The summer didn’t go how I expected it to go. But that’s alright. It went how God wanted it to go. I expected something else, and initially maybe even wanted something else (and I think Terry felt the same way). But that’s fine. It went the way God wanted it to go.
My goal before the summer was to grow in my relationship with God. Mission accomplished. It didn’t happen how I expected it to happen, but God rarely works in ways that you expect. I wanted more clear direction of God’s will in my life, but I wanted God’s will revealed in specific areas in my life, it didn’t happen. But God’s will has become more clear to me in other aspects of my life that I didn’t expect (go figure).
My relationship with God and my devotion life have grown stronger, and I thank him for those things. I can’t promise that God will work in the ways that you ask him, but I can promise that He will work in you, and through you during the summer. I can also promise you this, as long as you are willing to let him work in your life, and as long as you and Terry are asking him for guidance He will work through both of you throughout the entire summer. Just remember, being a student team member is about serving God, not yourself.
The summer allowed time for me to really think and focus on the things of the Lord. Here is just one of my thoughts I decided to put down in print. read more
Who is God? What type of a being is he? We are told that he is a loving God, and that he is just, but what does that really mean? We are constantly telling kids (and people in general) that they need to ask God for forgiveness, and that they should love Jesus, but do they even understand who he is? I often wondered why God created us and what worth we really had. I always thought that God needed us to worship him, but I never understood why. Why would an all powerful god who has always existed and will always exist, need us? And why does he need us to worship him? I never understood why we existed and I never felt truly important (after all there are 7 billion people on earth, if we are all “special,” then none of us are truly special at all, at least that’s how I viewed it) until I understood who God is. God is a being dependent on relationship. He is three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He has always been in relationship, and he thrives on it. But this is where it hit me. God never needed any of us. He’s not some (narcissist) sociopath who needs us to worship him to feel important. God was perfectly awesome without us, and never 
There are many things that I can share with you about this year’s summer as a team member with iRock ministries, but for the benefit of the reader I will “briefly” summarize. To start off I will begin by stating that before diving headfirst into the vigorous, previously planned schedule, I was spiritually, physically and mentally prepared to give all I had to whatever God had in store. Being a recent graduate from Regent University majoring in Biblical and Theological studies, I was able to reflect what I was taught by my professors to all the kids, counselors and adults that I encountered. By all means I was still nervous to stand before kids teaching and preaching the gospel, but I felt in my soul that this year was going to be different than the previous year. The first reason is that instead of two students in the house, there were now four. Not only did this mean less food to enjoy and more testosterone, this meant that each person was responsible for their own weight and for helping to lessen the weight if another person was slacking or just was not able due to illness and work. In my case there was a lot of work to take on, including occasional trips to the Ernst farm stacking hay and straw to earn gas money. Then there was Cedar Ridge Adventures which gave me the opportunity to reach more kids by facilitating and encouraging them to conquer their fears and to truly value themselves and other people. The second reason is that on our agenda 5 camps were planned and the last reason is that God was going to stretch me in areas that I prayed I could grow.
This growth included a lot of trust and faith, not in me, in God. The trust that God was going to put me in a place and surround me with people that could allow that to happen. He did just that and more. God gave me confidence to help lead a worship team, to teach kids and answer their thought provoking questions such as, “Can God stop time and where in the Bible does God’s word say so?” or “What happens if someone dies, like your Dad and you do not know if your Dad is in heaven or hell?” He gave me the strength when I was weak and the knowledge to answer the questions. This summer God moved in my life to tell me that the future is not worth worrying about. I am 24 years old, single, still wondering where I can use the gifts that God has given. But if I worry too much about the future I would miss that God is and has been using me and my gifts all along in the present. God may be giving you a chance to reach someone now but you could be too worried about God’s future plan for your life to realize where He is calling you in the present. You do not need a stage to do what God has called you to do. All you need is an open heart and a willingness to do God’s work. You may not think that your church or ministry is big enough to reach many, but it is not about the size of your ministry or the number of people you reach. If God can use four students to reach kids in the small places such as Hagerstown and Clear Spring, MD, God can use you to reach someone in need of the love of Christ.
When Beetrice the honey bee visits Frederick, this was a day destined to ‘bee’ life changing. What begins as a conversation between Beetrice, the honey bee, and Dr. Stinger, ends with the salvation of seven children. Who is Dr. Stinger and was he actually talking to a honey bee? Dr. Stinger is a ‘bee’ therapist and Beetrice is a honey bee that thinks she needs to be a lightning bug so that her father would ‘bee’ proud of her. One day as she was collecting pollen she heard some kids saying, Matthew 5:16 “In the same way let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”