The Follow Up.

The last time I blogged I spoke about the current situation I was living in and so now a month later this is the follow up. The past month has been a crazy one. I went down to Dothan, Alabama, which is 25 minutes from Fort Rucker where my sister’s family lives so I was thankful I was able to stay with them before my parents came over. On Monday October 7^th I saw the GI and on that day he ordered three tests for me to have between Monday and Tuesday.

And this was such a blessing because these were the tests that I have been waiting since August to get. The important one was a HIDA scan, which tests the functionality of my gallbladder and this test is currently on nationwide backorder because the medicine for it is currently on backorder by the manufacturer and they are only taking emergency cases. So it was definitely a blessing from God to have someone who cares about your situation rush you into the test. I had the HIDA scan the same day I saw the GI and thankfully I did because my gallbladder was functioning at 9% and it was determined that I needed to have it taken out.

So Monday I had the HIDA scan and a CT scan. Tuesday I had another test (and that is a whole other story). On Wednesday I met with a surgeon. And then on Thursday at 7:00 am I had surgery to remove my gallbladder. The recovery is going well. I still have some nausea, but the surgeon said that it is my insides getting used to their new digestive process. So hopefully by December I will be feeling much better!

It was a whirlwind 4 days from first doctor visit to surgery, but I felt so blessed by God within it. There were a few times when I felt really overwhelmed by everything that was going on, but I just felt at peace because I knew that He was there and was walking within that time with me. I am beyond thankful for how this whole thing played out and I can totally see God’s hand throughout.

As far as the finances for this whole thing goes, I was informed, after stressing out about the not so good health insurance that I have, that I was still under my dad’s health insurance through Shell Oil. I believe that this really is a blessing from God on my life. When I got that news I felt like a real burden and weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

But with that said I am still going to have to pay between $6,000-$9,000. To me personally that is an overwhelming amount of money and essentially all that I have. But I choose not to be overwhelmed or stressed by the dollar figure because I would rather be free from stress, worry and pain of the previous 4 months than worry about money.

I am still trying to raise my support for this year to cover these medical expenses and that can’t happen without some help. My goal is to raise my support $900 per month for a total of $2,000 per month. I ask that you please pray about giving financially whether that be a 1-Time gift or continually giving monthly. Your giving will be such a blessing and encouragement for me during this time of hardship. If you are interested in giving, please consider committing monthly to giving $25, $50 or $100.

You can gain more information about giving by going to the ESBS website and it is under the “Get Involved” tab. Here is the link to the ESBS page and also a link to the Donor Card. You can send your donation to:

Camp Lurecrest Ministries, Inc.

10800 Sikes Place, Suite 300

Charlotte, North Carolina 28277

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers during this time. It has blessed me more than you know!

Real Life Update.

It is often when I sit down to write one of these that a rush of insecurity starts to flood my mind. I become insecure about who I am and what I am doing. I become worried about what people will think about what I write. I am just scared about what you think about my life, my decisions and me personally. So the product of that is usually a blog that describes what is going on in my life or my thought process, but there is humor or something like that thrown in there to make you laugh and think well of me. This blog, however, will not be one of those.

I am hurting. The past 4 months have been rough and it has been a true time of suffering and testing for me personally.

Four months ago my stomach started to be upset with nausea and constant pain that is best described as a hunger pain. There would be times when my stomach would be in so much pain that it was debilitating and all that I could do was lie down and shut my eyes so I wouldn’t start vomiting. At first I thought that it had to do something with the fact that I was driving the boat for summer camp and was out on the water for 6 hours a day; but when I left North Carolina for Texas and then South Dakota the symptoms didn’t change and may have even gotten worse.

I have seen a few different doctors and after some tests they think that it is my gallbladder that is the source of the discomfort. However, the one test that I need to have done so that we can know for sure what it is has been continually pushed back by the hospital here in Lake Lure because they are waiting for the medicine to come in give the test.

The not knowing what is truly going on inside of my body has produced a fear that has crept into my mind and at times which has taken over my thoughts. The constant discomfort, pain and nausea along with the times when it flares up have brought a lot of stress. I have been drained emotionally by the constant worry and managing of how I am feeling every minute of every day. I am finally at the spot where I feel broken. I feel as if I am in despair due to being drained emotionally, hurting physically and fear of the unknown of what is really going on.

