Asmt #19

    Tomorrow we as a launch group are going to river side camp in story city, and we each need to ask four ?'s. These are my ?'s.
    How do you feel you as a leader keep your staff feed spiritually? The reason I am going to ask this ? is because I asked this ? at the last camp we visited, because how can a camp say it is effective if there ministry if there personal life's do not show any grow. And it is up to those in the leadership not necessarily lead but make sure that there family is healthy.
    My next ? is Why do they think there mission statement best suits there camp, and do they believe that they are reaching outside of there para church responsibilities with it? There statement is, To know Jesus Christ and to make Christ known to all. This to me states to be good Christians, but maybe not what there camp should be. A camp is not a church.
   My next ? is, What is a Gala? It seems to be there big fundraiser, but there site tells little about it. and maybe it will give us something to use as a fundraiser idea for camp.
   And last, There Internet site says they put God in everything they do, and express it by teaching in everything they do. I am curious to know how they do that and how the train others to teach the same thing or new lessons accurately.

Asmt #17

     We have been talking about were camp is going. In what direction camp is looking into and in what we need to do to please our guests. Our assignment is to take three measurable visions for camp to be achieved for next year.
     I think the first thing I love to see have change is to increase our paint ball courses and participants. I would like to see with so ground here at camp that we could build two more paint ball courses and use them for advertising to increase are paintball camps by 15%.
     The next thing I would like to do is increase are camp run retreats by 10%. As it is mainly our advertising and word of mouth that increases these retreats. I believe increase in sponsorship will increase some of our most successful retreats.
     Lastly I would like to see camp increase its winter retreats by two retreats. Winter is a slow time at camp and most winter retreats are family reunions or holidays. While many family's are spending money on Christmas a lot of family's are home, and if we found the right attraction we could get people to come to a weekend at camp.
    Camp is always changing, but our God remains the same. To reach as many people as we can we need them to come to us, by us sharing him out loud to all.

Asmt #16

      In class we have been talking about camp pine tree. A fictional camp that I am becoming the director of. I have just been introduced to the camp and I need to decide what three things I am going to do next.
      First and second I do not know my workers or the camp fully. More than knowledge of them I need trust and faith with them. I need to know how much of a family they have at the camp. First I would make a list of questions I would want to ask personally and have them answer in their own time alone. I would ask them questions about their faith and work relations. I would ask these questions about faith and home and also about where they would like the camp to go and about who they are working with so I again understand them and who fits with who. I need to know this because if two people hate each other because of a disagreement I need to mend my new family, or if two work well together I need to know how to use that. I want to know if someone likes decorating or working one on one with the customers. I would ask my personal questions as I had each person give me there own tour of the camp, and pray with them.
    Second I would have a tour of camp by all of those that are at the camp. I would also meet with those that are connected to camp but not working their to find there ideas as well about camp because not all of the structure at the camp is at, or on the camp. A camp is a location but it is part of the church but not the church. It is a name and it can move. God is in the land the ground, but he works in the hearts.
     Hopefully I know how to work with my employees now and how to best use them and trust them. Also work towards making a camp family. I now am better informed about the camp and who cares about what parts of the camp were they would like it to go and who is going to help me. I also know who and where I can find help. Last I can bring it all together I need a long all together meeting to find out finance and talk about were camp is headed and what and how they feel and as always pray. We are going to need to spend time getting out to are loyalties and reconnecting.
    By this point I should be ready to make action, but as always before I move or speak I need to lision and pray. 

