The Temperature Is Rising

This is a guest post by one of our summer staff, “Thunder Showers”.

So, it is week 7 here at the Ranch and things are going great! The sun has been out all week and the kids are loving each activity class and theme night. We have a lot of counselors who have had their first cabin at the Ranch this week. And let me tell you, they have done a great job! When we say that our staff is our program, we mean it. The counselors and program staff have kept the energy high, they have made each activity and theme night excellent, and above all else they have made the gospel known. I think this week- out of any other week- I have seen how vital that is.

As a full summer staffer, I definitely have those weeks that I like to refer to as “wall weeks”. This week was a wall week for me. I have described my brain as feeling like a plate of spaghetti. All of my thoughts are jumbled together, if I am trying to explain something it usually takes me a good five minutes to get out whatever I am trying to say. All in all, I have definitely felt insecure about my communication and leadership this week because I don’t think the staff have been able to understand anything I am attempting to explain to them. I say this while laughing because there have been a handful of times while I am up on stage when all I can do is pause and apologize for the mixed up message that I just gave the crowd. But of course, I should have known that the Lord was going to have a significant lesson in it for me, and He sure did. As I was spending some time reading yesterday, I came across a verse in 1 Corinthians. Paul is addressing the church of Corinth and pointing out the fact that they are praising him for baptizing them and also for how eloquent and wise he sounds. Paul responds with this: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:17) Can I get an Amen?

When I came across that verse, I was reminded that it does not matter how eloquent I can sound or how awful my communication is because Christ is glorified even more when I remove myself and glorify only him. I don’t need perfect communication, flashy knowledge, or wisdom that will knock you off of your feet. Instead, I need to know that in God’s divine power, all He needs is for me to lay down my life, pick up my cross, and follow Him so that His glory and His name will be made known.

I hope you staff are all doing well! We would love to hear from you about how your summer is going!