my slight need to feel responsible for other people and their actions. I am letting go of my need for control over my life. Let go, and let God!

"Let the Water Rise"

  I have begun to figure out that some part of me wants to believe that I want life to be easy; that I want things to go according to 'plans' (whatever that means). In reality life is not that simple. Life is not that easy. It is so easy to get into that mindset though. When it seems that life is normal, we lose our sense of reality. This life is not easy. Hard stuff will happen. It's not exactly desirable to go through the hard things in life, but it all depends on the perspective that we are looking through. If we look at life, look at the hard times through the eyes of this world, then the hard times we face and even some of the good times we face will be veiled with misconstrued motives. We will struggle or even fail to see the 'bigger picture' or maybe even fail to realize that there is a 'bigger picture.' When we look at our life, the hard times and the good times through the eves of God, there is hope for something better. A life purpose that far outweighs any thing that I can, or anyone else could ever imagine. It's easy to see God in the good and blessed things that come into our lives, but when trials come, and the slope becomes slippery its easy to get a fogged view of the reason that life has taken this turn. When we view these hard times, the slippery slopes, that we face in life, God gives us the opportunity to trust Him even more. We can set our feet on the firm rocks that God has provided us. We can rest in the fact that God is good. He has a plan, and that He is working for the good of me. He never gives up, even when I feel like I can't go on. He will always finish what He has started. I am excited to see where God takes me, what he has planned for me. I seize the oppurtunity to trust Him with my life, to let go, and follow Him.

From Summer to Fall

Summer is over, and the fall has begun. It has already started to cool down over on the south west side of Michigan. This summer really flew by, with a quickness I have never seen before. It seems not too long ago we were prepping and planning for the summer to start, and now it has sailed right by. This past summer I had the opportunity to be the Aquatic Director here at camp. I got to oversee all the aquatic activities at the lake and the pool, as well as oversee the lifeguards that were on staff. This role was definitely something that excited me, but it also presented it’s own challenges.  It was a summer of firsts for me: I made my first 911 call, I made my first water rescue, I got to be the boss for the first time, and many other things. I was stretched and strengthened throughout this whole experience. God really taught me what it means to live outside of myself. I learned to see the needs of others, and put myself on the back burner. It was no coincidence that the topic we learned about before summer was humility. It was something that was referred back to, and experienced in the many weeks that we call summer.  Depending on God daily for the strength, energy, wisdom, and alertness I needed to do my job was not only necessary but brought me joy. To know that there is God that loves me, and has my needs, and my best interests in mind, was a breath of fresh air. When I was on my last leg, and fresh out of energy, God gave me the strength to move on. He reminded me that I am not here doing what I am doing for me, but for the furthering of the kingdom of God. I found it an awesome opportunity to do the job of lifeguarding this summer. I not only got to save lives in the water, but also got to be apart of a much bigger life rescue. We are in the business of saving souls, for the glory of Jesus Christ.  

                  It is September now, and that means the beginning of year number two in the Outfitters program. What does that mean? I am not completely sure. God has some great and challenging things planned for my future. Where will God move, where will he take me?  I have already been challenged so much in the first month getting back into the swing of things. I have been first of all challenged to experience, and show what the love of God really is. God really pierced my heart with the passage of 1 Corinthians 13. This passage goes into the importance of love in our lives, and what love really is.  I don’t think I will ever be able to grasp the vastness of the love of God, but if I am able to grab hold of even a small bit, then I can share that love with the world.  It is what we are called to do as disciples of Christ.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." –John 13:34-35

I have also been learning to expect the unexpected. We never know what tomorrow will hold. It is so easy for me to get caught up in thinking and worrying about what will happen in the future. Trapping myself in the “what-if’s” and the uncertainty, and creating a lot of anxiety for myself.  To trust the Lord with everything is to die to self. It is a concept for me to grasp, and something that God is continually teaching me.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matt. 6:33-34

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7                  

When thoughts run rampant.

            I think too much. This is what I am beginning to learn about myself. I spend a good part of my days and weeks thinking about many different things. Even in times of silence and solitude, my mind wanders all over. Although my thoughts cover a variety of topics, I find myself dwelling a lot on the uncertainty of the future. What’s my next step? Where are you in the midst of all this? So many times I acknowledge that God has a plan for me. He knows where my next step is., but I find myself wanting more and more to be on the inside of the plan. I want to know where to go next.  “God, I know you have an awesome plan for my life, but please, let me know what that is!”

