this is the Slovakia Summer Intern team. These are not their normal outfits. We asked Robbie not to wear the bike shorts in public ever again. Interns are fun because you can make them dress up all silly and dance in front of large crowds of people. don't you wish you could be an intern here with us.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Daily Bread
I'll be real honest...my spiritual life hasn't been too great these days. As is my normal bend I have let the "urgent", task oriented details of life get the better of me and push the spiritual life right out of me. But the more honest truth is that I tend to use that as an excuse. I look for reasons to let these things crowd out my walk with God. Partially because it's a whole lot easier for me to work on an excel spreadsheet, fire out 25 emails, and organize meeting notes than it is for me to sit down and pour my heart out to God. I am not this helpful, giving, sacrificial person...I am just choosing what comes more easily and naturally to me. I can blame it on my "wiring" as being High C (or a Beaver depending on which personality profile you look at), but at the end of the day I usually choose everything else on planet earth over time with God.
So I cycle through...I enter a phase of really enjoying reading God's word, trying to connect, knowing He is near...then I take a little break and think "I'll be fine...it's just a few days off, let's not get legalistic about the whole thing". Then a few days turns in to a few weeks and I haven't prayed or thought about God or really cared about anything other than myself in quite some time. Which pulls me into frustration, self-loathing, and a general "not-niceness" that creates more frustration, self-loathing etc.
Currently I am pretty deep in that phase. Camp is right around the corner. The "big dance" of my time in Slovakia. Finally I have a captive audience and a safe, honest place to share the truth about who God is, what he has done in my life, what he promises to do in all of our lives. Part of me cries out to have students see a life transformed by the radical truth of Jesus Christ! But as i head to camp in 3 days I am tired, drained, disconnected from the Father and not at all a radically changed being. How can I share about Jesus when I have been so far from him myself. How can I tell students the NECESSITY of a life lived in Christ, by Christ, for Christ when I am failing so miserably to live that out myself. I can't fix this issue in a day...but I also really am so sad about the place my heart and my spirit is in.
I was thinking about this issue the other night and had a pretty significant realization...which I am chalking up to the voice of God. Pretty simple truth that hit me like a ton of bricks. God is my daily bread. His word, his spirit, the refreshing and filling of my spirit is a DAILY thing. I ate breakfast yesterday...but that doesn't mean i don't need to eat breakfast again today. I need to eat and drink from God daily if I hope to be sustained by the life He offers. You don't come to the well once, but over and over again. My spiritual life is a daily bread kind of thing. We can skip a meal, sometimes go a whole day, in extreme cases our bodies can SURVIVE (but not thrive) without food and water. But we need to eat and drink every day to be at our best...to be nourished and have energy. I am not sure why I keep forgetting that God's word and His life is DAILY BREAD.
I want to take and eat every day knowing that to THRIVE I need to be going to HIM for nourishment. Stop skipping meals with the Lord and have my Daily Bread.
So I cycle through...I enter a phase of really enjoying reading God's word, trying to connect, knowing He is near...then I take a little break and think "I'll be fine...it's just a few days off, let's not get legalistic about the whole thing". Then a few days turns in to a few weeks and I haven't prayed or thought about God or really cared about anything other than myself in quite some time. Which pulls me into frustration, self-loathing, and a general "not-niceness" that creates more frustration, self-loathing etc.
Currently I am pretty deep in that phase. Camp is right around the corner. The "big dance" of my time in Slovakia. Finally I have a captive audience and a safe, honest place to share the truth about who God is, what he has done in my life, what he promises to do in all of our lives. Part of me cries out to have students see a life transformed by the radical truth of Jesus Christ! But as i head to camp in 3 days I am tired, drained, disconnected from the Father and not at all a radically changed being. How can I share about Jesus when I have been so far from him myself. How can I tell students the NECESSITY of a life lived in Christ, by Christ, for Christ when I am failing so miserably to live that out myself. I can't fix this issue in a day...but I also really am so sad about the place my heart and my spirit is in.
I was thinking about this issue the other night and had a pretty significant realization...which I am chalking up to the voice of God. Pretty simple truth that hit me like a ton of bricks. God is my daily bread. His word, his spirit, the refreshing and filling of my spirit is a DAILY thing. I ate breakfast yesterday...but that doesn't mean i don't need to eat breakfast again today. I need to eat and drink from God daily if I hope to be sustained by the life He offers. You don't come to the well once, but over and over again. My spiritual life is a daily bread kind of thing. We can skip a meal, sometimes go a whole day, in extreme cases our bodies can SURVIVE (but not thrive) without food and water. But we need to eat and drink every day to be at our best...to be nourished and have energy. I am not sure why I keep forgetting that God's word and His life is DAILY BREAD.
