Camp

This past week I got to spend sometime with our youth at camp. My church has an awesome tradition in camp. Campers range from 3rd-8th grade at Children's and Middle School camp, High School students are the Staffers, and adults are there only for behind the scene stuff, and you know the whole supervision thing. For decades past we have held our camp at Hillmont. But this year we ventured out of our comfort zone and headed to one of my favorite campgrounds, Linden Valley! (My Favorite camp is most definitely RIDGECREST in NC. Linden holds a close second.) I've attended Sunday School weeks and Music weeks at Ridgecrest through my elementary years. I attended camp as a camper at Hillmont 4th-8th grade and on Staff through High School. This was my 5th summer as an adult with our youth camp but not my first time at Linden. I spent time there working on TRAC camp staff my first two summers of college. Not to mention all the weeks at Cordova, Kingsport, Carson, Coldstream, Jonathan Creek, Deer Run, as well as many others. Needless to say I LOVE going to church camp! I have spent many summers and winter retreat at camp. Some of my best memories come from camp experiences. I have been to many campgrounds, but it's not the place that makes the camp.

Tame your Tongue!

I love being challenged to find verses on specific subjects. Especially when the person challenging me doesn't believe the Word.

Mom came home yesterday and told me about a coworker who was telling a profanity laced story. When another coworker and friend asked her to stop, the woman set forth the challenge. "Where in the Bible does it say anything about not cussing except for taking the Lord's name in vain? It's just a word!" She didn't ask out of genuine curiosity, but with sarcasm and condescension, believing that she had stumped her coworkers. First off, if the language is offensive, stop! It's also very unprofessional to use such language in a work setting. Well, I promised mom that I would find a verse to use in defense of the christian view that profanity is unacceptable.

These are the verses I email to Mom. I didn't include all the verses I found because not all were relevant to her situation. (Italics are mine and for emphasis.)

1 Peter 2:1 "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander."

Proverbs 15:4 "A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit."

Matthew 12:36-37 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from every form of evil."

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."

The passage that I did not include but that is equally convicting and challenging. (Again, italics mine for emphasis.)

James 3:6-8 "And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

I heard a sermon once, can't remember where, but the pastor was preaching from this passage in James. He focused mostly on gossip and profanity. He talked about how hard it is to control the words that come out of out mouth. I don't consider myself given to much profanity, but the gossip note hit hard. The pastor reminded us that taming the tongue would be one of the hardest things we would try to accomplish along the path to righteousness.

Words are powerful. Be careful how you use them. One thing I always tell my students, "Use that filter between your brain and your mouth!" Think before you speak. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes you aren't even aware that what you say hurts other, sometimes it's your tone that is offensive. I'm still working and growing in this, but I think I'm doing better, with the help of the Spirit reminding me of what is right.

Crazy Love 3

As I read Chapter 3, I had a hard time compiling my thoughts, so I

re-read the chapter. I think what kept tripping me up was Chan's

description of his father. My childhood was nothing like Chan's. My

parents are amazing examples of how I should live my life. I

respected my father. Like Chan, I did not want to upset him. As I

re-read the chapter, I had to not focus on Chan's father, but on the

comparison he was trying to make. Once I figured that out, I realized

how amazing an example of God's fatherly love my dad is in my life.

My dad taught us discipline, respect, and love. It took me a while to

understand that all of what my dad taught me, both through praise

and punishment, were to lead me down the correct path in life. He

really amazes me, now that I think about it.

But, the truly amazing thing, God loves me more! If my earthly dad

loves me that much, it'shard to grasp how much my heavenly Father

loves me. I think this also caught me up. I can'tfully understand how

much God loves me. How much He has given and Sacrificed for me.

My mind goes blank, literally. It's crazy.

Then the question of our faith comes up. I've been referred to as

faithful in the past. Probably because I tend to stick too things, but is

that more loyal than faithful? I took stock of my faith. I realized

something very interesting. Like the mass majority of people who

claim the title of Christian, I tend to have more faith in God in the big

things than in the small details of life. I understand that God is in

control of the big picture. I trust Him in that. But I can't seem to let

go of the mundane details in my life.

