Every year, FCA coaches camp has been a great experience for us. But this one seems to have been a bit more meaningful and life-changing than the others. My math-brained self may struggle to express it well, but here's an attempt to recap and describe...
Seriously beautiful and peaceful...
Meeting up first thing with our Bolemon buds :)
It's not easy to put into words how it feels to be there. The combination of nature's beauty in the water and the old oak trees and hanging moss with years of the Holy Spirit moving in hearts there just draws you into His presence easier than almost anywhere else I have been. It's almost as if there hasn't been much of the world's resistance to Him and so His Spirit moves freely and our benefit is the almost immediate and then constant blessing of experiencing His presence while we're there. All I know is that it makes me long for heaven even more. And makes me want to strip away the parts of me that resist Him and quench His Spirit in my day-to-day life. (1 Thess 5:19)
Meanwhile, we experience some pretty serious sleep deprivation :). We all stay in a hotel room together, which works out surprisingly well...but we wake early and stay up late. Tough for our crew of sleep lovers, but we make do and it is so worth it! And B takes the bigs for some fun in the afternoons while I nap with Garn.
I always sing to her and say our nighttime verse before putting her down (which takes all of 2 minutes)...but there she was, out before I even got comfortable. :)
One morning, I came back from a run to find her snuggled up with B. Guess she woke early, saw him from the packnplay and sweet-talked him into getting her. The bigs were in the bed next to them, racked out too. :) By the end of the week, we usually start skipping breakfast to get in a few more minutes of shuteye. And then some sweet catchup time when we get home!
Date night with our buds. FCA's understanding of coaching life is impressive...from the messages they bring to the resources they provide to the experiences they encourage. B would say one of his favorites from camp week is the opportunity to compete all week in varying sporting events with other coaches. Another one is a night out for the coaches and spouses while they keep all of our kids. It is an amazing way to serve a group of couples who rarely find time (and babysitting funds) to go out...
Sweet Loganville crew :)
We enjoyed our annual (though flexible this year!) visit with the Aultmans and Papa...it's blogpost is coming next! But, another afternoon, we snuck away with other coaches and families to the beach for a little while. It's so fun that our kids look forward to catching up with their kids like we do with the grownups each year!
A little crush action going on here :)
Sweet, happy face :)
After chapel that night, we had a few minutes before picking the kids up from childcare. Brad's new affinity for coffee was encouraged by B by taking him for his first ever cup of Starbucks. :) So glad that B could enjoy the coffee date with Brad since I am no good for that!
My favorite times of the week? Being with my fam, catching up with buddies, hearing a couple of particular messages that stirred my soul and spending time with the Lord. Doesn't get much better than beautiful scenery, a diet coke and the Word.
While I was there one morning, the students from the leadership camp came out and spread out for their own quiet times. Such a beautiful sight. It couldn't help but bring to mind the song and Psalm 24:6... Oh God, let us be a generation that seeks, seeks Your face, O God of Jacob! I pray that this group makes such an impact on their campuses this school year and on their generation in the years to come.
Both B and I came away with so much heart change and heartache for things of the Lord and the world that we live in these days. We were challenged to focus more on what is truly important (His glory!), to make a mark on this world for His kingdom, to be more bold about our faith and live SOLD-OUT to Him. So much that we can focus on sometimes seems silly in light of eternity. We are burdened for our country like we have never been before and planning to join a 40-day prayer initiative that we will post about soon leading up to the elections. We don't want to be naive about the state of sin and its consequences. We are heartbroken for the people who we come into contact with who have never heard about Christ from us or through us. And we're convicted by the many ways we struggle to live and love for Him.
As heavy as all of that sounds, I don't know that we have ever felt more at peace or closer to each other and the Lord. Even when the thinking and seeking and praying and studying and discussing is tough and deep, it is obvious that it is what He made us (all) for. I've wasted a lot of time on things insignificant that provide nothing for the soul-deep... Oh Lord, help us to seek You only. Be our only (not just our first) priority. Burn within us an unquenchable fire for the things of You and help us to not be distracted or swayed by our selfishness or busyness. Please use us despite all the ways we mess up every day. We want to be followers, not just fans of You.
(not a fan. by Kyle Idleman. A MUST read.)
So, we left with much to discuss and have continued to pray and seek and struggle for what is right and what paths we should be on. Through it all, we are amazingly grateful for straight-up God seekers to call friends as we go. Some that are from camp and some other. We couldn't get enough of these folks below and were super sad to say goodbye again...thankful for texting and emailing to keep us in touch in the meanwhile.
