To the ends of the Earth!

Hi there, everyone!
It's Kathryn Hodges. Some call me Ruby (my first name), but that's mostly friends in New Zealand.

I was the previous Office Assistant helping Sam starting the fall of 2010 through August 2011. Many of you found out last summer, during the 2011 season at Cherokee Cove, that I was going with Youth With A Mission to New Zealand! I appreciated all your support and prayers, and even though it was hard to leave CC and the Stephens family, it was really good timing for me and God to have some good talk times together.

From October 2011 through February of this year I was a part of YWAM's Back Packer Discipleship Training School, based out of Oxford, New Zealand. For three months, 40 of us students from all over the world studied certain characteristics of God. Each week we learned from a new speaker who was brought in to teach about topics like the Lordship of Christ, the Father Heart of God, the Holy Spirit, Calling and Destiny, just to name a few.

This was a very informative time, and it stretched my thinking. I found out a lot about myself, and God broke down walls I had built up from my past. We received the equivalent of 5 years of Church Sermons in 3 months! So much rich information! During this "lecture phase" we were also preparing for our "outreach phase." Outreach is designed  to allow all of us students, led by a staff student leader who already completed the DTS, to go into various countries and put to action our new revelations from and about God; to share about God and go love on people from all the Nations.

YWAM's moto is "To know God and make Him known." I love that! I felt God calling me to go to Morocco and in December my little family of 5 other Americans were commissioned and blessed to go out into the North African (Muslim) nation of Morocco! God is so creative when He puts together outreach teams. We had 7 other teams going to India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Israel, Laos and New Zealand.

Because we are a backpacker school we spent some time reaching out to backpacker tourists in Morocco. That was an incredible ministry because you meet young people right where they're at, befriend them, share your food, games, and time with them and let the Lord lead discussions. We were able to give out 5 Bibles and speak openly about our faith to the Western back packers. We also worked with long term workers in Morocco and encouraged them, worked along side them in their clinics and businesses and did lots of prayer walking.

This time was really incredible for my heart. God had been affirming me and building me up in my identity in Him during the lecture phase. Once we started working in Morocco, I felt a total shift into confidence to reach out to people in the unique way God has gifted me. I was able to draw and paint pictures for people, which God gave me to speak into their lives. So many experiences confirmed how much I love comforting people, living in new cultures - and I love hospitality...that was, of course, previously affirmed from volunteering at Cherokee Cove!

There are so many stories and pictures and testimonies I've acquired from this trip that I could go on for days - However! This is just a little overview to share briefly where I've been and announce I'm back at Cherokee Cove for a season! Yay! I do love it here. I know you do too. This year I'm assisting Sam with marketing and will also be assisting Stu with kitchen management this summer. New positions, new challenges, should make for some good stories and fun times!

John, Libby and I will be keeping you updated through this blog over the spring and summer. Get excited, they are good writers, and there's never really a dull moment at Cherokee Cove.

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!" - Psalm 96:3

To Leave a Legacy

This past weekend at Cherokee Cove, aspiring writers of all ages from around the area (and further, for some) gathered at the Conference Center to learn about . . . writing.  I am Shepherd Barry, an attendee of the Legacy Writers' Retreat, and I'm here to give you a taste of what our incredible experience was like.

Our teacher was Mr. Dale Collie, former army major, Purple Heart recipient and author of 'Campfires and Gunsmoke' and other books.  Even though we had a "teacher," it was no lecture, I'll tell you that!  Every moment was captivating, and, if you know anything about writing, intriguing and enlightening as well.

The attendees were a nice mix of youth and adults, and we all collaborated together through this inspiring event - discussing each other's rising work, encouraging one another, and sharing the fellowship of Jesus Christ through music, GREAT food, wonderful hospitality, and creativity.  We learned so many important things, it's hard to know where to start!  Have you ever wondered why you can't start writing your book?  Or what is barring your path to success?  Well, during this retreat we learned EXACTLY what was holding us back, and guess what? It no longer does!

