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.
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