3 Reasons You Should Take a Trip With Your Life Group

Have you ever been asked to take a trip with people you don’t know super well (or maybe you do) so you all can work tirelessly together? Maybe it feels too hard to pull away from your schedule, maybe you loathe long car rides, maybe you don’t really like the people you’d go with, or maybe working isn’t exactly how you want to spend your week(end).

We completely understand how you feel! Those are legitimate reasons to say no. Here are a few reasons you might want to think about to help you say yes!

Even if you aren’t sure if you like the people, a weekend away with a community helps deepen relationships. You might be surprised by the comradery found with people different than you. You might laugh with people you thought to be boring. You might connect with the most unlikely person in the crowd. A weekend is a short commitment with often a very big return!

If the trip includes family, getting away from your everyday helps you bond with each other in fresh ways. Experiencing something different together helps you get to know each other better or strengthens what already exists. Those family relationships can always use a fresh breath of togetherness! If the trip is service oriented, getting to be an example of helping others builds into the character of your kids which ultimately strengthens the family. Husbands and wives serving others together ultimately strengthens the marriage.

We are pretty good about working hard, right? But we don’t always make time to play! Our mental and emotional selves just need a little “let loose” sometimes! A trip, even if service oriented, can be just the touch of fun you need! If you work indoors and at a desk most of the time, the outdoor work of a service trip can actually feel fun because it’s different than your norm! Getting out to move that bod and soak in the outdoors refreshes the spirit!

Here at Whisper Mountain, we really enjoy having families and community groups come serve with us throughout the year! Their help with projects around the property makes a difference and encourages us greatly, but we also enjoy seeing the benefits of their group/families growing stronger together!

Building community can feel scary. Strengthening your family can feel overwhelming. Having fun can too easily get pushed back as unimportant.  We hope you’ll stay intentional to build into these things because they really do matter. Be brave! Take a road trip with some people! Go serve somebody!

Thanks for reading here today!

PS: The pictures above are from the Kreller Class Life Group’s recent trip to Whisper Mountain. A few years ago they helped us make a video about families serving together!  Watch that video!

3 ways to keep the flame bright

Hey young people!!

By now most of you are back to school and in a normal routine. I want to wish each and every one of you a great school year! As I have also returned to school myself there is one question I keep asking: how do I keep the fire or the “camp high” going?

Personally, it’s very easy to get busy with schoolwork + friends that I slowly but surely allow my flame to dwindle. When you don’t spend every day in an atmosphere where you are constantly surrounded by fellow Christians who want the same exact thing as you, it is easy to allow your flame from camp to be extinguished.

If this is you right now, does it make you any less of a Christian? Absolutely, NOT!! Jesus loves you right where you are at this very second. He doesn’t love some future or better version of yourself more than He loves you now. Jesus loves you as if you were the only person He created. The crazy thing is that He does that for ALL of us.

So with that in mind I want to offer 3 ways to help keep your flame burning bright for Jesus.

1)   Community - Community in the Christian life is vital. When God made Adam he saw he was lonely and needed a companion so he created Eve. We were made for companionship and community!! Otherwise, God would have left Adam to hang out with all the animals.

If you are not in a small group or some sort of gathering where you can go and just do life with other people, I would personally offer that you find one. If there isn’t one at your church and you want this, you can always start your own! Go for it!! God loves when His people gather together to talk about life and Him.

2)   Listen to the Word - If you go to church weekly but you find yourself wanting to hear more of the word, that’s GREAT! I like to get Podcasts of some well-known pastors and listen to what they have to say. This is a great tool to utilize.

3)   GET in the Word – Daily quiet + alone time with God is the most crucial and fundamental part to keep your fire burning bright. Just like you did at camp. It doesn’t mean you have to get up at 4 am and spend 3 hours praying and reading. If 30 minutes is all you can seem to do right now, that’s awesome! I promise you God LOVES those 30 minutes He gets to hang out with His Beloved child. 

I love you all!
In Christ,

Seth McClure

|Author >> Seth| ^^ |Photography >> Jamie + Charley| ^^ |Featured Groups >> 5 Stones Middle School + Hilton Head + Gateway|

how to have less awkward conversations

Unless you're a hermit, engaging with people is pretty commonplace. With the school year just about to begin, there are opportunities to meet new people. But let's face it, sometimes striking up a conversation can be pretty awkward.

Hey there, it's Cassi and I asked my man Shaun to team up with me on this post. He's a pro at connecting and striking up a conversation with just about anybody. Here are a few things we came up with to help make conversation easier:

1. Smile. The universal language always makes us warm, approachable and friendly. (and it helps those nerves when approaching someone new!)

2. Remember their name and use it frequently. The small touches are the personal touches. Others feel loved when they are known. The use of their name sends the message home.

3. Ask questions. Finding common ground helps the conversation to progress naturally. Shaun, the king of acronyms, has two ways to help you know just what to ask — the first is good for those outside of your school setting:

        L-ocation. Where are they from?

        O-ccupation. What do they do? 

        V-acation. Fave place to vacation/best vacation?

        E-ducation. Where do/did they go to school? Favorite teacher? etc.

 The second way is good for just about anywhere with anyone:

        F-amily. Do they have brothers/sisters? 

        R-ecreation. What do they like to do for fun?

        O-bessions. What are some of their favorite things?

        M-edia. Seen any good movies? Favorite movie? Favorite music?

4. Show Interest. Really listen and show interest in what the other person is saying. Nothing is more annoying than talking to someone who doesn't really care.

5. Stay Lighthearted. When approaching people it's good to remember they are most likely as worried as you are about what to talk about. Take some pressure off so you can actually enjoy the gift conversation can be. We are made for connecting after all!

