Equip Senior Night

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Every year after school is out for summer, my youth group has one Wednesday night at our property on the lake at Harrell Park.  We have a cookout, play games, sing worship songs, then any seniors who want to share can tell the rest of us whatever is on their heart.  Then we hang out and have dessert of some sort.

This is my friend Trey who went to UT last year but is back here for the summer.  He's like me!  Short! I'm not actually taller than him; in this picture, I'm just in front of him. 

Meals outside are always so pretty, but it's even better when it can be at the lake! 

You never know what kind of games you will be playing when Rob Walters is in charge, but you can bet on it being interesting and original.  The one we played at Senior Share Night was what he called foosebultimate:  a cross between fooseball and ultimate Frisbee, played with a football.  In the middle of our game, some random wet dog decided that he would join and chase the ball wherever it flew!

This is Will, who graduated from East.  He is also my cousin and the brother of my other cousin...of course!  Just kidding; his sister is also one of my best friends from church.  They are both great athletes and students, as well as Christians and role models for other kids.  They seem quiet, but are really great when you get to know them and hear them talk.  This was actually the most I'd heard Will talk in my life!  He talked about how important building relationships is, with people to influence you, be by your side, and for you to influence people.  It is also crucial that we love people!

Over the years that I have been in youth, this amazing girl has become one of my good friends, supporters, and role models.  Not only is she gorgeous, but also has a beautiful singing voice and heart for serving the Lord!  Everyone in our youth looks up to her for her life and knowledge.  She is someone who would send out sweet surprise texts some days, that would be just what I needed to put a smile on my face!  Her dad is the children's pastor at our church, so she is there often and is always ready to help.  Last year she was a counselor at Camp Bethel in Wise, Virginia, and she left the very next morning after our cookout to go again this year for most of summer break!  She reminded us how important it is to "recklessly abandon" the cares of this world, because they don't really matter;  God's got our life planned out, and as Christians, it will end in eternity, so life is all His!

Tyler and Josh led worship before and after the seniors shared.  It is so nice to have church outside in God's beautiful creations!  Tyler is in college now, and working toward being in the music ministry.  One of the other senior girls that spoke made a good point about not only working to do good things, but God's things.  "We can have good intentions but miss God's intentions."

After all this, we gathered around all our seniors and prayed especially for them as they go into the next chapter of their lives.

Campfire time!  My favorite!  There is just something about roasting marshmallows.

I got creative with my smores.  The one on the left has a York Patty in it, and the one on the right is with dark chocolate Reese's!  Dark chocolate is the bomb, but try adding some other things, too, and smores get even better than we thought they were!

Here I made a mini one with a piece of Reese's.

I also ate several plain marshmallows after I roasted them!  A warm, slightly golden one is perfect.  Smooth outside, gooey inside.

Camp Your Face Off 2013

This past weekend consisting of the Bristol Cross race and then my church's fall youth retreat, Camp Your Face Off, was one of the best weekends I've ever had!

Sorry that some of these pictures have instagram labels on them.  They are cropped out on my phone and laptop, but for some reason, they still appear on this blog and I cannot get them off!  If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

This is Jay preaching the Word of God to all these students and leaders!

 

Jay preached on Galatians 1:1-9, 10-24 on Friday and Saturday morning.  My favorite verse from this section (although I wasn't there for this session) is verse 1:10. "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  As I am such a competitive person, this really applies to my life.  I am so motivated right now to serve The Lord, but I am also so determined to perform well.  Many times not just well, but the best.  If I truly want to be a servant for Christ, I have to put my own desires behind me to fully do His work.  I must not worry about what others think of me.  God knows my heart.  He is eternal!  Life here on earth is not worth my worry.  One day I will have the ultimate reward in heaven. 

 

Saturday night was on Galatians 5:1, 16-25.  Something I learned in this section (although I had heard the Fruits of the Spirit many times before) was that it is singular-fruit of the Spirit.  They all go together.  This is also the main message I refferred to in my previous blog about a sleepless morning and blessings.  I love hearing this part:  "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit was is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." (verses 16-17)  "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desire.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (verse 24).  I am a daughter of Christ!  His Holy Spirit is within me!  By living by His Word and trusting in Him, I have power to stand up agaist sinful desires.  My conscience keeps me accountable; I can feel when there is something I should do.  God is always walking with me; all I have to do is completely trust Him.  He gives us freedom from our sins!

Brooks Gray, the contemporary worship leader at FBC Morristown, leading worship in the building at Harrell Park.

