The Reason

There is a lot going on being that it is the Christmas season. Everyone rushing around trying to get their last second shopping done, or decoration on the house and tree. The stores get more busy and hectic and the roads get more congested and frustrating. Sons and daughters are coming home to families to spend time with loved ones.

When you get home you get that warm feeling, a Hallmark moment. Seeing family is a joyous occasion and something to be cherished. It is something to value. We as a society look at christmas as a great time of joy and happiness. All the family gathered in one place fellowshiping together and loving on oneanother.

I think with all this hustle and bustle we can sometimes forget about why we should truely be happy. We have more than family, Christmas trees, cookies, presents, and snow to be happy for. There is an everlasting Hallmark moment to be found in this Christmas season.

A baby was given into death, grew into a man surround by the flesh and born into life. And the crazy thing is He took us with Him into this life. We are but shells of what is to come. There is a reason for the season. And it cant be found in a store, under the tree or miseltoe, or even in your family gathering. It is in Christ! He is the reason we can even enjoy this season. And to those that would read this and understand what I am saying are blessed to be enjoying a life of grace, but sadly some are not and thats our job. We should not just be thinking of Christ's death on the cross on Christmas and Easter. Thats to easy of a life and we are called to more. There are those that dont know the reason for the season.

And yes that means you have to do more than just open presents and such, there is a great work to do each and everyday. I say this not as one being perfect in that but understand Christ desires to know all his children and as we approach His birth i would ike to think of more than just Frosty and Rudolph. We have a reason to be merry, a reason to rejoice. And he sustains and fills us.

So as your rushing around or stuck in traffic take some time to pray for those around you because Christ loves all His children and was not just born into life for just you and me, but everyone. Remember the real reason for this wonderful Christmas season.

Fog

It always seems to be raining when I either drive home or back to North East. I think I have only have driven without rain about three to four times. But this time not only was it raining but foggy and gloom. I could barely see the cars around me or what surround the road. My vision being lessened I had to really focus on the road. It made me centered.

This got me thinking sometimes in life we find ourselves on a road and being distracted and fall away. But with the fog blinding me it took away from what i could see it guided my vision to the center to the end goal of getting back to sandy cove. I feel like a lot of the time I get so distracted by whats around me, I take away from what God has for me. My faith or purpose should guide me, center me like the fog did. My sin leads me astray but the with a mission or purpose it can be centered like the fog did to my driving.

I'm finding that's one of the reasons Sandy Cove is so blessed. The mission drives everything and everyone. A mission can be so powerful and empowering. Christ gave all of us a mission a purpose and there is power in that, and i need to keep that in mind. When Paul said he does the things he does not want to do, I have come to understand that all to well. I war within myself. But the mission as Mark P. Fisher would explain is a sword it has a point and is driving.

I would hope that my life would always be driven by a sword, that being Christ and his word. That i would always seek which is good. And I hope that for whoever reads this.

Ps. 16:11

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

I think allowing God to show us the path of life is the hard thing. So often I fight for my wants and how i want things to go. But if i only could just submit the rest of the verse could be true in my life more.

Times

The past two months at Sandy Cove have been filled with joy and a lot of pain. I keep getting told you know your growuing when you can sense some growth along with pain. And I gotta be honest I am tired of the pain. Growing is something that gives motivation but can be crippling. In the one sense, sweet I am gaining a better understanding of who I. But the other I am so broken and i have a lot that I have swept under the rug.

God is calling me out time and time again. I feel like a lil kid, I know what I did and I wanna hide under the bed and hope He doesnt find me out. The Shadow of Christ is to vast for me to hide from and im glad for that i cannot. I have been in some serious grace and love from my heavenly Father as I walk with my hand in front of me because this whole experience feels like im in the dark. These past two months have been times of renewal and times of growth. Times of anger, times of fustrastion, times of despair, times of lonelyness, times of being lost, times of being found, times of love, times of joy, times of laughter, and times of happeiness. God is good and when i have found myself on that rock with the waves all around me I am at peace becasue he has got my back. I have come to in these times over the last two months come to see how great the love of a father is for his son.

Being a man from a fatherless childhood this concept has always escaped me. There is a God who is my father that cares? That wont turn away or hide his loving words from me. That knows me, and desires depth from me. That's crazy to me, it may not e to some but to me it is foreign. God in all His greatness and power wants someone like me, broken and fatherless. Thats insane. And empoering. I have been called by my Father for more than living in the idea that i am a fatherless runt who will amount to nothing.

