AM I ANCHORED IN THE RIGHT PLACE?

One thing I have learned living on a lake and being on a boat is this, if you do not have your boat anchored in the right place, you will end up drifting to places your really didn't intend to go.  While it can be interesting to just drift around without being anchored, it's not wise.  The wind blows you in the direction it wants to with no regards to what you where you wanted to go.  Waves can push you in unsafe places that can cause damage.  To drift around a lake aimlessly with no anchor holding you in place can be utterly foolish.

How many of us drift through life without an anchor in place?  We just wander around with no cares in the world, going wherever the wind takes us can be exciting, but it can also be dangerous.  Drifting through life has consequences.  For example I'm sure your boss would not be happy if you just drifted into work whenever you felt like it.  I'm sure your bill collectors would not be happy if you just chose to pay your bills whenever you felt like it.  

Drifting around and letting the wind blow you around aimlessly is dumb!  Sorry if that hurts but it's true.  Without being anchored to something stable, we just become a "wandering generality" with no direction, no purpose, no plan and no future.  But also if we just live our life without an anchor to stabilize our life, we live our life without any hope.

If I allowed our boat to drift around the lake without being anchored, our boat would end up damaged and possibly inflict damage onto other boats that are anchored.  Likewise it is with our life.  If we just drift through life, we will end up damaged and possibly damaging someone else we never intended to hurt.

Hebrews 6:18-20  so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 

In my life I have chosen my anchor. God.  My hopes, my dreams, my future, my life, my family and my heart is anchored to God.  Through believing in Jesus Christ, because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I have a hope and a future.  

I could not possibly endure this life without God.  To drift through life seems so futile and selfish.  I would rather know that God has my back during the storms and trials in my life.  I would rather anchor my hopes and dreams to Him because His plan for my life is so much better and greater than my own plan.

This blog would never have happened if I wasn't anchored to God, this lake home would never have been ours if I wasn't anchored to God.  All the blessings in my life would be non-existent if I would not have been anchored to God.

Listen you may have a different opinion, but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord and our anchor is God.  I will not ever drift around like I used to.  

You see for me I know beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus Christ died for my sins.  He took the punishment I deserved and that has allowed me to have a personal relationship with God.  That gives me a hope for a brighter tomorrow and a promise for eternity with God.  That is where my anchor is tied to!  Where's your anchor tied to?

Lord, thank you for being an anchor for my soul, a refuge in a storm, a safe place to hide.  My hope lies in you and you alone.  Help me to share your anchor of hope with everyone I meet, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

IN SEARCH OF MY IDOL

So what is your idol?  Or should I ask who is your idol?  

Idols are something we deal with on a daily basis.  Every winter we watch and even vote for who will be the next "American Idol", we look forward to this competition because it is entertaining, but it can also be very consuming.  2 to 3 days a week we set our TV to record it because we don't want to miss a moment.  Some of us schedule our life around it.  Still some have parties on the nights it's on.  Seriously?

 Okay maybe it's the "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" shows that we schedule our life around.  Now guys you can't point fingers at girls who do this because how many of you record sports events or schedule your life around a sport event you don't want to miss?  I know my husband records it so he can watch it without commercials.  Football, golf, basketball, baseball, soccer, boxing, hockey, whatever sport that is your thing can become an idol.

Look at the stars on TV and the movie screen, singers and musicians, also sports top players can quickly become idols.  Hollywood is full of ordinary men and women who act for a living.  It's their job to entertain us and for that we begin to idolize them.  Paparazzi chase them down with cameras to stare into their private life because we want to know all about them.  What they're doing and who their with, is what we seek to discover.  

Okay how about food?  Can food be an idol?  Heck yea!  There are some people who simply have to have the best food, a gourmet chef, a five course meal or the old comfort foods of home.  Food isn't just nutrition to some people, it is an experience.  The food that is prepared shows some how much they are loved.  

I'm sorry but this stuff gets me!!!  Are we for real?  Are we seriously putting all this nonsense in front of the God who created all our food?  Are we putting off going to church because there is a football game on TV?  Are we brushing aside our Bibles for romance novels and murder mysteries?  Are putting God on a shelf because we have something more important to do?  After all God will always be there, we can come back later, right? 

1 John 5:21 (Amplified)  Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)--[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be). 

