Living Each Day

I have this magnet on my dry erase board that has a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am not sure where the quote is from but it says a lot to me. I seen it at Barnes and Noble and decided I needed to have it where I could see it every day. Emerson says:

finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day, you shall being it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

I am not sure what that says to you all, but it says a lot to me. Emerson is saying to not let the little mistakes each day get the best of you. That once you finish the day let everything that happened that day be done and start tomorrow as a new day. My cousin Stephanie just graduated high school and I think she lives this quote even if she doesnt know it. She takes things in life as they come and if something bad happens one day, she deals with it then, but come tomorrow she forgets about it. She doesn't let the trials life throws at her get her down and goes on with life. I wish I could be more like her.

Too often we let lifes trials and get us down. We always let things bog us down and effect the way we live our lives and how we react to different things. Tomorrow is a new day; there will be more things happening throughout the day that will be hard to deal with, but we should turn to God for strength when it seems too hard, then when the day is over give it all to God and start the next day anew. That may make things easier to deal with if we let the small things go, maybe the big things won't seem so big after all....just a thought.

Villages

I wasn't sure what to title this one. I am sure you have heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child." When I think of villages in Biblical times I can see everyone taking care of the children. I can see mothers shepherding children around teaching them stories handed down, or teaching them cooking techniques while other mothers clean house or something. I just find it easy to imagine many people putting in the effort to make sure the children of the village survive and grow up healthy. Many times we do that within our own communities especially in our churches. When I think of my church there are a few young children, and we all keep an eye out for them. When one cries and the parents aren't around there is someone there to soothe the child or stop them from doing something that could be harmful. Importantly we all help teach the children the importance of God and relying on him.

One day during camp I sat with some of the kids and was talking with them. Some were telling me about what they thought about God and one little girl was telling me that she can feel God with her. To me that was something most adults can't even say. At camp I was amazed at how the senior campers acted around the younger kids. They were all there to keep an eye on them and keep them out of trouble. When asked who would help keep an eye on the kids at the lake many of the senior campers said they would; they jumped at the chance. Others sat and talked to the campers listening to them as they rambled on and on. I think many times when we want to see the innocence of God we need to look at young children.

I got off track sort of. It takes more than just parents to raise children. I think it helps to have more people watching out for kids. I know growing up my mom had friends who helped her keep an eye on us as well as disciplining us. I think many times that's how it should be and how God intended it to be. I think he intended for a whole village to help raise children and help guide them in the ways of being a good Christian. Children require a lot of care and guidance and working together as a "village" helps raise them in the right direction. Even now as a 26 year old woman, I enjoy having my church family, who might as well be called my family. I consider many women to be like my mother, many men to be like my father and the youth like my brothers and sisters because we all are. We all are a family who have the same father: Christ. He gave us life and sure the young children like Maddie in the the first picture or Justice in the one of me aren't mine, but I still consider them my kids because I help keep an eye on them. I try to help give them guidance the way a family member would.

The Bible puts a lot of emphasis on children and their innocence, then culture puts a lot of emphasis on the children being the future. So if they are the future shouldn't everyone pitch in to help raise them and teach them what it means to be a good Christian?

Dealing With Things

While working with my client I have learned that we all deal with the trauma in life differently. Sometimes we hold on to things for years and the pain that happened at one point in our lives continues to hurt us in the future. We often let our pains fester and try to push them aside and not deal with them. I have learned while working with my client that I have simply pushed my pains aside and not dealt with them properly. While it is hard to deal with them when something happens, it is even harder to deal with the pain and heartache years down the line.

God puts trials and tribulations in our lives for a reason. Sometimes we learn from them other times we are able to use that hurt to help someone else. It is hard to deal with the pain, heartache and other feelings associated with different trials on our own, which is why we have a merciful God. He is always there when we need him. I think too often we feel like Jeremiah did. In Jeremiah 15:18 he says "Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream as waters that fail?" We allow our pains be perpetual sometimes, other times while we deal with it it still seems to come up and overcome our efforts. That is when we need to rely on God the most. We need to turn to him and as Him for help and strength. God is there to lift us up when our trials and tribulations have us down; He is there when things seem to be too much.

Too often things get to be too much for us and we need the help of therapists and psychologists. I admit I am seeing one to help me through my heartache and there is nothing wrong with it. While he is helping through it, he cannot give me the spiritual help that I need and can only get from someone like my pastor. Sometimes we need to do things that changes aspects of our lives to help us deal with things in life. Prayer is important and I know I need more of it in my life. God is there to help us, help me, deal with the heartache that I have been holding on to. Now I am ready to let it go, I want to get rid of the pain that I feel daily and replace it with joy that only God can give.

Are you ready to let it go and give it to God?

Books Of History

Recently I finished reading a series by one of my favorite Christian authors: Ted Dekker called the Paradise series. The storyline follows a project called Project Showdown. It was a project to see if 36 orphans who lived and educated in a monastary away from the world could have the faith "to move mountains" or if evil would creep in somehow and have an effect on them. Basically they wanted to see if they could make perfect children with faith that could do anything possible. Well under the monastary were books called the Books of History where when innocent minds wrote in them, whatever was written happened. In the first book Showdown you get the story of Project Showdown and how Marsevues (sp) Black came to be. You learn about the characters and Paradise itself. It was a thrilling story that captivated me...then Saint follows one of the survivors: Johnny who becomes somewhat of a sleeper agent. Then the last is Sinner when the other two survivors unite and learn about themselves and with Johnny defeat Black who was basically evil incarnate.

