Risk Retreat Prayer

I had a great time this weekend with you guys - except the part where you let me dangle in the air in that harness and maybe that middle of the night confusion thing. Spending time like this together really helps me learn both how to love and how to be loved (hey - that sounds like a song) - anyway, thank you guys for allowing me to be a part of your lives and know that you are a really a big part of mine! I love you all!

Here's my prayer of thanks to God for this weekend: Lord, thanks for reminding us that we need to take risks in life and that any risk we take for you, is really no risk at all 'cause you've got our backs. Help us to live risky in each part of our lives - with each other in the church (let us risk by loving each other sacrificially), with people outside the church (let us risk our reputations), and with our own personal relationship with You. (Let us risk our entire lives and give them to You!)   

Thank you God for all you did. Thank you for:

• the youth each and every one of them - thank you for Meggaen, Shelby, Dakota, Montana, Lindsey, Sidney, Katie W, Katie K, Ashleigh, Madison, Emily, Kim, Abby, Scott, Callen, Matt, Clint, Chris, Ryan, Zach, Justin, Dalton - Lord, they were tons of fun and worked really well together as we switched schedules and got up early and everything else we encountered. Thank you God for giving us the opportunity to be in their lives and thank you for giving them attitudes that make our job so easy. Thanks for giving them strength to focus when they were so tired too!
• our adult volunteers were really incredible and lots of fun! Thank you for Miranda, Mark, Trish, Carol, Jon, & Laurie
• Jason really did a great job teaching us with his talks and while he hung out with us!
• Evan and the guys (Zach, Dale, & Josh) were awesome!
• Seth, Paul, and Matt were great challenge course facilitaters!
• Rodgers (from Kenya) shared his story which we hadn't really even planned on - nice surprise God - you're way too good to us!
• even the food was good - and that's pretty much a miracle for a camp - I guess you are the miracle worker though.
• thank you for strong harnesses so big guys like me can still get on a zip line. And thanks for zip lines!
• for great weather!
• for inside jokes - I've got your gizzard banana!
• for hayrides and campfires!
• for friends both old and new!
• for decisions that we made to follow You and help us to really live out those decisions with everything we do.

Thank you God! I love you more today than ever before because of what You've done, but also because it's who You are that makes You do those things! YOU ARE AWESOME!

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PS - guys don't forget that you can listen to more of Evan's songs by downloading them from the forms and downloads section of our website. www.uturnlakejackson.com or you can find out more about him on his myspace site. www.myspace.com/evangodbold

P.P.S.S. - There is a small photo album on here to the left, but if you wanna see all the pics you'll have to go to www.uturnlakejackson.com and click on the photos link. We had so many pics they wouldn't even fit in one photo album on that page - Crazy!