Peak Week completed

Peak Week 2005 was a great and godly success. The campers may be gone, and the staff getting some well-deserved rest, but we hope to keep the blog alive as we move to develop plans for camp next year.

Obviously, posting to the site will be slower at the beginning than it was over the last two months, but that will give us more time to think and research.

God bless all of you for your part in camp. May he continue to bless you as you continue to bless the lives of children.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Quote for the day . . .

"Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air." - John Quincy Adams

Where are you?

If you're not at camp, why not? The blog will be unattended for the week of camp: June 12-17.

Grace and peace to you all.

Quote for the day . . .

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt

Quote for the day . . .

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth." - Benjamin Disraeli

Quote for the day . . .

"I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it." - Thomas Aquinas

Quote for the day . . .

"Reason guides our attempt to understand the world about us. Both reason and compassion guide our efforts to apply that knowledge ethically, to understand other people, and have ethical relationships with other people." - Molleen Matsumura

Quote for the day . . .

"When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space." - Pema Chodron

In memoriam

I know that Memorial Day was last week, but I feel compelled to remember those whose sacrificed their lives 51 years ago on the beaches of Normandy. Although they never hoped to acquire any additional land, or so much as one trinket of treasure, the invaders of Normandy crossed the Channel to fight evil, resist tyranny, and end oppression. Many of them felt compelled by God to do this thing, even at the ultimate human cost. May the mighty God of love grant them grace and peace because of their selfless gift.

Quote for the day . . .

"He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good." - Confucius

Quote for the day . . .

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." - Helen Keller

Quote for the day . . .

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

How to create a post on the blog

For all of you who may have never posted to a blog before, here are the basic steps.

If you have not logged in yet:
1. Go to http://peakweek.blogspot.com (probably where you are now).
2. Click the Blogger button at the upper left corner of the page.
3. You will be asked to log in; enter your user name and password (if you have forgotten your password, you can ask the blog to e-mail it to you by clicking on the question mark to the right of "password").
4. Once you are logged in, you will go to the Dashboard. All of the blogs you are a part of are listed here. Select the Peak Week blog.
5. You will be taken to the Edit posts tab of the Posting page. Click on the Create tab.
6. You will be given a form to fill out; enter a title, enter your post, and then you have the option to "Save as Draft" (your entry will be saved and you can post it later) or "Publish Post" (your entry will be posted).

If you have logged in:
1. Go to http://peakweek.blogspot.com (probably where you are now).
2. Click the Blogger button at the upper left corner of the page.
3. You will go to the Dashboard. All of the blogs you are a part of are listed here. Select the Peak Week blog.
4. You will be taken to the Edit posts tab of the Posting page. Click on the Create tab.
5. You will be given a form to fill out; enter a title, enter your post, and then you have the option to "Save as Draft" (your entry will be saved and you can post it later) or "Publish Post" (your entry will be posted).

You can edit the posts you have entered later if you choose to do so. Just remember that if you wait too long, other people will have read them and will tend not to re-read them because they will assume that they already have.

Happy blogging!

Helping out a sister

Tiff asked me for some help. She was having some trouble trying to post this, so here is what she asked me to post concerning worship songs!

“I've heard Days of Elijah, but I dont know it yet and I really liked it! In Christ Alone is beautiful too,” on the message about songs from Jason H."

Hosch

I have some newer songs on power point slides, send an e-mail to jason.retherford@gmail.com, and I will forward you what I have!

Psalm 42

The original "As the Deer . . ."

As the deer pants for ravines of water,
So my souls pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God;
When will I come and appear before you, O God?
My tears are my bread, day and night,
They say to me all day, "Where is your God?"
This I remember and I pour out my soul:
For I led the throng in procession
to the house of God,
With a voice ringing with joy and thanksgiving
in the tumult of the crowd.
Why are you downcast, O my soul,
and why do you mutter within me?
Hope in God, for still I will give thanks to him,
my salvation, my God.

(Ps 42.1-6 RV)

Sometimes we have the feeling that the song presents a serene, silvan setting in which this strong, noble stag pauses in his frolic to consider his thirst during the early morning hours. Instead, the psalmist presents a picture of an animal, haggard from a lengthy chase, longing for a sip of water even from a shallow pool in the midst of the rocks. The heart of the deer is about to burst from deep within its chest. The thirst is overwhelming, and the fear is tangible. The confidence and power of this once-noble animal have been poured out.

Only God can fill this thirst.
Only God can calm this heart.
Only God can deliver his creation from its enemies.
God alone is its shelter.
God alone is salvation.

Proverbs 15:1

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)

More music resources

Jason,

I don't know if you know this or not, but there are a couple of resources out there that I have found to be helpful with worship music.

One is www.worshipforum.com
The other one is the Garnett Church of Christ web site, they have quite a few worship songs with sheet music!

Hope this helps.

By the way, I am a psalm 100 singer. The NIV puts it this way, shout for the joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song."

Let's just say, I have joy and make noise!

As the deer II

Jason,

Here are the words to the newer version of "As the deer."

Note: guys lead, girls echo
Jason, there is a beautiful descant, but I don't have it, sorry!

But, this song rocks!

As the deer
thirsts for the water lord
So, my soul longs after you
my soul thirsts for the living God,
yes my soul, longs after you

And I pour out my soul
deep within me
deep within me
I pour out my soul

Draw me deeper Lord
Deeper Lord in you
draw me deeper lord,
deeper lord in you

As the deer
thirsts for the water lord
So, my soul longs after you
my soul thirsts for the living God,
yes my soul, longs after you

And I pour out my soul
deep within me
deep within me
I pour out my soul

Draw me deeper Lord
Deeper Lord in you
draw me deeper lord,
deeper lord in you

draw me deeper lord,
deeper lord in you

And I pour out my soul
deep within me
deep within me
I pour out my soul

draw me deeper lord,
deeper lord in you

draw me deeper lord,
deeper lord in you

Quote for the day . . .

"Courage is found in unlikely places." - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien