Back to the real world

Camp was amazing!  It was great to get to sit under the teaching of Louie Giglio, and Chris Tomlin is my biggest inspiration when it comes to leading musical worship.  It is so cool to just get away for a few days and focus solely on God and what he has in store for my life.  It was such a blessing to see the transformation of the kids in the youth group this past week.  They changed from seemingly overwhelmed individuals to pure worshipers before the Lord.  Louie challenged us all to live a life that makes Christ famous.  However, he did caution that when we make the decision to let God use our lives He may bring Himself glory through life or He may do it through death.  I have come to the conclusion that whatever it takes to bring God glory is what I want to happen.  God is so good to me, and I should have no other response than to let Him use my life as He sees fit.  I pray that Kim and I are able to keep the kids accountable for the commitments that they made this past week to live lives that glorify God with everything that they do.  This seems like an easy commitment to make in the setting of being surrounded by 7000 other young people who are making the same commitment, but when life hits you in the face the following Monday morning, it is much more difficult.  I just want for the youth group at Westside Baptist Church to be a launching point for the youth of the church to go out into culture and change it for the sake of Christ.  I know that some of the kids are not ready to be thrown into every situation that may come their way, but I want to help to prepare them so that they can be ready for every situation that the world throws at them.  Also this past week, Kim and I have finally decided to answer the call that God has been placing on our lives to sponsor a child through Compassion International.  I have felt led to sponsor a child ever since the birth of Anna Grace, and it seems like Kim has felt the same pull on her heart as well.  It simply seems that we have the ability to supply a child who literally has nothing with every thing that he or she needs, while Anna Grace also gets everything that she wants.  After all, Jesus did not only meet the spiritual needs of people, but he met their physical needs as well.  Kim and I want to be able to stand before the throne of God one day and be found guilty of doing for even the least of those who need help.  We are in the process of praying for discernment in what part of the world the child we sponsor will be from.  We would love for it to be in a place that we could go visit one day.  We think that it would be awesome to be able to meet the child in person one day.  Anywho…I am rambling.  God is so good, and He is so terrifyingly big that our minds cannot even comprehend it.  I love God so much!