Hey. It's been awhile. I don't remember if I said it, but I am not the best at being consistent in journaling, or writing. It comes and goes. Something I'm trying to work on.

That being said, I'm learning a lot about how depraved (totally and relentlessly against God) I can be. And it's not that I've been doing the "bad" stuff, you know, things "Christians" say you shouldn't do, like drinking, sex, whatev. I've just been ignoring God. That's the foundation of all sin, but this is specific. I'd like to blame it on the summer, what with this being the first summer I've been in the states with no specific plan since God first saved me. But that would be skirting the issue. The issue is that I love a lot of other things more than my Father. It's sick, because I will find excuses like "I'm tired and I need to chill because I've been working all day" to try and justify my rebellion, but again, it won't work. 

At the same time, my beautiful Savior continues to teach me and show me in very obvious, tangible ways, that He forever loves me and will never leave me, even in my disobedience. He welcomes me every time I return, and He works things out that shouldn't work out. Things like work, or housing, or taking care of guys that He's given me to shepherd. He is bringing guys from the neighborhood to our apartment, guys who are looking for a Bible study, and what have I done to deserve it? NOTHING. In fact, He should leave me and get someone who cares more than I do. But, He chose me, and thats how its gonna be. And man, I am soooo glad. HE CHOSE ME. And HE PURSUES ME. And HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE. 

Real quick, I just want to say this: Just because God continues to love on us and do amazing things even when we are hard-headedly in sin, it doesn't mean we can stay in sin. "If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgement, and a fury of fire that will consume all the adversaries.

True believers, those who know God and who are known by God, they cannot stay in sin long before God draws them back to repentance and to Himself. And that is the message that I want you to take away. God has loved us, so much so that He poured His wrath on His Son so that you (if you're a believer) and I could become His children, those who He will take care of and guide without any condition. I wish I had better words to describe it. I'm gonna take a minute (or a day, most likely) and write some more once I get my thoughts together.

Grace and peace.

Well, here goes nothing!

I've done the whole blog thing before, to some measure of degree. Now I'm going to change it up a little. This is going to be a blog about life, particularly my own, with a focus on the work that Christ is doing inside me. I'm tempted to be overly spiritual and deep, so if you notice any of that, point it out to me. I don't want this to be fake, but something I can use to work out my own thoughts as well as help out the body, however God wants to do that.

A few things: the address, leavingthecamp, comes from Hebrews 13:13, "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."

I chose "leaving the camp" because that is the goal of my life. To go out there, where He is, and get up on that cross with Him, and experience all that He has to offer. But so often I run the other way and go to the middle of the camp, hiding in some basket or closet, trying not to lose the one thing He wants to take from me, my life. I hold on to the one thing that will kill me. But He keeps calling, and His voice is sweet, powerful, majestic. I can't resist it. So my life is spent leaving this camp, looking for the true city.

The picture goes along with it. I really like this picture. Looking to the horizon, looking for the city, looking for our Groom. It's cool because that is a lioness. Our Husband is the Lion, and our call is to look for Him, to seek Him. The entire job of the Church is to look for our Beloved and enjoy Him when we find Him. Always looking foward, forgetting what's behind, because He isn't behind us, or else He wouldn't have said "Follow Me."