But there is good news, I have an appointment this upcoming Monday (Oct. 7^th) with a Gastro doctor in Alabama, who is a good family friend of my girlfriend’s parents. He is going to help and stay on top of my progress until we get this thing figured out. I am praying for answers and for steps to be taken so that I can start to return to “normal life” again.

That all is one half of what has been weighing on me lately. The other thing that has been really wearing me down is my financial support. This past few months my support has dropped a significant amount. Presently I am not able to fully pay all of my bills and I am going to accumulate more debt with the upcoming medical expenses. I am in need of more financial support, whether that be a 1-Time gift or continued monthly support.

As of right now my present level of support is $1,100 per month through both monthly and 1-Time giving. My current expenses are around $1,300 per month and the estimated amount of medical expenses is between $7,000-$10,000. I do have health insurance, but it is a fairly high deductable and will have to pay the majority of those expenses.

My goal is to raise my support $900 per month for a total of $2,000. I ask that you please pray about giving financially whether that be a 1-Time gift or continually giving monthly. Your giving will be such a blessing and encouragement for me during this time of hardship. If you are interested in giving, please consider committing monthly to giving $25, $50 or $100.

You can gain more information about giving by going to the ESBS website and it is under the “Get Involved” tab. Here is the link to the ESBS page and also a link to the Donor Card. You can send your donation to:

Camp Lurecrest Ministries, Inc.

10800 Sikes Place, Suite 300

Charlotte, North Carolina 28277

I also want to say thank you to my current supporters and to my family. You have been so gracious to me and I am beyond thankful in your willingness to support me as I serve here at the ESBS.

Even though this time has been hard, there has been hope as well.  I am preparing to teach I Peter and the message of the book is to be comforted by the hope of eternity in heaven while suffering here on earth. My study has brought encouragement, joy and comfort into my own life. It has reminded me that while I have been suffering physically for 4 months, this is only a small time compared to the eternity of no physical infirmities, death or destruction that waits in heaven. That perspective helps me see this time within its proper light and encourage me to suffer well.

I Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.”

Fighting For The Quiet.

We are a day away from starting the 2013-2014 ESBS year. The students have started to arrive and I am really excited to get started! But as the school year closes in, I continue to process my summer and the time spent in South Dakota.

I mentioned in my previous blog post that Evan Hays and I had some quality conversations about God and how He has worked in our lives over the past year. I think the conversation that has stuck out in my mind the most stemmed out of a question that Evan asked me. He asked, “How much time do you spend in the quiet?” This question really got my attention because as I thought about it I realized that I don’t spend that much time in the quiet. I am usually “plugged in” to my computer, Ipod or phone or I have the TV on.

I mean I have “quiet times” in the morning, but they are usually quick to say I did it, and then as soon as I am done the day comes and it brings all its distractions with it. These distractions come in the form of music, TV, Internet and people. Now none of those things are bad, but they do divert my attention from spending time with God.

When I was out in South Dakota I started thinking about my quiet times and I noticed that even in those times I’m not that quiet. I am usually the one that is doing all the talking; and then when I’m done talking the quiet time is over and I move on to the next thing on my list for the day. During those times I often ask for God to speak to me and to give me the ears to understand His voice, but I never give Him the opportunity to. I always have something going on or I am distracted. So what I am asking for is God to break through the noise that I am constantly feeding myself and capture my attention. And if I’m honest I would tell you that is a difficult task … If you don’t believe me, then ask my mom. What I am not doing is making time in my day where I am quieting myself and what is around me, so that I can give God the opportunity to speak.

As Evan and I talked about this, we realized that time like this has to be INTENTIONAL on our part. We have to fight for that time where we can get away and have time with the Lord. I desire that time with the Lord because it is good and refreshing. It is healthy for our relationship with Him to be quiet and serious about hearing God’s voice. Thinking back to the Bible there are many stories of the prophets (Elijah in 1 Kings 19), Jesus (Luke 5:16, John 6:7, Matt 26:36), Peter (Acts 10:9) and Paul (Galatians 1:13-17) taking time out of their day and life in order to be intentional to sit and listen for the voice of God. 

