Motown Madness: Live on Purpose

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Lenny and Larry's Baked Nutrition

This is another thing that I was extra excited for because it was my last time. But it wasn't exciting that I would never get to do it again, but excited that we were ready to make the most of it. I went to my first Motown Madness in 8th grade, and have been to most of them, at least for one night, the past few years. First we stayed at Abby Hick's house, then Bella Mills's, then Cassie Meek's, last year at Patty's, and this year she hosted us seniors one last time. 

The first night of Motown is always the main food event, even though it's around 10:00 before we get started. After the first service, the churches break off and each group goes to their host home for a month-awaited-and-planned-out smorgous board. Our idea was grilled chicken salad, tons of fruit, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, salsas, and some other trimmings. 

Friday night, session one message highlights:
Speaker:  John Nix - fun fact:  He is the pastor at Toby Mac's camps and Camp Electric, which happens to be in Nashville, TN.
Worship band:  The Neverclaim

Church isn't a museum to put on a display but a hospital for broken sinners.
No matter how good your acting skills, it does not impress God.
God's grace and mercy is not because we are deserving but because He is loving.
Passage:  Acts 17-Paul discussing Christ's suffering and dying with the men in the synagogue-Why?  Because we sin.  What's sin-"Not only bad things committed but also good things ommitted" (James 4:17 "If anyone then knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.")  And sin is bad not only becuase of what we do, but also who we do it to; all sins hurt God.
Songs that came to my mind relating to this:  "Scandal of grace, You died in my place so my soul will live" and "What can wash away my sins?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus"
Sin is sin, and sin deserves death, but we can find redempion in Christ, and Him alone."You were dead in your transgressions and sins...but becuase of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ--it is by grace you have been saved."  Ephesians 2:1, 4-5

Saturday morning is in a tie with the awaiting and planning for great meals. Of course Motown Madness is about growing in the Lord with people from your community, but next it is also about the food. Honestly. Just ask anyone who has been involved. It's like a tradition. 

I had been in one of those energy ruts where it seems like nothing I do can recharge me. I was so exhausted. In that case, I was really looking forward to this weekend of rest and recharging for my body and spirit!

Patty was ready to fix me right up with some espresso. And some advocate spark for the afternoon. I was dead, but the artificial energy got me through!

 

Pancakes and pajamas are the perfect picture of comfort. I was dubbed pancake chef.

Patty was hard at work, too, up much earlier than we, making sausage, bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, and getting out the fruit and drinks. And her kitchen decorations are punny.

Breakfast is one of he best times to fellowship!

Acts 2:42, 46-47 The Fellowship of Believers  "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and prayer...in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor.."

 

 

My pancake of choice was apple cinnamon with pumpkin spice chips, and of course fresh fruit. The other pancakes some had were chocolate chip or blueberry banana-a variety, just like our personalities and backgrounds.

 

Session 2, Saturday morning
Passage:  More of Acts 17 where they are having more of an understanding talk of the scriptures with the Bereans
Church is not an organization but an organism.  (We need each other working the way we should so that church can function!)
God's word is also living; as we read it, it also reads us.  ("For the Word of God is living and active...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12)
Christ is not an addition to our lives, but He is our lives.  ("For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."  Philippians 1:21)
Catching a theme for this service?  There is more to living than just life.  Life is found in following Christ.

Thanks to David Noe, one of our college-age leaders here in Morristown, Motown Madness got a Snapchat filter!  We felt special for a couple days.

It's also always an adventure to find something to do during Saturday afternoon's free time after the morning service. On weekends like this where the weather is nice, parks are packed and recreational sports are taken to the next level. Sometimes people go bowling, make crafts, visit nursing homes, go to Starbucks, have a scavenger hunt, go to the mall, etc, but this year we did it big.

 We went out of state. 

Yep. Right after that morning service we packed up the coolers and a couple ads and drove to North Carolina to picnic at Max Patch.

I had never been here before, but now it's on my list of places to go back!  Not too far into the smoky mountains is this little road with stops along the way to view nature, park, camp, picnic, whatever, and we found us a nice little spot and set up camp alongside the river!

We couldn't miss this opportunity to get some great pictures of our senior squad either.

We took literally all the leftovers we had and spread out a buffet for our picnic lunch. Fresh food, fresh air, fantastic fellowship=best picnic.

This is my gospel gang, and we're here to proclaim The Name.  #GospelGang #NoShame

"I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you.  I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds."  2 Corinthians 7:4
When I can't express my feelings, God knows.
#NuffSaid

After eating we hit the road, but still not headed home!  There is more to see of Max Patch than this!  Up and up and round and round, you finally get to an opening at this here sign. Now for the hike. It's not that long, but it sure is steep!  But like all difficult things in life, the view from the top is worth it.

Though it was cloudy, it was still beautiful. It even snowed on us a little bit!  You could see forever from up there. It was amazing to see Gods work in a weekend full of Him to begin with.