Asmt #15

      Last blog I was asked what is my calling or why am I here, I wish to answer this by telling you who my character is or who am I, because who I am is my calling. I answered short and sweat that  who I am is. (I am who I am. I am not thee I am. I am that which was created perfectly by thee I am. Given the greatest gift to be what I am. Shadowing as a speck to be what thee I am created which I tainted, because I am still learning what it is to love. Which is what it means to be I am.)This week I was asked to define that answer. I said a lot of I am's the reason for this is because it is a perfect definition and description of myself and my God. I could describe God all day all powerful, full of love, all mighty, all just....and so on but by saying as God described himself, I am who I am, I miss nothing in describing him or myself even though my description would be more like hyper, loud,...and you get the point.
      Next I said I was created by thee. which I don't think needs any more defining I was designed created and am used by God.
      I go on to talk about the gift God has given me. God made this world perfect. and man's sin destroyed ourselves but not what God created. He gave us life. He gave us choice and knowledge to decide to follow him or live for ourselves. What a true Gift is that to choose life, choose our path that God will use as we seek him, and how great is it to choose to serve the master that made us and given the ability to prove ourselves. But we have tainted that as humans with sin that which I may not have started by eating my own fruit of tree, but which I continue to do, God can not be any part of sin he is its opposite, but we being of sin are given grace and mercy to live in his perfect world. My gift is life when I deserve destruction if not punishment by not fully embracing the gift I have been freely given.
      And last I am learning what it is to love. Are master goal as Christians to know love and to be radiant of it. God is love, to know God, is to know love. I am man, I feel I know myself, and to know myself, gives knowledge of desires which are both good and bad. Love is a decision, a goal, a life, and a expression. I was made to love. I learn what love is by God showing his love to me and by how I treat and care about others.
     Who am I or what is my calling, I am the fallen gift that was asked to do the easiest thing which is to love and be loved in return, and which I fail daily at, but am not destroyed even though it is what I deserve. So I may find a way to learn what it is to choose Gods love. So in the end I am to live a life pleasing to God in love, so that he may use me and I may listen, so that I may by a servant of God. His creation created for a purpose. I am here at camp to better understand and listen to God so that I my be of love in love with Christ.
    

Asmt #14

In class we have been talking about culture, what it is, how it effects us, and what is constant. One of the last things we discussed was offer how even tho culture is vastly different the people in all the cultures all had and asked the 4C's. Community( where do I belong), Communion( whose am I), Character( who am I), and Calling( why am I here). I am to answer these 4c's about myself.

Community-I don't always know where I belong. I have been raised by my family and my friendes family's. I know that I want to belong where I feel safe and loved. Where I belong is under Gods justice, but I am in his mercy. I have always gone where I have felt God has moved me and where I can help. So where do I belong. I belong in hell, how will I strive to belong, is by showing Gods love that he first showed and gave me, and then I will lay my head down where I fell loved.

Communion- Whose am I. To me that is easy. I am my Gods. How well do I uphold that. The tears and shame don't even come close. I am a slave to his love, because I can't repay the dept he has bleed for me. I do not even own myself. I will someday pledge my body to another, But all that I am is first Gods. And the body I give to someone else God will use for himself, so that even my act selfice servitude to another is in his name.

Character- Who am I. I am who I am. I am not thee I am. I am that which was created perfectly by thee I am. Given the greatest gift to be what I am. Shadowing as a speck to be what thee I am created which I tainted, because I am still learning what it is to love. Which is what it means to be I am.

Calling- Why am I here. I don't deserve to be, but I am here to love. To show Gods love. To praise my God by, with, and because of love. Why am I here, because God first loved me.

Asmt #13

I am supposed to write three things about myself and why I am the way I am, and how I can use it cross culturaly.

First and probably easiest to see for those that hang around me is that I love tv. I know that love is a strong word but it may be the most accurate. I choose to watch and play on tv, because of a few reasons. One thing is I am a very visual person. I remember by sight, by images, and shapes. I also am very imaginative I am always thinking and outside the box. I can escape my world and my hardships and reduce my stress just by being on tv. Third reason is It is very fun for me. I can sit for longer than most working on a project and watching tv at the same time. So if I like or dislike the project I have something else there with me. Fourth is I feel like I have someone to talk to. I feel like I have someone their. Last reason is The way my brain works I can look at all the information given to me and I can guess and figure out almost all endings before it comes even close to the ending, and I remember every movie I have ever watched. The easiest thing about this Is a large majority of people watch movies and enjoy different types of genres that I can use as examples and use to have a commonality.

The next thing  I am the way I am is being low maintenance, but I have high chance for difficult situations. I have always but myself in instances that have possible outrages outcomes because I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, or I am not afraid to take the next step. I believe strongly that God wants us to explore in this life so he can teach us. I have been in so may almost death situations and God has always taken care of me. So I have a very low maintenance quality. My emotions are always in check because I don't feel I need to use them when doing day to day activities. The bulk of all I own is rememorabilia I can count on my hand things I own over three hundred dollars. Germs don't worry me. I put myself out there and need little in return for myself because I find comfort from other things. I know how to take care of myself. It gives me a exstra ability to help and serve others, because I can go with the flow and change quickly to any situation it is easy for me to be an example of Christ to specific groups quickly.

