...chris rice past the edges
no. 5 to be exact, which is titled "and Your praise goes on"
The moon is high and the sunset fades
the lullabies have all been sung
we’re tucking in another day
and stars appear now one by one
but the stillness moves and the silence yields
and not a single beat is lost
you can hear the chorus in the fields
taking up where we left off
and Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne
where You guard us while we dream
past the stars they fly, Your praises fill the sky
‘til You wake us with the dawn
and Your praise goes on
now bring your warmth, oh morning sun
chase the stars and the moon away
and wake us with your brightest song
and add our voice to your refrain
now rise up everything that lives
flap your wings and leap for joy
oh forest lift your arms and sway
clap your hands you ocean waves
and Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne
where You bless our toil and play
through the clouds they rise, Your praises fill the skies
‘til the setting of the sun
and Your praise goes on
and when my final breath You lend
i’ll thank You for the life You gave
but that won’t mean the praises end
‘cause i won’t be silenced by the grave!
and Your praise goes on
i’ll be running to Your throne
with every nation, tribe and tongue
to Your arms i’ll fly
i’ll gaze into Your eyes
then i’ll know as I am known
and Your praise goes on
and Your praise goes on
and Your praise goes on
oh man, i love that one.
you can hear the chorus in the fields
taking up where we left off
that gets me. let's not EVER stop praising Him & leave it up to nature. let's continue and sing with the rest of creation to Elohim, Creator God.
and wake us with your brightest song
and add our voice to your refrain
flap your wings and leap for joy
oh forest lift your arms and sway
clap your hands you ocean waves
that's how we should sing. singing a loud song, pleasing to God. dancing because of His joy in our hearts. clapping, making a joyful noise to the Lord. raising our hands, lifting praise to God.
‘cause i won’t be silenced by the grave!
sin knows no power over we who are in Christ! death has lost its sting. for us, death is an upgrade, a promotion. to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus...(i so just got the goose bumps)...its going to be awesome. why should we not sing? we have no reason to stay silent. so sing!
are you singing?
Saturday, August 23
ahhhhhhhh!
school is insane!
1000 teenagers in each of two lunches.
toughest english class ever w/ my ex.
two foreign languages-spanish & pre-cal.
an assigned seat in physics completely surrounded by guys.
w/ and end-of-school bell that doesn't ring until 3:48 (not 3:45, but 3:48 to be exact).
and a passion for the greatest news in creation burning within me along with a curiosity/fear of what might happen if i dare to share it with the world.
and adults wonder why kids are so stressed?!
but, hold fast. there's hope...
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
james 1:2-4
"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
romans 15:5,6&13
1000 teenagers in each of two lunches.
toughest english class ever w/ my ex.
two foreign languages-spanish & pre-cal.
an assigned seat in physics completely surrounded by guys.
w/ and end-of-school bell that doesn't ring until 3:48 (not 3:45, but 3:48 to be exact).
and a passion for the greatest news in creation burning within me along with a curiosity/fear of what might happen if i dare to share it with the world.
and adults wonder why kids are so stressed?!
but, hold fast. there's hope...
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
james 1:2-4
"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
romans 15:5,6&13
Friday, August 8
day two...part two
sorry it took so long for me to get back to posting. i've had a million & one things to do and this just wasn't one of them.
so now let's go back in time.
WORSHIP 7-29-08
worship started with AT2AP doing individual sketches (not skits!). matt was first, acting as though he were Jesus' disciple peter. he talked about how he constantly struggled and told us truths he learned along The Way:
-in order to to COME and GO as Jesus calls us to do, we must first LEAVE.
we have to leave everything about our old selves behind in order to find new life in Christ, in order to truly follow Him and live as He calls us to, to be like Him and do the things He did. who we once were can't handle what God has planned. mark 2:21-22 says, "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins." leave your old wineskins, you old worn out lifestyles, and trade them for new life that only Christ brings so that His will may be done in your life. that's not possible if you keep you old habits and ways. only in His ways can fulfillment be found.
-when you follow Him, you are completely and utterly His & nothing is yours EVER AGAIN.
utterly: to the full extent; totally; completely; absolutely; entirely; wholly.
nothing we have now was ever ours to begin with. once that hits you, sacrifice to God on our part makes perfect sense. you're not giving to God what's yours; you're giving to God what already His. i'm reminded of a line from Blessed be Your Name that says, "every blessing You pour out i'll turn back to praise." we must give God our all because He first blessed us with it. and what He has blessed us with, He calls us to be good stewards of. we are good stewards when we bless Him with our blessings.
-i am FOREVER TRANSFORMED!
God doesn't change us for a season or for a couple of years. He changes us FOREVER! i don't if you've ever thought about how long forever is, but it blows my mind! i'm a visual learner and i try to look at a timeline of forever, and it just goes on and on...like the energizer bunny, only longer! how awesome that God loves us SOOOOOO much to promise us eternity with Him, forever changed. Praise be to God!
-God sees past who i am to who i COULD be in Him. He broke through the wrong and made me right. He chose me.
i used to think i was just a nobody that would live a life pleasing to God, but i never considered myself a world-changer. i never actually believed God would do something huge through me. but He's changed my view on that. God does amazing things through ordinary people...like you and me. i've given myself over to the Almighty God and i'm trying to allow Him to do whatever He wants with me and through me. i want to view the world through His eyes, through His lens, if you will. i'm trying to see hope where the world sees despair. i'm finding beauty in the simple things of life that are often taken for granted. i encourage you to do the same. everything you think you'll fail at, God will carry you through as His will prevails in our world. He chose you out of the word to holy and blameless before Him, to bring Him glory. don't you think if Elohim, Creator God, picked little you out of His entire Creation, He would help you along The Way? what do you have to fear?
-when i repent and return to His side, i find that He never left mine.
God is always with us, no matter where we try to run and hide, no matter how hard we search for His touch and don't find it. Immanuel, here with me. psalm 139:8-12 says, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (NIV) it is such a comfort knowing God is never far, that He is so big and He is with us everywhere we go. one of my favorite matt redman songs goes,
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me.
when aaron came on stage that night, he didn't just lead worship, but lead a sort of mini-sermon. God has seriously blessed aaron with the gift of music AND leadership. he doesn't just play the guitar and sing, but he describes to us how we can worship. tonight, he taught us from these scripture passages:
"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." hebrews 13:15
simply verbalizing His name, His praise, and what He's don't in our lives brings Him praise.
isaiah 1 (WAY too long to quote; but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it!)
