Leaving the Nets Behind

Have you ever heard or read something that just sticks with you all day long, maybe for weeks, or even keeps coming back in your mind a few months down the road? For me, this started back this summer while I was working at church camp. The theme of our summer there was "In His Steps" and focused on learning to follow the example that Jesus set out for us. During one particular camp session, a good friend of mine who happened to be camp pastor that week spoke with the campers about the calling of the disciples. Mark 1:16-20 says:

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

That verse just stops me in my tracks. What beautiful and total FAITH. These men seem to be spending their day hard at work doing their job as fishermen when a man calls out to them to leave it behind and follow him. Did they stop to give a clueless stare? Did Simon and Andrew have a chat about it? Did James and John consult their father for advice? I would have loved to have been sitting there along the lake shore to see this scene play out. It says that "at once" Simon and Andrew obeyed. They dropped exactly what they were doing, the familiar, and faithfully followed our Savior.

It makes me wonder what I would have done had I been sitting by the sea casting my net into the water. Had Jesus walked by and asked me to leave it behind and simply follow Him, would I have done so without question? Knowing me, I think I would have asked a few questions, requested a few days to think it through, talk it out, and weigh the options. Oh, to only be more like those faithful men. They must have known that this invitation came from a man like no other, the most wonderful individual to set foot in our world. In their faith, they found the One worth leaving everything else behind for.

Thankfully this wasn't a one time deal for those select men. They may have had the opportunity to follow Him, fellowship with Him, and learn from Him in person, but we too have the opportunity to answer when He calls to our hearts, "Come, follow me." I'm so thankful that He is still inviting. I'm so thankful that He doesn't make it a one time invite and RSVP with no changes. He keeps knocking at hearts and waiting, inviting us to set out on the adventure of a lifetime with the Savior of the world. All we have to do is drop the nets and follow in faith.

Busy As A Bee

Now and then I find myself having an inner argument. When things are calm and low-key in life with less obligations and activities, I find myself being inspired to get involved in new activities, groups, and life experiences. However, once I commit to such a schedule, I find that I begin to feel run down and a bit anxious. What to do?! Take this week for example: Monday I went to the library downtown with my friend H and her adorable baby girl, C! (Nerdy as it may be, may I please mention that just being in a library atmosphere like this one felt like a reader's paradise!) Tuesday I celebrated one of my best friend's birthday, Wednesday was Bible study, Thursday was indoor cycling at the gym, and the weekend holds a visit to friends in a nearby city. Each of these was and is very important to me and I enjoyed them thoroughly, but my body is definitely telling me to slow down. I suppose the old cliche stands for a reason: "Take time to smell the roses." I guess one can't do that while running through the garden full sprint now can they? As I led myself from work to one activity after another, I found myself embracing the moments of quiet time in the silence and longing to sit on the swing at camp that was so serene this past summer. Truth be told, I even drove past a beautiful field the other day (I have no idea how it managed not to be brown and crunchy like the grass everywhere else!) and thought how wonderful it would be just to lay out in the middle of it and take in the beautiful nature around me. Okay, maybe that's a bit too Twilight. No sparkling and charming vampires to take along for the outing. Nonetheless, my reactions made a very strong point to me. Balance is so important in life. I must continue to make time to be an excellent educator, I must make time to have a blast with friends and family, I must make time to grow in Christ. Last but not at all least, I must begin to make some quiet time a priority to rest, to relax, and to let my hair down. Here's to slowing down and enjoying both the busy moments along with those serene opportunities to sit down and put your feet up. Ahhhh............sounds perfect.

Monday Melody

Lots of bloggers whose pages I have browsed use clever little titles corresponding with the day of the week to denote the theme of a particular posting. Therefore, I thought I would make today Monday Melody and share a song that has inspired me lately. I love music, so it's definitely a bit difficult to choose one. Nonetheless, I think the most obvious choice would be a song I played repeatedly the other evening until my roommate asked me if I was actually going to play it yet another time. Oops, guilty! Once I get hooked on a particular melody or lyrics, I play that song into the ground. This particular song, "Defying Gravity" is from the musical Wicked. One of my good friends shared the Glee version recently which is pretty amazing. My sorority little sis also informed me that she has tickets for us to go see the original singer of the song, Idina Menzel, in concert in a few weeks! (Hence the whole reason I revisited this song the other day.)

I think that the song has a beautiful and sweet melody accompanied by equally beautiful lyrics. In one particular verse, she sings:
"I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so.
Some things I cannot change
but til I try I'll never know."