I have acknowledged that this is a good thing, a healthy thing and a righteous thing. So this is something that I want for my life and for my relationship with Jesus. I ask that you think about what this looks like in your own life.

Enjoying The Summer Sun.

My summer travels have been fantastic. They have taken me to the beach in Texas and then out to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where I currently sit surrounded by beauty of the forest. I had an awesome Fourth of July week at my parents’ beach house in Crystal Beach, TX. My parents and I were joined by some of my best friends from high school and college; and as usual there was fierce competition to be had while we soaked up the rays. This year’s battle was in horseshoes and Scott Rodgers and I came out victorious. It was a fun time to catch up, relax and eat everything in sight.

When that week was over I jumped on a flight to Rapid City, South Dakota to come and hang out with Evan, Roz and Gibson Hays, who are friends from the ESBS. Evan was a student who graduated in 2012, Roz was a fellow staff member that year and Gibson is their 6-month old son who is full of energy and has a good set of lungs. They own a property with cabins (Backroads Inn & Cabins) in the Black Hills and they have a great location because we are only 10 minutes from Mt. Rushmore.

I have been out here for 3 weeks and still have a week left, and this time has been glorious for me. I have been able to rest from a busy school year and a crazy first part of the summer. I have honed my napping skills, taking full advantage of the free month trial of Netflix and have gotten out into nature for hours at a time. 

More important than that, this time has been encouraging and rejuvenating for me and my relationship with Jesus. Evan and I have gone out played some golf, done some hiking and climbed rock faces that I didn’t realize were so high until I got down, but during those times the conversations that take place are what is encouraging and rejuvenating for me. They have been centered around God and how He works. We have talked about and praised Him for how he has worked in our lives, provided for us and helped us over the past year. It has been a sweet time of remembrance and worship of our Creator and Savior.

I have highly enjoyed my vacation and have learned many things while I have been on the road.

- I have learned how to throw a horseshoe with accuracy.

- I have learned the importance of lasting friendships.

- I have learned to stop and enjoy the scenery while on a hike.

- I have learned to trust my feet while I am 100 feet up on a rock face. (That one is remembered pretty often these days)

- I have learned the importance of reciting what God has done in your life over the past year and praising Him for that.

- And finally I have learned to always have your camera around because you never know when a great picture is around the corner. 

Here are some pictures from this summer!

Front Porch View

The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota

Sunset Climb

The Needles in Custer State Park

Lucy and I on top of Harney Peak in Custer State Park

Evan and Lucy

Mount Rushmore (I don't think this one needs a caption)

Mount Rushmore at sunrise

Climbing the Weird Water route behind Rushmore

At the Summit of Weird Water

The End Of An Era

Here I am sitting at my computer playing catch up … once again. (I told you there was a theme here.) Lately I don’t know where the days go. It seems like I wake up, then go to bed, and when I wake up again a week has gone by. But I am here now and I am determined to put my thoughts down.

At the end of May and beginning of June the ESBS had to say goodbye to another great group of students. It was an honor to share 9 months of my life with them. I was so proud of what they accomplished. As I look back, a month out from all of us parting ways, I see the fingerprints of God all over our time together. It is evident that He brought us all together for that period of time to work on our lives both individually and as a community. The community that was formed with this group was the closest I had seen and been apart of. It was a beautiful picture of what a true gospel centered community is supposed to look like. They are all beautiful pictures of what it looks like when someone passionately chases after God.

For me personally, the hardest part of my job is the transition from one school to the next. The forming of close friendships and then having to say goodbye is rough. It’s funny how living at camp carries with it so many different memories. There are places that bring back memories of the past school years and even though those individuals may have left this place, it still feels as if they are here. Its fun to walk around the property and let the memories run through my mind. Camp Lurecrest is a special place for that very reason.

As we said goodbye to the ESBS, we said hello to this year’s summer camp staff. I had the privilege of driving our ski boat for 3 weeks of camp. It was a lot of fun slinging teenagers around on a tube for 5 hours a day and hanging out with the other staff ... It wasn't a bad job at all! We have a good group this year and I know that God is using them in the campers’ lives. It was a fun time being at camp for a month, but now I’m on vacation to get some rest and rejuvenate for the next school year.

Not a bad view to look at everyday

Jonah, Parents, Spring Fever and Bonhoeffer.

