Long Overdue

Hey EVERYONE!

Sorry this blog has been a long time in the making. I recently just got back from Mexico and it was slightly amazing that the same week I was gone was the week about passion. This trip was really hard this year, because there was so much uncertainty surrounding me going and my family being there is always a challenge. I also found out that one of my friends was no longer going to be a barney this summer... needless to say this trip gave me a great sea of emotions. I don't know about all of you, but I am really scared about this summer, it is hard to admit that because it seems like everyone just has it all together right now. BUT I am freaked out. My mom doesn't think I will last the whole three weeks of serving and I am so scared she might be right. When I was serving my week in Mexico I got really sick... like I always do when I am working through exhaustion. This freaked me out. I just kept thinking to myself. "Haley how are you going to serve this summer if you can't even survive a week in Mexico??" Then as always God found a way into my heart through the devotional.

Philippians 3:13-14

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

As I struggle with the fears I have for this summer I must look forward to what God has ahead for me. I must keep my path focused on God's plan, and the plan this summer is to serve on the Delta with God.

Sending you all lots of love!

week 4

sorry I have been absent from adding to the posts, i have been bad about doing my devotional anywhere near the internet, so then i had the idea to just gather all my random notes and review the last weeks, so here is week 4.

4. Sacrifice

Monday: 1corinthians 4:9- Christianity is a team sport. I am kind of a guy that likes to do things on his own. Thus this concept is sometimes difficult for me, but lets think about whom the apostles were modeling after when they were at the end of this procession… yeah, Jesus was the prime example for them, and us. Jesus didn’t just sit on the sidelines and coach. He got his hands dirty (dirt+spit=mud=blind dude sees), sweat (sweating blood in the garden), and sacrificed more than anyone else ever will be able to. That is what made him such a good leader, and makes him so irresistible.

Wednesday: 2corinthians 4:14- Your Dead. I’m Dead. Excellent. What could be cooler than this! This is a huge load lifted from the shoulders of anyone who comes to know it. The way I understand this, I have no need to fear death ever because the part of me that is not worthy of a perfect god is already taken care of.

So who in their right mind isn’t going to be totally stoked about that? I haven’t any idea who wouldn’t be. Now, because I don’t have to worry about death, it is logical that I should worry about life, cause humans have to have something to fret about or we go crazy. So after worrying about life a little I realize that God has once again got me covered and I just have to continue with the die with Christ life plan. If that happens then I have not a care in the world or out of the world because I am soo wonderfully wrapped up in His arms. Which means the only thing left to fret about is a guitar.

Main point: how could I possibly perceive that I could come up with a better life than the one God wants for me? That’s just silly, it’s best to embrace and enjoy.

Friday: John 15:1-17. Today’s is just a prayer, and a simple thought that blows my mind.

My God oh my God, dwell in me so that I may abide in you. Without you, nothing. Within you, everything. Let my life be of nothing but service to your will. Word up.

mark 15:34- “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?!!” – My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?.....

Jesus separated himself from God. I cannot bring myself to believe that anything else in all of creation could possibly be as painful as loosing the connection that I have with my creator. That is the fear of death. That is what Jesus did for me. Everyone dies, that isn’t the scary part. It is the separation from God that instills the fear into our souls. Jesus took that upon himself.

Blows my mind.

I. am. so. unworthy.

Holy Week and an Easter Experience

Two quick logistical notes:

1. CPR/FA IS DUE ON SATURDAY! That should be done by now - you've had 3 1/2 months to do it! If for some reason it will not be at the office by Saturday, you need to call me ASAP!

2. BE DILIGENT WITH THE RJW FUNDRAISER! See Reid's post below... I can't encourage you guys enough - put yourselves out there! Let people know! Be willing to ask people to give! It has been a blessing to watch the Lord bless the efforts of staff who have been faithful to ask... If you have questions or you're discouraged, call me and let's talk!!

