Abudance

Week 8.

Go Hard, then Go Home, right?

I'm not feeling it. Today, I need a good cup of coffee and a good cry. I need my bed and my momma. I need my feet to stop aching and my mind to stop racing.

What happened to the joy?

Oh, I'm just not feeling it. Pray that this week gets better. Pray it passes quickly.

The Awesome and the Not So Awesome

You know how people always ask if you want the good news or the bad news first? Well I'm making an executive decision and going with the good news first.

The Awesome:

Today was the first time I taught Tough Questions and didn't want to shoot myself when it was over. Actually, today was one of my favorite days of teaching ever. Before I teach, I always pray for the Lord to fill me with himself and speak through me. Most of the time, I second guess myself though. I'm never totally confident I'm letting him take the lead, especially when my thoughts are jumbled and nothing comes out the way I want it to.

Not today. I have never been more confident the words said today were not my own. The Holy Spirit showed up and boy, did he ever bring the gospel. Its going to be a great week...my group is the perfect size and they all seem engaged. They asked some pretty great questions too, except for one middle school boy. Anybody want to field this question?

If you can't read the handwriting, it says, "What does the verse mean that says you should stone your wife if she is not a virgin? Is it wrong?"

I don't know kid, but I'm positive you don't have a wife, so how about we don't worry about that one?

The Not So Awesome:

Turns out the cold I've been fighting for the last several days is actually walking pneumonia. Honestly, I think it sounds way more intense than it actually is. I had to go to urgent treatment this evening, and since I hate the doctor, I had to find some way to lighten the mood while I waited. In the process, I think I've found the cure for a runny nose. Exhibit A:

Call NASA...I'm a genius.

Honestly, I think it sounds way more intense than it actually is. Regardless, I have been sentenced to bed rest while everyone else does camp. So far I've found little to do with myself. I'll be stir crazy in T-24 hours.

Sooooo...if you're praying, there's a new one. I'm fine, I swear. But if you want to send cookies, I guess that's ok too:)

Love From Home and A Few Requests

Hello again!!

Its a great day to be in PCB, first because week 6 is kicking off as we speak! I'm hanging out in the Registration room at the moment, and almost all of our churches have already arrived...PTL for early registration days!

The second and most important reason its a great day is because I GOT MAIL!!! I receive mail on occasion, but when a letter arrives addressed to Claudia Taylor, I know its about to get good, because it probably came from my family (they're the only people who call me that, and I secretly love it. I suppose its not a secret anymore though). This one was extra special...a handwritten letter from one of my favorite men on the entire planet. Thanks, Papa. You brightened my day more than you know.

Now that I'm off to such a fabulous start, I'm really looking forward to an awesome week. Can you believe there are only three to go? Me neither. As you are doing whatever you do day to day, I hope you will lift up a few things for us down in the Panhandle:

1. Due to low numbers, our staff has begun to head home for the summer. This morning we lost two lovely ladies...they were such a huge asset to our team and will be sorely missed. Please pray that transitions will be smooth; both for us at PCB as we learn to do camp without them, and for Miriam and Brooke as they make the sometimes difficult transition back to "real life".

2. I'm tackling "Tough Questions" track again this week. In this track, students ask some of their most difficult questions about the christian faith, such as why God allows suffering and whether or not absolute truth exists. Its fun to delve into these topics, but they can get hairy. The first attempt was less than ideal on my part. Pray the Lord would bring students with good questions and teachable hearts. Please pray he would daily fill me with HIS words and HIS answers, and that I would be completely dependent on him in my teaching. Pray that I will be diligent in all my preparations.

3. Pray for joy and energy for our staff. Week 6 is when you really begin to realize how tired you are, and for many of us (namely, me), its the point when illness sets in. Ask the Lord to multiply our sleep and give us the energy to push through and give students all we have as though we were as rested as we began on Week 1.

You're prayers are so precious to me. Please let me know how I can pray for you too. I would love nothing more than to be lifting you up this week!!

The iPhone Dump: A Recap of Weeks 4 & 5

Why, Hello There!

I've missed you something terrible! Its been a wild couple of weeks here in PCB, and I simply haven't made the time to keep you up to date...silly me:) I did manage to snap a couple pictures though, and I would just LOVE to share them with you!

1. Staff Appreciation Dinner was last Sunday night. This is the one night of the summer we all put on something besides a staff t shirt, fix our hair, and hit the town for a great meal courtesy of Lifeway. This was taken after dinner with my partner in office crime and beautiful DD (that's development director, not designated driver. Those aren't Lifeway-approved activities). I think she looks like Carrie Underwood. Totally jealous.

