The Call of God...

“God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, ". . . who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.”
― Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Traditional Updated Edition

In determining God’s call on your life, it can be difficult. Sometimes it is difficult to understand what God has called you to. Eugene Peterson writes in his book “My Utmost for His Highest” that if we can clearly point out a single specific time where God’s calling to us was clear, then he questions If we really heard God’s call on our life. I think what he means here is that, when God calls us to do something he is persistent. He will place opportunity after opportunity and drop hints left and right as to what he wants for our life. Sometimes we realize this calling but we struggle with following his call. Often times he requires that we do things that are uncomfortable. He requires us to do things that we don’t fully understand, that we aren’t fully sure we can do.

For the past three summers I have had the opportunity to serve at Ridgecrest Summer Camps in North Carolina as a camp counselor. Going into this job my first summer I would have never expected what an impact this camp would have on my life. The past few years I have been thinking about what am I going to do with my life? What am I called to? I realized a couple of years ago that God had called me into the Ministry. As I continued to work at Camp, I realized that that was something that I wanted to do full time. Knowing that those jobs are hard to get and they don’t pay a lot were stumbling blocks. I went back and forth as to if I wanted to do it, or if I should go into Youth Ministry in a traditional church setting.

I will graduate from Strayer University in May with a B.S. Business Administration. I am applying to Touro University Nevada and will be pursuing a M.S. in Camp Administration and Leadership. I am planning on returning to Ridgecrest this summer. After the summer is over, I will be looking for a job in North Carolina in the Asheville area. I will look for a job in the camping industry so I can gain experience while I work on my Master’s Degree.

I have lived in Alabama for the past 22 ½ years. I have never moved out of Madison. I have been thinking for the past couple of years how I would like to move to North Carolina. It has just been a far off dream though. The realization has set in though within the last month that I have made the decision to move to North Carolina next fall. I have had mixed feelings. I don’t feel like I am making the wrong decision at all, however, it will be a new start, away from family and long-time friends. I will be leaving everything behind to start something new.

Most importantly though, I feel that this is what God has called me to. His calling has never been stronger in this decision. There is a lot of uncertainty in moving forward in this decision and at times, it feels uncomfortable. But I truly believe in my heart that this is what God has called me to. He will provide if I trust him and follow him and he will be glorified through my actions.

I know the next several months will be filled with many mixed emotions as I make plans to move to North Carolina. At times already it seems so unreal, like man, I’m really going to do this. It’s exciting, but scary at times too. There are things that I know I am going to miss here. But in the back of my mind is the words of Jesus “Drop your nets, and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” To follow Jesus fully, means to give up everything you have to him, when he asks for it and to follow him, surrendering it all for his name.

Session 2A- Wrap it Up…

Well, Session 2A is over. This is always my favorite session in the summer. I don’t know why, but it is. This group of kids was great. We had a blast the past two weeks. This session, for me, was the most spiritually fulfilling, and draining, session that I have had working here. We had a few kids in the cabin this session that were asking great questions, some of them pretty deep. Questions about deep fears, questioning God’s existence, and deep problems back at home. I was able to continue a relationship with a camper from last year and help him through a loss of a loved one recently. Being able to build on that relationship and just be there for him was awesome.

There is a little irony in the past few weeks. One of the campers that I built a relationship was asking some deep and scary questions. One of his fears was losing a loved one; that he would come to camp or be away from home for a while and he would get a phone call that something happened to his parents. The camper I told you about that I picked up on where we left of last year, his older brother, only 16, lost his best friend in an accident in May. While this camper was not in my cabin this session, we went on a camp out together. Being able to sit down and talk with him about grief and dealing with it was tough but it was cool to just be there for him.

In both of these conversations, I was asked if I had ever lost a loved one or if I had the fear of losing someone and getting that phone call. I could relate too well to both of these cases. I was able to share some of my personal experiences in both of these cases and give some insight on how I dealt with it. But here’s the irony…

I found out Thursday that my father has a mass in his kidney. He will have surgery next week to remove the mass and the kidney. It’s not a good thing at all, but for now, there’s hope. After receiving that phone call, the stuff I had been talking about with my campers became even more real. Yes, I had already experience some of the things I was telling them, but at the same time, it gave more reality to what I was telling them.