            When life gets hard, and struggles come along, are the times I find myself the most in the dark when it comes to God’s plan. When life is good, and he problems are minimal it is easy for me to trust and be confident in God’s plan because everything is going well. When the bumps come along, that’s when I begin to wonder what God is doing. Don’t get me wrong, I know that he is working for my good, but it is definitely more on the forefront of my mind in the hard times.

            Through all my worry, anxiety, and thinking I get myself lost in a labyrinth of ‘what if’s’ and mixed emotions. Then God always reminds me of what is written in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” All I need to do is to keep on loving God, and He will work things together for my good. I can rest in this truth, and have confidence that my God is working up, or has worked up something amazing for my life. It is hard, and a struggle for me to not know what that means, but you know, it’s just more opportunity for me to trust in God!

Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose sreams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”

Summer has come and gone!

It is amazing how fast time can go by. I feel like it was just last week that the summer was  just starting here at Bair Lake Bible Camp. Now we are coming up to our last week. God has been doing some awesome things here this summer. Lives are being changed not only with the campers, but also within the staff. This summer I got the opportunity to be the Aquatics Director. It has been quite a journey, with many ups and downs, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I find it easy to let myself get caught up in the work of it, and the go-go-go, and forget to stop and see the power of what God is doing.


The theme that has been ringing through my life this summer is summed up by the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)


This verse is such a great assurance for me no matter what I am doing, or how I am feeling. In the good times, I remember that this is God working for my good, and it is evident. When the hard times roll around, my view of God's plan can get blurred really quick. It's comforting to rest on this truth, that even though I may not see it now, God is going to something great through this situation. 


I have been praying a lot about who God wants me to be. It is awesome when God provides His word for you, and it is so clear and evident. I have been making my way through the new testament, and I recently read through the book of Philippians, and I didn't expect to get anything new out of it because I have read it so often. But as I was reading God revealed to me a passage the spoke right to my heart of exactly who He want me to be.


"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:7-14

The month of May has just flown by. I feel like I say that just about every month, but month by month is seems to ring truer and truer.  This month I had the opportunity to travel down to Kentucky, with 11 other people from camp to visit the Creation Museum. It was a long trip but well worth the experience. First of all, we spent the night in tipis. Yeah, they were legitimate tipis. To top of that experience it was pouring down rain. At first I was unsure, but now I can definitely say I have slept in a tipi. Although the tipis were fun, the Creation Museum was definitely the highlight. At the museum they had a walk through, that took you through history starting at Creation and all the way to Christ's crucifixion. The part that interested me the most was the part that went through the Flood, and the ark. I never knew the intensity of the vastness that the ark was. It was awesome to see and kind of experience the process, and the distinct obedience that Noah had to what God was calling him to do. So often I find myself seeking instant gratification when God calls me to obey. Noah had to stay faithful for 100 years before his obedience actually served a purpose. I hope for a faith that will bring me to absolute obedience that Noah exemplified.

" The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."
 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:7-9


This is what the Bible says about Noah. I hope and pray that God will stretch me and grow me to a faith that i like Noah's.

April, Oh April

  So April has come and gone. Man, just when I thought I thought I had it all together, April flies right by. This month has been a good, challenging, and a month filed with growth.  First of all, God never fails to remind me of how much I desperately need to be trusting him. I feel like this is a constant lesson that I am learning, but it is defiinently a good lesson to be learning.  Recently I have been more adamant about looking into, and researching where I will be going to school, after I am finished with the discipleship program. God has made it clear to me that there is a big difference between what I want, and what he has planned. I know that is going to be a process of application to different school, and hold fast, and trusting in what God has for me. It is something that I am not looking forward to going through again, but am exited for the future, and what God will do. 

We were doing some training on the climbing wall that we have here at camp, and we decided to do some climbing on the most challenging portion of the wall. I ha done it before, but though t I would give it another shot because I had never made it to. I made it about 3/4 up the wall, when I decided that I didn't want to go any further. I stopped because I was afraid of falling, and even though I knew I was safe,I continued to be afraid. God spoke to me there on the wall. He told me that I have been holding on too tight for too long, to certain areas of my life. I just have to be able to trust him to guide me, and keep me safe. I believe that he will with all my heart, but the fact of surrendering over my life, and dieing to self, is a constant battle. 

I thank God for what He is teaching me, and how is challenging me. I am eternally thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus made 2000 years ago, to save me from myself. So often I see myself getting in the way of what God is trying to do. I tell myself many times, to just step aside, and let God reign in my life. Man is that a hard lesson to learn.

