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Hunting Pokemon
Last night my husband and I went out for a late anniversary date. After our delicious, wood-fired pizza, we decided to walk down to the popular, nearby dam. It was a beautiful summer evening: warm but not hot, gentle breeze, flowers blooming, water flowing. Absolutely gorgeous! But, as we approached the dam, it was clear that something was wrong. People huddled in silent groups, sat motionless on the ground, or slowly walked by in a daze, all staring intently at the devices in their hands. Go figure, the dam was a popular spot to catch Pokemons! Everyone was playing Pokemon Go. As one of maybe three or four groups of…
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A War Between
Working at summer camp is like being under a microscope inside an incubator.Everything seems like a bigger deal than it really is: all the issues are magnified, and problems between people heat up. Personality differences surface, stress creates conflict, and I get the opportunity to clearly see my ugly sin-nature every day. Yay me… Camp tends to show you who you really are, and sometimes it’s not pretty. So far I’ve learned that I am an emotional control freak. But, I would rather rant about an issue than actually try to solve it, particularly if it involves confrontation. (Sound familiar to any of you?) I’m not very good at giving things…
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The Secret of the Miracle of the Christian Life
I slipped into the bathroom stall and closed my eyes, cherishing the momentary quiet. “Holy Spirit, I have nothing left.” The words came out more of a sigh than a prayer. But, as soon as they left my mouth, I felt Him speak to my heart. “It’s okay, Christy. I never run out.” There it was: truth that made me smile and shake my head, and put tears in my eyes. As believers in Jesus, the Bible tells us that we have the very God of the Universe living inside of us, able to give us strength, energy, love, life, everything! (Seriously, take some time to read Ephesians 1:13-14; 3:14-21.…
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To Be “Like Jesus”
Staff training week is almost over at camp. I’m not there full time yet, but I’ve been working on the health clinic and getting it ready for summer almost every day. Summer camp is like a bubble and an incubator at the same time. Everything is stronger and more vibrant, both the good and the bad. You live with this giant family all summer. People’s flaws, and idiosyncrasies, and annoying habits are in your face constantly, and they drive you crazy. You learn to give grace, forgive, and let things go. But, your flaws, idiosyncrasies, and annoying habits are also in other people’s faces constantly, so you learn humility, how…
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Unexpected Grace
Reblogged from last year with some new pictures! I was a couple of hours early, despite the fact that I had gotten lost on the way. The dirt road slowly crunched under the tires of my red ’91 Ford Probe. Turning the corner, I took my first look at the place I would call home for the summer…an open grassy field, a cluster of cement block cabins painted “army barracks beige”, an old farm house, and some tall trees. It wasn’t much to look at, but this humble little summer camp would end up changing my life. Disillusioned with legalism and starting to realize I may have been brainwashed, I…