God was angry with israel because they claimed to lead a live pleasing to God. their offerings looked good, but they didn't have a heart, a life that validated their worship. verse 13 says, "bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me." verse 15 says, "when you spread out your hands, i will hide my eyes from you; event though you make many prayers, i will not listen; your hands are full of blood." don't be a poser for God. you are not bringing Him glory when you're lukewarm. be hot or cold, or He'll spit you out!
"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel...I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." psalm 22:3&22
the God of the universe is lifted up when we praise Him!!! how awesome that the praises of wretched sinners turned righteous lovers can bring glory and honor to El Elyon, God Most High.
"They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness." psalm 89:16
ALL DAY LONG we are to praise the Almighty King! never ceasing praise is to be lifted high to God. we can't always break out into song in the middle of a test at school or an important meeting in the office, but our hearts, our thought towards those who drive us nuts, our actions towards our enemies can bring God praise and glory and honor. sing to Him with your life. the life that He gives to you, that He bought for you.
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower;the righteous man runs into it and is safe." proverbs 18:10
the very Name of God is a fortress, a place of refuge and safety! to hide beneath who he is and what He had done for us...incredible...can you tell, i'm excited? i don't even have words to describe how much that fires me up!
"Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!"
psalm 149
there is a song unique to you, one that only you can sing to the LORD. when we sing the praises of what He's done specific to our lives, we sing to God a new song. the hebrew word tehelah (don't quote me on the spelling) means just that, to sing a new song. God hears our songs to Him when we thank Him for what He's done for us and who He is in our lives.
"And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones." isaiah 30:30
this verse was the basis for aaron's song i am Yours. the chorus declares,
Your love is a raging fire
Your touch is a soothing rain
Your kindness has turned my heart and i am changed
Your mercy's river wide
Your cross is an open door
Your blood says i'm justified
and i am Yours
our God is mighty and majestic, powerful and soothing to our souls. praise Him for protecting you with His very words.
dave opened by saying that the road to death may look like the road to life, and vise versa. he talked about jeremiah 23:25-32. God is fired up angry about false prophets who are leading His people astray when they say that had a dream from God. verse 27 says, "...who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?" in old testament times, God's name didn't just mean that His name was spelled G-O-D. His name had meaning. dave said that here forgetting God's name was forgetting His essence. no wonder God's mad. false prophets are leading His people to believe things that aren't true and therefore, they are forgetting who their God is, Adonai, their Master. prophets weren't just people who talked about God. these guys sat in the council of God. isaiah 6 is an example of what it meant to sit in the council of God. God was angry because these people were pretending to be close to God; they were posing.
dave stopped here and did something he said he had never done and didn't want to do. but God had laid it heavy on his heart all day, so he was going to listen. he asked if anyone in the room needed to confess being a poser. we had time to just fess up to living a life for ourselves and commit to live for God's will and not our desires. for me, that was necessary to really receive the rest of the message. so right now, as you're reading this, do you need to confess something to God? have you been posing? allow God to work in your heart. let Him heal you. let Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, into your core.
our lives are supposed to be a manifestation of the Word of God into the world we live in. we should be proclaiming His Word to those around us with our lives. we are to proclaim the truth. hebrews 10:19 and following, God's Word said we, by the blood of Christ, are able to come into the most holy parts of the temple, into the council of God. we can proclaim boldly the love and grace of Christ. and since God gave us this ability, we should honor Him by speaking the truth about Him, not false lies that will lead others away from the only One who can satisfy. but, there are false prophets today, too. those who say they love God and follow Jesus and wear crosses around their necks and co good deeds and tithe. but if their heart isn't in it, if it's not real, they're just posing. they have blood on their hands. and that's not pleasing to God. dave said that it's no wonder those who don't believe don't want to believe. there are so many posers out there that look like the world that people who are sincerely searching for something bigger to live for don't a difference between Christians and your average joe.
don't be that poser!
when posers' words are believed, those who fall victim are scarred and they don't even realize it. every decision we make leaves us and others marked, whether in a good way or a harmful way.
posers don't even have to claim to be Christians. they can just claim that they know what's right,what you should be doing...or wearing, saying, watching...the list goes on and on. the media tells women that if they don't weigh 100 pounds (or less) hat they're ugly...which is sooooo not true. the media tells guys that the closer their shave is, the more women will want them. like if you use this razor, every woman you pass on the street will walk up to you and touch your face...and that won't be awkward? and adults aren't the only ones targeted. it starts young. if you don't dress like the zac efron or sing like miley cyrus you're unacceptable and you automatically sit at the loser table in the lunchroom. and what's worse...there are kids out there who believe this stuff. it's scary how much we have to censor what our kids watch on tv. it sickens me to watch a movie while i'm babysitting and to know that adult humor is in a G-rated cartoon.
one example dave brought up was dating. this hit me hard because of my recent decision to not date anymore. he said, "don't date for your identity, but from your identity," that is if your identity is found in Christ. we shouldn't date the star of the football team because we want to be popular. we're just using him to satisfy our momentary desires, the sinful desires of our flesh.
another was just as relevant to me.: achievements. it's one thing to be a hard worker and try to get good grades. but living for empty fulfillment of being number one isn't worth it. there are much bigger things to live for. dave said that in Christ, "you are no longer an achiever; you are achieved." God calls us to live for Him, not ourselves. to live a selfless life devoted to service for His kingdom; not to live selfishly for what we want or crave.
in order to live a life pleasing to God, we have to give everything we have, everything we hold dear, our hopes, our dreams, all our plans for our future, we have to surrender it to Him. we have to crucify what we live for and receive His plans to use us for His dreams, His kingdom, His will.
the last drama of the night seemed to wrap up dave's point pretty well. jill acted as mary magdalene, saying "when we've lost everything, what we have left is what's important." after surrendering to Christ, you may feel like you have nothing left. but you'd be wrong. with Christ, we have more than we could ever imagine, more than we could ever hope for. the things we once had, the the things we surrender to Him-possessins, empty thoughts, achievements-will one day wither away and die. but what we have in Christ-hope, eternal life, the love of El Olam, the Everlasting One-they are treasures we store up in heaven. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." matthew 6:19-21
jill also said that "not mere words but his life in mine is what i preach." i think of Jesus' words in matthew 6:5 and following:
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."
so now let's go back in time.
