IfYouGiveAMindensenABlog

"What do I get?" isn't the issue....
"What do I give?" is what should matter to you...

God seeks and desires us to love Him
and that is NOT a sin
b/c He GIVES more than Anyone
just to prove His Love.

What was FAIR about the cross???
-I didn't get what I deserved!

As He died He spoke MY name
-He was THAT committed to being in a relationship with ME...

♪♫"What's love got to do with it?" ♫♪ ...EVERYTHING!

JESUS=a GIFT!

It's NOT about us!

I want God to bless ME, so...

"Do unto others..."
"Pray for your enemies..."
"Forgive and you will be forgiven..."

So, I often find myself needing to re-read some of my own blogs. It's amazing how quickly I forget some of the lessons God has taught me. In this case, I re-read my blog "What is Love". WOW! What a great reminder of my TOTAL INABILITY to LOVE withOUT God.

1 John 4:19 has kind of been back on my mind again. I can ONLY love because God first loved ME. Recently I've been finding that a little hard to accept, which explains why I've been having a little trouble with handling my relationships...on multiple levels. It's amazing how when your relationship with God isn't where it's supposed to be, the rest of your relationships quickly follow suit. Before you know it, your unhealthily depending on other relationships, trying to find that comfort and guidance outside of God...see how things could start to spiral quickly? My relationship with God needs to be healthy and growing in order for ALL other relationships to be healthy. This month has been tough, and I've really been struggling through some things. However, I'm VERY thankful for the people around me who have loved me enough to call me out, to challenge me about the health of my relationship with God. It's really made me think, and it has been a struggle. God and I aren't 'great', and it's going to be a process (which the process never really ends till I'm in heaven). However, I feel closer and more connected to God then I have felt in awhile. I've made some mistakes, and I have some talks I need to have with some people, but my prayer is that because of this time of struggle, my relationships with others will only get stronger. God loves ME, I'm called to love Him back...which empowers me to love others.

God is GOOD! ♥

Four weeks of a year comparatively are not much, but many significant things can still happen in such a short amount of time. In my last newsletter, I kind of introduced June when I was talking about my birthday, but now June is gone, and I’m starting day three of July. Oh, dear…hold on, because my birthday seems like it happened FOREVER ago.

First off, summer here at camp officially started this month. Four days after my birthday the summer staff started working. We have over 20 college-ish age people (AKA my age people) working as paid staff this summer. It’s been nice, and kind of crazy at the same time to have more of my peers around camp outside of Outfitters.
With summer, my job as AV Director also officially started. As I type this, I’m currently waiting for my 2nd week’s summary video to generate. It’s been kind of a long couple of weeks AV-wise, but I understand that starting a new system means putting in some extra work at the beginning. So, that’s what I’m doing. It’s been a process to figure out what works best, and what is the most efficient way to go about making the summary videos.

Lastly, but MOST importantly, what has God been teaching me over the last 4 weeks? Praise Jesus, Many, MANY things. It’s amazing how much my views on things can change, and how God really does control the heart. This past month, I’ve continued to learn more about love. What it is, what it looks like. One main lesson was the concept of really loving someone like a brother, when they aren’t. Being able to acknowledge it, and accept it. I know I'm being vague, but much of what I've been learning this month has been rather abstract and it is hard for me do adequately verbalize it at this current time in writing. I'd LOVE to talk about it though. God has been doing GREAT things, in my life, at camp, and in the lives of the people around me, and I KNOW He is going to continue to do so. All praise to "Him who is able to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 4:20) That's probably my favorite verse, and I come back to it a lot. I'm so thankful for a God who goes beyond anything I could dream of, I pray that He continues to expand my hopes and dreams, but still, I'll NEVER be able to fully understand God's true essence. PRAISE HIM!

God is GOOD! ♥

Like a baby wrapped in its mother's womb
I lie on the floor while my tears consume,
all the pain inside my heart,
as I watch my world start to fall apart.

The phantom of control now gone,
I look for something to lean on.
I need someone strong to hold me,
Who'll never leave me, or forsake me.
Someone who'll put my life back together,
Someone who can make it better.

Jesus, You're the one I need.
You're the one who's EVERYTHING.
Through You, all things were made.
Through You, everything is saved.

Take my heart and hold it closely.
Cleanse me Lord, and make me holy.
Set my life apart for you.
Transform my heart, and make it new.