Now onto my actual post:

First of all, how cool was it that we studied passion during Holy Week, when we celebrate and focus on the last week of Christ’s life, his passion, and ultimately his death and resurrection? Such a cool “coincidence” J

My favorite devo line that week was on Thursday, about the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet: “She doesn’t seek to control, but surrenders control to the one whose love will soon be poured out for her in a few days on the cross.” I don't even know what to say about it... It just resonated with me! I love the story of the woman who anoints Jesus' feet. I see so much of myself in her, and I see so much of myself that tries so hard to NOT be her. My church did a series of messages and one of them was on her story and the call to radical, uninhibited worship. Take 38 minutes and check it out at: http://www.rockharbor.org/media/message/mary-an-uncommon-devotion/

On the subject of strength and firmness, I got the chance to watch it unfold before my eyes as I reconnected with an old friend at church on Easter. Essentially, my friend has come to the end of himself and realized that A) everything is meaningless, and that B) there has to be something more than what he's been living for. Unfortunately, A+B doesn't quite = C(hrist!) for him at this point. But literally, I sat there thinking, "if you are tired and disenchanted, you are in a very sacred place. Christ is pushing you to eat from the tree of life. He's leading you to the cross. He's building you up in love." I got the chance to express to him my own process of coming to realize that my relationship with Christ "is not cream puff ideas of how to have a better day but instead an intense love affair that demands [my] body, heart, mind, and strength." I don't know what the purpose of me running into him that morning was, but I have been praying that as he searches, he would find himself willing to eat from that tree of life. C'mon, [insert name]... put it together already: A+B=C!!

Luke 6:46-49

Ohhhh has today's verse open my eyes! This is exactly what I have constantly been struggling with. This verse shows how we should be as children of God and of course, we screw up; we're not perfect people, but we can strive to be like Him. Jesus is my Lord, my Savior, my life, but why do I always seem to fall back? I don't give God all my time or "dig" like I should. How am I supposed to be a light to this dark world when I'm not doing anything to shine that light? I need to dig deep because I know that God is up above already building the foundation. He has me in his arms just waiting for me to completely give myself to Him. This is very important to me because I know that there will be kids this summer who are struggling with the same thing as I am. I want to be there and be able to help these kids and let them know that they can get through it like I did. God is everything a person can hope, so I shouldn't take advantage.

Ok, that's my thought for the day. (:

Unshakeable

Can I just start by saying I love this blog. I honestly feel like a whirlwind right now and am getting terribly intimidated by my to do list. And I just sit here wondering HOW Jesus is supposed to be apart of it all. And then I log onto the blog and remember it really is so simple. Everything is is. Everything I am is his. Everything I do is for him. Everything comes back to Jesus. That's what this means, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm not living to check things off my list, I'm living to glorify the creator of the universe! I NEED that reminder.

So, like I mentioned in my last post...I went off to Mexico. This trip is SO near and dear to my heart. It was my 4th time, and we go to the same church every year so I had 4 girls that I love with my whole dang heart waiting for me there. It was so good to see them...SO GOOD. And before I go on with everything that happened on this trip I just have to say this one small detail...THEIR MOM ACCEPTED CHRIST!!! I am so, so, so, so, so happy that when I get to Heaven I get to hang out with that woman. Praise God for moving in her heart, it is so dang awesome! I have known her for 4 years, and she has dealt with a LOT but God is doing great things for her.

God worked in my heart a pretty ridiculous amount too this week. The theme was unshakeable, and I feel like God has kept bringing that up for me. I am weak, I am moved by anything, I am moved by the crazy winds of life, but GOD is unshakeable. So not only is it not about me, it just can't be. If it's about me, everything falls apart. But if I stand firm in Christ? Well some pretty sweet stuff can happen. And what do you know! Scripture backs me up!

"There my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." II Corinthians 1:21

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

Sound familiar? God is making it clear: there is GOING to be wind. But STAND FIRM in him.

