Year End Giving!

Merry Christmas! This is the time of year when we all think about giving. We give gifts to our family members and friends. Then there is the person who delivers our papers and collects our garbage or cuts our hair. Let’s face it; it’s the season to give. But, why do we give this time of year? I have been considering my own giving habits and how God wants me to give. He has taught me not to hold on to things with a grip of ownership. I have learned to live with open hands and realize that He owns it all and I am only a steward.  I have concluded that He wants me to be a joyful, obedient, faithful steward. He wants me to be set free from ownership and have a heart that is rich toward God. I think we give more this time of year because we follow God’s example “for He so loved the world that He gave…” He gave sacrificially; He gave His only Son that we might have eternal life with Him.
 

Here is a link to our newsletter that tells about all the great things that are happening in and through God’s ministry at CLW. Would you take some alone time with God this week and pray about what He would have you do this year in your year-end giving?  Whether you give a gift to a neighbor, to your church, to a family in need, or to help Camp Living Waters bridge the gap through our leanest time of year, my prayer for you is that you will find joy in your giving, because you were obedient to what God called you to do with His resources.

The staff and Board of Directors of Camp Living Waters are thankful for you and your involvement with Camp Living Waters and are wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year

Give a gift today to make a difference.

I Have Two Families

Last week we went to Brayden’s Christmas program at school. In between songs they asked the students two questions; what is your name, and what does Christmas mean to you? Then my anxiety rose as they handed Brayden, our five year old son with autism, the microphone. In words only a mom or dad could understand Brayden’s answer was, I have two families. I heard all of the parents around me ask; what did he say, because his speech is very unclear. At first I thought he was referring to the fact that he has an open adoption and a loving birth family that we visit often. Then I thought about the question, what does Christmas mean to you. Maybe, just maybe he was referring to the fact that he is also a child of God and is adopted into His family as well. I wish that more parents at Brayden’s elementary school could have understood what he said and asked the question, what does that mean to have two families? My prayer for all, as you celebrate this Christmas, is that you spread Brayden’s message of the birth of our Savior that everyone can have two families too.

Posted by Michella Saxton

Did I Just Meet Jesus?

Most of you know our 5 year old son, Brayden. He is as big as they come, smart as a whip and slightly Autistic. Brayden is developing a great personality and we are so excited to see him come out of the shroud that is Autism.
 

On Sunday most of our family headed over to a live nativity event called, Follow the Star. In the car Brayden asked us what we were doing and we tried to explain that we were going to see a play about the first Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Brayden was so excited to see the animals and ride the tractor pulled wagon. The first station we went to was Isaiah standing at a campfire foretelling the birth of our Savior. For most of the presentation Brayden was looking off somewhere and catching snowflakes on his tongue but Brayden just beamed when Isaiah said the name Jesus. After his presentation Brayden went up to the man playing Isaiah and said “hey, how are you doing?” then he scurried back to me and asked “momma, did I just meet Jesus?” No matter what I said, Brayden insisted that he had met Jesus at that campfire and maybe he did. As you go about this busy season remember that you too may be Jesus to those who come up to you with a simple greeting and an open heart.

Posted by Michella Saxton

Qualities of a Quality Staffer

With summer just around the corner (optimism at its finest) we’re starting to look at staffing! We hope every year to find just the right people for the ministry God has given us here at CLW. If you’re interested in being a staffer, here are some qualities we look for!

First and foremost, we are looking for believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The denomination the staffer chooses isn’t as important as a few keys. We believe in a Triune God. We believe that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins by His death and resurrection. We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments is the Word of God. These basic beliefs are the foundations on which CLW was built and we seek those who agree.

Next we look for people that are excited about the prospect of spending hours and hours each week surrounded by kids! There is very little time at camp to be alone as nearly everything is done with people nearby. Therefore, our staff should be people oriented rather than task oriented. You won’t simply see cabin leaders connecting with campers but every staffer taking a hand in making the camp week an awesome experience.

Staff need to be patient and kind, living out all of the aspects of love as laid out in 1 Corinthians 13.

• Patience
• Kindness
• Encouraging
• Joyful
• Humble
• Peaceful
• Willing to try/learn new things
• Teaching the right way
• Rejoicing with the truth
• Bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring

They also need to be fun! We’re not looking for the fun that the world is trying to portray but fun that pleases the Lord! We want staff that teach and guide not only activities but life lessons through the word of God and their own experience. That said, we know that not everyone will have all the answers which is why it’s so helpful to have all the other staff there to support each other!

