Miles

My mom and I went to Ohio last week to spend time with family. We had a blast. I got to spend an evening with my cousin and his little boy, Miles. Miles is about 1 1/2 yrs old and so much fun! Here are some pics of him.

Read more...

A Prison For Your Mind

"The Matrix is everywhere, it is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. The truth is that you are a slave. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell, or taste, or touch. A prison-FOR YOUR MIND."

This is the biggest thing that movie put in perspective for me. Everything in this world is meant to distract us from what we are REALLY here to do. Some of the distractions are the lives that we make for ourselves and everything in entertainment. We have to constantly be on our guard. We cannot allow ourselves to get sucked into the ways of the world. We are here for another purpose, a much greater purpose. It is so easy to let the little things go. Before we know it, we let almost everything go. We even make excuses for those distractions and try to convince ourselves that they are okay. What distractions have you let in? What is that God wants you to focus on? God has placed you where you are for a reason.

Read more...

Choosing My Path

" There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path."

We all know the truth, but do we live it out daily? We have a choice in how we are going to live our lives each day. I know that we are all going to have times when we struggle, but we need to be constantly seeking Him and resting in His presence.

"You have to trust me, you have been down there, you know that road. You know exactly where it ends. I know that's not where you want to be."

This is the same kind of thing that God whispers in our ear when he is warning us of what we are about to do. If we have a lot of other junk in the way, we are not going to be able to hear him. He does not shout. It can be hard sometimes to listen to the truth. We just push it aside because we want to do things our way. We always need to be aware that God may be speaking truth to us through the ones we love.

"Do you believe in fate Neo?-No, because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life."

We all like to be in control of our lives, and it is often for selfish reasons. We all go through the process of learning that trust and faith thing. God's timeline is very different from ours. It may seem to us that God provides at the last minute, but he provides precisely when he means to. If it wasn't at the last minute, we wouldn't have to trust and have faith that he would provide. God wants the best for us. We think we know what is best for us, but we really have no idea. Following Christ will not be the easiest way, but it WILL be the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you ever do.

Read more...

The Question That Drives Us

The Matrix was an incredible movie for special effects when it came out a few years ago. Over the last six months, I have been watching this movie with a new perspective. Watching the movie through new eyes, The Matrix becomes spiritually meaningful. It really brings the spiritual world to life. There are so many analogies and things in this movie that symbolize the Christian faith. The agents are demons. Morpheus is John the Baptist. Cypher is Judas. The Matrix represents the world. The Chosen One is Neo and he represents Jesus Christ and the Christian walk. I learn something new every time I watch this movie. I am in awe because SO many of the quotes penetrate right to my soul. There was something special going on when they made this movie. I don't think the writers meant for the movie to be an allegory to the Christian faith but it truly is. The next several posts will have some of the amazing quotes from the movie and my thoughts on them.

"I know why you’re here Neo, I know what you've been doing. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. When he found me, he told me that I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here. The answer is out there Neo. It's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to."

We are constantly looking for answers. We want to know if there is more to this life, if there is a higher purpose for us. This is the question that drives us. We all have that God hole that needs to be filled. Nothing else will ever satisfy that need. We can try and fill it with work, relationships, material things, or hobbies, but it will never be enough. We will only find true peace and contentment when we let God in. God doesn't force us. He gently nudges us and quietly whispers in our ear. He waits patiently for us to come to Him.

Read more...

Lead Lord With Unfailing Love

I love listening to Bethany Dillon. The lyrics to her songs are very honest and real. I was listening to her song "Exodus" and I love the excitement in the song. This is the kind of excitement that people with disabilities bring to the church. This is how excited they are to share God's love. This is how excited they are to worship. This is how excited they are to talk about God's faithfulness.