WORSHIP 7-29-08
worship started with AT2AP doing individual sketches (not skits!). matt was first, acting as though he were Jesus' disciple peter. he talked about how he constantly struggled and told us truths he learned along The Way:
-in order to to COME and GO as Jesus calls us to do, we must first LEAVE.
we have to leave everything about our old selves behind in order to find new life in Christ, in order to truly follow Him and live as He calls us to, to be like Him and do the things He did. who we once were can't handle what God has planned. mark 2:21-22 says, "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins." leave your old wineskins, you old worn out lifestyles, and trade them for new life that only Christ brings so that His will may be done in your life. that's not possible if you keep you old habits and ways. only in His ways can fulfillment be found.
-when you follow Him, you are completely and utterly His & nothing is yours EVER AGAIN.
utterly: to the full extent; totally; completely; absolutely; entirely; wholly.
nothing we have now was ever ours to begin with. once that hits you, sacrifice to God on our part makes perfect sense. you're not giving to God what's yours; you're giving to God what already His. i'm reminded of a line from Blessed be Your Name that says, "every blessing You pour out i'll turn back to praise." we must give God our all because He first blessed us with it. and what He has blessed us with, He calls us to be good stewards of. we are good stewards when we bless Him with our blessings.
-i am FOREVER TRANSFORMED!
God doesn't change us for a season or for a couple of years. He changes us FOREVER! i don't if you've ever thought about how long forever is, but it blows my mind! i'm a visual learner and i try to look at a timeline of forever, and it just goes on and on...like the energizer bunny, only longer! how awesome that God loves us SOOOOOO much to promise us eternity with Him, forever changed. Praise be to God!
-God sees past who i am to who i COULD be in Him. He broke through the wrong and made me right. He chose me.
i used to think i was just a nobody that would live a life pleasing to God, but i never considered myself a world-changer. i never actually believed God would do something huge through me. but He's changed my view on that. God does amazing things through ordinary people...like you and me. i've given myself over to the Almighty God and i'm trying to allow Him to do whatever He wants with me and through me. i want to view the world through His eyes, through His lens, if you will. i'm trying to see hope where the world sees despair. i'm finding beauty in the simple things of life that are often taken for granted. i encourage you to do the same. everything you think you'll fail at, God will carry you through as His will prevails in our world. He chose you out of the word to holy and blameless before Him, to bring Him glory. don't you think if Elohim, Creator God, picked little you out of His entire Creation, He would help you along The Way? what do you have to fear?
-when i repent and return to His side, i find that He never left mine.
God is always with us, no matter where we try to run and hide, no matter how hard we search for His touch and don't find it. Immanuel, here with me. psalm 139:8-12 says, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (NIV) it is such a comfort knowing God is never far, that He is so big and He is with us everywhere we go. one of my favorite matt redman songs goes,
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me.
when aaron came on stage that night, he didn't just lead worship, but lead a sort of mini-sermon. God has seriously blessed aaron with the gift of music AND leadership. he doesn't just play the guitar and sing, but he describes to us how we can worship. tonight, he taught us from these scripture passages:
"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." hebrews 13:15
simply verbalizing His name, His praise, and what He's don't in our lives brings Him praise.
isaiah 1 (WAY too long to quote; but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it!)
God was angry with israel because they claimed to lead a live pleasing to God. their offerings looked good, but they didn't have a heart, a life that validated their worship. verse 13 says, "bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me." verse 15 says, "when you spread out your hands, i will hide my eyes from you; event though you make many prayers, i will not listen; your hands are full of blood." don't be a poser for God. you are not bringing Him glory when you're lukewarm. be hot or cold, or He'll spit you out!
"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel...I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." psalm 22:3&22
the God of the universe is lifted up when we praise Him!!! how awesome that the praises of wretched sinners turned righteous lovers can bring glory and honor to El Elyon, God Most High.
"They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness." psalm 89:16
ALL DAY LONG we are to praise the Almighty King! never ceasing praise is to be lifted high to God. we can't always break out into song in the middle of a test at school or an important meeting in the office, but our hearts, our thought towards those who drive us nuts, our actions towards our enemies can bring God praise and glory and honor. sing to Him with your life. the life that He gives to you, that He bought for you.
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower;the righteous man runs into it and is safe." proverbs 18:10
the very Name of God is a fortress, a place of refuge and safety! to hide beneath who he is and what He had done for us...incredible...can you tell, i'm excited? i don't even have words to describe how much that fires me up!
"Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!"
psalm 149
there is a song unique to you, one that only you can sing to the LORD. when we sing the praises of what He's done specific to our lives, we sing to God a new song. the hebrew word tehelah (don't quote me on the spelling) means just that, to sing a new song. God hears our songs to Him when we thank Him for what He's done for us and who He is in our lives.
"And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones." isaiah 30:30
this verse was the basis for aaron's song i am Yours. the chorus declares,
Your love is a raging fire
Your touch is a soothing rain
Your kindness has turned my heart and i am changed
Your mercy's river wide
Your cross is an open door
Your blood says i'm justified
and i am Yours
our God is mighty and majestic, powerful and soothing to our souls. praise Him for protecting you with His very words.
dave opened by saying that the road to death may look like the road to life, and vise versa. he talked about jeremiah 23:25-32. God is fired up angry about false prophets who are leading His people astray when they say that had a dream from God. verse 27 says, "...who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?" in old testament times, God's name didn't just mean that His name was spelled G-O-D. His name had meaning. dave said that here forgetting God's name was forgetting His essence. no wonder God's mad. false prophets are leading His people to believe things that aren't true and therefore, they are forgetting who their God is, Adonai, their Master. prophets weren't just people who talked about God. these guys sat in the council of God. isaiah 6 is an example of what it meant to sit in the council of God. God was angry because these people were pretending to be close to God; they were posing.
dave stopped here and did something he said he had never done and didn't want to do. but God had laid it heavy on his heart all day, so he was going to listen. he asked if anyone in the room needed to confess being a poser. we had time to just fess up to living a life for ourselves and commit to live for God's will and not our desires. for me, that was necessary to really receive the rest of the message. so right now, as you're reading this, do you need to confess something to God? have you been posing? allow God to work in your heart. let Him heal you. let Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, into your core.
