Summer...

Summer seems to be such a pivotal time in my life. So many of my fondest memories take me back to summer. When I was a child summertime felt endless and I looked forward to it so much. Back then summer meant staying home with my mom and my sisters- endless days of playing dolls and school, coloring, playing outside and reading and nights spent outside playing kickball and riding bikes and getting ice cream from the ice cream man. As I got older summer became the time to stay out late with friends and sleep in every morning and spend days shopping or laying out and going on various youth group trips and camp. In college summer was always the best part of the year, those of us who spent the summer in Troy bonded in a special way. It was something about Troy summers. Some of my favorite memories from college happened in those summers: midnight sand volleyball, Willy T's almost everyday, the Troy Place pool, the Student Center cookouts, etc. I miss those times. 

Now that I am working full time summer is something completely different. Somehow, as I have grown up summer has changed, and yet it is the same. Really, it is the stage of life I am in I guess. For kids, summer is still the time to stay at home and play all day; for teens, a time for hanging out and going on trips and for those in college it is still that laid-back, independent time. Now, for me at least, summer is kind of lonely. Most of my friends have year-round, full-time jobs and we are all married (most of us) and have our own separate lives that lead us home to our families at the end of the day instead of the common hang out. I am not sad about this, it is life, I guess. Just different than I imagined it I guess.

All of these things about summer are great but the thing about summer that I have been reminded of lately is that summer is a time for growth. 

Last Sunday Buddy talked about memorials (Rev. 2:1-7, the church at Ephesus, to repent they needed to remember where they were, repent and do those actions again). At lifegroup we talked about remembering those times that we feel like we have been closer to God. All of my memories of my strong points, the times when I could really feel God moving, the times I was closer to Him than ever, are all in the summer, or they stemmed from an amazing summer- mission trips, church camp, youth/college group trips, retreats. I don't know how to get that back. The things that I felt brought me closer back then, have all passed. I am not in that stage anymore. Yet, everyday I still wonder how to get those strong feelings back. I have some great girlfriends at church and we have talked about this and one of the things that helps us is each other, last year we had an accountability group that met every Monday night and we did a Bible study. I think we are going to start it up again. Beth Moore (see link to her ministry blog on the right) has inspired me to start a girls Bible study this summer. All of us who read her blog are invited to do it with her.  The study is from the book "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. So I am taking the challenge. I already bought the book. This is going to be a good summer!