I love the Amplified version of this verse because it defines what an idol is.  I used to have idols.  I absolutely loved murder mysteries.   TV and book murder mysteries were my idols.  By the time I went to bed I was too tired for God.  Recently games on my I pad became my idols.  I would play and play for hours instead of reading a good book about getting closer to God or blowing the dust off my Bible so I could read that.

Listen there is nothing or no one (at least there shouldn't be) who is more important than God.  I have discovered that the more time I spend with Him, the more time I spend getting to know Him and His Son Jesus, the better my life has been.  Less drama, less conflict, less turmoil are some of the side effects of getting rid of your idols.  

For me my peace returns, my fear dissipates, my smile returns and my eating returns to a more healthy eating.  When my heart is full of the presence of God, my life becomes richer, not financially, but richer in love and joy.  

My idol now, is Jesus Christ!  He is my everything!  My hopes, my dreams, my health, my joy and my happiness rests in Him alone.   Through Him I have the promise of eternity, why wouldn't I have Him as my idol?

So today, I pray that your truthfully search your heart, your home, your refrigerator and your TV to see who or what is your idol.  Now you have to get real with this and be 100% honest, not with me but with yourself.

Lord, forgive me for the idols I have placed ahead of you.  Today I surrender all my idols to you.  Today I chose you as my idol.  Fill my heart, my soul and my mind with your presence, your words and your light, in Jesus name I pray, amen!

IN SEARCH OF FORGIVENESS

Matthew 6:14-15  For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.   But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

As I grew up in the catholic church, I was told I needed to go to a priest to confess my sins and be forgiven.  For me this was extremely uncomfortable, also it didn't seem logical.  As a young child I questioned this practice in my mind.  How can a sinner forgive a sinner?  Isn't God the one who judges my sin?  How can 3 Our Fathers and 4 Hail Mary's pay for my sin?  Didn't Jesus pay for my sin?  I was confused.

One night as I knelt down on the side of my bed for prayer, I heard a whisper, a still, small voice.  At first it was sort of scary but somehow in my child like faith, I knew it was God speaking to me. 

 "I can forgive you and I do forgive you.  Just speak your sins to me and I will wipe them away."

"But what about the priest?  Don't I need to confess to a priest in order to be forgiven?"

This conversation went back and forth for a while until I got it.  So with blind faith and trust, I began to seek my forgiveness from God.  There were so many confusing things told to me as I went through catholic school and high school, which I won't get into, but I didn't listen to those that weren't what God has whispered to me as a child. 

Forgiveness is one of those topics that people don't like to discuss, it's like a double edged sword.  Like this verse above says. if we forgive others, God forgives us.  So what if we are unwilling to forgive others?  Does that mean we won't be forgiven?

Listen I am not a biblical scholar or a theologian, but from what I have read, the answer is yes.  I don't know maybe I'm wrong, that is what this journey is all about for me, to find answers.  I truly believe that if we hold on to our anger and rage, if we hold on to our forgiveness, unwilling to forgive those who hurt us, then God will do the same.

It's like the story in the Bible about the guy who went to the king to ask for forgiveness for his huge debt.  The king forgave him and wrote off the dept as "paid in full", yet when the guy came across a guy who owed him a couple bucks, the guy said no, pay up or go to jail.  My friends is so much like us.  We expect God to forgive us our sins when we are unwilling to forgive those who have hurt us.  How sad!

This world is full of anger, hate and unforgiveness.  This sickness invades every area of our lives even churches.  I don't get it.  I for one know that I have hurt people intentionally and unintentionally.  I admit I have sinned.  I need forgiveness from God and the people I have hurt, but I also have been hurt by many people.  I want to have a heart that forgives others.

Let's be honest we are not perfect, we screw up, we sin, we make mistakes, we say things we shouldn't, we do things we shouldn't and we are a mess.  But out of our messes comes forgiveness from a God who should punish us.  By all rights we should be found guilty and condemned, yet we're not.  If God can forgive us for our sins, why do we think we are better than God and so unwilling to forgive others?

Lord, forgive me for my selfishness, arrogance and pride that keeps me from forgiving others who have hurt me.  Help me to be a loving example of your forgiveness.  Thank you for forgiving me and reaching down to whisper to a small child with questions.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.

