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July 2004 We've journeyed far and wide since we last updated you. Please forgive our lapse. We are writing from our summer ministry on Catalina Island at Campus by the Sea (CBS). Save one, this is our our 29th consecutive summer serving at this incredible place and our passion for the ministry here only deepens year by year. Our responsibility is to direct six weeks of Family Camps and we are more convinced than ever that this venue has the highest long term impact on shaping Christian families than perhaps any other. Having been here so long, we've had the privilege of seeing several generations of families "grow up" and, by God's grace, successfully pass the mantle of faith to the next generation. Nothing is more thrilling than seeing that! At last week's Family Camp, twenty-three former CBS staffers (those who served on the camp staff during their college years) attended camp with their spouses and children. Many of them spoke of how influential CBS had been in their spiritual journey, causing us to ponder what is it about this place that makes it so uniquely suited for Kingdom work and equipping. Cynthia Heald, in her devotional In the Secret Place of the Most High, writes: "In Leviticus 20:7, God asks that we set ourselves apart. This means stepping away from the world's influence. We are to set ourselves apart not because a set of rules for prescribed behavior has been handed down to us, but because the Lord is our God and He is holy. As people who reflect His presence and power, we will reflect His holiness. God is our Father, and He would like His children to have some family resemblance." (pp136–137) That's it! This is a "set apart" place where all can step away from the world's influence and further embrace His influence. May each of you find places such as this during these summer months in order to be renewed and recalibrated with His values so you look more like Him.Prior to arriving at CBS on June 21, we spent the previous two months "on the road." We spent a week at Vero Beach taking a "reading week" to prepare for our doctoral residency in June. It was time well spent. Not only did we read a lot, we also were rejuvenated by quiet moments with God and with each other as we read, walked the beach, and rested. Great therapy! April also included our day-long Marriage Seminar at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which was well attended and well received. It was held on our 28th wedding anniversary, which seemed quite apt. In early May, we held a "True Love Waits—Family Edition" in Taunton, MA, and had great interaction with a group of very committed families who are proactively seeking the Lord's best for their homes. We were delighted to partner with Brian and Heather (almost) Dietz, a ministry couple we've been mentoring for several years. The following weekend found us in Santa Barbara, CA, speaking at a marriage conference for SB Community Church. Steve and Reid Jolley, brothers who co-pastor the church, and their wives hosted and inspired us. They are being used by God to do very effective ministry in that area and we were privileged to partner with them. "Someone had to do it", so we said "yes" to International College and Seminary in Honolulu, HI, when they invited us to teach a 40-hour, one-week course on "Christian Marriage and Family" in late May. What a great experience! We so enjoyed our students, most of whom pastor churches on the islands. Our three daughters joined us by week's end to help us teach on effective parenting ideas, and many said that was the highlight of the week. Several said, "It has given us hope to see your family functioning and living according to scriptural principles. We've never seen it really working." What a privilege to minister together as a family! How humbling that He takes our best efforts, flawed though they are, and uses them to His glory. Since "all work and no play makes one dull", we extended our stay in Hawaii for five days to play in the sun and surf with the girls. We were so blessed by wonderful family friends who insured many delightful moments for us. We squeezed in an "Engagement Matters" weekend after Hawaii and before heading to Charlotte for our doctoral residency. We love doing that weekend. We’re so heartened by couples who are willing to wrestle with issues prior to marriage and who desire to cooperate with God's plan for their lives. We love to challenge them with considerations related to God's design and hopefully cause them to think in new ways. We are more convinced than ever that marriage is the second most important decision one makes. We spent two weeks in Charlotte, NC, attending our doctoral residency at Gordon-Conwell's satellite campus and were stretched, challenged, stimulated, and inspired. We’re deeply grateful to be mentored by Dr. Ray Pendleton and Dr. Sidney Bradley. Both men are first men of God and second psychotherapists. There is no confusion regarding the value they place on the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in the process of helping people. The rest of the summer will be filled out by three more Family Camps here, then our first HIM Family Camp (at Geneva Point in New Hampshire), then speaking at Camp Berea's Family Camp (also in New Hampshire), then traveling to Northern California to speak at Bayside Covenant's Labor Day Family Camp. Thanks for your prayers, your support, your commitment. May your "set apart" moments this summer better prepare you for what you'll need this fall. Gratefully serving Him, Paul and Virginia |
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