Top Ten Things I Love about Ross Point Camp

So I missed Top Tens on the Tenth...again. But hey I've been busy planning a wedding, preparing for marriage, and working to fund both endeavors. I am about to head to one of my favorite places on earth for the next four weeks. Philip and I will be camp counselors at the same camp where we met, started dating, and where we are getting married! Boo ya! Some people think I'm crazy for spending my last month before the wedding doing this, but I am so glad we made this decision. I love Ross Point. And I am going crazy! I go to sleep and dream about the wedding. I finally crawl out of bed because nagging items on my wedding to-do list bouncing through my brain. I NEED a distraction. Thankfully, most every project is done. So I can leave breathing easy. We have a full week between counseling and wedding bells. There's nowhere that I'd rather spend my last month of singleness. Plus, those few weeks doing something we love will earn us enough dough to fund our honeymoon to here. Aka heaven! Our own private hot tub, an aquarium, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, an indoor aquatic center, an exact replica of Columbus' ship (Philip's fave), good eats, good shopping, good times with the man that I love--if only they had a forever 21...Oh wait, they have a forever21?!

Before I start drooling, I want to share a little about the place that I love with you. 

1. It's in a beautiful location. I'll take pine trees and a sunset over a lake any day. Especially when that oasis of wilderness is only a block away from KFC.

2. The friends that you meet. Like my fiancé, his best man Korey, and my best friend/bridesmaid Nicole.

3. Fun recreational activities: swimming, canoeing, mini-golf, the high ropes course, the rock wall, ahhhhhh.

4. Worship. Nothing romances my heart like an acoustic guitar in the hands of someone who loves Jesus. God and I connect in a special way when I sing songs about his amazing love.

5. I always connect with God there. The whole camp is focused on campers, counselors, and staff growing closer to our Lord.

6. The people that work there. From the counselors(hey I'm going to be one of those), to the summer staff(I WAS one of those), to the directors, to the cooks. They all love God, love the campers, and have such servant hearts. Don't be surprised if you see the head hauncho John Batchelder cleaning a toilet or pulling weeds or weed-blowing goose poop off the lawn.

7. The food. This stuff is top notch. We're talking cookies the size of your face. And, the best part, it's all served up family style.

8. I have so many great memories there. Every time I pull up to the place it takes me back. From serious memories like the first time I believed God when he said, "You are not worthless you are mine," to silly memories of laughter, pixie stix, more laughter, maybe throw in some Veggie Tales.

9. Freedom. I've always felt that Ross Point provided a judgement-free atmosphere. People are encouraged to be themselves, and accepted for who they are.

10. (This may be related to several things I mentioned before but) It's a sacred place for Phil & I's relationship. So many important milestones for us happened on those campgrounds. God truly constructed our relationship there. I can't wait to see what he'll do in these next 4 weeks!

Friends, I'll probably be MIA for awhile. Big things are happening. There will be internet (remember it's a block away from KFC) but I might be a little preoccupied chasing kids around, or reading my bible, or snuggling with my man-candy. I send you my warmest wishes.

A Backwoods Boy and a Fairytale Princess

I think I've discovered the theme of the wedding:

 
 
Our flowers are Gerber daisies, we're using mason jars as vases, Philip's wearing a plaid tie. Yet there is glitter, happily ever after castle paper, and I'm wearing a ball gown and a tiara. What do I make of this? I've simply concluded that we are a backwoods boy and a fairytale princess.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

As it turns out, Ecclesiastes is one of the Emo books of the bible.  It's right up there with Job and Lamentations and the other books that probably wouldn't have been written if Prozac had been invented back then.  The last time I sread Ecclesiastes Philip and I had decided to study a book of the bible together.  We'd meet up once a week and discuss a chapter or two.  That time around, our conclusion was "Everything in life is meaningless unless it's about God.  Apart from Him, life has no meaning."  This time I'm reading it differently.  While I find P-diddy and I's conclusion to be no less true, my current life causes me to see it through new eyes.

I'm in a weird stage right now.  At a crossroads, if you will.  For a long time my life, my Christian walk, has looked pretty similar.  I've made changes and taken faith steps, but ministry has pretty much been identical--just within a few varying contexts.  I've been in/lead all girls small group bible studies, done one-on-one weekly discipleship appointments, participated in random-to-nearly-random evangelism.  As I'm moving into a new stage--the married one--things are looking different.  I feel as though Christianity and living a satisfying Christian life is being redefined for me.  I used to have these clear standards to measure myself up against.  I could, in a snapshot, see if I was failing or succeeding at the Christian life.  Or others around me could convince me of one or the other.

My time is oddly spent right now.  I'm mostly reading, helping kids with homework, spending time with my family, getting ready for the big day, talking on the phone.  The other day Philip asked, "What if the best way you can honor God right now is by getting ready for the wedding?"  His thought felt so freeing because honestly, that's what my life is like right now. 

Today in Ecclesiastes I read something startling:  "Enjoy life with the wife you love."  Straight out of the flippen Holy Bible people!  And penned by one of the wisest men in history.  Does that mean that God is pleased with me when I am laughing with Philip?  How radical.  Not the kind they said in the seventies to mean "cool."  The kind that means it's rocking my face off.  I'm not getting any less groovy here so I guess I better move on.

This time around Eccl.  screams "Enjoy life, do good, fear God."  Or as Donald Miller puts it in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years  (Oh yeah I can check that off my list) "Find a job you like, enjoy your marriage and obey God."  So simple.  So sweet.  So transferrable.  These are things I can do regardless of my life stage and surroundings.  Sometimes I just need to simplify things.  That's why I love the verse on the side of my blog "Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God."

Just because I'm not currently involved in Evangelism and Discipleship the conventional way that I have been in the past, doesn't mean I can't honor God with my heart, mind and actions right where I'm at.