At CLW we’re looking for other qualities too! Integrity is a must as staffers are setting the example for campers. Willingness to build unity with everyone on staff is very important too. We need each other to face the tough task of ministering to children. Creativity is important as well. Whether it’s in the arts, teaching bible study, or leading activities staff members have multiple opportunities each day to get the creative juices flowing!

So, maybe you’ve got someone in mind that lives out these qualities or perhaps you’re that person! Prayerfully consider contacting us for information on how to apply to be one of our summer staff members! You can contact Dan Gilson at dan@camplivingwaters.org or call (231) 797-5107.

Big Transition: Guest post by Hunter Taylor

The following is a guest blog post from Hunter Taylor a summer staff from the past 2 summers. You can see more of his posts at http://straightupchristianblog.wordpress.com/

Big Transition

Posted on November 18, 2012 by straightupchristianht

 

Alright, this is my transition from living the life of first, to living the good life of Second!!

Lets back up to my childhood.

I grew up in the church. Small city, actually classified as a village, small time church.
I was what I call “born into” Christianity.

I never understood much of why I believed except its what my mom believes it and she wants me to.
That went on until about middle school. I was a victim of society. I was classified as a “nerd” and that had a big impact on my teenage years. I was bullied, didn’t have many friends, and I was a teachers pet. Being a teachers pet is a great way to be a “loser” in society’s mind.

On a Christian standpoint, I was going to church, going to youth group and I was apart of a puppet ministry.

Fast forward to 8th grade year.

I had the idea of worldly manhood pounded into my head for 4 years and I wanted to achieve that.
So I joined football, started working out, and started hanging out with the “cool” people.
They partied, drank, did lots of things that my mom would be upset with me typing in a “Christian” blog. They were “cool” and I wanted that. The thing was, I was a good kid at heart and didn’t actually want to do those things, so I told people I did. I lied to all my “friends” about a lot of things. I told them I partied, I drank, I frequently got into fights. I told them I went out of town for the weekend so they couldn’t back track my stories. I had quite the elaboration going on. It was tough keeping up with everything but people thought I was cool.

Throughout high school, I still went to church, slowly stopped that puppet group, and completely stopped going to youth group. I wasn’t quite the Christian I should have been.

The summer before my senior year I got a job at a church camp as a maintenance worker. This was probably the best thing that could have ever happened. That got my life on track. I soon learned that sometimes you need to lose something to gain something better, and that’s what happened to me.
I went back to school and lost pretty much all of the worldly popularity and worldly friends that I worked so hard for…but I was surprisingly alright with it. I was genuinely happy with life.

The following summer I went to camp as a counselor and grew closer to God more that summer than ever before.

Since then I have been continuing to grow.

It’s an everyday thing.

Not just a Sunday thing.

Not just an “At Home” thing.

This is fairly broad in comparison to the details I could get into, so if you have questions just ask.

If I have learned anything, it’s that trust God, He is in control.

Mine Fields

(The last month or so at CLW has been exciting and exhausting. From coffee shops to weekend retreats to dry-walling the new lodge, we’ve been pretty busy! Though this is a great thing, we’re behind on blog posts. We want to apologize. Fortunately, God is inspiring us to keep writing and we hope this blesses you!)

Today Braden Saxton was in the office playing with some of the random stuff that inevitably collects in a camp office. Blank DVDs, bike helmets, cotton balls, sunscreen, old arrows and lots of bug spray are amongst the many things on and around my desk. Braden grabbed a stack of orange construction cones and carefully set them around my chair. “Now, you can’t pass.” I began to laugh and think about a certain activity I once did with a group of middle school students.

The activity is called “mine-field” and involves the group guiding each student across a field of obstacles. The problem is, the person on the course cannot see. I intentionally set up a starting line with two cones and an ending line with two cones but don’t tell them that side boundaries exist. Inevitably, the students guided other students through the mines and typically succeeded in getting each person through, though not without quite a few explosions.

Typically, the last student is either shy or not wanting to participate so I use them as an object lesson. Very quietly I blind-fold them and say, “No matter what anyone else says, just listen to my directions.” Then I slowly proceed to take them “out of bounds” by going around the outside of the mines and then back into the goal line. Never once is that student in danger of exploding because we’re not even close to the mines. I never set side boundaries so it’s perfectly legal.