I AM A JESUS GIRL ON A JOURNEY

John 14:6-7  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

For me this journey is real, it is profound and it is deep.  For me this journey has been plagued with good times and bad, hills and valleys, sunshine and rain.  For me this journey is far from over, I still have a very long road to travel, but that's okay because through this journey I have learned many things about myself, my God and others.  

I do not and I pray I will not ever take this journey lightly.  Far too many of us do.  If we believe in God, if we believe Jesus is really our Savior then our lives, our hearts, our words and our actions would change for the better.  

This journey I am on is a path that is narrow and it is sometimes scary.  Not everyone is willing to take this path, not everyone wants to go on this journey.  But everyone is welcome on this journey.  

I have been on this journey for my entire life and I have dealt with many disappointments and hardships.  It has not been a walk in the park.  I have lost friendships, I have been ridiculed, I have been ignored.  When I began writing this blog, people I thought would support me, didn't.  E-mails I sent were deleted, my heart poured out for all to read went unread by people I counted on.  Strangers gave me more positive feedback than some family members.  

To be honest, at first this hurt.  Then my journey as a Jesus Girl, grew deeper.  It didn't matter to Him who read it or who didn't, it was simply about obedience to do what He wanted me to do.  So I continue to pour out my heart whether anyone reads it or not.  My journey is not about pats on the back for a job well done, or how many likes I get on Facebook.  It's about becoming a Jesus Girl on a journey and sharing with you what is placed on my heart.  

There are many times this journey gets real tough and I have to look in the mirror and realize that it's me that needs to change and grow, someone else isn't the problem, it's me. So often we read what makes us feel good about ourselves in the Bible, we tend to listen to messages that tug at our hearts and think, "So and so really needs to listen to this message.  It may help them change."  All the while God is tapping us on the shoulders saying, "They aren't the problem, you are.  They don't need to change, you do."

It's not easy getting real with yourself and it's not easy taking the narrow path and it's not always fun being a Jesus Girl on a journey.  I have had to face many truths about myself.  I have had to learn to love myself and the person God created me to be.  I have had to get honest with myself and learn to shut my mouth.  This journey has been about growth and change.  A willingness to get real and a surrender of control is what it has taken for me to get to where I am now as a Jesus Girl, but the rewards have been amazing.  

I now a peace so profound it is hard to explain.  I have a love for God and myself that I never thought I could.  I have a trust so deep that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will work all things out for my good.  I have a faith that has given God access to enter the deepest, darkest secrets buried in my soul and heal my wounded heart.  I have a joy knowing that I will spend eternity in heaven.

You too can join me on this journey to become a follower of Jesus Christ.  Will you join me today?

Lord Jesus Christ, come into my heart today.  Forgive me of all of my sins.  I believe you died on the cross for me so that I may be forgiven.  Be my guide on this journey called life and help me to walk the narrow path, in your holy name I pray, amen.   

A CRY IN THE DISTANCE

As night begins to fall in the big city, the city lights seem so bright yet the darkness keeps on fighting.  It does not give up it's struggle to to destroy the light.  It's a constant battle everywhere, but nowhere is the battle between darkness and light as intense as in the big city.  Drug dealers and pimps try to peddle their goods to anyone and everyone with money.  They lure the weak and innocent into their traps with promises of happiness and love.   "If you're not happy, this pill with give you a feeling of pure joy."  "If you feel unloved I can introduce you to some men who will love you."

As I walk the city streets I hear the distant sound of crying.  It's actually a pathetic sound of sheer despair and utter desperation.  No one else seems to be paying attention to the cries.  Others have their headphones on, the constant stream of text messages keep them oblivious that someone needs help.  I don't know maybe some are just so used to the sound that they ignore it and walk away.  Some may fear for their life if they interfere, but I cannot listen to the sound without further investigation.  

A distance down the street a young girl has her head buried in her lap.  Her tears are real, her pain is so heart wrenching she cannot even sit up straight.  Her words begin to ring through the city like a slow, painful prayer.  She pours her heart and soul out,   

"Does anyone hear my cry?  Does anyone notice me?  Does anyone care what's happening to me?  Is anyone willing to love me?  Where is everyone?  Why does everyone just pass me by like I have the plague?  Where are you God?  Do you hear me?  Do you notice me?  Do you care?  Do you love me?"

