When Troubles Come Your Way...

This week at church I was talking to a very wise women (thanks Julie :-)) about her experience with sorrowful and troubled times. We also talked about her joyful times and how they go hand in hand together. In her mind they can't be separated. (It is so true how we really don't have one without the other.) A few years back she had sat in with a group of ladies and was heart broken in how they viewed life. They all felt that they couldn't wait for better/more joyful times and were tired of living with troubles. I guess it depends on how you look at your troubles. You can take it as just a icky, horrible point in your life and wish for happier times or you can take your troubles and see the joy or growth that comes from God by living through them and actually live those happier times. "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." ~ James 1:2-4 Talking about this and thinking this all through made me think of this book I read to our boys called "The Person I Marry" by the same author, Gary Bower, of the book called "There is a Party in Heaven." Both are great, adorable books. Anyways, here is the quote that had me thinking:

All days won't be sunny; and during the rain,

my partner and I will be slow to complain.

We'll stick together the way that we vowed

no matter how dark and looming the cloud.

We'll look on the bright side. All hope isn't gone.

Our Lord just decided to water our lawn.

In loosing our little one last year we learned so much from God and how true His word is. I have probably spoke about this before but here is another reminder, how we can have joy in our troubles. Rick and I know this to be true, we experienced it first hand. We could have just looked at our whole situation as a sorrowful pit that we couldn't get out of (the heart break sure hurt enough) like the ladies only seeing their problems. But instead letting God into our lives and letting Him guide us and be there for us, we were able to find His joy, a joy that comes from growing in Him. If you look at your troubles as a horrible storm or rainy days, it is like having a garden or lawn, without the rain or water your garden or lawn would die and would not grow. I believe that our walk as Christian follows the same pattern. If we didn't have these troubles how would we ever grow and learn more about our loving God. Rick and I both agree, if we had never experienced loosing a child and going through a miscarriage we definitely would not have as deep of a relationship with our Lord, as we do now. We trust Him and have faith that He will guide us with that overflowing joy and peace in our hearts. "We are strong enough" with God, to have the endurance to go through the troubles of living in this world because of sin, with joy and needing nothing else but God and the love of Jesus. That is my prayer for myself and for you as my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Love Steph

Marine Corp Recruit Depot - Jake Reynolds

I thought this might be an easy way to share some pictures and video with everyone at Hillside about our mission to surprise and encourage Jake Reynolds last week as he graduated from the Marine Corps boot camp.  It was amazing to see him go from "recruit" to an official "United States Marine."  Thank you to each of you who helped us get there!

The entrance to MCRD...We made it through security on Thursday for Family & Friends Day.  We had to step out of our car, open all the doors, trunk and hood.  Those marines were so serious but we got them to smile.  :-)

 The first part of Friends & Family day consists of their "Mot Run" (aka motivation run).  The marines run for a few miles and while they are out running, their family and friends line the streets of the depot ready to cheer them on as they see their sons, nephews, brothers, etc. for the first time in 10 1/2 weeks.

 I have video of the Mot Run which I will post soon.  This is a picture of Jake's squad upon arrival after their many mile trek. There were 8 squads, a total of 527 graduating marines.  Their age range is from 18-28, average age is 19.

 Of course they are lined up, looking straight forward but I found Jake (he didn't see us) to snap a first close up shot.

 And they were off again to run some more, until we would meet up in a bit...

 We moved in front of a huge theater to await for the recruits to run back, line up again, be addressed by their commanders and head out, once again, to run some more.  (I was tired just watching them!)

 Such straight lines!

 We spent a couple of hours within the theater as their commanders addressed friends and family, showed us a video of their training over the past 10 1/2 weeks (very impressive!) and answer questions.  We headed out to the parade deck and found all of the marines lined up, showered, in uniform, awaiting for our arrival.

 Once seated, all of the marines came out, paraded on the parade deck in uniform.  Jake was one of the squad leaders, pretty cool!  He was one of the top in his squad of 60-ish men.  He is in the front row, far left, next to the marine with the red flag.

 A new man...

 He still has not seen us yet, or his family.  And it's been hours since the Mot Run by this time!

 After the commander gives them leave for 5 hours that day, they break up and Jake's family (who we had found in the crowd and introduced ourselves too) came down from the bleachers to hug Jake.  As Jake hugged one of his family, he looked towards us.  He looked right at me and the look on his face was like, I know them...then he looked at Zach and the look on his face was priceless!  Tears filled his eyes and he just said over and over and over, "Oh my!" "Oh my!"  We hugged and all he kept saying was that he couldn't believe we were there.  His family also couldn't believe that his pastor would fly so far.  God was glorified through Hillside that day!  Amazing!

