Isaiah and Sara

up*date

verb |ˌəpˈdāt; ˈəpˌdāt| [ trans. ]

give (someone) the latest information about something

Yeah, I’ve been gone a while, and the lack of posting is mostly due to the fact that I’ve been lazy.  So far this summer I’ve been to Western Wyoming Christian Youth Camp in Lander, WY, Camp Como in Como, CO, and Nebwyodak SR High near Deadwood, SD, then immediately to Hills Alive in Rapid City, SD.

It has been a crazy summer so far, and it seems that every time I come back from a trip there’s a desk full of paperwork to catch up on.  But I have to say that’s how I like it… I’d rather be busy than bored any day.

Now that I’ve returned, I’m thinking back over the summer thus far and it has been an amazing one.  Youth have been impacted for Christ through the three camps I’ve been to in ways that only God can.  What an awesome God we serve.

If you’ve been to any of the camps, you probably saw the “trading cards” we had of our camp teams, faculty and staff.  I just wanted to share with you the favorite verse that is on mine:

Isaiah 55:8-9

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s ways are not our ways… and I am so glad for that.

His thoughts and will are so much higher than ours, and I am glad for that as well.

As you go through the rest of your own summer… I have two questions:

How has God impacted you this summer?

How will you impact others for God?

in Christ,

Isaiah

p.s.  let me know if you think this “counts” as an update, haha

For the past few weeks that I’ve been at camp, especially during the evenings, I had my flashlight with me wherever I went.  When I couldn’t see, it lit my path and kept me going in the way I wanted to go.  I even did the “nerdy” thing and wore it with the geeky holster.

I’m sure you all have some idea of where I’m going with this…

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Yeah, Isaiah, we get it… read the Bible and God will light your way, just like the flashlight lit your way.  That’s true, but keep reading.

One evening I woke up in the middle of the night.  I’m still not sure why, but I awoke, prayed, and rolled over to my side.  When I did that I felt a constant pain in my hip, which was better when I rolled back onto my side.  I figured it was something with the mattress, and, being so tired… ok and lazy, I just dealt with it and slept on that side…

The next morning I woke up to realize that I had left my flashlight in my right hip pocket.  That which lights my way in the darkness was a pain to me that night.

I learned 2 things:

1) I’m apparently quick to forget whats in my pockets…       ok and lazy…

and

2) Sometimes that which lights our way can be painful, even convicting if we keep it in our pockets (hidden away).

We’re told to shine our lights, but we feel scared too… then we feel the conviction that we had the chance to shine, and kept our flashlight off.

We’re walking with our friends in the dark, knowing we have the flashlight to turn on so we do not stumble, but neglect to turn it on… for fear of being “religious” or “judgmental”.

That flashlight convicted me, because of the times I neglected to share my light while others fell around me… but it also encourages me, because we have the light to shine.

God’s word is a light to our feet so we do not stumble, and sometimes God will nudge us when we aren’t doing what we’re supposed to be.

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Go out and shine… and Light the Darkness.

in Christ,

Isaiah

p.s. keep the flashlight on, just don’t leave it in your pocket.

Joshua 14:6-10

⁶ Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. ⁸ But  my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. ⁹ And Moses swore on that day, saying, ’Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.‘ ¹⁰ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. ¹² So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.“

I read this passage some time ago, and its been sitting, percolating as it were, in my mind.

“Yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.”

Caleb, one of the two spies who took a stand saying that the Israelites would be able to conquer the men of Caanan.  Forty years later he returned, still as strong as he was before, still wholly following God, and believing that even though the men of the hill country were strong… his God was stronger.

Then there’s me.

ouch.

The last post was talking about how we put other things, other people’s writing, before God’s Word.  That convicted me.

So here’s some questions for us…

Am I wholly following the Lord with my reading time?

Am I wholly following the Lord in my work? – not just doing the minimum?

Am I wholly following the Lord in how I spend my money?

Do you have any other questions we need to ask?

in Christ,

Isaiah

Dear <put you name here>,

Do you really think that your email and RSS feeds <add whatever is taking your attention> are more important that my Word this AM?

Love, God.

SMACK!

Does this smack anyone else upside the head like it did me?

Thanks to fmckinnon for the quote

Last Wednesday I traveled to Bayard, Nebraska to visit the youth of the Bayard Christian Church.  I was there to teach a lesson, share about the college and hurt Chris, er… I mean to lead some games.

The best part about visiting Bayard was sharing stories from our time at SCC.  Chris, the Youth Minister, was my roommate in college.  I was able to share my story, of how Chris helped me get out of my shell, and some funny stories about waking up.  One involved a metal hanger, yelling Chris’ name and well… I think you can figure out what happened.

