In reality, looking back, God has blessed me with multiple summers that fit that description. The summer of '05 was a magical summer after I graduated, where I didn't have a job, but lived quite well on graduation money, and hung out with friends playing disc golf and video games till 4 in the morning every night. The summer of '04 had me going straight from the most impacting IMPACT of my life to Honors Symposium to our mission trip at LIFT. The summer of '06 was incredible with my first internship at Central COC. Last year was equally incredible.
This year, the summer of '08 is only halfway over, and it may already be the most phenomenal summer of my life. I have been so happy these past several weeks and God has blessed me with so much. I feel like I'm going to tell my grandkids about the summer of '08. Here I am, 21 years old and in the prime of life, in the exact place that God wants me to be this summer, and just getting a chance to soak everything in. Here are some things just off the top of my head in no particular order:
- I am getting the chance to do some REAL REAL ministry here. God has blessed a lot of relationships here to allow for some deep discussion and his Spirit is really alive and active in this place.
- IMPACT was amazing this year! We had 15 Junior High students decide to get baptized and the theme of "Day of Reckoning" really got us as a group to look at things with an eternal lens. It was such a blessing to go on that journey with our teens.
- The weather has been beautiful this summer. Maybe global warming has just made me more used to heat, but the temperature has been very comfortable and almost every day as I go over the mountain from church to Hampton Cove I see beautiful sunsets, clouds, sky, trees. I don't know if I've just been in a very Emerson/Thoreau mood lately, but I am just in love with nature right now. The day I got back from Impact I went hiking for 4 hours on this awesome trail where I didn't see anyone the entire time. It was awesome!
- The new Coldplay cd is amazing!!! Every song is awesome. You can tell that they just wanted to get very creative instrumentally and lyrically and try a bunch of new things. It reminds me of when the Beatles realized they were so good that they could just go crazy and wild and got creative with Sgt. Pepper's and The White Album.
- The Boston Celtics just won the championship in a very fun season of the NBA, capped off by an old school Lakers/Celtics series. I used to always watch the old 80's Lakers Celtics series flashbacks on ESPN with Magic and Bird and always wish I could see one in my own lifetime. Plus I'm really glad that KG and Pierce finally got a championship.
- My boy Obama is the nominee, and I'm getting to watch the beginnings of a great debate between McCain and him. I have a lot of respect for both candidates and it is so refreshing to see two solid and honest candidates have a real debate on the issues. I feel so excited and un-cynical about politics right now, and I just have so much hope for things. Of course, that could all go down the tube, but it's nice every once in a while to throw cynicism down and just believe and hope for a change.
- Wall-E is probably my favorite movie of the summer so far! It was so smart and funny and had a lot of great messages (My favorite quote: "I'm tired of surviving. I want to live!"). Get Smart was ok and Price Caspian was pretty good. Everything else that I was excited about got bad reviews, but I can't wait for the Dark Knight!
- I am getting to share this summer with 3 other fantastic interns, and 3 great Youth Ministers. It is so great to come to work each day with people you love and enjoy. I have laughed so much and had so much fun with Barrie, April and Heath. And they've been a great support and encouragement to me as well. They've helped me out so much and have even been a shoulder to cry on at times. I have idealistic hopes that this isn't the end of our ministry together. I could honestly see Heath and I doing mission work together or something crazy like that.
- There have been some times when I've felt physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted, burdened, and poured out. But I have been continually filled and renewed by the Spirit. It has been great to continue my maturation and walk in Christ and feel the closeness I was hoping for last semester. I hope and pray that I can continue this closeness into the next school year.
- This past Wednesday our theme was Broadcast Generosity and so this week we're getting our community and serving. One group is going under bridges and feeding the homeless, my group painted at a Rescue Mission, and others are doing a lot of other cool things. It's cool getting to see God working here in the same way I've seen him work in Searcy and elsewhere.
- I just love my kids here! I feel like I have so many little brothers and sisters and I see God working in them so much.