The cries become increasingly louder as I approach and see the young girl.  Her long blonde hair is all knotted and tangled.  Her face we with tears, her eyes red and swollen.  The mascara is running down her cheek and the red lipstick has been smeared off.  A red mark has scarred her cheek and the finger marks across her neck points to the darkness that has invaded this city.

I sit down by her and tell her; "I have heard your cries.  I noticed you!  I do care!  I love you!  Let me help you.  Let me hold you.  Let me love you."  

 Psalm 57:1-3  Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to You for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of Your wings until the danger passes by.  I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth His unfailing love and faithfulness.

The promise they tempt people with are lies.  These lies try to invade the light that dwells inside of each one of us.  But if we cry out to God, He will rescue us.  The thing is sometimes He expects us to be used by Him.  If we are not willing to step out of our comfort zone and risk stepping into the darkness, the light will never shine.  If this was your daughter, would you want someone to intervene to help her?   

May the light of Jesus Christ shine from us so that we can help others destroy the darkness that is chasing them.  May we be willing to step in and intervene in Jesus name I pray, amen!

THE FIRE WITHIN US BURNS BRIGHT

Matthew 3:11  "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

It's been a long time since I wrote on a Tuesday. but God woke me up and called me out, so here I am.  

Ah, the Holy Spirit of God.  that topic brings up many interesting images.  When I was confirmed in 8th grade, I was very disappointed by the fact that a burning flame, like the ones described in the Bible, did not descend on my head.  I had heard the gospel passage many times before when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of fire.  The movies I had seen all had the image of a flame over their head, so that is what I expected.  When that didn't happen I was disappointed.  Maybe God wasn't pouring out His Spirit on me, maybe I wasn't sincere enough, maybe I hadn't said enough Our Father's or Hail Mary's?  What was wrong with me?  What did I do wrong?

Of course now I look back and giggle at this experience because no one else had a flame appear over their head.  I remember when my children were confirmed, none of them had a flame either.  I didn't fully understand, nor was I taught the truth about the Holy Spirit.  The priests and nuns of my day, nor my childrens, didn't bother to explain that it's not some ritualistic sacrament done at a certain age with everyone else in your class or at least it shouldn't be.  It is a very personal experience, one that is unique to each person.

I have heard stories of people who were "slain in the spirit".  I have heard about people who have had a warm sensation running through their entire body and I have heard that some people just have a knowing, a feeling.  Whatever your unique story is regarding the Holy Spirit entering your life and your heart, you know it.  

Whether you are 8 years old or 80 years old, it's not an age thing, it's a heart thing, a belief thing, a God moment.  Whether you are standing up, sitting down, lying down, kneeling down or overcome and "slain in the Spirit" each person's story is unique.  To claim that at a certain age you are ready to receive the Holy Spirit is silly.

As I sit and look back at my life I realize the Holy Spirit was working in me from a very young age.  My hopes and dreams seemed different.  My vision for my life was not like everyone else I knew.  I had no desire to go to college like all my friends.  There were no real career path I wanted, but I knew one thing very deeply, I experienced God in places outside of church, always have.

Every leaf on a tree, every sunrise and sunset, in the eyes of my puppy, looking into the Grand Canyon, watching the ocean waves, seeing my mom and dad dance, singing at church, looking at the Rocky Mountains and lying on my back watching the clouds roll by.  All of these things and more connected me with the presence of God more than any church building.  The Holy Spirit of God invaded me early in my life, I just wasn't aware of it.  It wasn't really talked about or discussed until 8th grade, then magically I was ready to learn about the Holy Spirit that was already working on my from the inside out.

   

You know for along time I have felt a sense of the Holy Spirit burning within me.   I din't get some flame burning on top of my head.  It was a knowing within me, a belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, in fact Jesus is God in human clothing.  It was accepting His love and His sacrifice that instilled the Holy Spirit into my life.  

The flame within me burns brightest when I am connected with God on a deeper level.  The deeper I go with God, the brighter the flame becomes. My life long goal is for my heart and soul to burn for God as hot as the fire in my picture.

May the flame of the Holy Spirit invade your heart and soul today.  May your life become tested and tried by the fire of God and may His love and joy and peace change you from the inside out.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.  

WHO COULD EVER LOVE ME?

