(If you want quicker updates, I am able to update more frequently on facebook where I am able to quickly upload pictures....our internet connection here is not the greatest and we have to walk to Timbuktoo in order to post anything)
Monday
We had a great day of travel and everyone got settled into their bunks! There are 42 of us staying in the cabin OKC, Olivet....it's about 75 yards from the prayer garden and high on a hill so we are definitely getting our exercise.
- In our cabin devotions tonight, I spoke from the Scripture 1 Kings 19: 8-15. From this the challenge made to the students and I make the challenge to you is:
v. 11, --God says to Elijah, "Go out and stand before me". God is calling our students to doing this this week--to go and and stand before me. Not run, not walk, but stand. God simply wants us to be still.
As Moses was standing before God, there was wind, an earthquake, and fire, but God was not in any of these. It says in verse 12 that , "And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
This week is all about the gentle whisper. Yes, there will be "wind, earthquakes, and fire"--there will be great worship music, great sermons and yes God will speak through those, but God will speak mostly in a gentle whisper--through His Word. We substitute concerts, music, ipod sermons, tv sermons, devotionals for the incredible Word of God. God wants to speak to you through a Gentle Whisper--His Word. Students(and you adults) need to get alone and just read God's love letter to us.
It says next that Elijah went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Where was Elijah? He was in a cave. Many of our you have been in a cave and God is asking you to go out of the cave and stand. What cave is it that you find yourself in? Family issues, friend issues, personal issues....whatever it is God is asking you to "Cast all of your care and anxiety on Jesus because He cares for You!"(1 Peter 5:7)
Finally, God tells Elijah to "go back the same way you came....." If I was Elijah, I would not want to go back the same way I came mainly due to the fact that there was a madwoman trying to kill me, but God tells Elijah to go back the same way that he came. It's interesting that God is telling all of us to "go back the same way we came". We are going to have to go back into the same world, the same family, so what do you need to prepare for? The good thing is that we get a chance to go back the same way CHANGED and given the opportunity for the CHANGE that Christ has done in us to effect our families and friends.
God is soooo good! May our students hear from God through the Gentle Whisper! (Check out the song by BlueTree called Life's Noise--pretty cool)
Tuesday
- Our Junior High Guys awoke to the sound, not of a trumpet, but of an air horn! That got their attention!
- The food has been excellent courtesy of James and Jana Purcell!
- Our girls played their first volleyball game and came in second(meaning they lost, BUT they did a great job)
- Our softball team did great but also came in second--should have seen Nic Meador's homerun--very cool!
- Our Sapulpa group made it safely around 7:30 just in time to join us for worship.
- God has been so evident and moving this week in our midst. The worship in our cabin has been awesome! The worship and Word in the tabernacle has been incredible. Tonight, we had two students who made professions of faith! We celebrated with them in the cabin by singing the song, "O Happy Day!" How cool is that!
- One of the coolest things this week is seeing our senior high students mentor our junior high kids in our family groups. I sooo appreciate these guys and gals learning to invest in the lives of those younger. These family groups meet together 2-3 times a day in prayer and discussion in applying the Word to their lives. Last night the family groups each shared their stories of how they came to know Christ!
- Because the prayer garden is only 75 yards away, we have plenty time to spend time in prayer(it doesn't have to just be a the prayer garden) but it has been a great place to spend one on one time with God and many of our students use this venue for their quiet time.
- Please be in prayer for us as the warfare will continue to increase as we go through the week. Please pray for me--kidney stones. It was interesting to explain what a kidney stone was to some of our junior high girls. Our students prayed over me last night and I was no longer "stoned" :)
Wednesday Morning
- The airhorn is my friend--I got Jase good this morning :)
- Our students are about to go and spend some time in the Word
- Check out my facebook page for more up to date status updates and mobile pictures--you can see our softball team, Cassie in our infamous mohawk wig, Nick in a nice "mustache"
- More updates coming later.....
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