Manna, Transcendence, and Naked Beginners

Sin is deceiving. It tricks humankind into believing that by pursuing our fleshly desires, that we will expand the size of our life and get what we always wanted. What falling mankind tends to do is forget the big picture and worry about the petty things in life such as the car we drive, the job we work, and the husband we marry. These things are all important! BUT! When we make these things our daily drive, that is when we have cut ourselves short.

Transcendence: the state of being beyond and outside of the ordinary range of human experience.

As children of God, we were made to be part of something BIG!!!! We all desire this type of life. We want to be a part of something special, surreal, and magnificent. Something outside of the norm and something that is life changing. Often times we think those magnificent and glorious things can be found by worldly gain. We forget that only Christ can provide us with that type of lifestyle. Only HE can make us part of something important. This is where transcendence comes in. As a Christian, we are naturally granted the ability to be in a "state of being beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience." God grants us that privilege. But down through the ages, we have cheat ourselves out of such a blessing. Only Christ can fill the gap in our lives that we search all over for. We try to force-fit other things into Christ's spot, but we come up feeling even more empty than before.

An example of this in the Bible is when the Israelites were wondering in the wilderness. The reason they even considered to go back to Egypt was because they were tired of the manna. They were worried about their menu! "The flavor of a God-provided food rose to such a level of importance that they were actually able to look at Egypt as a place with a better menu, rather than the place of slavery and death that it actually was." (quote from Quest for More by Tripp)

This is what we do! We let petty things such as menu, clothes, jobs, sex, money, who drank the last of the OJ, or who forgot to dry the sink mess our day up and control us. We allow these types of things to rise to a level of such importance, that we end up shrinking our lives to such a small size.

"When the enemy somehow tricks you into squeezing the size of your life to the size of your personal dreams, wants, and needs, he has got you right where he wants you," says Tripp. It's a deceitful trap that we, as Christians, must be aware of.

In Genesis 3, there is a disastrous story of two people who were offered "more" and ended up being served way less than the glory they were intended to receive. Adam and Eve listened to the deceitful talk of the devil and fell into the trap of forsaken transcendence. The "more" Adam and Eve were meant to experience was replaced with a worthless "more" provided by the world. They were left unfulfilled.

Just like them, we will be unfulfilled and will never taste the glory we were meant to experience if we search outside of Christ. This IS a struggle! The evidence is everywhere and I see it in my own life. It scares me. What is the "less" that you settle on? I ask myself that same question. What captures our attention and draws us away from the all satisfying Christ? What glory will we live for each and every day of our life? Are we living for the glory of Almighty God, expanding our life's border as far as the Lord allows them to reach? Or are we shrinking our lives to the measly boundary of our own fences and trashy kingdoms?

Let our prayer be that we experience the true transcendence meant for us and that Christ would help us let go of the "less" we hold so tightly to.

I want so bad to experience God's best for my life. Only then will I find true joy and fulfillment. When the "less" in my life is where it needs to be (WAY below Christ's place) then Christ will have his deserved position. God, help me to allow you to be my "more."

Daily Shame

Here is a Marietta story of a certain trial I suffered through every day for the last few weeks, ESPECIALLY THE LAST ONE.

*themes music begins*....picture creepy, spooky music...

Every day it was harder to bear and my heart broke in two. I faced it every morning, afternoon and night, and sometimes even in between! During breakfast, I would suddenly get an insecure feeling that washed over me. I suddenly wondered, "Is there something on my face?" "Is my hair sticking up?" "Is there a gigantic booger hanging out of my nose?" I wanted to weep incessantly, but I didn't for fear that my campers wouldn't love me the same. The feeling would go away after a few minutes and I could smile again. But I knew deep down that it would come back to haunt me. When leaving the dining hall, after emerging out of the double doors, a wave of shame washed over me once again. I could barely keep my face from contorting because of my humiliation. My campers sometimes would hold my hand to help me get through the challenge. They began to catch on by the middle of the week. Thank you lovely campers :)

Soon enough, random campers would come up to me and look me in the eye, saying creepily, "The duck flies as midnight." I could almost feel my skin crawl. Like a bolt of lightning, the feeling washed over me again. I would frolic away in sadness and my campers would trail in behind me. Soon, I started trying to put a curse on them by saying, "The alligator lurks at dawn." Sadly, it didn't have the same effect on them. They just laughed and pointed, and stared. I wanted to burst into tears, but held back.