After the lesson and story, we played various games of tag.  I love tag – it requires no extra supplies… just youth and room to run.  We played varitions of Everyone’s IT, one of which was called Ninja Tag (my favorite).  In Ninja tag, you are allowed to be tagged three times, but each time you are tagged, you have to cover the wound with one of your hands.  Thus, after 2 times, you’re relegated to a purely defensive stance, but it is fun.

We also played a version called Rooster tag, in which you are allowed to only stand on one leg, and are only tagged out when the leg you are holding up touches the ground.  This version ended rather quickly, mostly because of a painful incident involving Garrett’s knee and Chris’ back.  I tried not to laugh.  Really!

Anyway, it was a fun trip to Bayard and I enjoyed visiting with the students.  So, now I pose a question:

What’s your funniest youth group story?

in Christ,

Isaiah

I was reading through the story of the Israelites as they built the Tabernacle in Exodus, and I came upon this passage.

Exodus 35:2-7
² Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. ³ They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. ⁴ So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work ⁵ and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.“ ⁶ Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more,⁷ because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

The Israelites just kept giving and giving and giving… They gave until the craftsman actually said, “Stop!”

What about us?

Are we giving to God, to our Churches, to others like that?

Just a thought…

in Christ,

Isaiah

What a day!  Wow… since lunch where I began spilling everything all over myself it has been a rough day.  I’m not going to relate here all that happened because that would be petty, unprofessional and definitely not Christ-like.  Lets just say it was a frustrating day…

Then I read this:

Isaiah 40:28, 29 (ESV)

²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹ He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Apparently I forget how good and awesome and mighty God is.  Instead of praying for power and strength while I was being frustrated, I let frustration boil.  So I guess I need to ask myself:

Have you not known?  Have you not heard?

God is good, and everlasting!

Frustration is neither.

As I read that, and as I write this, I can feel the frustration peeling off of me.  God is in control… he is good and mighty, everlasting and never failing.

Focus on Him in frustrating times…

in Christ,

Isaiah

Today was Monday… I usually loathe Mondays.  They are my least favorite day, least creative day, and the hardest day for me to get up.  This morning that was compounded on by a massive headache that has slowly disappeared as the day has gone by.

Now that I’ve gone on a rant about Mondays, I want to figure out how I can change my perception about Monday.  Today I started realizing that since I’m not as creative on Mondays, I should move creative tasks to another day (duh!).

So that’s what I’ve done, I moved some creative tasks to another day and moved the organizing tasks to today.  I have to say… this Monday has been enjoyable, aside from the headache.

What do you do to tackle Mondays?

in Christ,

Isaiah

This evening I departed for Alliance to visit Gabriel Tyce Bruton and his youth group at the Alliance Christian Church.  I left Scottsbluff, confident of the route to the church, and excited for the opportunity to speak.  Upon entering Alliance, I realized that though I knew the address, I didn’t know where this certain street was in Alliance.  I texted Gabe, swallowing my pride, and found that I had passed the street… oops.

Once I arrived and Gabe introduced me, we began a lesson on Doubt… discussing our own doubts and how God can use the doubts in our lives to draw us closer to him.  I then was able to share about Summit Christian College, and a little of my story.

The lesson finished, we played a game that you may or may not be familiar with.  Though known by a few names, tonight it was called, “Honey if you love me, would you please please smile”.  One person, stuck in the middle of a circle, must say the previous phrase, “Honey, if you love me, would you please please smile?” to one certain person in the circle.  That person must then respond, “Honey I love you, but I just can’t smile” without smiling, of course.  The game with the Alliance youth was quite fun, and we all shared some hearty laughter.

While I was driving home, I realized that I had been re-energized.  I have had several weeks since I visited youth, and have been mostly in a planning/paperwork/phone call stage of my job.  It was invigorating to get back to doing what I love, sharing God’s love and promoting a college that I think is making a difference for the Kingdom.

What energizes you?

in Christ,

Isaiah

You may notice the redesign of my blog, if only to note the new ability to comment thanks to Disqus.  Mostly it is simply a different template, a change of the outer shell.

One thing you’ll find about me is that I like to change things… that isn’t to say that I like change.  Change that I don’t control scares me, and I usually don’t like it.

This got me thinking about how God changes us.  When we become Christians, God’s love and His Spirit should be changing us.  Our priorities should change to God’s priorities.

That’s where I realized that we all need a re-design that only God can give.  He can change us from that selfish person to an un-selfish man/woman of God.  As we follow God, we need to be continually changing into the person that God wants us to be.

What needs to be redesigned in your life?

in Christ,

Isaiah