It's been a long day. It started early and ended at a reasonable time, but followed a busy and tiring day. Yesterday afternoon through the evening was filled with my work on the Camp Design Leadership Team presenting our 2-year study report to the "Christian Conferences" where we were to pray and discern it this was God's will for the whole annual conference. We gave it 3 times in 3 hours and listened to 3 conversations about the report as we answered questions about it. Then we retreated to a conference room with 4 sacks of written responses (all of which were read through) and our new insights so that we could edit our report for today's presentation before the whole conference and vote.
This afternoon we made that presentation successfully lining out the next 25 years of camping vision for our conference and a $16M Capital Campaign request to rebuild many of our camp facilities. It was a huge challenge, but one that we believe in fully and that the whole annual conference embraced. You will be hearing much more about this in the near future as we have a great part to play in the future of our camping ministries.
Peggy, Dave Festa and I completed the the evening by attending the All Conference Dinner where we received the Lay Leaders report/address that reminded us that the unity Jesus prayed for is a resonance where we are all on the same frequency. When the disciples were resonating together they experienced Pentecost and in the same way when the Temple was dedicated and the 120 priests sang/played together(resonated), the presence of God filled the temple until all stopped just to bask.
There is a lesson to be learned here for us. As we move forward in our mission together, it's critical that we find resonance, singing and moving together in this orchestra that God is directing. We may be playing different instruments, but we are playing the same song, God's song!
Friends, God is moving among us at Conference and especially at COFS. Keep praying with me as we move into unknown territory where we have to trust God more than ever!
Peace ><>
pc
Friday, June 02, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Annual Conference
Not a lot of time this morning. I'm at Annual Conference at Purdue, it's sometime before 6:00 a.m. and I have to leave here in a moment to my first meeting. It's a grueling schedule at times, especially since we are an hour different!
Anyway, I'll be trying to post as the time permits, even if it is later in the day.
So have a blessed day and I'll let you know what is happening here.
Peace ><>
pc
Anyway, I'll be trying to post as the time permits, even if it is later in the day.
So have a blessed day and I'll let you know what is happening here.
Peace ><>
pc
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Vacation's Over!
Don't you hate that? You just start to relax and then the vacation is over. It seems to go so quickly. But we had a great time, relaxed much, laughed out loud, read lots, ate too much, visited with friends and family, prayed without ceasing.
I discovered many things about myself while away, first of all, I don't do this often enough. The rest for my spirit was as important as anything else I could have accomplished last week. There was little rest for my body but my spirit was renewed and that was the goal. I will be seeking how to do that better on a weekly basis, disengaging for a while just to recharge the spiritual batteries.
That's what Sabbath is for and I, like most of you, don't do very well taking that kind of a day away, of rest for the spirit, of re-creating the mind, of connecting with God on a deeper level. It's what we need.
David discovered this in his life. He was a great king, very powerful, very popular, very faithful. He had learned through his great mistakes the meaning of staying close to God, renewing his spirit every day. It's what made him the man he was. It wasn't his power or his conquests, his riches or his charisma but his humble spirit dependent on God. He even wrote his prayers, his songs (psalms) in this humility,
"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you, even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking." (Psalm 139: 1-2, The Message)
It's a prayer of confession, of surrender. His desire was to live a life so in tune with God that he was willing and able to open every door of his life, every closet (even those that may have had skeletons) to God in order to give his spirit the renewal it needed. He was an opened book, because to keep secrets from God is to destroy your spirit; to withhold yourself from God is to cut yourself off from the vine that brings sustenance.
And he closed his prayer like this,
"Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine me and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; see for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life." (Psalm 139:23-24, The Message)
This was the best part of my vacation. Learning again to renew the spirit, living opened to God. It's what God wants.
It's what we need!
Peace ><>
pc
I discovered many things about myself while away, first of all, I don't do this often enough. The rest for my spirit was as important as anything else I could have accomplished last week. There was little rest for my body but my spirit was renewed and that was the goal. I will be seeking how to do that better on a weekly basis, disengaging for a while just to recharge the spiritual batteries.
That's what Sabbath is for and I, like most of you, don't do very well taking that kind of a day away, of rest for the spirit, of re-creating the mind, of connecting with God on a deeper level. It's what we need.
David discovered this in his life. He was a great king, very powerful, very popular, very faithful. He had learned through his great mistakes the meaning of staying close to God, renewing his spirit every day. It's what made him the man he was. It wasn't his power or his conquests, his riches or his charisma but his humble spirit dependent on God. He even wrote his prayers, his songs (psalms) in this humility,
"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you, even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking." (Psalm 139: 1-2, The Message)
It's a prayer of confession, of surrender. His desire was to live a life so in tune with God that he was willing and able to open every door of his life, every closet (even those that may have had skeletons) to God in order to give his spirit the renewal it needed. He was an opened book, because to keep secrets from God is to destroy your spirit; to withhold yourself from God is to cut yourself off from the vine that brings sustenance.
And he closed his prayer like this,
"Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine me and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; see for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life." (Psalm 139:23-24, The Message)
This was the best part of my vacation. Learning again to renew the spirit, living opened to God. It's what God wants.
It's what we need!
Peace ><>
pc
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