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This summer I took the opportunity to take charge of our end-of-summer-staff-sending worship. (That is a mouth full!)  Part of the responsibility that I took on when putting this together was writing a sending message to give to the staff.  This typically isn't too hard for me to do.  I find a theme or situation that seems to apply, the right set of Bible verses that speak truth to that theme, and then go from there.

But, this week, as things were coming to a close, instead of writing the worship and the message, I found myself day dreaming about all the memories and experiences that made this summer unique to any other.  As yesterday drew closer the more and more stressed I became because although I had all these wonderful memories, it was hard for me to find a theme that seemed to fit all that I wanted to say.  It wasn't until I had a small conversation with a staff member that I knew what worship and the message would be about.

The following is the message that I wrote in the hours leading up to our closing.  It was hard, not because of the content and lack of creative juices, but because I knew this was going to be the farewell and the last thing I would be leaving with the staff before they left.

To Staff: This was an amazing summer and I pray to see your return many more times in the future!

*****

I’m going to throw out some words and I want you to tell me what all these words or group of words have in common…

…Homeroom

…Home plate

…Homing pigeons

…Home page

…Home town

…Home boys/girls

…Home land

…Homecoming

Responses I got: "HOME!" and of course "JESUS!" (Thanks Madison)

According to Webster’s Dictionary Online the word home is defined in several different ways but one of the first and closest to the top of the list is “the social unit formed by a family living together.” 

And of course, the next word I naturally needed to look up was the word “family”.  I was interested to see how Webster defined it because I have had the pleasure of conversing with a staff member off and on this week about family and what that means for us as people and as Christians.  According to one of the definitions provided, a family can be defined as “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation”.

So by definition, this summer we have not only created a family, we have also created a home.

Each Friday this summer we heard the reading we heard earlier from Deuteronomy about Moses finally leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.  And each Friday, as we talked about what the Promised Land means for us, we explained how it isn’t camp but it’s the world outside of here and how we are called to share with others what that Promised Land means for us.  One part of the story that we didn’t touch on too much was how the Promised Land was to become the HOME of the Israelites-- a place where families could settle and people could be united and live in community by their common belief.   

One of the blessings of home is that, traditionally speaking, it is a place we can leave but always go back to.  If we look at the words that I listed off earlier, not only do they have the word “home” in common, but each of those words implies the idea that these are places or things that we can return to.  Homeroom is where we start each day in school.  Home plate is a place that a batter leaves to circle the bases and return to for that scored run.  Homing pigeons are let go only to return again.  Home pages are the screens on the computer that we can always return to and start over from when looking something up.  Home towns or lands are places that we are from that many of us will visit and go back to through out our lives.  Our home boys or home girls are the friends that we find the most comfort in and that we know we can always go to when needed.  And, homecoming is just that—coming home, wherever that is.

This summer, for nine weeks, you created a home for the campers that came to camp.  You created a place that was fun, safe, Christ-centered, and hopefully a place that many will want to return to.  Each week you formed a family within your cabin or bunkhouse groups, village, herd, family, or crew groups, and as a whole camp community.  You made the presence of God, who is at the center of that community, real for campers that we wanted to come together.

And, for eleven to twelve weeks, you have created a camp family and a home amongst yourselves.  This past week I as reading through some of the devotions that y’all wrote at the beginning of the summer and one of them stated that camp had become a “home away from home”—a place she could always return to knowing that she would be welcomed and loved.  This is something that you all create with the help of God.  The other directors and I can’t do this alone for you.  We came together as a community of believers and as a family to make a place for ourselves that we could find joy and comfort in.  And, you have created a place that many of you will hopefully return to. 

You will leave this summer with memories that you were all a part of and being the emotional sap that I am, I have walked around this past week playing the slide show of highlights through my head that started months ago at staff training.  I even surprised myself this past Sunday when I found myself crying as I was updating our Cross Trails Facebook page.  This was the first summer since I’ve been a camping professional that I was moved to tears as I was thinking about the summer coming to an end.  I know that this was a result of the relationships that were formed and the family that God called each of us to be a part of this summer.

