Thursday, July 09, 2009
We're Off!
Great last session of sharing!! Excited for students to share when they return.
We just left camp at 12 pm. Arrival ETA will be posted later so remember to check back in here at the blog later this afternoon for our arrival time to NMC.
God rocks!!
Wednesday Pics
Today the students went through an experience to get them thinking about how God can use them when they get home. What if we stopped seeing ourselves as just Jr. Highers and saw ourselves as God did? Ferocious warriors for Him to use. We asked them to dream and think about ways that God wanted to use them in their schools, their youth group, in their relationships, to help kids in need and to use the platform that God has given them at school. The responses that the students shared were incredible.
In the afternoon we went to Monsoon Lagoon for some fun times miniature golfing, swimming and Go-Karting. It was a fun and exhausting time together.
Tonight our session was about bracing ourselves to be used by God. We talked about the traps that Satan likes to use to make us think that we can't be used. Traps that we hold on to and take our focus and attention away from God's plan for our lives. We looked at the traps of Sin, Image, Selfishness and Fear. In response tonight we asked students to identify the trap that they were holding on to, release it and share with their leaders so their leaders can pray with and over them. Many students responded in some amazing and powerful ways.
More later . . . enjoy some pics for now.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Pics from Tuesday
Today we had a lot jam-packed in to the schedule. We started off with a Time Alone with God experience in which students were able to connect, listen and respond to God in their time with Him. Afterwards we "Braced Ourselves" for an amazing time at Kalahari Resorts. What an amazing place and what a time we had!!!
Tonight as we gathered together we spent some time talking about the experience from this morning. Today was about bracing ourselves to be loved by God. We challenged students to think about the amazing love that God has for us. It is too big to grasp or get a hold of. However, in Rom. 5:8 we get a glimpse at it. We see in this passage that God "Demonstrated" His love for us. His love was demonstrated for us as He died on the cross for us. What an amazing act of His love for us.
We do crazy things when we're in love with someone. We get dressed up for them, we buy something, we put on our best manners. But today the word "love" is thrown around and has lost its true meaning. It has become something empty that we just say. Has our love for God become empty . . . do we just say it but not mean it? Or do we look for ways to demonstrate our love for God? When we understand the love that God has for us and we accept it from Him our lives cannot help but be changed and transformed.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
More Jr High Camp Pics
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More Jr High Camp Pics
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More Jr High Camp Pics
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.
More Jr High Camp Pics
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.
Jr High at Kalahari
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Jr. High Camp - Monday
Just a few pictures from today. We arrived safely to Beulah Beach camp today just a little after 3 pm. We got settled in to our cabins and took a group picture. Afterwards we spent a moment to focus before splitting up for our Time Alone With God.
Tonight students were challenged to Brace Themselves to Be Moved By God.
Think about when you ride a rollercoaster . . . a big one. When you get on and your going up the hill are you the person who raises your arms in the air just before the big fall or are you the person gripping on for dear life? Although the greatest thrill comes when we throw our hands up in the air, as we start that big drop or things start looking scary, we start thinking that we have to take control. However, when we do this we can miss out on the true experience that we're suppposed to have and in some cases even cause ourselves more pain.
Tonight as we spent our time together, students were challenged to look at how they truly trust God. Do they only trust in God when things are going good or do they stand firm when things are going very wrong? We took a look at the life of Job which was a great example of this. Do we turn down allowing God to move in us because it may cause us pain or cost us something that we love dearly? Are we holding on too tightly to that? This week we must release them to Him if we truly want to be moved by God and go deeper with Him.
Pray that students continue the journey this week with hands and hearts surrendered to Him to allow Him to do all that He needs to do.
Monday, July 06, 2009
2009 Jr. High Summer Camp - Brace Yourself!!!
Jr. High Summer Camp is here and I'm excited to see all that God has in store for us. We could definitely use some prayer warriors as we head in to camp. Continue to check here for updates while we're at camp. Here are some ways that you can be praying for us.The details (Health, weather, safety, sound/band equipment, etc.)
Traveling To Ohio/ Group Unity
Our Day at Kalahari Resorts
Student Cabin Groups
Jr. High Camp Leaders
Pastor Chris Lehane
Our Cooks for Jr. High Camp: Cathy Miller & Tonya Angle
Camp Nurse: Amy Woodcox
New Life Fellowship and Harvest Community
Spiritual Sensitivity
Brokenness
Repentance
God moments and Authentic Life-transforming commitments
A Hunger among students for an encounter with God
God might Reveal Himself to us
Pray against the enemy’s distractions (sound issues, rebellion, family strife leading into camp, etc.)
That Job 42:5 would be true of students and leaders at camp:
"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."
