Quit Trying So Hard

Our theme this summer is "Quit Trying So Hard." Romans 4:13-16 emphasizes that our efforts to "be good" so that God will like us and continue to love us only leads to frustration and endless striving to continue to please Him. This has been my life. Either consciously or unconsciously I have lived with a constant "looking over my shoulder" to see if my choices have pleased or disappointed God which led to my feeling close or distant from Him. From my perspective I could never do enough or be good enough to keep Him happy with me.

I am know walking in a new freedom. Jesus did it all on the cross. Because Christ took the sin of the world, the sin of all time upon himself, God turned His back to His son. Jesus did this so we would never have to feel God turning from us. We never have to experience what He felt when He cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Faith in Christ determines our relationship with Him, not our deeds and choices.

Quit trying to be good, quit trying to replace God, quit trying to do it alone and quit trying to be someone else is our message to hundreds of students and adults this summer. A powerful message combined with challenging and rewarding activities in addition to true transparency of our staff have made the first two weeks of camp life changing.

I look forward to what God has in store for the rest of the summer in the lives of campers, staff and myself.

Lance Giles

Words

In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I recently worked with a group from Grace Fellowship Outreach from Eustace, TX. We had a blast, what a great bunch of people. On the first day we hiked to the top of Elk Mountain in the Wichita Mountains. It was great to watch them interact. They had fun together, they shared water with each other, and they even pointed out poison ivy on the trail for each other. I could truly tell they cared for one another. And intertwined in all of that kindness were sarcastic jokes. No one said them with mean intent, but sarcasm has a way of hurting people without anyone knowing it. That night we discussed Matt. 22 and what it means to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I told them what I had noticed and challenged them to refrain from sarcasm for the weekend. It was great to see them work together by keeping each other accountable on this and even catching themselves from making sarcastic comments. They were very encouraging during our climbing and rappelling the next few days. That is a great group of students and I pray that they take this lesson to heart and truly change the way they speak to one another.

A kind word goes a long way. And a mean one goes just as far. We need to challenge ourselves with these questions: Have I been short with someone recently? Have I snapped at them? Have I been sarcastic towards someone? Even a friend? I believe the way to start loving your neighbor as yourself is to lift them up with your words. The benefits of this become even more evident during the challenging activities that we do at Compass Wilderness.

Shane Seaton

Sunsets and Reflection

I have to admit that Spring Break makes me tired. I am there for several days with groups, investing in their lives, making sure the logistics are handled, sleeping (too little) on the ground rather than next to my wife in bed, missing my little girl, I’m sure you get that I’d like to be home by the end of the those several days. If I’m honest, when the last group arrived, I was about ready to start the countdown until I could go home.

As the group was settling in, we decided to go for a hike up a nearby peak to watch the sunset and spend some time in private meditation and prayer. I can tell you based on my study that it’s times like that the Lord speaks to his people, and I can tell you it’s been my experience several times, and specifically that day that the Lord refreshed my spirit and gave me strength and a renewed focus. I spent much of my time over the week preparing for whatever was next or focused on some task at hand, much in the same way we all spend our days at work, engrossed in the details. I was reminded of the importance of being still and knowing that He is God. There’s great comfort and peace in that.

Now, admittedly, this is a bit of a strange experience to share, but if that’s your thought then I’ve failed to convey what’s really on my mind. Here it is in concise terms: The mission of Compass was validated when I was reminded of the value of spending some time watching the sunset, taking a walk outside, turning off all of the electronic devices that distract us and spending time in self-reflection and prayer.

We all need some time to unwind, to gather our thoughts, refocus our minds on the purpose and meaning of our lives. Get outside, get alone and spend some time with the Lord and see what He wants to tell you.

Grace and Peace,
Steven

Spring Break to Spring Snow?

