All good things must come to an
end…or do they? This has been running through my mind over the course of the
past week as Summer LINK is coming to an end. Many of the previous blogs talked
about what we did that week or what the Lord has taught them that week; but I
have the bittersweet privilege to write on what our God has done for us this
summer.
Before I
dive into the summer as a whole, I will look back at this week so you can
experience our last week in Myrtle Beach. Lets begin with Sunday, July 28th.
Early Sunday morning, the team woke up blessed for another day we could
fellowship at Cornerstone. After worship, we had to say goodbye to Andrew as he
left to help lead worship for his home churches youth group on their trip to
Panama City, Florida. Thankfully, I was refocused to hear the sermon that would
be brought by Paul Moore. He spoke on Psalm 41 and really pointed out how we
can relate to the psalmist’s emotions. Moreover, he pointed out what a
beautiful picture of the gospel Psalm 41 paints for us. It reminded me how
Jesus was disliked and betrayed by men, but more than that, the Father “turned
his heel” against Jesus on the cross, so that we may dwell in the presence of
the Lord forever. Sunday night’s prayer and praise was much different without
Andrew (he usually would lead us in a few songs to accompany our prayer). We
spent the majority of our time praying, but after we had the privilege to catch
a few songs by KJ-52, who is labeled as a Christian rapper, at Ground Zero on
the strip. It was definitely entertaining, but also encouraging to hear him
testify to what the Lord has done for us in front of a crowd in the heart of
Myrtle Beach.
Monday
began a lot of lasts for the team as a whole. All of us that were still in town
began our last week at work (second to last for Michelle). After work and a
terrible storm that knocked the power out, we departed for our last official
home night at the Hills from church. After some delicious jambalaya, we
discussed ways to take the most home from summer LINK. It was great to hear
advice from the Hills who spent time in different mission fields and can look
back and see things that we may not notice yet. I am very thankful for them and
other families that have contributed to our growth by opening up their homes
and loving on us…. and letting us play with their chinchilla.
Tuesday
held yet another day of work along with reflection night. God showed me a lot
during this time to help me finalize details for leading bible study the
following day. I spent my reflection time with James, which became customary
for a few weeks. One thing I love about spending reflection time in the same
place is the encouragement I get from pushing each other to answer questions
and open up to each other.
Wednesday
was the last day of work for James, Mackenzie, and myself. Clocking out that
day had to be one of the weirdest feelings all summer. My mind was crowded with
thoughts as I realized the reality of only having one more week of Summer
LINK. Wednesday night, we attended a prayer
meeting at Cornerstone and held our bible study afterwards.
Thursday
was different for me. Why? It was very restful and I did not do very much. As
my first day off from work, I was able to enjoy sleeping late and hanging out
around the Sea Mist. However, that got old faster than I intended. So, to my
roommates content, I cleaned our room pretty spotless. As others came home from
work and my boredom subsided, we got ready to go to Chik-fil-a for dinner
followed by gender night. James also had to leave on Thursday for a wedding, so
we said our goodbyes to him. After quickly eating our chicken, Tim, Logan, and
I rushed to Cornerstone to join in their men’s bible study on The Reason For God by Tim Keller. It was
neat to hear from different men in the church and to see how they verbalize
their beliefs in God. After the bible study, we did the next manliest thing
possible…. .frozen yogurt. We ended the night with listening to open mic at
Fresh Brewed Coffee House.
Friday was
a lot more active for me. Logan and I woke up and went to market commons to
walk around and see a movie. Then, we came by the Sea Mist and picked up
Mackenzie for a nice trip to the YMCA to see Michelle in her workplace and get
our exercise on. Next, on the agenda was a quick trip to Tanger, which included
Hwy 55 for dinner and a whole lot of coupons. The night finished off with the
beautiful sounds of Dustin Raley and friends, also at Fresh Brewed Coffee
House. If you haven’t noticed, Fresh Brewed is a pretty happening place for
Summer Linkers. Upon arrival at Fresh Brewed, we were reunited with Ryan, which
was one of the greatest parts of the day.
On
Saturday, my day away from the Sea Mist began with Lunch with Logan, Tim, and
Ryan at Jimmyz Hibachi. The rest of the day was filled with preparing for the
Cornerstone outreach cookout. The cookout was planned as a way to fellowship
with members of the church and invite people who we have met over the course of
the summer in hopes of them getting plugged into Cornerstone. The turnout was
great! We enjoyed everything from food, games, swimming, to simply hanging out
with each other. Praise the Lord for working there and allowing us to serve
Cornerstone and the community in that way.
We have
come full circle with Sunday again and only have a few days left of Summer
LINK. Our last Sunday at Cornerstone Church was sad, but happy too. Wes Fondren
preached on Psalm 29 and did a fantastic job. His sermon made me meditate on
the glory of God in the smallest of things. The desire grew stronger to just
look at what God has done and shout, “Glory!” That is what our God deserves.
Sunday night we had our last social and spent that time bowling, eating pizza,
and watching a movie.
On Monday,
we spent a half-day alone with the Lord at separate locations. I went to an old
boat landing on the Waccamaw River that was absolutely beautiful. The Lord
brought me much peace there and I had time to reflect a lot about the summer
and what I can do to stay on mission after Summer LINK. Monday night we joined
the Pauly’s at their house for yet another delicious dinner.
We mostly
cleaned and packed on Tuesday, which brought about a sad reality that we had to
leave. Thankfully, we had something to look forward to all day….. the end of
summer banquet! We got all cleaned up and in our best dress and had a nearly
overwhelming dinner at Rioz Brazilian Steak House. We all overindulged in the
all you can eat meat. Afterwards, we ended our last night together with some
ice cream and prayer. I am grateful that God provided closure during the prayer
and instilled a desire to carry on the mission at home.
That is enough about the week though. I noted that this
privilege of writing the last blog is bittersweet. It is bitter because of
summer LINK coming to an end yes, but the sweet part is what makes the summer
worth it. What is sweet is that despite the community we have shared this
summer as a team, community is not dictated by location! We are the body of
Christ and we are as close together as we will ever be in Him. Just because we
are leaving does not mean our work is done. It does not mean that this team is
done. It does not mean that our mission is over. What it does mean is that we
get to carry our work over into our lives outside of the close quarters of the
Sea Mist and Myrtle Beach. We get to work together as the body of Christ in the
upstate. We get to be on mission in our daily lives and have the privilege to
use what we have learned this summer in those places. My prayer is that each of
us would remember Summer LINK, and use it to foster community wherever we are
and to labor for our growth and the growth of others. One of the things I have
learned is that I cannot dictate who God is. He isn’t subject to location or my
beliefs. He is God and He is everything He says He is, regardless of who
believes it or not.
I am more
than thankful for what the Lord has done this summer in growing each of us
individually and as a team. Glory!
Psalm 29
1 “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the
Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord
in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory
thunders,
the Lord, over
many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the
Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks
the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a
young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes
the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the
forests bare,
and in his temple
all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits
enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless
his people with peace!”
H.A.G.S!!!!
Daniel Johnson
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