Summer

For our Surf Hatteras staff… a reminder to keep seeking what lasts.

The days begin with the glory of the clouds and end with voices in the kitchen.

Clouds. People. They’re always there.

Some say “How do you do it? How do you live with so many people?”

I couldn’t imagine not. This community has become our home. This place… my view of God’s kingdom at work.

It’s not without hardship and sacrifice. Beauty often goes hand-in-hand with trials.

The challenges of life shape us the most. They squeeze out all that cannot remain.

Will I be hardened or softened?

The early mornings, late nights, scorching sand, heavy bags, challenging weather, howling wind, and TEENAGERS.

They make us more alive, more human… reminders that we need God’s grace.

It all becomes a joy.

……..

Everyone carries burdens. But they become lighter in community. Nothing can be easily hidden.

In the presence of His goodness, we are healed. In community, we become more whole. Through surrender, we are changed.

We taste and see, then it’s time to go.

It’s beautiful that it’s sad.

It all becomes a joy.

……..

When you go from here, your skin is tanned, your hair is blonde, your muscles are strong, and your heart is full.

Remember that the outer beauty is just an overflow from within.

You’ve tasted His goodness.

You’ve persevered in trial.

You’ve basked in the sun of joy and weathered the storms of disappointment.

You’ve trusted and become more trustworthy.

Old clothes don’t fit anymore. Your desires have shifted. The boundaries you once needed are pushed out into a broader expanse…to love more deeply, to live more surrendered, to explore His goodness.

Your world is bigger when You’ve seen His kingdom at work.

The unseen is more real.

He becomes our joy.

……..

Keep going. Keep trusting. Keep seeking what lasts.

In Him, you are always home.

“How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings! They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” - Psalm 36:7-9

Love, Mudder

(To read more about our surf camp and cultivating a life of meaning for yourself, see my post, Find Your Farm.)

“Our little camp has become a farm… a tiny, humble, mostly invisible kingdom where God is on the move. If heaven is a redeemed and fruitful farm, it is a slice of heaven.”