Regularly taking a moment to pause, praise and give thanks may seem insignificant, but I am convinced that our habits are constantly forming us into the people we are becoming. If you're like me and you tend to get caught up in the busyness of the day, take a moment now and ask God to grow in you a heart of constant gratitude! He hears your prayers and desires to help you!

As we follow Jesus, putting in the work now and making the hard decisions to choose Him, we grow in our love for Him. When we reach eternity having lived in pursuit of pleasing Him, we have the joy of offering up our work, not as a means of salvation, but as a means of worship, at Jesus’s feet. The hard work now leads to greater joy later.

In other words, no matter what you find yourself doing: all things you do, in word and deed, provide opportunity to worship and glorify God. Whether you’re changing a diaper, standing in front of a sink with dirty dishes, sending emails at your office job, or chatting with a neighbor - opportunities are plenty!

Have you ever found yourself in a state of frantic anxiety trying to figure out how to fix a difficult situation? I think we all have at some point. I wonder if we should take some advice from Moses and remember who God is and what he has done. Not only has he parted the red sea he has conquered sin, satan and death on our behalf. If you find yourself in an impossible situation, cry out to God! He is mighty to save! He loves you deeply and he won’t leave you to fend for yourself. You need only to trust in Him, stand firm and be still.

WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, God sent His Son. God did not send His Son when we were clean of the puke. He did not send His Son when we got our act together. God meets us in our mess and cleans up our mess by the blood of Christ because just as River can't clean up himself, neither can we. Why does God clean up our mess? Because just as one might say it's a mother's nature to love their child, love actually is God's nature! He is the only one capable of perfect love.

That itself is the heart of why we do camp. At Loon Mountain Ministry, one of our values is "Sharing the good news of Jesus through word and deed in relationships and shared common experiences." We get to share Christ with these kids, and others at the mountain, through the shared common experience of skiing and snowboarding. That is pretty awesome! Jesus wants to be apart of and shared with every faucet of our lives.

The truth that I often need reminded of is that there are rules worth aligning myself with... Gods rule. It's only with His rule and reign in my life that I can grow and mature. This is true freedom- growing into what God has intended you to be for His glory and your good!

Our shared love for Jesus should unite us no matter how we vote, what music we like or what translation of the Bible we read. In Philippians 2 we see the apostle Paul's joy wasn't in ones team dominance, it was in one loves unity. Mom always said Philippians 2 was Jesus’ Christmas list. Let's give Him what he wants and by the power of the Spirit love one another.

Jesus method of grace is not sweeping her sin under the rug. He clearly commands her to not go on sinning. His method of truth is not fear driven. He does not shame her. Instead he extends grace, which powerfully leads her to the truth. Do you believe that God's grace is more powerful than the fear of consequences? Do you believe that the Truth is what will ultimately set you free? As Christians, I pray the Holy Spirit helps shape our hearts and minds to be a people that rightly reflect Gods character... Full of Grace and Truth.

Heaven and earth collided in a way that has changed the lives of so many through Jesus coming to earth. In that moment, I not only remembered of Jesus coming 2,000 years ago, but I was also reminded of the great collision when Jesus came in and stole my heart. I want to encourage you today, to remember the collision. A Holy God collided with broken humans! How beautiful it is when that collision is exactly what we are welcoming!

In the same way, there are dark times in our lives when it can be difficult to see God's goodness, but we know and believe that God is always good. We are thankful for this and many other reminders of the truth which is the anchor for our souls. God has indeed been good to us through this difficulty.

We all hunger for something more than just food. We are hungry for life. True spiritual life. The life we hunger for can only be satisfied by something outside of us, someone much greater than us. The question is: who or what do we look to for life?

If you are a follower of Jesus, God has placed you in your home, in your neighborhood, in your job, in your school, in your church for a reason. He wants to use you (yes you!) in those places to further His kingdom if only you are willing. You have unique abilities and relational avenues that no one else has and which God will use in the lives of those around you.