There were 1,000 of us at the camp I stayed at in Mexico. At least 250 of those people ended up getting sick: throwin' up in garbage bags, outhouses, and in the dirt. It was absolutely crazy. People were dropping like flies, the worship leader of the whole camp got sick, my pastor, his wife, another leader. And yes, little ol' me too. I actually ended up in a hospital hooked up to an IV. But guess what? God is unshakeable. His work didn't stop. We still worshipped, we still spread his word. My girls' mom actually accepted Christ the day I was in the hospital, I wasn't even there. IT'S NOT ABOUT US!

This was by far my best year in Mexico because there was so much wind and so much need to just hold on to Christ. When nothing goes wrong, we have a good year because we can get everything done and do what we need to do. When things go wrong, it's the best years, because we can't do anything. And suddenly God has to do everything. I think I'd rather have the unshakeable, unstoppable God doing everything.

So praise God for hundred degree whether and crazy amounts of vomit. If that's what it takes for us to realize it's not about us and let him do work, then bring on the wind!

Your Whole Heart!

I want to completely embarrass myself in praise for God! He deserves our everything. I often get really emotional when worshiping and singing praise, and I try to cover it up with sunglasses or by looking down, but God LOVES when we just completely let our guard down and focus on Him! It's not worth holding anything back. It makes me so emotional and confused and almost frustrated when I try to fathom how much he loves us and why, because we hardly deserve it.

It's so cool that God wants you for your heart, not for your knowledge or experiences. You just need to fully surrender yourself to Him and have FAITH. Kind of like what I was saying about not holding anything back in worship. HE WILL respond!!

I love when I'm reminded of how powwwerrful prayer is! Because I have been a lot lately. God is really moving in our lives, and I love when I realize and can recognize the areas He's working on. It's cool to know that God's in cotrol.

God will always be with us

The little blurb for today really hit me, because lately I have just been like really sad that I am going to be leaving everything after I go to college, and that these are going to be some of the last moments I have with many of my friends. As the end of senior year comes we have many last hurrahs: senior picnic, graduation, grad night, ect. And although our time as a highschooler and senior is ending, we just need to remember that these moments brought us joy, and that God's love is still with us and will be working through more fun moments the rest of our lives.
Jackie:)

Tired and Disenchanted

"Peter is a picture of the tree of life process. He journeys through disappointment, frustration, betrayal, and regret and surrenders to Christ His broken life. [...] If you are tired and disenchanted, you are in a sacred place."

I feel like my problem is that I want to be a Peter, but I feel like I only deserve to be a Judas. What happens when my broken life feels like too broken an offering to surrender to Christ? I know the Judas path all too well: disappointment, frustration, betrayal, and regret leading to self-destruction. I know where it's going to take me, but I don't seem to know how to avoid it because I don't know how to stop feeling like it's what I deserve.

Jesus, I'm tired of this! This doesn't feel like a sacred place. I'm tired of being afraid and alone! Please take this rotten lump of life because I don't want it anymore.

I can take it, but you have to take grace in its place. Otherwise you're still left with a gaping hole in your chest - and we both know how that's going to get filled.

No - no way. I couldn't take anything from You in return. That's too much too ask for. Please, Jesus. Don't wash MY feet.

You have to take it. Otherwise you have no part in me. How do you expect to wash others' feet if I don't show you how? How do you expect to love others if I don't show you how? Be encouraged - surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Guys, I don't pretend to know how to actually act this conversation out in my life, but it keeps happening, and I know it's what He's calling each of us to. He's helping us discover that our relationships with Him are not cream puff ideas of how to have a better day, but intense love affairs demanding body, heart, mind, and strength.

Acts 5:40-41

Today's verse really got me thinking and I just wanted to share it with all of you. This verse is about what are we willing to give up, suffer, or come out of our shell for. What am I really passionate about? Am I really passionate about God and doing everything to serve Him? Would I endure pain and discomfort for Him? In my mind and heart I know that I would but this verse really got me thinking. Of course I can say that I will because I'm not put under any pressure or anything. But when the time comes, will I be as strong and I think I am? These questions that I ask myself really help me strive to be better for Him and to know that I will definitely endure anything for Him. The only thing I want is for Him to see me and say, "Well done." So this verse helps me to push harder to be more passionate for Him and be more like Him everyday. Well, that's it. (:

Hope everyone's week well!

