Lord Have Mercy // Week 1

I really love my job. Yes, I have a job. Getting to hang with students on Wednesday nights and hear all about their lives is so fun for me. Now I will tell you that you couldn't pay me all the money in the world to return back to middle school or high school but I do enjoy getting to be on the outside looking in and offer advice when they ask for it!

Now, as much as I love Alive during the Summer, there's just something about kicking off Alive in the Fall. Maybe it's because everyone's back in the swing of things and everything is "normal" (are things ever normal in student ministry?) again.

Last night we kicked off the Fall with Lord Have Mercy. Hux is talking about living a life in view of God's mercy; how we've all been found guilty yet God has withheld what we truly deserve.

"But because of his great love for us, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5

"Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1

Without Jesus, we're flatlining.

God is rich in his mercies. God hasn't had mercy on us once, but he has had mercies upon mercies on us daily. 

At one point, we've all cried out for mercy. Without mercy, we'd experience a life without a relationship with Jesus. "Praise be to the Lord for he has heard my cry for mercy." Psalm 28:6

We didn't have to do a single thing for him to pour out his mercies upon us. The CROSS is the PROOF that he acted upon his compassion.  

"He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy..." Titus 3:5

If we could earn our salvation, we'd lose it every single day. 

"Have mercy on me , O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:1-2

God CHOOSES to give us mercy despite our sinfulness.

Mercy is compassion in action.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

God is always on time! Even before we began to beg for mercy, He died for us.

"Mercy forgives the guilty & pities the helpless. -John Piper

God's ultimate concern was to deliver man from his state of sin & misery.

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

A Look Inside My Pool Bag!

It's no secret if you read this blog or follow me on Instagram that we've been living at the pool lately. The warmer the water gets, the more Brooklynn loves it! At the beginning of the Summer, Brooklynn wouldn't go near the water and now we're chasing her down before she dives in.

It can be quite the workout to get myself and Brooklynn both to the pool so I like to keep a bag (it's normally one of those cooler bags) always packed and ready to go in the laundry room so I can just worry about grabbing it and go. I also like to try and keep my bag light and simple. 

The most important thing you can have in your pool bag if you have a toddler is *everyone say it at once*... suunnsccree ...diapers. I keep just a cosmetic bag (that can double as a wet bag) of her swim diapers, a changing pad, and wipes. Easy enough.

I never actually found a pair of water shoes that fit her feet when the summer started so she wears these jelly shoes to the pool. The concrete around our pool is HOT & there's a tile entrance to the pool that's super slippery so she keeps these on her feet while she swims and she's good to go.

Then, yes, sunscreen. I sunscreen Brooklynn before leaving the house. We either use the Banana Boat Natural Reflect Baby sunscreen or the Aveeno Baby on her body, Banana Boat Kids stick sunscreen on her face, and the Yes To Pomegranate chapstick on her lips. And as much time as we have spent at the pool this summer, we have had ZERO sunburns!

We take towels and a change of clothes for Brooklynn for the ride home. *parents of carseat children -- Be careful strapping your child into their carseat when your car is super hot. The straps get hot and can burn their legs & shoulders. Thankfully, the harnesses are plastic now and not metal but it can still get hot. This is why I put some shorts and a tee on her when we leave the pool :)

Brooklynn associates the pool with food. Actually, she associates everything and everywhere with food. You'd think she was a 15 year old boy! So, I have to be stocked with snacks. Her favorites for the pool are pretzels, oranges, "pouches", grapes, and anything that you're eating yourself. I keep a juice bag or water on me, too for her.

I'll pack her sunglasses, maybe a ball or pale for her to play with and then that's really it. Now, when we go to the beach I take Baby Powder to dust the sand off of her and yes, it works miracles at getting sand off...especially when she face plants.

Hope you've enjoyed your Summer...can you believe it's almost over? I have to say, once our vacations are up for the year, I'm ready for a little more of a routine to start, football to start, and a break from the humidity! 

Alive Summer Camp After Party

After a week hiatus from being at Alive Summer Camp, we are back! I have to say this, Hux and I have been a part of student camps for YEARS; from going to them as students, chaperoning them as leaders, then planning them with a team. We've seriously done it all: Student Life, Fuge, planned our own at the beach & planned our own out in the middle of nowhere BUT this year took the cake for being my FAVORITE year of summer camp. That's saying a lot! Thank you Hux, Patty, Cole & Emily for ALL of your hard work in planning my most favorite summer camp!

I learned two very valuable things this year at camp aside from being spiritually challenged.
1. We work with the best.team.on.the.planet. I wouldn't dare trade in any of our leaders for anyone else! Ranging from college freshmen to people that have been in the game for 25 years, they are the world's best and I love them all so much.
2. Our students are passionate about worship, seeing their friends come to know Jesus, and applying the messages to their lives by living them out. Is there anything better?

So, now what? What do you do when you go away for a week, lives are changed & callings are made?

Last night, we zeroed in on Galatians 5:16-25. If you want to stay on fire for Jesus, you have to walk with Him daily. Your relationship will stay on fire when He's your one desire!

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

When Jesus walked out of the tomb, sins power had been BROKEN & God's power was PROVIDED

We shouldn't wake up in the mornings asking, "how can I avoid sin today?" but "how close can I get to Jesus today?" When we live & walk by the Spirit and get as close to Jesus as we can, we let go of the desire to gratify our flesh.

Jesus guides us from WITHIN!

We walk by the spirit through WORSHIP...OBEDIENCE (to your parents)...PRAYER...CHURCH...DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS...SCRIPTURE

We have no victory in this life without the Spirit. We can't be FULL of the Spirit until we are FILLED with the Spirit.