It’s great when you hear the frustrated students, as they attempt to guide the other yelling, “Hey HEY! You’re out of bounds!” or “Why aren’t you listening!?” or even “Follow MY voice! Who are you listening to?!” What an awesome opportunity! During the last part of the team building process I can give those questions back to the students. “Who are you listening to? What is guiding your path?”

My favorite talk is saved for the end. “A lot of times in life, we are faced with obstacles that can be dangerous. Sex, drugs, alcohol ect. can be very dangerous mines in your lives, leading you away from a joy-filled existence and your hopes and dreams. Do you remember the last student that went through the course? What happened there? They avoided the obstacles entirely. Were they ever in danger of exploding?” I love the life applications that we can draw from this exercise.

So, who are YOU listening to? What mine field are you allowing yourself to brave when you can avoid it entirely? Proverbs 4:14-15 says this, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.”

By Daniel Gilson

Reflections By The Lake!

Psalm 46:10a Be still and know that I am God...

The window in my office overlooks Stewart lake. Some days it can be quite the distraction. I often take time to look at the lake and reflect. On occasions I will walk down to the observation deck and spend some quiet time with God. The views are always gorgeous and you can see God's creation.

Stewart Lake-Camp Living Waters

 

This past Friday the lake was completely still. You could see a perfect reflection of the trees around the lake in the water. It was a mirror image of Gods creation. It was hard to tell which was the actual and which was the reflection. There have been days where the reflection is broken and not very clear because the water is wavy and not still. I began to think about my reflection of Christ. Are people seeing me or Jesus when they look at me. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. As I thought further God revealed to me that it is the stillness that causes the lake to reflect the trees. The trees, like Jesus, are always present the water needs to be still to reflect the beauty around it. Wow! I can get so focused on the doing, that I don’t take time to be still and often reflect a broken or clouded picture of Jesus or no resemblance at all. When I am still and spending alone time with God I am more likely to be reflecting Christ to others. Just like the stillness of the lake. As the sign says as you enter Camp Living Waters Psalm 46:10a “Be still and know that I am God...” Take some time to be still each day and ask God to help you reflect the perfect picture of Jesus to those you come in contact with.

Do, as if unto the Lord...

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

It is amazing to me the road that my family has taken through the last seven years. From the time we were married, my beautiful wife and I have felt that God was calling our family to camp. After some bad advice and a few off-kilter decisions, we ended up away from that calling. We served in our church, she volunteered, and I worked while she stayed home with the kids. Years passed in what seemed like a never-ending cycle of work without getting anywhere, particularly closer to the dream that God had put on my heart.

One day, I was reading the Bible and stumbled upon Colossians 3:23-24 and it hit me pretty hard. Now, I’m not someone that is into the “excellence” movement of God as I think that tends towards pride. I did realize that we are to do EVERYTHING as if unto the Lord. While at work, I would look at a job I was doing and say, “Alright, if Jesus happened by, would I want Him to see this.” I’ll tell you what, that opened my eyes!

I still struggle with getting things right or having the time/energy/motivation to do things in this mindset. There are many days when it is beyond me to even get to the place that I could honestly say I’d be willing to let Jesus see the work I was doing. I am not skilled enough, strong enough, or smart enough to complete things at the level which will impress God. He can always point to the trees and animals (and YOU) and say, “Really? You think that’s impressive? Look at what I did.”

Here’s the beauty, He rewards the effort not the result. Now, we can’t work our way into heaven. No amount of excellence is good enough to get us there, folks. It is only by the cross that we have gained entrance to His kingdom. That said, I did notice something that I believe God does; He tested my work in the little things so that he can begin to trust me in the bigger things. It was when I started going to work with the “Do, as if unto Him…” attitude that I began to see growth in my work, my future, and myself. It was also then that the opportunity came to start working in my dream job. What a blessing!

Right now, I write this with our summer staff in mind. Guys, do everything you do as if you’re doing it for Him. You’ve got to study or buckle down and write a 1500 page paper? Do it for Him! You’ve got to go wash dishes or sell turkey calls? Do it for Him! I’d be surprised if you didn’t see growth in your life. I’d be shocked if, after honestly doing things as if for Him, you didn’t see that work being blessed. Besides that, God deserves our best! Think of what He did for you for a moment and try to tell me otherwise.

I don’t want anyone to think that I do things just to get blessed or praised or whatever. I do what is good because God has inspired me to. The things I do that aren’t good or fall short are because I took my eyes off that inspiration. This week, I challenge you to find the inspiration that God gives us every day and act upon it. Do, seek, love, serve as if unto Him… and see what He does with it.