Two Posts in One :)

First off I want to apologize for not posting last week. I was going to Thursday after school before I went out of town, but then my car got keyed and the tires slashed so I decided it was best not to blog while I was angry. So in this post you will be getting two blogs for the price of one!

LOYALTY/COMMITMENT:

When I was reading Mark 10:17-31, one verse stood out to me in particular that I absolutely loved. Verse 21 says, "Jesus looked at him and loved him..." I thought this was amazing. It doesn't say Jesus hung out with him, got to know him, and loved him. It says he LOOKED at him and loved him. A lot of times I know I (and most people around me) look at somebody and judge them. But how amazing would it be if we all loved everybody from the first second we see them. We would truly be showing God's love by loving every person we see, not just our friends and family.

PASSION:

I also loved a verse from Philippians 3:12-21. In verse 20 it says, "But our citizenship is in heaven..." I thought this was a really cool way of thinking out our salvation. I usually just think of myself as being a citizen of the United States, but I believe that being a citizen of heaven is about 10 million times better. Even tough we are still on earth and have never seen heaven, we are still citizens of it because of our relationship with Jesus, and it cannot be taken away from us!

I hope you are all doing well and hope you all have a wonderful Easter!!!

Is doing more the answer?

After feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of activities, events, and drives going on on our school campus, I wrote a letter today to our staff and administrators asking this question. This frenzied pace of life has become a habit....for all of us.

"For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful" 2 Peter 1:8

Oswald Chambers put is so well when he wrote: "When we begin to form a habit we are conscious of it. The right thing to do with habits is to lose them in the life of the Lord, until every habit is so practiced that there is no habit at all....Your god may be your little Christian habit, the habit of prayer at stated times, or the habit of Bible reading. Watch how the Father will upset those times if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes - I can't do that just now, I am praying; it is my hour with God. No, it is your hour with your habit. There is a quality lacking in us." i.e. goodness, knowledge, self-control, brotherly kindess.
Chambers goes on to say: " Love means that there is no habit visible...and by practice you do the thing unconsciously. "

Jesus was at home with God everywhere. If we could let God enter into our circumstances and invade our lives, we gain Him, and life becomes the simple life of a child.

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters. "

Oh my goodness!

Hi! Unfortunately I haven't been blogging too much, but I thought I'd share a total God-moment that happened to me yesterday! Last night I was feeling pretty bummed; like with friends, school, soccer, etc. and was kinda just sitting feeling sorry for myself. I decided to pray about it and I did, and then go this urge to write encouraging letters. (I'm a huuggeee letter writer!) So I wrote a few notes to the girls on my soccer team and God laid a specific girl in particular on my heart. This girl, despite going to my Christian school, doesn't believe in God and I honestly don't know her too well. After I gave her the note, she kind of teared up and later wrote me back saying that the night before she had felt super alone and depressed and prayed to God that if He was real that He'd have someone giver her a note of encouragement. BAM! That hit me hard. Its crazy to think how God used me to speak life into this girl without me even realizing, or even more so; at a point where was feeling sorry for my own self! Anyways, that definitely encouraged my week and I just thought I'd share the awesomeness of God in my life! :)

Hey all!

I haven't even been on the computer much these last few weeks; school's picking up around AP testing and college is picking up with the whole "you have to decide" thing... Anyways, I wanted to apologize for being absent from the blog for a while and let you guys know that I just sent out my RJW stuff to friends and family! I'm really excited to see what happens in the future with this and with everything else in my life, it's becoming clear to me that God has my schedule pretty booked.

With all the aforementioned hype and business, I've been falling a little behind on my devotionals, but I'm leaving tomorrow for Nashville to visit Vanderbilt and then heading up to Kentucky to visit family, and I'm looking forward to having lots of time to spend in prayer and in scripture throughout the week. I hope you're all having a great time and that this post finds you all in high spirits and good health!

