Churchwide Camping Trip. What's in Your Suitcase?

Tomorrow we're leaving for Santa Barbara to spend a week beach camping with our church at Refugio State Beach. The past few days have been filled with the usual preparations to get a family of 6 ready to camp for 8 days: shopping, planning, list making, gathering supplies, packing, menu planning, grocery buying, cooking meals ahead and freezing, more packing... all the planning ahead of time makes the actual camping so much easier and less work.

Tonight we are in the last stages of getting everything ready and we'll pack the camper and the car top carrier tomorrow morning before we leave.

Last month, we went alone - just as a family to get some rest and relaxation - this time we are camping with 178 other people! (That's divided into three groups and two campgrounds - so we won't be "with" all 178 at the same time!)

Ron gave an excellent sermon this morning to help prepare the people for this adventure - reminding them not to forget to "pack" four very important things that will help make this trip successful:

1. a trust in God's sovereignty - so that when things don't go the way we plan, we can rest assured that God is good and loving and is working things out for our good and His glory.

2. humililty - a reminder that thankfulness is the soil in which humility is grown.

3. a servant's attitude - we are called to be servants - in real life and on vacation. We don't get to "opt" out of our Christian calling just because we are on a holiday.

4. an overarching view of our mission as Christians - to reach out and be a witness to others. It was a great reminder to not be self-focused and forget that we are in a campground with people that we can be reaching out to and loving.

This week as I was packing I kept thinking about this verse:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

So tonight, as we are finalizing all our packing and deciding what to wear this week for our trip - I'm reminded that the shirts and shorts we choose aren't nearly as important as being "clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Hmmm...camping with 178 other people... I'm going to need a bigger suitcase!

The Law of Grace

“Yet the duties God requires of us are not in proportion to the strength we possess in ourselves. Rather, they are proportional to the resources available to us in Christ. We do not have the ability in ourselves to accomplish the least of God’s tasks. This is a law of grace. When we recognize it is impossible for us to perform a duty in our own strength, we will discover the secret of its accomplishment. But alas, this is a secret we often fail to discover.”
~John Owen

The Shortest Way to Peace

"It is most important habitually to contemplate our work in its proper character as a “work of faith.” As such, it can only be sustained by the active and persevering exercise of this principle. This is what makes it a means of grace to our own souls, as well as a grand medium of exalting our Divine Master.

It is faith that enlivens our work with perpetual cheerfulness. It commits every part of it to God, in the hope, that even mistakes shall be overruled for his glory; and thus relieves us from an oppressive anxiety, often attendant upon a deep sense of our responsibility. The shortest way to peace will be found in casting ourselves upon God for daily pardon of deficiencies and supplies of grace, without looking too eagerly for present fruit."

Charles Bridges

"Take one step at a time, every step under Divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel. He loves to be consulted...Consider no circumstances too clear to need his direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let him be supreme. Who of us has not found the unspeakable 'peace' of bringing to God matters too minute or individual to be entrusted to the most confidential ear?"

Charles Bridges

First Things First

I'm taking a few days off this week - by myself...all alone...just me.

It's been an unusually hectic couple of months- with barely any breathing room in between commitments. I've gone from one major project to another without stopping: planning and executing major church fund raisers and a mother-daughter retreat, finishing the school year as the director of our home-school academy, overseeing graduation week and commencement/promotion for our school, spring cleaning the house to prepare for hosting out of town family for three weeks, having a houseful of 10 people, coming down with bronchitis for four weeks, going on a pastors & wives planning and evaluation retreat... and somewhere in there I was supposed to be cooking, cleaning, caring for my home and husband, training and homeschooling my children - as well as a host of other things.

During our evaluation retreat last week it was becoming quite evident that we are living with little to no margin in our lives right now which is resulting in stress, insomnia, and on-going health issues. So, when I ended up in "Triage" a couple of days ago, experiencing severe chest pains, and hooked up to an EKG machine, it was a loud wake up call that radical change needs to happen - now. (BTW - my heart is fine, I wasn't having a heart attack - apparently sharp, stabbing pain in your chest is a good sign!)

Every year, I try to take a personal retreat to evaluate my priorities - and take an honest look at how I'm doing with actually meeting them. Well, it's obviously time for me to do that - so that's what I'll be doing for the next few days. I'll be looking for ways to simplify my life and make sure the most important things are accomplished.

I will have 2-3 glorious days to be alone to think, pray, meditate, evaluate, adjust, plan and prepare my heart for the necessary changes that need to come in this next season.

Some tools I'll be using:

First Things First
Shopping for Time
Getting the Big Rocks In
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Women
Getting Things Done - David Allen

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle

Introducing.... Andrea Lambros

Announcing... A Courtship

Graduation Photos

(You can click on the photos to see them larger.)


Zach: The first of five to graduate!





With two of his childhood friends and WCR bandmates: Sean and Ryan







Zach bestowing the "Stole of Gratitude" on his good friend Dann Shubin. The white stole is worn during commencement and given to someone who had inspired or encouraged the graduate in some way. Zach wanted to give this to Dann because Dann had suggested Air Traffic Control as a career choice and has been for many years a faithful encourager of Zach.







Dann was a Captain flying for Southwest Airlines before a car accident last year left him with a traumatic brain injury. Dann is making great strides in his recovery. It was an extra special blessing for Zach to have him attend his graduation.

Announcing...

We are proud to announce Zach's graduation from Mt. San Antonio College. Commencement ceremonies will be June 13th at Hilmer Lodge Stadium at 6:30 PM.

Zach attended Mt. SAC's Air Traffic Control School and is receiving a degree in Aviation Science. After graduation, he will attend the FAA's Academy in Oklahoma City to receive further training.

Congratulations, Zach! We are so proud of you!