By Dan Gilson

September Prayer Guide

Each month we send out a prayer guide for Camp Living Waters. If you would like to be added to our monthly prayer email you can do so at the bottom of this post. Here is Septembers pray guide. Please pray with us.

What an amazing summer! God was really evident in bringing a great summer staff along with some powerful moments with campers. Many decisions were made by campers, leaving us in awe of His love for us. We're honoured to serve in His ministry and look forward to what the retreat season has in store! We are blogging thoughts and devotions each week. We recommend that you place this with your Bible or where you pray so you are reminded to pray for Camp Living Waters. As a team we pray every Wednesday and we would love to pray for you. If you have any prayer needs, please let us know.

September Prayer and Praise

Pray for:

• The Staff and their families.
• The Board of Directors and their families.
• All of the children touched by God at camp this summer.
• Mayes Family Reunion Aug. 30-Sept. 3
• Kilpatrick UB MAN CAMP Sept. 6-9
• Board meeting and UB Annual meeting Sept. 15
• Thundering Wheels Weekend Sept 21-23
• Mount Hope UB Church Color Tour Outreach Sept. 26
• Sunfield and Eden UB Church Retreats Sept. 28-30
• Gods continued provision of finances
• Continued progress on Colston Lodge
• Rough In Inspections
• Labor for hanging drywall and finish work
• That God would stretch the funds that we have
• Our upcoming celebration Coffee Houses!
• September 24 Brown Corners Church
• October 15, Fowlerville UB Church
• October 22, Kilpatrick UB Church
• November 12, Banner of Christ UB Church
• God providing hay for our horses.
• Brayden and Rosalyn as they start school on Sept. 4.
• Healthy camp kids!
• Andrea Strater as she finishes her internship and transitions back home.

Praise God For:

• An amazing summer!
• So many decisions for Christ this summer!
• 30 Salvations
• 66 Re-dedications
• 211 Commitments to Christian Growth
• 19 Commitments to Christian Ministry
• A great summer staff!
• More opportunities to work in the community of Baldwin.
• New interest and groups at CLW!
• Great visits with many churches the last few weeks!
• A new addition to the Saxton family, Rosalynn!
• The new Gilson baby due in December!
• VBS that we facilitated for Edgettes Wesleyan Church

 

Board of Directors:

• Roger Burk
• Celia Ebert
• Terri Eichenberg
• Lavon Hamp
• Doug Hefner
• Lori Palmer
• Todd Schaefer
• Joe Smith
• Julie Walter

 

Staff:

• Chad Saxton, Executive Director
• Michella, Krystal, Rosalyn and Brayden
• Jeff Thorn, Maintenance Director/Assistant Director
• Judy, Ranch Manager
• Dan Gilson, Program Director
• Ramie, Finnley and Gemma
• Andrea Strater, Camp Ministries Intern

 

Thank You

On behalf of the staff and board thank you for partnering with us and, most importantly, thank you for your commitment to praying for Camp Living Waters. Stop in for a visit we would love to share with you all that God is doing at Camp Living Waters.
 

 

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One Ride, Two Perspectives

Last night Dan and I took a quad ride on the Little Manistee ORV Loop. We left well after 8:00 pm and knew that we would lose daylight soon. It was a beautiful night with almost a full moon. The trail had just been groomed. It was a perfect night for a ride. We saw at least 10 deer and two of them were bucks. As we traveled and we lost sunlight I started to question where we were. I started thinking I took a wrong turn because everything looked different. I have ridden this trail many times but when darkness fell I started to question if I was on the right path. I started thinking about my life and realized that too often this is when I start to doubt. When things get dark or I can’t see what’s ahead I start to ask questions and doubt what God has planned for me. The ORV trail is marked and there are not many turns going off of it. I just have to follow the signs and the trail. Proverbs 3:5-6 states: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

God knows what is best for us. He has a plan laid out for our lives with signs along the way to direct our paths. We need to let go push our doubts aside and enjoy the ride. We (I) spend too much time worry about what’s ahead and sometime miss the joys of the day. So as I go about my week I am going to be in God’s Word and follow his leading. Remember Psalm 119:105 says: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Trust HIM!

Hey, this is Dan. In reading Chad’s post above, I was inspired to add my own perspective.When Chad had asked me if I wanted to go, I was conflicted. I’d just spent about three hours traipsing through heavy brush and bogs looking for the flora and fauna of God’s creation. After that, I threw hay bales for another 45 minutes or so. That said, I was already pretty exhausted, but there’s something in me that just can’t turn down the chance to ride. As tired as I was, the adrenaline was rushing through me and I was ready to go!

