Continuing my previous series of posts, I have to give a shout out to Camp of the Hills (www.campofthehills.org), one of my favorite places in the world. Camp is located near Marble Falls in the hill country of Texas. But the scenic beauty is only a small part of the wonder that is COTH. Every summer, Camp receives hundreds of youth from rough urban areas in order to teach them, and more importantly show them, about the love of Jesus Christ.Camp is a place where dozens of college students come to change the lives of urban youth, and they leave having been the ones who were transformed. They learn that the middle-class is not America’s only socio-economic category; they learn that three meals a day should not be taken for granted; they learn that having both a loving home and supportive faith community is a luxury that many do not have. And during eight sessions of campers, God works powerfully to transform the lives of both campers and counselors.Many of the organizations that I have written about are working on an international level. But there are also millions of people that are hurting in our own cities. Camp has taught me that loving people in Christ-like ways means caring for the whole person – physical, emotional, spiritual (in fact, God doesn’t ever seem to make a distinction between these elements). Think and pray about supporting a ministry that seeks to minister to the whole person. Contemplate how you can do the same thing for people that live around you; there are hurting people all around who need the full-bodied salvation that Jesus offers.Camp of the Hills / 1552 County Road 344 / Marble Falls, TX 78654
Finally
The day came, and then it went. Now, I can officially say that I have completed my second full marathon, and the entire experience was fantastic! The race weekend was full of time with family and friends, good food, beautiful weather, and race-day excitement. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!My reactions to marathons cracks me up. Around miles 23-26.2 of both marathons, I distinctly remember thinking, “I will never do this again. What could I have possibly been thinking?” Amazingly, though, once you cross the finish line, a miracle occurs. Slowly, as the pain dies away (partially), my thinking begins to mysteriously change: “That wasn’t too bad. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it. I could do that again.” I think that there is something seriously wrong with me – pray for me.
The Point of No Return
Have there ever been times in your life that you have committed to something and later wished that you hadn’t? There is excitement and anticipation in your heart, because otherwise you wouldn’t have committed in the first place. But, on the other hand, there is fear and dread. That is how I feel right now. In two days, there will be relief mixed with pain – lots of pain. I can’t wait.
Grateful
Yesterday, I received two new leads for potential missions support. There is still quite a journey ahead, both for me and my teammates, but I am grateful for every step forward (and sometimes even for the steps backward). So, as a team, we continue to trust in the Lord, trying not to lean on our own understanding.
Eight days
That is how long my teammates, several friends, and I have before we run the AT&T Austin Marathon. Only eight days left to train for the marathon; only eight days to let my body rest; only eight days left to dread the inevitable. In reality, though, I am really looking forward to it…especially the finish line, where my family and friends will be waiting for me to stumble in.
Bread for the World
This will not be an easy post to write. Every time the topic of world hunger comes up, I am both convicted and enraged. According to most figures, there are over 15,000 people that die every day from hunger-related causes; there are 854 million people across the globe that are continually hungry. These figures, among many others, are very hard for Americans to grasp. We live in a country that has an over-abundance of food. We can travel to the local grocery store or one of the hundreds of the restaurants that are scattered throughout our cities. But for many people throughout the world – apparently 854 million people – food is matter of life or death.According to Bread for the World’s website (www.bread.org), the basic health and nutritional needs of the world’s poorest people could be met with an additional $13 billion per year. While this might seem to be a big amount, consider this: people in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food annually. Please do not misunderstand me; I am not advocating that you stop feeding you pet. But I am asking us to consider where our priorities are. As Americans, we are incredibly blessed financially. We all have, or could have (depending on where we spend our money), an excess of money. So my challenge to every person who reads this (and myself) is: start seriously analyzing how you spend your money. Try to eat out less; try to spend less money on things that you don’t need; read Ronald Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger; consider what things that you can live without, because there are many in the world that don’t have that luxury. I definitely need to do this as much as the next person. Lord, teach me to love my neighbor as myself.
A Bit Disappointed
I must admit, I am somewhat saddened by the Patriots’ 14-17 loss last night in Super Bowl XLII. Can I say that I think that they deserved to win the final game of their perfect season? Well, that’s how I feel. Nevertheless, it was an amazing game. Now, we have World Cup 2010 to look forward to, which I will be watching in a soccer-loving culture. Now that makes me smile 