 Jake telling us a story...next to his older brother Nick.

 After lunch with everyone.  The restaurant on base fed all 527 marines and their families and friends.  Now that's a lot of food!

 The next morning was Graduation.  The marines had all of their bags out on the parade deck, perfectly uniform, exactly the same.  Wow. 

 Zach and I saw some of these guys practicing for Graduation before the ceremony.

 The stands were filled with all of the marine's loved ones.  They came out in their, even more official uniforms.

 And paraded across the parade deck.  Amazing!  We heard the US Marine band too.  With the flag flying high we were filled with thanksgiving and awe of our country and the freedom that we do have here.  It's incredible what these men and women do for us.

 Jake is in the front row, on the left, next to the man with the flag.

 Walking right in front of the stands.

 Jake :-)

 After graduation!  He is given 10 days of leave before he heads back down to Cali for a 28 day infantry training.  He is a different person today then just a few short weeks ago.  He is very respectful, articulate, talks so fast and can endure any kind of yelling in his face. :-)

 This was such a fantastic trip in so many ways!

I did have to share an extra picture.  As we landed on Thursday morning, it was one of the roughest landings I've ever experienced.  The plane sped up in the sky and within seconds hit the runway...like we vertically went straight down, or that's how it felt.  And came to an abrupt stop.  An older gentleman sitting next to me proceeded to share with us that San Diego is the 10th most dangerous airport in the world.  Thanks for sharing after the fact, sir!  The descent is literally right over the city so in order not to hit any buildings, you have to go straight down and land, and the bay is right there so then you have to stop abruptly.  Pretty crazy!

Thank you again Hillside for you love and support.  I will try to post some videos soon. :-)

Shield Of Faith...

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. ~Ephesians 6:18b

Last Sunday it was so good to pray together and pray for each other. I love it. And since Zach will be teaching about the armor of God over the next couple of weeks, I thought I would share my thoughts from this week. As we were praying over Caleb and Julie on Sunday, both Rick and I got the image of the church surrounding them from all sides with shields lifted and swords drawn in prayer for protection. What an amazing image to have when we pray for each other that we, the church, are surrounding those we pray for with shields. As I was thinking about this image the thought of the movie 300 came to mind (I know another reference to the 300 and it isn't Zach this time. :-)). The warriors, the 300, go into battle knowing, trusting, having no doubt in their minds that the men fighting at their side will have their backs. They trust each other completely with their lives to hold up their shields and fight and not lower their guard or give up. Isn't that how we should be as the church, trusting completely that our fellow brothers and sisters are praying for us with compassion and earnest with shields up to protect each other when we need it. When one of us looses sight of Jesus and his church, their shield is lowered allowing the enemy to sneak in from behind and attack the unknowing church. So lets be like the soldiers of 300 and stay alert and persistent in our prayers for each other and trusting that we are not letting our brothers and sisters down. Lets hold up our shields for one another and surround each other in prayer. Thank you God for giving us Your armor to fight against the enemy.

Love Steph

A Little Thought

Psalm 18:35

You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

Yesterday I was studying and came across this part of Psalm 18, verse 35. ..."you stoop down to make me great." This verse is talking of Jesus (especially if you read leading up to it). I thought about how amazing it was that in the context of Jesus, he did stoop down to make me great. I was nothing until I accepted the sacrifice he made so that I could have new life, eternal life.

And then it got me thinking about me and how I am day to day. Because of our life as a pastor and pastor's wife, my days are usually full of preparing for something...a Bible study, a women's group, a men's group, dinner guests, church preparation, sunday school prep, a meal for someone, etc. I always include the girls in all I do but I haven't put much thought into the fact that most of the time when we're getting ready that I am standing and they are far below me, looking up to me. I thought, if Jesus would stoop down to make me great, why can't I stoop down for our girls more to make them great? I'm not saying that I don't ever go down to their level, I am just saying that I need to more often.

As I awoke this morning I prayed and thanked the Lord for stooping down to make me great and I prayed he would make me mindful of this teaching throughout our day today. Many times, I have knelt down next to the girls and I can't tell how how much their faces have shown pure joy as we're eye to eye.

I also prayed for the holy spirit to fill me to overflowing today. And honestly, I am teary as I'm typing. My sister in law is going through a very rough time and even though my heart is breaking for her, and many others around me who are hurting or weak, I am truly full of joy today. I can't explain it. All I can say is that I am praising God today for teaching me even in simple lessons and humbling me constantly. I am no where's near being a perfect Mom (nor will I ever be) and I am just thankful that he can mother through me. I say bring it on God! Thank you Lord for today, for joy through suffering and for stooping down to make me great. :-)

Love,
Cammie

VU VI VO

I came across this verse when I was reading and it reminded me of the mission of Hillside. To live Vision Up, Vision In and Vision Out:

Psalm 42:8

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
 "By day the Lord directs his love"...vision out. If I surrender myself to the Lord, each morning when I awake, he will direct his love through me. Whether it's love to our husbands, our wives, our children, our co-workers, our friends, our families or complete strangers. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 Praying the Lord directs his love through each of you throughout your days.