Traveling To Ohio/ Group Unity
Our Day at Kalahari Resorts
Student Cabin Groups
Jr. High Camp Leaders
Pastor Chris Lehane
Our Cooks for Jr. High Camp: Cathy Miller & Tonya Angle
Camp Nurse: Amy Woodcox
New Life Fellowship and Harvest Community
Spiritual Sensitivity
Brokenness
Repentance
God moments and Authentic Life-transforming commitments
A Hunger among students for an encounter with God
God might Reveal Himself to us
Pray against the enemy’s distractions (sound issues, rebellion, family strife leading into camp, etc.)
That Job 42:5 would be true of students and leaders at camp:
"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Day 30 - The Finish!!
Here we are at the last day! What a testament to your devotion for those that have gone through the entire Challenge! And while today is the end of this challenge, I hope that you can find something else to start another challenge on!
Take a moment and read Luke 22:1-30 and take note of the words that Jesus says. He says a lot.
In this passage Jesus is having his last celebration with his disciples. He is marking the end of his ministry with the disciples and his eventual death on the cross at the end of this week. It is interesting how Jesus goes about the dinner. Jesus is very excited to have this meal with his disciples because of what it will mean for these men in the coming days. Jesus knew that this was going to be a very difficult time ahead of these men, however, he knew that he was going to send them out to do greater things than he ever did.
Jesus instructs them to remember where they had been and what they had done with Jesus and the imminent end that was coming to Jesus the next day. He then tells them to consider how they should live their lives when he is gone. He gives them instructions on what to do after he is gone. He re-issues them their task for the next phase of their lives.
So here we are at the end of this 30-day challenge. This is the end of something good and something that took a lot of work. CELEBRATE! Go have a Coke; or a bag of chips (no not the whole bag, Chris :) ). But do something to mark this day and to remember what it is that you have accomplished. But then remember that there is still a mission. Re-evaluate what that mission is in your life.
So what is it for you? What is your next task? What is the mission that you now have renewed for you? What is the next 30-day challenge that you have in front of you?
What is the meaning of your next 30-days?
Love you all!
Keep pushing into Him for everything!
GC
Take a moment and read Luke 22:1-30 and take note of the words that Jesus says. He says a lot.
In this passage Jesus is having his last celebration with his disciples. He is marking the end of his ministry with the disciples and his eventual death on the cross at the end of this week. It is interesting how Jesus goes about the dinner. Jesus is very excited to have this meal with his disciples because of what it will mean for these men in the coming days. Jesus knew that this was going to be a very difficult time ahead of these men, however, he knew that he was going to send them out to do greater things than he ever did.
Jesus instructs them to remember where they had been and what they had done with Jesus and the imminent end that was coming to Jesus the next day. He then tells them to consider how they should live their lives when he is gone. He gives them instructions on what to do after he is gone. He re-issues them their task for the next phase of their lives.
So here we are at the end of this 30-day challenge. This is the end of something good and something that took a lot of work. CELEBRATE! Go have a Coke; or a bag of chips (no not the whole bag, Chris :) ). But do something to mark this day and to remember what it is that you have accomplished. But then remember that there is still a mission. Re-evaluate what that mission is in your life.
So what is it for you? What is your next task? What is the mission that you now have renewed for you? What is the next 30-day challenge that you have in front of you?
What is the meaning of your next 30-days?
Love you all!
Keep pushing into Him for everything!
GC
Friday, May 15, 2009
Day 29 - Finish The Race!
Get out your Bible again, and turn to Acts 20:24.
Here, Paul is talking to a group of leaders from Ephesus that he is leaving. Here Paul is describing to them what he is doing and why he is doing it.
What do you consider your life to be worth? Alot? Not much? Don't know?
Paul didn't even count his life worth nothing to him. There is nothing that he could do to be of worth to him because he drew his worth from the plan that God had already laid for him. What seems to be so interesting is that there is a something that must be completed. A task? A journey? Something. Paul sees something that he has to complete and must accomplish for his life to be complete and his journey to be at an end.
Do you see what God has laid out for you? Probably not. There are many people who don't know what that end is. But we must always recognize that there is a task to accomplish; a race to run. Perhaps there can be parts of the race?
Think of it this way.
When you are running a race, it can be so difficult on you that you are so focused on only what's ahead of you. Maybe that is a straightaway, perhaps it is the next turn. We really can never see the entire track. There may be portions of the track that we will have to go through, but we don't see them right now.
In order to be successful, we have to be passionate about finishing the current turn, or the current straightaway in order to finish the race. For a guy like me, running a big, long race is tough and can be tiring. Even my will to finish can fade rather quickly. So, I would have to break the race down into parts. I had to finish each part in order to successfully finish the race.
