get connected!

So, you're near to the Wabanna area... but summer is over and your interaction with us has probably become less (until next summer, of course!)... so, where, can you find encouragement? Where can you surround yourself with other people, your age, who love God and want to learn more about him? Where can you find a group of people to do lots of fun stuff with?

I'm so glad you asked!

There are a lot of great churches in the area- and we would love for you and your family to get plugged into one! Church can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. You might have grown up in a church that, honestly, was boring to you. Or maybe you've never gone and have no idea what to expect. I would encourage you to check out one of your local churches, see what you think! You can built fantastic friendships with people and get awesome encouragement and love through a church family. You can also continue to learn and discover more about our great God! I have met some of my greatest friends through church- and I played some mean Ultimate Frisbee when I was in youth group! I mean seriously, you would fear me...

Here are just a few in the area where some of our staff attend-- check out their websites...

-Chesapeake Christian Fellowship in Davidsonville: http://www.chesapeakechristianfellowship.org/
(Hey campers, Pastor Christian is the youth pastor and spoke in senior chapel this past summer!)
-Riva Trace Baptist Church in Davidsonville:
http://www.rtbc.org/
-Belcroft Bible Church in Bowie:
http://belcroftbiblechurch.org/
(Morgan is the youth pastor and he spoke in senior chapel this past summer as well!)
-Bay Area Community Church in Annapolis: http://www.bayareacc.org/
-Revolution Annapolis in Annapolis: http://www.revolutionannapolis.com/


There are lots more- if you would like a recommendation for a church closer to where you live, leave a comment and we will post some more- as well as any questions you might have, feel free to ask!

i've got the joy, joy, joy- down in my heart

I was listening to my iPod as I was cleaning this week, and while on "shuffle songs" an old favorite by Bethany Dillon came on called "hallelujah". The chorus stuck with my for a while- she sings, "whatever's in front of me, help me to sing hallelujah. Whatever's in front of me, I choose to sing hallelujah."

Hallelujah- a shout of joy or praise. Can God help us shout for joy? Can we possibly choose that? John 15:9-11 says "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." With the joy of Christ in us we can have joy. Because there is a joy rooted in us from Christ- whatever is in front of us, we can sing hallelujah. Whatever- that means when things seem great and when things seem not so great.

I think happiness is an emotion. It is a feeling we get, or don't get, based on our circumstances. We may wake up and feel well rested and be excited about the day ahead and therefore feel happy. We may get a great gift from someone and it makes us happy. We get an unexpected day off from work or school and feel happy. But joy, is much different. When it seems like we are going through a rough period in life, or something really difficult has happened in our day and we feel like we are only dredging through the hours we probably don't feel so happy. If that gift that someone gave us (which once made us happy) is taken away or broken we probably don't feel happy about it.

But if our joy is rooted in Christ, if we obey his commands and remain in his love, like the Bible says in John 15, then our joy can still be made complete. Because earthly things, even people, do not define us or complete us- Christ does. We find our joy in him. If we look at John 15:4 we see Jesus says "Remain in me and I will remain in you". As we believe that he remains in us, we can also know that we have joy. It may not always be easy- but we can choose to sing hallelujah because of the promise Christ made to us- that in him, our joy is made complete.

Believe me, I know the world will throw some difficult, troublesome things our way. That, we can be sure of. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33- But we have a savior who has overcome those things completely and he is where we can find our joy! Sounds pretty legit to me.

Psalm 4:7-8 says "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests. I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Joy may not always look how we think it should. I feel like I should write that again- Joy may not always look how we think it should. (I think that is often because we confuse joy with a feeling, like happiness). We may think those who have the most, who have everything ("those who have abundant harvests" as the Bible puts it) would have great joy. But the writer of this Psalm says God gives him greater joy than those who have "everything". He says, " I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe". He knows God has his back- and that gives him great joy!

God's got your back. Remain in his love. Obey his commands. And his joy will be in us!


posted by: Tara

distrac... what was that? oh, distractions.

There is this cricket in my office and it is very annoying. I first heard him chirping yesterday afternoon- and when I sat down at my desk this morning, he was still going strong. I will get up to look for him (so quietly, I might add) and it's like he knows! As soon as I stand up from my chair he gets quiet. Almost immediately after I sit back down he starts playing his little cricket symphony again. He is driving me c.r.a.z.y. Because he is such a distraction. I am trying to work on things and then I realize I am literally holding my breath waiting for him to stop. Or, when he takes a break and starts up again it hits a nerve and whatever train of thought I am on gets completely derailed. It's the worst. It's a distraction, and we all know how distractions keep us from thinking about what it is we are supposed to be thinking about.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" Philippians 4:8 
So these are the things we are to be thinking about. These are the things we should "put on" daily. I mean, we should set out to live these things out. Deciding that we will make choices that are right, pure and admirable. If there is anything we can do or say that is praiseworthy it is those things that are true. We should treat others justly, being fair and right in how we deal with them. We will choose honorable and commendable things.