I think it's so easy for life and the expectations of others to pull us down with the strength of gravity. I love the magical thought of defying gravity and soaring to new heights. Why do we allow ourselves to set limits that we could surpass if only we dared to try? This afternoon, I put up a new bulletin board in my classroom with a writing theme. On it, I included an inspirational quote I found online which said "If you want to be a writer, write." I think that mentality can be applied to virtually any situation. You can't do something unless you are willing to take a risk and try it. Imagine away, but it won't become real until you put it into action. The only person holding me back is me. The only person holding you down is you. I think I'll try defying gravity too.

Three Generations of Style

This weekend I came back home to spend some time with my family. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a couple of friends' weddings coming up this weekend and next. Being the type of person who plans way ahead, I decided I'd go ahead and go shopping for a new dress for these two occasions. After convincing my mom to head to the nearby mall with me (which didn't take much convincing at all), I decided that I also wished for my grandma, who happens to live with my mom, to go with us. First of all, I knew it would be really good for her to get out of the house for a short outing and secondly, I must admit that I wanted her fashion opinion as well. These two women who accompanied me to the mall were the same ones who took me shopping as a toddler and laughed at my repetition of phrases such as "navy" and "on sale." Let's just say that the core of my appreciation for nice clothing and style, I inherited honestly from my mother and grandmother. Anyways, back to the story. So off to the store we headed and wound our way through various departments to grouping of racks upon racks of sparkly, shiny, and glitzy dresses. I understand why many males avoid shopping like the plague. Honestly, it can be overwhelming to sift through so many options, but I was ready for the challenge. With a handful of dresses gathered from the masses, I headed for the dressing room to try on and display each choice. After collecting the opinions of my mom, grandma, and the saleslady who jumped in, we decided upon just the right one. I was pleased as punch to have so quickly found one that I was happy with and we headed back home. Such a simple and quick shopping trip turned out to be a wonderful outing for three generations of women with style.

I wonder how many girls have the opportunity for such a simple but special outing. Sure, choosing a dress seems a bit trivial considering the big things in life, but it saddens me that so many people my age fail to seek out the advice and wisdom of our parents and grandparents. Growing up, my brother and I always laughed at our parents' attempts to impart their knowledge to us in what we laughingly referred to as LL's or life lessons. Nonetheless, my parents' and grandparents' wise words about saving and spending wisely, work, love, friendships, and such topics have proven to ingrain themselves into my being and help guide me down a steady path. I like to blaze my own trail, but it's wonderful to have the voice of Mom, Dad, and each of my grandparents whispering in my memory wise advice. Because they have been there, they wish to pass it on. Find your way. Do you thing. But while you're at it, don't forget to look back and seek wisdom from previous generations in the family who know and love you best.

Wedding Season

As many other individuals in their twenties can likely identify with, there are various periods of time throughout the year when it seems that every couple you know is headed down the aisle. I suppose you could refer to these popular marriage months and times of year as wedding seasons. Personally, I'm a huge fan of weddings. There is something so touching and inspiring in the deep love and commitment shown by the bride and groom. I love to take in the atmosphere of the church, the bridesmaid dresses, the glowing bride and groom, the beautiful reception hall, wonderful food, and lots of dancing. In the next two months, two very special couples I know will be tying the knot, and I'm looking forward to both of their special days.

In one of my favorite devotionals, "Grace For The Moment" by Max Lucado, I recently read some words which touched me. Lucado writes, "And who is this bride for whom Jesus longs?...You are. You have captured the heart of God." As beautiful as each wedding is and what a wonderful occasion for celebration, it moves me to think that Jesus loves me as much as, and yet infinitely more than, any groom or bride could feel on their wedding day. I am only human. I stumble, I fall, I make mistakes, and yet I "have captured the heart of God." How overwhelmingly beautiful and magnificent it is to be absolutely loved as a child of God.

I'd like to share with you a wonderful song I heard on KLove recently. The artist Jason Gray describes the journey of our relationship with God not as simply a religion but "more like falling in love" with our Savior. His love is a perfect love indeed.

Country Roads Take Me Home

Every home needs a front porch...

