My Eyelashes Catch My Sweat

So I haven’t blogged in quite a while.  I was recently reminded me it’s been well over a month.  I know I wanted to blog to keep in touch but I also haven’t wanted it to be a pressure situation.  However, since I’m not in school anymore and don’t have homework, I suppose this could suffice as my “paper” that’s due every two weeks or so.  I will do my best to keep a little more updated from now on!

One of my good friends at Horn Creek has introduced me to some music that people would maybe call weird or interesting.  But one of the lyrics, which ironically is my title, states “I've got a perfect body, though sometimes I forget. I've got a perfect body cause my eyelashes catch my sweat.”  This line may sound a little arrogant at first to say “I have a perfect body”.  But it’s so true.  We have perfect bodies.  God made us perfectly so that our sweat doesn’t run into our eyes, we breathe naturally, our heart beats without us thinking about it, we feel hungry when our body needs nourishment, we have energy and muscles to exercise and play sports, we can work, watch TV, read books, remember thousands of song lyrics, memorize phone numbers and passwords…..the list goes on and on.  Although some people may have bodies that don’t work like they used to or certain aspects that are failing them such as sight, hearing, memory etc.—that doesn’t mean that God didn’t still make you a perfect body.

 

The little things in life are sometimes exactly what we need to think about when God seems distant or evasive from our lives.  I will do my best to give a small recap of what I’ve been failing to fill you in on lately.  In the past month I’ve been privileged enough to visit Moab, UT where I was able to use my “perfect body” to hike through the amazing Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park (pictures on Facebook!).  The views were spectacular and we had lots of fun camping, hiking on and off the paths, taking pictures and just observing God’s beautiful creation.  I have spent a lot of time working and plenty of time playing.  I got to shoot guns, throw knives, learn to use a chainsaw, go apple picking, bake/cook for potlucks, go on adventures around camp, have late night talks, watch movies, eat some good food at good restaurants, learn to drive stick shift, work, work, and work some more, and live in community at Horn Creek with many different kinds of people.

Among all that, I have also been challenged.  A lot.  Being content is sometimes a good thing.  But in my walk with Christ, I know He doesn’t want me to be content or complacent.  I couldn’t quite figure out what’s been going on with me spiritually for a while until a little over a week ago I had a light bulb moment.  I am working in ministry and constantly surrounded by ministry.  We have several teaching times throughout the week at camp, plus church, small group, discipleship and then the daily conversations that happen with co-workers and friends.  Through all these “contacts” with the Bible/talking about Jesus, I was drawn into a coasting stage in my faith.  I just was letting these instances be enough for me.  But even when God is silent through my struggles, he is never silent forever and when he speaks it’s usually pretty clear what he is trying to tell me.  We are in a series at church where we are exploring what it means to be the body of Christ.  Currently we are talking about pursuit.  We are called to pursue Jesus, with a longing to know him more.  Not just because we should, but because we want more of him.

The verse that has been bouncing around my head for the last few weeks now is from Revelation 2:4-5 – “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”  I have been trying to remember the fire and the intense passion I had for growing to know the Lord when I first began chasing after Him my second semester of college.  I want that passion back.

My question is how often do we “forsake our first love”?  How often do I choose to tighten my grip on the things of this world and loosen my grip on Jesus, instead of the other way around?  How often do I pray for more of Christ?  I know that God has done amazing things in my life, my family, my friends and in my heart.  He has given me purpose and passion for living a life that reflects Christ to the best of my abilities.  Jesus gave up everything that I might have life, and have it to the full.  What do I give up for Him?  

Pause for Effect

One of my favorite movies is Despicable Me.  In a scene towards the beginning, Gru is telling the minions about his next big move.  The line goes like this: "Next, we are going to steal...pause for effect...the MOOOOON!" [Minions cheer].  I think Gru might have something figured out there.  Without pausing for effect, well the effect is much less impacting.

When I think about my time here at Horn Creek, I would describe it in one word as “busy”.  From working, to playing, worshiping, hanging out, driving to civilization, shopping, working out (ok not very much, but some!), keeping in touch with friends/family, hiking, sleeping (some) and pretty much everything in between there isn't much time to just rest.  Two weeks ago we had a sermon on pausing.  Immediately I thought of the word “selah”.  There are a few different speculations to the meaning of this word.  My conclusion is a three part definition.  Pause, ponder, praise.  In the Psalms selah is seen many times.  If we were to pause, ponder and praise every time that word was placed in a Psalm, I think they would become much richer. 

