Working Hard

Well looks like everything is off to a good start. We have 5 staffers up @ Cherokee with 2 more joining on Sunday. Had a great staff meeting on Saturday night, with some great music and singing and a time of reverence to God! 5 of you were there on Saturday night, but for the others let me share this scripture.

"1 When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God's sanctuary..."

Psalm 114:1-2

How does this apply to us? We are in a strange land, and even though the language isn't foreign to us, the atmosphere is. The scripture says, that Judah became God's sanctuary. Judah means PRAISE. We must always put our praise on!!! We know God is worthy of it, but also, we are reflecting Christ. I mean in a sense, we are the Jesus that the world gets to see! No, I'm not saying we are Jesus, but we are representatives of Him! We must act in such a way as to always honor Him in every action, in every word, in every job, (from tours to cleaning) and to every person. Remember, God is Love and loves everyone, and we must show that same courtesy...I mean, afterall...we aren't in the secret service. We need to let EVERYONE know Whom we serve and that He is The Source of the Light from which we "SHINE!"

HERE WE GO!!!

The Cherokee Experience begins this week for some of you guys! Hope you're ready to get an awesome summer ignited and ready to SHINE!!! Now as you head up to the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains some of you may have lost that fire that was there at orientation. I want to remind you just like Paul did to Timothy to "stir up the gift of God which is in you..." 2 Timothy 1:6 Remember that we are here under God's leadership & provision, and He will equip us to do what He has called us to do. Many of you may be anxious or even fearful, but remember to know that it's not you working but Christ working through you! The very next verse in 2 Timothy says, "...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (verse 7) Remember, whom God has called, He has also equipped!!! I know that each of you have been called to serve him everyday, and to serve Him this summer, so know that we LOVE you guys, and are praying for you, and look forward to seeing you VERY SOON!!!

Transformers

They say, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." Well I say that busy times call for "I NEED A BREAK!!!" OK...so I need to apologize for not posting this week until today, but it has been "crazy" busy.

Today's Thought:

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Romans 12:2

I thought the picture was kinda cool. But more so I thought the wording underneath it was really cool! It says, "Their War. Our World." Sometimes that's the way we think about our lives. That there is a spiritual battle over our lives and whoever wins (Good vs. Evil) will transform us into the person we should be. That's not it at all!!! In fact, the scripture tells us just the opposite...It says be not conformed to this world. Then it says something very key...be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. WOW! Do you see the implications of that? The reality is that we are not transformed by some spiritual forces, but rather we transform ourselves by renewing our own mind. WE HAVE A CHOICE!!! We can choose to follow Christ & serve His word, or we can choose not to. If we choose not to then we have conformed to the world...(and trust me, it's easy to conform to it!) Instead, let's DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!!! Let's realize that, although there is a spiritual war for our souls going on, their is also a war within ourselves. The war can only be won when we make a decision to RENEW our mind. This has to be done day in, and day out. The only way to renew our minds is to get into HIS Word. The very Word that tells us that HE makes ALL THINGS NEW.

In closing, instead of saying Their War. Our World. Let's come to the realization that it's Their World. Our War!!! FIGHT HARD!!!!

Words of Wisdom from Kristin...

As I look upon the final week of classes and the dreading week long event known as finals in college land I become nervous as to what is to come but something that keeps me leveled and gives me strength is Ephesians 6: 10-11
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil."
For the past four years of trial and tribulation in the world of universities if I learned one thing it is this: always have strength in the Lord.
As we all go on to start our adventure this summer we never know what obstacles we will face. Our faith in our Lord will keep us strong and never let us down. Now I am not saying that there won’t be moments when the devil is knocking at our door, but it is our strength in the Lord, and His armor that keep us from opening that door.
So I guess the question of the day would be: Are you packing your armor?

~Kristin

The Blind Side

Click the video to see today's thoughts!!!

Words of Wisdom from Wesley...

My favorite verse is Romans 8:28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

It’s my favorite verse because it lets me know that even when I’m going through hard times, everything will turn out for good.