Cristo Te Amo

HEY!!!

So this is going to be my last post for about a week. I am off to Mexico in the morning! I will keep up with my devotional and hopefully be back and ready to blog next week. I am really excited for this trip even though it will be my last year going. I feel like it is great practice for BEMC and will really be an encouragement, but overall bittersweet because I will have to say goodbye to a community that has absolutely changed my life. Anyways, I just ask that you guys could keep me in your prayers, just for safety and unity for my team ( a lot of the girls in my church don't like me) it is always really tense until I find people that I can hang out with at night when we are back at base camp, but during the days, it is all about the amazing families of Encinos.

Hope you are all having an amazing week! Sending out some loving HAND HUGS!

-Haley

MEXICO!!

Hey, everyone!

I just wanted to throw out a little prayer request. ( : I'm off to Mexico this week with my old high school group. I'm INCREDIBLY excited to minister to the students in the group and the kids in the city! We go every year so we get to see the same kids, and I have my family of four little girls that I have been counting down the minutes to see. If you guys could be praying for safe travels and for God to just touch hearts in CRAZY ways, that'd be awesome. This trip always reminds me that God is so much more powerful than my tiny little brain can handle, and we should pray with that in mind! Be prepared to hear awesome stories in a week. Thanks for the prayer!

His Hands

"Faith exceeds the value of the worlds treasuries." It's an easy statement to read and then move on from. It's an easy thing to say "oh yeah, totally!" and then keep going. It wasn't until I read Psalm 31:1-5 that I began to realize just how CRAZY this is!

"Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth." - Psalm 31:5

Sound familiar?

"And Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.' Saying this, He breathed His last." - Luke 23:46

Lord, You hold the world in Your Hands. Seated on the throne in the center of the universe, revive my imagination, that my faith might be strengthened. Lead me to the cross, crucify me with Christ, redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth.

Choose!

Man, guys, yesterday's reading from Joshua has really been on my heart and mind the past two days. This one line (from verse 15) is just on repeat in my brain: "Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve."

There's a couple things I love about it. The first is that Joshua is pushing the Israelites - and us! - to come to a cross-roads and make a choice. "You can't waffle around anymore," he says. "What's it going to be? Better yet, WHO's it gonna be?" You can almost hear the sarcasm in his voice. Sure, if you want to go for those other gods, do it. Just PICK already. But as for me, it's YHWH or nothing.

And the second is that Joshua says "choose for yourselves today." Yes, daily it's a battle, but daily there's a choice. I know I can't promise God anything about where my heart is going to be twenty years from now. But I can promise Him a commitment for today, and so that's what I'll do. And as it turns out, that's perfect, because that's JUST the interval of time that He promises to provide strength for me to follow up on that commitment! It's not "give us these next couple years our bread for each day" - no! "Give us this day our daily bread."

All day yesterday, this was popping up in my mind. "Choose, choose, choose!" "Pearl, who's it going to be today? Who are you going to serve?"

"And the people said to Joshua, 'We will serve the LORD, our God, and will obey His voice.'"

Father, I don't know what tomorrow is going to look like, but I give you today, and I ask for the strength to make it through.

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to say that, so far, this weeks verses are absolutely amazing! They're encouraging me to an enormous extend. This whole devotional idea is so great and I hope that these verses are helping all of you, just as they are doing for me. I want to keep encouraging everyone to continue to read these verses and seek God in every way possible. We are definitely going to need him this summer! (:

I hope everyone's week is going fantastic!

Reality

So this whole sacrifice thing just seems like a lot, right? Monday we're being slaughtered. Tuesday we're giving birth. Wednesday, we have a cross strapped to our backs. Thursday, we die. Friday, we're stooping and serving and sacrificing...oh, but wait. Jesus has done all these things (except for giving birth, but work with me), and he's done them with more pain and more blood and more death than we could ever imagine.

