Yesterday we got back from the camping trip.
I love the camping trip! Every trip the times of being with my church family is just wonderful.
This trip Sacha and Mark Turek came. Mark and Mike have been friends since highschool. Mark was my principal back in Maryland. They are some of those people who may not live with us and are a part of another church in another state, but they are still a part of our church family. They always brings fresh energy and life to times of fellowship.
This trip Mike started the trip by talking about the future. The future of the church in general and the future of Immanuel Fellowship. That evening he talked about three traps that can keep people from becoming strong worker for the Kingdom.

1. Lack of faith He made the point that faith is spelled RISK. Without faith we can't press in and go on. There will be many times we feel like quitting, but it is through faith we push through. It is not just a step of faith, it is a journey of faith. Like Joseph had to have faith that the dreams he had would come true even when he was sold into slavery. Or like in Hinds Feet on High Places every part of the journey strengths Much-Afraids faith in the Sheperd. Many people want to be works but many only dream because they don't have the faith to take risks.
2. Choosing the wrong life partner This is something Mike talks about a lot. He has seen many people who would be strong workers become weak because of the wrong partner. Mike say the only way to truly know if a person is the right person is by God speaking. Over all just be causious. If a person has not had a solid walk for at least two years, there should not be a relationship. This is a very popular subject in singles' circles, but it is very much needed.
3. Failing to be a student of God's word God's word is the nourishment and guidence for our walk. Without God's word getting through check points is impossible. It is your life line.

The next morning Mark talk about suffering. Mark's wife has a servir case of MS and so he daily deals with suffering. He talked about how suffering is a sign of God's love. It is a way to make us mature. Life is about Him and suffering is about glorifying him.

The next morning Bill talked about spiritual parents. He talked about how we need spiritual parents to help us develope and grow. He also talked about how we need to be those parents to others. He said we need to find some one who is Faithful Available Teachable to invest in. Just like Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-2

It seemed like God was really speaking about perserverence and taking risks.