This is not deep or challenging or anything. I just wanted to say that I really really like Google Chrome. It’s way faster than internet explorer, which is great. The more I use it and figure out all of it’s features, the more it makes me happy. Haha. For example, I just found out that you can change the theme of your pages and I made mine yellow with sunflowers. It makes me smile a lot.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that everyone should download Google Chrome. It’s sweet. Your internet life will improve. Ready, GO!
Everything You Do by Steven Curtis Chapman
I’ve had a song in my head all day. It’s called “Everything You Do” by Steven Curtis Chapman, and the first time I heard it, I thought it was super cheesy. Steven Curtis Chapman has a tendency to do that. However, I hear it over and over on K-Love in my car and I can’t help but be convicted by the lyrics of this song.
The message of the song stems from a bible verse:
”So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the Glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31
The song goes through several scenarios of daily life: a mother taking care of kids, a business man working, a kid sitting in math class. It says that when you’re wondering if what you’re doing matters, or if it is making a difference, remember that it is as long as you’re doing everything you do to the glory of the one who made you, simply because He made you.
I like this idea, but it’s also convicting. I like the idea that everything I do has the potential of making an eternal impact for the glory of God. I’m convicted because I don’t spend my entire day focused on doing everything for the glory of God. I’ll be honest, when I’m out recruiting or when we’re planning stuff for the summer, that definitely feels like it’s for God’s glory. When we’re folding laundry and making beds and cleaning cottages, that feels sort of like it’s for God’s glory because it’s still service rendered to King’s Domain. When I’m at home watching a movie, making a sandwich, cleaning, decorating, Facebooking, those things don’t feel quite as connected to God’s glory. Everything? I’m really supposed to do everything for His glory?
The more I think about it, the more I want to do it. I’m still working on what that looks like practically. It might mean that I do change some of my routine in order to make a greater impact. Maybe when I am Facebooking, I can be intentional in how I’m leaving comments, trying to encourage people and lifting them up. Maybe when I cook, I can cook enough to bring lunch for someone else at work. Maybe when I’m watching a movie I can choose a title that will edify the things that God appreciates rather than one that trumpets the world’s value system. Maybe I pick a crappy movie but I watch it with friends, building relationship in the process.
I don’t think this song is saying that if you are following Jesus that everything you do automatically brings God glory. But I think it is saying that everything has the potential to bring God glory if we realize that and act accordingly. I don’t know about you, but it’s going to take me a while to chew on this. And while I do, I have an incredibly peppy Steven Curtis Chapman song bouncing around in my head, keeping me company.
Hello Tumblr. Long time no talk. Sorry about that.
The longer I have this blog, the more I learn about what a terrible communicator I am. This year I am resolving to be more intentional with my communication, both online and offline. I know most resolutions don’t last very long, but hopefully this one will stick. If you guys could pray for my poor little self, that definitely wouldn’t hurt.
So I spent the morning talking to Kathy Steele, Micah’s mom and the provider of my shelter in Ohio (I live in her/her husband’s basement). She’s awesome. We talked about everything from my new relationship to the new trends in church teaching to the grandkids to fashion trends of the 90’s and today! It was a lot of fun and it makes me realize that I should really spend more time investing the in the people who are directly around me instead of just the ones who live far away. A crazy concept, I know.
It also just really made me appreciate discipleship. I love sitting with older women and just hearing their opinions and experiences. Getting to share in their life journey is always informative and awesome. It also makes me see even more clearly my desire to disciple someone. I don’t have anyone that I’m formally discipling. I think I do it unofficially in most of my female friend relationships, but I would love to have something consistent. Maybe I’ll start praying about that and see what God does.
I don’t have a lot to say right now, this was mostly a post just to post something, but hopefully I’ll be more active and interesting soon.
God is good. All the time.
Campers who participated in last week’s journalism workshop wrote stories for a newspaper. The writing was done entirely by the kids, and the photos were taken by April Losekamp, KD’s media director.
Check it out!
At my church here in Ohio, Antioch, we’ve been going through the book of Ephesians for about nine months or so in a series called “Grow.” Our pastors are awesome and I’ve really learned a lot. Ephesians is a rich letter that covers a wide variety of topics.
Recently, we’ve found ourselves in Ephesians 5. It started a couple weeks ago with an intense but well done sermon on our call to walk as children of the light. That set of verses also addresses sexual immorality. This is a touchy, but critical subject for churches to talk about because in our society, everyone has struggled with some form of sexual temptation. Anyone who thinks they haven’t probably isn’t being very honest with themselves.
Here is the link to the sermon podcasts if you’re interested in listening to it. The date was 5/15/2011:
http://antiochlife.net/site/?cat=1
After that, we began what will end up being a three part series on marriage out of the back half of Ephesians 5. I encourage you to listen to those sermons as they post. The first one is already up under that same link above. It’s really great to explore the differences between men and women and how those God given differences are meant to be used in a marriage. I love learning about marriage because it is such a wonderful picture of love, both our love for each other and the way Christ loves his bride, the Church.
Here is a link to a sweet article on Submission. It’s a difficult thing for women to learn about, especially in today’s society where women are in more positions of power. This article addresses some misconceptions about submission that were helpful for me:
http://theresurgence.com/2011/05/16/10-things-submission-is-not
Whether you’re married, divorced, or still single, it’s good to learn about the way God made men and women because we are constantly building relationships with each other. Women need to learn how to respect men the way God created them to be respected, and men need to learn how to love women the way god created them to be loved.
Love and Respect. Two central concepts of marriage and relationships. Simple in concept, difficult in execution.
I hope these sermons and article can help you in your walk with God as they have helped me! I love you all.
I’m sitting in the lower lodge of the DH (dining hall) by myself. Bethany is off gallavanting somewhere and I’m trying to entertain myself. I cannot wait until Sunday/Monday when our leadership staff arrives at KD. After our leadership arrives, we have one week until project one starts their training. After that, we have two weeks until campers come. After that, nobody knows. Haha.
This summer is going to be amazing. I say this totally on faith because honestly, I have no idea what this summer is really going to look like. We have a new camp and a new Jr. Counselor program that we’re premiering. We have a brand new leadership and full-time staff trying out new positions. We have counselors coming from all over the country and even from a few different countries. We have kids coming from all over Ohio. The only thing I know is that God is going to use all this craziness to bring Himself some mad Glory. He’s going to move in big ways and lives are going to be jacked up all over the place (in a good way).
I have had the privlege of being on full-time staff at King’s Domain this year and it has been one of the most rewarding, stressful, exciting, and exhausting years of my life. I’ve seen God work in many ways: through our programming, through the people who He brings out to KD, through the relationships I have with my fellow staffers. One thing is for sure: even when I don’t feel like God is doing anything in my life, He is. Even when I don’t feel like He remembers who I am, He does. My God will never leave me nor forsake me, and for that I cannot ever fully express my gratitude.
I will be staying on staff at King’s Domain for the next few years, or at least until God tells me to go somewhere else. Personally, I hope that’s not for a good long time, because I love King’s Domain and the way that God uses the property and the people who work here, both year round and in the summer, to change hearts and lives for Eternity.
Pleas be praying for our counselors and campers if you think about it. The spirituak warfare has already started and they’re not even here yet. There is nothing our enemy would love more than to mess up the amazing work God is doing in the hearts and lives of the young people this summer. Pray protection over them and over us as we venture onto the frontlines of ministry.
Sorry this post has been kind of all over the place, but that’s where my brain is right now. I love you all a lot. Peace out.
