Go Outside

Today is a wonderful day, sure the weather is a little chilly and the wind is blowing, but it is still a beautiful fall day. Ohiopyle is one of the best places to go during the fall months because the leaves are changing, the waterfalls look different and the air of it all is just different than the spring and summer months. There is just something different. There are at least two or three different waterfalls there, one which we lovingly call the big falls because well...it's big are simply gorgeous. I am going to try and get a picture of it while we are there for the Buckwheat Festival.

It is places like Ohiopyle and Jumonville that remind me of Jesus praying in the garden. I picture Him beside/under a huge tree with water of some sort nearby. Jesus felt at peace in the garden, with nature. Some of my favorite authors have said that it is in nature when we feel the closest to God. Why wouldn't we? Nature is the best example of God's power and divine design. Not a single human can duplicate the power God has. Sure we can plant trees, flower, create man made lakes/ponds, but it is God that really makes it all happen. God makes the plants grow. I think we do not spend enough time in Nature, or just simply outside.

I know people are going to say "but it's cold out" so what, we have sweaters and jackets, hats, etc to keep us warm. I was just going through again pictures Jeremy took on one of his hiking adventures and he's all bundled up. I could imagine that even if it were cold out Jesus would still be in that garden praying. He would be covered up more, maybe with a blanket, but then again he just may endure the cold just to have special prayer time with God in Nature. Whenever I am walking around Nature no matter where it is, I feel closer to God. It seems like that is when I could hear Him the best.

I find myself asking questions as I would my closest of friends. We have conversations the best when there is nothing to distract me and His glory all about. I find myself getting answers to my questions and understanding some things better when I just sit on a rock admiring the trees or even the small stream by my house. I think when we take the time to just spend with God somewhere other than our homes and churches we would find things to be different. Go outside, watch the sunset, watch primroses bloom, dance with your loved one under that stars....whatever you do, go outside and experience God. Talk to Him and listen for Him to reply without distractions.

Witnessing

One of my favorite moments from YES camp this year didn't even happen when the campers were there. It was Friday night and a few of us staffers were sitting around this massive campfire. I was sitting back watching everyone else interact with each other. Eddie and Ginnie were discussing family reunions and Eddie was concerned that hers wouldn't have food. Kelli and Caitie were talking, Trevor was staring at the fire. Off a little ways away from the rest of us, but still close enough was Chris and another staff member. Chris was talking to the other staffer about salvation, and the end times. This is some serious stuff for young men to be discussing, but knowing Chris it just made more proud of who he is. But it still amazed me that these two teenagers were discussing salvation and the end times when they could have been doing anything else that they wanted to do. It gave me hope for the future and for teens not only in River of Life Fellowship, but also across the country.

God gave us the command that we go out into the world and spread the word of God. I don't think there is one right way to do it. I know people who just shove the gospel in your face, others let the light of God shine through their actions. And then there are those like Chris and myself that wait until the right time presents itself. Chris and this other staffer were talking about God and end times as if it were a part of their everyday conversations, and I think sometimes that how our witnessing should be. Not shoving the Word into our friends' faces or fighting with other people about what they believe but discussing it. Asking and answering questions of each other. Todd and I have those discussions all the time. In fact we had one just last night about end times and then purgatory. I may write about our purgatory discussion tomorrow. But anyway. Witnessing shouldn't be this hard thing to do. Shouldn't it be easy for us Christians to be able to talk to our peers about the love of Jesus the way Chris and his friend were?

Like I said before I learned more from observing things at camp than I did teaching. God gave me that opportunity to learn more and grow and that's what I did. After seeing Chris interact with his friend, I know that is one of the best ways to witness to people. That way people aren't uncomfortable about God and feel free to ask questions and state their own opinions without being afraid of what we would say to them. As I end this post I think back to high school chorus and we sang a song (of course right). I don't remember the name of it, but one part went: Go ye into all the world a preach the living gospel, go ye into all the world and preach the living gospel. It was one of my favorite songs, and it helps me remember the command from God. So Go ye into the world (or your world) and preach the gospel to those you met, but not in a judgmental way, but a way like Chris that makes people feel comfortable.

YES Camp

Well we are back from camp. What a week! I tell you I was so exhausted on Saturday, but you know what: it was well worth it. I learned so much and throughout the week I will be telling you of what I experienced. We were in the mountains where there was no television, no internet and almost all of the phones had no service so there was no calls or text messaging. All these kids had was each other and to learn about Jesus. We had two camps: Junior Camp and Senior Camp. We were combined at one site, but it worked out well. I was a cabin director at the jr. camp (ages 6 to 10).

First Y.E.S stands for Youth Experiencing Salvation. The kids had two services so to speak: RWG {rapping With God} and a chapel service along with cabin devotions. My part was to do the cabin devotions all week. As I said before I was way out of my comfort zone. Many of you reading know I have problems speaking in front of people even if it is young children. But I was able to do it with God's help. I was speaking his word and many times it was as if God was there helping me through it; especially in the beginning before I got used to my kids. Granted I haven't made it to where I want to be but I now know I can teach. Baby steps. Soon I will be able to be in front of a large crowd and not have a panic attack.

God sends things our way to teach us different things and to help us through something. YES Camp was his way of showing me I could do the things I never thought I could do. It helped me grow in my faith. God puts in positions where he knows we will learn, but many times we don't take the opportunity presented to us. I know plenty of people who didn't take this opportunity to be either a camper or staff and missed out on something wonderful. What opportunity are you missing? What are you passing up by not volunteering to do something even if it is helping in the nursery at church one Sunday? Are you going to keep passing up opportunities? How else do we grow in God if we don't do things like being a cabin director for a camp?

Moral Inventory

In Sunday school we are taking an in depth look at the spiritual side of the twelve step program. We are on step four where you take a fearless inventory of yourself. When we are taking steps to coming closer to God, we do need to do an inventory of ourselves and do what we can to change thing. We need to look at ourselves and look deep and hard at ourselves and be willing to admit things: the good and the bad. That is what fearless is: admitting your wrongs and faults, because guess what no one is perfect! So in spirit of taking a moral inventory I am doing it myself and displaying it here for all to see. Yes i have fears about it, but I need to get over that and give it to God.

1. I sometimes don't have compassion for others
2. I don't read my Bible or pray as often as I should
3. I get mad at God sometimes
4. I find it hard to witness to others
5. I struggle to stay on balance with depressive thoughts
6. When I get stressed or upset I crave a drink, and sometimes I do have a drink or two.
7. There are times when I get discouraged.
8. In the past I have cheated on exes, though now I could never dream of it
9. I have a hard time forgiving certain people who have hurt me
10. Sometimes I feel hopeless and ashamed of myself for no reason
11. When I was younger I stole things
12. There are situations where I gossip

There are more, but you get the general idea of taking a moral inventory of yourself and revealing maybe to yourself or to someone you trust the things that you may not like about yourself or that needs to be changed. As you can see I am not perfect and those are things I can be ashamed of and haven't wanted to admit to others, but in the idea of taking steps needed to get closer to God it is needed to admit them and come to terms with them, then laying them at Christ's feet.

Have you taken an inventory of yourself? What are things you think need to be changed, things you may not want others to know, but need to admit to yourself so that you could become closer to God? And maybe rid yourself of some things. Make a list for yourself: then pray on them.