End of Summer

Recently I was writing an email to the teens, parents and leaders involved in the youth ministry I work in at my church. After thanking them all for their hard work, dedication and involvement this summer I went on to attach a few pictures to recap the different things we'd done in the last few months and that got me to thinking... summer is basically over.

I know some of you probably still have a few more trips to take or are working to finish up those last few projects. And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere of our fine world then you're probably looking forward to the end of winter. But for me I'm staring around the corner, just waiting for the rain and the colors of turning leaves that mark this autumn season on the West Coast.

It has been a crazy summer friends. I know I've shared a little bit, my road trip, the youth retreat, I was at a concert last week, got to go on some beautiful hikes, hung out with some great friends and got to know some of them amazing teenagers in our group at church. It has been so much fun! It's been busy but it's been really awesome and I am so glad that it's almost over!

The Bible says in all things to give thanks. So my thanks is that the summer was so successful and full of so much fun and that it's almost over so I can shift my attention to other things. Cooler, weather, get together's with family and my favorite time of year, Christmas!

What are you thankful for today? A few more weeks of summer? The end of summer? Or something else entirely?

Excited?

You know when you're really looking forward to going somewhere or doing something, you just can't wait, then the day finally arrives and you're tired, worn down, because well, life got in the way.

You've been so excited and then suddenly you're just exhausted and you're really not sure if you want to go.

Too often I fall into this scheme, I try to tell myself that I'll be excited once I get there and normally I am but sometimes I psych myself out so bad that it's hard to enjoy myself.

Where does this feeling come from?

Too often I think it comes from the enemy, from the devil, and we don't even realize it. Instead of enjoying the opportunity God's given us, instead of turning to Him for strength so we can enjoy it we complain, we dread it, we want someone else to pull us out of our funk. We get stressed out instead of just saying "okay let's go and let's enjoy ourselves". It's a dangerous tactic that Satan uses all too often in my life friends, make sure that your not giving him an opportunity to use it in yours.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well friends, I'm back from the youth retreat I was at and we had a great time! The kids were awesome, the Bible lessons that our pastor was teaching were awesome and we had a really fun time. But I'm not going to talk about that right now.

The last few weeks have been really busy. Lots of traveling, lots of people to catch up with and tons of work to try to catch up on. (Still not there yet.) And in all that business one of the easiest things to skip is daily devotions. You probably know what I'm talking about, life gets crazy and taking some quiet time with just you and God is one of the first things to get set aside so you can focus on things like sleep, time with friends, maybe a movie or a book to wind down at night. Trust me I get it but let me explain why this is a bad idea.

You know how when troubles come your way and you wonder where God is? But then there are other times when things get tough and you feel like He's right next to you? What's the difference?
Maybe not 100% of the time but very often I can see in my own life that when I'm taking time each day to spend with God I remember to rest in His presence when troubles come and trust me friends, it makes dealing with those troubles a million times easier.

So when life gets busy don't let it take away your time with God, that is the most important daily task you have.

Road Trip Day... I Can't Remember

Well after a very long but wonderful trip I am back home safe and sound. Since I've last shared with you I've had several more adventures, from getting lost trying to go visit friends to countless phone calls to my parents to share the random things I heard well listening on the radio. God is good and He allowed me to encourage some friends on my trip and He also used people to encourage me at the different places I stopped.
Well with my family at the cabin we went swimming, for several walks, my cousins and I put together a treasure hunt for the kids that some of the other adults took them through, we put together puzzles and took a look at the life of Joseph in our nightly devotions that Grandpa leads.
We spent some time talking about how God uses bad situations for our good and even though it was impossible to see the good that would come from Joseph's brothers selling him into slavery and Potipher's wife making false accusations against him God used it to bless Joseph, his family and many others. He can do the same in our own lives and use bad situations for His good. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Today I get to spend the day catching up on work, doing laundry and repacking because tomorrow morning I turn around to leave again for a 3 day youth retreat. Hopefully when I get back I'll have some funny stories to share. Until then...!