I want to take and eat every day knowing that to THRIVE I need to be going to HIM for nourishment. Stop skipping meals with the Lord and have my Daily Bread.
Presov/Kukova/Serbia Summer Team
This is my team this summer. They are all pretty great and it has been so cool to spend time with them, hang out and prepare for our camps. Josh and Ben are the guys in the back left corner...they are from Indiana and have probably the best blog in the world...check it out if you have time. In the back middle is Mike who also lives here in Presov with me. He has done amazing things for us and with us this summer and so much of the behind the scenes stuff has been Mike's life. KECY camp is happening in large part because of Mike's hard work. On the other side of Mike is Dano...one of our Slovak Interns. He is in school in Prague studying "cryptology"...he is basically a code breaker and a stinking smart dude. Also one of the nicest guys on the planet. Up front is me...as usual not enjoying having my photo taken. Next to me is my new roommate Lee Ann!!! A fellow Atlanta girl who I am enjoying having here in SK and am excited to get to know better. Next to her in the cool shades is Melissa. She is a senior at UGA and a very cool girl. I am excited about what God is going to do in her life over these next months. The far right corner is Maja another of our Slovak interns. She is super sharp and is studying Missions at a university here in Slovakia.
We really have been having a blast and learning about each other and learning to work as a team. I couldn't have asked for a better team and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
We really have been having a blast and learning about each other and learning to work as a team. I couldn't have asked for a better team and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Remember Me?
Hello out there...it's me, the girl who actually used to log on to this and write things to people who might be reading this. SInce i haven't posted in so long I have probably lost all of you who check in with the old blog but for the faithful out there I decided to check in...
So...what's new? Life has been crazy with camp planning, intern training, life stuff, and general summer craziness. My schedule is all off kilter and i haven't been able to have a language lesson in a while. Hopefully once our Slovak camp and our camp in Serbia are over my life will return to normal a bit. There is a link on my blog for the blog of 2 of the interns we have here for the summer (Josh and Ben) they are great about updating so you can get a good idea of our day to day there too!
still learning a lot and really heading into my first major homesickness place. I have been here 4 months now and as the "novelty" wears off there are some challenges. I still really love being here, and KNOW that I am where I am supposed to be, but there have been some tough days!
All is well...pray for camps if you have a moment!
So...what's new? Life has been crazy with camp planning, intern training, life stuff, and general summer craziness. My schedule is all off kilter and i haven't been able to have a language lesson in a while. Hopefully once our Slovak camp and our camp in Serbia are over my life will return to normal a bit. There is a link on my blog for the blog of 2 of the interns we have here for the summer (Josh and Ben) they are great about updating so you can get a good idea of our day to day there too!
still learning a lot and really heading into my first major homesickness place. I have been here 4 months now and as the "novelty" wears off there are some challenges. I still really love being here, and KNOW that I am where I am supposed to be, but there have been some tough days!
All is well...pray for camps if you have a moment!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
drawing a blank
so much of me wants to update this thing with funny stuff and be clever and witty and have people post on it and say "you are so funny, i love your blog". then part of me wants to be all spiritual and post deep insightful reflections about life and philosophy and cross-cultural ministry. then part of me really just wants to write and tell anyone who might happen to read this thing that suddenly today i found myself longing for Roswell Road. I was staring out my window and i caught a glimpse of myself on a warm Saturday driving up Roswell Road windows down without any particular place to go. I guess it was a longing for the familiar or something.
these last days have been really hectic. good...but hectic. we are working through some major challeges with camp this summer and we have American interns here with us for the summer. it has been really fun and the 3 Presov interns and 1 new Presov team member are GREAT. it has been pretty much non-stop go go go for about 10 days now and i will admit i am a little wiped out. and on the verge of being cranky.
Today my team is outside of Presov promoting camp. I did not go with them because i needed to do some work for camp but it's giving me the welcome chance to sleep in, have my coffee, have quiet time and breathe for a second. but i was a little stupid about it and managed to schedule meetings with different students from 3 until 8 tonight. one of these days i may actually have a day off where i really have a day off :)
these last days have been really hectic. good...but hectic. we are working through some major challeges with camp this summer and we have American interns here with us for the summer. it has been really fun and the 3 Presov interns and 1 new Presov team member are GREAT. it has been pretty much non-stop go go go for about 10 days now and i will admit i am a little wiped out. and on the verge of being cranky.
Today my team is outside of Presov promoting camp. I did not go with them because i needed to do some work for camp but it's giving me the welcome chance to sleep in, have my coffee, have quiet time and breathe for a second. but i was a little stupid about it and managed to schedule meetings with different students from 3 until 8 tonight. one of these days i may actually have a day off where i really have a day off :)
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