The last thing and probable hardest to explain is my problem of using emotion. The way I thing, the way I understand, my values, and even my feelings are almost described as unemotional. I know that you can't have feelings without emotion. But you can if your emotional basis is off of the knowledge that are representations of how you feel given form by how you understand your ability to identify you situation among the possible outcomes. My given and visible feelings are best seen by I am always calm and happy, what others would call docile, and When there is a very low chance for other possible out comes. Examples, If my dog died. I would cry with overflowing emotion because I was feeling sad . The bad over outweighs the good. My dog can't come back. My friend is gone. Who she was can never be replaced, even though she can be. The new dog could be better. I will miss my dog. The good in that is I can get a new dog and it could be a good dog. The more I can not control the bad outweigh the good the more emotional compromised I become. The good news is because I am emotionally stable I can work in high stress locations and dangerous situations in the name of God and still be a good example. The downside is my difficulty in relating to emotion. How I fell about my dog dieing is not the same as how you would feel about you dog dieing. So my ability to understand others on an emotional level needs work while my ability to consult with the most difficult subjects is available.

Asmt #11

The question for this assignment is, how do you relate cross culturally on a local, national, and international bases. First off I should explain that cross culture does not have to be a difference in race, class, or continent. It is the difference between two peoples beliefs, values, and feelings, which lead to their decisions, and then behaviors. I myself am one that uses my beliefs to form and to guard strongest my values. My feeling and others feeling normally take a back seat until I have a greater understand of the others person or my values are being treated. This is one of my greatest benefits and weaknesses, because of this I can stay clear headed and calm, I can also take in more information to better assist in my understandings. The downside is I can easily upset someone else, seem to be confident or cruel to others. But how do you or I relate to cross cultural. Easy, stop assuming, listen before we speak, and find or learn a common ground. Relationships are key to cross cultural understanding. On a local level you are given more time, mostly because it is relating to what is around you and most of the time what is around you is constant and tedious. But have you really crossed into another culture or are we staying in are comfort zone and only reaching out and watching what we want to see. Do you really know all the culture that is around you. Also we can branch out by going a farther distance taking enough time to view what is around us without needing to take great leaps in learning a different language or culture extremely different from are own by traveling to a different state and only needing to know the new changes in location. While the last and hardest challenge is cross culture international. Going to a different location and complete different background. Now I know England speaks the same language and has much of the same beliefs and values. But how they are raised and go about useing those feelings, beliefs, and values can be to big gap to handle. I understand that the family next door can be just as hard to understand. But the time and effort it takes to discover or learn what is already around you verses the distance and difference of what must be given time and effort to learn and use that learning to relate and understand and show who God is.

Asmt #10

Today I am supposed to identify a growing trend and how can camp use it. I belief camp has identified my trend, but has not used it to its full potential. Everywhere today one of the biggest growing trends is independence. while on one hand this can be a bad trend it gave birth for companies, schools, and any organization to find and develop stronger leaders.Note that when I say Independence can be a bad thing I use it to describe who is training the children of today's society. If children are being taught the most be who they are around then in today's schools kids are teaching kids not math, science, and history, but what is right and what is wrong. Only if they have a strong home family will they discuss what they have learned from there friends with their parents and be corrected. This continues until they go to college where they are most likely learning almost everything from those around them and having no one to discuss otherwise to. To prove my point a studied was done with boy middle scholars. the study was over when is rape ok. The results where over 30% said its OK to rape after you have spent allot of money on the girl and 50% said it is ok if the relationship was longer than 2 months. the college results where even worse. but their biggest reason was if the girl, "needed it or deserved it." I hope anyone that is reading this understands that  NEVER is it ok to force a women to do anything. My main point is the trends of bad learning only gets worse as kids get older. I love the launch program and this is only one step I believe camp can take in helping fight the world view, or the world trend of independence with no consequence. The problem is we can only put so much in one week of learning for campers. So I propose the ability for doing separate maturity camps we already have separate chapels for the number of kids here at camp where we teach the same message of salvation, but I see it as a way to allow a greater ability to help the growing christian and the newly saved. During senior high week kids are given the chance to go to their own choice of meeting were they can grow, but I think we need just a little more by making that either sooner or allowing the same age to come to camp and give two chapels one for the gospel and one for the next step in gospel. and  lastly a new T3 that I call G3 that is the next step for learning what it means to serve and that is to know what it means to grow in love where its more than just serving, its leading as servants and knowing what it means to be adults. the main benefits are stronger Christan's and stronger leaders for the world or for camp.