*dark voice* "The duck flies as midnight." Right at that moment, several pairs of eyes would stare me down and penetrate to the depths of my soul. My loyal campers tried to protect me, but there was only so much they could do. A couple of them even started to laugh....I felt betrayed. I collapsed to my knees and woke up in the hospital....*beep*.....*beep*.....*beep*....
*music fades*
Alright, well this story is only about 10% true. Let me explain. Kaylin and I started a tradition type of thing where I would tell all my campers to stare at Kaylin and see how long it took her to notice. She did the same back to me :) Several times, I would leave the cafeteria with my campers and Kaylin's cabin would be waiting outside the door for me. Well, the last week, her campers were pros at staring. She would say the code words, "The duck flies at midnight" and they would all stare immediately. Almost like robots. During meals, I would get that "feeling" that someone is looking at you. I felt the need to hide behind my campers. Haha! Well, one day, one of Kaylin's campers came up to me and looked me straight in the eyes and said with a straight face...."The duck flies at midnight." Totally confused, I stammered and replied..."Well the alligator lurks at dawn." She laughed uncontrollably and I felt lost and confused. My campers were confused too...it was quite hilarious. Finally, they told me what that meant and that it was their code phrase. It was like a revelation in my life. I finally understood. It was awesome!!!


Here is a picture of Kaylin's whole cabin who were so good at making me feel self-conscious :)

Here are two of the girls who were oober good at it. They would stare even if the rest of their cabin wasn't. The one of the left is the girl who first said, "The duck flies at midnight" to me :) The one on the right is her sister :D

For two friends....

Hello Crazy Daisy!

I haven't seen you in a while. Aren't I a terrible friend? Don't answer that. Did I neglect you? Don't answer that either. Do you still love me? Don't answer that.

Love even when it doesn't seem like it,
Becca Jones

HELLO BLOGGER FRIENDS! I'm actually talking to you now. *laughs* Okay, well two of my friends (Hannah and Kaylin) told me I need to post more.....especially about Marietta. I am taking them up on that, and I thought that actually posting my agreement would be better, because then I can be held to it. So, if I don't post.....yell at me! Okay, I can't actually post a legit one right now because I have to go teach, but I will hopefully get something this weekend. Happy Hannah and Kaylin? *smooch*

Hold me to this.....
Becca

2. People are soooo different

For the most part, I get along with people. For the other part, I get irritated at people if they are different. I don't think this consciously......it just happens. It's not like I'm thinking, "Mm....they are not exactly like me, thus I hate them." No, it's more like they annoy me, rub me the wrong way, or bring out the mean Becca because I take them the wrong way or because our personalities don't quite mesh well. Let me explain.

*ponders* I need to start at the beginning.

At Marietta, we had one full week of training. We used that week to work around camp and set everything up, get spiritually and mentally prepared, ect. But Coach found it to be super important that we learned how to work together and understand one another. Every single person on our staff was different. Some were more alike than others, but everyone reacted to things differently, thought differently and communicated differently. Coach taught us to analyze personalities and figure out what makes people tick. This was such a good tool to use over the summer. It helped me to connect better with my campers and with my fellow staffers. I will share a little bit of what I learned :)

First of all, there are 4 different personality dynamics:

The first is Dominant: The dominant personality type is aggressive, assertive and good at completing tasks and getting things done. They tend to be focused on goals and are determined to succeed. They are outgoing and don't mind talking to strangers. They sometimes have a hard time seeing from another person's perspective though. They tend to tell rather than ask. Sometimes this causes others to feel like they are bossy. They are confident and productive. They are great leaders and very determined.

