Rock The Range!

Yesterday I woke up with a headache, an anxiety headache. It was going to be a busy day, and I wasn't sure that it would all go smoothly. Jeff and I were going to be counselors at Franklin Graham's Rock the Range Festival, and because I'd never done this before, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the right places at the right times. My biggest problem was that I was leaving the Lord out of the picture, and I knew it. For awhile now, I've known that I'm not good at trusting Him to help me with whatever I'm facing. I certainly wanted to change that, but it wasn't happening in spite of my efforts and prayers. So I sent up a prayer of desperation (probably God's favorite kind of prayer). I prayed that the Lord would get through to me and help me to trust Him. "I'm tired of feeling alone," I told Him. Specifically, I was tired of feeling like I have to work through all of life's trials, challenges, irritations, and difficulties by myself. I wanted HELP. When I said amen, I knew that help was coming. At least I have walked with Jesus long enough to know that He always shows up.

And He did.

Several bands played at Rock the Range, and one line in the song "Lift Me Up" (by the Afters) spoke to my heart: "In this moment I surrender to Your love". It seems odd that we'd have to surrender to God's love. Shouldn't we just bask in it and enjoy? But all of a sudden it became clear to me that the Lord has this ocean of infinite love FOR ME, but I wasn't receiving it. I had come to appreciate His friendship and His comfort, but I hadn't accepted His help (even though I had faithfully asked for it). I'd been feeling like it was me against the world. That's a bit overwhelming, yes? I began to realize that everything I need is there for me; all I have to do is accept it. Jesus' words, "Abide in My love" (John 15:9) took on new meaning for me. I've known that He meant: get to know My affection for you and let it flow through you to others. Now I see that it also means, let Me shepherd you, share My wisdom with you, take your hand and lead you EVERY step of the way. For probably the first time, my heart was connecting with the truth that Father is present with me for not just the fun and fellowship but also for the work and trials. Of course my brain had known this before. But last night my heart received this as a new revelation.

Later in the evening, Skillet sang, "This is the last night you'll spend alone."

I have never been alone.

But now I'm seeing that more clearly.

I pray that everyone who reads this will see that more clearly too.

Here's the chorus of "Lift Me Up":

"You lift me up when I am weak

Your arms wrap around me

Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I can't see

Your heart is all that I need

Your love carries me so I'm letting go"

The only way we're going to let go is if we know that His love catches us. It does.

My Prayer

I wrote this prayer in my journal today:

Dear Lord,

I repent of assuming that people won't/don't like me and that people don't care about me. Thank You for forgiving me; I forgive myself.

I can't give people the benefit of the doubt without some insight from You, Jesus. How do You see people? It's not hard for me to be compassionate with nonChristians and to not lay expectations on them. It's the Christians that I have trouble with. Lord, give me Your eyes to see Your love in them, regardless of how they behave. Your word is truth, and Your word says that You live in Your people. Some Christians are trying to make themselves good without abiding in You, their Vine. I've been there and I know all too well how much of a failure that's ALWAYS going to be. Father, please help them and me to see that looking to You and listening to You are the most important things we do in a day, and this is the only way to become like You. Help us to allow Your love to flow through us instead of trying to manufacture love apart from You. And please help us to know Your love more; since we love because You first loved us (1 John 4:19).

In Jesus' name,

Amen

2011 Camping Trip

This year's camping trip began Friday when we headed down the road around 8:15 a.m. While we were driving, Jeff told us about his grandpa's 1950 Dodge. Kids could jump on it without denting it. I said, "How was the gas mileage?" Jeff and his brother used to take the Dodge camping and sleep in it.

Jeff also shared a current news item: a woman gave birth Friday morning in a car at Mississippi Ave. and Interstate 225. It was a healthy baby boy.

Our first stop was only about 15 minutes into the trip. Jeff stopped to shut the hatch on our van. We brought a FULL load of stuff.

We saw a lot of Corvettes on I-70. They had license plates that said stuff like "Holy Cow" and "Y Ask Y".

We got on Highway 40, going toward Granby. Liz said, "Look for moose everyone!"

There was a sign saying "Hidden Driveway". We found it, how clever of us.

I announced that I'm scrapbooking this trip, and I told everyone to be interesting. Jeff offered to drive into the ditch.

Ten minutes later: Liz exclaimed, "Still looking for moose. Keep your eyes peeled everyone."

Amy asked how to peel an eye. We then had a discussion about dissection in science class. Once Amy was holding onto one end of a pig intestine and the guy on the other end let go and snapped it at her.

Liz: "We still have a little bit more pass (Berthoud Pass) to go. Keep looking for moose.

At last we got to the Moose Crossing sign which inspired all the moose watching.

Jeff said, "Pretty stream. No wonder the moose like it."

In Winter Park we saw a statue of a:

MOOSE.

Winter Park: At the gas station there were silly hats like the ones that Secretariat's trainer wore.

The tatoo shop was closed. "Darn," said Kara.

Back in the van, there was an eruption of applause when I successfully put a cd into the cd player. (I am technologically challenged, to say the least.)

Jeff said, "Look, moose. Nah, they're horses."

We did not find any moose jerky during our travels either.

As we approached a flagman directing us to stop and wait, Relient K was on the cd singing, "I struggle with forward motion."

Noon: Liz was trying to create a pressurized chamber within her nose to suffocate unwanted particles. We've been on the road too long.

Rabbit Ears Pass: Still driving. We were trying to figure out what to do with Liz's wad of gum. In the end it went out the window. We decided that a moose was going to choke to death on it, and then the police would investigate.

Finally we arrived at our destination, a beautiful campsite near Steamboat. There were lots of red, yellow, white, and purple wildflowers. The weather was perfect. We ate lunch.

Then we hiked through a meadow with more beautiful wildflowers.

Liz, Jeff and Amy went to do shooting practice. While they were gone, the mosquitoes showed up, so Jana and I started a fire to keep them away.

There was a discussion about snipe hunting and a quote from Up: "Kevin's a girl?"

There was picture-taking and video-making. There was a trivia question: Is Isengard on the north, south, east, or west of Middle Earth?

We ate hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on the fire. Liz showed us her impersonation of the mouth of Sauron. Then she told me there was an exciting training program in which Jana (age 10) would learn to be a gladiator.

We made s'mores. We remembered when my sister Marilyn decided she wanted to pass when playing BS. Marilyn isn't good at lying.

Liz attempted to spit on the fire, but her trajectory was way lacking. Eventually she succeeded in hitting the target, which produced a nice sizzling sound.

Amy told us about when she was young and she learned that socks don't come in left and right.

The moon was very bright.

After a good night's sleep, we awoke to a sunny morning. I got a good workout pumping water into our 5-gallon container.

After breakfast we loaded all our things into the van and headed to a hot springs pool. Then we had lunch at Wendy's and headed home.

Liz: "I've got a trivia question for you, Kelly."

"I forgot it."

Amy: "Is Isengard in the north, south, east, or west?"

Jeff was looking through a pile of stuff in the van and found Liz's eyelash curler.

Liz said, "Did you want to curl your eyelashes, Dad?"

We drove home, and as I was putting away the first aid kit, Jana asked, "Is there such a thing as second aid?"

THE END