Chit Chat is where it's at! Happy Conversating!

Have you found other ways to make conversation a little easier? Let us know in the comments

 

|Author + Photography >> Cassi| ^^ |Models >> Hope + Melody|

5 Reasons to Plan Your Next Getaway

Whisper Mountain staff recently went on a planning retreat to jumpstart our work for Summer 2014 (yes, it begins now!). Although we live and work in a place most people would consider a getaway, we need to escape somewhere different! Though we did some work over the weekend, the getting away was a good thing. Here's what the weekend reminded me about:

1. Getaways offer good distractions. While home we are distracted by too many to-do lists, daily pressures, tunnel vision. Changing the scenery causes us to temporarily forget all that and just breathe. We need to just breathe. Being distracted by other things–beautiful things, fun things–brings a peace of mind that recharges us!

2. Getaways bring new adventures. Stuck in our daily routines, we often don't choose to adventure. When was the last time you adventured? It's fun, isn't it? Heaviness leaves our bodies as we hike a trail or discover something new or change up the routine. New life pumps through our blood that re-energizes us.

3. Getaways change our perspective. With our backs bent to the grind, our daily lens gets tired and skewed. Sometimes life gets to feeling mundane or desperate. Getting away often helps us to pick up our heads and gain some fresh vision for our living– it helps us refocus.

4. Getaways give us permission to indulge! We are more likely to treat ourselves when out of our ordinary. Let's face it–we all like to be treated! Making time to read a good book, getting a little something new, enjoying a specialty coffee treat or a dinner out–whatever is special for you. Allowing a little time for unordinary goodness brings us refreshment!

5. Getaways enable us to keep going. A person who only works or strives to keep up is a person who is surviving. While there are times when that's all we can do, getting away is a medicine to our souls. Quiet moments, focused time with the Lord, intentionally connecting with loved ones or having the alone time you crave–these moments are critical to our capacity to live. At the end of our life we aren't going to be content to have just survived. We will feel no regrets if we've chosen to live. Getting away provides us the opportunity to let go and begin again.

[Note: Money is probably the first hindrance to our getting away. I'm going to address some creative ways to get away in the near future. For now, start dreaming and even planning a time to find refreshment and refocus.]

What are some of your favorite getaways?

Listology // Conversation Made Easier

Unless you're a hermit, engaging with people is pretty commonplace. But let's face it, sometimes striking up a conversation with people can be pretty awkward. I asked my man, Shaunybaby!, to team up with me on this post. He's a pro at connecting and striking up conversation with just about anybody. Here are a few things we came up with to help make conversation easier:

1. Smile. The universal language always makes us warm, approachable and friendly. (and it helps those nerves when approaching someone new!)

2. Remember their name and use it frequently. The small touches are the personal touches. Others feel loved when they are known. The use of their name sends the message home.

3. Ask questions. Finding common ground helps the conversation to progress naturally. Shaun, the king of acronyms, has two ways to help you know just what to ask:

        L-ocation. Where are they from?

        O-ccupation. What do they do?

        V-acation. Fave place to vacation/best vacation?

        E-ducation. Where do/did they go to school? Favorite teacher? etc.

 

        F-amily. Do they have brothers/sisters? How many kids? etc.

        R-ecreation. What do they like to do for fun?

        O-bessions. What are some of their favorite things?

        M-edia. Seen any good movies? Favorite movie? Favorite music?

4. Show Interest. Really listen and show interest in what the other person is saying. Nothing is more annoying than talking to someone who doesn't really care.

5. Stay Lighthearted. When approaching people it's good to remember they are most likely as worried as you are about what to talk about. Take some pressure off so you can actually enjoy the gift conversation can be. We are made for connecting afterall!

Chit Chat is where it's at! Happy Conversating!

Do you have other tips you'd like to share? How about any really awkward experiences that would be fun to share? Join the virtual conversation in the comments section! 

Listology // 3 ways to breathe more & stress less

The panic feeling suffocating in the chest; the to do list screaming in the brain; the leapfrogging from one thing to the next; the sleeplessness, freaking out, and hypertension. I'm well acquainted with these feelings. You too?  Today, for all our sakes, I offer a short and simple list of three ways we can breathe more & stress less.

1. Do the Tiny Octopus

Try this with me: squeeze both fists as tight as you can so all our muscles tense, close your eyes tight, then release everything in one slow breath. Laugh at yourself, you just looked ridiculous! But this anger management technique called The Tiny Octopus really helps, even if you aren't angry! Sometimes our minds need to jump the hampster wheel for just a minute so a little regrouping can take place. Sometimes the simple act of pausing to take literal deep breaths will right the imbalance we feel mounting inside of us! (I hide out in my closet or bathroom to do this!! Often!)

2. Get in the Zone

I've talked before about the green and blue zones and their effects on our health. Basically, getting outside for five minutes will ease stress and tension. Studies prove the benefits nature offers our mental & physical health. I've experienced the benefits as I'm sure you have. Try to remember how you felt on your last trip to the beach, hike through the woods, or walk to your mailbox. Five minutes–don't tell me you don't have it!–outdoors haults the stressful feelings and allows us to find a bit of renewal.

3. Don't forget the Basics

Take care of yourself. As I begin to feel the seasonal stress of camp, I am working diligently to avoid the temptations of staying up late and eating "survival" foods. Getting enough sleep, eating less carby and more veggy foods, drinking green tea rather than coffee…these are basic behaviors that can make or break our stressful times. Don't neglect what you already know to do. Stay faithful in the little things!

The reality is, you and I both know how to stress less, but have we given feet to this know-how? A little perspective allows us to remember our stressfulness won't stay forever. Steady the pace. Breathe.

What's one way you breathe more and stress less?