 

Morgan, Roxanna, me, Julia, and Patty with the background views

Sunday school squad for life. 

Also thanks to Jack Tyler for letting me borrow his hoodie and blanket; without it, I would've died. My feet were numb and I was shivering even with all that.

 

 

 

 

I peeked in the perfect photobomb

 

This time next year, we will be all spread out at our respective colleges, but we've already been thinking about plans of how to meet up at times. Through high school, I have come to know and appreciate these girls so much. We are so different, but that's how we love each other and are able to keep each other accountable and pray for each other for any and everything.

And what are we to do with all that we have learned through life? --- "Go into all the world and make disciples..."  Matthew 28:19

"You will recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jersalem [Morristown], Judea and Samaria [TN and America], and to the ends of the earth."  Acts 1:8

Session 3, Saturday night

Worship

It's not worship, preaching, then leave church into the rest of life; it's all worship.

We must be careful to worship the Creator, not creation.  ("They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised."  Romans 1:25)

You know how we get so pumped sometimes at the end of something that we chant for an encore?  (concerts, my team joking at speed workouts, "one more! one more!", etc)  Well, what if we were so pumped when we were reading the Bible that we chanted "One more verse!"  That's what John's kids started doing.  Funny, but what a great thought!

***One of those crazy things that God works out also happened during this message!  Something John said reminded me of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and then in the prayer that was a few minutes later, he reference the same scripture.  God never ceases to amaze me.
Another thing to think on:  we like to make certain things known about us, our association with certain brands or people or activities.  What brand do you make the most known?  When people see you, what do they think of?  (Questioning myself here, as well.)

  Saturday night is the last session, and after a funny chain of events including a road being closed and a detour in the opposite direction, we barely made it back in time!  But we did, and that's what counts. We had a blast!
The Starnes family also has two dogs, Jake and Sam, and as you can see, they are quite friendly.  Good thing I'm used to it from my own pets at home.  The banana pajamas were just too much, though!

 

To end, I'll share one last thought that is really challenging, even to those who may seem to have it all together.
 We can have all the right answeres without being right with God.
Yep.  Like the first message, putting on a display in the museum.
Life can look all prim and proper on the outside, like you love life and serving and are honestly living for the Lord.  Sometimes it's even easy to fool people, even fool ourselves.  (Ever heard the saying, "fake it til ya feel it"?)  We can read the Bible, go to church, fellowship with other believers, know just the right things to say and ways to act, but if our heart isn't right, God sees right through all that even when others don't.
It doesn't matter if we look like we're on track with God if we aren't on the inside.  God knows.  God is the One who saves.  If your heart is hard or you're set on your own ways of living, don't fool yourself or others.
Don't just live the religion, be real-real love, real life.
Live on purpose.
 

Camp Your Face Off 2014

This weekend is one of my favorites of the whole year!  I get to race one of my favorite races, Bristol Cross, on Saturday morning, then I get to come back to Morristown and camp my face off!  I get to spend the whole weekend outside and doing two of the things I love most:  running and learning about God.

Because of the race, I miss Friday night and Saturday daytime, but I get there in the evening.

The food here is cooked big boy style.

Saturday night we had chicken and steak on the jumbo griddle with all the trimmings, including sauteed peppers and onions from the griddle!  The parents here at CYFO work so hard nonstop all weekend.

Our church is so fortunate to have this beautiful bit of land on the lake at Harrell Park.

From the notes I looked over from my friend who was there for the messages I didn't get to listen to, I found a couple really neat points:
"Religion says, 'I obey, therefore I am accepted.' The gospel says, 'I've been accepted, therefore I will gladly obey.'"
There is a big difference in the heart of true believers and followers of Christ and those who do not possess the deep, heartfelt relationship with Him.  It is an attitude, a lifestyle.
However, if anyone is stuck in a rut, where serving the Lord feels like a chore, bother, or interruption, there is always room for change of heart!  "We are not just temporarily fixed, but eternally transformed."  When Christ takes over your heart and fills you with His desire and love, our blemishes are not only washed away for the day, but life is changed forever!

Dinner time!  I always enjoy spending time with my fellow youth group members.  We are SO different, yet can relate to each other on so many levels.  At this table, we have girls from different schools, family styles, and interests and personalities.  We go through each day with totally different schedules and obligations, yet when we come together, we share and fellowship like no other!  I love hearing about what my friends do and their lives.  They are so interesting!
 If we all did the same things, where would the adventure be?

When it is time for worship, we all head inside the big building where the stage and chairs are set up for the message and music.
Each year Jay Hardwick from North Rock Hill Church in South Carolina comes as the guest speaker for the first two days.  He is a great speaker, very honest and dedicated to the truth of the gospel!