"Exodus"

Come, come fallen ones

Dance in the healing stream

He has faithfully kept you

Brought you out of captivity

Rejoice, rejoice with all your hearts

Sing Him a new song

That’s heard high on the windswept mountains

It will resound

Lead, Lord, with unfailing love

Those that You have ransomed

And we will sing out as we go on

Our God is faithful

Our God is faithful

Reflect, reflect on all your days

You weren’t so free then

Once you were all called slaves

But now, blessed children

Move, move your feet

Dance before the Lord

On to the Promised Land

On to your reward, sing

Lead, Lord, with unfailing love

Those that You have ransomed

And we will sing out as we go on

Our God is faithful

Our God is faithful

Our enemies are at the bottom of the sea, our enemies

Our enemies are at the bottom of the sea, our enemies

We were once slaves, but now we are blessed children. God leads us with unfailing love. Let's get back to the basics. Let's get some of that excitement that we had long ago. Lets dance before the Lord. OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!

Read more...

Barb Accepted Christ

Barb was the lady I took care of a few summers ago who had cerebral palsy. As I look back, I can't believe how patient she was with me. That week was the first time I had ever done full care for someone. I know that I totally sucked, I had no idea what I was doing. I can't imagine what she must have been thinking. She seemed to put up with me pretty well. I know that she could tell that I was nervous and a little overwhelmed. I guess she must be used to it. She was patient, and I was grateful.

How is it that this lady could teach me so much in only five days? She has completely changed my life. Camp Daniel has always been a wonderful experience for me. My experience with Barb confirmed the fact that I wanted to spend the rest of my life working with people with disabilities. I can't put into words all that this loving, beautiful woman has done fore me. One night when I was sitting next to Barb, she put her hand in mine. That reassurance from Barb was so encouraging to me. I know how hard she had to work to get her hand by mine. Her limbs are always stuck tight up next to her body.

During chapel one night, another camper wanted Barb to sit next to her. I parked Barb's wheelchair next to this camper and I ended up sitting on the other side of the chapel. We had a worship time and the message was given. The special thing about that night was the altar call. Some people went forward and then I looked over at Barb. She had her hand way up in the air. This wasn't something she normally did so I went over to her. I asked her if she wanted to go forward and she said yes. I wheeled her up to the front and prayed with her.

When the prayer was done I wheeled her around to face me. I looked into her eyes and said "You are a unique masterpiece that God has created and He loves you so much!" I will never forget the way she looked at me. She had tears in her eyes. We shared a special moment together. I saw right into her heart. It was so special to be a part of that moment.

Some people may say that they don't understand. I'm here to tell you that they DO understand. Their spirits are NOT disabled. We are ministering spirit to spirit and there is a special connection in that. I could share so many stories with you about how I witnessed a camper comprehend something spiritual better than we ever could. We have so much to learn from them. I can't wait until camp!!!!

Read more...

A Different Way to Worship

Last summer there was a camper that was in his 50’s or 60’s. That week was his first time at camp. There was an older counselor that had been matched up with him. The camper wasn't communicating a whole lot, at least that we could see. We soon found out that he couldn’t hear. During the first day of camp there wasn't a lot of communication with him.

For the first time last summer, we had a gal at camp who knew sign language. She wondered if he knew sign language so she sat down and started signing to him. He started signing back to her and they had a good conversation. No one told us he knew sign language.

There are always a lot of things going on during chapel. You always have to be aware of what is going on around you because you might miss something. Every once in a while I am lucky enough to see something amazing taking place. During chapel that week, this camper was across the pew from me. I watched as this gal stood right next to him and signed the songs to him. The thing that really impacted me was that he was trying to learn and sign the songs along with her. If this gal hadn’t of been there, he wouldn’t have been able to sing/sign these songs. It was an amazing thing to watch them worship.

Read more...

Love People to Jesus

Ah, the innocence of children. They believe that there is no danger. They have BIG dreams. And they believe that magic is real. Unfortunately, in this horrific world we live in, so many children have their innocence, their lives stripped from them. The longer I live in this world, the more I learn how much this world sucks. There are so many horrific things going on all around us.