I was looking forward to taking some students rappelling on Saturday. Smelling the fresh spring air, feeling the warm sun on my face, all while standing on top of a cliff helping students challenge themselves. Well, with a crazy chance of spring snow here in Oklahoma, this weekend is not panning out the way I had planned. At least we had beautiful weather last week for our Spring Break trips.

We spent 9 days in the Wichita Mountains talking to students about the love of Christ. One of our staff members, Chris Johnson, a recent OBU graduate, had a great discussion with a student. We had just gone climbing and we were back at camp in the late afternoon. Some students were throwing the Frisbee, others were getting cleaned up from the day’s activities, and some were relaxing on the picnic tables enjoying the spring warmth. Chris and a student were down by the lake hanging out and the student told Chris about the challenges he had in his life and with his friends. Chris was able to talk to him about these struggles and help him figure out how God would want him to handle this situation.

That is why we do what we do!! Thank you Father for putting a man of God like Chris there at the right time to talk to that student in his time of need.

Shane Seaton

Spend Some Time Outside

Since the beginning of time God has used His creation to draw people close to Him. Whether searching for answers, preparing for ministry, or looking for rest, people have gone to the wilderness to meet with God. The Isrealites were forced to wander in it, David spent most of his early life in it and frequently returned to it in his later years and Jesus spent a month in it before starting his ministry.

Time spent in nature is time spent with God. You can not encounter creation without encountering the creator. All of creation shouts His praise! A poet once wrote:

"I stand amidst the grandeur of trees that have grown for years,
My eyes can hear a symphony that is silence to my ears.
Creator of everything, but He is much more than that!"

When did you last walk in the woods talking with God? Sit quietly by a stream enjoying Gods' presence? With Spring and Summer upon us, there is no better time to get outside. Moses, Elijah, David, John the Baptist and Jesus had their hearts encouraged and talked openly with God through time spent in His creation. Give it try and see what happens.

FBC Wright City

The January camping trip is always a gamble, but when the weather comes through for us it makes for an awesome weekend. This past weekend was one of those great weekends. Sandwiched between a week of 40 degree temps and a Sunday's high of 36 we had a Friday and Saturday of sunshine and warm 70's.

FBC Wright City joined us January 2-3 for two days of rock climbing, rappelling and camping in Mineral Wells, Texas. They brought a great group of beginner climbers that had a blast climbing and really encouraged each other in their efforts. Once they had successfully dominated the climbs we had set up, we moved to a new area for a little more of a challenge. We then headed to the campground to get tents set up and settle into camp. Dinner consisted of fire roasted hot dogs for the true camping flavor, followed by smores and cookies to help us stay warm through the night.

Saturday started with breakfast and packing up camp before we headed back to the climbing area for a day of rappelling. A quick intro class into how to rappel safely and we started sending the group one at a time backwards down the cliff. Several students went 4-5 times before stopping for lunch. Once the group was done with lunch we started our processing of the rappelling day. The comments of students focused on faith and trust in the rope and equipment and relating that to our lives with Christ.

We said our farewells, they loaded up the bus and hit the road back to east Texas, just in time to beat the cold front Sunday that kept me on the couch.

It's Finally Here!

One of my favorite days of the year has finally arrived. The first real cold front has now moved through the north Texas area. It marks the end of another blistering hot Texas summer and early fall. I know that it will most likely get warm again next week, but let's just enjoy the crisp air while it is here.

Every window in the house was opened yesterday to welcome cool air and while my wife Courtney was napping under two blankets I sat watching the rain pass through waiting to get outside. Once our two boys were up from naps, we got out for a family walk. It was awesome! I just felt truly happy.

For me this cold front marks the beginning of a new season. With a busy fall trip schedule followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is easy to look ahead and miss what this season, what this day has to offer. To often I look past what God is trying to show me today in order to plan for tomorrow. I miss what He wants to say to me, because I am thinking about what I can say to others.

So enjoy it today. Get outside while the air is cool. Go for a walk and listen to God. He wants to talk to us today!

Lance