Family Of God Camp 2015

Unhinged-Encountering Glory

This year at camp was among the most exciting times I have ever spent seeking the Lord, worshipping Him, and seeing the fruit of months of prayer and study. James tells us to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. We went with the true desire to draw near to Him, and it was evident that He was near us.

The central theme at camp was the conversion and commission of Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-8. The idea being that once a man has encountered God, he is brought to see God as He truly is (Holy and set apart). This revelation reveals what to the man what he truly is (Depraved and sinful). At this point, the natural man, apart from the grace of God, runs from the light of this revelation that his filthiness may remain hidden for a time (John 3:19-21), while the one whom God bestows grace and mercy unto salvation is found humbling himself, confessing sin, and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:1-8, Eph. 2:1-10).

Day 1:
God is Holy (Jesus Christ: Eternal)

We often only view Jesus as He was during that 33 year period of time on Earth. We get this felt board image of Him locked in our minds. Isaiah saw a very different Christ. In order to view Him as Holy, we must remember that He is eternal, all-powerful, and the type of thing for which Seraphim hide their faces.

Day 2:
Man is Totally Depraved (Seeing God rightly, means seeing ourselves rightly)

The reason we often have a diminished view of our sin is because we have a diminished view of God's holiness. We cringe at crimes done to children because of an inherent sense of innocence. How much more the source of purity and innocence? How much more heinous is any crime done against Him?

Day 3:
The New Creation: Missionary or Imposter? (We are reconciled to share the gospel)

Once seeing God rightly leads to seeing ourselves as sinful, the only sane and appropriate response is repentance and faith. True faith is always accompanied by action (James 2). This action is the same action as Isaiah: Evangelism. A zeal for the gospel is the litmus test of the new creation.

Day 4:
The success of ministry. (Fragrance of life or death? He decides)

As we take the gospel to the world we will encounter a number of responses. Some believe and some don't. Paul said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but it was God that brought the increase." (1Co. 3:6) Our success or failure is not in converts, but in obedience.


All in all, it was a wonderful time in the Lord. Aside from curriculum and things, here are some of the other memorable moments:

Jordyn saw Emma "climb" the rock wall and she saw how everyone clapped and cheered when she reached the top. After seeing all of this she turns to Alvin and says, "I want to climb the rock wall and you will be so proud of me, Dada." Here is her journey...

Jordyn suited up to climb the rock wall.

She's ready!!

First steps out of Dada's reach.

And she's off. Not even touching the wall...Amazing!!

So effortless, she only uses one hand. The other stays tightly attached to the rope...just in case.

Nearing the top, she may have actually fallen asleep. We are not sure.

She made it! With no help at all...

Here is a shot of the 30+ foot wall. We are so proud of you Jordyn!!

Caleb gave it a shot, but never got off the first rung.

I even jumped off of a huge telephone pole.

Sheer terror...

I also did the "Wild Woosey". That is code for "bad idea".

 Next, we hit the range with some target practice.

Step aside Robin Hood!

Eyeing her target.

Taking aim.

Fire!!

Nice shot, Jordyn! 
Disclaimer:(arrows shown may or may not belong to Jordyn)

No matter the weapon, she poised and ready.

Locked and loaded.

That's good shootin' there, Jordyn.
Disclaimer: (once again, any bee bee holes shown may or may not belong to Jordyn)

Well, what is summer camp without swimming?

This kid loves the water.

I chose this one just because I love how he is holding Alvin's shirt.

Tropical depression "Bill" tried to ruin our plans. But like I always say, "When a tropical storm makes its way inland enough to drop unprecedented amounts of rain in a short amount of time, then find the nearest puddle and go crazy." April, Jordyn, and Emma decide to do just that.

Honorable mentions:

Well, our much anticipated Family of God camp has come and gone for 2015. God met with us and did a work in many. We had so much fun that a blog can hardly convey it all. We were brought into greater fellowship with our covenant family. All of this can be summed up in one photo. "Caleb, what did you think of camp?"....Enough said.

In His great name,

A&C

Animal ABC's Letters G, H, I, & J

Letter G
G is for Gorilla!

Letter H
H is for Hippo!

 

 

Letter I
I is for Iguana!

Tracing the Letter I

Letter I maze!

Caught Jordyn sorting letters by color, and Caleb eating them!

Letter J
J is for Jellyfish and JORDYN!

 



Praise Time!
Starting our new month in our Calendar Notebook!



She is pointing to a girl in the picture that she thinks looks like her.
Songs for Saplings Verses

 

 

SPELLING HER NAME

matching letters

Hmmm What is next?

J is for Jellyfish
Yes I drew the J backwards

Her Jellyfish Discovery Bottle

She cant stop watching her jellyfish while she works!
I had just turned it upside down so it was off and swimming!

 STAMPING HER NAME...

TRACING HER NAME...

WOW

 

Here she said 'O is for orange' as she grabbed for her orange marker.

 

Admiring the letter R.

 

Finished the D.

 

Finished the Y.

A little messy finish. I was still so impressed she concentrated as long as she did.
Good job Jordyn.

FINISHED WORK!

Sum, Sum, Summer Time.

 

Summer is here and the livin' is....not exactly what I would call easy. I would, however, call it the best summer of my life. It has only just begun and it is already clear that this summer is going to be uniquely different than any other yet or to come. The dynamic of Caleb (8 months) and Jordyn (2 years, 9 months) will never be duplicated. That idea may not seem as profound to you, the reader, but as a mother it has proved to be the source of much joy and also a bit of sadness. That being the case, we are determined to milk every minute this season of life has to offer. Here are some of our earliest attempts.

Camping:

Jordyn "helped" Dadda put up the tent in the backyard.

A little "Peekaboo" to break in the new tent.

"Tittle Tittle"

Excited little campers.

What is camping without a campfire and roasted goodies?

One of our better ideas.

 

So, camping was great. After we read a bunch of books, Jordyn spent most of the rest of the time looking out the window with the flashlight for wolves. Once she was convinced there were none, she was ready for bed. She fell right to sleep, but started coughing a bit. Finally, at about 1:45, we had to retreat to her bed because she was coughing so hard. Turns out, she has asthma and the humid, warm air was causing her to cough. Her doctor is optimistic that she will grow out of it, but for now we are taking four puffs a day of her inhaler. That's our Jordyn.

 

Swimming:

Jordyn's best friends invited us to swim in their pool.

Relaxin' with Rissa.

Loungin' with Lilly.

Takin' a dip with Dadda.

Movin' and groovin' with Mamma.

Then, we decided to swim at home in our own little pool.

Last year she was scared of the slide, and next year she will be too big.

But right now, she loves it.

 

The pool has highlighted some big differences between her and Caleb. She likes calm water and dry hair. She would prefer to avoid any splashing at all. Caleb on the other hand....is a certified splash monster. It is a change equated to that of a werewolf. As soon as he hits the water he is transformed. He rather enjoys water on his face, in his eyes, in his mouth, and on everyone/everything within a 3 foot radius. This, of course, drives Jordyn absolutely crazy and makes for some great pictures.

 

Finally, here is quick snapshot of Caleb at nearly 8 months cruisin' around in his walker. Having access to nearly 85% of the house, due to our hardwood floors, he has really embraced his new found "freedom".

 



 The Lord is truly good. In His Great Name.

A&C