Hitting the trails, the first thing I noticed was how smooth they were after just being groomed. It would have been awesome to simply enjoy the sights as we cruised over flat trails. Quickly, though, I noticed that I couldn’t really see much because it was so dry that the dust clouded my vision. As darkness fell, it began becoming incredibly difficult to see anything… including some of the sharp turns on the trail. I fell further and further back from Chad, hoping the distance would dissipate the dust and allow me to see.

Though this was effective in letting me see the trail a little better, it had another effect on me… loneliness. It’s amazing how reassuring it is to see the red tail lights of another vehicle when you’re on a winding path through the dark wilderness. It made me think about how often, because of fear, I slowdown in my pursuit of God in order to attempt to see the twists and turns in the path ahead of me. That’s not what we’re called to do! We’re called to charge ahead, pursuing God full throttle and trusting that the light ahead of us will guide us to safety. Unfortunately, because of my distance from Chad and my focus on the trail, I missed most of what he saw. I was so focused on not getting hurt that I neglected the beauty that God surrounded me with.

Psalms 56:3 says “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”  Also, Deuteronomy 4:29 says “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” See, God doesn’t want us to seek Him with some of ourselves but with all of our heart and soul! It takes a lot of faith to do this but as Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” It is going to be dark, dusty and difficult on the path of life but God provides a light for our way. My lesson from that ride is this, charge after God full throttle!

As leaders (dad’s, mom’s, boss’s, pastors, teachers…) we need to be aware of the needs and perspectives of those following us. Don’t move so far ahead that all the people who are following you only see your taillights. Don’t leave them so far behind that they feel alone and lost. How do we bring those that are following alongside us so they can see the big picture? As followers how do we push ourselves to come alongside full throttle?

Break Our Hearts For What Breaks Yours

This weekend has been awesome and difficult. Saturday we celebrated the homecoming of our daughter Rosalynn who we were supposed to adopt 14 years ago. God has brought her back home after 12 years. It was an awesome day introducing Rosalynn to our friends and family that knew her the first 2 years of her life. We wish we could have protected her from the past 12 years, but she is with us now. We are so grateful to have our daughter home. That evening I went to check in on a group that had been serving at camp. They were having a service around the campfire as I sat in the shadows my heart began to break as I heard and saw teenager after teenager stand up and share what they were struggling with. After each person shared I watched their peers and adult leaders come up and wrap their arms around them and pray for them. I began to circle the fire and pray for what was happening God was moving in the minds and hearts of these young teenagers. As I went home to go to bed I laid awake praying for these young hearts that are dealing with a lot of garbage that they should not have to face in a lifetime not to mention as teenagers.

It was a short night and as I got up to travel to Banner Church in Byron Center, Michigan where I was preaching that morning. I could not shake that group of youth from my mind so I continued in prayer on my two hour drive.  As I was gathering for prayer with the worship team a young friend came in to say hello. Jayson an 7 year old that is fighting bone cancer. I told Jayson that I and the camp staff had been praying for him. He put his head on my chest and just laid there. As I hugged Jayson I continued to let him know I was praying and would keep praying for him as I fought back the tears.

During the service the worship team sang the song "Jesus, Friend of Sinners" by Casting Crowns. As I listened to the words the pictures from the last 24 hours were playing like a video in my mind. As we sang the words "Jesus, friend of sinners break our hearts for what breaks yours” I realized that God is breaking my heart for what breaks his. This morning I have a renewed commitment for creating an environment for people young and old to come and meet with Jesus in a personal way. And to live out Camp Living Waters mission statement everyday: Serving and Loving People, So They May Know and Grow In Jesus Christ. Please join me in prayer for our hurting teens and their future.

Ancient GPS

Every once in a while we'll be posting some devotionals written by former staff members. Hope you enjoy them. God Bless! ~ Dan

 

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” - Exodus 13:21-22

The Israelites were just taken out of their homes in Egypt where they were slaves to Pharaoh. Now they were wandering through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. They were in enemy territory, always on the move, and probably pretty hot and tired. And what’s worse? They had no idea where they were going. However, they had one HUGE thing going for them. They had God with them, watching out for them, and leading them. God would lead them through the desert as a cloud during the day, which probably helped to keep the Israelites under some shade from the hot sun. And then at night, God would lead them as a fire, which would not only provide the light that the Israelites needed in order to see where they were going, but would also be able to provide some warmth during their travels.

