Pimples, Plastic Golf Clubs and Other Man Mysteries

It’s Monday and I am going to share about our jammed packed weekend.

I’ve made it no secret that I am wimp. Oh, there are things that I am brave about don’t count me completely off, but getting hit by paint balls by kamikaze teenagers, is not one of the things I want to brave! Let me try and capsulate this weekend, if I can.

It all started with our Fall Youth Conference, in which we learned Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, just joking (JJK), but we did learn about relationships. That horizontal (those around us) relationships always disappoints. I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you, we’ve all been disappointment at some point in our lives by another human; but a vertical relationship, that is upward with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ never disappoints. All that we long for, all that we need, we’ll find it in Him. He alone satisfies, He alone fills, He alone is worthy of our passion. He should be our ONE magnificent obsession. Everything we seek outside of Him only disappoints, it is only a cheap substitute, empty and powerless. Only He can bring us undeniable joy, but if you want to bring me a little happiness, I like Coke Zero with dark chocolate, please.

Then Saturday after the conference everyone else headed out to put those relationship building skills to use by seeking and finding, then assassinating via paintballs! Darya and I won the lottery and got to stay with Lily, our youth pastor’s two year old daughter. Those that went paintballing may have thought their day was more dangerous, dirty and tiring than mine, but let me testify that half a day of Elmocizinig, cleaning up Spaghetti-O’s and holding plastic golf clubs can wear you plum out! It was a success though. No meltdowns. No injuries. No talkbalk. Just Elmo, Spaghetti-O’s and Golf, what more could this girl want? By the way, I was in bed by 8:00 pm!

At the Park with Lily

Darryl and Jayden went off to Red Rock Canyon for the weekend to do “MAN things”. You know like pitch tents, use the great outdoors and kick the dirt around. The big draw of the event? A man sized bonfire…as opposed to a woman sized. Here’s something I’ve been wondering about. What do men talk about at a “Man Bonfire”? So I begin my research. The first attendee I asked said, “Jesus. Nothing but Jesus.” The next attendee I asked said, “What’s said in the canyon, stays in the canyon.” A Ha! See there lies! We all know that Jesus doesn’t stay in the canyon! I knew it, just like fish stories are man bonfire stories, verified through research. Jayden, my little guy, even rappelled off a 50ft cliff and I have no pictures! I heard they even saw Bigfoot!

Carson declares indeed, "It IS a MAN bonfire!"

I want to say I am so grateful for my husband and for his determination to honor the Lord no matter what or where. He took the time to prepare and pray for the time the men spend together and brought forth a devotion about “Camping Too Close to Sin” and led out a time of letting the men share a little bit about themselves. Each day as I witness my God fearing and honoring husband living a real life dedicated to Christ  ~ day in and day out I am thankful. Grateful. Humbled. And I am challenged. Yes, challenged to be as real. Challenged to take on Hebrews 12:1-2. I want that type of devotion, I want to put on my spiritual blinders and focus straight ahead to the finish line, I want to strip off any unnecessary spiritual fat that is weighing me down and run the race set before me. I don’t want to loose sight of the goal. I want to overcome the things of this world, seeking Him fully and confidently knowing that He is the only thing I need.

To end the weekend, Darya woke up with a big red pimple positioned perfectly on the center of her nose! What is a mother to do? Hide her? Plaster it with make up? No! Call the Elders to pray over her! Yes, that’s it! JJK, I did my best to encourage her! I told her that she was perfectly made and that if anyone said anything to let me know and I would take care of them! JJK, again. I told her to tell them that she is suffering for Jesus! After all Jesus was familiar with suffering, shouldn’t we be? The Bible teaches us in 1 Peter not to think it anything strange when we come up against fiery trials, as some strange thing has happened, but to rejoice (4:12). Rejoice in pimple? Yes, in pimples. It is part of the spiritual refining process. Pimples humble us don’t they? And of course I have to throw in a little of Hebrews 2:14 that Jesus shared in our humanity, so it is possible He had to deal with pimples, I know He dealt with mockery. He did it willingly. He suffered more than we could imagine. He endured the cross. Pain. Shame. And He did for the joy that was set before Him. Us. The Children of God. Great is His love for me that I am called a child of God. I am His daughter!