The next is Cautious: This cautious personality are big fact people. They love details and tend to wait on making decisions until they know everything. Sometimes they can be negative, critical and even moody, but they are very thorough, analytical. They are good at solving problems and they are very orderly and precise. They can come across as intense and are teachable. They are consistent and have a method for everything. They are planners and they want to exceed expectations.

Inspiring: This personality type are the fun ones, but they can be a little restless sometimes. They are talkative, outgoing, and friendly. They seldom meet a stranger and they are enthusiastic about life. They are carefree to a fault and sometimes struggle with being serious. They can be too loud and weak-willed. They have a hard time making decisions and at times are undisciplined. They act on a whim and can be easily excited. They are emotional and even manipulative. They struggle with finishing tasks. They need change and fun.

Lastly is Supportive: These type of people are dependable and trustworthy. They are softhearted and compassionate. They are good team players and really good listeners. They are easily manipulated and are very indecisive. They struggle with communication at times and they are resistant to change. They are steady, efficient and easygoing. They are peaceful and friendly. They hate being yelled at and pushed around, but because they want to please, they are easy targets for criticism. People tend to walk over them. They struggle with saying "no."

There you have it. These four behavior types explain every person you know. They can be some of each though.

For instance, I'm a SIC. (Supportive, Inspiring, Cautious) My strongest trait is Supportive. The Inspiring comes in right behind and then I have a little bit of cautious in me too. I have very few (close to none) Dominant traits.

All the staff wrote down their letters and there were soooo many different orders. DISC, CI, ID, CID, ISC, SIC, CSI, DIC, SID are just some of them. So, there was some variety in our staff (even though most of us had Inspiring because Coach needed energy at camp :)

Because I learned WHY people are the way they are, I didn't let things get to me that normally would. For example, Coach is totally different than me. He is a high "D" and I barely have "D" at all. Sometimes I would get upset with him because I felt criticized and I HATE that. I'm such a pleaser. But because I knew how Coach operated, it helped me to take it in love and know that he wasn't trying to down me. He loves me very much...he just wanted me to do better in an area.

Another person who was different was Cameron. He was a high "C"...(I don't know this for a fact, but I would bet my arm on it) I only have a little "C" and so Cameron was different to be around. He never irritated me, but I payed attention to his personality and noticed how cautious he was and I was like, "Whoa. Different." He is a thinker and an observer. He actually taught me a lot over the summer! I now know how to "check my angles" as he calls it. (This means to watch what is going on around me) I also learned to think through things a little more :)

It was cool to find staffers who were a lot like me too. For instance, the nurses and I all shared high "S" and we meshed well because we all wanted to please and be friendly and just love :) And then people like Rokel who has some definite "I", would be crazy to hang with and make for some good laughs.

It's really awesome to me how the Lord made all of us alike, but different in our own way. We all have quirks and annoying habits, but we all fit together and can work together as a great team. God made each personality special and for different purposes! It's incredible. We serve such a big God!!!

So yeah! That's thing #2 that I learned at Camp Marietta. In summary, watch the people around you and don't always assume they do things on purpose to get on your bad side. Maybe it could be that God made them that way :)

See this girl? She is wonderful.

I want to do some posts about some special people in my life and how they have been used in my life. I guess I have developed a fascination with how God brings people into your life at the perfect time and uses them in ways you never thought possible. So, in addition to my other posts about what I have learned at Marietta, I am going to pick a person every once in a while and talk about them and what they mean to me. This first post is for my friend, Kaylin.

When I told her that I was writing a post about her, she said, "oh no." I told her not to worry because it was all good stuff that is not too embarrassing, so in order to keep my word, I have edited the following post. It is now fit for you to read. *laughter* Just kidding! I don't think I could say anything bad about Kaylin, even f I tried to :D No editing will be necessary.

I went to Camp Marietta this summer and I didn't know that many people. I hoped that I would find someone who would be a great friend and someone I could come to for anything. God knew that was Kaylin. She proved to be such a fabulous sister and friend. I love her sooo much!

