Life is no different.  If I were to pause, ponder and praise after each word of encouragement I received, each Bible study lesson I heard, each time I read my Bible, prayed etc. my life would probably be much richer as well.  I want to get better at this throughout my busy days here in Colorado.  There is so much to do here.  Over the past couple of weeks, we have hosted several groups, hiked for about 11 hours up and down Humboldt Peak, drove to Colorado Springs (twice), went thrifting, spent 2 hours picking out snowboarding gear, cooked for and participated in a pot luck, belayed people up the rock wall, went to church, did laundry, helped cook and eat a family dinner with the girls, went grocery shopping, got coffee, worked/served/cleaned (a ton), read, uploaded pictures and I’m sure much, much more happened throughout this two week period.  But, I couldn't count how many times I paused, pondered and praised. 

We thankfully are able to attend church on Sundays, but because of our work duties we don’t have time to linger at church, but instead hustle back to camp to serve the guests.  When I read at night, I’m usually so exhausted and fall asleep before I have time to practice Selah.  When I read in the morning, I usually hit snooze too many times so before I am able to pause, I’m on the move again.  I have many excuses for why I don’t have time to pause, ponder and praise.  I doubt God really believes any of them.

I get this question often.  “How is Colorado?”.  The truth is that it is busy.  It is hard. It is fun. It is challenging.  It is rewarding.  It is just starting.  I know I have so much to learn and grow in over these next 11 months or so.  I want to be challenged, I want to be changed from the inside out, I want to be able to tell those who ask what I am learning.  But I also want to be truthful when I do.  So, yes I have been having a blast.  But, I have also felt like I am kind of moving backwards in my walk with the Lord.  Though necessary, it is not always fun.  But I believe in God’s faithfulness.  I believe in God’s sovereignty.  I believe in God’s unceasing love for me.  I see proof of a living God each day in the people and places that surround me.  I just pray that I can begin to pause, ponder and praise more and more each day at the unending mercy, love, grace, joy and blessings that are poured out on me simply because I am a child of God.

2 Timothy 1:12 -- That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet I am not ashamed.  Because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

What do I need to trust God with today?

Laundry Day

Today was laundry day.  Normally washing sheets and towels from about 75 guests would be bad.  But today it was a much needed good thing.  Since it was just me, I was able to spend some time in contemplation on the text from the sermon on Sunday.  I only got to hear about 5 minutes of the sermon because we had to leave for work, but those five minutes were good.  Basically it was about being the light.  Ironically, my last post talked about learning to be the light.  The sermon was about how we are the light of the world.  As I was doing laundry, I was thinking about how I am meant to be the light of the world in my own way.  I know we all have our different struggles and weaknesses, but we are also given gifts and talents.  To not use those talents for the good of the Kingdom would just be a waste.  The verse I was stuck on today was Matthew 5:16 which was part of the text on Sunday.  “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  I remember this verse from the church I grew up in.  Each time someone was baptized, the reader would declare this verse over the individual.  I knew at that time it was an important verse, but I never really dug into what Jesus meant by this phrase.

At church Pastor Dean also mentioned during prayer time how one sentence can have so much more meaning than it seems.  One sentence, such as “I’m moving to Colorado” doesn’t seem to be very complex.  But, when you think about it, moving means packing up my belongings, saying goodbyes, loading up all my stuff, making a 14.5 hour drive, moving into a new place with new people, new routines, new surroundings, new everything.  So, naturally, the phrase, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” has much more meaning than one would see by just looking at the surface. At first look, this verse tells me to be a good person and point to Christ when someone asks why I do what I do.  Pretty simple, right? 

In my study Bible, the author went into detail on how to apply this verse to our culture.  Simple is not the word I would use to describe this verse.  The author described this verse as a challenge to life a life that is luminous with the Holy Spirit, standing out from among culture and society as different and unique, in a positive way.  It is a challenge to have a genuine faith that seeps into everything you do, so that you cannot avoid being a light to others.  We are to look for ways to serve others in our families, communities, at work, at the gym, at Wal-mart, everywhere.  We should serve them out of love and compassion, reflecting the humility of Christ in our actions and pointing them to His love, mercy and grace, and ultimately the cross.  But, once again there is more.  If we are going to be pointing to Christ, then we have to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have in Him (1 Peter 3:15). 

Sometimes, all we want is to tell someone about Jesus.  To tell them how amazing it is to live in His freedom and love, daily turning to Him for guidance in our life and daily seeking to know His heart more and more.  But, before you can get to that, you have to be practical.  I learned the practicalities of serving people through the few mission trips I have been on.  Before someone who is starving will accept the truth, we need to feed them.  Before a homeless person with minimal clothing will listen to your testimony, you might want to give them some warm clothes and buy them a meal.  Before you try to tell someone about the Lord’s faithfulness, you might want to get to know their story and how they lost all trust in others.  There are many circumstances that we must serve in a practical way before we try to tell someone the Good News.  This serving may take five minutes, five days, five months or five years.  Only God’s timing is perfect, and waiting on Him will provide the best opportunity to tell someone about Christ’s love, after showing them through service.