~Wesley

Greetings from Jason

Greetings to the SummerShiner guys from Jason!

Greetings from Hannah

Greetings to the SummerShiner girls from Hannah!

Words of Wisdom from English...

I guess I am going to start out by mentioning a few that really helped me get through last summer. The first one is from Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." This was awesome come July 4th, and your so busy, and your so tired, but when I took the time to do some quiet time rather it be just a couple of verses, or a couple of chapters, or a whole book, it really showed. Some days i really had to dig down deep because i was tired, but once I gave it to God, he really shone threw me, and really helped to make it through some of those long days. The second one that i really loved comes from Colossians 3:12-15 "God has chosen you and made you His holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourselves in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity. Let the peace that Christ gives you control your thinking, because you were all called together in one body to have peace. Always be thankful." This verse is amazing for so many reasons! First off we have to lean on each other, living extremely close to a lot of people can be so difficult, but you have to lean on each other, and love each other! And if you make a mistake saying sorry, and forgiving each other is so important! God is going to be doing some amazing things this summer, but if were all caught up in drama, and being mad at someone, then God may not be able to do all he is capable of doing, because we were too busy, worried about less important things. You have to forgive each other, and love each other! I think that if God forgives us, then we should definitely be able to forgive each other. Second of all we have to love these campers. Not all these campers know what it's like to be loved, or payed attention to, God calls us to love, its not always easy, but amazing things happen when you do love. We show God when we love, and God will use us this summer in ways we didn't think were possible. This summer is going to be crazy busy, but a lot of fun! It truly is important to stay in the word and keep digging deeper!

~English

The Game Plan

I really like that movie! I'm not talking about the movie though, I'm talking about making a game plan to help us succeed this summer & in life!

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

~Proverbs 15:22

So I had an idea one time that I thought was going to be the best thing since sliced bread!!! I had it all in my head, and I knew that it was going to be successful, but the problem was that it stopped in my head. I never made plans to see it through, and I never wrote it down. Word of wisdom for the summer: "WRITE IT DOWN!" Carry around something to write on: notebook, sticky notes, calendar, etc... Oh, and don't forget something to write with: pencil, pen, crayon, colored pencil, lipstick (ok...I'm getting carried away), etc... We must have a plan, then we must know the plan, then we must act on the plan. Bottom line...PLAN TO PLAN!!! What's your plan for the summer? What's your plan to grow spiritually? What's your plan to grow in relationships? Write it down, then half way through the summer get those plans back out, and see how God has provided the tools to make those plans become reality. The scripture says, plans fail because of lack of counsel. In other words, a failing plan is one with no direction. Have an idea of what you're trying to achieve, then get direction for it. First from God, then from others you trust (i.e. your pastor, youth pastor, parents, family, teacher, friend, Summershine AD & AAD's, etc.). I think we just added another P to our motto for the summer! PRAY...PLAN...PREPARE...PEAK!

Words of Wisdom from Holli...

First off I want to say that I am super excited about what God has in store for me and for the rest of the staff this summer.

I was reading the other day in my Bible and I came across Romans 12:9-16.

12:9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.Do not be conceited.

I believe these verses are really something to live by. It is my goal this summer to build my relationships on these verses.

Im looking forward to meeting you and the rest of the staff soon.

~Holli

Handling Conflict

Hebrews 12:14-15 says, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled..."

So...over the weekend I experienced a very uncomfortable situation. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that there was a potential conflict on the rise. How did I respond??? Well, like everyone else would, I got upset, but instead of allowing my anger and frustrations to come out of my mouth, I simply offered a peaceful response. A response that would not hinder me from ministering to them again. Ever heard the expression, "Think before you speak?" I don't like that expression sometimes...LOL...but it's very true. I'm reminded of what Jessica told the kids a week ago during church at Clemmons UMC about words being like toothpaste. As we look at this scripture, we see very wise words to the church. "Pursue peace!" It goes on to say with all people...not just some! We never know if we will have the opportunity to minister to someone down the road, but if we "stick our foot in our mouth" well then we have just lost the opportunity to minister to that person ever again. I know it's hard to not tell someone exactly what we want to say, but it must be done, not only for the good of that person, but for the good of you. We don't want to live our lives in regret over an emotional response. As we prepare for the summer, please be aware that conflicts WILL ARISE...It's inevitable. It's how we handle those conflicts that define our character. Will you pursue peace...or settle with being miserable all summer? I assure you that if conflict is not resolved, whether it be with your roomates, or with another staff member, then that will not only be weird for you and them, but will mess up the whole summer for you. GOD HAS TOO MANY GOOD PLANS FOR YOU THIS SUMMER...SO DON'T BE HINDERED BY CONFLICT AND BITTERNESS!!!