From the very beginning, Kaylin and I sorta hit it off. The first time I really got to talk to her was during training week when we were painting a porch thing together. I guess it just got better from there. By the second week of camp, we were "cousins." Why? Well, my cabin name that week was the "Ziggly Zebras" and her cabin name also had to do with Zebras, so the whole week my girls and I were calling them our cousins. That lasted the rest of the summer and I still refer to her as my cuz, even though camp is over. She's the best cousin I've ever had :)


Things I notice about Kaylin: (correct me if I'm wrong)

Kaylin laughs at the type of stuff I laugh at....dumb, twisted sorta things. This makes me feel like less of a loser because we tend to laugh at the same stuff. It's pretty rad.

Kaylin is a thinker and a really good planner person. She thinks of everything, which is good for me because I tend to act on a whim and forget details.

She's a really good listener. It's weird, cause when I would talk to her, she got a certain look in her eyes like she was totally in listening mode. It was awesome cause I knew she was listening instead of just pretending to.

She tilts her head, especially when she is riding in the car. And the majority of the time, she tilts it to her left. What can I say? I watch people closely and pick up on their mannerisms. I can't help but notice.

One of her favorite ways to dance is what I call "the swim." (I actually just made that up) But she does a freestyle motion, but more out to the side and to the beat. It's awesome! She had me dancing like that by the end of the summer. It was really fun.

She laughs so cutely. It's like a raspy kind of chuckle and it's so contagious. If Kaylin laughs, I can't help but laugh too. She also seems to talk a lot while laughing. I don't know why, but she does.

She gets quiet when she's tired and in a large group, but when she is in a smaller group or one on one, she will talk a lot, even though she's tired.

She is clumsy and it's amazing. 1. She runs into stuff like I do. For instance, sides of tables, door frames, chairs. She says that it's like the objects are closer than she thinks, so she'll run into them. Picture this: Kaylin rounding a corner, and totally slamming into the corner and saying, "ow." Yes, I saw this happen. 2. She also randomly falls. I don't know why, but I love it. She just loses her footing I guess and will tumble and then get up as if nothing happened.

Her eyes are so cute and watery. It makes them so sparkly.


Some things about Kaylin that you should know:

1. She's beautiful. No make up on, and she is gorgeous.
2. She's tall like me. Yay for tall-ness!
3. She has big feet...same size as me.
4. She loves the bacon fart app on her Ipod touch.
5. She has peeing issues.
6. She runs fast.
7. She can dive backwards
8. She is a dare devil. See?
9. She's a hard worker.
10. She talks fast when she leaves messages.
11. She gives the best squinty-eye look.
12. She photogenic.
13. She could make a bear smile...whatever that means.
14. She is the most amazing and fun huddle leader!
15. She is extremely thoughtful.
16. She's a creeper.
17. She is crafty...not in a freaky way, but an artsy way.
18. She sings like an angel.
19. She likes to lead cheers.
20. She is strong. (See picture below)
21. She has a feather in her hair.
22. She plays guitar.
23. She wears Chaco's.
24. She beats my butt in capture the flag. But when we're on the same team, we work well together.
25. She says, "Oh man!" a lot.













Well that's about all I'm gonna say. I could go on forever and tell you about some hilarious, freaky, weird, awkward, serious, precious times that I have shared with Kaylin, but I won't. All I'll say to finish up is that I love her very much. I'm so very thankful to God for allowing her to be on staff at camp with me. She made my Marietta experience even more amazing! I'll tell you what, she taught me a lot just by her faith and trust in God. She also helped me to learn to pray more. She always brought stuff to God and it was a blessing to be a part of. She is one of the least selfish people I know. She gave to me all summer in her actions, words, and time. God was shown through her this summer and I praise Jesus for Kaylin! She was greatly used in my life!

Now for some pictures!!! *dances* A lot of campers thought we really were cousins cause they said we look alike :)This right before I killed Kaylin's ankle. She still has a knot from when I kicked her. Sorry! Look at Austin in the background. He looks so happy to be squirting us with water and look at how he's standing. LOL. I miss that foxy grandpa!