Asmt # 7

I was asked to write my book of experiences with God. I don't even know where to begin. God truly means so much to me and when I look at what he has given me, and how much design is in everything. I can't believe how anyone could not see the power of my God. From the smallest atom to the largest galaxy my God has put in motion a beautiful display a dance of excitement a portrait of color and design. A power of infinite design. I look at a tree and what I see is a system that is on going, cells dieing and cells splitting, shaped in a cubic design for strength. columned for purpose and efficiency. A canopy of leaves that produce food that is stored for the winter. Roots that stretch as far as the limbs underground keeping the tree strong in the greatest wing that they may absorb water and nutrients though the power of adhesion and cohesion one of the qualities in water. I see an inner core that has stored carbon to clean are atmosphere for decades. leaves that absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen so I may breath. I see a living object that groans in the wind, and cries when it is old and falling apart. bleeds when it is being damaged, but never complains and never asks why. If it could speak it would simply ask let me be used for a home or for the fire to keep you warm for that is my job. If I fall and no one is around let me be used to nurture the soil so others my grow. obviously trees don't talk, but they have a story a purpose a reason a simple truth with elegance and passion in its design. Its a tree! A SIMPLE TREE. Only a tree. What more are we to God that he gave me a simple tree. What ease he had in making what I call a very complicated me. that he also created a tree that I may enjoy. To SIMPLY ENJOY. This is how I see a tree what more there is to life if you only look and open your mind. What else can you see know that you know how to SIMPLY GLANCE at a tree. Try to look inside my mind when I view and sense a sunrise, a cascading waterfall, a night sky, a open valley from a cliff top, a child being born, a church that sings praise, and a book that I can read and better understand my God's love. We are a speck of dust in a moment of eternity that God holds in his hands forever admiring his true creation. That he showed it a undeniable signature by all else that He has created. That we are more important to him than a perfect tree. I simply feel overwhelmed.

Asmt #6

Still under investigation

Asmt # 5

How do I know I am being called by God. To a Christian that is a serious ?, because as Christians we all have a calling to go, to baptise, and to teach. To have any other calling is individual. God gives us gifts to us even if we choose not to use them, and once we ask God into our lives God shine in us whether we hide him or not. For God to open or close doors, whisper into our ear, call someone else to tell us, present us with a need, break us into submission, or make us into his tool that to run away from is seen foolishly by all. For me all of thee above. God has taken care of me sense I was born. Raising me through my trails. Opening doors I could not avoid, and closing ones I could not see what was in the next room. He talks to me through his word, and the wisdom he has given those who have sprinted toward him. He has laid his hand on me and picked me up when I have fallen or the floor under me had collapsed. But most of all to me he has given me that general calling to go, to baptise, and to teach, and I will seek him. He made me unique. Special to him, with desires to use my energy, my knowledge, and my back to raise the level of praise, love to one another, by showing others what I see. What I see is like the movie the matrix (please don't think I believe movies are real or that I see actual code) that God is in everything. A code, a sequence, undeniable when you open your mind to what is around you.

Asmt #4

What is my understanding between the relationship of a church and a parachurch? Well first I feel I would have to explain my opinion of what is the trinity, what is a termite, and my belief in what the bible is to me.
    Trinity- is THE GOD three in ONE. Like water is water frozen or steamed, so is my God, God in spirit and in body. God the father is all powerful and keeper of power. The Holy Spirit is God on earth and also in us to help us. God the son or Christ was and is the sacrifice, and is the head of the Church.
    Termites- are considered a pest only because they destroy are houses. when they where made to maintain the down trees, but inside the termite is what is important. It has an organism that coexists with the termite to able the termite to digest the wood they eat, or they would die.
    The Bible- Is the WORDS OF GOD written by man. Not translated or produced, but written.
    The church was created by God with Jesus and continued by Man with the Holy Spirit as Jesus the Example. The Parachuch was made by Man for Man in relation to the times need. and like the termite they coexist. Only the Church does not need the parachurch and that the parachurch is not a church. Last the church was made by man not by God because Jesus in the bible written by God calls us to the church, while the parachurch is not necessary but useful into today's times to help and allow the church to do greater work. so what is the relationship? the relationship is like all good relationships with a goal. To praise God, to raise the effectiveness of the church, and to be available for more than one church. A parachurch is a location that is not defined by congregation but by population. And its effectiveness is not by amount of money, but amount of use and effort.