"This whole sacrifice thing" doesn't seem like so much when the story of Christ stops being a story and starts being a reality. That's when I stop picturing the story of Jesus as him making a lot of people happy and then getting some cuts on his back and having to suffer a bit on a cross so that my sins are forgiven. No, the reality is that Jesus raised people from the dead, fed thousands, healed lepers. The reality is Jesus sweat blood in the garden, terrified of taking on the anger of God that I've never had to experience because he did that for me. The reality is that he was killed on a cross because he had to be so he could have a relationship with me. The reality is a perfect God died for a really screwed up person like me.

So what else can I do be sacrifice everything for him? When that's our reality, what else can we do but say that our comfort doesn't matter, our glory doesn't matter?

The way we are called to live ONLY makes sense in light of who Jesus is and what he did. And then it's the only thing that makes sense.

Isaiah 55

I love Isaiah 55! It has always had special significance to me in relation to houseboats, and I think it's fitting that we spent time sitting in it this week as a team.

First, I love that it begins "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters"... it's so appropriate for houseboats, both literally and spiritually. How cool is it that God meets us and campers and offers us Living Water (see John 4)!

But I especially love v. 10-11. I first "discovered" these verses during my barney session on Lake Shasta in 2007. I can still remember where I was sitting for solo time and which church I was serving with that week.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

These verses are so cool to me, because it's so... logical! (shot out to my logical friend Logan Daily!) We all know the "evaporation - condensation - precipitation" from third grade... rain doesn't fall without watering the earth. It's science, people! And the earth doesn't get watered without making it bear and sprout, which ultimately produces seed for the sower and bread for the eater. Even more so, YHWH says that it is impossible for his word to leave his mouth and return to him empty. It's science! It just doesn't happen! He ALWAYS accomplishes the purposes he desires, and his word succeeds in the matters for which he sent it.

First and foremost, then, this is why we spend time in the Word (note that we often call the Bible the "Word of God"). It is living and active and is one of the primary means by which God speaks to us! And if we let it, that Word leaves God's mouth and won't return to him until it has accomplished his purposes in and through us. How cool is that?! So if I can encourage you any more emphatically to be diligent to spend time in the Word, this is it! It changes you, friends. It changes me. It changes us as a team. It's science!

And from a ministry standpoint, how encouraging of a reminder is this?! This is what was most encouraging to me when I first "discovered" this passage while on the water in 2007: THE PRESSURE IS ENTIRELY OFF OF ME WHEN I SHARE WITH OTHERS ABOUT JESUS! Whether I am talking with a student while flipping pancakes, sharing my testimony on the roof of a houseboat, or giving the message at Wednesday Night Program, the pressure is off of me to say the right thing or use the right emphasis (and on another tangent from last week's humility focus: how vain of me to ever think that in the first place!!)... as long as I am surrendered to the Lord, I can be confident that YHWH will speak through me as he sees fit... that they will be HIS words accomplishing HIS purposes in and through me... and he guarantees his words will be fruitful!

Ah, I'm encouraged. And I hope you are too. Join me in choosing to come to the water's edge to drink of Living Water. Drink deeply, and then rest in the confidence that the God who created rain and snow in the first place is accomplishing his purposes in and through us, his people!

BEMC, Rinse and Repeat

I had a cool realization this morning when I was reading over my notes from the Sacrifice section this week, and it suddenly hit me: Jesus is befriending, encouraging, modeling, and challenging ME as we go through this study!

Genuine love of Christ - befriend

Sincere love for people - encourage

Humility - model

Sacrifice - challenge

His BEMC is absolutely perfect. Have you ever been befriended quite like He's befriended you? Has there ever been anything more encouraging that His blood poured out? No human model compares to His humility, and never has there been more of a challenge than the challenge to pick up our crosses follow.

And the whole experience is one big model to push us (dare say challenge us) to BEMC those campers (and our fellow staff!) this summer.

You win, Jesus, you always do!