I think I have said before in a blog post, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. We don’t know when our time on earth will end. We must take each day and make the most of it. Stuff happens in our lives that we don’t expect, sometimes good and sometimes bad. It’s how we react and deal with the situation at hand. We can allow that situation to control us and consume us or we can put it in God’s hands. Now, I say that, and it’s easy to say that, but when you are put in that situation, it’s more difficult that it sounds sometimes, but that is what calls us to do. That’s faith…

For this final 2 week session of the summer, Session 2B, we have 7 kids in the cabin. We have a smaller group this session than last. We had a total of 253 campers last session, which is the largest ever in camp history. After this last session the majority of the staff will return home while a few of us will stay for Starter Camp. I will be working with the Apache Tribe (7-9 yr. olds) for that week. I am excited to work with that age group for a week. I don’t think I could work with them a whole summer, but I am happy for the opportunity to work with them for a week.

A Lesson in Patience

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

These past couple of weeks have been a good lesson in patience. Last session, 1B, I had a camper who has had a rough life, living with his grandparents because his dad is in jail and his mom died. He didn't have the best home life. He was one of those kids that was tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He was probably one of the most difficult kids that we had ever had at camp.

This session I have another camper. He is the most homesick kid I have ever encountered. This is his second year at camp. Last summer was fine for him, but so far, this session has been really tough. He too comes from a broken home. He doesn't know where his mom is, because she's an addict and he barely see's his dad. He currently lives with his grandparents.

In dealing with these kids over the past couple of weeks, I have been taught a good lesson about patience. I would like to think that I am fairly patient with kids when working with them at camp but these two have been two extremes. For the first camper, it was a tough 2 weeks with him. He was constantly causing trouble. This week with the other camper, it's been a struggle to keep him engaged and from getting homesick.

These two weeks though have been a good reminder though that God's love extends to everyone. God cares about everyone equally and while we need to love each and every one of our kids, some of these kids need extra love.

In dealing with these two kids who come from very broken homes, I have gained a greater appreciation for the family that I have. I am fortunate to have grown up in the family that I grew up in.

I don't know what will be next for the first camper. My hope is that he took something away from camp that can help him work his issues out and become a better person. Hopefully, the love that we showed him will translate in his life and he will be able to find that same love when he goes back home.

Each and every day is a small step forward with my camper this session. It takes constant attention to keep him on track and motivate him, but each and everyday is a step forward, even if it's just a small one. It it my hope that he too will take something away from this experience that is positive.

We are a week into the third session of the summer. Session 2A is my favorite session of the summer for some reason. The kids this session have been great. We have a bunch of leaders in the cabin and it has made for a great week so far.

Catching Up

It's been a really busy past few weeks. We finished up with 1b last week and are almost through the first week of 2A. The summer is over half-way over. Below I have a few thoughts that I have been writing down from various days.

Monday, July 4th.
As I sat down for breakfast this morning, the song "Stronger" by Hillsong United was playing. As I sat at my table watching my kids, seeing their smiling faces, this feeling of peach and contentment came over me. It was one of those kyrios moments where everything was just right. In the song "stronger" the words from the chorus seemed to stick out. You are stronger, sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written, Christ is risen. Jesus, you are Lord of all.
Until we get to heaven we will live in a broken world. In this world, we will be let down by others. We will continue to sin despite our best efforts not to. Today, that one moment made me feel like none of that brokenness mattered. All that mattered was that one moment and it was good. Thank you God for that boost of medicine!

Tuesday, July 5th
Difficult Circumstances. The trip last night didn't go exactly as planned. We arrived at Jackson Park in Hendersonville for a Lumberjack/car show/ fair in celebration of the 4th of July. When we arrived, the park was empty. Apparently it had been moved to the day before because of weather. So, Jeremy and I got in to the mini van and drove to Bi-Lo to buy stuff to keep the kids entertained.

This morning we had a tribal meeting. to plan where we would camp out and who we would go with. We had already picked where we wanted to go and whom with. Then, at our Tribal Meeting, our Tribal Leader changed it all. It was kind of disappointing. I am paired with a cabin that, let's just say, wouldn't have been my first choice.

