Wow. I have no idea where to begin. For those who don't know, I just got back from a week in the mountains with a bunch of college students for a retreat called Best 8 Days. I am exhausted to say the least. You don't get much sleep at a college-age retreat! Many nights were spent talking with students into the wee hours of the morning. I wouldn't trade that for sleep any day of the week!

I can't reveal all of what God did on that mountain because I don't want to betray any confidences. I can tell you that God was busy. He was busy working in the life of a young woman who is wrestling with the concept of Christianity and isn't sure she buys any of it. He was busy teaching us all about why bad things happen to good people...and why good things happen to bad people. He was busy surrounding a guy who suffers from deep depression with people who love him and are willing to take as much time as it takes to be there for him and help him figure things out. He was busy helping us realize that we are worth everything to Him.

And He was busy showing Erin and I the next steps He wants us to take.

Again, I can't really say too much. I'll reveal things later when the time is right. But there are two major things that may be happening soon in our personal lives and there is no question that regardless of what happens with either of these things, God directed us toward them. I know that all sounds nice and vague, but you'll just have to stay tuned for more!

In the meantime, let me leave you with a couple of thoughts from the week.

1. Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have (that's Scripture, by the way). If you're a Christian and someone comes to you with questions about it, you can't afford to sound like a blubbering idiot. They don't want to be preached at. They want truth. And it all needs to be done in love.
2. Get out of your comfort zone to help people and to do what needs to be done. There are people all around you and all throughout the world who need your help. I believe that our comfort gets in the way all the time of us actually doing something to make a difference in someone elses life. We don't even usually realize things that we could sacrifice to help someone because we tend to make life all about us and so it doesn't occur to us that we could live without certain things. Stop waiting for someone else to do something. Start a revolution.
3. Take time constantly to stop and think.
4. God knows what He's doing. If you don't understand why God does what He does, consider that thought that it might just be that He knows more than you and that His way is better than your way. He doesn't make mistakes and He truly desires what is best for YOU.