There are child soldiers in Africa and they are taught to kill and destroy. These children just disappear, they are stolen from their families. Their governments deny they exist. There is human trafficking. Then there are girls and women sold into prostitution. Little girls who have their innocence stolen from them. LITTLE GIRLS! A lot of the little girls are orphans that live on the street. They wouldn't be missed right? This is happening all over the world! War is destroying families and homes. People with disabilities are neglected and abused. Kids are hurting from broken homes. There are hurting people all around us. Now what are we going to do about it?

Let's put our words into ACTION! Get to know your neighbors. Volunteer at a local school or organization. There are so many things we CAN do. We need to be fighting for the innocence of children. We need to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. We need to be fighting for souls! Let's get out there and love on people!

Read more...

Don't just DO something, SIT THERE

Don't just do something, Sit there.

I think this is an old Buddhist quote. It's interesting because this way of life, this mindset, is totally opposite to the way we live here. We are always on the go, doing a million different things. Rarely do we take time to be quiet or be still. I know that I always like to have music playing. I heard the quote this week and it convicted me, but not in the way they mean. This quote convicted me to be still at the feet of Jesus. It has been a long time since I have done that. There has been so much other noise lately that I think it has drowned out God's voice in my life. I can't tell his voice from any other. I need to get rid of that noise. There is the story of Mary and Martha when Mary sat at Jesus' feet. Jesus said that Mary had chosen what was right and it would not be taken away from her. God wants us to be still. Lets all take time to SIT THERE.

Read more...

Compassion International

Live simply so they simply live- Richmond Wandera

Compassion International is a great organization that helps poor children in other countries receive food and education. This is one way that I have been able to make a difference. For the last six years, this organization has been a part of my life. God convicted me to stop spending money on CDs and entertainment. I have supported one little girl for the last six years. It cost $32 a month and that pays for food, clothing, and education. This is a great organization because all of the money goes to the kids. The best part is that they get to learn about Jesus Christ. The children you sponsor send you letters and you get to build a relationship with them. I now sponsor two little girls from Africa. We write letters back and forth and they are very dear to my heart. What a difference it would make if every family sponsored a child! I know that it has changed families and been great for the kids to learn about compassion and giving. The experience has been so rewarding for me. Instead of spending money on myself, I get to spend it on someone else. I can't help everyone, but I CAN help these two little girls. I know that their bellies are full and they will have more opportunities that would otherwise be unreachable to them. I get to speak truth, love, and encouragement into their lives. I get to be a part of their lives, even though I am halfway across the world. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Read more...

Why Don't People Give a Crap About Human Life?

There is a lot of bad stuff going on in this world, a LOT of bad stuff. We as Americans are so oblivious, so clueless to what is REALLY going on in the rest of the world. Why aren't people doing something? Why aren't people getting off their butt and making a difference?

It makes me mad when one of those commercials come on for adopting animals from the pound. Don't get me wrong, I think those organizations are a good thing. I like animals, I have two of my own. I just don't understand how people can feel so sorry for those animals when human life isn't being taken seriously? Why don't people feel the same way about starving children in Africa or someone being abused right next door? I'm not going to be able to help animals until children are taken care of.

There are child soldiers in Africa. Children are taught to be killing machines. This has been going on for years and not many people have done much about it. Big pharmaceutical companies are sending drugs to be tested in Africa and it doesn't matter if they kill a lot of people along the way. Now, the second example is a movie, but I'm sure that the big pharmaceutical companies ARE sending drugs to be tested in Africa. They send knock off drugs there so what is stopping them? I mean, it doesn't matter right? Those people in Africa were just going to die anyways. They will either get AIDS or starve to death. It will be as if those Africans never existed. But they DID exist. Each one of them has a face, and a name. I sit here crying angry tears for these children. Why aren't people putting an end to this? Some are trying, but it is hard to get others to care. The people that ARE in power in the US and Europe that COULD make a difference, they are only concerned about their fat wallets. Why don't people give a crap about human life? Why is it that people only care about money?