our lives are supposed to be a manifestation of the Word of God into the world we live in. we should be proclaiming His Word to those around us with our lives. we are to proclaim the truth. hebrews 10:19 and following, God's Word said we, by the blood of Christ, are able to come into the most holy parts of the temple, into the council of God. we can proclaim boldly the love and grace of Christ. and since God gave us this ability, we should honor Him by speaking the truth about Him, not false lies that will lead others away from the only One who can satisfy. but, there are false prophets today, too. those who say they love God and follow Jesus and wear crosses around their necks and co good deeds and tithe. but if their heart isn't in it, if it's not real, they're just posing. they have blood on their hands. and that's not pleasing to God. dave said that it's no wonder those who don't believe don't want to believe. there are so many posers out there that look like the world that people who are sincerely searching for something bigger to live for don't a difference between Christians and your average joe.
don't be that poser!
when posers' words are believed, those who fall victim are scarred and they don't even realize it. every decision we make leaves us and others marked, whether in a good way or a harmful way.
posers don't even have to claim to be Christians. they can just claim that they know what's right,what you should be doing...or wearing, saying, watching...the list goes on and on. the media tells women that if they don't weigh 100 pounds (or less) hat they're ugly...which is sooooo not true. the media tells guys that the closer their shave is, the more women will want them. like if you use this razor, every woman you pass on the street will walk up to you and touch your face...and that won't be awkward? and adults aren't the only ones targeted. it starts young. if you don't dress like the zac efron or sing like miley cyrus you're unacceptable and you automatically sit at the loser table in the lunchroom. and what's worse...there are kids out there who believe this stuff. it's scary how much we have to censor what our kids watch on tv. it sickens me to watch a movie while i'm babysitting and to know that adult humor is in a G-rated cartoon.
one example dave brought up was dating. this hit me hard because of my recent decision to not date anymore. he said, "don't date for your identity, but from your identity," that is if your identity is found in Christ. we shouldn't date the star of the football team because we want to be popular. we're just using him to satisfy our momentary desires, the sinful desires of our flesh.
another was just as relevant to me.: achievements. it's one thing to be a hard worker and try to get good grades. but living for empty fulfillment of being number one isn't worth it. there are much bigger things to live for. dave said that in Christ, "you are no longer an achiever; you are achieved." God calls us to live for Him, not ourselves. to live a selfless life devoted to service for His kingdom; not to live selfishly for what we want or crave.
in order to live a life pleasing to God, we have to give everything we have, everything we hold dear, our hopes, our dreams, all our plans for our future, we have to surrender it to Him. we have to crucify what we live for and receive His plans to use us for His dreams, His kingdom, His will.
the last drama of the night seemed to wrap up dave's point pretty well. jill acted as mary magdalene, saying "when we've lost everything, what we have left is what's important." after surrendering to Christ, you may feel like you have nothing left. but you'd be wrong. with Christ, we have more than we could ever imagine, more than we could ever hope for. the things we once had, the the things we surrender to Him-possessins, empty thoughts, achievements-will one day wither away and die. but what we have in Christ-hope, eternal life, the love of El Olam, the Everlasting One-they are treasures we store up in heaven. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." matthew 6:19-21
jill also said that "not mere words but his life in mine is what i preach." i think of Jesus' words in matthew 6:5 and following:
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."
Tuesday, August 5
day two...part one
tuesday was so packed full of stuff to tell you! so much, in fact, it's going to take me two posts to get it all out. so here we go...
CELEBRATION
for anyone who's never been to SL CAMP before, celebration is a morning worship service to get us pumped for the rest of the day. it's in the form of a news show of some sort and camp news & announcements are given by the drama group, All Things To All People (AT2AP for short). this year, jill, a crazy news anchor woman, would ask 7, who worked for...THE GOVERNMENT (insert ominous music and heavy breathing here...you had to be there, trust me), a joke every morning. today's joke:
jill- (while bending her index finger & moving it toward him: see picture) "hey 7, what's this?"
7- "umm...i don't know, jill, what is it?"
jill- "i don't, either, but here comes another one!" (repeats previous motion)
i know it sounds dumb, but it gets better tomorrow. once again, you just had to be there. her voice was so funny you couldn't help but laugh.
(photo borrowed from Student Life website)
dave came out and started by talking about a retreat he spoke at once. it was an "extreme retreat" & they did crazy adventure stuff everyday. he went along when they went caving, not fulling understanding what that involved. he thought they would walk into a cave, tell some ghost stories, and leave. not so!!! he said most of the time he was down on his hands and knees. at one point, they told him to turn his headlamp off & that he wasn't allowed to talk, but he'd be the only one. everyone else could see & communicate with each other. even though he was scared half to death, he agreed. partly because, he's the camp pastor; if he was afraid, what hope was there for the students he was teaching. he said it also might have had something to do with the fact that there were girls on this trip and he didn't want to look like a wuss because he was afraid and these girls were anything but. a couple minutes into it, and at the end of the line of crawling people, he couldn't hear or see the people in front of him. so now, he' has no idea where to go, and he's not supposed to say anything. he interrupted the story there and read to us john 14:1-14, where Jesus says:
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
now back to dave's story. he decided that he didn't care if he looked like a wuss or people made fun of him for not being a man. he needed help and he wasn't afraid to ask for it anymore. he turned his light on and screamed at the top of his lungs for someones help.
dave said in verse 5, thomas was scared because Jesus was telling them that He was leaving them but that they already knew the way to where He was going. thomas was confused & no idea what Jesus was talking about. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" thomas turned his light on and didn't care if he was the only one who didn't know what Jesus meant. Jesus's response?
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus longs for us to turn our lights on, to give up our reputations for being tough and fearless, and surrender to His help, to His guidance, to His Way... to Him. when we're in the midst of our peers at school, around those who mean the most to us, and stand up for Him, without a second thought toward our popularity or whether we may look like fools in the eyes of the world.
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." translation? "God give us a burning bush moment, a mountain top experience where we see You in such an amazing way and can surrender to You among those who love you and will support me (so i don't get embarrassed in front of the world). that's all we need."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "
Jesus is saying to philip, to us, "I'M RIGHT HERE! AM I NOT ENOUGH? WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? WHAT ELSE WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE? I'M WHAT YOU NEED!
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."
Jesus is saying, "surrender to Me now. do as I do. love Me and walk with Me. get to know me and imitate me. don't just say you follow Me. DO IT! show you love Me. be an example into the world."
dave said when we don't know where to go next, or even where we are now, our next step is always Jesus. He's our first step, our last step and all the ones in between. He is the Way and the destination. if we truly love someone, we love what they do also. Jesus says, "if you love Me, do what I do. live not for yourself, but for the Father."