Thank you for a summer full of love, laughter, and faith building.  I want to leave you with my current favorite song that plays over and over again in my head even after the IPod is turned off because it reminds me constantly of what we, with the help of God, have created these past few months. 

                                                                                                             

“Home” by Phillip Phillips  

"The Three Questions"

I love to read.  I’m not as avid about it as I’d like to be, but when I find the opportunity to sit down with a book I often find myself engulfed until the book’s completion.  Over the past few years, I have noticed that I have committed myself to reading more books that are compiled with short stories.  I have found that I enjoy the quick read and I don’t feel so guilty when I have to put the book down and don’t pick it up for weeks at a time.

Through out the summer, I have had the opportunity to meet so many different people and have had the pleasure of spending quality time with a good amount of them.  A few weeks ago, I got the chance to spend some great quality time with our new ranch camp director and in the short amount of time we had together; I felt she brought a breath of fresh air that I was in desperate need of.  We talked about life—past, present, and future and the hopes within each of these times.  One such topic was about our favorite reads and the want to share them with each other.  She has hopes to start a book club with a group of people once she settles in and I was all over that idea.  So after she left, I went home, feeling inspired to read and picked up one of my favorite books of short stories by Leo Tolstoy.

Of all the great stories, my favorite is “The Three Questions”.  In this story there is a king that has three questions that he wants to have answered—What is the best time to do each thing?  Who are the most important people to work with?  And, what is the most important thing to do at all times?  The king tries seeking advice from different people and in his quest to find the answers, a series of events happens that leads him to what he was hoping to find.

“Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now.  The most important one is always the one you are with.  And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side.  For these are the answers to what is most important in this world.  This is why we are here.”

This story is always a great reminder of how I hope to lead my life.  Each person I encounter, and each person I have the pleasure of getting to know, is someone that has the ability to impact my life as much as I have the ability to do that for them.  And although I feel that the most important time is to be in the moment so as not to miss anything, the past and the future still define each of us.  There are lessons that have been learned and lessons to be learned.  And what I have found upon self reflection is that relationships are something that I cherish.  It’s important for me to try to give 110% in each one that I’m in whether it’s family, friends, romantic relationships, or new acquaintances.  

I often times struggle knowing that some relationships go by the wayside, but there is hope that the love and care that I was able to put in while I could will surpass our relationship and be shown toward others that they and myself encounter.  At the end of each day, I am thankful for the people that have been a blessing in my life and I pray for a future of many more relationships that I can grow and learn from.  But, until then…the most important time is now and the most important people are the ones that I’m surrounded by, and the most important thing to do is to love and care for those that are by my side.

Anticipation

"Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you will do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."
-Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

I have always had a love for children and children's books, so when I have the opportunity, I love to be able to share with others stories that I adore so much. My audience as of late has been the 2012 summer staff and I have found that many of them have the same love for these stories as I do.

Each Sunday, I prepare the day camp teams that are leaving for the week with a devotion and prayer. Usually, the devotion is one that pertains to a certain topic in order to set them up for success during the week while I am away. This week I focused on anticipation and hope.

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner has to be one of my favorite children's books of all time. So when I see an opportunity to use it as a teaching tool, I do! For those that have never read the story, it's about a Siamese cat that has a very vivid imagination. There are several books that chronicle his adventures but the original is my favorite. In this story he imagines that he is a chihuahua that is picked to save his friends from the awful Bumblebeeto Bandito who is out to steal their beans (his friends are beanie babies).

When I use this story to talk about hope and anticipation, I often read the story right up to the climax without finishing the rest of it. Often times the audience that is listening is so engulfed with what is about to happen that many of them sigh in disbelief that I'm not completing the story. This is where I get the opportunity to talk to them about the excitement, anticipation, and hope they are feeling at that moment.

As we head into our second half of the summer, staff are still excited for what is to come but they are also beginning to become tired. They put so much love and energy into what they are doing, we have to remind them to pace themselves and to rest and rejuvenate when they have the opportunity. For some this is easy and for others, a loving reminder of the hope of what is to come is enough to keep them excited and going.