There will be times in your life when you feel as though you’re “wandering in the wilderness.” You might be the only Christian in your family or your group of friends. You may feel as though you’re walking around in circles, with no idea which direction to go in. Maybe you’ve wandered off the path a bit, and are looking to get back onto the path God laid out for you. Or maybe you’re right where you feel that God wants you, but you have come to an important decision and are wondering where God wants you to go from here.

Just like back with the Israelites, God is in our lives, leading us down His path. All you need to do is to seek out His will by reading His Word, and talk to Him about it, asking God to reveal His plans to you. The important thing is to trust that God knows what He’s doing, and that He’s right there with you every step of the way.

 

Three Days of Ministry, One Missed Appointment.

This past weekend we had the privilege of being apart of Unity Christian Music Festival. Over the 3 days that we were there we talked to many people about Camp Living Waters. We prayed with several people for a variety of things and people prayed for us. We caught up with people that we had not seen since last year and celebrated joys and grieved sorrows with each other. All this while watching and listening to Christian recording artists and sponsoring ministries. Many had shared great stories of how God was using them to spread the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ throughout the world. On Friday evening after two days of rain God sent a rainbow directly over the crowd and the stage as if to say "I Am here and still in control." What a truly amazing way to spend three days.

As I was leaving Friday night to make the 2 hour drive back to CLW I was in a steady stream of people that were leaving to travel back to their homes. I looked up to see an older man sitting on a well used bicycle facing the stream of Christians leaving the festival. What I noticed is that no one seemed to notice the man standing right in front of us. I made eye contact and gave a head nod and said "Hey, how are you?" and then walked on like I really did not care how he was. As I got 100 yards further I felt like I need to talk to this man. His eyes told a story of hurt and emptiness and need.

I walked on, got in my car and made the 2 hour drive back to my warm, happy home. The next day as I prepared to speak at Countryside United Brethren Church in Breckenridge, Michigan I could not shake this man's eyes or the fact that I walked by. See I was speaking on God's to do list for each of us. Ephesians 2:10 states "¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." My agenda was to be at Unity Christian Music Festival to promote Camp Living Waters and to bring more people to camp so that we might be able to minister to them. I try to pray each morning that God will fill my agenda, that I would be doing the things that he wants me to do, those things he has planned in advance for me to do. Friday night with this man's eyes staring at me, I walked by. I walked by and I believe I missed the one thing God had on my agenda for Friday, August 10, 2012. This man was not waiting for the crowd to walk by he had a wide opening that he could have just kept riding. He was there with needs and waiting for me to stop and really care how he was. I am praying that I have another opportunity for this appointment and that I will not miss others that God has planned for me. Whats on your to do list today?

The Beauty of Being Still

Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

   It's easy to spot the beautiful archway over the road at the entrance of Camp Living Waters. What isn't so easy is to spot a tiny sign that lines the road just as you come in. (No, not the speed limit sign.) This sign really portrays the heart of CLW and simply states the verse above. The beauty is that there is no need for an explanation on this sign. People get why its there and what it means.

   What is really cool is that the simple verse lining our road is evident in what we do. Sure there's activities but we're not going for huge adventure stuff. In the coming months I'm going to work on developing our nature program. One of our goals is to expand the Ranch program by building some rustic cabins for campers. We want them to feel separate from main camp so they can be still with their horses. Another project is Colston Lodge which will be another meeting area so that people can get away from the bustle of the rest of camp.

   It is in the creation and growth of an organization that you see its heart. God is very much the same way! We can see in His creation the heart that makes the world spin. He loves us so much that He created a gentle stream flowing over a rocky bed or the wind rustling leaves on a sunny day. We hear the call of the loon or the eagle and our hearts are stirred to stillness so we can listen eagerly for more. Sitting on the edge of Stewart Lake, we can spend hours watching the fish rise on the glassy surface. You see, God created these things for us to enjoy and feel His love in.

    Camp Living Waters is a place where we can truly get away and 'be still.' The last week or two I've been blessed with silence on camp and have enjoyed it immensely. Have I missed the sound of kids playing and running around on camp, yes. But the true beauty of being still is that it prepares and refreshes us to go back into a world full of craziness in order to minister to those around us. Please pray that this retreat season we'll be able to live the heart of God in the simple stillness of camp.

   Serving and loving people so they may know and grow in Jesus Christ!