I was trying to think of the best way to sum up Training Camp, and I decided to do it the same way I sum up a school year – with some of the most memorable quotes. The 11 quotes below might not be exactly word for word, but they are as I remember them or as I recorded them in my journal. They are more serious than the Quotable Quotes from Kindergarten, but they show some of what I learned and experienced in that somewhat surreal universe called World Race Training Camp. Enjoy!
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“I’m not afraid anymore!”
During praise and worship on the first night of camp, one of the worship leaders “got a picture” in her head of the scene from Home Alone where the kid looks in the mirror and yells, “I’m not afraid anymore!” She had all 250 of us yell that as loudly as we could. Powerful stuff, I tell you. And freeing.
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“God determined your worth by what he was willing to pay for you.”
Let’s say there’s an old tattered book an antique collector is willing to pay hundreds of dollars for. It’s nothing but ink and paper, but it has value because someone is willing to pay top dollar for it. Jesus paid for us with his life. We have value because He made us valuable.
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“The world doesn’t need another great sermon. It needs a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I started becoming more comfortable with the Holy Spirit during camp. I guess in my mind, it was always, “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Eccentric Uncle.” But he’s not that at all. He’s real, he’s not scary or weird,and he still speaks to us today.
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“The Holy Spirit has HABITATION rights, not VISITATION rights!”
He is with us all of the time.
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“We don’t lack the Holy Spirit in our lives. We lack the awareness of His presence.”
This goes with the previous quote. One thing I want to start working on now and continue throughout the Race and for the rest of my life is being in tune with the Holy Spirit, constantly aware of his presence and his direction in my life.
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“Because you’re my daughter, and I want you in on the family business.”
This quote is a special one because it’s something God said to me. During one of the worship times after a session on the Holy Spirit, I started thinking things like, “Why does the Holy Spirit work through us and use as as his vessels? Why doesn’t God just DO the thing?” And that is the answer he gave me.
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“Go on a coffee date with Jesus.”
We had some breakout sessions, and this is from one entitled “Intimacy with Christ.” Beka, one of our trainers, told us some things that happened to her during her Race and how she started developing more intimacy in her walk with Christ. One tip she gave us was to go on coffee dates with Jesus and just talk to him. So if you see me sitting by myself at The Well sometime in the next six weeks, that is probably why.
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“Are you willing to exchange God’s plans for God?”
We tend to get wrapped up in trying to follow “God’s plan” for our lives, and much of the time we think of it as where God wants us to be and what God wants us to be doing. But what God really cares about is having a relationship with each of us.
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“All the enemy has are words. We have weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Jesus disarmed the devil when he gave his life for us and rose again. All he has to use against us are the lies he tells. We, as sons and daughters of the living God, can simply say, “Step aside, Satan. You have no power over me.”
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“Be holy where your feet are.”
This was the last advice our awesome squad mentor, Cabe, gave us before we left Training Camp. He encouraged us to live in each moment and not to miss out on where we are because we’re too busy thinking about being somewhere else.
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“Pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom!”
Z Squad. Love. Thank you. <3
Within the next couple of days I’ll be writing another blog introducing you to my team, Team Liora! I’ll also soon be updating my “kid-friendly” blog with more info about what training camp was like! That blog can be found here: aroundtheworldwithmissjacobs.blogspot.com
-Debbie