Often times, these group devotions are as much for me as they are for the staff. The past two weeks of camp were the reminder that I needed to keep going. I had the opportunity to direct, rather than just oversee, our beach camp program as well as our onsite day camp program. And, being so hands on with the kids was something that refreshed me and gave me a joy that I hadn't felt in awhile. I love so much what I do, but when I find myself tired, often times the excitement and hope for what is to come wanes a bit. So, the weeks I got to direct helped me refocus and build that hope for the future.

God gives us time and he gives us talents and it's important to use these things to give others and ourselves hope for what is to come. I believe that God has called each staff member to be a part of our camp community this summer so we can go out and give hope to others. He has given us these "balls" to share and the "magical" things that staff are doing with them is not only making them winners but all those they encounter, as well.

As we head into our second half of the summer, I pray that God continues to give us the hope and anticipation that we need to continue touching the lives of all those we encounter. And, may our lives be touched through these encounters, as well.

Constant Change

There's a well known saying that states that people don't like change. And, for many this is true. We get comfortable in the day to day. We enjoy our morning cup of coffee and proceed with our day just as we had the day before. It's comfortable, it feels good, and great productivity often comes out of routine.

My life is full of routine and I often find comfort in the norm. However, lately I have been careful to pay more attention to the little things outside and within those routines and have found that even in the day to day happenings, things are constantly changing.

I made resolutions with myself this year that I had hoped would put me on some sort of track to an end goal. I promised myself that I would work harder and push my creativity when it came to my work but to also take time to myself to rest, read, and write--three things that I love. I, also, have become very stubborn about working out, eating more wisely, and growing out my hair. Upon reflection, what I found was that I promised myself that I would form good habits and good routines not really realizing that all these norms were going to spawn change.

Work has been more tiring but more rewarding, as of late. I have thrown myself into making things better than they were before and by constantly trying to stay focused, there have been greater/better outcomes. Curriculum has been enjoyable to write and relationships with people have grown.

My writing has picked back up and so has my reading. I picked up an old journal a few months ago that I had kept in high school and read through some of the entries. I was excited to read about the transformation that my life has taken as well as see the growth in my writing. So, I picked up where I left off and have written an entry almost daily for the past few months. I'm eager to see what I'll think of myself ten years down the road.

Thanks to Shaun T kicking my rear almost daily, my frame has gotten smaller and seemingly more fit. This fitness routine coupled with better eating habits seems to have caused my clothes to be worn a bit more loosely which is a very welcomed change. I've been excited to try on clothes from years ago to find that they are even fitting a bit larger.

And, the vow to be patient and let my hair grow out is beginning to pay off. It has grown past that awkward "I can't do anything with it" phase and has regained some natural curl and wave that was nonexistent when I had it chopped off last summer.

Small changes have been occurring as I was fighting to form habits and routine--changes that have been healthy and good for me. Our lives are full of comforts but it's also full of change that so often goes unembraced because we so desperately want the norm. Change has been good for me and it can very well be good for each of us. I look forward to the hope in the future--in the things that are constant and in the things that often seem at the time to turn our world upside down.

My Cup is Overflowing

Several days ago, I found myself walking the familiar trails and roads of camp with Ben, my dog and walking companion, noticing that something felt very different.  The feeling was odd, mostly because camp and its nooks and crannies, as well as all the spaces in between, had become just as familiar and comfortable as returning home to the house in which I grew up.  I couldn’t put my finger on what it was right away and I was puzzled by it for the duration of the walk. 

Nothing seemed out of place and the creation that surrounded me was calm and serene.  Definitely nothing out of the ordinary for an early morning walk before work.  Although feeling like something was different, I was calm and at peace. 

With our stroll coming to a close, I realized that this wasn’t a new feeling.  It was one that I had experienced in the past and a feeling I know that I will experience again in the future.  Time seemed to have come to a stand-still and in that single moment, every bit of my life made sense.  I felt whole.

The days, weeks, and months leading up to this moment had been so erratic, I had forgotten what it felt like to live in a single moment and to be conscious of every part of it.  And since that moment in which I had realized I was living as a glass half empty kind of person instead of half full, my cup began filling itself and now seems to be overflowing.