Asmt #3

     The ? is to, Explain the pros and cons of being a denominational church organization. the first and most easiest to see is the differences in definition or need for allowing only those that agree to follow your statement of faith. the down sides to this is a smaller number of groups that will be able to use the camp so less income. denieing someone for there love of alcohol seem cruel and unloving. I mean where is the ministry there. The ministry is in the body of Christ, toxins are finding there way into the body all the time, but we are able to take care of them given time. If to much is added at once the body becomes weak or even my fall. Our job is to promote the church and not fall. Camp is a pairachurch which was described to me as an extension of the church. and since we are a church that is a camp and not a church building more people are interested in visiting us which helps plant seeds. We may get less income for having a defined audience, but our audience knows are rules and they live them, giving us a greater ability for order, them to have fun, and them to grow. when there is order in a home the kids are trusted and can go off and play. the leaders that book the camp have the same goals which allow us to set the environment for the church for who ever they bring. Making us a ministry, one that may be in place, but strong. But being denominational scares off people to. In EVERYTHING there are pros and cons, with God the pros always outweigh the cons. We may be denominational, we may scare people away, we my say no to those that only want to have a wedding, we may not make in money what we get in understanding God's will a little better, But I sleep really good at night because we our doing what is best for the churches we serve, the ministry we express, and ourselves.

Asmt. #2

       The ? this time is, How does understanding the world view of other religions help you minister to other's needs, even if you never meet someone from those particular faiths?
       I am a big believer in knowledge and experiences. I believe man was made to learn, think, and use that knowledge for future situations. the fact that our brains can hold more than 5 to 10 life's worth of information is incredible. So not only do I feel it is best to learn it just to know it, but how better can we help others or fight off struggles knowing what we are facing. To help someone else have understanding by showing an example that makes sense to them or just letting them know I care so much about what I believe I wanted to make sure of what I have heard and learned. It is almost impossible to truly understand exactly the way someone else's feels. But you can relate in the same way we can relate our belief and knowledge. if someone asks why do I believe what it is that I believe I can say using Gods word and then go back and explain it using there understandings about faith to make a common ground.
       I have found out in my life that people I have talked to say they are a christian because they know of God and went to church, or maybe because they are a certain denomination and I didn't ask anything else. By wanting to no more about other religions or denominations I can move into our differences and peel back the truth. I don't want to push or pull on anybody. So that is why I need to have common ground and show them they are not weird, but that I have a different belief because of what I know of in the bible. so more importantly I need to know my word, and next I need to know theirs to.
      God says be fishers of men, I am not only learning how to fish here, but what my fish maybe thinking so I maybe prepared for the challenges ahead.
     

Asmt. Blog 1

Ryan asked Me to think about the ? (Why should everyone understand a ministries statement of faith.) So here are my thoughts.
         A statement of faith is both an individual statement, or a group statement, written out for all to see and a production of knowledge given or learned now stated outside of the mind. The idea of a statement of faith to me is short and sweet and very neat. It shows your past and where you stand or differ from others. It gives a clear and defined representation of what you stand for and will defend. We for the last 2 days have been going over camps statement of faith and the cci statement of faith which is the christian camp association. The main difference between the two is camps direct statement placing them as a christian Evangelical camp. while the cci are more broad allowing for all denominations to use as a statement of faith and description of belief without segregation. I am glad camp has made there own. I like and prefer camps. I like camps better because God once in name and repeatedly in expression let us know his position in the bible and even more his own statement of faith. He said I am who I am.
        First you should know I do not mean to say nor did we in class talk about this next part but Ryan told me to type what i feel. Second this is a way for me to understand and grasp a closer relationship with God by trying to simplify what I can not fathom. God told Moses He was himself. When God was asked who should I say sent me. God replied I am who I am. which in the English language is a exact definition. To say something is what it is, is an exact definition you cannot under describe or tell what it is not, in that definition. God is all around us in everything, and always helping us in everything. He needs no introduction or broader description. He is and truly is. Not one early civilization that we know of did believe there was not a god. They all have a story, even if it is wrong they could see God, they could feel God, because he has the greatest mission statement of all, in everything he created for us to just enjoy.
        For me though I would say I don't have a complete mission statement. I have followed and am following and believe hidden acres mission statement, but what I believe and who I am and what I want others to know I stand for may still be more. I am not done with the work God has for me. I am just beginning. I love camps, but it is camps, I feel I will need to find my own that tells not only what I believe, but like Gods what I am where ever I am.

How is life.

I am alive and well. So no worries. I have been mowing and designing many things. I have a idea for a new Jenny's chapel, a pond bench, and my dream cabin. I am Glad we got the chance to talk I don't know if you can respond, but any ?s.