Often when I reach out and love people, I look for results. I want to know that I'm making a difference, that I'm effecting people. I mean, that's not bad, but sometimes I get so caught up in looking for results that I forget to love people. As I was talking to Bethany, most of the time I view people as "outreach projects" but not friends. A lot of the time, even if I don't realize it, I say to God, "God, I work so hard on loving people but I never see any results. Please show me that I'm making a difference because I don't want to keep loving people if I don't see that I'm making a difference." It's a lie from Satan, I believe, that I'm not making a impact on people. It's also a lie that if I don't see effects on others, I'm not making a difference. Camp was a great time in the sense God gave me results. I can imagine God saying, "Alright, I'll give you results!" A couple nights into camp, one of the girls in our group wanted to talk to me. She told me how she felt like she kept on sinning and everyone had given up on her. Her Dad's in prison and her Mom is trying to get a divorce. She said I was the only one she would tell this to. I thought it was so cool that she trusted me enough to tell me that. As the week progressed, a couple other people told us things I'd label "results". Did I love those results? Absolutely! But you know what happened? I started to look down on others and became proud of what "I'd" accomplished, while it was really God. One of the songs we sang with Rush of Fools went, "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." Once I was walking around talking to my youth pastor who asked me why I wanted results so bad. He went on to explain that now he prays that God wouldn't show him results. I can understand what he meant. It's so easy to get distracted or glorify youself when you get results. I don't hate results, but I don't want to get caught up in them. It's so freeing to know that I can just be obedient to God and leave results up to God. My favorite all time quote reads, "God doesn't call us to be successful, but obedient."-Billy Graham.

Rush Of Fools - Undo (Digital Video Version)

This is a song from Rush of Fools, the band at Super Summer. It is a touching song about our failures and God's grace. Kevin, our friend, is the guitarist and back-up vocals. They also have a song called Escape.

Super Summer 2010!

Here's some of Reality Check that went to camp. There was 25 of us.

Me and Paige with our friend, Kevin, from the band Rush of Fools. We had lunch with him and something he said was this: "Jesus plus something equal nothing."

My friend, Nick, killed a bug. He was one of the 7th graders that came along in place of my brother, Andrew.

Me and my friend, Desiree.

The drummer, Jamie, who was absolutely amazing! He was one of the two guys we got to have the devotion with.

The zip-line-fun, but scary. When you got to the top, it was so shaky.

Me and my cousin, Will, by the big bell.

Our speaker, Jamie. One of my favorite things he said was, "If Jesus doesn't fulfill, it's not because he's not satisfying, but because we have an improper appetite."

The theme of Super Summer 2010!

Yesterday I got back from going to camp (Super Summer) with my youth group. I had a great week! We had team water games, an amazing band (Rush of Fools), deep conversations, great messages, and scary obstacle courses and high ropes! The theme of the week was Journey: How to get from here to there. In our chapel twice a day, we learned about the Israelites journey to the promised land and Peter's journey of following Jesus. The team games required team effort and speed and, though we lost, we had a great time being the Orange Beasts! My youth group also had the chance to have a devotion with a couple guys from the band, Kevin and Jamie, two talented and amazing followers of Christ. On top of that, I also got to have lunch with Kevin. On Thrusday night, the last night at the camp, we had an reflective service where we wrote down what God had been teaching us or what we wanted to lay down at the foot of the cross. When we were finished, we went to put it on the cross. I also really enjoyed the group that went. Friday morning we had KP (Kitchen Patrol) duty where we worked in the kitchen, serving good, refilling people's drinks, and cleaning up. I handed out danishes and muffins and told people it would change their life (yeah, I had fun!). One guy was like, "Ya, I'll take it if it'll change my life!!!" Events like this are always great to get to know and connect with people better. It was a great and encouraging time!