Give me joy I can't describe.
Peace and patience in hard times.
Grant me wisdom when I pray,
and strength to face each new day.

And lastly Lord, please give me love,
the kind that only comes from above.
Love that only you can give,
but the love I need, so I can live.

This past Wednesday, I was able to refocus on God, and like the popular Christian song says 'and all of a sudden, I (was) unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realized just how beautiful You are, and how GREAT Your affections are for ME"!

These are the words God gave me that night...the 2nd one was started at an early time, but God let me finish it (and REDEEMED it!) =D YEAH God!

***

Who am I without You?
Who am I without Your love?
Who am I without You near me,
without your great plan?
Who am I but Your creation;
clay inside the Master's hands?
Who am I, but how You made me?
Who am I, but who I am?

***

It's hard to pray
when I'm trying to convince myself that everything's OK

Once I stop pretending,
then God can start His mending.

Once I stop focusing on the need,
then God can start to lead.

Once I start to trust in God's plan,
then I'll be able to rest in His hands.

Once I start counting the blessings I've received,
then true joy can be conceived.

When I stop resisting,
then you become my everything.

when I think about what Jesus has done,
that's when I remember how much I AM LOVED!

***

A popular question with a variety of answers. There are also many different forms of love.

This past weekend I was counseling for a Middle School Purity and Holiness retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to educate/equip/prepare Middle-schoolers how and why to make the choice (and future choices) to stay pure and live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. One challenge from the weekend was to ask a person to 'define love' when they tell you "I LOVE YOU!" It made me think about how I would answer. So, I would say that when you love someone, you put them entirely before you; their needs, health, dreams,happiness, etc... However, that can be VERY unhealthy, UNLESS there is someone who loves you that much, and is taking care of your needs. Meaning, in order to really LOVE we need to have an example of real love in our lives to be able to duplicate it. Unfortunately, this world isn't perfect, but we do have a God who is perfect.

Recently God has been trying to teach me about Agape love.

God loves mankind unconditionally, but He is able to do so because of the Trinity. The Trinity is a PERFECT example of love. Each part is constantly placing the priorities of the other two parts above their own. God exists in a perpetual state of perfect loves, hence 1 John 4's "God is LOVE". Therefore, God will ALWAYS be able to love others perfectly because He has a perfect love relationship to duplicate from. Now, as a human, I can be selfish and therefore, unable to love perfectly, thus being unable to be in a perfect relationship. However, my relationship with God, because of God's perfection, gives me the closest chance at having one. God's part will always be perfect and so it is simply a matter of strengthening my end of it (through HIS help of course). That way, as I grow more and more in love with God, I'll have an increasingly better example of love to duplicate towards others, despite the fact that both me and the other person are imperfect.

God calls us to 'love one another' (1John4:7&8), but we are only able to love 'because HE first loved us' (1John4:19)

God is GOOD!

...Random interjection: I just killed my FIRST, TWO (10*) mosquitoes of the year, and have my SECOND (3rd&4th*) mosquito bites :( ...I LOVE Spring, but I HATE mosquitoes, unfortunately they LOVE ME :'( *(Actual numbers by the time I finished writing this blog)....
~~~~~~
Anywho...I wish I had a SWEET basketball analogy to go with my title, but I don't...sorry. I do not know enough about basketball to make an accurate correlation, though I am learning b/c you can NOT help but get into the sport of basketball when you live at camp...just about EVERYONE at least watches it. (WARNING: Basketball is contagious!)
So, I'm sure you can guess that I've watched a few college basketball games over the last few weeks, along with watching the ending games of camp's Mens' Church Basketball league games. Both have been quite enjoyable...but now for the real 'Madness' part of my blog...
If you've read my last two blogs, I'm sure you can kind of sense some of the INTENSE 'conversations' I've been having with God lately. I'm not really sure how to express it all. A friend of mine's life verse is John 3:30, and it's the first verse that comes to mind when thinking about my last few weeks..."HE must become greater; I must become less". It's NOT ABOUT ME!
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you have died, and you life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory". (Colossians 3:1-4)
And really, we aren't really losing anything at all. When we give our lives to God, he is able to use us in ways we could NEVER even IMAGINE. Never forget how much God loves us, and wants what's best for us. I don't remember where I heard it, but one of my favorite quotes is "God is too loving to ever do anything unkind, and too wise to ever make a mistake".

God is GOOD! ♥