a summer-ization

i guess now is the time i have to write in here the past three months.

i don't know where to begin. working camp was one of the best, most trying, difficult, inspirational, and confusing times of my life. for 8 weeks i lived in a community of people with the same job/goal as me: produce a good camp; let God use you so people can experience God; work with a team. all these things are positive. all of things were accomplished. all of these aspects were difficult as junk to accomplish though. there were definitely disagreements, tears, anger, frustration, and all other sort of roadblocks. but overall, looking back, camp was a good experience. i grew to know and love 13+ staff members in an environment that will never happen again. our experiences were unique, and that's one of the best and hardest parts of the whole thing. i know that if i want to work camp again, it's not going to be the same as this past year. the people, places, everything will be different. i know that this is my own fear of comfortability and change coming through, but still.

i guess i had fun. i know i had fun. even with all the bad parts. it made our camp 'our camp'. our experience unique.

now i begin another time that i fear will come to an end just as quickly as passport did. for this my heart aches for time to slow down. give me time to rest, give me space to be. exist. be with people i love. learning. loving. sharing. thinking. feeling. trusting. being. living.

living.

i want to live.

to close, the song that best reminds me of the summer:

i promise.

i will be back soon.

give me just a little bit more time.

i promise it will be worth the wait.

so cool. part 2.

“To his own hurt, Jesus, chose to be a part of our world. Why would we pretend that we don’t bring all our love, loss, and insecurity with us into the conversations we call ‘worship’? After all, we don’t serve a God who is unacquainted with grief. He is not surprised by or even unfamiliar with the darkness that can plague a human heart. In fact, he specializes at dealing with that sort of thing.”

- John Mark McMillan, on resurrection and the Medicine.

I mean, are you convinced yet?

Last day in Asheville before heading out tomorrow. So much going on in my head and heart.

Overwhelmed.

so cool.

i may be slightly slightly fanatical about jmm, but come on. he's so cool. i've heard/seen him do this little diddy a few times at some worship services, but this is by far my favorite i've heard.

John Mark McMillan in Uganda with Compassion International from Artists With Compassion on Vimeo

camp in two days! the packing has begun.

stoked, nervous, excited, and a tid bit sad about leaving the fam.

"Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty, he is the King of glory." Psalm 24:7-10