2. When things get crazy, I tend to push cleaning to the back of my mind. Think its time to tackle my corner of the office?

3. For the second time in my whole life, my team actually won mega relay. This is not something to brag about, as the opposing team boasted a median age of 50. Given my record, I'll take it. #supernovaswag

4. When it comes time to open the store, we tend to hit the sleep drunk stage and begin participating in ridiculous and often unsafe activities like climbing on shoulders to open the store windows. At least we have a great team of spotters. Spoons not forks!!

5. The Fourth of July was done big in PCB. The Rec team (plus katie and myself) all decked out in our very best patriotic attire. Picture left to right are Redneck Katie, Florist with an American Flag on his face, Captain America, The Statue of Liberty, and Miss America.

6. A favorite christmas week tradition is called "Pimp My Mega", during which one must wear whatever costume their Secret Santa picks for them. Katie is a cupcake...her costume was the cutest, hands down.

7. Congrats to Miss Burrows, brand new fifth grade teacher!! We celebrated Brooke's first  big girl job with a super yummy german chocolate cake during paper party.

8. Wednesdays are my favorite night, because this is the night Dave lets me wear the headset and sit in the sound booth. The only problem is that Wednesday is also Secret agent costume night. Luckily, Gracie Lou Freebush can wear her headset over her tiara.

9. Katie and Florist rocking the drums during indoor rainy day rec rally.

10. This will be one of my favorite camp stories in history. Last Thursday, we received a letter in the mail from a recent high school graduate and a week 4 camper. During his week at camp, the Lord called him to Africa as a missionary. Enclosed in his letter was a personal check for $700 which he requested be added to the weekly missions offering. $700 dollars is a HUGE amount of money for a high school student (heck, its a huge amount of money for me). This is one of the most radical displays of obedience I have ever witnessed and has really challenged me to reevaluate my own giving.

11. Remember that one time I co-taught College Bible study with Katie and Forrest?? So. Much. Fun. This was our rec rotation for the week with a hilarious note from our rec director. We're kinda obsessed with each other.

12. Ahhhh...closing celebration. Poor Katie fell asleep sitting up while on the headset. She SWEARS she was just praying...

13. Week 4 College group was INCREDIBLE. It was so encouraging to pour into these men and women who brought their students to camp expecting to pour into them all week. I hope they were half as blessed by our time together as I was. I'm so jealous of what they get to do every single day.

That concludes my week(s) review. Week 6 kicks off bright and early...I'll be posting a list of ways you can be praying, so be sure to check in.

I love y'all to pieces.

A Dangerous Prayer.

About five years ago, I conned my mother into letting me travel to Koln, Germany to work on a church plant in the city. I learned many things during my few short weeks there (one being that missions in Western Europe is not my calling), and surprisingly enough, most of what the Lord did in me did not occur on the field, but rather in our times of worship and training under our IMB missionary, Jeff Simmons.

The Dom Cathedral in Koln. This has to be one of the most massive and stunning structures I've ever laid eyes on.      The Dom is wholly responsible for my obsession with Gothic architecture. 

In one particular lesson, Jeff talked about a time in which he prayed that he would learn what it meant to be desperate for the Lord. In the weeks following that prayer, his car was broken into and most of its contents were stolen. This included all of the paperwork for every team he would host that summer, making it virtually impossible to bring mission groups from the states to work along side him in 2007.

But God...

I don't recall the details and I suppose they aren't important. What mattered was that in July 2007, I was in Koln working under Jeff, despite a small logistical nightmare. The Lord did his thing without the paperwork, and he taught Jeff the lesson he asked for. That day, he challenged each of us to pray that same prayer. I chickened out.

Until five years later.

When our leadership team met for the very first time, I prayed that dangerous prayer. I asked the Lord to make me desperate for him, and oh did he deliver. In the last two months, he has completely shattered my confidence in my own abilities. I came into this summer thinking that I would be a good fit to serve as the Finance Director. Administration is my strong suit, and I was ready to rock this position. Amid the lost receipts, botched reports, and a serious lack of patience when it comes to managing the Fuge Store, Father put me in my place. My only talents are the ones he gives me. Even with the best of intentions, I can only serve him if I'm allowing him to work through me. I'm learning to beg for his help every step of the way...every second of every day. I know what it feels like to be desperate for him.

I seemed to be on a roll with these dangerous prayers, so why not pray one more? This prayer easily scared me the most; I laid a friend in the Lord's hands, promising I would let go of the relationship if that is what he asked. I don't know if he wants to take this friendship away or allow it to remain, and though I hope he allows it to continue, I'm relinquishing the power to make that choice. Losing this friendship is scary, but what terrifies me all the more is stepping outside of Father's will for even a moment.