~Jason

Words of Wisdom by William...

My favorite scripture is Matthew 10:28 - "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." I think this is AWESOME! This scripture tells us that we need to have courage in the face of Adversity and never worry about how big the challenge is. As long as we have Christ directing our life, we will gain the Victory in the Eternity Fighting Championship.

~William

Blessed are the pacemakers...

Wait...did I spell that right??? OK...OK...The actual verse is "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9), but I want to talk about pacemakers! No, i'm not talking about the medical pacemakers that stimulate the heartbeat, instead I'm talking about setting the PACE for a race. What race????? "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~Hebrews 12:1 We must become pace setters, and not followers. As we prepare for the summer, we need to be prepared to come into Cherokee running, and we need to be the ones setting the pace for our Christian walk, and not letting others set it for us. There are many influences in our lives that try to determine how we will run our individual spiritual races. The scripture says that we are surrounded by witnesses...what's that mean??? It means people are watching YOU...and whether or not you are living "the life" for Christ will determine if they continue to watch and listen to you. So as we prepare...let's prepare to become pacemakers...and not be made by the pace of the world.

Stand...Walk...Run

Psalm 1:1 says this: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." You notice a trend here...a slow fading to nothing! Of course, this blog is influenced from the Casting Crowns song, "Slow Fade." In this scripture the man goes from walking...to standing...to sitting. The person who was getting somewhere, now is staying dormant in their seat of "do nothing." Is this an acceptable lifestyle??? Of course not!!! We must not be satisfied with living off of past successes. We can't say, "God sure did great things last year, but I don't think He will move like that again this year." No, we can't live off of last summer, but we must "press on!" (Philippians 3:14) We have to look forward to what God is going to do this summer! He is the same today as He was then, so not only will He bless you this year like He did last, but He will do GREATER things...Beyond what we can even imagine! (Ephesians 3:20) So just like it's a slow fade going from walking to sitting, it's also a gradual process to go from sitting to walking. So now, let's pray and prepare, and watch God transition us from sitting...to standing...to walking...TO RUNNING!!! When we do that, then watch GOD show up & show off!

Tik Tok

So the countdown begins! The clock is ticking, and we have 4 short weeks before this summer takes off. Are you ready? I know...I know...We say, "Of course I'm ready...we just had an awesome weekend at orientation!" You couldn't be more correct about that. Orientation was so AWESOME. But will it carry you over? Hmmmmmmm.?.?!??! All too often we become excited about something to happen just to figure out that we are all emotions & no substance. It's like this...If you are camping, and during the night time it is cold, you want to find a way to stay warm. What better way than a campfire...right??? So you go gather wood for that fire in the morning, and at lunch build an awesome fire for that night. You go out for the day, and come back that night EXPECTING to be warm...but you find the fire has went out, then have to go find more wood in the dark. See that's the way it is for us. We can't just live off of the GREAT time we had at orientation. We must continue to build ourselves up in Christ! What will happen is that if we don't stay prayed up and into God's word, then when we get to Cherokee in a few weeks, we will have to be re-energized! Proverbs 26:20 says "...Without wood a fire goes out..." We must keep wood on the fire, otherwise we will have to go gather more wood in the DARK. It was easy to get the wood we needed in Clemmons this past weekend, because there was a lot of Godly light shining...but when we get to Cherokee, that spark will be much more of a challenge when we are not in that church setting of 60-70 other SummerShiners who are fired up! Even though you will have your AD's and fellow staffers to help you, still you must be ready to be the one who carries the contagious Christian attitude for yourself...then let it shine in a dark (secular) world!