Furthermore, in all honesty, it was fun!  Mr. Collie was spectacular; it didn't matter if you were struggling, because he understood the trials of writing and that is why we came to learn anyway!  He was concise in his speaking, and we didn't waste a moment of our surprisingly short time.  Here are just a few of the many elements we covered:

1. Where to start: We broke the barriers of anxiety, smashed down the walls of indecision, and shattered the agitating mood of apathy which frequently overtakes talented writers.  (Did I mention it was inspiring?)

2. Why to write: Not only did we learn how to structure, organize, and design practical outlines for our book, but we came to realize that everyone has a book inside of them.  That is, each of us has a unique and beautiful God-gifted perspective that, when finally down on paper, is gold in itself no matter how clichéd or poor we may think it.  As Mr. Collie explained, you'll never know how others might have been blessed by your book if you never write it!

3: How to write: In addition, we realized that when we are not over-thinking and worrying about our topic, when our minds are clear and open and tuned, we produce the best ideas. We also learned about more technical things such as font and spacing, and how to organize our time to complete our writings in a reasonable amount of time.

It doesn't matter if you have started three books and never finished any, it doesn't matter whether you are writing fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, or whatever! Your mindset is unique, and if you can write it down, you can change lives through the Holy Spirit!

I cannot begin to explain the entirety of our growth this weekend, nor can I convey to you the inspiration that reverberated around the conference center room, but I can tell you this: God has a plan for you writers. He has a plan for all of us. Perhaps being a writer isn't for all of us; I'm sure it isn't. But that shouldn't stop us from seeking out our gift, regardless of its nature, and using it to the full, 100% glory of our Father in heaven.

"All this," David said, "I have in writing as a result of the Lord's hand on me, and he enabled me to understand the details of the plan." 1 Chronicles 28:19"

by Shepherd Barry

In the Eye of the Storm

[ring, ring, ring. . .]  Do you hear that noise?  [beep. BEEP.]  It's the sound - [HONK, HONK!!!!] - of life in the - [You've got mail!] - 21st century.  Kind of maddening, isn't it?  All that constant chaos and bustle and . . . LOUDNESS.  It gets on everyone's nerves sometimes, but more often than not, we just kind of learn to cope with all the - [Error! Error!] - craziness.  It never really occurs to us that we can make it stop . . . probably because, most of the time, we can't.  There's always going to be that person who NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH NOW, or that project that HAS TO BE FINISHED, or . . . well, you get the idea.  So, given everything we know about the craziness of modern life, what are we supposed to make of biblical commands like the one we named our blog after, "be still and know that I am God?"

I may be biased, but I like to think that this is exactly what we do here at Cherokee Cove - helping people to be still and know God better.  You see, when you commit to just unplug for a couple of days - or even a single evening - something strange starts to happen.  You know the feeling you get when you step out from a loud room - say, a party or a concert - into the open air, and all of a sudden, the silence seems almost louder than the noise you just left?  I think this is sort of what happens when we step outside and leave the craziness of life behind - we leave a silent space which God will use to speak to us, if we let Him.  Do you remember the story of Elijah's despair in 1 Kings 19?  When Elijah had hit absolute rock bottom, he cried out to God to make sense of his life.  The passage runs like this:

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19:11-12, NIV)

And only then did God speak to Elijah - not in the majestic clamor of the fire or the earthquake or the whirlwind, but in a still, small voice.  When was the last time you shut out all the noise and tried listening to what God might have to say? 

Well, it may not always work out quite as intended, but that's exactly what we try to do here every day at Cherokee Cove - especially during Family Campouts like the one we're having right now.  As I speak, I'm looking out from the loft over a quiet room, with a few parents scattered about, resting and taking the opportunity to really talk to each other.  The kids, having just been regaled with a Science Magic demonstration (by yours truly), are now out on a hike with Stu - everything is still.  The presence of God is almost palpable at times like this, as we all wait and watch to see what He's going to do next.  But here's the funny thing - He's always at work, doing the amazing, cosmos-shaking things He does best whether or not we slow down to watch.  But when we take the time to do so, He loves to pull us aside and say "Look, look!" 

