some days stay gold forever

It happened, it rocked, it's over. It was the best one of all time.

This was my eighteenth church family camp. 

There've been years where I stay on the teeter-totter as much as possible, years where I destroy myself playing tag every single day, years where I run around being a maniac and eating red vines and avoiding banana slugs, and years that are rough and all over the place. This year was the year of taking photos and loud singing and clamorous late-night talks and inane 2am basketball games and learning and appreciating and getting to know people a lot better.

 

I have it so good--with this crazy, amazing church family, and sometimes I don't remember that. 

This year it was literally impossible to forget. 

There are a lot of awesome people in the world, and God put a bunch of them in my life. Community is one of the best. things. ever. And family camp is like, community on steroids.

Everything that I'd prayed the week would be-- awesome and full of craziness (which it always is) but also encouraging and inspiring and sharpening--it was all that. 

This year, Jesus took us by storm.

There was sunlight all over the place, late night talks about deep stuff and weird stuff and real stuff, and lots of campfire-smoked clothes and sandy feet.

I took photos, kind of continuously.

And got lots of advice & inspiration from Miwaza and Peter. 

yes, this is a gratuitous picture of Ben's tricep.

pre-dance pushup contest. ;)

we danced to Chasing the Sun which was kind-of-really amazing.

Ben looked up a video montage of Sean Bean's thirty death scenes because he's helpful like that.

Bethany loves to have her picture taken. ;)

The speakers this year were especially awesome."FIGHT DRAGONS" was all over the place. Thank you, Pastor Sumpter, for a whole lot of convicting, inspiring, and shivers-inducing words, and thank you, Long Live, for being even more applicable than ever. :)

"Fight dragons.

Kill 'em.

Play with 'em

Tame 'em.

Take on sin, stare it down; chase it.

And if you die fighting a dragon, good for you...

Jesus did too.

And you know God will raise you back up.

You have endless life in Him.

What's the worst thing that's gonna happen?

You'll die.

It's gonna happen to us anyways.

You have nothing to be afraid of.

You belong to Jesus and you're a child of God,

And God has promised to raise you up on the last day.

You are invincible.

Fight dragons.

Confess your sin, fearlessly"

- Toby Sumpter

white pants. yess.

this is Daniel, who slept on the floor amidst end-of-camp slideshow madness.

This week in June is always a life-changer & perspective-shifter, and this year was no different. There's the high you get, and there is the letdown after--but despite the depressing fact that it's over, really, I'm excited about everything.

I love these people, I love this life, I love this Jesus who is the source and reason and purpose of everything.

"We're standing in a light that won't fade,
Tomorrow's coming but this won't change,
Cause some days stay gold forever."

-Gold Forever, 

The Wanted