I think this nugget will be put to use many times this year.  Whether it be a co-worker, a guest, someone from the community or a stranger, I’m sure I will run into plenty of opportunities to serve others.  Considering it’s my job, I will have plenty of chances at camp to serve, some with believers and some with nonbelievers.  But regardless of the circumstances, genuine service and compassion can’t really be learned.  Sure we can learn to treat people nice to their face, but what is going on inside our hearts?

 

“Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9

“Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

Is my light a genuine love for others?  Is what comes out of my mouth a reflection of my heart, and if so, is it what I want the world to see?

Learning to be the Light

According to my Mom, I haven't been putting enough detail into my posts (even though I've only had one thus far).  So, this is for you mom.  Sorry to everyone else that you have to read the boring parts along with the, well more exciting parts.  You could probably just skip to the last paragraph and still get enough to know how I'm doing!

Time is already starting to blend together here so I will do my best to bring ya'll up to speed.  My main job for the first few weeks consisted of setting tables, serving food, cleaning up, more cleaning, setting tables, serving food...you get the picture.  Oh, and sometimes it gets exciting and we got to do extra cleaning!  So my title is server, and while summer staff was here I was learning the duties of crew chief while being a server.  Our free time is in the afternoons and after we are done with dinner clean up/re-setting for breakfast.  At night, we have a Rec center that most people go to and hang out.  There are bowling lanes, a rock wall, a gym, racquetball, work out equipment and lots of fun!  It is also one of two places on camp that you can get internet, so most of the staff go there to use that also.

One day, a while ago (I couldn't tell you when), I was driving a few people to one of the full time staff's house for a cookout.  Needless to say, we got lost.  Not only did we get lost, but in the process of being lost, I got a flat tire.  Fortunately we were just stopping to ask a couple out for a stroll which way we should be headed.  The nice man told us that we were not just lost but also had a flat tire.  So, the awesome guy who was in our car helped jack the car up and then 2 more guys came to help.  This nice man we ran into also happened to have taught automotive classes for 20+ years and had an air compressor and tire plugs in his garage.  So one of my guy friends who came to the rescue and I were able to bring the tire to his garage and get it fixed.  Talk about God's perfect timing and placement of those friendly Colorado neighbors!

The next day, I was able to go to one of our maintenance guy's house in Westcliffe, or as we call it "in town" to get help changing my oil.  It was really fun to get to know him and his wife over ice cream and also to officially learn how to change oil in my newly acquired Pontiac Aztek (Thanks Aunt Linda and Uncle Brian!!)

I recently drove to Denver and was able to stay with some friends before flying back to Sioux Falls for a wedding.  It was a great weekend back home but went way too fast.  On my way home, the fixed flat tire, was going flat again.  So, I ended up driving through the heart of Denver to find a tire place to patch my leak.  I found one and it was a really cheap fix, except that it took over an hour!  But, besides that it was a smooth ride back to camp.

Then, I was invited to drive back up north of Denver to go hike a 14er.  In hiking terms that means a mountain that is higher than 14,000 feet elevation.  I knew it would be tough but I decided to give it a try.  So after just getting back from Denver and working on Tuesday, we took off for Loveland, CO about 5pm and got there around 9:30pm Tuesday night.  We packed lunches, slept/napped for a couple hours and headed to Long's Peak at 1am.  We started our hike at 2:30am with headlamps and flashlights in check.  About 5:30am we made it to the boulder field where we had to walk over a bunch of boulders.  Then we started climbing towards what's called the Keyhole.  At this point, I was ready to quit.  I thought we were close, but then we weren't close at all.  It took a little bit of convincing, okay a lot of convincing from the other girls to keep me going.  But I made it through the Keyhole to the back side of the peak.  We had to "scramble" along the backside for quite a ways before reaching the "Narrows" and then finally the home stretch.  I decided that the home stretch was quite the view and I wasn't up to climbing straight up the side of a mountain at that point.  I was exhausted and the altitude wasn't settling very nice with me either.  So I just enjoyed the view from there until the rest of the group peaked and came back down.  We made it to the Home stretch at about 9am and most of the group peaked at 10am.  I was surprised at how many people checked on me as they passed by on their way to the peak.  It was cool to see how considerate everyone was and fun to encourage them that they were almost there.  We began out trek back down the mountain and finally made it back about 3pm.  Wow was that a long day!  My knees, hips and feet were screaming by the end of all that.  But the next day we went shopping and that took care of everything--just kidding!  But we did go shopping and it was good to walk off the pain haha.  I can't decide if the hike was fun or not, but it was worth it.  I prayed many times along the way and was just really reminded of how HUGE, majestic and sovereign the Lord is.  He is everywhere, created everything and all things work together for His good. You can't stand on top of (or almost on top of) a mountain and not wonder how it got there.

