Sleepless Summer Nights

I know, Summer is the time to rest, re-charge, rejuvenate and get ready for the fall. But I have to be honest, my summers do not tend to look that way. One reason is working in Student Ministry means summer is the time you can have more time with them and to have larger and traveling events. And the other is my own kids, well, the schedule goes out the window since they do not have to get up for school. And once they started to drive, I could not go to sleep until I knew they were back safe and sound in the house. It is still that way, so nights get longer, days seem shorter. I know it is summer and daylight last longer, but it doesn't feel that way. I am not complaining, just sharing a truth that I am currently experiencing. It is great and I wouldn't trade it. Another aspect is with a college age son, all his friends come back home from school and hang out at the house. They tend to begin arriving around 10pm, which means they could leave anywhere from 3-4 hours later. I like that they hang here, you visit with them, see where they are, how their life is going...last night we had about 5 of them here and it was so much fun hearing them reminisce about high school pranks and friendships. I know one day, this stage will change, it will get quieter, I may get more sleep. But I need to be careful what I wish for, because my heart really desires to be a part of their life and I am thankful that they allow me in. For now, I will take my sleepless summer nights, winter is coming...

Getting Ready...

It's that time...Summer Camp. In 3 days we leave for Middle School camp for a week, we come home, for 1.5 days and leave again. The past few months we have prayed and planned and this past week, our new Student Pastor began, so we were very busy pulling together our planning with his vision. I am personally so excited for what is about to happen, not only at camp, but every weekend in Student Ministry. So, stay tuned to see what happens when the Rush and the Road collide...it is going to be CRAZY!

Life, like a beach!

A couple weeks ago, I was headed to the beach to have some me&God time. As I drove there, I noticed rain clouds to the east, and thought to myself, maybe I should turn around. I hoped it was not raining at the beach. I began to pray and ask God to please let the sun be shining at the beach. As I drove through the cloudy area, I thought to myself, that this scenario is so much like life. We head out in the direction that God is calling and we face storms, we face dark skies, we face clouds. But in order to reach the destination God is wanting us to get to, we have to keep going, we can not give up, we can not turn around, we have to keep going towards the goal and through the storm. I kept driving and as I hit AIA, I could see ahead that the sky was gorgeous, there was sunshine, no clouds. It was a beautiful beach day. I set up my chair on the ocean's edge and was so glad that I did not turn around!

This past weekend, I had the same experience...Thursday was a tough day, a cloudy day. But I have seen many a tough day and knew that I had to keep going. On Friday night, the Life Development ministries (Preschool, Children and Student) hosted a volunteer appreciation dinner called Ovations and it was such a great time. We had over 250 volunteers attend and we were able to pour into their lives by encouraging and entertaining them for all they do each weekend. Then Saturday morning, Garland and I met with the High School mission team bright and early at Starbucks. Bob Selecky joined the group as Garland prepares the team to get ready to go minister to the people in Peru and visit our campus - FRC Lima! I was then blessed by Lili to be able to accompany some middle and high school girls to a fashion show at Signature Grand, it was so much fun! The weekend services at FRC were great and then the finale of an evening was Beach Baptism and the concert at Hollywood beach.

Not only did I get to hang out with students and family, but I was given the privilege to baptize Nina! Nina is a lady that I met at Starbucks back in December. I invited her to church and then one weekend as I stood in the front for a pastor moment, she came forward. When I was in Starbucks a couple weeks ago, she was so excited to tell me that she was getting baptized at the next Beach Baptism. As I stood in the water and looked into the crowd, I saw her waving at me, Wow! And Matt, BJ and I had the awesome privilege of baptizing her.

Life has it's tough times, it's cloudy days, but what if I would have turned back, given up. I would not have been given the opportunity to witness the power of God.

The power of God as I sit at the shoreline.

The power of God as I watch a life change.

The power of God as He grows and stretches my faith.

I will not relent, I will not give up, I will keep driving through the clouds to the beach. But, Lord, I can not do it without you or your strength!

Thank you for an awesome weekend! Thank you for not giving up on me!