SummerLINK Myrtle Beach: Glory! (clap) Praise the Lord (clap clap!)

Psalm 33:16-20 – The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by it’s great strength.

Psalm 37:23-24 – The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down for the Lord holds his hand.

Victory belongs to the Lord. With the majority of the summer being over, it has been a test of faith that the Lord will use our short time of ten weeks. I praise the Lord I do not dictate salvation. I do not draw peoples hearts. The act of someone coming to the Lord is a complete miracle of God and I am privileged to be used in the plan of the Lord. Even the reminder that Jesus will build his kingdom regardless of my actions is comforting. I can not stop God from building His kingdom. My opinions toward Jesus do not dictate his Lordship. Praise the Lord that “by our own sword we did not possess Myrtle Beach, and our own arm did not save us, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for you favor us” Psalm 44:3 (New James Wilson Version). The mission is not our mission but God’s mission. Russ reminded Cornerstone Church today that we serve a Missionary God. He came to us and paid the penalty we deserved so we could live in communion with Him. God will complete His mission whether we agree with it or not. Praise the Lord that I can trust in the promise that if I abide in Christ I WILL bear fruit (John 15). That’s a fact whether I see the fruit or not.

We have continued to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together and this truth is made very clear: whether I feel free of my sin or not, I stand innocent because I am in Christ. My feelings do not dictate truth. Praise the Lord! What a glorious truth to walk in that the God we serve is supreme and His word pronounced upon me is true whether I believe it or not. This week, the chapter on Ministry was our assigned reading, and we were extremely blessed by the time of discussion with Kevin and Kelly Hill during Home Night on mondaynight. Bonhoeffer talked about the different ministries Christians perform to others such as holding our tongue, meekness, listening, proclaiming the word, and authority. He states that all of these come from our Salvation by Grace and our desire to serve one another. These truths have been especially true for me in the time of filling in the gap of leadership. If I truly want to lead then I am beckoned to serve my brothers. This is what Jesus did, does, and will do for all of eternity. When Jesus said “it is finished” He didn’t mean his time of serving. This is our God: the servant of all servants who redefined leadership for His people.

Tuesday was our reflection night which was nice because the church was locked so I was forced to find another location with Wifi. Chickfila, my place of employment, it’s almost like the local church….right? Got to see some fellow workers and get some free sweet nectar.

Tim Dietrich did a fantastic job leading our group in Bible study on wednesday night. He emphasized the importance of meditating on the Word of God and the importance of this action in our relationship with Jesus.

Thursday night was men and women’s times which the men spent productively watching some little league baseball at the Market Common baseball fields. Go Myrtle Beach Stars! They only had 9 people on their team and they were strugglin’. They lost the game but the pitcher was going to Clemson to study food science which is what Logan Pierce is majoring in so that was a neat connection.

Friday night was a mad dash for all college students everywhere to get free chicken. Chickfila has been such a blessing this summer. We then got to cook Czeckoslovakian Apple Cake WHICH IS DELICIOUS!!!!! We made it for our prosepective places of work as an outreach. We had baked cookies previously and people enjoyed them so much we decided to make something again.

God continues to work down here and I laugh to myself sometimes when I realize where I am. In a place where I pass more strip clubs than churches on my way to work, a place where drug addicts hang out right outside my doorstep, and a place where sin blatantly abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more and his grace and mercy conquer sin.

Psalm 16:7-11 – I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;