rest.

I'm thankful I have such a disciplined roommate - without fail she wakes up with the sun six days a week to make the three mile trek of tennis shoes pounding on poorly paved concrete. { fun fact: sun rises at 5:30 am in Nicaragua every.single.day....cue black out shades and sleep masks } She always inspires me with her consistency - so much so, that I began to pick up this little early morning running habit as well. { still, it's lucky if I'm able to drag myself out of bed this early a mere three times a week, followed immediately by an hour long mid-morning nap. }

Sometimes we run and talk, sometimes we run in silence, sometimes we run and complain about the heat, sometimes we run and basically shout words of encouragement to each other to keep going. But anyway you slice it, at least we run.

In the midst of one of our early morning run convos, she said simple, seemingly ordinary words that somehow rang deep in my soul.

"You know, while you run you are actually making your muscles weaker. It's in the days of resting where muscle strength is really built."

At first glance, this seemed to me like a good enough excuse to cut back on all the running and just "rest". But they go hand in hand - this dance of running and resting.

Strength is built in the resting. How ironic. This is the type of truth that cuts me to the core and awakens something in me I didn't realize had disappeared into slumber. This is one truth that could save me.

You see, in ministry, there is always some running to be done. There is always another high school friend to be reached, another e-mail to be sent, another Bible study to be planned, another phone call to be made.

In Nicaragua, there is always another missionary friend to connect with, another broken car part to replace, another Nica friend to invite over, another bill that must be paid at the endless bank line.

In life, there is always another thing to scratch off the to-do list, another letter to write, another floor to be swept, another dinner to be cooked.

Ministry, Nicaragua, life...they all demand so much. It can overwhelm the soul and make the heart an anxious one to think of all there is to do.

And in a quiet whisper I hear...strength is built in the resting. This is where the real work is done. This is where stamina is constructed. This is where real living happens. When I allow rest, the demands of everything around me don't feel so suffocating.

Jesus speaks these words of truth to Paul so plainly in 2 Corinthians: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Pauls continues..."Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Jesus is in the running. And He is in the resting. And His strength is the anchor for all. So I continue to run. And I continue to rest. Because if all is truly grace { the running and the resting and everything in-between }....how can I not?

break.

Have you ever had the audacity to break open a sand dollar? You know, the one that you spent hours walking up and down the beach to find? The one that's perfectly round and white and charming? To break it seems almost cruel. And for what? Nobody fawns over a half a sand dollar. No one oh's and aw's over a little piece of shell. It is wholeness that people find exquisite.

But what if what they say is true and what if there really is beauty in brokenness? What would happen if we were brave enough to redefine beauty and allow broken pieces to be found lovely as well? To see redemption in the broken pieces of our own hearts. To look for grace in the broken pieces of others lives. To seek Jesus in the broken pieces of the world.

Have you ever had the audacity to break open a sand dollar? Because if we're just brave enough to sit there long enough, among the broken pieces beauty can be found.

camp.

Almost a month ago, twenty-seven Young Life friends from Nicaragua boarded a plane to the most beautiful place in the world - Windy Gap! After the week, I was even more convinced of two things:

1. Summer camp is one of the best things that Young Life has to offer.

2. I have one of the best jobs in the world.

One of my favorite things is to look back through pictures after the week is over and re-live all the memories...so I thought I would share a few of my favorites here.

Enjoy!