Things don't go as planed sometimes. Sometimes we can see abrupt changes as a good thing other times not so much. We made the best out of the trip last night and the kids had a blast. Tonight, for this camp out, I don't know what to expect. I am not to pumped about the other cabin we have to go with. However, I will try to keep an open mind and trust that it will all work out.


Thursday, July 7th

Well, last night I went to Crestridge, the girls camp to see the Doctor. I have bronchitis. Not fun....


The camp out Tuesday night was awesome. We had great weather despite a rocky start. We were able to watch fireworks from the conference center while we were on top of the mountain. We had the best view and it was amazing. In this blog post, I put a few pictures from that camp out.

Over the last day it's become apparent just how much the kids watch us as counselors and how they model our every move.

We have been listening to Aaron Keyes new CD, "Dwell" a lot in the cabin. There is a song "I am not the Same" on the CD. The kids have really liked it and have asked several times if they could listen to it. It's really cool to see God work through these kids through the music we listen to.

I bought another pair of five fingers toe shoes the other day and the kids think they are cool and they want to go home and buy some.

Sometimes it's the littlest things that these kids take note of and that in itself is really cool to see. This is the last full day with the kids and we getting to the halfway point in the summer.

I Am With You

But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.

Isaiah 43: 1-2a

The theme for this summer is I Am With You. It focuses on the theme verse above. What a great comfort we have in knowing that God is with us, in the good times and even the bad times. Many times at camp, it’s easy to see God and feel his presence. When you are surrounded by fellow co-workers and kids who are passionate about Christ and learning about him, it’s sometimes easier to feel God near you.

We all know too well that there are times in our lives when we feel like the presence of Jesus is absent. Maybe it’s during the death of a loved one or disaster. Maybe it’s watching someone close to struggle with personal problems. Whatever that low in our life may be Jesus can sometimes feel absent. The scripture is clear though. He is with us. He has called us by name and we are his, through the good and the bad.

We have really great kids that come through camp this summer. Each kid comes with different gifts and talents; they also come with different baggage. Through these kids at camp, you can see the brokenness that has come into this world. Through this brokenness, these kids are at different stages in their life. No matter where each kid is at, I think the theme for this summer is applicable to all. For many of these kids, this is just what then need to hear, whether they are already following Christ or they are still looking for those answers.

The summer is almost at that halfway point. It’s hard to believe that it is going by this quickly but at the same there, there is so much more ahead. I pray that there will be many more opportunities to show Jesus to these kids, after all that is what we are here for. I pray that my kids will stay safe and will have the time of their lives this summer.

Session 1A...

This first session of 1A could not have been any better. What a great way to start off the summer. I had 7 great kids this past session and was very sad to see them go. Below are some pictures from our campout this past week. We went to Katzuma. This campsite has a lookout. That night we were able to sit on the lookout and watch a storm go by. It was cool to be able to sit with the kids and watch a summer storm go by. The next morning we work up and went back out to the lookout and below are pictures of what we saw. That campout was a powerful reminder of the power of God and all that he has made to us. It was also a great reminder that sometimes we need to take the time in our busy lives to put everything else behind us and just enjoy what God has blessed us with.

This session two of the kids in my cabin made the decision to accept Christ as their Savior for the first time. It was exciting to be to hear this decision from them and be able to have a conversation with them about what it means to give your life to this awesome guy named Jesus. The mission of camp is to “Impact lives for God’s glory through discipleship and adventure.” Many times we will not see the impact we make on a child’s life, but when we do, it’s something special.

This session has been a wet one. We have had to change and adjust plans several times because of heavy rain and thunderstorms. It has kept things interesting but it has been work. I am hoping that next session will be a bit drier.

For the next session, 1B, we will have 8 kids in our cabin. 4 of the kids in the cabin were in my cabin last summer so it’s going to be really cool to see them again and pick up where we left of. Pray for these kids. Pray that they will be impacted this summer and changed. Pray that they will have a good time but at the same time, continue to grow and focus on Jesus.