This stuff is going on halfway across the world and it seems like we can't make a difference, but WE CAN. We can spread the word about these child soldiers and get informed about those issues that are happening not just in Africa, but in the world. We need to be especially aware of the injustices going on right in our own towns and cities. Human life is taken for granted every day. I want my life to mean something. I want to make a difference in this world. The journey is what matters. I can't sit here while all of these horrible things are going on around me. My spirit is restless. I want to make a difference in this cruel world or die trying.

Read more...

I Will Miss You

A friend of mine died a couple of weeks ago. She was only 21 years old. Jenny was killed by a drunk driver. We were really good friends when we were in middle school. We kind of grew apart after that, but I still loved her. I will always love her. I hadn't talked to her in six years. It is so unfair. Why did she have to die? I know that she accepted Christ in high school. I can hold on to the fact that Jesus took her home.

Jenny and I had a lot of fun together when we were kids. Jenny was fun and beautiful. We used to laugh a lot. I spent a lot of time at her house and we would watch movies and bake cookies. We loved to jump on the trampoline. We went to the fair together one year. That was a fun night. I remember that we loved to watch Grease. She had the cd and we would sing the songs a lot. She was a great friend, not just to me, but to many others.

All week I struggled with going to her funeral. I didn't want to deal with the pain. I knew it would mean a lot to her mom if I went. I had made the decision that I wasn't going to go. About an hour before the funeral a friend of mine called and asked if I was going. When she called I knew that the Lord wanted me to go. It was hard, but I'm glad that I went. The pain of her death was more real than anything I have ever experienced. Seeing her body was kind of horrific for me. She wasn't just gone, she was lying right in front of me. At first, I didn't know how to deal with the pain. I just tried to shove it down and avoid it. That didn't last for long because the pain was really intense. She was on my mind constantly. There was a heaviness in my chest, like I couldn't breathe. The heaviness in my gut almost made me sick.

I finally just let the pain come. The weight that I was feeling has lifted a bit. Each day it gets a little better but I still think about her a lot. Pain like that brings you to a place where there is nothing left but the arms of Jesus holding you. Jesus is the only thing that keeps you afloat. This kind of pain is only a fraction of the pain that people with disabilities experience. This pain that God has allowed me to experience wasn't just for me. I think that God is allowing me an inside view in the life of people with disabilities so that I can relate to and understand them better. People with disabilities have become my world. I think God wants me to get a glimpse of the suffering that they face. And I think like anything else, you just don't get it until you experience it.

Read more...

A Lesson from Harry Potter

I really like Harry Potter and was watching the fifth movie last week. For those of you who don't know the story, Harry Potter is the main character. Harry must fight the bad wizard called Voldemort. One of Harry's friends said this quote to Harry.

"I suppose that’s how he wants you to feel. I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else. Because, if its just you alone, your not as much of a threat."-from the fifth Harry Potter movie

She was talking about how Voldemort wanted Harry to feel cut off from everyone. This quote spoke a lot to me personally. I think it also talks about the general Christian walk. For the last year and a half I have been really busy with school. I haven't had much time to do anything else. Sometimes I have felt cut off from people, mainly my friends. I know that I have many friends and yet I still believed it. It was this little lie that slowly crept in. How often do we let those little lies in and believe them? We cannot, we must not let them in. We must guard ourselves against the enemy.

That is exactly how the enemy wants me to feel. The enemy wants me to feel cut off from everyone. He wants me to feel alone. If I believe those lies, I won't be as much of a threat to him.

When we as believers come together in community, we are stronger. Our prayers are more powerful. Our worship is more powerful. We can support each other and have each other's back. We can face the enemy together. When we are alone, it is easier for the enemy to attack us. We must stand together against the enemy in this spiritual battle we are fighting. We must stand with our brothers and sisters and be ready for what's coming. The enemy will not attack with a big blast. The attack will come slowly from within, and we must be on our guard. We must be ready.