If you haven't heard, I had the opportunity to co-teach college bible study this week. Totally intimidating on the surface, but totally awesome in real life. During rec on Friday, our group was assigned to conquer the wall. Basically, there is a 12 ft wall on the rec field, and the object of the initiative is to lift your entire team up and over the wall safely. Its a powerful exercise, and though I have yet to experience this myself, many leaders have seen salvations in their students at the top of the wall. Anyway, as I debriefed with my group, I came to a revelation of sorts. Its shocking how willing I am to put my life in the hands of 14 near strangers and trust that they won't let me fall. The wall is reserved for 11th graders and older because it is extremely dangerous if not done properly. If my team were to drop me, I could easily break my back. But that didn't stop me for a second. In fact, the idea never really crossed my mind.

This is my rear being pulled over the wall. Sweet Forrest tried to lift me over by himself, which turned out to be horribly unsuccessful. Kudos to Katie and the student who has me in what appears to be a headlock.

Why am I so quick to place my trust in these total strangers, yet I struggle so much to lay my life in the hands of the Almighty?

Trusting the Father is a choice. I'm choosing to trust that he loves me. I'm choosing to trust his word is good. I'm choosing to trust he never goes back on a promise, and I'm choosing to trust that he is for me and not against me.

Dangerous prayers shouldn't be so scary. The cutting is painful, but the surgery brings health to our souls. I want Lord to do the hard work that needs to be done on my heart, and if that means approaching him boldly with seemingly dangerous requests, than that is what I will continue to do.

Oh, how I want to look more like Jesus...

Approaching Boldly

Bold prayers are dangerous. When we're willing to make bold, difficult requests, I think the Lord honors those. I think we're the ones who don't always know exactly what were asking for. Then we get an answer that isn't quite like we planned.

So much on my heart tonight, yet so little energy to share it. Maybe I'll find sims tins tomorrow to catch you up.

Goodnight my sweet friends.

iPhone Dump: Week 3 in Review

Happy Saturday, friends! There is no one on earth who is more happy for this day to have arrived than yours truly. I've been fighting a nasty head cold all week that has left me talking like a man and keeping my roommates up to all hours of the night with ungodly noises reminiscent of the whooping cough. Needless to say, I'll be spending most of the day in my PJs drinking pots upon pots of folders gourmet roast and catching up on reading for fun (who does that anymore??)

I'd like to start a new weekly tradition to spice things up and give you a really fun look into my week at camp. Most of my updates tend to be heavy; something the Lord is teaching me, specific requests for prayer for my students and team, or a super cool way Father moved during that day. These are undoubtedly my favorite stories to share, but I'm sure you guys would enjoy something a little more lighthearted every now and then. In light of this, I have come up with a genius solution: The iPhone Dump. Every Friday, I'll clean out all the pictures I've taken on my handy iPhone so you can get in on some of these random, fun, and totally pointless parts of my week. Sound like fun? Yayyy!!!

Now friends, I present to you PCB Fuge Week 3!

1. Hanging out with my sweet friend, staff Video Producer, annnnnnd world class bass play, Gage LeGreca.

2. This is my friend Robert, who happens to have a really sweet South African accent. Totally jealous. Here, Robert is teaching a 7th grader the science behind the glow stick he just sold to said student. Upon seeing the glow stick, Robert, who is always exceptionally happy, exclaimed "Glow sticks are my very favorite thing!" When I mentioned that everything is Robert's favorite, he replied in a very serious voice, "Oh no, Mama Tay. I really do love them. Not a day goes by I don't wish I had a glow stick." I suppose you would have had to be there...

3.Another week of beginning Mega Relay with the National Anthem (courtesy of Zack Doyle on the trumpet). This never, ever gets old.

4. A few of Julie's students "tebowing" before running the 7th and 8th grade Mega heat. Too funny.

5. A student gave this to me in the store. He was serious.

6. I hope you recognize this precious face. Ellen's mom sent this to me yesterday, along with some exciting news: ITS A GIRL!!! Ellen will be a big sister come November. I can't believe I won't be meeting the new baby. Sigh...

7. A $50 from the missions offering this week, which totaled a whopping $4,507 for missionaries in Sub Saharan Africa. This bill touched my heart, not because it was defaced (with the best of intentions, I'm sure), but because it was given by a middle school student. $50 bucks is a ton of money to a 13 year old. Kudos to the Bible Study leader that drove home sacrificial giving.

8. The name is spreading. Students all over campus seem to believe that my name is "Mama Tay". I'll take that over "gullywasher" any day of the week.