The question, "who could ever love me?" is one that I think rings through everyone's thoughts at one time or another.  I know for me personally this question rears it's ugly head every once in a while.  Those are the times I throw the best pity parties.  Tears run down my face, my eyes swell up, and my nose plugs up.  I feel defeated, alone and worthless.  Everything seems to overwhelm me and causes me to doubt God.  I don't think I am alone, am I?

Life is hard.  Life is difficult.  Sure it'd be great if life was a walk in the park, but it's not.  Dreams become distant and buried deep within our soul and then eventually forgotten about.  Things happen, oh heck who am I kidding?  Life happens.  Disappointments, come and go like the wind.  Reality hits us right between the eyes and we become lost in a sea of depression and turmoil.

For the most part, my life is amazing.  But then there are those times when I am at my weakness and Satan hits me and hits me hard.   These are the times I become lost and broken.  He fills my head with

doubts and fears.  He continuously tells me how worthless I am.  He screams at me that I am unloveable.  He bombards me with everything in my past that I have ever done wrong.  He shows me how ugly I am.  He shoves my face in the mirror where I see every flaw, every wrinkle and every grey hair (which I hide).  Am I alone here?  Are there days when you feel absolutely pathetic?  Does anyone else throw pity parties?

Beaten down and overwhelmed, I run to the only place I can, the CROSS! 

1 John 4:10  This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 

When Satan's lies have taken it's toll on me, I run to the cross.  For many years I lived in a state of pity parties for weeks.  Now it only lasts a couple of hours, if that.  I run to the cross as soon as I recognize what is going on.  I run to the cross and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God loves me.

God loves me so much that He sacrificed His only Son for me and you.  This agape love changes Satan's lies into God's truth.  It changes my heart and makes me realize that this love is something I do not deserve.  It is something I have never earned.  This totally unmerited, self-giving love can invade my heart once I close my ears to the lies. 

You see what I have come to understand is Satan does not want us to feel this love let alone embrace it and believe in it.  He will do whatever he can and use whoever he can to defeat this love in our hearts. His goal is to break our hearts and fill us with doubt.   His mirror image of me makes me feel worthless and ugly.  "God doesn't love you if there is a God." 

Let me tell you this; there is a God and He loves you more than you may ever fully understand.  He wants His love to invade our hearts and minds.  He wants to overwhelm us by His love.  He can turn your mess into a message, your test into a testimony, your scars into stars.

Life may be hard, life may be difficult, but when I fully grasp the agape love God has for me, life is amazing.  The cross has shown me the true agape love God has for me.  The cross reminds me that I am never alone.  The cross overwhelms me when I think of the torture Jesus went through for me.  Am I worthy of that love?  No.  Did I do anything to earn that love?  No.  This agape love God has for me is a gift freely given.  

Please accept this love today.  Let this love invade your heart and mind.  

Do not accept any more invitations for pity parties.  Mark them, 

"Return to sender.  Address unknown."    

 May the agape love of God invade your heart and mind today.  May the cross be a constant reminder of the agape love of God, in Jesus name I pray, amen.  

DOUBLE TROUBLE?

Isaiah 61:7  Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. 

No!  Double blessings!  Double portion!  Your cup runneth over!  

So very often we expect the worst from God and others.  Things happen in our life and instantly we accredit this to God.  He's punishing us!  He's getting even with us for what we did or didn't do.  He's paying us back for our sins!  If you claim to know God and believe these lies than my friend, you know nothing of God, at least the God I know.   

God is love!  He does not punish us, He does not get even with us,  He does not pay us back.  If God thought this way, if He worked this way, He would not have sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us.  He would not have given us His Holy Spirit to live inside of us.  

Trust me I should be punished for my sins, but I'm not.  I am forgiven.  God should get even with me for the things I've done and haven't done, but He doesn't.  I am forgiven.  I should be paid back double for all the wrong I have done, but I'm not.  I am forgiven.  

When will we get it through our thick skulls that God is not in the revenge business?  What does it take for us to realize that God is love?  God is not like the mafia, He doesn't get you back.  God is not like the police who will lock you in a cell and throw away the key.   God is not like most of us, He is love!

We listen to the lies of Satan because I guess it makes us feel better in some weird and twisted way.  We deserve to be punished so we believe the lie that this cancer is God punishment for us.  We deserve to be paid back so this financial disaster is our pay back from God.  We are lied to and led to believe that God is an angry God who will destroy us when we don't do as we are told.

