So far Brad and I have made it to the theater once in 2010 and we saw the movie Avatar. Science-fiction is one of my favorite movie genres, so I really enjoyed this film! But did you know that some people have obsessed over this movie? Why do people love Avatar? The special effects were amazing. But I think it’s something deeper. People long for the spiritual. People long to live in a world in which all life is considered sacred, a world in which we are deeply connected to Creation, and one another. Watching Avatar awakens the soul’s desire for deep connections to the Divine. Unfortunately Avatar’s answer to who the Divine is misses the mark completely. If only people could truly see our God for the amazing, loving, perfect God He is. Our God, His Presence with us through His Spirit, and the promise we have of Heaven far outweigh the beauty and glory presented by computer programs in Hollywood. Watching Avatar filled me with awe for a fantasy world that does not exist. Reflecting on Avatar filled me with awe and led me to worship our amazing God for who truly is God. He is not only God, He is truly good and better than anything Hollywood could ever imagine. No one can fathom His greatness nor the beauty and fulfillment we will experience in Heaven. My prayer is for more and more people to see Him for who He is, in His Glory. People could connect with the divine through Jesus Christ and find the One and Only Magnificent Obsession. And Obsession that fulfills the deepest parts of our souls, and a reality, rather than a fantasy.

Eccesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

For the past 19 years Christian Campus House has enjoyed a unique symbiotic relationship with Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch in Clarence, Missouri. Symbiotic, in that… they need firewood to heat their homes… and we need an outlet for Christian servanthood.

Shiloh is a wonderful place. It is a children’s home where kids can live who are troubled, unwanted, or who—just because of some unfortunate life circumstance—find themselves in this world without parents to care for them. It is a place where amazing Christian adults dedicate their lives to the herculean task of loving, disciplining, and rearing children who have been “discarded.” I have immense admiration for these house parents who have sacrificed so much to give so much of themselves to one simple task—giving at-risk kids a chance to grow up in a loving, caring, Christian home.

Fifty CCH’ers just returned from our annual wood cutting trip to Shiloh. We once again cut, split, hauled, and stored away at least one year’s worth of “heat” for the half dozen houses that Shiloh kids call “home.” We were privileged to play with the kids, visit with the house parents, and leave feeling like we really accomplished something worthwhile.

But, I think that most of us who go there to “give” to the Shiloh folks—well, we feel like we probably take away more than we gave away. We witness God’s love in action. We learn from Godly people who live tough lives. And we get to share in the joy the kids there experience—the joy of being loved and cared for.

I thank God for the whole Shiloh experience.

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So this is the first blog I’ve ever created…and I’m not quite sure what to write. Quite honestly, the idea of blogging to me is kind of unappealing. I always get this funny sense that in blogging I’d just be a narcissist… and I’ve heard others express the same feeling. Now, I understand a blog when it’s a newsletter-type thing, keeping family and friends updated on things like work or travel in another country. But when it’s just a personal blog about whatever, I always think I’ll just become someone who is so wrapped up in herself and thinks everyone in the world needs what she has to say. Also, are we just feeding more and more into the “all about me” society that America is often prone to being? Although there are many times we could argue that we have something we need to say or people need to hear, much of the time I think we just like to hear ourselves talk. I’m certainly not innocent. It can be the same when we’re sitting around a table at lunch. Many of us do everything we can to pull the spotlight in our direction.

Now, I do believe there are plenty of times when certain words are needed. For instance, there’s a certain compilation of 66 books out there with life-giving and nourishing words among its pages needed by a hurting world. That being said, there’s John 6:68 in which Peter declared to Jesus:
“…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (NIV).

In both Deuteronomy 8:3 & Matthew 4:4, we read: “…man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (NIV).

In regard to our own words, Ephesians 4:29. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (NIV).

Also, James 1:19. “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” (NIV).

And finally, Psalm 19:14. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (NIV).

Rather than our quantity of talk, let’s go for quality. Let’s meditate and mull over the Word of Life that’s at our fingertips. Let’s be a reflective people, a people of meaningful words that give glory to our God and do good to one another.

As some of you may know, the Monday Night football crew has played a lot of Risk while watching the game last semester, and at Guys' Retreat we played for about 6 hours. When you spend that much time with a game, you learn a few things. I would like to share with you some lessons I have learned from playing Risk.

1. Do not expect to hold Asia for any amount of time.
2. Taking over South America AND North America will get the attention of everyone else on the board and they will form alliances to take you out.
3. Alliances are generally bad, unless you are the one to start one and can use that alliance to do your bidding (ex. take out another strong player).
4. There will be trash talk, but remember to not take it to heart.
5. The "advice" given is usually what they want you to do for their own benefit, but they won't tell you that. Just consider all the "advice" and do what you think will help you win.
6. If you have a history of being a strong player, beware of other players joining forces to take you down. Some players may devote their entire game trying to take you out.
7. Do not spread your forces out too thin. It may seem like a good idea to grab as much territory as you can but what good is it if you can't keep it for more than a round because you can't defend it.
8. Australia is a good place to hide and build your forces... if no one notices you doing that or you have a giant army in Siam.
9. Wait as long as you can before you hand in cards to receive reinforcements, the longer you wait, most likely the more you'll get.

If you are interested in playing some Risk let me or Matthew know! We would love to play. And look out, we might continue our tradition of Monday night Risk!