"If you want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we are raising the bar this week,' Rhodes said. "Because that’s what it means to walk in the Way."
if i wasn't awake yet, i was now.
now, off the serious for a while and on to the wild and crazy section of my day
RECREATION
once again, to you SL CAMP new-comers, campers are divided into color squads, and compete for the spirit stick every morning @ celebration. whoever cheers the loudest wins. the high schoolers were the BLUE CREW!!! we met outside after celebration and one of our REC leaders, steven (see following days for pictures), taught us our cheer. it was pretty awesome, amazing actually. there was chanting and...oh, wait! do you want to hear it? or better yet, read it:
us: AHHHHHHHH BLUE! (getting louder as steven rose his arm higher & higher)
steven: BLUE CREW, WHERE YOU AT? LET ME HEAR YOU HOLLA BACK!
us: HOO-HA! (clap, clap) HOO-HA! (clap, clap)
steven: BLUE CREW, WHERE YOU AT? LET ME HEAR YOU HOLLA BACK!
us: HOO-HA! (clap, clap) HOO-HA! (clap, clap)
steven: HEY! HEY! ALL THE WAY! WE TAKE VICTORY EVERY DAY! WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEST! (not WE ARE. that's just not cool.)
steven: WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEST!
steven: WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEEEEEEEEE...(leads into random loud screaming)
steven: (moving hand around to gather our screams into his fist then rhythmically beating on his heart)
us: BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! (in sync to steven's rhythmic beating)
steven: (throwing his hand up into the air and releasing our screams)
us: (random louder screaming)
(haha! the spell check is going crazy with our cheer!)
we also used sign language:
at the beginning of our cheer when steven raised his hand, he'd make the "b".
when you make "b" with you hand and do the princess wave, that's blue in sign language. who knew? so jacey (REC leader #2) told us to wave blue to anyone on the BLUE CREW when we saw them around campus.
and while kindergartners hold a finger over their mouths when they have to be quiet, we on the BLUE CREW prefer to hold moustaches on our faces. don't ask me why, but we do. steven said so!
and any time it got quiet in celebration, steven told us to chant USA! USA! USA!
anyway...
note: just because you're on the top of a mountain and above the clouds DOES NOT mean it's any cooler than the valley. it was sooooooo hot! it was a good thing we had water day tuesday! my favorite game wasn't any of the running around & energetic games, but the quiz station. steven would ask us a true/false question and if we answered correctly, the other two groups got hosed down from head to toe (not that we weren't already soaked). but if we were wrong...WE got wet!
FAMILY GROUP BIBLE STUDY
so the room we were supposed to meet in was the Caudle Room, probably named after someone important. well, we didn't really like that name. so we changed it to the "Cuddle" Room because there were lots of big chairs and couches in it.
my notes aren't very extensive for this meeting but we looked at matthew 7:13-14 which says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it," and john 10:7-10 which says, "Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
we discussed how we can stay grounded in Christ and on that narrow road that leads to Jesus, Shepherd God, Jehovah Raah:
-praying
-accountability partners
-staying away from things that cause our minds to wander (certain shows, movies, songs, etc.)
-do others see Christ in us?
-“We recognize that becoming people on the Way requires us to become people of the Word.”
as dave said that morning, we can't just say we follow Christ. we must actually do what He does and walk that narrow road with Him.
FREE TIME
there was a really bad storm moving in after lunch. so brittany, zach, oscar, veeka, & i were in the college store and the power flickered off and then came right back on. we didn't think anything of it until the fire alarm started blaring! before we knew it, the entire building was being evacuated. somehow every person in the building fit onto the front porch while the staff was running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out what tripped the alarm. no one knew if the alarm just shorted out in the power surge or if the building was actually on fire. meanwhile, jesse finds us outside and she's got a hoodie on with the hood pulled up. it's like a million degrees and muggy outside & she's wearing a jacket? her mom was like, "jesse was doing her hair when they evacuated. show 'em your hair jesse." jesse has the prettiest curly hair ever...when it's styled. jesse pulls down her hood and her hair was sticking up in the air all over the place. she was freaking out because she was so worried it looked bad. so the second they let us back inside, she ran upstairs and comes back down later with her hair all beautified and pretty. she's so crazy! while she was fixing her fro, we our church group sat in the lobby outside the cafeteria eating BEN & JERRY'S and playing UNO. the plastic spoons we had weren't doing a very good job so i asked the guy in the cafeteria if i could borrow some spoons and bring them back later. he was confused as to why i needed spoons outside the cafeteria when all the food was inside. once i explained to him, he said i'd have to ask a manager. then the manager was like, "yeah, sure. BUT! you gotta bring them back, SOON!"
...well, it's 10:00 and i'm incredibly tired. so i'll be back tomorrow with worship notes from tuesday. too much to get all in tonight.
and don't worry, i brought the spoons back!
GOD BLESS!
CELEBRATION
for anyone who's never been to SL CAMP before, celebration is a morning worship service to get us pumped for the rest of the day. it's in the form of a news show of some sort and camp news & announcements are given by the drama group, All Things To All People (AT2AP for short). this year, jill, a crazy news anchor woman, would ask 7, who worked for...THE GOVERNMENT (insert ominous music and heavy breathing here...you had to be there, trust me), a joke every morning. today's joke:
jill- (while bending her index finger & moving it toward him: see picture) "hey 7, what's this?"
7- "umm...i don't know, jill, what is it?"
jill- "i don't, either, but here comes another one!" (repeats previous motion)
i know it sounds dumb, but it gets better tomorrow. once again, you just had to be there. her voice was so funny you couldn't help but laugh.
(photo borrowed from Student Life website)dave came out and started by talking about a retreat he spoke at once. it was an "extreme retreat" & they did crazy adventure stuff everyday. he went along when they went caving, not fulling understanding what that involved. he thought they would walk into a cave, tell some ghost stories, and leave. not so!!! he said most of the time he was down on his hands and knees. at one point, they told him to turn his headlamp off & that he wasn't allowed to talk, but he'd be the only one. everyone else could see & communicate with each other. even though he was scared half to death, he agreed. partly because, he's the camp pastor; if he was afraid, what hope was there for the students he was teaching. he said it also might have had something to do with the fact that there were girls on this trip and he didn't want to look like a wuss because he was afraid and these girls were anything but. a couple minutes into it, and at the end of the line of crawling people, he couldn't hear or see the people in front of him. so now, he' has no idea where to go, and he's not supposed to say anything. he interrupted the story there and read to us john 14:1-14, where Jesus says:
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
now back to dave's story. he decided that he didn't care if he looked like a wuss or people made fun of him for not being a man. he needed help and he wasn't afraid to ask for it anymore. he turned his light on and screamed at the top of his lungs for someones help.
dave said in verse 5, thomas was scared because Jesus was telling them that He was leaving them but that they already knew the way to where He was going. thomas was confused & no idea what Jesus was talking about. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" thomas turned his light on and didn't care if he was the only one who didn't know what Jesus meant. Jesus's response?
