God's Got It

This happened more than a week ago, but it still reminds me that God's got everything under control.  I just need to be obedient and flexible according to his plan.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Staff Training
Forecast: 100% chance of rain

Hmmm...what do we do with more than 30 staff members at an outdoor camp with litle indoor space?  Play games until they drop?  Probably not. Watch movies?  Not all day.  Let the Lord take contol.  Yes, now that will work.

We had originally planned to cover some materials, play some outdoor games, go on a trail ride, and have some free time, but many of those require us to be outside, so that was not going to work.  The Lord, however, knew exactly what he was doing.

First, we covered lots of necessary material in our staff manuals.  Then Ralph felt led to play some video clips of Ron Hutchcraft, a speaker at a camp conference he attended.  They touched the hearts of many of the staff members and challenged them in ways they would not have otherwise been challenged.  Thank you, Lord.

After dinner we had some free time before our "campfire" which was spent mainly inside.  Mindy and I met with Ralph to discuss our options.  We decided to watch a movie.

We planned to start the movie Time Changer, which shows, in a fictional format, the current state of our Christianity.  We planned on starting the movie around 7, however, when we hit Play, a black and white screen appeared, which wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that it indeed in a color movie.

While Ralph explored various options, Mindy came to me and asked if we should memorize scripture while we were waiting.

"Perfect," I thought.
We had been wanting to challenge the staff to memorize Philippians 2:5-11 but weren't sure how we were going to do it.  God knew though.

We memorize verses 5-9 in the time it took Ralph to find the problem.  I looked at my watch, "7:45."  We had planned to finish early, but it was evident that was not going to be the case.  In the end it didn't matter because we had the opportunity to memorize scripture together.   Now, looking back, I have seen the positive effects of memorizing that passage together.  As I walk into counselor's cabins, I see that passage posted in many places, which truly touches my heart.  

God, what could have been a miserable and unproductive day you of course used for good.  As I reflect, I can't help but praise you for inserting messages that truly shook me and challenged me in ways that would have never happened had the rain not come.

The day brought new meaning to a lyric for a well-known Christian song:
"If that's what it takes to praise you, Jesus bring the rain."

Praise the Lord!