I have been in converge for two months and they have been a great two months of seeing God work. Seeing me get beat up and broken so God can oull the iniquity out. I am glad I have taken this different path.

Fasting

We were asked to pick something to fast from the past six weeks. Ill be honest when i first thought of this i wanted to say what wont hurt the most. I knew i was not having the right spirit about it whatsoever. I knew i had to pick something that i did alot and i came to Facebook. It was something i could give up, something i could live without.

I feel that i made it an idol, every time i got on the internet i was checking Facebook. So i gave it up because it was something that consumed my time. But it didn't hurt, it didn't make me think oh hey im not on Facebook. I did learn tho that there are alot of things in ours lives that we hold to highly and put value you on. And that there is so much better things to be spending time on.

Next week we are pick something new to fast from, and i will consider deeply the next thing i pick. I want to pick something interrupts my day so i am drawn to the Cross.

Acts 17:16-34

I like the way Paul approached the men in Athens. The men there were religious and high scholars men of high standard. Paul feeling the spirit did not attack them or condemn them. He did judge them and say you sinners i see your faults and your doomed. He waited for the spirit to lead him instead of charging in. And even then he waited and spoke with determination from a point of teaching to reach out to what they knew. He built a small relationship with them by coming out everyday and spoke.

These men were religious and high scholars of high scholar, so Paul taught the gospel from the what the knew. He took their idol worship and met them at their level to explain the gospel. "For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
'In him we live and move and have our being';as even some of your own poets have said,
"'For we are indeed his offspring.' (Acts 17:23-28).

I am not opposed to the preaching on the street corner or fire and brimstone style preaching they have their place. But I like the idea of building some sort of relationship to share the gospel and meeting the person were they are at. Most people do not liked to be talked at or above. And like when people speak at the same level. Paul didn't raise himself above them but met them in the meeting place and spoke the same as any other teacher. They were interested in his teaching and wanted to know more. You can see the fruit of paul following the spirit at the end of the chapter, it says that some listened and believe.

Have you ever looked up?

From my title you may be wondering what the heck is this about? It's a simple question, have you ever looked up? the answer is not so simple. Because sure you have looked up plenty of times in life. You hear a plane you look up, playing baseball you look up to catch it, look at the stars or watch a sunset. But what have i mean is have you ever looked up at actually looked, looked at the details of the workmanship of God?

This past weekend us convergers were back in West Virginia closing down Camp Sandy Cove. The last time i was there i enjoyed myself greatly but didn't take the time to take in what was around me. Didn't pause and just look and listen.

When people say, look at creation to see God, and the thought comes to my mind, oh stop being a cliche Christian, sometimes things are cliche for a reason. I was in awe of how beautiful and detailed each and ever cloud and tree was as i just look around and had a moment of worship. I kept praying God reveal yourself. And i found Him in the cool air that cooled as we worked, the trees giving shade in the heat, the clouds passing overhead, the sun staying out keeping the rain away, the soft grass, the flowers, ever little thing made with design. How vast the sky is my mind could not comprehend only the creator could have.

As we drove down the road surrounded by trees i thought how many times in life do we forget to look up? Look up from our daily lives to see what God has done and is doing. We get so distracted that we forget to take time to look. God is always present we just need to stop and look.

How do we feel accepted by God?

Have you ever wondered how you know you're loved by God? Or wondered how he shows it? Wondered what we do to find His love. This is something I am wondering as we read the God cookie tonight and this subject made me stop and think.

A character in the story was motivated by God working in his life, he was motivated by doing, action. Another said the last time she believed in God when her father for no reason said he loved her, she found love in affirmation. This not far from the truth for many Christians in our walk with God, we all find affirmation in different ways. How many of us yearn for someone to notice what we do within the church by its members. But is this a good thing or should we check our motives? Are we to do works so that the Father takes notice, hoping that by praying for someone we are blessed in return. Motives can be a trap that we unknowingly fall to.