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus longs for us to turn our lights on, to give up our reputations for being tough and fearless, and surrender to His help, to His guidance, to His Way... to Him. when we're in the midst of our peers at school, around those who mean the most to us, and stand up for Him, without a second thought toward our popularity or whether we may look like fools in the eyes of the world.
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." translation? "God give us a burning bush moment, a mountain top experience where we see You in such an amazing way and can surrender to You among those who love you and will support me (so i don't get embarrassed in front of the world). that's all we need."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "
Jesus is saying to philip, to us, "I'M RIGHT HERE! AM I NOT ENOUGH? WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? WHAT ELSE WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE? I'M WHAT YOU NEED!
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."
Jesus is saying, "surrender to Me now. do as I do. love Me and walk with Me. get to know me and imitate me. don't just say you follow Me. DO IT! show you love Me. be an example into the world."
dave said when we don't know where to go next, or even where we are now, our next step is always Jesus. He's our first step, our last step and all the ones in between. He is the Way and the destination. if we truly love someone, we love what they do also. Jesus says, "if you love Me, do what I do. live not for yourself, but for the Father."
"If you want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we are raising the bar this week,' Rhodes said. "Because that’s what it means to walk in the Way."
if i wasn't awake yet, i was now.
now, off the serious for a while and on to the wild and crazy section of my day
RECREATION
once again, to you SL CAMP new-comers, campers are divided into color squads, and compete for the spirit stick every morning @ celebration. whoever cheers the loudest wins. the high schoolers were the BLUE CREW!!! we met outside after celebration and one of our REC leaders, steven (see following days for pictures), taught us our cheer. it was pretty awesome, amazing actually. there was chanting and...oh, wait! do you want to hear it? or better yet, read it:
us: AHHHHHHHH BLUE! (getting louder as steven rose his arm higher & higher)
steven: BLUE CREW, WHERE YOU AT? LET ME HEAR YOU HOLLA BACK!
us: HOO-HA! (clap, clap) HOO-HA! (clap, clap)
steven: BLUE CREW, WHERE YOU AT? LET ME HEAR YOU HOLLA BACK!
us: HOO-HA! (clap, clap) HOO-HA! (clap, clap)
steven: HEY! HEY! ALL THE WAY! WE TAKE VICTORY EVERY DAY! WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEST! (not WE ARE. that's just not cool.)
steven: WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEST!
steven: WHO'S THE BEST?
us: WE'RE THE BEEEEEEEEE...(leads into random loud screaming)
steven: (moving hand around to gather our screams into his fist then rhythmically beating on his heart)
us: BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! (in sync to steven's rhythmic beating)
steven: (throwing his hand up into the air and releasing our screams)
us: (random louder screaming)
(haha! the spell check is going crazy with our cheer!)
we also used sign language:
at the beginning of our cheer when steven raised his hand, he'd make the "b".
when you make "b" with you hand and do the princess wave, that's blue in sign language. who knew? so jacey (REC leader #2) told us to wave blue to anyone on the BLUE CREW when we saw them around campus.
and while kindergartners hold a finger over their mouths when they have to be quiet, we on the BLUE CREW prefer to hold moustaches on our faces. don't ask me why, but we do. steven said so!
and any time it got quiet in celebration, steven told us to chant USA! USA! USA!
anyway...
note: just because you're on the top of a mountain and above the clouds DOES NOT mean it's any cooler than the valley. it was sooooooo hot! it was a good thing we had water day tuesday! my favorite game wasn't any of the running around & energetic games, but the quiz station. steven would ask us a true/false question and if we answered correctly, the other two groups got hosed down from head to toe (not that we weren't already soaked). but if we were wrong...WE got wet!
FAMILY GROUP BIBLE STUDY
so the room we were supposed to meet in was the Caudle Room, probably named after someone important. well, we didn't really like that name. so we changed it to the "Cuddle" Room because there were lots of big chairs and couches in it.
my notes aren't very extensive for this meeting but we looked at matthew 7:13-14 which says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it," and john 10:7-10 which says, "Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
we discussed how we can stay grounded in Christ and on that narrow road that leads to Jesus, Shepherd God, Jehovah Raah:
-praying
-accountability partners
-staying away from things that cause our minds to wander (certain shows, movies, songs, etc.)
-do others see Christ in us?
-“We recognize that becoming people on the Way requires us to become people of the Word.”
as dave said that morning, we can't just say we follow Christ. we must actually do what He does and walk that narrow road with Him.
FREE TIME
there was a really bad storm moving in after lunch. so brittany, zach, oscar, veeka, & i were in the college store and the power flickered off and then came right back on. we didn't think anything of it until the fire alarm started blaring! before we knew it, the entire building was being evacuated. somehow every person in the building fit onto the front porch while the staff was running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out what tripped the alarm. no one knew if the alarm just shorted out in the power surge or if the building was actually on fire. meanwhile, jesse finds us outside and she's got a hoodie on with the hood pulled up. it's like a million degrees and muggy outside & she's wearing a jacket? her mom was like, "jesse was doing her hair when they evacuated. show 'em your hair jesse." jesse has the prettiest curly hair ever...when it's styled. jesse pulls down her hood and her hair was sticking up in the air all over the place. she was freaking out because she was so worried it looked bad. so the second they let us back inside, she ran upstairs and comes back down later with her hair all beautified and pretty. she's so crazy! while she was fixing her fro, we our church group sat in the lobby outside the cafeteria eating BEN & JERRY'S and playing UNO. the plastic spoons we had weren't doing a very good job so i asked the guy in the cafeteria if i could borrow some spoons and bring them back later. he was confused as to why i needed spoons outside the cafeteria when all the food was inside. once i explained to him, he said i'd have to ask a manager. then the manager was like, "yeah, sure. BUT! you gotta bring them back, SOON!"
