PUSH

I don't know who wrote this or where it came from originally but I was having a long week yesterday :) and this came from a family member. I can't explain how much I needed it. Thought I would pass it along for you, too. Enjoy:


A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

So,this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun-up to sun-down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that the whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind (He will do it every time!)

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved."
Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, give just the minimum effort and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do but decided to make it a matter of Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to The Lord. "Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing.


The Lord responded compassionately, "My son, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push.

And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back shiny and brown; your hands are calloused from constant pressure; your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your Faith and trust in My Wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my son, will move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves The Mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong...Just P.U.S.H.
When the job gets you down...Just P.U.S.H.
When people don't do as you think they should...Just P.U.S.H.
When your money is gone and the bills are due...Just P.U.S.H.
When people just don't understand you...Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray

U = Until

S = Something

H = Happens


Wasn't that great?! If anyone knows who wrote it, let me know. I'd like to thank them.

Work Camp 2007

Work Camp is four great days where young Christians from congregations across our county come together, paint houses, and learn about becoming more like Jesus by serving others.


We have four houses this year in different parts of the county to paint. Only one homeowner out of the four is a Christian. I have been at her house this week with a great group of kids and adults. Thankfully, the weather has been beautiful.

Here are pictures from the house where my group has been. As you can see, there is more paint on the house then the kids. (I was concerned about that at first.)






Six days after knee surgery and she's here painting. What a trooper!




That one on the roof happens to be one of mine.




Aren't they cute!


Work Camp begins at 8. All painters meet at one church building for a short devotional then head off in separate church vans to their destinations. We break for lunch at noon then another devotional follows to give everyone a chance to reflect on why we're there and who we're serving. We're back at the building by 3, covered in paint, and exhausted.



An afternoon devotional.





If it hadn't been for Work Camp, I doubt we'd ever had the opportunity to meet this sweet Christian lady. She told me that she has loved listening to the teens and has laughed at the things they have talked about. I'm so glad she has enjoyed us being there this week. Sometimes twelve teenagers in one place can be a bit much, but ours were well behaved, good natured, and ready to have a little fun while doing a lot of work.

















Think about organizing a Work Camp in your area. All you'll need are some adult volunteers, a bunch of kids, tons of paint, brushes, ladders, and a Christ-like attitude.