So why don't we always? Why is it that we allow impure thoughts to fill our minds? Why do we put ourselves above others, or, instead of being fair we are kind to who we like and decide we don't have to be kind to those we don't like? Why do we spend time thinking about things that we know others would not find honorable or admirable? Why do we think untrue thoughts or speak lies instead of truth and expect that maybe no one, not even God will know? Distractions. In Hebrews 12:2, the bible tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus", but why then is it that he is not always at the forefront of our minds, he does not always take the #1 seat in our lives? I think it tends to be from distraction. We allow ourselves to spend to much time thinking about _________. You fill in the blank. What consumes your thoughts? Is it clothes, money, popularity, fame? Or even not the obvious "materialistic" things that can be negative distractions... There are "good" things too, like success in school or a job, relationships with friends and loved ones-- but these good things, when put before God, still become distractions. We have to be careful to remember to put God above all other things. Some distraction we need to completely get rid of (like this cricket!) but some, we just need to get our priorities straight. God first- then everything else will fall in line. When we do this, it makes it easier or more commonplace for our thoughts to be on those excellent, praiseworthy things- thoughts that are only true, honorable, just, pure, holy and commendable.

Just as this cricket is trying to distract me from my work today... what distractions keep you from thinking on those praiseworthy things- that keep you from fixing your eyes on Jesus?

posted by: Tara

to never be thirsty again.

Water is an element that everyone, I would think, can agree is very necessary. It is one of those things that covers a little more than 2/3 of our entire earth and our bodies are made up of about 60% water. It is really no argument that water is important. I think I feel the importance of water even more in the summer. When the day's temperature pushes above 100 degrees all I can think about is drinking a huge glass of water or jumping into the pool.

Water is used in the Bible as a metaphor or symbol a lot. Isaiah 12:3 says "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation". In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, he refers to the Lord as "the fountain of living water". But what does all of this mean? We know that water is important. In fact, we need it to live. Imagine, without water, we would only be 40% of a person! So if the Lord is our fountain of living water... that must be something really important too.
 Jesus tells us he will not only provide that all-important water, but he provide us with water that with forever quench our thirst! In John 7:37-38 Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."... sometimes it seems confusing though. I get that we have to drink water- that clear not-so-flavorful stuff that is good for you. If you are thirsty and you drink water, it quenches your thirst, at least for a little while. But how exactly do we draw from God's well of salvation, or drink a "living water" from Jesus that will allow us to never get thirsty again? Such thirst-quenching fulfilling water that we will have streams of water flowing from within us?! If ever I've felt confused about this, it is comforting to know, I am not alone...
In John 4 Jesus meets a Samaritan woman who was at a well- she needed to draw water from the well. Jesus has a great conversation with her- you can read the whole story here. She is somewhat confused and asks Jesus, "where can you get this living water?" (what a great question, Samaritan woman!!) Jesus says to the woman in John 4:13-15, "Everyone who drinks this water (that is, from the water well the woman was at) will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

The truth is, we will need to continually supply our bodies with water, good old H₂O, in order to live. We will always want to jump in the refreshing pool when the sun beats down on a hot summer day. But this living water... if we accept Jesus Christ, believing that he is our salvation, our rock, our light in darkness, our provider and our portion- we believe that he will completely fulfill us- he is our living water. If we know these things, we will not need to continually search for other "water" that will fulfill us, protect us, provide for us and save us. If we do try to search for something or someone else to fill us, (or "quench that thirst"), we will just continue to be "thirsty" because no other person or thing will provide all of that for us-- only Jesus Christ can! And what a refreshing thing, to not be "thirsty" again, to be filled with living water that becomes a spring welling up!

posted by: Tara

staying connected.

Summer camp 2010 is over and school is back in session. We are hanging on to these last few weeks of summer before they give way to fall. For so many of us thoughts of summer camp 2011, are already filling our minds. The reality is, however, that we have almost nine months before it all begins again! While we have some time to wait for another action packed, memory making, awesome summer- we want to keep in touch with you as the months go by!

It is my hope that this blog will be a place for you to feel connected to Wabanna even as we wait for next summer- for some of you, hundreds of miles may separate us, and this is, I hope, just another way to help you feel a little closer!

So what's with "rooted"? Colossians 2:6-7. "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." This verse is the theme of this blog- as it is my sincere hope that in a small way, weekly devos will encourage us all to do these things- to continue to live in him, to strengthen our faith, to be thankful and to be rooted in him.

Trees are some of my favorite things. Really. I think trees can be so amazing, especially when they stand so tall. Trees provide some much needed shade in the summer especially. Just about every summer I think about how I could possibly plant a tree 'just so' that its branches would stretch over the Giant Swing to provide some relief from the hot sun! They (I don't really know who "they" are, just, the tree people...) they say that a tree's roots can spread to about three times the area that the branches spread! The roots provide support for the tree- they keep the tree from falling over (or, they do their best, anyway). The roots absorb all the water and nutrients the tree needs to survive. They are important, to say the least. So, if I imagine us as having roots, I cannot think of anything or anyone to better be rooted in than Christ! To be rooted in Christ- to be supported by him and to be provided everything I need, by him! So, let's set down our roots in Christ and continually turn to scriptures in the Bible to draw nearer to him- our root system!