...well, it's 10:00 and i'm incredibly tired. so i'll be back tomorrow with worship notes from tuesday. too much to get all in tonight.
and don't worry, i brought the spoons back!
GOD BLESS!
Monday, August 4
day one...what a day
i'm one for order, so i'll start at the very beginning:
3:30 AM- yes, i actually got up that early & for what? we didn't even leave until 5 o'clock!!!! no wonder we got to Covenant late.
anyway, thirty minutes into our trip, someone gets pulled over. what a way to start the day! mrs. audrey had a USA cover on her trailer hitch that lit up blue. apparently only police can have blue lights on their cars.
then about two hours later, the car of girls had to go to the bathroom...really bad! all five of our cars are spread out so far from each other on the interstate that when one car gets off at one exit, two others get off at the next one before they find out the first had gotten off at the last one, and then a third vehicle...you get the idea...and this goes on for about twenty minutes until, by the grace of God we all end up at the same gas station. needless to say, our cars stayed a lot closer together for the rest of the trip. the gas station had lost the sign on the guys bathroom & this is what had taken it's place:
we stopped for lunch just before we started up the mountain. when we get back in the car, one of our leaders (who shall remain nameless) started to say something out the window, assuming it was rolled down. well, it wasn't & her head slammed into the window. needless to say, we laughed our heads off and proceeded to tell everyone else before we pulled out of the parking lot.
the car i was riding in was leading the group. as soon as we got through a light, it turned red and the others got stuck behind. everyone had directions of their own so we were just going to meet them there instead of waiting for them. like i warned, MAPQUEST STINKS! the driver was going 35 in a 15mph zone up the face of a mountain around very sharp curves & she was on the phone! Hayley, Shelby & i are sitting in the back seat praying we make to Covenant alive. we turned around like four times before we finally found the college. when we pulled in...the rest of our group was waiting for us! and we were supposed to be the leader.
once we got settled in our rooms, julie, jessica & i headed out to the lookout for pictures...but wait! i almost forgot the coolest hallway ever!
this verse covered the wall right across our room.
"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer & petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
"In all things... Christ pre-eminent"
7:00 PM- Corporate Worship starts. aaron keyes opened up by saying that he did not want our worship this week to be a "sing-a-long". God is worthy of our whole heart, not just what's left over. anyone that's been to camp before knows how the last night of camp is---where everyone is balling their eyes out and totally sells out their hearts to God and worships with all they have. well, this year, that's what happened the first night. and that's only the beginning!
dave rhodes came out talking about how we have warning labels on everything that shouldn't need one: "MATTRESS: Do not swallow."
and how we don't have warnings on the things that should: "GUYS: BEWARE OF DOG!"
"GIRLS: WARNING! HIGH VOLTAGE!"
& my personal favorite: "ALABAMA FOOTBALL: TIDE MAY NOT ROLL FOR A LONG TIME!"
he also said that Christianity should have a label: "WARNING! Talking about the Way is not the same as living on the Way. how's that for a conviction?"
he went on to talk about Jeremiah 4 and that God is emotionally connected to His children. God wants Israel to come back to Him. He longs for their obedience. in Jeremiah 4:1-2 God promises that if Israel will turn back to Him, "then the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory." God says, "I don't want your edges, I want your core. I don't want your behavior, I want your being. I'm most interested in your pursuit, not your performance. I want to be the first thing you turn to, not your default. I want to be your ONE thing!"
HOW?
verse 3: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." we have to give the unproductive, rotten, undealt-with parts of our hearts to God. we should drive a nail through those parts of our lives that aren't glorifying to God, run over them with a lawn mower. BE BREAKABLE! we must be breakable before God. we have to open our hearts, and allow the hard, stubborn, calloused outer shells to be peeled back so God can come to our core. our doubts, fears, and insecurities must be peeled away. Dave peeled and orange on stage symbolizing how the outer peel is hard and tough but that it's necessary in order to get the the inner most part, to get to our hearts. yeah, it's messy and juice and slime go everywhere, but that's what it takes!
IF NOT?
verse 4: "lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds." God's saying, "If your heart won't burn for me, I will burn you up." dave said to "let God's love and grace consume you now, instead of being consumed by His wrath and judgement later."
one thing dave said really got to me: God always judges with tears in His eyes. He loves us (which continues to blow my mind more every day). Abba, our Father, waits with open arms, longing for us to run home like the prodigal's son. but the God we serve is just. He wants our everything, but if we refuse, He will judge...even though it hurts Him. dave said it's sort of like wounded lovers, loving each other but wanting nothing to do with each other. i can't understand how such a big God can love...me. but i'm so glad He does! how could i not give Him my all.
i can't remember if we sang it that night or not, but one of aaron's songs fits:
it doesn't matter what you've done; it doesn't matter where you're coming from
doesn't matter where you've been, hear Me tell you I forgive
you're not guilty anymore, you're not filthy anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
you're not captive anymore, you're not broken anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
can you believe that this is true, grace abundant I AM giving you
cleansing deeper than you know, all was paid for long ago
you're not guilty anymore, you're not filthy anymore,
I love you, mercy id yours
you're not captive anymore, you're not broken anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus
you are spotless
you are holy
you are faultless
you are whole
you are righteous
you are blameless
you are pardoned
you are Mine
surrender to God feels amazing! "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." -2 corinthians 3:17 with a promise like that, how could i not give my all to Elohim, Creator God, my very core to El Roi, who watches over me. i could care less who was looking at me or what was going through their heads. Jesus Christ was in love with me and that was all i needed, All Sufficient El Shaddai. His Word says, in john 14:6, "I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." the only way to true joy and peace is in Christ crucified. praise be to God that He made it possible for us to come to Him!
that night was not a "sing-a-long" night of worship. my words cannot express the peace that flooded over me. to know that Jesus was holding me in His hands was such a beautiful thought. God prepared my heart to be transformed throughout the week. and He did more than i could ever have hoped or imagined.
