The second round of Centrifuge deposits are due by the end of the day today. The next, and final, deposit is due on June 1st for the amount of $300.

Please remember that you must have two copies of a Centrifuge Medical Release Waiver on file with the church by the time we depart from camp. All documents for Centrifuge are available by visiting this link.

March 23, 2010

VERSE:
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he
has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has
promised to those who love him.
– James 1:12
THOUGHT:
Only Christians win at life. That’s because none of us who is
human has the power to hold back our awful enemy, death. But when
we have persevered, we are given the ultimate victory: LIFE that
will not end because our lives are in the hands of the one who
defeated death!

PRAYER:
Thank you Father, for sending your Son to defeat the power of
death and provide me the ultimate victory. In Jesus’ name I praise
you. Amen.

March 11, 2010

VERSE:
The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his
covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him
and keep his commands.
– Deuteronomy 7:9
THOUGHT:
God is faithful and his covenant is a covenant of love. He will
not forsake us but will treat us better than we deserve, just as a
loving parent treats a rebellious child better than she or he
deserves. But our hearts must be tuned to honor God as God, not as
just a good luck charm or a weekly guest into our otherwise busy
lives. What we do must be done in awareness that it is done before
and for him!

PRAYER:
Faithful God, thank you for loving me so sacrificially and
steadfastly. Thank you for the way you preserved your promises to
the Israelites and brought Jesus just as you promised. I trust your
promise to send him back to bring me home to you. Please receive
the deeds and words of this day as my thanks to you for your
covenant of love with me and those I love. In the name of Jesus,
your gift of love, I pray. Amen.

March 10, 2010

VERSE:
In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
– 1 Peter 3:15
THOUGHT:
We are to be ready and able to tell folks about the hope that
Jesus has brought to our lives! But when we share this hope, two
things are important: our credibility — is Jesus really Lord of
our hearts — and our character — do we show gentleness and
respect in our persuasion approach. The goal is not to win
arguments but hearts to the God of character!

PRAYER:
Holy and Loving Father, thank you for speaking your grace in
Jesus. I’m not sure I would have heard any other message. Give me
the conviction I need to share my hope in Jesus, but in a way that
reflects your grace. Through my Living Hope I pray. Amen.

March 9, 2010

VERSE:
God has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of
anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of
time.
– 2 Timothy 1:9
THOUGHT:
Before the beginning of time! How do you understand when that
was? God first thought of us at a time we cannot even begin to
understand! His reason for thinking of us was to demonstrate his
grace and call others to his side. Jesus has always been God’s plan
and we have always been his goal. Let’s make sure we respond by
living his holy life!

PRAYER:
Thank you so much, Father, for knowing me and thinking of my
needs even before there was a world. I dedicate this day, the days
that follow, to your honor as I try to live a life that reflects
your righteousness and grace. In the name of Jesus, the one who had
no sin, I pray. Amen.

March 8, 2010

VERSE:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
THOUGHT:
We are comforted to comfort others. God doesn’t bless us with
his presence and comfort of his Spirit because we are somehow
better than everyone else. No, he comforts us to equip, empower,
and encourage others. God has human hands, but only when I use mine
to his glory and for others comfort.

PRAYER:
Tender Shepherd, there have been times when I was so broken I
could not go on. I know my strength to continue came from your rich
grace and mercy. Please use me this week to offer your comfort and
love to others so they may feel your warm embrace and come to yearn
more for the day we see you face to face in heaven. Through my
brother Jesus, I pray. Amen.

March 7, 2010

VERSE:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.
– Psalm 139:23-24
THOUGHT:
God does know us. We cannot pretend we are something we are not
with him. He knows us – inside and out, through and through. This
should liberate us to share a remarkable degree of intimacy with
him, but most of us run from such a close relationship with our
Father. If our desire, however, is to become more like him, the
only way to be transformed is by inviting him in to look at our
hearts, our motivations, and our desires.

PRAYER:
O God, I know you are the one who “searches hearts and minds.”
Yet because of the grace you demonstrated in Jesus, I am confident
that you love me. My heart is sorry for the sin I have committed,
but I am really trying to serve you in honor and purity. Please
fill me with your Spirit to enable me to become more like Christ.
In the name of your holy Son I pray. Amen.

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward
him for what he has done.

Proverbs 19:17, New International Version

March 6, 2010

VERSE:
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things
planned long ago.
– Isaiah 25:1
THOUGHT:
God’s actions are not reactions to current situations, but part
of his long term plan to bring redemption. Yes, he has done
marvelous things: he took the evil intent of a mob who cried
“Crucify him” and turned it into an opportunity to fulfill the
prophets and redeem us. He is perfect in faithfulness and has done
marvelous things.

PRAYER:
Holy God, you surprise me with new wonders and new things daily.
Yet deep in my heart I know they are not new to you. Thank you for
not making life boring or predictable so I might thirst after you,
you who are forever fresh, new, exciting, and marvelous. In the
name of my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

March 5, 2010

VERSE:
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up.
– Deuteronomy 6:6-7
THOUGHT:
We are to begin each day with God. Every breath we take should
be a powerful reminder that our Father has granted us another day
of life to serve him. Each heartbeat is God’s drumbeat of love,
reminding us that we are blessed with another minute to offer him
our best. This blessing is so easily forgotten. We best remember
these truths when we teach them and show them and live them with
and before our children. But, let’s not leave their learning these
truths to our example alone. Let’s find teachable moments to
explain our faith, to praise our Heavenly Father, and to teach
God’s truth.

PRAYER:
Almighty God, Gracious Sustainer, and Undeserved Friend, thank
you! Thank you for this breath I take and for the heartbeat that
sustains my life. Make me aware as I travel and talk and rest and
work that you are there and are worthy of my intentional best. In
the name of Jesus, my gracious sacrifice I pray. Amen.