The Real Meaning of Words

Love



Sorrow



Innocence



Departure



Pain



Respect



Compassion




Friendship



Patience


Divine








"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

Youth Camp

This week Ryan and I are in Big Bear, California leading rec for NPBC’s youth camp. Even though the food is terrible and I get little to no sleep this is probably one of my favorite places to be. I get a chance to escape my hectic every day life and just love on kids.  It’s also a time of reflection and renewal for me spiritually. God is at work here and I know that lives are going to be changed this week.

If you would keep us in your prayers this week it would be greatly appreciated.  Here are some specific things that I would ask you to pray about.

 -One of our rec staff lost her mom last week, but she is here with a smile on her face and a servant heart.

-The counselors and leaders

-The speakers (JonMark, Pastor Dan, Marquette and Ahmad) and the worship leaders (Sarah Beth and band)

 -The students- May their lives be forever changed!

 

 

No Strings Attached

My favorite alone time with God is during my walks in my neighborhood. I take along my Ipod and listen to some great praise music and totally get lost in my surroundings. During one of my walks, I was praying and asking God to really help me not be such a judgmental person. Then I saw a lady smoking on the front porch of the house I was passing and she had a toddler in a stroller. ‘What a bad mother!’ I thought to myself and then immediately I felt God yelling at me – “HELLO!!! Didn’t you just ask for help with this, and then in the next breath there you go - already passing judgment!”.
For the next mile it was all I could think about.

Why do I feel it is my responsibility to judge?

Where does that come from?

I don’t like when others judge me…why can’t I stop doing it?

Then something in my path caught my eye – an orange string. I picked it up and tied it around my wrist – the orange was bright so maybe this would help me remember! Also someone might ask me why I wear it and then I have an opportunity to share it with them. You know the whole red string for Kabbalah totally took off – why not my orange string for no judgment?

In theory this sounded great but wouldn’t you know…I lost the bracelet immediately. I went to bed with it on and when I woke up it was gone. I didn’t really look hard for it because I knew it was probably just under the bed, but it was an accountability I still wasn’t ready for.

A few weeks passed and I couldn’t get the orange string out of my mind. Then on a walk with family in a totally different part of my neighborhood, I came across another strand of the same orange string! What are the odds? It was almost as if someone had once again dropped it right in my path! Duh!?! When God wants to get your attention, He gets it.

I still don’t wear the string…I’m just not ready. I can’t explain this – it seems a little strange when I type it – but I just can’t bring myself to face this sin. I keep it on a table in my bedroom and see it every time I walk in the room. It makes me mindful but I’m not committing yet.



I guess I’m still a work in progress!

Pray your way.

Prayer is - 

communication that requires a commitment of time. 

adoration, praise

confession and forgiveness

thanksgiving for a bounty of blessings large or small

asking and intercession 

a chat with a holy Father

walking with a loving God

reading and hiding the Word of God in our hearts

Prayer is ...

a non-stop conversation. 

is sharing a morning chat with God. 

is asking for guidance, direction and for peace.

is carrying the heartache of a friend or foe.

Prayer is Psalm 8: 

"O Lord, our Lord , how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

Prayer is seeking God's voice moment by moment not only in the storm or in grief.

Prayer is aligned with God's holiness, modeled after Jesus's perfect prayer. 

Prayer is seeking God's will... not a selfish wish list.

Prayer is faith-building, heart-opening and life-changing.

Keep praying, don't give up... 

God is always welcoming and answering prayers we have yet to utter. 

**In Costco this past Thursday, I helped a mom juggling four kids under the age of 6. She was holding a small baby and trying to instruct her three little ones on how to help. I helped her little ones unloaded their purchases onto the belt and engaged her little ones in a conversation to allow her to pay for her purchases. ** A blessing for me to serve another mom.