I can be caught up in being selfish because of the want of gain or recognition. Christ did not come to serve but to serve. Serving does not ask or entail being told thank you but is understood as a gift. God does not look how to accept but has already done so on the cross. We are loved from the creator from the start no need to find acceptance from someone who accepts us with our sin. So why struggle to find out how we are loved when from the start we already are. Why not try the best we can by living out what we were created for, worship and to try and live out our faith as faithful servants. Not expecting but watching God work.

ABS

After reading through some info on the American Bible Society and seeing some of the presidents thoughts i can see why they have had some victory. When working with people we can tend to forget that those working are people too and need to be invested into as well. He has a organization that won best work place(christian non-profit) in 2011 for his investment in the people. They saw that there needs to be a depth and a life choice, that faith is not just something we hold but something we do and are. And that by serving eachother and being broken to oneanother there is growth. This is something i can keep in mind this year as we keep heading forward to making oursleves more christlike.

Being a Servant

The idea of serving someone else before seeking to fulfill ones owns needs is an odd concept for most of us. The concept of serving is not a practice shown greatly by much of the American society. Many are looking for their own gain and profit. A get rich fast mentality.

But ive been learning the opposite and seeing what service is and how its a choice that can be made into a lifestyle. Christ said that he did not come for the healthy or the rich, but the lowly and the poor. He came to serve not to be served. How often is that my mind set. How often do i think the effect of opening a door for some one, because even the litttlest of things can be consider serving.

For the first time at the beginning of this past summer i asked God to allow me to be a servant instead of serving myself. And God allowed me to experience it this summer, at times i was thinking ok God I think ive served now, but that's the times when it becomes a choice to lay down my wants and needs for another. I am still learning and serving i am trying to make it a lifestyle and a way I interact. By working in the Different departments here at Sandy Cove I am getting many opportunity's. And getting know some of the people here Like Jon and Vonnie Stemen they opened their home to us convergers and served us and are going through a book and teaching us more about servant hood, so it looks like God heard my prayer.

History

There is something about knowing your past that as a society we put weight on. Knowing where you come from to show you who you may be, create a legacy or change one. Knowing your place in some cultures and taking up after the ones before you. History can be so vague and so specific. Webster Dictonary defines history as such: "A systematic, written account of events, particularly of those affecting a nation, institution, science, or art, and usually connected with a philosophical explanation of their causes; a true story, as distinguished from a romance; -- distinguished also from annals, which relate simply the facts and events of each year, in strict chronological order; from biography, which is the record of an individual's life; and from memoir, which is history composed from personal experience, observation, and memory."

When we think of our history is there some philosophical meaning to the things we do, or some great stories. I think as a nation the American population loves its movies and heroes because of the lack depth within our own lives. Most would rather live in a fantasy world then face reality. But this counterproductive, this is life and history doesn't make itself.

History is a line of events the centers on His story meaning Christ. The birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ is the center and focal point of history. The bible gives a great History into faith, and is used as a guide. All this is blabbering, all to say is that history is important, and through it we can see how His- story has affected it and us.

We learned how Christ's effect was felt here by learning the history of Sandy cove today. It was interesting to see how God used and showed favor on Dr. George Palmer. The founding of this ministry is nothing short of a God workmanship. His son sailing along the river sees the land and tells his father and Dr. Palmer seeing Gods direction asks for it and receives. People donated the money to pay for 200 acres of land.

With this he found a place were people can come get away and connect with God and each other through creation, His word, and community. This being the mission of Sandy Cove it was met and has been a place where it happens ever year. God chose Dr. Palmer for a reason and I believe part of it was because he was so willing to serve which is not something done easily. But he did it with a grateful heart and was used by the creator to create a place of respite for the weary, a place of redemption for the broken and opportunity for those wanting to impact for Christ.

I saw this first hand working at Sandy cove this summer working in Crosswalk a program for Jr high and sr high kids. As a mother of a child broke down in tears because her son found rest and said it had been a long time and was blessed. There were countless stories of God working and it had nothing to do with what we did but everything to do with what we did. We said here we are God use us as Dr. Palmer did. He created a History to be followed a way to create an experience for people to find rest. The song he would have played, "Jesus Never Fails," rang true then and still today becasue he was faithful to the task put before him.

Now its our turn as young people of God what story will we, will I leave behind. Converge is a time for me to work out my faith, to grow in my faith. A time for me to continue my story that hopefully reflects Christ. I'm on a different path then I was a few months ago but I'm excited to see how God will use my Story.