Super Summer 2010

Super Summer was all about being consumed by the glory of God. In Acts 4:31, the believers prayed, & “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. & they were all filled with the Holy Spirit & spoke the word of God boldly.” This is what I feel happened this week. As believers, we already have the Holy Spirit, but this week, we were FILLED with it. It was all we were focused on. God should NOT be our main focus. He should be our only focus. Everything else - careers, relationships, everything - falls under Him, & therefore, He is our only focus.

God continued speaking to me at Super Summer about the importance of living a Godly lifestyle. People will not follow us unless we are providing evidence that we are growing in Christ & have experience in the things we are preaching about. If we aren’t growing, we’re dying. There is no such thing as a stagnant Christian. & we are as close to God as we choose to be - He does not turn anyone away.

Sunday night of Team Leader weekend, we had a consecration service. We were encouraged to pray over ourselves, & then our Exec staff prayed over us. We were told to ask God to:

1) Search us & show us anything ungodly in our lives.
2) Break us & let all of the sinfulness, shame, & worldliness out.
3) Stretch us to new limits this week.
4) Lead us in His ways.
5) Use us to further His Kingdom.

This was SO powerful. I cannot even begin to describe how freeing it was to finally let go of everything I’d been holding onto for so long, & then have God start leading me in the path He created specifically for me. & having my Exec staff members pray over me… I had no idea what they were saying (they all spoke at the same time), but I could literally feel the blessings from God pouring out of them & into me. I felt prepared to learn, as well as to lead & help the students grow.

On Monday the students arrived. I was in Blue School, which was for the incoming freshmen. I was blessed with a wonderful “husband” for the week, who treated me very well (Especially the morning he brought me a Monster energy drink!) & 9 amazing children, who I grew to love. It’s crazy how fast relationships can grow in a week! It’s also awesome to see how God can use these kids, who are 5 years younger than I am, to teach me. It reminds me of 1 Timothy 4:12, which says not to let anyone look down on you because of your youth. God can use anyone, no matter how old they are. We serve such a glorious God!

God also gave me several new friends from other schools (both team leaders & students) that I can already tell will be a big part of my life. I thank God for the new friendships He has blessed me with.

Another MAJOR, amazing, awesome blessing that I can’t even begin to thank God for is my roommate Rebecca. Those of you who know me have seen that I tend to “click” better with guys, & I don’t have the best luck when I’m paired up with random girls. I actually prayed that I wouldn’t have a roommate. I told God I just thought it would be easier if He didn’t give me one. & then God gave me Rebecca. She is one of the most incredible, Godly women I have ever encountered. Our friendship is truly evidence of God’s hand putting two people together. We are already so close, & I can tell that God is going to help us grow even closer together. Chris Plekenpol, our speaker for the week, talked about the importance of having a battle buddy - someone to not only hold us accountable, but to take with us to help fight our battles. After the service, Rebecca prayed with me & told me she knew that was why God put us together, & I realized she was right. Where she goes, I’ll go, & vice versa. Our first major battle: a mission trip to Alaska with Super Summer next year. I can’t wait! (:

I also had the honor & privilege of meeting her family & staying with them the weekend after camp. After spending time with them, I see exactly where Rebecca gets her amazing personality, heart, & faith. I can’t wait to get to know them better, & I can already tell they’ll be a major part of my future.

God really encouraged me this week to start seeing with His eyes & loving with His heart (“Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath was pretty much constantly stuck in my head!). We treat people like scenery instead of seeing them as they really are - lost people without any hope, just seeking answers. We have these answers, & yet many times we don’t share them with the lost. Plekenpol said “Once you’ve entered my world, you’re gunna get the Gospel. That’s kinda how it works.” That’s how all of us should live. No one should enter our world without hearing about the hope we have & the reason we live. Share it! If we don’t share the hope we have, the lost will always be lost. ALWAYS. How devastating is it to imagine someone being separated from God for eternity? Be bold! Do everything you can to make sure that will not be the fate of anyone you come into contact with!

We should live so that even if people don’t agree with our beliefs, they cannot deny the love we have for them. No one is too low to love. When asked why he would spend time with “someone like that,” Plekenpol responded with “Because Jesus spent time with someone like me.” When the love of Christ comes into you, it will also come out of you. We are called to love the unlovable, & we need to meet sinners where they’re at. Don’t expect them to come straight up to you & ask about Jesus. It’s great if they do, but realistically, they want answers, & they don’t know where to look. Provide those answers for them!

Pray for opportunities to share. Look for those opportunities, & take them when they come. Don’t wait around for someone else to go first. Start now. GO!