Two things that I think are pretty cool about this picture: Kaylin's shades. They are so radical! And then Brian's feet. I seriously had to look at this picture for ages to figure out whose feet they were. Yay for cliff jumping!

<3
This is a shameful picture because of me, but I had to put it up because it totally explains our relationship. Me being totally weird, Kaylin like, "Becca, you have issues, but I put up with you." And then Caleb being a total creeper.

I LOVE YOU KAYLIN!

1. I'm so selfish

Here is the first post of the many I will be doing about what I learned over this summer at Camp Marietta. I'm so excited to share because the Lord has done some amazing stuff in my life and has taught me SO much. We serve an incredible God. I know this because He got through to me, and I'm super stubborn.

Confession: I'm such a selfish person.

So many times throughout my life, I find myself demanding that the world revolve around me. Maybe not verbally or even consciously, but this happens in my heart without me even realizing it. My heart is full of myself because of my sin. It's dumb because when a situation comes around that is uncomfortable, or I don't like it, I get put out and obnoxious because I'm not the one being catered to. Isn't that so ridiculous? Because I'm so selfish, I can't see anything but myself and how I'M being inconvenienced. I can be so inconsiderate sometimes and it's so unlike Christ.

I never really thought of myself as a selfish person until I went to Marietta. I thought that normally I'm pretty good about giving of myself to others. I have such a hard time saying no to others because I want to make people happy and to meet their needs as much as I can....and somehow I let that trick me into thinking that I'm not selfish. But it's way deeper than that. It doesn't just have to do with actions. As far as actions, I can pretend pretty well. But it's the heart that shows how selfish you really are.

While I was at camp, I was a huddle leader. Each week I had 7-10 girls in my cabin who I was responsible for and who I taught and led for 5 days. That means that I had around 70 girls filter through my life who were all demanding in their own way. Each of them had needs, big and small, and they looked to me to help them with those needs. It was a great experience! Very hard at times, but so rewarding. It also created the prefect conditions for Becca to learn a big lesson. It's like God spelled out to me, "B.E.C.C.A. I.S. S.E.L.F.I.S.H."

"Miss Becca, will you do my hair again?" My insides were screaming, "No. I don't want to do your hair. I do your hair all the time. I haven't even been able to do my hair. It's still dripping wet from the shower and it's about to get frizzy. Just put it up in a ponytail by yourself." Thank goodness I didn't really say that, but my heart was shouting it out.

"Aw. You're just our little maid huh?" I felt like my face was on fire. Of course I wasn't their maid! I got sooo mad and felt totally offended because I wasn't being thanked for what I was doing. I had such a selfish approach to their comment and allowed it to tick me off. Thank goodness for God's grace and a sweet hug from another huddle leader, or I was sure to be in a bad mood for the night. Instead, God showed me that I might not be their "maid" exactly, but I am serving them for His glory and I need to wash their feet over and over, even when they aren't thankful.

There are many other stories or "struggles" that I could go on and on about, but the truth is, if I wasn't so selfish, those situations wouldn't have bothered me so much and I would've handled them differently. God showed me that I need to say no to myself more, and truly mean it...not just on the outside. It needs to be a heart change and a desire that I have. Like 2 Timothy 4:6 says, I need to be poured out as a drink offering, and I need to allow Christ to give me the strength and fill me up when I feel like I have no more to give. I want to be like Christ and He is a selfless Savior who gives continuously to His children. What a wonderful Savior we serve!

Stay tuned....

Hey everyone! It's been FOREVER since I last posted. I have been gone working at a Camp in South Carolina. I had time on the weekends to blog, but seriously....I had no desire to get on the internet. SO! That's why it's been so long.

In the next several posts, I am wanting to talk about what the Lord has showed me through working at Camp Marietta. There are soooo many things that I have learned and I just can't wait to share them. I had such a great summer and I have learned so much about myself and about Christ. We serve a wonderful Savior and He never ceases to amaze me.

Well, I'm gonna go swimming and relax! Haven't chilled out in a while.....but when I come back, I will hopefully post. Until then...peace!