Today was my first day as crew chief.  It is not much different from serving, except that I'm supposed to know what's going on and what needs to be done, when to do it, etc.  So it's more responsibility than a server, but essentially the same tasks.  I thought my rookie night went a-okay!  It was fun working with a smaller group and knowing that we had to work extra hard to get everything done in time.  I also had a quick lesson on driving stick pickups because I am now in charge of trash duty at night.  I can't say I did the best at it, but I will learn!  So for now, I have assistants who are better at driving stick than me helping me out.  This weekend we have a military group in and then we have another group coming on Sunday night.  Therefore, it's going to be a crazy week and a half-ish cleaning from the weekend camp and prepping for the week long camp.  Even though it will be crazy for a while I am really excited to see what the Lord has in store for our staff and the groups that come through camp this year.

If I could describe my first 3 weeks here at Horn Creek in one word, it would be learning.  I have learned so much about the camp, myself, Jesus, others and life in general.  I know that I need to put in the effort to learn and grow how i want to, and no matter what I think is going to happen, I also know that God has His own plans and they will prevail.  So whatever that may bring, I am excited I have the next year to find out who I am and how I can use that to follow Jesus with all that I am.  I guess you could say I'm just learning to be the Light.

My First Blog Post Ever

Hey friends and family! 

So I promised many of you that I would start a blog about my adventures in Colorado.  So here it is!

I'm not sure I have been here long enough to really explain what it is like or going to be like, but I will start from the beginning and see what I come up with.

July 26, 5:08am I begin my journey to Horn Creek near Westcliffe, CO.  I loved getting to see the sunrise near Yankton, SD and the many other unique observations I made along the way.  First of all, Nebraska is the brownest state I've ever seen, except for the fields they flood to grow a crop of some sort.  I never figured out what it was exactly, but those were the only green fields in the entire state!  When I finally got to Colorado, I kept seeing little windmills (not the big wind turbines but small, farm friendly size ones) with cows around them.  There were no other cows, just the ones by the windmills.  Denver to Colorado Springs was a very pretty drive, but it was hard to pay attention because of all the curvy roads so I didn't get to see as much as I wanted to.  Bummer.  I saw more of Colorado Springs than I intended with one of my wrong turns, but it was just a minor setback--no harm done :)

I finally reached Horn Creek after about 4 wrong turns, 3 states, 1 time zone change and 14 1/2 hours of driving, including stops.  I was introduced to some staff and put all my laundry in the dryers to prevent bed bugs.  My mom and I spent a lot of time rolling my clothes so they'd all fit nicely into my duffle bags, all to just dump them out when I got there.  It's okay though since it's for a good reason!  I got a small tour of camp and unpacked/repacked my stuff the rest of the night.  The next day I was able to explore most of the day until my shift at 5:30pm.  There are three camps at Horn Creek: Meadows, Ranch and Lodge.  I was assigned to be a server at Lodge.  Servers are similar to wait staff/bussing staff at a restaurant.  We bring out the food, clean up tables, reset the tables and repeat it again for the next meal.  We also do other cleaning jobs and miscellaneous things around the camp.  At first, the job seemed like it would get very monotonous, which it sort of does.  But, the people are what make it an enjoyable experience.  Getting to know my co-workers and the guests who are residing in Lodge for the week is really what makes the job fun.

I have already learned a TON about what it is like to be a servant and to hold others higher than yourself.  I recently read in Mark 10 about the parable of the rich young man who "kept all of the commandments since his youth".  So Jesus asks him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor.  But what really stuck out to me was it said "Jesus LOVED him" and asked him to do this seemingly impossible task.  When we are put in positions to do something we might not really want to do, that's when God is growing us.  I know I have been growing already in having a positive attitude about things and to be more outgoing in getting to know people.  

I have truly been blessed by the friends I've made so far with the summer staff here already and am very excited to see what the future holds.  I know it will be completely different when I get back and the summer staff are all gone, but at the same time I'm ready to begin this new chapter in my life, with all of it's challenges, struggles and growth that are in store.  I am prepared to be refined by the fire of the Lord and to reflect on who He wants me to be and who I am, so most likely taking on the challenge to change many things about myself.