A Recap of Sorts: The Beauty in the Body of Christ

This past week, I had the opportunity and privilege to serve as a counselor alongside my mom at Student Life Camp with students from our church. It was an incredible week to spend teaching, encouraging and growing with them. Each evening, there was a youth pastors meeting held that I attended since I was the fill in for the week. During these we would share prayer requests and praises from our groups for the week and it was really cool to see how God worked in the lives of all present and how we as followers to gather together to aide one anothers needs whether with vehicles and coolers or spiritual needs amongst our students. At our last meeting they left us with this question to share, "How would you describe camp in one word?" Thinking on this and pondering through the week, I came with unity. Unity as the body of Christ is what stood out amongst Student Life 2014 and it was beautiful.

It was beautiful to see the unity in the Student Life staff. They served in whatever ways possible to aide us and to help the students. From the time they pour in week in and week out I am extremely thankful that they continue to pour in all they have in hopes to reach these students for the gospel. It was incredible to see how the Lord worked through them from the rec games and testimonies and devotions shared there to the skits they performed in hopes to have the students begin to find their identity in Christ.

It was a great blessing to have Casey Darnell leading worship and having David Nasser as the camp pastor for the week. They stayed true to God's Word and proclaimed Christ in every aspect.  Casey was clear in making our worship's sole purpose to proclaim God's glory and bring him praise while David presented how our identities our found in how we answer the question and theme for the week, "Who Do You Say I Am?" based off of Mark 8:29 as well as give practical scriptural reference of how to come back from camp still rooted and grounded in what we've learned and continue to pursue Christ.

It was beautiful to see how our group grew in God's Word and together as a community. I'm not with them much throughout the year because I'm away at school but I could see a huge difference from last year to this year in how they've grown with God and how some have grown in leadership pointing the others to Christ. They were encouraging one another daily and eager to learn all they could from our family group times and the main sessions of the week. They began to share and bear one anothers burdens by actively pursuing ways they could be praying for one another. I was amazed and in awe of how God was working in their lives and how he was doing immeasurably more than we can imagine based in Ephesians 3:20-21.

I saw the beauty of the body of Christ come together this week even at young ages and it was an amazing thing to witness. As we aided them, they aided me in showing how firm they were standing in their faith and the realizations they had of pursuing what we're called to do in making disciples wherever we are and live out our faith so Christ may be glorified. My prayer is that we may continue to find our identity in Christ and our answer to who we say he is is that he is our savior and redeemer. The one who bore all so that we may have an eternity with him. The one who took on all sin and gave us unconditional love and grace that we don't deserve but because of this love he gave it to us anyways. So as we close out this week, I challenge you in the same way we were in answering this question, "Who Do You Say I Am?"

Following are a few snapshots from the week from rec time to worship to the #secretselfies taken throughout:

Join With Me...

This week, my church youth group will once again be embarking on our trip to Student Life at Cedarville University. This is our second year going with a great group of students and I'm excited to see what's in store for us while we are there. But I wanted to ask that you be in prayer with and for as we are there this week.

1. Pray for the Students
    I ask that you pray for them and how God may work through them. Pray that they come to a deeper understanding of Christ because of the time they have here. That they don't waste the opportunity given and they truly grow in the Word. That as they learn and grow in this environment and have to return as always at the end of the week to reality, that they may come down from this spiritual high still rooted in the Word and grounded in the foundations laid this past week. That they will hold each other accountable and bring encouragement to each other as they grow closer. That as a group they may examine how they can seek to serve the Lord and bring him glory. Ultimately, that they continue to pursue Jesus with everything in their lives for his glory, honor, and praise.

2. Pray for the Leaders
    This is the third time my mom and I able to break away and serve in this manner. I look forward to these times and am excited for the ways her and my dad poured into me during the time I was under their ministry and now I have the chance to serve alongside of them in their ministry and it is an extreme blessing. But I ask that you pray that God may humble us before him and use us as his instruments this week. That we may have patience and grace with the students. That we would be willing to serve them in whatever ways that they may come to know him more. That as we teach, we will do boldly, not straying from his Word, and not of ourselves but him speaking through us. Pray that our influence on these students will point them to Christ and he may be glorified by us throughout this week.

3. Pray for the Speaker
    I ask that you be in prayer for the speaker and our time with him throughout the week. That he may be humbled before God to use him and speak through him and that our hearts may be open to what he is saying through God's Word.

4. Pray for the Staff
    The Student Life camps are held all around the country throughout the summer and these groups of staff travel all over week by week. I ask that you pray for them, that God would give them strength in continuing on because I know it must be tiresome. That they may exemplify Christ by their actions and words throughout the week, pouring into these students lives to point them to Christ even though they are only with them for a short time.

Above all else, pray that God may be glorified in every aspect of this week. That we realize though the games and time to hang out are great, but the true reason to gather is to learn and worship the one who deserves all praise and glory for the grace he has poured into our lives.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)