This night he spoke about disciples on mission for Jesus.  The scripture passage used was Acts 8:26-40 about Philip and the Ethiopian.  It is so simple what he did.  God told Philip, "See that man in the wagon?  Go to him and tell him about Me," (paraphrased verse 29) and that's just what he did.  The Bible even says, "Then Philip ran up to the chariot..." (verse 30)
This is a summed-up version of the Christian calling every day!  God says go and we are supposed to go do whatever he wants us to do every day!  Christians are missionaries, ALL Christians.  God's goal for us is to go preach to the lost people of this world, which is not limited to third world countries.  Right here, wherever that may be for you, is the mission field as well.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, says "...therefore, go make disciples of all nations..." and Acts 1:8 says, "...you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem (like our hometown), Judea (like our state), Samaria (like our country), and to the ends of the earth."

A great Christian teacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."

Next Jay divided this call for us into 3 sections:
1.  God sends us.
2.  God sends us to people (random and day-to-day people we see)
3.  God sends us to people to show them the gospel.
It all starts with us!  Romans 10:13-15 lays out how the lost hear about Christ.  If it doesn't start with us, if we the Christians don't preach, no one will hear!  >>>>>  "How can they preach if they are not sent?..." (verse 15) Point 1
"How, then can they call on the One they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (verse 14) Point 2
"For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (verse 13) Point 3
Therefore, if we don't preach, they won't know, then they can't call upon the Lord if they do not know Him.

Later that night, we had an ice cream bar with tons of flavors and candy toppings!

      
Good morning!  Cassie and I were halfway ready, but Jenna back there was up super late both nights, as she is an intern and has to go to "meetings" and organize stuff all the time, especially late at night.  This weekend wore her out!

This is Kristen, whom I love!  She is a sweetheart, always hugging me when she sees me.

Breakfast is big boy style, too, of course.  This morning they whipped up pancakes and bacon on the big griddle, and laid out all the left over breakfast and snack foods, so we had a huge buffet!

This is Joy Rogers, one of our most involved youth moms (of Erin and Jenna).  She was here this weekend cooking and working hard, and Sunday was her birthday!

This is one of the youth adults' children, Gretchen.  My mom works with her mom, and her dad used to be my middle school assistant principle.  They are one of the sweetest families, and they're funny, too.  Gretchen and her older sister Claire are two gorgeous little girls with even more gorgeous hearts, even at such a young age.  It cracked me up to see her trying to eat this apple that was almost as big as her head.

Tessa is one hip chick.  She has a lot of awesome photography, art, dance, and more!  She even leads classes and takes big trips (her last one was to Oregon) to work on her stuff!  Her instagram shows a lot of her activities.  She also has a blog that you could check out or follow, too!

I was so glad to get to spend such a long time in quiet time study this morning, as we had a long down time.  I reviewed my notes and went into the quiet time notes they gave us for the mornings.  This leaves with such a great feeling!

One passage that was in Saturday's quiet time was something that I found is part of what I want my life to be:  "Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:21

The last session that we do is always cool!  All the leaders get an opportunity to share what has been laid on their hearts.  These people are so dedicated and care about us, they honestly share their hearts and teach us so much.  This share session was filled with things that directly fit my life!  There are no coincidences in God's plan.  It is all planned!

Kristen, same girl from above, was ready to go this morning!  She jumped right up wanting to share first.  Her words were exactly what was in my heart.  She talked about how she is often selfish, but doesn't want to waste her time worrying about her schedule and all the work she has to do, and me, me, me.  This was exactly my same problems!  I have really struggled with time, schedule, and all that I have to do...and it has been a battle and still is!  I was so thankful to hear this from her, too.  She tied this in with James 1:22-25.  "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says." (verse 22)

Lindsay, our youth pastor's wife, was also on point.  Her phrase was "paultry baubles" that we become so easily distracted with.  I am one easily distracted human!  A passage that I use to encourage my mind away from these worldly distractions is 1 John 2:15-17, and that is what she read as well.  "Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him...The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."  In all the happenings of life, I have to remember what will last and what will not.  

Camp Your Face Off is always finished off with the Amazing Race.  They split up everyone onto several teams (we had around 7 this year I think), and give us a paper of the name of the stations, tell us the rules and some instructions, give us a few minutes to get the game plan, then off we go!  All the stations must be completed and signed off on by the leader there, and  one member has to wear a diaper that will contain something from each station.  This included baby food, Pepsi, tape balls, eggs, pumpkin innards, and more.  Yummy right?  It is intense!  My team was pretty loaded, but we still didn't win.  We did awesome in my opinion, though!

Here are some action shots from the Amazing Race.

This retreat is such a blessing to my year.  It had stressed me out having so much homework all fall, but I had a little poison oak mishap that put me out of running as much during the week, so I got to catch up on a lot, allowing me to go to CYFO with little worries!  Even serious pain and fear is a blessing, not just sometimes, but ALL times, even when we can't see where the light could be.  It is there.  We just have to look for it, and it will come.