As we head into this new year, let us remember the birth of Christ and consider it in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. God is with us. We do not need to understand the mystery. We just need to give thanks & trust.

Be Encouraged! God is using you in people, in places and in ways that you are not even aware of. Keep demonstrating and declaring the love of Jesus and let him use you to build his Kingdom in ways both seen and unseen!

Jesus was willing to courageously leave the ultimate comfort zone(heaven) and endure the hardships of humanity and ultimately death, all because he loves you...Let that sink in...The gospel of Jesus is not a message of fear or avoidance of pain, it's one of love and sacrifice. I encourage you to live in light of that gospel. How is God calling you to sacrifice your comfort for the love of others this week?

He reminds me of God's love for that child. God's desire for that child to know Him. He does not grumble, although he could list many reasons if he wanted to. THAT is why we do what we do. That is why my husband has worked for years unpaid or part time and has been so committed. Because he loves God and His children! He is passionate and called to sharing about Him with others. This patience, love and grace Nathan has is through the Holy Spirit working in him.

Stories are the most powerful form of communication we have. They captivate our emotions, imaginations and intellect. They build community and have the power to impact our very soul. This isn't just a coincidence... It's by design. We were made by a great Storyteller to take part in and share the greatest story ever told.

As you seek to bear the image of your Creator, I pray that His love for you in Jesus is your greatest inspiration. Remember, you can't reflect him adequately on your own, and he doesn't ask you to! He gives us his Spirit to bear witness to his glory, to lead us into all truth and to transform us into the image of His Son.

In those moments when our anger, frustration or annoyance starts to rise, I pray we can recognize it, but quickly turn to repentance. Then, upon repentance, the joy of being reunited with God and the sin between us removed, would overwhelm and replace any and all of our previous feelings. Lord, help us to have a soft heart that desires to be reunited with You!

This story reminded me that it's not our job to change people. That's God's job. He simply sends us to love people so they can come to know the Fathers love through us. God has perfectly and generously loved you and me so that we can generously share his love with others in word and deed.

By story we share what God has done, whether it be the story of our salvation or of His working in our day to day life. In this sharing we tell of both our struggles and triumphs, things others face each day, and how God has redeemed, is redeeming, or will redeem it. So, tell your story and use it as a bridge to lead into HIS story, the GREATEST story of all time, the story of a Father who loved us so much He sent His Son for our salvation.

We call to remembrance. It seems so simple, yet it impacts our faith more than we often realize and is a practice we need to incorporate more in our lives. Whether it be stopping for a moment in frenzy and anxiety to recall what God has done, placing physical reminders around your house to remember what God has done, putting on a worship song or audio bible to have what God has done spoken over you, ect. - we need to do these things.

The gospel of Jesus is not just something that we were saved and changed by, it’s something that we are continually being saved and changed by even after we accept it! If you are struggling with unbelief, don't think for one second that you are alone. Call out to God and ask him to help you overcome your unbelief.

We look forward to the future and how God will use this camp (and SFC Camp) to form our youth into disciples of Jesus who use their love of the outdoors to know God through His creation and to point others to faith in Jesus!

The command in James 5:16, "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed," is an often overlooked part of Christian fellowship, but it gives us a practical way to cut the legs out from under our sin. It allows us to hold each other before the Lord as believers and grow closer to Him and each other, while practicing unified holiness. And the best news is, whatever sin we may confess, God will forgive us instantly, every time.

We must too, like David, pray this same prayer found in Psalm 139. In doing so, God draws us closer to Himself. He leads us in the way everlasting, something we do not fully comprehend. But one day we will, when we stand before God in Heaven; until then we need God's help and His Spirit's guiding.

The story of God’s redemption in Jesus Christ is at the core of who we are as believers and it is meant to be the foundation for everything we do. It is the greatest story of all time! May it shape the way we worship, live and share God's love with others. If you do what you're already doing with this kind of intentionality, you will find that people are curious why, which will lead to opportunities to share Christ with others and lead them in worshiping Him.

As believers we must be vigilant in reading the Word daily so we know what it says and we can tell what is "heirloom" or pure biblical truth and what is "hybrid" or changed, altered truth. My prayer is that though the help of the Holy Spirit, God would give us a greater understanding of His Word and a longing to know it and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11)

We see it in Jesus' life too, momentarily breaking for prayer. But that could be a whole another post so we won't get into that today. Whether it be in a moment of confusion and breaking for a moment to ask for wisdom, a moment of frustration and breaking for a moment to ask for patience, whatever it may be - let us break and send up arrow prayers. We need Thee every moment Lord! May our prayer lives be a reflection of that.

What seeds are you currently planting/watering that have potential to bear spiritual fruit years from now?

Many sequoia trees stand at an elevation of over six thousand feet in fine and ashy soil, but they don't use their conditions as an excuse to stop growing. Despite what we might view as a poor environment, the sequoias never cease striving to touch the sky. I pray I can follow their example as I pursue the Lord, no matter what fires I encounter.

As worshippers, we are to be a people who continually call out and ascribe value, beauty and glory to God above all else. Ascribing glory to God through his creation is one of my favorite ways to worship and experience Him. I love to wander high into the mountains and look in wonder at His handiwork. While I already know the answer to “WHO?!”, I respond with gratitude, praise and delight with a simple, “THANK YOU LORD.”