hosea 2:16

The King of Love, my Shepherd is. 

Well, I've been at camp for 2 weeks and 2 days (WHAT) and it has been pretty grand, y'all. He knows my heart and doesn't disappoint. I'm doing things I love with people I love at a place I love and it doesn't get much better than that. 

So let's have some share time - here's what has been going on in my heart lately.

Wild and free.

These are the words the Lord has been calling me to grow in these past few weeks of work week and training week. All we've been doing is preparing for camp. And the Lord has used this time to prepare my heart for how the posture of my heart needs to be this summer. Let's break it down.

Wild. Hmm. My first thought with this is unrestrained. I think toddler running around without enough sleep and wreaking havoc in the living room. BUT I believe that God is trying to get at something a little different. I think He's going for something beyond belief - filled with wonder. Like a wild day at an amusement park - full of joy and awe and excitement that comes from a great experience. Unrestrained joy. 

Free. This one is a bit more interesting. To be free, I must know that I am protected and that I am safe. I must recognize the importance of the boundaries in order to exercise fully the joy that is desired. To be free is to know my identity without hindrance and to pursue love without restraint. Freedom is only found in knowing who I am. I cannot find freedom in pretending to be someone that I am not because then I would be inhibiting myself from true authenticity. Giving fully to God and fully to authenticity is living in full freedom. 

Okay. So wild and free. How do they work together.

1. The Holy Spirit resides in the wild and free. I can only be docile to the Holy Spirit and His promptings if I know my heart and my true identity that I am His. I can only let Him work in my life if I recognize the freedom He is inviting me to and how He desires me to give fully and freely of myself for His kingdom.

2. To be wild and free requires bold courage. I cannot be fearful and free at the same time. If I am experiencing fear, then I am believing the lie that I am not safe in Him. To be courageous and act according to His will no matter the circumstance - inconvenient or convenient -  THAT is what it means to be wild and free.

3. Dogs are pretty dang wild and free. REALLY THOUGH. When I was praying about this one day I saw one of my favorite pups on camp, Bandit, running across the field with his other dog friend Virginia. They were so wild and free!! Why? Because they were open to receiving love without exception. They ran up to anyone on camp knowing they are safe and will be cared for. They run across the field in majestic fashion --- living life wild and free. They know their boundaries. They know they are loved. And they just receive.

Okay, I know the dog analogy can only go so far. BUT. There is so much to learn there.

God is calling me to live wild and free. Do I know that I am His? Do I know I am safe and loved and cared for in His plan for me? Do I know that He will provide and I just need to be docile to His Spirit and open to His promptings? Or do I let fear creep in and allow myself to fall into forgetting who I am and Who loves me with an unending and fierce and gentle and ever-present love?

So, how has camp been these last few weeks? Challenging. Joyful. Hopeful. Beautiful.

But most of all - WILD AND FREE. 

Now bring on the campers next week!!

Praise You, King Jesus. Help me to be wild and free in knowing Your love like the sheep knows her Shepherd.

live with Joy.

--all photos courtesy of Madi Meyers-Cook Photography. She's pretty dang cool. 

1 timothy 1:12

"I am grateful to Him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry."

1 Timothy 1:12

Today I finished my junior year of college. I turned in my last paper and, with a celebratory nutella smoothie in hand, rejoiced in the summer sun. 

The stark white walls of my dorm room are picture-less.

My clothes and things are packed into duffel bags and ready to be stored away. 

I am one week from a flight to Atlanta to serve as a missionary for three months.

Moving from one mission field to the next.

I know that I haven't done the best job of updating this blog in that past school year ( I found many drafts I never posted ha)  - BUT FEAR NOT - I will be updating this blog during the summer as a way for y'all to be up to date on the great and holy experiences of summer camp and the glory of what's happening there. 

When I started this blog in a response to remaining fearless after my first experience of summer camp, I had no idea that I would be going back 3 summers in a row. LOL ya no. But God knows me and knows my heart and I am thrilled and humbled to be out tending the vineyard again at summer camp. 

One week from today I will be in GA and praying and dancing and jumping around with great and holy people and hammocking on the weekend and meeting hundreds of new friends and I'll probably lose my voice 4 weeks from now and ironing lots of altar linens and running around in chacos (or barefoot) and itching away at hundreds of mosquito bites. I'm pumped. If a run-on sentence doesn't make you feel excited for me, I don't know what will. 

So, three summers later I am still trying to remain fearless, still trying to remain in Him and remain in His love (John 15:9). I welcome you to join me on my mission this summer by praying for me and by checking out my donation page here.  I am still fundraising and have about $150 to raise to hit my goal.

I am ready to head back to early mornings and late nights, community holy hours, breakfast corndogs, teens running to reconciliation and excited about the Mass, loving on God's awesome teens and meeting wonderful and dedicated youth ministers and core members, great friends and encouragement and community and just some great love. yeeeeee!

I cannot wait to see what He has planned this summer. I have a feeling its gonna be a great one.

He is good, y'all. Praise. 

Live with Joy.