So, what part of the race are you on right now? Are you on a turn? A straightaway? Can you see the end of this part? Maybe, for you, right now, your race is this 30 Day challenge? You finish tomorrow! Can you finish this part, so you can finish the whole race?
Some other questions to ponder:
What is the portion of the race that you are on right now?
Where can you look back and see a completed part of the race?
What is the next portion of the race that is coming up?
Talk to you tomorrow for the last leg!!!
GC
Here, Paul is talking to a group of leaders from Ephesus that he is leaving. Here Paul is describing to them what he is doing and why he is doing it.
What do you consider your life to be worth? Alot? Not much? Don't know?
Paul didn't even count his life worth nothing to him. There is nothing that he could do to be of worth to him because he drew his worth from the plan that God had already laid for him. What seems to be so interesting is that there is a something that must be completed. A task? A journey? Something. Paul sees something that he has to complete and must accomplish for his life to be complete and his journey to be at an end.
Do you see what God has laid out for you? Probably not. There are many people who don't know what that end is. But we must always recognize that there is a task to accomplish; a race to run. Perhaps there can be parts of the race?
Think of it this way.
When you are running a race, it can be so difficult on you that you are so focused on only what's ahead of you. Maybe that is a straightaway, perhaps it is the next turn. We really can never see the entire track. There may be portions of the track that we will have to go through, but we don't see them right now.
In order to be successful, we have to be passionate about finishing the current turn, or the current straightaway in order to finish the race. For a guy like me, running a big, long race is tough and can be tiring. Even my will to finish can fade rather quickly. So, I would have to break the race down into parts. I had to finish each part in order to successfully finish the race.
So, what part of the race are you on right now? Are you on a turn? A straightaway? Can you see the end of this part? Maybe, for you, right now, your race is this 30 Day challenge? You finish tomorrow! Can you finish this part, so you can finish the whole race?
Some other questions to ponder:
What is the portion of the race that you are on right now?
Where can you look back and see a completed part of the race?
What is the next portion of the race that is coming up?
Talk to you tomorrow for the last leg!!!
GC
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Day 28 - Which One Are You?
Read Luke 17:11-19
We read a lot of passages like this is in Scripture where Jesus heals people. That was Jesus' nature and character. He has seen people who are hurting, sick, broken hearted, hungry, etc. and he desires to fill their deepest need. But here we see something that maybe you never thought through. Here we see 10 lepers who Jesus heals yet only ONE comes back to thank Him.
Too often today we see people whether it be adults, high school students, Jr. High students, etc. who have needs and things that they need Jesus to heal them from and complete their deepest need. We ask for those desires and Jesus has answered them but what do we do with that? I think as you look here you can gather that the majority of people get what they need from God and then just continue on with life.
This ONE leper who came back shows us an important lesson to remember. NEVER forget to give thanks and praise to Him who wants to meet us at our deepest need. The areas where we hurt most . . . the sickness that we feel is defeating us or a loved one . . . to provide us with the food and finances that we need or our family needs. HE IS FAITHFUL. The problem at times is that we are not as faithful back.
Think about it for you . . . when is the last time that you thanked Him for something HE answered your prayer about?
Which one do you relate with from this story? The ONE who came back or the 9 who never came back to thank Him for what He did?
Take time right now to pause and think about all that God has done for you. Write down those things and write a note of thanks to Him in the comments portion. Allow others to read what your thankful to Him for and do so boldly. Remember that He is the One that when this life is over we must have please.
We read a lot of passages like this is in Scripture where Jesus heals people. That was Jesus' nature and character. He has seen people who are hurting, sick, broken hearted, hungry, etc. and he desires to fill their deepest need. But here we see something that maybe you never thought through. Here we see 10 lepers who Jesus heals yet only ONE comes back to thank Him.
Too often today we see people whether it be adults, high school students, Jr. High students, etc. who have needs and things that they need Jesus to heal them from and complete their deepest need. We ask for those desires and Jesus has answered them but what do we do with that? I think as you look here you can gather that the majority of people get what they need from God and then just continue on with life.
This ONE leper who came back shows us an important lesson to remember. NEVER forget to give thanks and praise to Him who wants to meet us at our deepest need. The areas where we hurt most . . . the sickness that we feel is defeating us or a loved one . . . to provide us with the food and finances that we need or our family needs. HE IS FAITHFUL. The problem at times is that we are not as faithful back.
Think about it for you . . . when is the last time that you thanked Him for something HE answered your prayer about?
Which one do you relate with from this story? The ONE who came back or the 9 who never came back to thank Him for what He did?
Take time right now to pause and think about all that God has done for you. Write down those things and write a note of thanks to Him in the comments portion. Allow others to read what your thankful to Him for and do so boldly. Remember that He is the One that when this life is over we must have please.
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