The final two weeks of June was spent seeing friends and family and helping multiple members of my church family move. Which any time I can be with people of the church family I try to, let alone the opportunity to serve them. And Lord willing, I cannot wait till I graduate and come back out here. Though, it wasn’t until the month of July that my summer really took shape.
During the month of July, God gave me the opportunity to work at a camp for children with special needs. And what an opportunity it was! To have the opportunity to love on these kids who don’t necessarily have the capability to show love in return brought so much joy to my soul. A very wise friend pointed out to me that I was “getting to show these kids an in person example of how Christ loves us despite our inability to fully or properly love him in return.” The camp brought many moments of hardship, but many more moments of joy. Seeing my camper laugh and enjoy himself at any one moment throughout the day was completely worth having to go through any difficult moment, be it a tough transition, or working through his difficulty of expressing himself and communicating. Lord willing, I hope to work this camp again next summer.
This camp also brought some wonderful people into my life. Not only did I meet/re-meet some pretty great people, but I also had the opportunity of working with a long time friend and deepening that friendship even more through the camp experience. Serving along side people brings a different kind of bond that helps expand and grow the Christian life, at least I’m seeing that to be the case in myself. Watching others go through a difficult situation with a smile on their face and still giving all they can for the glory of Christ is just so encouraging, and very infectious. While on the reverse side, watching someone going through a difficult situation, becoming very frustrated and tired because of it all, and then seeing someone minister to him or her is just as encouraging. I pray that I will be able to keep the friendships formed and strengthened through this camp. I thank God daily for the impact that some of the people had on my life, and that God may bless and keep all of you as we go our separate ways for now.
This camp also brought some wonderful people into my life. Not only did I meet/re-meet some pretty great people, but I also had the opportunity of working with a long time friend and deepening that friendship even more through the camp experience. Serving along side people brings a different kind of bond that helps expand and grow the Christian life, at least I’m seeing that to be the case in myself. Watching others go through a difficult situation with a smile on their face and still giving all they can for the glory of Christ is just so encouraging, and very infectious. While on the reverse side, watching someone going through a difficult situation, becoming very frustrated and tired because of it all, and then seeing someone minister to him or her is just as encouraging. I pray that I will be able to keep the friendships formed and strengthened through this camp. I thank God daily for the impact that some of the people had on my life, and that God may bless and keep all of you as we go our separate ways for now.
When it comes to reading, I was able to finish three books in the final month and a half of summer. Nowhere near the pace I was at during the start of summer, but as the busyness of life took over, the time for reading dwindled, though I am very thankful for the grace and strength God provided to still make time for reading. The 6th book of my summer and the one I spent most of camp reading, was Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Probably one of the most powerful reads one can get their hands on, Cost of Discipleship is a warning to all Christians that simply because we are saved by grace, it does not mean we can live however we like. We cannot be saved and not be a disciple of Jesus. The calling of Jesus was not mere intellectual assent, but there are very real steps that must be taken if we are to follow and be used by Him. The last two books I read this summer were the 2 books that were prescribed to me to read for Servant Leadership Staff at The Masters College. They were J. Oswald Sanders’ Spiritual Leadership, and One-to-One Bible Reading by David Helm. The latter was a guide on how to go about reading the bible with other people, giving examples of questions to ask when meeting together and providing very practical outlines on how to go about the reading. This was a very helpful read for me as I prepare to lead a small group this coming semester, and will definitely be a resource that I go back to. Spiritual Leadership was a book outlining just that, showing the importance of leadership, setting out the qualifications and traits of a spiritual leader, laying out the downfalls, and providing practical advice on how to go about strengthening your own capability and calling to leadership, all of course hinging on the grace of God.
So through many struggles with sin, much improvement with spiritual disciplines, the reading of 8 books, and the opportunity at Soaring over Seven summer camp, God most definitely provided me with a summer that I am not ashamed of talking about. So as I sit here at SLS retreat preparing for my wowees to come in tomorrow dwelling upon Gods faithfulness to me this summer, I cannot wait to see what He has in store for this coming year.
All in all, this was easily the best summer of recent memory. The most important thing that happened is God filled me with a greater desire to read his word, and provided me the grace and strength to be much more consistent in the daily disciplines of the reading of scripture and setting aside time for prayer than I have ever been. The blessings He has poured out on me this summer are just so overwhelming and humbling. God is far too good to those who are His. Not only has He given me these great positive marks on my summer, be He also allowed me to experience much failure, far more than I’d like to admit and this blog update may lead you to believe, and He used those experiences to further pour more grace onto my life. Sin comes in a variety of forms, and it all starts from the passions within. At some points this summer, I came to great feelings of despair because I was so entangled with my own sin, I felt like there was no way I was ever going to escape the hold it had on my life, but God reached down and pulled me back towards Him. And while I do continue to struggle with it, God has been teaching me how to lean on Him for victory and how to make it a fight. The eternal joy of Christ is SO MUCH greater than the temporal joy and pleasure we can receive when we indulge in the passions of the flesh. And if you’re a Christian, I know you’ve tasted Him before, so I encourage you to draw near once again and even if you find yourself in the midst of extreme failure, remember that our God is full of compassion and mercy, eager to forgive and bring you back. Also take heart in His promises; He WILL sanctify those who are His. The question is are you going to trust Him when He says that? It is a question that I constantly have to ask myself and struggle with. Remember that sin is never going to leave us completely until the return of Jesus Christ, and so it will always be a struggle, but also remember that on our side is the greatest ally we could ever hope for, the God of the universe, and He will be faithful to complete a good work in you.
So through many struggles with sin, much improvement with spiritual disciplines, the reading of 8 books, and the opportunity at Soaring over Seven summer camp, God most definitely provided me with a summer that I am not ashamed of talking about. So as I sit here at SLS retreat preparing for my wowees to come in tomorrow dwelling upon Gods faithfulness to me this summer, I cannot wait to see what He has in store for this coming year.