3:30 AM- yes, i actually got up that early & for what? we didn't even leave until 5 o'clock!!!! no wonder we got to Covenant late.
anyway, thirty minutes into our trip, someone gets pulled over. what a way to start the day! mrs. audrey had a USA cover on her trailer hitch that lit up blue. apparently only police can have blue lights on their cars.
then about two hours later, the car of girls had to go to the bathroom...really bad! all five of our cars are spread out so far from each other on the interstate that when one car gets off at one exit, two others get off at the next one before they find out the first had gotten off at the last one, and then a third vehicle...you get the idea...and this goes on for about twenty minutes until, by the grace of God we all end up at the same gas station. needless to say, our cars stayed a lot closer together for the rest of the trip. the gas station had lost the sign on the guys bathroom & this is what had taken it's place:
we stopped for lunch just before we started up the mountain. when we get back in the car, one of our leaders (who shall remain nameless) started to say something out the window, assuming it was rolled down. well, it wasn't & her head slammed into the window. needless to say, we laughed our heads off and proceeded to tell everyone else before we pulled out of the parking lot.
the car i was riding in was leading the group. as soon as we got through a light, it turned red and the others got stuck behind. everyone had directions of their own so we were just going to meet them there instead of waiting for them. like i warned, MAPQUEST STINKS! the driver was going 35 in a 15mph zone up the face of a mountain around very sharp curves & she was on the phone! Hayley, Shelby & i are sitting in the back seat praying we make to Covenant alive. we turned around like four times before we finally found the college. when we pulled in...the rest of our group was waiting for us! and we were supposed to be the leader.
once we got settled in our rooms, julie, jessica & i headed out to the lookout for pictures...but wait! i almost forgot the coolest hallway ever!
this verse covered the wall right across our room. "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer & petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
"In all things... Christ pre-eminent" 
7:00 PM- Corporate Worship starts. aaron keyes opened up by saying that he did not want our worship this week to be a "sing-a-long". God is worthy of our whole heart, not just what's left over. anyone that's been to camp before knows how the last night of camp is---where everyone is balling their eyes out and totally sells out their hearts to God and worships with all they have. well, this year, that's what happened the first night. and that's only the beginning!
dave rhodes came out talking about how we have warning labels on everything that shouldn't need one: "MATTRESS: Do not swallow."
and how we don't have warnings on the things that should: "GUYS: BEWARE OF DOG!"
"GIRLS: WARNING! HIGH VOLTAGE!"
& my personal favorite: "ALABAMA FOOTBALL: TIDE MAY NOT ROLL FOR A LONG TIME!"
he also said that Christianity should have a label: "WARNING! Talking about the Way is not the same as living on the Way. how's that for a conviction?"
he went on to talk about Jeremiah 4 and that God is emotionally connected to His children. God wants Israel to come back to Him. He longs for their obedience. in Jeremiah 4:1-2 God promises that if Israel will turn back to Him, "then the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory." God says, "I don't want your edges, I want your core. I don't want your behavior, I want your being. I'm most interested in your pursuit, not your performance. I want to be the first thing you turn to, not your default. I want to be your ONE thing!"
HOW?
verse 3: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." we have to give the unproductive, rotten, undealt-with parts of our hearts to God. we should drive a nail through those parts of our lives that aren't glorifying to God, run over them with a lawn mower. BE BREAKABLE! we must be breakable before God. we have to open our hearts, and allow the hard, stubborn, calloused outer shells to be peeled back so God can come to our core. our doubts, fears, and insecurities must be peeled away. Dave peeled and orange on stage symbolizing how the outer peel is hard and tough but that it's necessary in order to get the the inner most part, to get to our hearts. yeah, it's messy and juice and slime go everywhere, but that's what it takes!
IF NOT?
verse 4: "lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds." God's saying, "If your heart won't burn for me, I will burn you up." dave said to "let God's love and grace consume you now, instead of being consumed by His wrath and judgement later."
one thing dave said really got to me: God always judges with tears in His eyes. He loves us (which continues to blow my mind more every day). Abba, our Father, waits with open arms, longing for us to run home like the prodigal's son. but the God we serve is just. He wants our everything, but if we refuse, He will judge...even though it hurts Him. dave said it's sort of like wounded lovers, loving each other but wanting nothing to do with each other. i can't understand how such a big God can love...me. but i'm so glad He does! how could i not give Him my all.
i can't remember if we sang it that night or not, but one of aaron's songs fits:
it doesn't matter what you've done; it doesn't matter where you're coming from
doesn't matter where you've been, hear Me tell you I forgive
you're not guilty anymore, you're not filthy anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
you're not captive anymore, you're not broken anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
can you believe that this is true, grace abundant I AM giving you
cleansing deeper than you know, all was paid for long ago
you're not guilty anymore, you're not filthy anymore,
I love you, mercy id yours
you're not captive anymore, you're not broken anymore,
I love you, mercy is yours
there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus
you are spotless
you are holy
you are faultless
you are whole
you are righteous
you are blameless
you are pardoned
you are Mine
surrender to God feels amazing! "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." -2 corinthians 3:17 with a promise like that, how could i not give my all to Elohim, Creator God, my very core to El Roi, who watches over me. i could care less who was looking at me or what was going through their heads. Jesus Christ was in love with me and that was all i needed, All Sufficient El Shaddai. His Word says, in john 14:6, "I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." the only way to true joy and peace is in Christ crucified. praise be to God that He made it possible for us to come to Him!
that night was not a "sing-a-long" night of worship. my words cannot express the peace that flooded over me. to know that Jesus was holding me in His hands was such a beautiful thought. God prepared my heart to be transformed throughout the week. and He did more than i could ever have hoped or imagined.
Sunday, August 3
prelude...
last monday through friday i spent @ student life camp. ahhhh! God is soooo good! He's moved so incredibly in my heart that i've decided to "relive", for lack of a better word, my week of camp. what knowledge & amusement can you expect to gain:
-detailed descriptions of funny happenings. sadly i have been silenced in regard to some incidents in order to protect the people to whom they happened. you know who you are!
-jokes from jill.
-photos which i may or may not have taken myself. don't worry: credit will be given where credit is due.
-an appreciation for beautiful scenery.
-a love for old testament hebrew.
and i hope to impart some of what God spoke to me through dave, aaron, & my church group. right now, i'm not sure my heart is able to put into words what my Father has taught me. so here's my disclaimer:
"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
-detailed descriptions of funny happenings. sadly i have been silenced in regard to some incidents in order to protect the people to whom they happened. you know who you are!
-jokes from jill.
-photos which i may or may not have taken myself. don't worry: credit will be given where credit is due.
-an appreciation for beautiful scenery.
-a love for old testament hebrew.
and i hope to impart some of what God spoke to me through dave, aaron, & my church group. right now, i'm not sure my heart is able to put into words what my Father has taught me. so here's my disclaimer:
"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
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