Libby Summer Fun and the Lord's workings 1

 

          It has been awhile since my last post, let me just say...this has been the craziest, busiest summer of our lives and will continue to be absolutely insane for the next 8 weeks! We had a few family days together last week and we made the most of them!!! We went berry picking, cherry picking, swimming, floating down the river, visited some family and had a few bbq's in our back yard too. It was a lot to fit into 3 days, but we made so many memories and had so much fun!!! It was wonderful to love on the kids and enjoy them with no other obligations or expectations and experience some adventurous things with them! Perfection!

   

       After our three packed full days of fun, we loaded up the suburban and headed down to camp for the week. David was speaking at Fir Point Bible Camp. This has always been one of my favorite things, because I grew up attending the camp as a camper, then as worked there as staff and now get to return as the speakers wife in recent years- enabling me to make some memories in my favorite place with my kids as well! That place is like home to me. I love the smells, the buildings, cabins, lodges, pools, trees, mugs (that they have been using for at least 30 years!), the staff, the campers and everything. It is one of my ALL time favorite places in the world. So as you can imagine I was very much looking forward to this week....and I thought that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect as we have been there so many times before. But OH MY WORD> it quickly became a week I will never forget.

    Looking back I believe that the Lord in His perfect goodness and grace orchestrated it all last year when the plans were made, knowing that it would be a week like NO other in the lives of the Libby's. I know with out a shadow of doubt that of all the places in the entire world, that camp ground, nestled in the rolling hills amid all the massive, beautiful trees was exactly where God wanted us to be. And I could not be more grateful that He was able to use our hands and feet to serve and love the broken hearted in powerful ways with His perfect love and grace. It was completely humbling to be used in that capacity over and over again.

      It felt like there was such a battle being fought in that place! A battle for souls, for new life, for peace, justice, victory and reconciliation. One after another came, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups desperate for something different in life. I have been to so many camps in my life, none were ever like this. EVER. Despite the restlessness, and turmoil that seemed to be settling in at camp, the Lord was so thick in that place! Over and over faithfully filling us with wisdom and discernment and we prayed, comforted, encouraged, instructed and listened to person after person. We have been in full time ministry now for 9 years and I have never experienced spiritual warfare like that in an event like this one. BUT, I have also never experienced the Lord like that ! Mind Blown - Heart and Life FOREVER CHANGED! He was SO faithful, so powerful, so present in every single moment of every single conversation. He was so tangible and filled us both with such a strength and wisdom as we fought the good fight. I had prayed on Thursday morning that the Lord would use me that day to do everything for Him. Completely for Him, in His strength and for His glory. I had no idea how the Lord would use me as I became completely available to Him and completely dependent upon Him, because by Thursday, David and I were physically tired and emotionally drained beyond words...and still, the Lord God Almighty, in my weary state used me. Experiencing His Presence and Holy Spirit in that way until my head hit the pillow at 2am built my faith in a new and precious way. Over and over He was so faithful to give me words, love and wisdom.... and it was all for eternity. Praise the Lord!

        After last week, I feel like I have  new mission in life....because this is what I learned this week. Most people, even professing Christians DO NOT BELIEVE that the cross is enough... Enough for salvation, enough for forgiveness, enough for transformation, enough for a new life...... To almost everyone we spoke to this week they believed in.... the cross AND....works... the cross AND....a good life...the cross AND...proving yourself worthy...

      The blood of Jesus is ENOUGH - The cross and the cross alone has provided our freedom, forgiveness and salvation. When you take a moment and think about the darkest, deepest most sinful pit you've ever been in...JESUS meets you there and rescues you, cleans you, frees you and gives you new life!!! Why are so many Christians still living in chains?! Time live what we claim to believe!

      God is good, He not only grew my faith, met others, freed people and gave them a chance to see what life could be like....HE gave us precious times with friends we love and the kids too! They had the time of their lives with my friend Natalie, David and I! They didn't want to leave come Friday....story of my life growing up! May God continue to do His work in that beautiful place.

     Until the next free moment I have this insane summer....
I hope your summer is just as blissful and beautiful
as ours has been this far!