My Georgia Life

#1 The last time I went to youth camp was the year 2000...I was a counselor that year. #2 Going back as a youth leader this year was an eye-opening experience...different, to say the least. Centrifuge Camp 2015 Prep : All of us leaders were assigned a night to lead church group devotions, so I spent a little time preparing for this.  The lessons were based on the theme for the camp, which was "Alive and Free," and the scripture used was the book of James . Good materials to work with, so the planning was easy. IV and I usually teach the 10th and 11th grade life group at our church so I used the Sunday before camp to prepare the students who were coming to camp for the theme of the week.  I was suppose to teach from 1 John that day, and the Lord planned it just right because 1 John 1:3 says,  "...indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4  These things we write, so that our joy may be made comp...

Where is God?: notes to myself Sometimes He seems to hide, but there's always an answer to every cry. Psalm 10:1 1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble ? He hears us.   Psalm 10:17-18 17  O Lord , You have heard the desire of the humble ; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear 18  To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. Lamentation 3:44 44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud So that no prayer can pass through. Do not fear!   Lamentations 3:56-57 You have heard my voice , “ Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief, From my cry for help.” 57  You drew near when I called on You; You said, “ Do not fear!” Isaiah 45:15 15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself , O God of Israel, Savior! Turn to Him...be saved.   Isaiah 45:22 22  “ Turn to Me and be saved , all the ends of the earth; ...

What does God do?:  notes to myself He brings times of drought. Haggai 1:9-11 9 "You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?" declares the LORD of hosts, "Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. 10 "Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 "I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands ."   "COME BACK TO ME." He brings blasting wind, mildew, and hail. Haggai 2:17 17 'I smote you and every work of your hands with blasting wind, mildew and hail; yet you did not come back to Me ,' declares the LORD.   SEEK GOD, LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS   He brings judgment. Isaiah 26:9 9 At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You dilig...

Walking with God: notes to myself. Enoch did it. Genesis 5:22-24 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.    BLAMELESS Noah did it. Genesis 6:9 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. RIGHTEOUS  Abram did it. Genesis 17:11 11 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.   LOVE THE LORD  God told the Israelites to do it to. Deuteronomy 30:16 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments , that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in...

#1 During a normal homeschool day I'm sure that I personally learn more than all the kids combined. #2 Sometimes, though, no one really learns anything...we just trudge through a slop of bad attitudes. #3 The only way to change this is to get to the heart of the Mother... Mothers Need Jesus We're on the countdown to summer.  The countdown to any break from school is always exciting, but it's usually the most tiresome, nerve-wrecking, patience-testing, final-10k-of-a-marathon-painful time! This is where the bad attitudes come in and the learning goes out.  The chain of events: Mom and kids get excited about summer break. Mom and kids get in a hurry to get school work done. Mom and kids get frustrated because it seems like the work is never-ending. Kids complain, Mom fusses. Repeat #4 again and again with mounting tension and frustration.  Mom breaks, kids give up. Mom feels like a failure, kids think Mom is kind of a freak. Throw...

#1 Things have been feeling a little too comfortable around here lately, especially when I compare my life to what I see happening to people around the world. #2 I find myself wondering, "How long can this possibly last?" "IMPENDING DOOM"   [Insert suspenseful music here:  dum-dum-dummmm] A while back my friend posted a link on Facebook to a WebMD article titled  "12 Possible Heart Symptoms Never to Ignore" The article was very informative, but the thing that stuck with me came with the first symptom, ANXIETY: Heart attack survivors often talk about having experienced a sense of "impending doom." I've never thought of myself as an anxious person. I'm not really a worrier. However, I do find find myself often feeling that something bad is bound to happen...anytime now. Since reading that article I now affectionately call this feeling "IMPENDING DOOM" [dum-dum-dummmm]. Maybe my life has just been too cushy. I...

#1 I have officially joined the "I love Charleston!" club.  I love it. #2 I, however, did not LOVE the Charleston Marathon.  BUT I did survive it. The Good: I traveled to Charleston with my BFF Susan.  Turning the whole weekend into a girls' weekend is the best idea I've had in 2015. I had the support of my dear running friends from the Covington YMCA and actually got to run more than half the race with at least one of them.  That was a real morale boost. I finished the race.  Yes I did. The Bad:  The lead cars in the race actually took us the wrong way which added almost .2 miles to the course.  Point two miles may not seem like much, but if you've ever run a marathon then you know it counts. Though I started strong and ran a solid first 20 miles, I hit that "wall" hard.  The last six miles reminded me why I always say I'll never run another marathon after I finish one.  It hurts. I did not make my first time goal of 3:30, w...