Month: July 2011

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Like God

Well campers, I am sorry about yesterday post. I got it up there late and it missed the email delivery schedule, which I can’t change from my phone at the moment. But yeah, it’s Friday and you get a double dose of fun!

Last night I was given the privilege of speaking to all these kids up here at this camp, so today I thought I would share one little bit of information from that. (plus my sleep patterns are disturbed enough that I am not as creative this morning as normal.)

Check out these words of Joseph when his brothers who sold him , come groveling at his feet.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. ” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50<\blockquote>
To me it’s pretty amazing to see that type of forgiveness and that spirit of gentleness. I mean really he had the power to take off there heads, but he forgave and took care of them. I wonder how many times we want to ‘play God’ and handle our own retribution? Hm. Think about it.

And if you haven’t read the Joseph story in a while, you may want to grab up a copy of Genesis and give it a read.

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Who is like you

I am hanging at camp today and I stumbled across this verse that was underlined in my bible. This is from a book that is quickly becoming one of my favorites — Micah. Yes that is sort of depressing, but it’s a good read. Check this out:

18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. <\blockquote>

This is a pretty good example. What to you think.

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Hey Campers

Back in my youth, during the summers, my older brothers and I spent a lot of time at sports camps.  So much that there was a gentleman in town who would call us ‘camper’ every time he saw us.  He was the basketball camp director, so we actually referred to him as camper as well.  That led us to start referred to everything we did in the summer as some sort of camp.  If we had to paint a room – it was ‘paint camp’.  If we had to work on someone’s yard it was ‘mowing camp’.  Eventually if we felt someone needed to learn something in detail, we would say ‘looks like you need to go to ‘dishwasher unloading camp’ or ‘math camp’ or ‘how to be quiet camp’.  It seems that is what camps are – a time to get away and focus on one specialized idea or concept.

Well, tomorrow I am heading off to camp, and I get to speak to a bunch of elementary and junior high children about ‘Living Out Loud’.  During my preparations for this bit, I stumbled over these words in Philippians.

4Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Can you think of a better way to Live out Loud than to emulate these words from Paul?  Maybe its time we head off to ‘gladness camp’ and ‘gentleness camp’ or ‘peace camp’?

More ideas about this ‘camp’ concept next week… if I can keep my focus – maybe I need to go to ‘focus camp’.

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While Its Still Called Today

I discovered this quote yesterday from the King of Motivation, that I found quite thought provoking:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

It almost always seems that it helps us related to spiritual things when we bring them alive in the physical world. Really, what if we treated our bodies the way we sometimes treat our mind and spirit?  How gross would that be.  Of course sometimes we do and then we are covered in the muck that is sin.  Double gross.  – gag me with a spoon gross.

That’s in itself is fairly good motivation to keep motivated and moving in a forward direction.  And somehow this all sounds awfully familiar, like it has been written somewhere before:

13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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Freely Give

This morning I am trying to remove the cold hard depressing realization that the weekend is over and the work week has returned from the front of my mind.  Yes, as depressing as that thought is, I am forcing myself this morning to look for the wonderful things that exist in this curse we call work.  Benefits the extend beyond funding the weekend.

So, as we head off for a week of cubicle warfare, I am cementing the power of the time away from work in my brain, and on of those things in the acknowledgment of the amount of grace and blessings that my life is bathed in.  And so, here is where my mind goes as I head off to the ‘work-a-day’ world.  I look towards the instruction the Christ gave his disciples, as he sent them out on a mission.

 

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

No, I will not be healing the sick, raising the dead or messing with lepers or demons today, but I have received freely, and so, I will attempt to give in that same way.  Well who knows, maybe that will help someone who feels like a leper or is dealing with demons, or feels dead as they live or is broken.

hm.. that’s pretty good motivation for the day.