Did I get it WRONG?

The best is yet to come…wrong.  It’s time to remove the YET from that phrase.

I anticipate my brother cringing as I write the following sentence, but he deserves credit. Over a month ago, he instructed me to stop stating such dreams or ambitions and actually start doing them.  For example, “pick up that guitar and play!” As the weeks have passed, I realize the truth in his blunt observation.  I can justify my excuses or I could actually live such dreams and ambitions with fuller freedom.

So, did I do something wrong?

It was wrong to believe the line, “the best was YET to come….” Instead, the best is actually here. So, what is God asking in how I communicate, how I live, and how I dream in 2015?

Truthfully, it isn’t about me. It isn’t about getting it right or getting it wrong. It isn’t about timing or even if I am ready. It isn’t about…

Just stop the excuses and justifications and start unraveling the truth of Jeremiah 29:11-13. It is about grasping the heart of our heavenly father and fully seeking him.  In the past, I would often focus on verse 11, which highlights the HOPES and DREAMS in this plan called, “life.” But, what does God ask in verse 13? He is simply requesting that I SEEK him.

When I seek God, I actually seek how he has designed me as his daughter. He inspires me to do the things that bring me joy and unexpected peace. Such as traveling and airports; random adventures and road trips; being active and competitive in sports; dancing in the kitchen and singing in the car; sipping tea and warm wool socks; writing while watching people; and laughing with a wide grinned smile. 
  

I made mistakes and I’ve made remarkable changes and choices in 2014. I am far from perfect, as I will always be motivated to learn and grow. Hence, it is my desire in 2015 to understand how I can seek God more.

What does that look like? How will that change my dreams and ambitions?

Insert drum roll, it looks like…I don’t actually know. The most important line is that specific one, so allow me to state the obvious. I don’t fully know. In a year from now, I’ll meet you at Starbucks or Timmy’s or Second Cup or even in my living room and I can tell you what I’ve learned. 

So, stay tuned…

Though what I do know is that the best is here. It is HERE in the moments that form today. 

The waiting is done.  I don’t need to share a fluffy or inspiring new years resolution. Instead, I press into my Heavenly Father and ask, “What are you asking?” And I hear him whisper, “My beautiful daughter, the best is here.”

So, whomever you are that read these words…

I value you being apart of these last few years, the dreams shared, the memories created, the lessons learned, and the tears and laughter exchanged. I’ve been told that I am inspiring, but the truth is you actually inspire me. It is now time to live in the best together and embrace it for all that God intend it to be!

Charlene

Race Unraveled.

Unravel. 

It means to undo. A basic word to describe a desire to investigate, solve, and explain. 

"We plot, we plan, we assume things are going to go a certain way and then they don't and we find ourselves in a new place, a place we haven't been before, a place we never would have imagined on our own. And it was difficult and unexpected and maybe even tragic and yet it opened us up and freed us from the past to see things in a whole new way. Suffering does that…it hurts…but it also creates. How many of the most significant moments in life came not because it all went right, but because it all fell apart? It's strange how there can be art in the agony" (Bell). 

I've said in this year, "the best is yet to come…." 

I'll admit, I haven't always experienced the best. Though, I can acknowledge I've seen pieces and mere fragments of the best in this year. Truthfully, the best has unraveled in ways I didn't anticipate or expect. 

Ironically, my own line of "the best is yet to come" has left me discouraged, even hurt. Then I am reminded that maybe, just maybe, the "best" isn't about me. I've always loved sports and being active, which generated a competitive spirit that would push me to achieve a personal best. Because, the moment I'd cross the finish line, the victory oozing from my being, it was worth it. The victory out weighed the months of training, the thoughts of giving up, and the questions that doubted if it was possible…

And then I stumbled across something I wrote when I was nineteen…

"For so long I have been on this marathon, as each stride I take I run away from a relationship with my father…. Recently in my brokeness, I've run away from a boy who loved me. He had been someone said to be the best and even perfect for me, yet for some reason our strides were never in step with each other. After letting go of him, I ran even harder. I was in peak physical shape and I was convinced that I wouldn't slow down. My broken heart created enough will power to endure countless hills, lengthy valleys, and even weary meanders. Then one of the bystanders from the crowd caught me off guard, as his bold voice yelled, "I AM HERE. I HAVE NEVER LEFT." He continued to explain how he had watched the duration of my marathon, the high and low points of my race. He had been faithful to watch and cheer.  His presence was something I'd never felt before. Then he promised with such declaration, "I SHALL PROVIDE." He reminded me to be patient in endurance and granted such hope to push towards the finish line.  So, I invited my Heavenly Father to run with me and he transformed my stride...." 

Life will unravel... 

But are you inviting those who want the "best" for you to be apart? It isn't about me. It's actually about you…God created us to unravel in his presence. Because he is HERE, he is in the BEST, and even in the BETTER.

So, these are my final questions that I invite you to ask with me.  What if, I just would steady my heart? What if, I just lived life from a place of peace, allowed life to unravel, as I experience the best without personal effort? What if, I just let God reveal his best and eliminate my perception of the best? 

Those questions encompass what I am choosing to do…

For I cannot see what is in front of me, yet I will choose to have a steady heart and peaceful mind that keeps on going; keeps on loving; keeps on forgiving; and keeps on believing…

Charlene

Years Unraveling

1989.

