Camp Shamineau

There is this great place up in Motley, MN.  Camp Shamineau.  Granted, I may be biased since I have worked there for a few years now.. but I’m telling you, this place changes lives.  Not only have I experienced personal growth like I have never seen, but camp has given me the opportunity to touch the lives of others.

This is not me saying, you should head there right now (although you may want to..), but rather I just want to share a few moments that have forever changed my perspective that may begin to challenge yours.  As background, Camp Shamineau is a christian camp where campers K-8th grade come each summer for a week to have fun and experience God.  At said camp, I am referring to times when I was basically one of two counselors for a cabin of about 8 girls.

One of the most powerful moments at camp for me was when I was talking one-on-one with one of my campers.  At one point, I asked if she had any questions.  After a silence, she timidly asks me a question (of which I won’t share) and of course I answer it.  But then she very sincerely thanks me because as she then shared, she had been wanting to ask that question for many years, but was too afraid to ask anyone until then.  

Another camper, a different age, a different year, but still very sincere, thanked me at the end of the week for giving her the best week “ever”.  She shared that she had never before been able to gather the courage to go anywhere especially a camp, without any friends, for a week.  In fact she shared that she even had trouble leaving her house and was terrified to go to camp.  So she thanked me, for giving her one of the best weeks of her life.

And last, but definitely not least, I was able to help two campers accept Christ into their lives for the first time.  Through all of these things, I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to touch these children’s lives because ultimately, it is Christ who is touching their lives, and I just get the amazing chance to be used by Him.  

And yes, camp can be extremely tiring and difficult at times, but God is really working there.  And through these experiences, He has been working in my life too.  I hope and pray that I can just submit to His will for my life and let Him take control, because through Christ, anything is possible and He does amazing things if we relinquish the illusion of control and self, and just let Him work.

Until next time.

Laura

*You can check out Camp Shamineau @ http://shamineau.org/CampShamineau/Main.html

Group 1 Crew

Another great group - Group 1 Crew.  My previous favorite song of theirs, which is still really good, is “He Said”, but my new favorite, which is obviously really good, is “Dangerous”.  These songs are definitely more upbeat and “Dangerous” has more of a Lecrae/Trip Lee kind of feel - sort of.  I love that it sounds more like a hip hop/rap song-ish but that lyrics really have meaning that resonates.

So enjoy these songs and go check out some of their other music too!

Dangerous

He Said

Until next time.

Laura

MercyMe

I feel like everyone has heard of MercyMe.  I know I also first heard of them as soon as they came out with “I Can Only Imagine”, but they have continued to put out more and more new music too.  One of my favorite songs by them is a slower [kinda sad] one: “Homesick”.

Homesick - MercyMe

And in case you have not yet heard it → I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe

Until next time.

Laura

Matt Maher

Another new song: Matt Maher’s “Hold Us Together”.  So it may not be new, but I just heard it for the first time the other day, and I love it.  And as I listen to it again, It seems familiar.. so maybe I have heard it.. but either way, it is still a great song.  I love the feel of it; starts off a little more relaxed and gradually gets more upbeat and “foot tapping” :)

So check out the song below and I have also included another one of Maher’s more popular songs, “Lord, I Need You”.  Such a classic song, and the lyrics are a great reminder of how much we need the Lord.

Hold Us Together

Lord, I Need You

Until next time.

Laura

The Epiphanies of a Blonde

Just a quick shout-out to one of my best friends who also has a blog.  I’m pretty sure I have talked about it before, but it’s called “The Epiphanies of a Blonde” and it is really really good.  Here is what she says it’s all about:

“We've all heard the stereotypes and jokes targeted towards blondes. Well here's one who has decided to write a blog. Sometimes, I feel quite normal. Sometimes, I feel like I perfectly fit the stereotypical "dumb blonde". And yet other times, I have what's called an "epiphany". Here is a blog to record thoughts that fall into all three of these categories, at one time or another. They could concern my day-to-day life and/or thoughts about my family, friends, self, and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

So if you want to check it out, you can go to http://theepiphaniesofablonde.blogspot.com/p/about.html or just google The Epiphanies of a Blonde.  

Until next time.

Laura

The Almost

Throwing it back to a song I just heard the other day that I haven't for a long time is “Hand Grenade” by The Almost.  I love this song.. the chorus is soo catchy and is really a great praise that is sometimes so needed to just bring to God!

The songs I have included below are a bit more relaxed, but they still have a great beat to them!

Hand Grenade

Your Love Is Extravagant

Until next time.

Laura

Tenth Avenue North

Tenth Avenue North is such a great band.  I have been listening to their music for a while now, and while I take breaks from listening to their music specifically, I keep finding more and more songs of theirs that I really love.  On pandora today, their song “You Are” came on.  I was really liking it so I decided to check and see who it was by - them of course.

Some of their songs have also gotten me through some tough times too.  One song in particular has really spoken to me and many different points: “By Your Side”.  Whenever I am feeling completely overwhelmed and lost, I have blasted this song and just spoken to God.  Works every time :)

Here are a couple of my favorite songs of theirs, including the new one I heard today:

By Your Side

You Are

Worn

Until next time.

Laura