We are not in support of Spam, if you would like to not receive these weekly witty words, please reply unsubscribe.
Doug's Weekly Words

Aug. 19th, 2009

In This E-mail
Doug's 2 Weekly Reflection
Blest2Bless Thoughts
Weekly Update
Preparing for Sunday
Shout Out
Prayers

Being a Blessing-
2 weeks ago our family headed out on one of what has become an annual week.  For five years we have been a part of a ministry called Side-by-side put on my University Presbyterian Church.  It is a special camp set up for families that have a child dealing with cancer.  We attended once as campers, and for the past 4 year times we have attended as helpers.

The camp is incredible.  It is an extravagent week of fun, crafts, laughter, singing, and especially coffee.  Tully's Coffee donates a weeks worth of coffee, milkshakes, italian Sodas, smoothies and volunteers mix it up all day for campers and volunteers alike.  Some of the highlights are even provided by our fine church: The Dotson Family takes camp photos and family portraits, The Fisher Family (Lance and CJ) offer up great music, and our Regent Intern for this year, JJ and his wife Lisa Kissinger were entertainment and head buddies for the week.

The camp is enjoyed by all.  The smiles on the faces of the kids are truly a reward unto themselves.  Many families have told us that as great as their Make-A-Wish trips were, their kids would rather come back to Side-by-Side.  We work, laugh, cheer, and sing our way through one of the most memorable weeks of our year.

And Yet camp is really hard.  While we laugh and smile we also shed many tears.  The issues that these families face are very close to our hearts and bring our issues up front and center.  While we cheer, we know that some of these kids will not be at camp next year, and not a year has gone by where we haven't received the e-mail that we always dread, sometimes 2 of them.  We can't help but see Zach in almost every face and struggle.  Every year as we pack up to go to camp we ask the annual question, "Why are we doing this?  Why do we spend a week of hard earned vacation working and crying?"  It is hard, it is painful, it is exhausting physically and even more tiring emotionally and spiritually.

We began going because our motto the first few years was not to avoid anything but to go through grief.  Now we go because we have been blessed, and we want to be a blessing.  We go because somehow, in the mystery of the Spirit, we can sometimes be an encouragement to a family in the valley of the shadow of death.  We go because God is at work at camp and it is a privilege to attend and be a part of it.  We go because we want to serve God as a family and we delight in seeing our daughter working hard and enjoying it.

Now in this instance being a blessing is no cake walk, it requires more of us than we usually have to give, but it is good.  It is worth the tears and sweat.  It is worth the sacrifice of 1 of our 4 weeks of vacation to do something that God can use for his kingdom.  Even though we leave camp utterly enervated, we also leave a little healed, a little more alive, and filled with hope.  The Lord is at work, and in the Valley of the Shadow of death the He is becoming a You, the gates of the Kingdom can withstand far more than we can imagine.

And so we begin to plan for next year, because being a blessing is always worth it, even when it costs so much.  After a few long nights of sleep we are ready to go again, cheering all the way.  Hurray for Camp Side-by-Side.  Hurray for the church that puts it on, Hurray for the hundreds of ministers to who make it happen.  Hurray for the campers that pack a years worth of joy into one week.  Hurray for the parents who are loving their kids through the deepest journey in their life.  Hurray for the courageous kids who wake up everyday and face a host of medical tortures and pain with smiles and hugs.

My great prayer for our church is that everyone of us has a few places like this in our life.  Places where we are able to give of ourselves and be a blessing, even if it is hard and costly.  We have been so blessed, we must respond by being a blessing.

In His blessing,

Doug B.

Tangible ways to remember Whose we are-  We spoke about the gift this week of tangible things in our life to remember Whose we are (the sermon is up on the website)- do you have any that you would like to share?  please reply to me any ways that you are regularly reminded of God's Presence

Blest2Bless-BlestLife Practice- Hospitality- invite someone to dinner this week that you don't know very well.

Blest2Bless-One up Your Giving- Who needs help around you, how can you give?