Read more...

Compassion

Get this widget!

Compassion – Make a Donation – Sponsor a Child

Read more...

Corrie Ten Boom 3

Here is another excerpt from the book.

As Corrie recounted their experiences, one of the neighbors said, " I am sure it was your faith that carried you through."

" My faith? I don't know about that," replied Corrie. "My faith was so weak, so unstable. It was hard to have faith. When a person is in a safe environment, having faith is easier. But in that camp when I saw my own sister and thousands of others starve to death, where I was surrounded by men and women who had training in cruelty, then I do not think it was my faith that helped me through. No, it was Jesus! He who said 'I am with you until the end of the world.'

It was His eternal arms that carried me through. He was my certainty. "If I tell you that it was my faith, you might say if you have to go through suffering, 'I don't have Corrie Ten Boom's faith.' But if I tell you it was Jesus, then you can trust that He who helped me through will do the same for you. I have always believed it, but now I know from my own experience that His light is stronger than the deepest darkness."

Read more...

Corrie Ten Boom 2

During the years between the world wars there were many people In the Ten Boom household. Corrie lived there with her father, sister, and her aunts. During this time the Ten Boom's took in many foster children. I had a lot of respect and love for Corrie after reading the Hiding Place. Then I read this excerpt from Life Lessons and that multiplied by a thousand!

"It might seem that Corrie was busy enough in the watch shop business and in caring for the foster children. But she also gave Bible lessons in schools and held classes and a special church service on Sunday afternoons for mentally disabled children, for whom she had particular respect and love."

Now it might seem silly to you, but I cried when I read this. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Corrie, this legendary woman, had a disability ministry! She was so busy working and being a part of other ministries and yet she made time for these kids. Corrie spent time among people with disabilities and she got it. She even had a church service!!!! That is what Pastor John and Tony are doing. Corrie was already doing ministry that Tony has dreamed of! This encourages my heart so much. She was doing all of those things in disability ministry and that was so long ago. That gets me excited for the future and what is in store for Camp Daniel and Able Church. I bet most people don't know that she had a disability ministry. I wish I could talk to her about it. OH well, knowing that she had a disability ministry is enough.

Read more...

Corrie Ten Boom

The first time I read the Hiding Place was about six year ago. I remember that the book was so hard for me to read, I had to put it down for a while. A few months later I had finished reading it, and that book, their testimony, had changed my life forever. The things that the Ten Boom family experienced were horrific, yet they were faithful and they clung to Jesus while they were in the fire. Corrie Ten Boom is a hero of mine. Even though she has been gone for some time now, she has made a tremendous impact on my life and many others. I have learned many 'life lessons' from Corrie. A couple of years ago I picked up a book called Life Lessons from the Hiding Place by Pam Rosewell Moore. Pam was Corrie's companion for the last seven years of her life. Pam wrote about many stories and insights that are not in the Hiding Place. You get a glimpse of Corrie's heart.

Here are a few quotes from Corrie.

" We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answers. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God's work on behalf of the people for whom we pray."

"I must learn to hold earthly things lightly because if I do not the Lord might have to pry away my fingers, and that hurts."

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."

"It is not so much what happens, but how we take it that is important. All our times are in God's hands, even the difficult ones."

"As they say down to drink tea, Anna asked ' What is your secret, Corrie?' The answer was simple, of course. 'Well, Anna, you see, one day I said to the Lord, ' I am yours from the tip of my toes to the top of my head.' Unconditional abandonment to God. Not her own faith. That was Corrie's secret."

Read more...

Pictures From Camp

I was going through some pictures from camp and I had to post them.

This pictures sums up so many things for camp. This was one of many great pranks pulled on Richard. Joe poured a bag of flour on Richard right after he had gotten wet from the dunk tank. Glorious. I hope someone comes up with something good for next summer.