I mention this series because it really got me thinking. The Bible says we have the faith to move mountains...faith even as small as a mustard seed could have that kind of power. The mountains in my mind are always metphorical: mountains being the trials in life. The characters in Ted Dekker's books come face to face with evil itself and hold on to their faith. I wonder how many people would be able to stand in the face of evil and not give up on their faith. How many people would fall to their knees and pray instead of giving in or running away? Better yet if something like the Books of History really existed and hatever was written by an innocent mind, would it happen and what would someone write in it? I like to think when I am face to face with evil itself that I would be able to stand up and satnd firm in my faith. I would hope I would have the strength to say Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light and not let anyone sway me no matter what.

When it comes to faith we need to be strong in our faith, strong in knowing that what Jesus taught 2000 years ago was the truth and not some teachings of a false prophet that many people try to make him out to be. We need to cling to our faith in the face of evil instead of allowing it to darken our souls and devour us whole. That is the point of evil, that is what it wants to do. Satan and his demons are meant to kill, steal and destory, but when we cling to our faith and hold on to what we know as truth, we wouldn't be able to be killed, stolen or destoryed.

What would you do in the face of evil would you be able to stand up to it the way Johnny, Billy and Darcy did in the novels or would you waver and run away? Would you strive for the faith that moves mountains or allow the mountain to crumble you?

Be As One

One of the themes for camp this year as Be On Guard and working together as a team, being one with each other and one with God. Every morning at 0800 hours the teens got up and did PT under the direction of Sergent Franks, one of the men from my church who is in the military. On the first day they didn't really work as one, and when they shouted "BE ON GUARD" after they were called to attention, it was like 40 or so different voices, but by weeks end they were of one voice, one body, one group.

Throughout the week the teens worked together in PT, kitchen duty, ground patrol, bathroom duty and other things. They worked together. Sure there were disputes, but with 60 some teens of course there will be a small amount of drama. But they learned how to work together as a team and help each other in their weak points. At one point the week, two young men had to "owe" the company 100 push ups for one reason or another. As the boys got tired, Serg. asked if anyone would like to give their teammate push ups...one by one teens stood up to help their buddy out. They really came together to help one another as a team.

That was the Senior Camp...we saw this teamwork for God in the jr. camp as well. When the younger kids were asked who can help them stay on their path with God, many said parents teachers, pastors. One little boy: Christian raised his hand and simply said "Sean" his friend sitting next to him. A boy of 7 knew that his friends would be someone who could help him stay on track with his faith...7! These kids no matter how old or how young knew they need their friends to help them with their faith. It really made me think and look at my friendships: do I give my friends' support in their faith, do they give me support? Made me see that there are some things in my life that I need to change.

Delightful Unexpections

This year's camp taught me some things, but then again last year's camp did as well. This year I got the chance to sit in on some of the senior camp's chapel services and the talent show. I didn't know what to expect for a group of teenagers. Some I knew have faith, others I wasn't too sure of what to expect. When worship started and they began to sing, something marvelous happened. These teens either got up in front of their peers to sing and dance with the worship team, or raised their hands to praise God as you see in the picture. I don't know why I didn't expect it, but I didn't and it really moved me to see that many teens willing to praise God like that, willing to show their faith as if it was the only thing that was important to them.

I think too often teens are dubbed as "good for nothing," "troublesome," or as if they are up to no good, but sitting in on these opportunities shows that teens have things they put value in. Important things like God and not their phones or ipods like so many people are quick to think they value most. The kids feel at ease at camp to be able to show their faith and not worry what their friends would think because their friends believe in God as well and are right there next to them praising God. It is always a moving and powerful thing to see teenagers praising God and eager to learn more about him.

Never Too Young.

It was that time again; time for YES Camp that my church does. This year was a little different for me because I had to work, so I went up on days that I could. I experienced both of the camps because I ran between both of them. I would help out for a few hours at the junior camp and then a few hours at the senior camp. There were many things that I was impressed with this year. One of the biggest things was that the Junior Camp was directed by a new person this year. Kathy leads our junior church so she took over when the former directors stepped down.

Kathy decided since it was a military theme that she would teach the junior campers about the armor of God and what it means to wear the armor of God. She used visual aids such as a helmet for the Helmet of Salvation. It has been said in the past that the kids are too young to hear about things like Salvation and fighting in God's army, but Kathy went in thinking differently. She even did alter calls so the kids could pray about things and ask for prayer for things. We had kids asking for prayer for their family and friends, for sick family members etc. But the most wonderful thing was the 6 of the 30 kids we had in Jr. Camp came to Christ that week.

The kids were so excited to learn about the armor of God and what it means to be in God's arm and "be on guard." They were eager to answer questions, and learn everything they could learn that week. I expect to see more kids in Jr. Camp next year, many said they couldn't wait until next year. This year's Jr. Camp goes to show that you are never too young to learn about Salvation, you are never too young to accept Christ into your life.