Sacrifice

Sacrifice usually sounds like a bad thing to most people. But after this week's devotionals, sacrifice doesn't sound so negative. Jesus gave us the ultimate sacrifice of dying for all of our sins, and by sacrificing ourselves (not as literally as Jesus did) for all the people around us by serving and loving them, we are ultimately showing God's love to them. To me this doesn't sound like a bad thing at all. My goal for this summer, and for all the time, is to sacrifice myself and my desires to serve everybody around me and to show the love of Jesus in everything I do.

I love you all and hope you all had a great week!

Sorry!!!

Hey guys glad to finally be here!!! I am soooooo sorry that its taken me so long but i have had a wonderful mixture of computer and internet problems!!! So ya im happy that i can start blogging! Love ya all!!! ;) Evan

Take Up Your Crosss

I saw the strangest, most beautiful sight the other day. While driving down a back road between Napa and Sonoma, I witnessed a reminder of the most profound sacrifice: a man literally carrying his cross. Though I'm sure Jesus did not have the advantage of attaching his to a red wagon, the intention was still obvious. His act was unprovoked and uninterrupted, yet I hope I was not the only one in whom it sparked contemplation. A simple symbol of something we so often make complicated: sacrifice.
In discussing sacrifice, the topic of Jesus' crcifixion is unavoidable. I cannot even begin to fathom the immense pain he suffered in carrying the sin of the world and, ultimately, separation from his father, from love. It is easy to only focus on his sacrifice in death. But what about his sacrifice in LIFE?
It's not going to be easy. He warned us - straight forward. And he wasn't kidding! Jesus led by serving, so why do we think we can be good leaders any othe way? Sacrifice is the heart that enables service.
Take up your cross - literally if that's what it takes. You'll find that it doesn't get lighter or easier to carry, but he makes you stronger. You'll find that when it seems like your personal struggle is being put on display, he will use it to free others and yourself. An certainly, you will find that he I with you every step of the way.
Happy journeying!

Be Encouraged!

Team Barnabas!!!  Just want to tell you how encouraged I am reading all your posts!  Continue pushing yourselves to post something at least once a week.  This discipline connects you to all the other Barneys and it keeps you focused on training yourselves to serve campers.  Steve and I have been journeying along with the Drivers and Trainees.  They are two weeks behind you guys on the schedule.  Just wanted to encourage and challenge those who I havent seen posting that much to pick it up!!!! I know it is tough but even if you post just what you liked out of the scriptures or the Devotional by re-typing it at least we know you are pushing yourself!  Keep it up, you will be glad for it the day your session is done.  God Bless and keep it up or pick it up (Depending on who you are)

-Reid

No Use Crying Over Spilt Meds

Come Wednesday, I read our devotional, and I am SO READY to serve, to be treated like a servant, to have no recognition. How convenient that I had my clinical day in the hospital on Thursday. I was so excited for my patient and to just serve him and spread God's love to him like crazy.

God decided to humble me like crazy on Thursday. I made the dumbest of mistakes all day. I spilt my patient's medication everywhere which went unnoticed by him but not by his extremely loving and rightfully protective wife. I accidentally threw away another medication that then had to be reordered. I could not, for the life of me, get the patient to work with me transfer him to the toilet. All day was me going to my instructor and nurse and saying, "I can't do this, I messed up on this, I need help with this."

Normally I would like to leave the hospital filled with pride for how great of a nurse I am and how much I helped someone that day. But it's not about my own skills, my own abilities (although I do want to be the best nurse I can be), it's about loving people! I certainly don't want to make mistakes that are going to hurt someone and I want my patients to be happy with my care, but I don't need glory at the end of the day. It's about letting God's love pour out of me. I got my patient's wife coffee about 20 times that day, which is not exactly what I'm going to school for. But that was what she needed, that's how I could serve and love.

I went into my clinical day hoping I would come out boasting about how much I had served. I came out humbled and extremely happy to read on Friday, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." What a far more worthy thing to be boasting about. As much as I'm praying to be a great nurse, I pray that in everything I am doing, it is for the glory of God, NOT me!

hey!