Chan reminds us of two very important passages in Scripture. Matt.

22:37-38 (Jesus quoting from Duet. 6:4-6) which reminds us to "love

the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with

all your mind." along with Jeremiah 1:4-5 "Before I formed you in the

wombI knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."

I already knew these passages, as well as their echoes in other parts

of Scripture. Yet somehow, this time, it clicked. And again, speechless.

This chapter challenged my thoughts, left me without words, and is

still stirring my heart. I think this book is going to be more

challenging thanI thought it would be when I started it.

Other Proverbs verses...

Proverbs 12:4 "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones."

Proverbs 19:14 "House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

Proverbs 27:15 "A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;"

These little nuggets of wisdom give us a practical understanding of what it means to have or be a good wife. Being that I am not a wife yet, I am trying to practice these things in advance so that they are not so difficult later.

First, 12:4, based on chapter 31, we know what it takes to be an excellent wife. The idea that this is a crown for her husband is a great one. He should be proud to have her as a wife. He should be proud that his wife is excellent. Want to know what what I think it means to be an excellent wife? Go read my post on Proverbs 31, I'm not typing all that again!

Next, 19:14, Prudent? What is prudent? According to dictionary.com:

pru·dent

   [prood-nt] –adjective

1.

wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect; sober.

2.

careful in providing for the future; provident: a prudent decision.

Well, that's pretty straight forward. Again we see this idea of a wise and careful person. She knows what she's doing and how to get it done. She is meticulous, multi-tasking, and mindful of everything. Definitely something to strive towards.

Finally, 27:15, and this one is a warning. Dripping water is annoying. I do not want to be annoying. There are better ways to communicate with your husband than through nagging and arguing. This is a trait I am trying hard to work on. I do not want to be a quarrelsome wife. I don't want to be that way with anyone. Open discussion and communication are important. I also hate confrontation, but I do not want to be a doormat either. There is a careful line here. I'm going to try my best, hopefully my husband will be patient with me.

Ruth- Loyalty and Love

Ruth - Read her book in the Old Testament.

1:16-17 "But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you."

The story of Ruth is a great little story. It tells of love and loyalty. Ruth was not a Hebrew. Her husband and his family were. When he and his brother and father died in a war, Ruth had a choice to make. She could return to her family or stay with her mother in law. She chooses to go with Naomi back to Judeah. Her loyalty to her new family, nation and God is apparent in the verses above.

I love this story because it is a great example of family loyalty and love. Ruth shows loyalty to her mother in law, Naomi, and makes the choice to help take care of her. Ruth works hard and devotes herself to her new Hebrew culture. Levitical law allows the next closest man kin to marry a relatives widow. This allows the family live to continue. Boaz was not this kinsman redeemer, but he sought that man out to ask if he could step into that position. He had watched Ruth in his fields. I guess you could say thats when he fell in love with her. I think Naomi knew what she was doing when she sent Ruth to those fields to glean leftover wheat. She knew Boaz would be a great man for Ruth. What a great matchmaker.

My grandfather, Pop, used to say that once you marry into the Evans family, you are family. There are no in-laws. And that's how everyone is treated. You're Family. I feel very loyal to my family. I would do anything I could for them. Hopefully, someday, I'll have the chance to feel that way for my husband's family as well.

The love story between Boaz and Ruth is amazing as well. The way they treat each other is amazing. He asks his workers to leave a little extra wheat out for her to gather. He took care of her because she was taking care of Naomi. She also, respected him. She knew who he was and asked for his provision. He saw great qualities in her and loved her for them. It's just comforting. Ruth had someone to take care of her, and Boaz was more than willing to do that.

Because of Ruth's loyalty, she has earned a place in history. She was the great grandmother of David. Who knows if she ever had the chance to watch him grow up, but wow. This also means that she is in the lineage of Christ! What a family tree to belong in! God rewarded her loyalty to Naomi and her faith in Him.