Sea Glass

First day of camp begins tomorrow (Monday); supper excited about the kids coming but also a little nervous. Will I have the right words to say? How do I strike up conversation with them? I know you are with me always Lord and I can see that in the beauty that's around me. The sky is a beautiful blue with clouds, the tree covered moutains are glorious. The breeze blows gently by as the birds sing your praise. How can I not trust you, the creator and sustainor of all things, with my every moment? One of the staff members gave us sea glass, which is glass that fell in the ocean and as the water washed over it and weather effected it, it became smooth and the rough and sharp edges were no more. She talked about how we go through life starting out like a piece of glass with sharp edges and rough spots, but God takes us through the struggles and hardships and joys of life and smooths out the rough and sharp edges so we are smooth and beautiful. He takes all the crap and pain and hate and anger in our lives and uses that to smooth us out to be useful for His glory. I still have a lot of rough spots that I am trying to hand over to God to smooth out, but at times it's kind of hard. Lord, you are still working in my life each and every day and I thank you for your faithfulness. I've been reading in Romans and chapter 1 verse 20 says, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse." We are without excuse of God's awesome power and existence. Just looking around at the mighty mountains, the beautiful trees, the glorious ocean, and the awesome wildlife, I can see His hand through it all. I have seen His eternal power and divine nature moving in my own life in how He pushed me in the direction of coming to camp. He has pieced together my body in an intricate way and made every little part work together as it should! I was also reading in Revelations chapter 4 verse 8 and Psalm chapter 47 wehre it talks about Christ being the only one worthy of praise and we should be showing that praise in everything we do each and every day. Holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come. psalm 31:14-15 says, " But I turst in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me." The very God who controls the sun, moon, and stars; the tide, the earth's rotation; the rain, He knows where every lightning bolt will strike, He loves me more than the birds of the air and the beasts on the earth. His love for me is what kept Him hanging on the cross, of course He deserves my praise and honor and obedience. We are almost through our first week of being at camp. We just finished up training and the campers will be here tomorrow. I'm very excited for them to come, but at the same time I have fears and worries. Please pray for each of us as we prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for these coming weeks. We need God to be the center of everything we do and we need to spend time with Him in His word daily. Pray for wisdom and God's spirit to fill me with the words to say as kids ask tough questions and we have conversations about their lives and about God. I want to be able to relate to them in a way that they will understand, but that it won't be so watered down that it means nothing to them. I continue to pray for each of you as you go about your summer activities and jobs. Thank you again for your prayers and support. Love each of you so much!