Okay let me be honest here.  God could destroy us in a heartbeat.  He could bring devastation on us so quickly we would never know what was happening.  God is love.  Yes we have hard times.  We have trials and storms that propel our lives in a direction we never expected, but my friends These times are a time we can show our true faith and belief in a God who loves us.  

When we have faith during these times of trials and storms, when we never stop believing and continue to praise God no matter how bad our circumstances look, God will reward us with double blessings, double portion.  

Now I am not talking about financially here so do not get your nickers in a twist.  I am talking about double blessings of joy, peace, happiness, love and health.  These things are priceless.  

God wants to reward us for our faithfulness by giving us a double blessing.  I for one want to claim it.  I want to reject the lies of Satan and believe what God says in His word.  I want everlasting joy.  Do you?

May the everlasting joy of God rain over you today.  May His love invade your heart and may you experience the double blessing and double portion God has waiting for you, in Jesus name I pray, amen!

GOD GIVE ME A SIGN, ARE YOU REAL?

Genesis 9:13  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

I know it's been a few weeks since I last wrote but truthfully I needed to collect my thoughts and determine how to write about what I experienced at Young Life Camp.  

Over 500 high school students spent 6 days hearing about the love of Jesus Christ.  The impact of these days was powerful for many.  The days were filled with fun and laughter as the students were disconnected with the outside world for those 6 days.  No cell phones, no TV's, no radios, no computers, no stress, no peer pressure, no Facebook, no Instagram, kids went off the grid for possibly the first time in their lives.  

Skits played out by volunteers with a story and a purpose.  Volunteers cooked, cleaned and cared for the kids. They had a chance to go tubing, to go zip lining, to bounce off the blob, to ride a very high swing, to do a ropes course, to ride go carts and play some rather hysterical and messy games all in the hopes of being a kid again.  It didn't matter how they dressed or what brand of clothing they wore.  It didn't matter whether their hair was styled or if they looked amazing.  They were there to relax and have fun.  Oh and they were there to experience the love of Jesus Christ. 

Many of these kids have never stepped foot in a church, let alone read a Bible.  To some Jesus was more of a religion than a relationship.  But for 6 days, the volunteers became Jesus Christ by just loving these kids and listening to them and answering their questions.  They poured their hearts and souls into making sure these kids felt loved.  

As I looked across the room filled with teenagers, I saw something that probably doesn't happen in the high schools.  Jocks and nerds, geeks and pot heads (okay I'm aging myself with these names but bear with me) cheerleaders and outcasts, ugly ducklings and homecoming queens together.  Side by side these teens worked together to win games, to finish a race or just sing a cool song.  There were no social or economic differences at this camp, these teens became friends and loved each other.

As I listened to the message of Jesus Christ I sat and watched their faces and heard the stories of suicidal teens, teens who never felt they were good enough, teens who never felt loved or accepted, teens who just wanted to be told they're okay.  Tears poured and sobs echoed as they came to grasp with the truth of Jesus Christ.  

Teens struggled with the truth, a truth many had never heard and if they had they didn't feel worthy to accept this simple truth.  

On the 5th night of camp the speaker sent the teens out to spend 15-20 minutes talking with God alone.  No friends, no buddies, no talking amongst themselves.  Time spent with God privately whether talking or listening.  (Pause)

Now before I go any further let me just say, the weather this day was perfect.  No rain, a few clouds and a nice breeze, but no rain, no storms anywhere around us.  

(Play)  A young girl who was struggling whether or not the speaker was telling the truth said a simple question, "God give me a sign.  Are you real?"

Seconds, I mean seconds, later this picture was taken by one of the staff members.  The rainbow was an answer to that young girls question.  The rainbow stopped in that cloud and was just above the camp only.  

Coincidence, I think not!  Everyone who saw this was in tears, yes even us adults.  The speaker was blown away by this as were all the staff.  

For me personally, this was a sign that God is always listening, always available, always loving. As tears poured down my cheeks, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would invade each teenagers life as they talked with God.  165 teenagers gave their life to Jesus Christ that day.  How amazing is our God?

If any of you would like more information on Young Life, please message me.  This organization has changed the eternities of many teenagers and adults also.  

May God continue to give us rainbows to remind us of His covenant with us. May His love surround us and overtake us.  May we share His love and forgiveness with everyone we meet in Jesus name I pray, amen.