Curtis got Gabe to dress up in that crazy outfit and dance and sing to the theme song from Grease for the talent show. That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.









Now for something a little more serious. These two little boys stole my heart last summer.

Elijah















Nathan

Read more...

Giving to the Needy

I was reading in Matthew today and there was one passage of scripture that stood out to me.

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Mathew 6:1-4

This passage speaks a couple of things to me. The first is to help the needy. A tangible way that I can help the needy is through Compassion International. I sponsor a couple of girls through Compassion. Giving up a few dollars to pay for their food and education is such a small sacrifice. And the best part is that they develop a relationship with Christ. I write letters to these girls and they write letters back to me. These letter have become very special to me. I have sponsored one of the girls for six years now. What a blessing and honor it has been to watch her grow into a beautiful young lady. I can have a relationship with these girls, encourage them, and speak life into them from halfway around the world. Compassion is truly an amazing ministry and it has changed my life.

Another thing that this passage speaks to me is about serving. I think sometimes it is easy to serve to get attention. I think people should get recognized for their sacrifice but we shouldn't get caught up in it. The best way to serve is so that no one knows it was you.

Read more...

Love Changes People

A couple of summers ago I had two campers for that week. Now for the Camp Daniel staff, it can be hard to match up the campers and their counselors. There is a LOT of prayer that goes into this. Tony, the director of Camp Daniel, is switching and matching people up until the day of camp. It is quite a long process to match campers up with counselors especially if you have two campers. The campers can have such different personalities. The staff does their best to match up campers who will get along with each other. But I know without a doubt that you get the camper you are supposed to get.

My campers for that week were Amy and Patsy. Amy was in her 30's and Patsy was in her 50's and had Down Syndrome. I knew both of them because they had been to camp before. Amy was pretty tough and had some behavior issues. Sometimes she was kind of aggressive toward others. I found out later that week that she had a background of abuse. She was so rough and closed off from others. She always seemed like she was mad.

Patsy was sweet and quiet. When she got ready for bed I would sit on the edge of her bed and pray for her. Every night she would cup my face in her and hands and say I love you. She made me feel so loved. Patsy greatly changed the outcome of that week. Amy didn't like being told what to do. If I had just had Amy I fear that there would have been a lot of confrontation that week. Patsy completely changed the situation. I had Amy help me with Patsy and she responded really well to that. The two of them got along well because Patsy loves everybody.

Patsy's sweet personality and love changed Amy. Throughout the week Amy seemed to relax and open up a bit. I had never seen Amy like that before. Amy is not one for affection. By the end of week I was praying with her and she hugged me which kind of surprised me. I can't imagine the pain that she has been through. Patsy never said much but love doesn't need words. Patsy was the key factor in the outcome of that week. Patsy showed love to Amy and that changed the week and made it wonderful. Had she not been there, I fear the week would not have gone so well. This is why I know you get the campers that God intended for you to have.

Read more...

Building Others Up

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29

This verse has been a constant lesson and reminder for me this year. It is so easy to say something that I don't mean. Before I can stop it the deed is done and I have hurt someone that I love. There are several things that I get out of this verse. The first is that we must speak purely. We cannot speak words that would be dishonoring to our Lord. The second is How we talk.

Speak only what is helpful for building others up. We must only speak good things about others. If we cannot, then we must not speak of them at all. In other words, we must keep most of that stuff to ourselves. We can only speak of things if it blesses the person we are talking about. So we can only talk about others if it is good or if they are in need. The person who is listening must benefit from what I have to say. Well that leaves us with very little to say. I guess that is the whole point.

This should change the whole structure of how we talk and how we think. I fail at this often, but think of what a difference it would make if we all strove to do this? This will be a lesson that I will be practicing for a lifetime. Each time we open our mouths we have the opportunity to bless or hurt someone. Let's start building others up.

Read more...