****

Training for our summer leadership staff began this past Sunday and it is one of my favorite times leading into our summer season.  Staff always arrives excited and full of anticipation for what is to come.  Little do they know upon their arrival that I am feeling much of those same emotions, but over the course of a few days, I think it becomes very apparent that we are all on the same page.  This is exciting for me and very fulfilling.  The moment that we are all in the same place, is the moment that greater trust is formed, relationships mature, and pride for one another grows. 

And, since Sunday, other staff members specializing in certain areas have begun to trickle in, adding to the excitement and enthusiasm that seems to engulf camp.  There have been some intense training already and I find myself observing and watching in admiration the staff that keep their jovial emotions at the forefront rather than letting themselves get overwhelmed by the material being presented to them.  They care to learn and care to share that knowledge with people they will encounter during the summer season and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the community that is forming.

There’s still two more weeks of training to come, as well as the arrival of almost 40 staff members.  The excitement is building and my cup is continuing to overflow as I am surrounded by people that care so passionately about the same camp and ministry that I have loved for so long. 

As the summer approaches, my prayers are with staff that will soon be with us, the staff that are already with us, and the staffs of so many other camps that I have grown friendships with in the past few years--that they may be blessed with successful summers and the overwhelming feeling of passion for the service that they will be doing for so many this season.

May cups overflow this summer!

Devotion for Summer Staff

It has been way too long since my last post!  I want to try to stay true to my original goal of writing twice a month, so I'm hoping to pick up here, in this new month of May, and continue through the rest of the year.

Planning and preparing for the summer has consumed my life the past few months and now that it is almost to my doorstep, I'm looking forward to welcoming it with open arms.

One of my favorite parts about summer is being able to hand over all the hard work that the year-round staff has put in to the young and enthusiastic summer staff that are going to take what we've done, add their creativity, and make it so much better than we ever could have imagined it to be for the campers that they are going to work with.  Seeing the staff take ownership and loving what they do, makes my long days and sleepless nights worth it.  If this is what it feels like to be a parent sending their child off into the world, I can't wait for that to be a part of my life.  The pride of seeing young people interact with one another to make a difference is beyond what any words of pride and excitement could express.  I look forward to each summer's beginning, and each summer's end knowing that between those times, lives will be changed.

Included in this blog is a devotion that I wrote for our summer staff as they prepare their bodies, minds, and hearts for what is to come this summer.  Feel free to use it if you find that it applies somewhere in your life, too.

Devotion for Summer Staff

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

            -Ephesians 4:1-2

There are times that I find myself reflecting on the glory days of college as if I had graduated years ago.  Then reality hits me and I realize that it was only a few years ago that I found myself walking down the aisle to receive my diploma.  There are a few things that I will always remember about being a student.  One of which was working at camp three of the four summers that I attend SHSU.  The other was my education college’s motto. 

“The measure of a life is its service”.  I remember contemplating this statement for the four years that I studied as an education major.  This was such a heavy set of words, and I wasn’t sure that I believed in it much less could live up to it.  Who are we to say how great or horrible someone is based on things that they do?  There are so many people that serve not because they want to but because they have to.  Where do they fall in a statement like this?  Then I realize that by asking such a question, I am judging as well.  I think I might feel better if the motto was “The measure of a life comes from service.”  At least this would imply that there are two sides to service and that both parties could or could not be benefiting from it.  All I know is that people around the globe revere service no matter what capacity it is done in.  We all know that service is two fold.  Those that serve with love impact the lives of those they come in contact with as well as themselves. 

The service that will be done this summer will impact so many people.  The love for this ministry and all that it represents will manifest itself in our actions this summer and we could not be more excited of what we will do.  Each summer, pastors and sponsors continually sing praises of the staff, saying that each summer’s staffing is better than the previous.  Evaluations from campers and their parents will also sing praises about us and many of them won’t be able to wait to have their child return.

The joy of the service that you will do is knowing that it will not only touch the lives of the people that we will meet but also those that we may never be able to.  A few summers ago, we received an email that contained a reflection of the staff’s service that summer by a pastor that was so impressed with camp he wrote a devotion based on it.  He was in awe of the camper response to this place at the end of the week and the days that followed.  In the devotion he states, “Annie STILL thinks she’s an ‘Orange Iguana’”.

