This summer...

...I'm going back.

(School is finished--praise the Lord!, summer is here, I'm excited, and I'm going back!)

Back to the place where the sunsets are magnificent, the gospel is shared, horses are cleaned/ridden/fed and then cleaned/ridden/fed again, lessons are taught, kids are encouraged, trail rides are never boring, thunderstorms are sudden, chores are completed, songs are sung, hay is stacked, games are played, boots are worn every day, God's Word is read and studied and memorized, laughter is everywhere, and Christ is honored above all. 

At the end of the day I might be exhausted, smell more like horse than anything, feel at peace, be in awe of God's grace, wonder how in the world I'm going to get up in time for morning chores, but it is all worth it in the end. 

I'm going back to camp. =)
(I'll return home in August!) 

When the alarms all go off...

When the alarms all go off at once and everything is clamoring for attention right now...

the timer for the pizza, 

 the smoke alarm from the spilled and burning cheese, 

 the screaming little boy with the bleeding lip, 

 the upset child who was disciplined, 

and the mother calling for order

...where do we find peace?

In the love of God. 

After the alarms have been silenced, we bow our heads and pray. Just as Jesus prayed for us, we pray for the love of God to be in us so that we can show that love to others.