One of our just graduated guys DJ Gibson has amazing photography skills!  Instagram @darnellgibson

 

Sunday morning's session was where all the leaders shared what they had been learning.

Erin is our intern in the youth ministry at church, along with attending college.  She always has challenging and encouraging things to share!  I like how she said that our sanctification is an ongoing thing; we grow in our faith continually.  She also read the verse Ecclesiastes 3:11.  "He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."  This passage is headed A Time for Everything.  God works in us daily to teach us more from His Word.  Whenever we are convicted, we have to use it to draw us to repentence, not condemnation.  We are given freedom!  But we must be sure to not fall back into slavery, but to use this freedom to walk by the Spirit.

The first challenge of Sunday afternoon's amazing race:  eat a jar of baby food fed to a member of the team by 2 other teammates, while wearing panty host over his or her head.  But wait, there's more!  This person also has to wear a diaper the entire race to keep up with all the "trash" from the events!

A gorgeous moment captured by another member of our youth group.

Meet Rob.  He invents all this crazy stuff.  A kid at heart, here he is joining in on "thrickball," leading his team to victory Saturday afternoon.  We couldn't ask for a better youth pastor.

Friday night's bonfire

Some plain and chocolate chip pancakes flippin' on the giant skillet!  Nothing better than fresh-prepared, over the fire pancakes to wake up to after the first night of camping!  All thanks to our dedicated adults.

Poor Lindsey, Rob's wife, is such a trooper hauling their little girls to all these events.

Can't be outside with the guys of our youth group without a little football.

 

What Tyler shared on was a great way to think about Galatians 1:10.  It says that if "I was still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  That made me think, well, that means when I am trying to please people, it makes me unable to serve Christ.  Christ or people.  I must choose.

 

 

My tentmates!  Tori is our college leader, then there was Julia, Roxanna, and me.   This was taken right after we woke up!

 

Tori's soon to be husband was also a leader.  Logan used an analagy with their relationship.  At first they were all focused on "well you can do this and you can't do that," and it just frustrated them.  However, they realized as the love between them grew, they weren't doing things to please each other because it was a rule, but because they love each other and want to make each other happy.  This is also how our relationship with God should be.  We should please Him becuase we love Him, not because we have to.  "It's not about the rules, it's about the relationship."

Girls gotta have their Enos.  I've never been in one, but from this angle, it looks quite relaxing.

The most beautiful place to have breakfast and quiet time.  Overlooking the lake.

 

After I got myself together from being so stressed in the tent this early morning, we got ready for breadfast.  Sitting here I found even more great verses and how they could apply to my life.  In Equip we had been doing book studies a chapter a week, and the next week was Hebrews 4.  It is titled A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God.  How convienient considering this was a Sunday, the "traditional" Sabbath day.  Yes, I was here at Camp Your Face Off, totally different from any day.  (I am a big routine person, and this was not routine!)  This was an opportunity God gave me to rest and grow.  Once I got home, I found that God also gave me plenty of time to do the things I needed to do at home, too.

My Sunday School teacher Patty has to bring her little puppies with her to enjoy the fun, too!

All the fun just makes us want to dance.

Left: Tessa  Middle:  me   Right:  Kristen

Tessa is such a creative girl!  She works at a little art place and takes amazing pictures.  She even designed this year's fall retreat logo!  Visit her blog!

http://tessachaseyourdreams.blogspot.com/

Another Amazing Race Challenge:  "Capture that jump"

This was my team!

I was also the one to wear the pumpkin helmet through the entire race.  This is comical though, because I absolutely love pumpkins!  This was carved using only ink pens.

Our final meal was burgers grilled on those big skillets that were shown earlier.  They were amazing!  The adults got super crafty and even homemade French fries too!

I don't have a photo, but Saturday night they made fajitas or taco salad with chicken or steak and sautéed veggies!  I am so thankful that we have such hardworking leaders and adults to help us have such great weekends like this!

This was my first of 3 chunky brownie and ice cream sundaes.  Yes, I splurged.

 

A final thing that I heard this weekend that I want to share was from a leader in our youth group I don't know too well, but she is so sweet!  This goes along with the singular Fruit of the Spirit.  When she said this, I totally thought that I do this exact thing.  We can't pick apart the Fruit.  Often times, we desire the individual qualities of the Fruit according to our own success.  My motivation for the Fruit should be my longing to please God, not so that I can be successful.  I should be motivated because I am greatful and thankful for the love He has for me.

 

Why am I/are you pursuing Jesus?