A year that I was first introduced to camp and only a few months old with a head full of blonde curls.

2012. 

A year that God revealed the call of obedience and the journey unravelled. I've never been the same. At the time, I told him as I flew over the Rocky Mountains, "I will return to Alberta for restoration.” Then I murmured under my breath, “and I will only do camp ministry if it involves a lake."

2013.

A year that challenged me to return to camp ministry, the blonde curls now much longer, yet the passion arose! Ironically, it involved a beautiful lake. The dreams for Makaway exploded...

2014.

A year that I questioned as I traveled through the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, "why am I leaving BC (home)?"  Only one reason came to mind, Makaway. 

I returned to Alberta and pulled up a chair, as I inched myself closer to the oak frame of my kitchen table.  I sat and begin to write out the questions I’ve wrested with, the thoughts I’ve twisted in my brain, and the fragments of unknown that I’ve lacked clarity and understanding.  Oddly, I stumbled across a quote by Bill Johnson, “you cannot hold God hostage to your questions. He doesn’t owe you an answer. If you want the peace that passes understanding, you’re going to have to give up your right to understanding. It’s called trust.”

In 2012, I never thought I’d be apart of Makaway, yet in a season of obedience I began to trust there was an actual reason why I returned to Alberta. I haven’t always understood, yet I’ve trusted that “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind” (C.S. Lewis).

In 2014, I marvel at my Makaway family. Because you are a very large piece of the “better” that has been woven in the unknown fragments of living in Alberta. As a result, I eagerly look forward to celebrating this thanksgiving season with you.

So, this year it will be held at Bentley Community Church on October 13^th.  We will be hosting a fall festival and clothing giveaway at 4pm with a free thanksgiving dinner at 5:30pm. Please RVSP to makaway@sunnysidecamp.org, as we truly look forward to having you join us at the table!

Be blessed,

Charlene

{The Makaway Team}

Believe

It is an odd feeling...

One moment, a sudden second, and death knocked. It knocked, more like crashed, in the form of a massive moose. 

On screen of the accident was a buzz and murmur that repeatedly stated, "she should not be alive." Truthfully, I shouldn't. But somehow, I am.

Some would say, "it's just luck!" Or others would highlight, "wasn't your time..." But in a state of shock upon a spine board with a neck brace, I stammered, "how can you not believe?" 

I believe it is a miracle I am alive. 

I believe I was protected. 

I believe that I am beyond lucky; rather I am privileged and blessed!  

I believe life has purpose. 

I believe this will teach me more about the character of God.  

I believe that it’s okay to not fully understand why it happened…

Why does it take death knocking to suddenly believe? Ironically, I think we have forgotten to believe in each day…

Today, I lay upon the physio bed with the laser paddles upon my neck and softly say under my breath, "the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me to paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:1-4). The physiotherapist returns and stammers, "It will be a process of time, yet remember your alive!" 

So today, I believe in recovery!

• Believe for miracles!
• Believe for healing!
• Believe for restoration!
• Believe for hope! 
• Believe for possibility! 
• Believe for dreams! 

What are you choosing to believe today?

I believe,

Charlene

Mystery Of Looking Up!

Have you ever driven late at night and looked out your windshield and counted the stars? Or pulled over and hunted for the North Star to guide you in the black abyss of the night?

When I was a child, I had the privilege of re-creating the Milky Way upon my ceiling with blue sticky tack and plastic glow in the dark stars. Often, I couldn’t fall asleep and I’d create shapes, especially triangles, and would connect each star together. The years have past, yet I still connect the stars at night like dots upon a mountain cliff or roof terrace. 

Why do I love the stars?

It’s a mystery…

Approximately, 100 thousand million stars are estimated to exist by scientists, yet the exact number of stars is left unknown.  Recently, Coldplay crafted a song called, “A Sky Full of Stars," as the lyrics echo in my mind. Furthermore, God declares unto Abraham that he will have descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5)!

Oh the mystery...

Truthfully, I love the stars because I am reminded of the mysteries of life.  At the age of sixteen, I made a promise, “I want to find a boy who likes making diamonds in the sky.”  I haven’t found him. Instead, I have found countless people to explore the mysteries of life with. It's in those unknown and uncharted portions of life with those I love, I have witnessed such healing and restoration, such meaning and revelation, and such understanding and celebration!  

Life is a mystery of stories...

It's a process of understanding the mystery, as each verbalized story is like connecting one star to another.  I sometimes look up at the sky and marvel at all stories that are left untold. If each star resembles a person, then why do we feel so disconnected in our world? I believe that no human being is alone in the galaxy of life and no story should be left untold. Instead, the mystery of our stories collides in the sky like a massive meteor shower. 

I look at the stars tonight...

Those unexplainable mysteries of life...

And another story left untold...

As a result, I am calling all fellow star watchers to have the confidence to share a mere piece of your story as a point of connection to another human being. Don't let the mystery hinder the healing and restoration, meaning and revelation, and understanding and celebration!  

Charlene

P.s. In addition, God continues to remind me to look up and he will grant the desires of my heart like the million of stars that dot the sky. So, don't forget to look up at the stars tonight, ok?