Words can't express...

Awesome weekend at SummerShine Orientation!!! What else is there to say??? You guys are awesome, and we are so excited to work with you this summer! How to summarize the weekend??? Lord, TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE YOURS!!!

Preparing for Orientation

Orientation Weekend is this weekend. We are looking forward to meeting people we will be working with this summer! As you prepare for an exciting summer, remember that you are stepping out by faith, and into God's provision for, not only our lives, but the lives of those we will be impacting this summer! I'm reminded of the scripture, "...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal..." 2 Corinthians 4:18. We don't know exactly what's going to happen this summer, but we do know one thing...GOD WILL DO GREAT THINGS!!! So, let's not necessarily worry about the things we can't control, instead let's put our trust in THE ONE who has CONTROL! Only He knows both the seen & the unseen...AND HE HAS GREAT PLANS FOR YOU & FOR US THIS SUMMER! Jeremiah 29:11

The Real "D" Word

No, I'm not going to use profanity! What is the real "D" word? DILIGENCE!!! Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. " Note that they both have plans! It's just that one of them acts too quickly on theirs and the other one uses Godly wisdom to successfully complete each task with excellence! How many times do we want to rush things? How many times are we with great intentions, just to later find out that we acted too hastily & went through the wrong process. As with any "good idea" we have there is first the preparation (plans), then the process (see it through), finally the payoff (seeing the plan succeed). All too often we want to skip the process, but we must let our plans be God driven & Christ centered, then be patient and let God work out the details. My father always told me that "There is never a big, URGENT, decision in this life that you don't have time to pray about!" I mean the praying will come one way or another. Either we pray and get God's direction before we act, or we pray after we have messed everything up for God to pick up the pieces. The Bible tells us that God "is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 Remember: Every great idea has to be directed...Every direction has to go through a process...Every process has to be Christ centered! When we do this, then the payoff is automatic!!!

God Bless!
~Jason

The Leading Meeting

SummerShine Leadership weekend was great! Not only was it informative, but we had a great time meeting new people & other leaders. We got a lot of insight from those who have done this before and it helped to boost our confidence in heading into this summer. A special thanks to Pete & Cheryl who took us into their home and made us feel welcome! As we met different people this past weekend my mind went to the scripture in Hebrews 10:25 that says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." We hear this preached in sermons to stress the importance of going to church. That is true! Also, God gives us direction to "not give up meeting together" so that we can build relationships! What is the importance of relationships? Why must we strive for them? I believe so that we can gain strength for our walk with Christ. The Bible says, "...a cord of three strands is not quickly broken" Ecclesiastes 4:12. We will certainly be building relationships this summer, but why wait? Why not start now? Every opportunity that we have to build positive, Godly relationships should be acted on! We must learn to take advantage of the opportunities given to us. The relationships we build today, could be adding strands to that cord...making it extremely difficult to be broken!

~Jason

Preparing for a Summer of Excellence

Hey staffers,

This is your AD, Jason. Wow, can you believe that the summer is only 9 weeks away? Hannah and I are so excited to share Christ with a great staff & the campers we will be meeting this year! I am also excited about our preparation. As we prepare for this summer we must know this: Pray...Prepare...Peak!!! That's my motto over the next 2 months as we prepare to share God's love with people this summer. We follow this exactly how it is written. First we pray! The scripture tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." The verse starts off with IF...that's a big word! It implies that we have a job to do. As we prepare we must prepare for excellence. I believe that God is a God of excellence and requires that we serve Him with excellence! The only way to do that is to pray. Then we must Prepare...again we see in the same scripture that we must seek him. This is preparing!!! Seeking Him is preparing for Him to work. So what's next??? Peak...I don't need to spend much time on this. Why? Because once we have prayed & prepared, then we simply watch God move! So as you prepare remember this...We must pray & prepare for what God is going to do, then let God show up & show off...That is when everything will PEAK!