This is the verse that God has laid on my heart for this month,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
   "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
-Hebrews 12:1-7

The Merry Month of March

   Man has this month just flown by. Before i know it summer will be here, and I'm sure that will fly by also. This month has been jam packed full of awesome and exiting events, that I will begin to tell you about.
  First of all, this month of March has brought one major blessing that really speaks to my soul. That is the fact that the warm weather is here, and hopefully here to stay. I know that I am no meteorologist, but we have somewhat decided that if we dress for the weather that we want then, surely it will come. So far it has been working, and I actually enjoy wearing shorts and flip-flops again. I have to admit that I kind of did enjoy the snow a little bit, for maybe the first couple of weeks it was here, and off an on, when the occasion arose to throw snow balls at people.
  This month we have been reading the book titled "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan. He is the founder of the organization, Gospel for Asia. There focus is on supporting and building up the indenginous missionaries that are in Asia, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to every town, and city in the continent of Asia. K.P offers a fresh perspective on the culture, and the quality of life that we have here n the United States. He shares his observations, and feelings, as he moved from the village life of Asia, to the blessed, and often times taken for granted life that we have here in America, and most of the western world. Some of the small things that we see as insignificant are such a huge deal over there. Such as having a bicycle to ride or even having a pair of shoes to wear. K.P says that it is a rare occasion for even the head of the household to own a pair of shoes, but here in the United States, every person has multiple pairs of shoes to choose from. This book has really challenged me, to be thankful fo the opportunity to live in a country where we have all these blessings. I am thankful for having food to eat for three meals a day, I am thankful for having more than one outfit to choose from, I am thankful for having shoes to wear on my feet, i am thankful for the car that I have to travel. There are many more things that I am thankful for being blessed with, and God continues to reveal to me more and more things that I need to be  thankful for.
   Just this week we have finished Part 1 of our Precepts study in Genesis. The main focus of this part was the Chapters 1 and 2. We got to dig deeper in each day of creation, and lean the vastness, power, and variety in God;s creation. This last week we focused in on Go's creation of mankind. God created us to be in relationships, to be workers, to be in his creation, and appreciate the things that he has created for us, and even the fact that He created us. It continues to blow my mind to think about how awesome, and perfect God's creation is. He was so purposeful, and mindful of every little detail, and how all the different aspects of creation intertwine to make this world work. I am exited to continue into the following chapters in Genesis, and to continue to learn what GOd has to teach me about the beginning, and the first people that were living.
   In case you didn't know I turned 19 this month. It;s weird to think about still technically being considered a teenager because I don't feel like it at all. But that is besides the point. My birthday was awesome. Everyone here a camp really made me feel special on that day. I got my Spiderman birthday cake, we had chicken salad, and chicken fetuchinni alfredo for lunch (my favorite), and my fellow Outfitters, surprised me and took me to a concert. We went to the Winter Jam concert in Grand Rapids, and let me just say it was AMAZING. The bands that were there are, Mikes Chair, Newsboys, New Song, Tenth Avenue North, and Fireflight, and Third Day. We ended up sitting right in the front row. The base subwoffers were right in front of us, right up to eye level. It was loud, and my ears were ringing for a couple of days, but it made for a really awesome and memorable birthday. Thanks Guys!!!

I am exited to see what April has in store! Bring on the warmer weather!!!!

 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  - 1 John 4:7-12

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

This month we just started a new inductive Bible study called Precepts.The study that we are doing is on the book of Genesis. It has been a really challenging experience so far. This Bible study is a more academic study than than any Bible study that I have done before. Although at first glance I was really skeptical of the intensity of it, I think I am going to enjoy the study, especially because the things I have been learning already. We have only really gone into the first 5 chapters, but the things that i am learning are incredible, and I can’t wait to se what else I will learn through out the time we are doing this. In the past I have just kind of known the things that it says in the Bible according to creation, mostly due to Sunday school when I was a child. Now I am beginning to discover for myself, what it is that God did in those “beginning” days, and how that impacts my life today. It is crazy to think about, and I know that I am not able to understand it all, but that just adds to the awesomeness of it.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, an subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth

. -Genesis 1:27-28

The book of the month this month, is "Secrets of the Vine" by Bruce Wilkinson. It goes in depth looking at John 15, to teach how to live an abundant live by abiding in Christ. It is really cool to see how the creation of the grape vine, is such a perfect example of how we are in relation to Jesus and the Father.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing

.

-John 15:5

Earlier this week, I was at Christian Camping Conference Association(CCCA) Michigan Sectional. It was an awesome opportunity to get to meet and get to know the other camps that join in this ministry. It was also good to step outside of Bair Lake and see what other groups are doing, and how they do things. This conference was also a renewing time of spiritual growth. The speaker at the conference was Ron Hutchcraft. He had lots of challenging and encouraging things to say. He focused on the need out there to rescue the lost, and be disciples of Christ.