Sometimes, it's not even like He does anything that we would call "out of the ordinary."  Sometimes, He just wants us to delight in the same grass, the same sky, the same stars, and the same glorious world we've seen every day of our lives.  But the really amazing thing is that He never gets tired of it - as G.K. Chesterton said in Orthodoxy,  "It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again' to the sun; and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."  As I watch the kids running around, full of life and exuberance, I can't help but wonder if Chesterton was onto something.  Maybe when we unplug ourselves from our hectic lives and rest in His presence, we get to experience something of the vitality that doesn't lead to a caffeine high, but to a sense of eternal wonderment, giving praises and singing a joyful song unto the Lord.  And I say, "Hallelujah!"

Hallelujah indeed!

Josiah Wright

(Office Assistant at Cherokee Cove)

Of Blogs and Blessings

Well, here we are.  "Yes," you might say. "Here we are.  But where, exactly, is here?"  Why, on a blog, of course, silly.  "Ah," you say, "that's more like it.  But why, exactly, are we on a blog?  And what in the world do these deep musings have to do with Cherokee Cove?"  A just question, good reader.  You see, we live in a world connected not only by financial and geopolitical ties, but by the power of digital media.  At Cherokee Cove, we'd like to keep in touch with you, to pray for you, and to share with you how God works in our lives and yours . . . and what better way to do so than through a blog?

"Well, that's all well and good," you say, "but what, precisely, are you going to do with this blog?"  Again, dear reader, you ask such marvelously leading questions!  Though the answer may change over time, as we explore how to best use this resource, I believe I can say right up front that our primary purpose with this blog is to give glory to God for the ways He works in the lives of His children.  Though our first post was, admittedly, a mere test, the choice of Psalm 100 to inaugurate this blog was hardly a coincidence.  Rather, it sums up something essential about our relationship with the Lord: we "give thanks to Him, and praise His name,

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." (v. 4b-5)

Far too often, we tend to approach God from the position of those-who-request, don't we?  "Lord, give me this.  (Please.)   Lord, help me do this.  (Thank you.)"  How often do we approach God from the position of those-who-have-received?  How often do we focus on sincere thanksgiving, praising His name both for what He does and simply for who He is?  I know this is something that needs to change in my own spiritual life.

At Cherokee Cove, in particular, passages such as Psalm 100 take on new meaning, as we watch the hand of God at work each and every day, accomplishing His purposes in ways we could never have expected.  He provides through volunteers and guests, through materials and donations, and even through the rain that nourishes the gardens!  Like the good father Jesus describes in Luke 11, God delights in giving good things to His children.  Even when we can't see how He is working, we know that His plan is being unfolded one piece at a time, a great and glorious plan that stretches across the tapestry of history and creation.

There is a marvelous passage at the end of C.S. Lewis' book "Miracles" in which Lewis attempts to do away with some of our common notions regarding the difference between the "miraculous" and the "providential."  Far too often, we tend to put answered prayers or other serendipitous goodies into a box somewhere between the supernatural and the natural - that is, we look at Aunt Mildred's healed pancreas and think, "Well, it wasn't exactly a miracle, considering how the doctors were really responsible, but it was nice of God to let it happen anyway."  This sort of confusion is understandable, but it betrays a view of God that undermines His sovereignty and omnipotence.  We must take pains to remember that every good thing comes from God, and we must give thanks to Him accordingly.  Most of all, though, we should give thanks for the wondrous gift of salvation He has offered to us in exchange for the greatest sacrifice in the universe.

So, then, let us give thanks!  Let us worship Him in voices great and small, sonorous and tinny, tuneful and dreadfully off-key!  Let us praise Him with harps and tambourines and synthesizers and electric guitars!  We give praise for the beauty of this world and the glory that is to come in the next . . . we even praise Him for our suffering and pain, knowing that these give greater clarity and truer meaning to the joy and beauty that still shine through in this broken creation.  Let us rejoice with our Creator and Savior in everything that is good and perfect and holy!

Of course, if you'd like to come give thanks with us here at Cherokee Cove, you can come out this Friday evening when we'll be having the annual "Praise-'n-Graze" event, a time of food, fellowship, and worship.  We'll keep you updated with further news over the coming fall and winter as we get the blog up and running, and we hope you'll come out to visit us soon!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Josiah Wright

(Office Assistant at Cherokee Cove)

New Blog . . .

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." 

Psalm 100 

http://cherokeecove.org