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. Don't get me wrong, I love living and working in the city. It's an exciting place to be with many activities to get involved in and diverse groups of students to teach at school. I'm so very content exactly where I am. Nonetheless, sometimes it's quite comforting to follow the road that leads you back home. In visiting my dad recently, I took the two hour drive right back to where I grew up. Cruising across the country roads, the lack of traffic and stoplights is like a breath of fresh air. I love rounding a corner and seeing a field of corn or passing the tiny little grocery store that sits in our town. To a stranger, it may seem behind the times or too quiet, but for me, it helped build the foundation for who I am. Looking back at my childhood and adolescent years miles from the interstate and off the beaten path, I learned:

-You can survive for several weeks without making a quick stop at Walmart, Target, or other large chain stores that provide convenience nowadays.
-A creek and woods can provide all of the entertainment that two little kids need for an afternoon.
-Before you learn to drive a car by yourself, you may learn to ride a horse.
-A lunch including a canned soft drink, bag of chips, and freshly made sandwich tastes infinitely better when purchased from a tiny grocery store.
-Sweet iced tea makes the perfect refreshing summer beverage.
-Graduating with less than one hundred classmates may mean that you'll have tiny class reunions down the line.....but that you will actually know them and care about catching up with them.
-Those classmates will also remember and remind you of the embarrassing outfits you wore in elementary like matching vinyl American Girl outfits with your best friends.
-Sitting out on the front porch never goes out of style.
-Having a southern accent doesn't necessarily mean you grew up in the south....it may just mean that you grew up in southern Indiana.

It's funny that when I go back, I often see the little town in which I grew up through very different eyes. It isn't really a bit like the city that I now live in, but smaller doesn't make it less important. Every now and then, when those country roads take me home, they take me back just where I can reconnect with that small town country girl me.

In His Steps

All good things must come to an end. Tomorrow the last official camp session will reach its conclusion and the campers will travel back to their respective homes. I too will be packing my many camp t-shirts, work clothes, twin size bedding, and various belongings to return to my usual life. After two months filled with long hours and hard (and often hot) work, I'm eager to return to my usual routine. I have missed the opportunity to spend time with my family and good friends and to participate in my usual activities such as church at home, teaching, and workouts at the gym. Reflecting back on the past eight weeks, though, this truly has been a summer to remember and which has really touched my heart. Each weekly session has brought a fresh group of directors, cabin leaders, and eager campers to the grounds. It has been a joy to meet so many individuals who have come together for the sole purpose of growing in our knowledge of God mixed in with lots of outdoor activities, singing, food, and good old-fashioned fun. The members of our staff are individuals I have learned to admire for their strong faith and eagerness to serve God. How truly blessed I feel that God placed before me the opportunity to be in this place.

As I prepare to say goodbye until I volunteer as a cabin leader next summer, I also think about the camp theme, In His Steps, and verse this year.
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.
1 Peter 2:21
I have such an awesome God who sent His only Son to Earth to love with the greatest love, to teach, to heal, and to save us. He lived and died for me, a sinner, so that I might find relationship with Him and spend eternity with my Creator. As we have watched campers leave throughout the summer, we have hoped that they will have been touched by this message and will carry it into their normal daily routines and lives. It's much easier when we are living in community with fellow believers and are encouraged with Christian advice, messages in chapel, worship songs, and the removal of daily distractions. Now it's my turn to prepare myself for my usual life and routines. I have no illusions that following in His steps is easy. It never has been for Christians past to present. I too know from personal experiences each and every day. However, there are some things I have learned this summer that I believe can help Christians to be encouraged and to keep our eyes turned toward our Savior. These aren't anything new; however, it's always good to be reminded.
1. Find time to study God's word. - Studying God's word both independently and with a group provides deeper insight into God, faith, and Christian life. There's a reason that this habit is emphasized in the Bible itself!
2. Find solid Christian friends for encouragement and support. - Nothing can influence your activities and behaviors quite like those who you spend your time with. Find solid Christians who you are comfortable sharing with and who will reciprocally encourage and support you.
3. Immerse yourself and let go in Christian music and worship. - Chapel continues to be my favorite part of church camp. I love to join with other believers in singing beautiful songs of praise and to simply worship God. This is something that I can carry into my daily life by listening to stations such as KLove or Christian artists on my computer.
4. Find time to get away from the distractions of the world. - In particular, camp has taught me that trying to remove yourself from the distractions of the world and focusing first and foremost on God puts everything else in perspective. I have been amazed at how little I have felt stressed or worried about other things in life. When we place God as number one, our outlook and approach to other areas of life is much more balanced, healthy, and productive.

I wish I could say that I was proficient at the actions listed above. Unfortunately, I have such growth to strive for in every area. I believe, though, that walking in His steps is a continual journey. Living more in the way that has been shown us takes continual effort and change along the way to become a more mature Christian. It is my hope that as I return home, others will see me and recognize that there is something different about those that follow in His steps. If you are a fellow believer, I ask that you encourage me in this continued lifelong journey as I wish to do the same for you.

Indian Creek Baptist Camp
(View looking toward chapel)