Hey everyone!

I know i haven't posted yet but my internet hasn't been workin but yayy it finally is now! its sad how were all so dependent on it! :/ Anyways...this last week as been a major spiritual battle for my family. In a way it has been a positive thing but in our world's view... its pretty negative. It has been amazing how our devotionals have fit with our situation right now. Your probably thinking what is it?! what happened? so if your in for a story this is how it goes.

My dad is the Fire Chief in Stockton and recently he has been facing manyyy hardships at the workplace, battling with budget issues and problems with the people above him. Since he is in a leadership position he constantly under the microscope. (just as we are as Christians) Last August, he invited a couple if his co-workers to a leadership conference that is Christian-based. And also happens to be the number one leadership conference, according to Business magazine. Unfortunately, the city didn't agree with my father and a few other firefighters attending this because it was on taxpayers dollars anddd the fact that is was Christian based! So... this week he was put on leave... which means my dad hasn't been allowed to go to work this whole week and we are not sure as to what is going to happen next. He is under investigating technically for being a Christian! This conference has not been the only thing that they have disliked about him. They have been asking him to do things that he doesn't believe in and things that would hinder his firefighters so he has said no and it has made them upset. Even though my dad has done nothing wrong, this is the city's way to essentially give them a reason to get rid of him. I know this might sound crazy or scary that my dad and only source of income might be losing his job, but the best part about this is that as a family we are at PEACE with the whole thing! and its only because we have the Wonderful Lord on our side fighting for us! On Wednesday our devotional dealt with how you react when someone treats you with insult and disrespect. Do you choose to serve and honor that person or do you retaliate?! This totally fit because with all the hardship my father has been receiving, he has to just take it and continue to work and be kind and respectful to these people even though they put him through hell. So seeing this has shown me how he has been a great example as to how i should react in these kind of situations. God has revealed his power and loyalty to us as a family showing us that even though this wasn't in our plans, it was in His plans alll along!

Isn't it funny how God does things? ha Anyways, this week has been full of ups and downs and i honestly don't know how we would have survived through this with out Him. I know this might not have had alot to do about humility but i felt i needed to share anyway! :) all i can say is, no matter how hard satan tries to inch his way in to our lives in the oddest ways...we will always fall but Jesus is going to be right there to pick us up again! For my own spiritual growth it has been great for me to see how my parents have battled through this. It helps me realize that God really does have a plan and Purpose for me and that when those plans get tough, i know i can fight through it with Gods help! Just like Haley said, God really does LIKE us! and it makes me feel sooo good that He has his hands in everything that i do!!!!

53 Days

Hey Everyone!

As it seems this year for all us seniors is really starting to come to an end, I feel now more than ever that God is blessing me with just a joyful heart. I have always really struggled with knowing that God really really cares. I have always known that God loves me, but the fact that He truly LIKES me is just unreal. I have no idea if this is related to any devotional sort of stuff right now, but I just wanted to send out an encouragement to all of you. God LIKES you! And I like each and everyone of you, I feel so amazingly blessed that I will be serving this summer with people that have such amazing stories, personalities, and passion for Jesus. If this post finds any of you in a weary time period or just overwhelmed as the school year comes to an end, just remember..... 53 DAYS TIL MEMORIAL WEEKEND!

An Amazing Verse :)

I Corinthians 4:10: "We are fools...we are weak...we are dishonored...we are in rags...we are brutally treated...we are homeless...we work hard with our own hands...when we are cursed, we bless. When were persecuted, we endure it. When we are slandered, we answer kindly."

When I read this verse I knew that it will be one that I come back to many times this upcoming summer and all throughout my life. This verse sums up pretty much everything that we will be doing this summer, and how we could possibly be treated for doing so. I know that at some point during the summer we will all feel or come across every one of these things, and I know that I personally will come back to this verse as an encouragement during those times (and I hope you all will too :) ).

I hope you all had a great week! Can't wait to see you all in May! :)