As my mind slowly turns it's primary focus from camps to Jamaica, my heart is heavy as we've lost Lauren from the trip due to illness. Please pray for her immediate health situation, as she's going to be seeing a specialist and hopefully get the situation diagnosed in the next 24 hours. She's in a fair amount of pain and she's obviously very disappointed that she won't be going on the trip. Please pray for her comfort and peace to know that we serve a sovereign God, and for whatever reason, His plans do not include her on this trip...it's a tough pill to swallow for all of us.

We might possibly be trying to fill her spot at the last minute, but it's quite possibly too late for that...but the bigger concern remains for Lauren...

Well....

It has been another amazing week...it seems so cliche to say it...and at the same time I just don't know what else to say...

We have had an incredible week of commitments, brokenness, and a new sense of knowing what it takes to follow Christ...

I was going to put up a bunch of pictures, and make another video, but I just can't...right now, this is so about Christ, and what he's doing in your students, I don't want to trivialize that in any way....

This morning at our Church Time Devo, God put some words on my heart that became the theme of the message I shared...basically, "What's it gonna cost you to follow Christ?"...we all (adults included!) tend to get into that comfort zone of Christianity, where we're really not putting anything on the line, until a crisis or need becomes overwhelming...One of things I have actually liked this week, is that there hasn't been that huge sense of the "camp high" experience, and I'm so thankful for that, because it's allowed students to at least recognize the cost of completely submitting themselves to Christ...

Students this morning talked about following Christ costing them things they really loved, and some things they really struggled with...

some of the things that different students shared included: submitting to parents-no matter what, giving up a best-friend, breaking up with a girlfriend, giving up an activity at school that held a lot of prestige, giving up a team, and on and on...

Time will certainly tell, but I'm so excited to see how students will be living out their commitments based on decision, and not feelings, in the upcoming months...

Our plan is to leave for the beach about 8:30am where one or two students might be getting baptized, and then head for home...

please pray for safety and timely travel...

I'll try to post one more blog with pics and/or a video over the weekend...

I have one other prayer request...

I miss my family, a lot, and I'm leaving them one more time on Tuesday, and I'll be gone again for another 8 days in Jamaica...my specific prayer request is that over the next couple of days of being home that there wouldn't be any of those "youth emergencies" that can take me away from them...last week I had two serious crisis situations and only got to spend about 3 hours of quality time with Liz and Caleb...I'm more than willing to be there, and don't get me wrong, I don't have any bitterness AT ALL, but I'm just praying that I'll get some serious quality time with my family :)

I hope you've enjoyed these ramblings, I know I've enjoyed your comments...it's nice to know someone's reading them :)

be blessed...

God RULZ!!