"at night his song is with me--"...vision in. Almost every night I pray that my thoughts would be his thoughts and that the Lord would fill my mind and heart while we sleep. Our God can minister to us even while we are asleep. Praying that our vision in would be found to be full of the holy spirit's fruit. Hmmm...if his song is with us while we sleep and rest, how much bolder would our love be directed throughout our days?

"a prayer to the God of my life"...vision up. God in my waking, God in my sleeping, God in my waiting, God in my resting, God in my hurting, God in my healing... These things will remain true as we worship and adore our one true living God. The alpha and omega, perfector of our faith.

Hillside,

This last Sunday as church was beginning, I sat in the back row and looked around at everyone. My heart was overflowing with love for each of you and an extreme measure of gratitude for my family at Hillside. I truly love and care for you. And my prayer is that each of us would continue to live with vision up, vision in and vision out. Let us not forget or grow weary. If you are tired, worn out, distracted, scared, hurting, sick, lonely, frustrated, worried or weak...please take your cares directly to the God who gives you life. He will fill you.

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 28-30

Praying for each of you tonight that we may be a mighty army living VU, VI and VO!

Love,
Cammie

Why Wait?...

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever. " ~ Psalm 16:11

Living with God starts now or the minute we accept Jesus into our lives, changing who we are forever. Why wait to live eternally when we are in heaven, but instead accept His presence and let Him show you the pleasures of living with Him for eternity now. Of course this world isn't perfect and we are all going to struggle with something, but His way is perfect. It is how we look at the things of this world, do we look at it through the eyes of our old self, with fear and doubt, or do we look through the eyes as an eternal being in the presence of God, whose strength and truth we can rely on? I have been there, I have let that fear of living in a non eternal world take hold in my life when thinking of trying to conceive after loosing our baby last fall. I didn't want to go through that kind of heart ache and pain ever again. Who would? However, seeking God's continual presence (being in the word, praying, and worshiping) and allowing myself the reassurance that he never left my presence in the first place (letting faith take over), I could allow Him to show me the way of life, granting me the joy of his presence, and the prelasure of living with him forever, which is having no fear. The 18th Psalm was presented to me at the time which opened my eyes to the fact that it wouldn't be me alone going through that pain again if it so happened. I wouldn't have to rely on my own strength to get through this imperfect life. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. (~ Psalm 18:29) I knew at that moment I could make it through another miscarriage (even though I have no desire to do so) and I didn't have to be afraid of trying to have another baby. Living eternally here on earth doesn't make life any easier, but it allows us to see this life in a whole different way, allowing God to lead us and be there for us. The benefits of eternal living are so much better. :-)

Love Steph

Honeymoon Phase...

Less daunting as team

You, unlikely king by my side

And me, so much better for trusting you

My hand over your heart

While you keep hindrances at bay

Color me surprised by how our union saves the day

Over the weekend, I watched my new favorite movie, "The Prince Of Persia," where I heard these words to the song that Allanis Morisett wrote called "I Remain". This song, along with going to a wedding shower this last weekend and having to write advice to the new bride, made me think of Psalm 45 again (I read it all the time. :-)) and marriages.

I am sure you have all heard or been told, "enjoy the honeymoon phase while it lasts." Why do people say that to young couples? (Drives me crazy) Who is to say the honeymoon phase can't last all the days of your life together? It can and if you allow it, the honeymoon phase will last forever. That is my advice to young couples, live your marriage out like a constant honeymoon, cherishing your love for each other, treasure the gift God has given you, and keep God as the center of your lives. Speaking to the ladies, as Zach taught let your husband be the hero (play the roll of Jesus) in the epic movie of your life and you be the love of his life (playing the role of the church). "For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord." Psalm 45:11

I feel so blessed to not only be married to the most amazing man, but to also be surrounded by wonderful women who feel the same way about their own husbands. I pray that never ceases. I pray for this to grow in others beyond those around us. Let us, let the world know and teach by our actions of honoring our husbands and living the honeymoon forever. Let the honeymoon phase be our whole life here on earth with our wonderful husbands, our Kings whom we trust. Who knows what God has planned for each of us, but like the lyrics of the song say, together with God, your union might one day save the day.

Love Steph