Dear Partner,
I've been reading the book Killing Jesus these past few weeks while at the same time working on some speaking notes for this coming summer. One of the points I'm working on is DREAM BIG.
The obvious passage for dreaming big is generally from the Old Testament, Joseph and his dreams as a kid and his rise to second in command of Egypt. Because that was the obvious passage I wanted to come up with some other examples of dreaming big from scripture that were on par with Joseph. Thats a tall order considering he had an actual dream and then accomplished what he dreamed. Hard to beat that!
As I continued to read Killing Jesus I was struck by what a huge mission or dare I say "dream" Jesus must have had. There was no TV, no internet, no phones, no newspapers, no social media, none of those outlets to get the word out about Him. There was unbelievable evil. I'm not going to try to describe how evil it was from examples in history but just think evil and multiply it by 100. Not the easiest path for Him to get His mission accomplished.
If you were to ask him at the age of 18 as a high school counselor "Jesus, whats your dream for the future?” Jesus response would have been "I'm going to save the world.” Sorry Joseph, that trumps your dream. It wasn't just a dream either, he had short term goals to get him to the dream, he had a plan to reach the goals, he had a time table to accomplish each, he had daily habits that led him to the completion of the goals. Everything you'd want to share with a high school senior about achieving their dreams.
But here's the question, why would Jesus pursue that dream? Here's part of a verse I've been drawn to from Hebrews 12:2 "for the joy set before Him". Most commentaries I've looked at on this verse all suggest that Jesus already had all the glory one could have, so there was no end goal of more power or fame or status. The joy before Him was people. If all my dreams came true, how many other people would be affected?
Truthfully, this has changed my outlook for 2021. I still have goals but I've tried to make a majority of them all "others" oriented. I still have dreams for HYC, however, I've come to realize lately that when the end comes for me God probably won't ask "what were your numbers for the summer of 2021?" Robert Louis Stevenson once said "don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." All of that to say this, I want to do the most with the seeds we've been allowed to plant this coming summer.
There are actually 80 days until my first trip north. If I thought there was a lot to do in preparation for previous summers, I was only kidding myself. Just yesterday Tamra sent me a 20 plus page report from the state on some requirements for having campers during our current covid dilemma. Add to that a Miracle Building that will not be ready, tents that need to be put up for some use in place of the Miracle Building, a sweet shop that needs more transforming into a dining area for this coming summer, guys and girls cabins that are being worked on, new restrooms in the rec hall, carpet that needs to be picked up down state and taken to the u.p. to install in some cabins, money that needs to be raised to make sure everything is covered, a WSI to find so the beach can be open for campers, a new water toy to purchase for the beach (possibly if we have enough water toys some won't notice there's not a Miracle Building). This list is only the tip of the iceberg.
In the midst of all that I remember the words "for the joy set before Him." That's pretty good motivation. I think if this were a Craig Walker thing I would lose motivation pretty quickly. I'm sure I'll get tired from time to time during the process and I'm sure the next 80 days prior to my arrival on the grounds will not be void of difficulties. Because of that not only are your monthly donations greatly appreciated but your daily prayers on our behalf are coveted. Thank you for your continued support of our ministry. Looking forward to see what God has in store for us in the summer ahead.
Sincerely,
Craig Walker