We keep in step with the Spirit by staying out of step with the world!

He will give you exactly what you need in order to be a conqueror!

The Spirit will ALWAYS WIN when we stay in step.

Following Jesus isn't about FEELINGS but about FAITHFULNESS!

Hey Alive, because you are SHARING & INVITING, lives are being CHANGED! 

Don't stop!! Way to go!!!

To see recap videos from camp click here

Rescuers // Week 5

There are many things in life that we try to rescue: Dogs from the shelter, people from themselves, or animals in the middle of the road. One thing that we should never rescue is our sin. However, we keep giving life to it by having mercy on it and continuing to do it over and over and over again.

We have to KILL SIN before it kills US!

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. One account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them." Colossians 3:5-7
*"put to death" = mortuary

We don't give power to the sins we struggle with, when we stay away from it's source! When you have a tooth that is rotten, you can't clean it up, make it look pretty, and then think your tooth isn't going to still hurt. You have to rip it out from the root in order for the problem to go away. 

What's the source of your sin? Kill it.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

When we feed the spirit, we starve the flesh. When we feed the flesh, we starve the spirit.

If something is distracting you from your relationship with God, why wouldn't you kill it?

The enemy came to kill us with sin but Jesus came to put sin to death!

Quit living as you "once lived" and start living as whose you are.

The choices you make today will determine your future.

"Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool that repeats his folly." Proverbs 26:11

Florida Vacation

Each year we celebrate vacation with both of our families - the Huxes in Florida and then the Leopards in Myrtle. Our vacation started with a screaming child. Ya'll, I did research on this before we left Greenville. I researched, "How to take a road trip with a toddler..."How to succeed in the car with your toddler" ... and my personal favorite, "Full proof tips on keeping your child sane in the car." Ya'll, don't waste ya time, those are bologna. Actually, they may work for the "normal" toddler (if there is such a thing) but Brooklynn tends to go counter-culture to everything everyone says about children. I guess that'll be a good thing when she's 18 but for now, "you're killin' me, smalls". 

Anyways, back to the vacation.

My husband is the exact opposite of me in many ways but in one particular way, he's super great with staying in touch with people. We always meet up with his best friends from high school and yes, we are girl heavy with one more on the way (and no people, that one more is not coming from me!) Poor fellas.

We spent the first night in Leesburg since we couldn't get in our place until Saturday so we played with some blocks and learned how to use a child-sized vacuum.

Every morning she went to the window and said, "wooooow". She loved it so much she walked straight down to the beach on the first day and walked straight into the water about chest deep with all her clothes on.

We ate good, talked good, and chilled good. On the way out, we had a quick meet-up with some of Huxes friends from PBA. I'm thinking the world is having an influx of girls. Just me?

Then the car ride...which is best put in a statement from my husband, "After 8 hours in a car with a teething daughter, I got a glimpse of what hell would sound like when they say, 'weeping & gnashing of teeth'." Just for reference, we left with 4 teeth and came back with almost 11 but we are alive, praise the Lord. He is faithful. We do love her though, really ;)

Rescuers // Week 4

We are back and still kicking after vacation. Thank you, Caleb, for holding down the fort last week while we were gone!

As we continue in this series, we are rounding third base by talking about the one thing that the enemy wants to steal from us during the summer - our intimacy with Jesus. During the summer we are (and least WE are) busy. Why are we, as a student ministry, busy in the summer? Because most kids are bored. Where there is boredom, there is more trouble to get into. Boredom is the enemies playground (which you heard about if you were at Alive last week). Summer too consists of very litte routine. I know for me, my routines are off and therefore my time with Jesus is a little off.

Our heavenly Father is eager for us to communicate with Him. He's already communicated to us through His Word and awaits our response. Through His Word & prayer, we have intimacy with Him.

Want to combat satan's lies? Open God's truth!

If you want to be effective in the world, get in God's Word!

You are as close to God as YOU choose to be!

Consistency in God's Word leads to intimacy with Him.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:5-6

The more we pray privately, the more confidence we will have to pray publicly!

Don't pray to people, pray to God!

The Word wasn't written for your INFORMATION but your TRANSFORMATION

The more sacred something is, the more the enemy wants to invade it or interrupt it! ("GO TO YOUR ROOM")

Do whatever you have to do every day to get your attention away from yourself (your phone ;) & others and on God and Him alone!

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

True prayer is always intimate! Prayer is not meant to be DISTANT but INTIMATE!

We always want a word FROM God but never want to read the Word OF God!

A closer relationship with God is always the reward of spending time with Him.

Your biggest incentive for reading the Word should be Jesus!

Jesus DIED to spend time with YOU!

Rescuers // Week 2

We've all heard that famous hymn we heard the adults sing when we were children, "on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand..." and most of the time we just mundanely sang it and went on our way but last night we unpacked what it meant for Christ to be our rock. For God to rescue us and bring us to safety on the Rock. 

A life built on God is a life that will not crumble because GOD is our FIRM FOUNDATION! Are our lives based on that firm foundation or one that will sink?

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:1-2

God wants to be personal with you. Is he YOUR personal strength? YOUR personal rock? YOUR fortress, etc? It doesn't work if He's your parents strength, your girlfriends rock, your friends deliverer. That won't get you into heaven one day.

God's love language is obedience! If we love God - we'll obey God. We may say, "I love you, Lord." but our actions say otherwise. God knows if you love Him.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25

God as His weakest point is still stronger than us at our strength.  

Never rely on others to be your strength! You will crumble and they will get tired. People will get tired of you leaning on them.

Jesus never promised smooth sailing! 

To be RESCUED = to be DELIVERED

God is the safest place you can escape to!