Your life will not be measured and judged by the service that you will provide this summer, but your actions of love and compassion will greatly impact the lives of others.  We will help create a memorable summer for campers, parents, pastors and sponsors, as well as ourselves because through God’s grace we have been called to this place.  Blessings as you embark on this summer!

Good and Gracious God, we sing praises to you for calling us to do your will this summer.  Thank you so much for being a guiding presence in our lives and we pray that you continue to make your presence known to us.  Mold us into the servants you have called us to be this summer.  Amen.

2012: New year...New Challenge

The New Year is always an exciting time for me.  I, like most people, take the last few weeks of December to reflect upon the year and look for healthy and positive adjustments for the upcoming twelve months.  Many of us refer to these changes as our New Year’s resolutions, but I tend to refer to them as my “challenge(s) for the year”.

Two years ago, I decided to see what it was like to be a pescatarian for a year.  When I told fellow coworkers, family, and friends that I had made it my goal to eat no meat other than what comes from water sources i.e. fish, shrimp, etc., they couldn’t wrap their head around why I would do such a thing.  To be honest, I wasn’t really sure why I had decided to do this, either. 

Coming from a small town in Texas, it was almost unheard of for someone to be a vegetarian or anything of the like unless it was for special circumstances.  I really hadn’t been exposed to this lifestyle until my first summer as a summer staff member at a camp.  Working on a summer camp staff since 2005, I have met many young people that have dedicated their lives to this style of eating.  I didn’t get it.  Over the years, I have found that each person had their own reason behind their diet and for the year 2010 I decided to come up with my own reason to cut most meats from my diet—I needed a challenge.

I was successful but it wasn’t without a few almost mishaps.  Who knew you couldn’t eat all vegetable soups?!  The year 2011 rolled around and a good friend/neighbor took it upon himself to welcome me into the New Year with my first piece of meat.  That bacon was delicious…until it made me sick.  A word to the wise: If you take meat out of your diet, SLOWLY incorporate it back in.

Last year, I decided to say, “See ya later” to sodas.  This one wasn’t nearly as tricky as the year before.  However, I found it much harder to do than I had expected.  The cravings for a ginger ale or Fresca began to subside as the months went by and I was able to check this challenge off as a success for the year of 2011.  Since the beginning of this year, I have had one or two sodas to satisfy the craving, and I have found that it hasn’t been hard to say no to it most days.

As December rolled around, I began thinking of all the possibilities of new challenges that I could take on for the upcoming year.  I decided, instead of taking something out of my daily life, I would add something to it.  I have known people to take on a discipline during the season of Lent rather than to give something up and I thought that I would apply that concept to my life as I headed into the next 365ish days.

I began this blog at the end of last year and I always appreciate it when the blogs that I read stay current.  So, to those that read this, I have committed to trying to write at least twice a month.  Like I said in my first entry, I have always loved writing.  But, I have found that it takes true discipline to sit down and actually do it.  Thus, this is the challenge I have decided to take on.

And, just like most people that make resolutions, I still felt the need to do something good for my body, not just my mind.  I have a gym membership already, but I can’t always find the time to go regularly.  Working out makes me a much happier person.  So, I decided that I needed to find something that I could do almost daily and that I would feel guilty about it if I didn’t do it.  Let’s face it, people buy gym memberships hoping that the money they put in will be the incentive to keep them going. 

I dropped the big bucks and bought my first infomercial work out system.  Here is the time to laugh at me.  I never thought I would be a person to do such a thing, but I really want that gray Insanity t-shirt at the end of the sixty days ;-).  Honestly, I don’t really care to have the shirt but I have gotten the dvd’s, calendar of work out’s, and nutrition plan in the mail and for the past week, I have dedicated about an hour to each work out.  I have gone through pain, sweat, soreness, and maybe a few tears, but I have found that it is a regimen that I really enjoy.  For those of you that don’t know what the Insanity work out is… think back to your toughest day in high school athletics or gym class and then multiply that by however hard unimaginable is.  For me this number is about a ten.  Thanks Shaun T for kicking my butt but getting it into shape, as well.

I’ll have to keep you all updated on this year’s challenges.  And to all those that have made a resolution, stick to it!!  I have found that it feels extremely rewarding as the last few days of the year are upon you.