Strength For Today

I came across this quote while doing my daily devotion...

"In my weakness, I have learned, like Moses, to lean hard on God. The weaker I am, the harder I lean on Him. The harder I lean, the stronger I discover Him to be. The stronger I discover God to be, the more resolute I am in this job He's given me to do." -Joni Eareckson Tada

No matter what we're facing, God's strength is shining. We just have to look for it.

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." -1 Corinthians 1:25

Did you catch that last part...

"and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength"?

God is strong, always. <3

The Case For Christ

This is by far one of the most amazing books I've read. The facts that are presented to prove Jesus' life and His existence are phenomenal. It has definitely strengthened my knowledge for defending my faith. And the best part about the book is the author's story. I won't say anymore because this is a book I highly recommend reading :)

The formula for faith:
1. Believe - "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." -1 Peter 3:18

2. Recieve - Christianity is unique. It's based on the "done" plan - Jesus has done for us on the cross what we cannot do for ourselves; he has paid the death penalty that we deserve for our rebellion and wrongdoing, so we can become reconciled with God.

3. Become - Paul said,"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

It truly opened my eyes and heart to things that would've otherwise not come to mind. It just shows that God is using everything He possibly can to teach me more about Him and evidence to defend who I believe He is.

Unforgettable

Group Shot

Lae'sha

A New Sister

I knew this week would be something to remember, and God definitely made that happen.

The week started out like I thought it would - sweet little children ready for a fun week at camp. Monday and Tuesday went pretty well. The kids were still a little nervous, which helped them pay attention and follow directions. As the day went on, they began to "loosen" up, or in other words, act up. Tuesday night I had cabin duty, which means that I was in charge of sixteen 8-11 year old girls into bed. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Having been up since 7am and going nonstop all day, I thought these girls would be asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
Wrong.
I have never been so frustrated in my life. They wouldn't listen and they most certainly wouldn't go to sleep. There was nothing I could do. I got to the point where I had to in the bathroom, sit on the floor and pray. I prayed for patience mostly. I prayed about how I should handle the situation and what I should and shouldn't do or say. I was in tears. I felt like a failure.
I finally got them to sleep around 11...which is about 2 hours after their bedtime. I sat in bed thinking, "I can't do this." And I was right, I can't do anything. But God can...and He did.

The next morning I woke up to an apology from every girl. Thanks God, for reminding me of your control. So that was over...now for a fun rest of the week.
Wrong Again.
Wednesday night was the start of it. 2 boy campers and 2 of the men counselors got sick. Sick as in flu sick. By about midnight, the count was up to 7. The next morning it was up to about 15, and after breakfast the count was over 20, with me being one of those 20. It was decided that camp had to be cancelled in hopes that none of the other kids catch the bug going around. But before the kids were sent home, they were able to have one more chapel service...and this is where God's amazingness happens. So prepare yourself.
After the girls chapel service, over 10 girls stayed after to learn about salvation. Each were able to talk to a counselor of a staff member, and I was lucky enough to be one of those counselors well enough to talk to a little girl. I began by asking her why she wanted to know more about salvation and what made her want to learn about it. What she said seriously brought me to tears. Here sitting in front of me wasa 9 year old girl who answered my question by saying, "Well, I want a relationship with him, but I just didn't think he wanted one with me."

Lae'sha Brown was saved on Thursday July 22, 2010. She prayed and asked Jesus to be her Savior and I am so blessed to have been able to be a part of that.

Camp Open Arms - Teen Week

I seriously can't wait to see the amazing things God has in store this coming week :)

COA - Week One

This past week I've been able to spend time with some amazing kids, some solid counselors, and some awesome leaders.

You never realize how lucky you are until you see how bad life can really be for some people, in this case, kids. Knowing that this camp is how these kids escape from what they face at home is a real heartbreaker.

Next week, God has given me the opportunity to be a counselor for pre-teen week. Nervous, yes. Excited, yes. Knowing that God will be in complete control is so comforting :) Being an example to others is one of the most important tasks of a christian, and God has put this opportunity in front of me to do just that.

Pray for me, and most importantly for the kids.

Today is a Good Day

Getting baptized today! I'm super stoked about that :) God had put this on my heart about 6 months ago, and I knew it was something I needed to do. Not only to show the world that I'm a child of God, but also out of obedience to Him.

My best friend Emma is coming to share this wonderful day with me. Again I say, Thanks God, for Emma Dollings.

Another thing about this baptism that means so much to me is that I have the privelege of being baptized by Alan DeFriese, one of the biggest role models in my life, and someone who has taught me so much about myself and about God in the past 2 years.

Not only am I getting baptized today, I also leave for Camp Open Arms, a Christian camp reaching out to a community of kids. It's the first time I'm going to be in a "leadership" role, but I seriously can't wait to meet these wonderful kids and have the opportunity to tell them the best news ever! Telling a child who may have had a rough childhood and just thinks that life is no fun, that there is someone who wants to love them and cares about them unconditionally is going to be pretty legit. I can't wait to share all I possibly can with these kids. God is putting them in my life for a reason these next 2 weeks, and it's my job to make sure they know who He is before they leave.

C for Christ, Not Casey

My first post.

First off, it took me about 15 minutes to decide on a name for my blog, so I knew for my first post I would be clueless. Well thanks to Peter Jones, that wasn't the case.

We tend to think we have control of our lives. Sometimes, we even think we are in complete control. But over the past few months, I have been shown otherwise...

I had my life planned out (well, for the most part). I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I was almost positive I knew how to get it. What I didn't know was that God also had a plan for my life, and He also knew how I was going to get there. The problem was, those two plans were totally different.
God had to do some serious intervention in my life for me to realize His plan was probably the better one. I'm going to be honest, my stubbornness and pride tried to fight it for a while, but of course, God's way is always the right way.

The past few months have been filled with trials, temptations, and of course some doubt. I started this rough patch of my life by asking, "Why? Why me?" and then soon found out I should be asking, "How can you use me?" Once the whole pride thing got put away, I realized how much easier it was to obey what God wanted me to do (complain-free) and know that He's got everything taken care of.

So the point of this post comes out of the title. This thing called life, it's not about us at all. It's not how we want it or what we think should happen. This is God's world, He made us, and we should listen to Him.

"Next to faith this is the highest art -- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you." -Martin Luther

Going through this tuffle (I may have just made up that word), a familiar verse kept running through my head...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

I honestly don't know what this blog has in store, but I know I was listening to God when I felt the need to make it.