So I’ve started to see a theme with my recent blog posts.  The theme is that I don’t write them very often and for that I apologize to you all. I’ve noticed that once the Old Testament and the teachings start to ramp up on my schedule, then sitting at my computer and writing out my thoughts becomes less and less attractive. But in order to catch you up on what is going on in Lake Lure, here I sit at my computer. The past couple of months has been filled with teachings, parents, suppressing a serious case of spring fever and developing a growing admiration for Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Over the past 4 months I have had the privilege of teaching Leviticus, 1^st and 2^nd Samuel, Jonah, Ezra and Nehemiah. The thing that I love about teaching is during my study time for each book, God really presses into my heart and mind to show me how I can better apply the main idea or certain parts the book into my life. Sometimes these things are easy, while others it is a tough process that drains me physically and mentally. But either way, easy or tough, this is one of the best parts of the lecture because as the book and God work in my life, I feel like I am able to use those things in my teaching to show the students what this book can do practically in their lives. One of my favorite books I taught this year has been Jonah and it is because of this same reason. God did so much in my life because I was able to connect with the character of Jonah. I was challenged, comforted and encouraged by the character of Jonah because I felt like this year I was being challenged with some of the same things Jonah was challenged with. This year has been about me coming to grips with and accepting God’s plan for my life compared to what I desired and dreamed for my life. The book of Jonah did a lot for me to accept that God is good and that He is someone what we can trust in the middle of the storm.

My parents came from Texas to stay and experience the camp life for a few days in April. It was fun and refreshing for them to be here and see what an ESBS week is like. We also got out of Lake Lure to go to Asheville for a day and to Charlotte for the weekend to hang out with my mom’s brother and his family. It is always fun to see the Buwicks and this trip included, in true Buwick fashion, some competitive tennis and sports on TV.

This year I have also caught a bad case of spring fever. We had a gloomy and wet winter and as soon as the sun started showing its face it felt like I was being summoned to go and be outside. The spring fever bug got a hold of me to the point where I splurged for a hammock and started scouting out hammock spots around camp where there is the perfect sunlight to shade ratio. I have found a few spots in the woods where you forget that you are at a summer camp and you feel like you are all alone. I have had some really sweet times alone with the Lord in these places and I don’t know how I made it this long without a hammock.

The majority of my free time over the past 2 months has been spent nose deep in a biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer written by Eric Metaxas. Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who stood in opposition to the influence that the Nazis were having on the German church. I have been sucked into this book because within the life of Bonhoeffer you are able to see a man that stood firm in the Gospel. He never backed down or shaded away from doing what he felt like God was asking him to do. One thing that really caught my attention was that Bonhoeffer was passionate about leading groups of students through their daily walks with God. He was the leader of a few different seminaries and the thing that he loved the most was the daily life with his students. This caught my attention because that is what the ESBS is all about. Yes it’s about teaching the Bible to the students, but on the classroom is only one aspect of the program. On a deeper level it is taking what is learned in the classroom and daily walking out that out in their lives. And it is an honor to be able to do that day after day with our students here at the ESBS. It is inspiring to see a man live this way and it motivates me to continue down the path that God has set me on.

Remembering Like An Israelite.

This past week at the ESBS we went on our annual Wilderness Wandering Numbers Retreat to Ocean Isle Beach in NC. We go on this trip every year during the book of Numbers to give the students a break from the rigors of the school and an opportunity to have some quality fellowship with one another. This year was a blast!

During our time at the beach, we had the privilege of having Jerry Martin, former Camp Director and Executive Director of Camp Lurecrest, come and lead devotions for us. In these devotions Jerry reminded us of what the wilderness was supposed to be for the Israelites. It was to be a time of fellowship with God. It was to be a time of looking back on their history and seeing how God had revealed himself to them in their lives and the lives of their ancestors. It wasn’t supposed to be 40 years, just a couple of weeks (that’s a whole other story), but nevertheless it was to be time spent remembering who God is and the part he has played in their lives.

So while we were down at the beach I started to think back over my life and the moments where I know God stepped in and showed himself to me. I thought about the things I thought were small decisions and saw just how big those moments were in my life and relationship with God. One of those moments, and one that I feel has had one of the biggest impacts on my life, was joining the organization Youth Impact my senior year of college. Youth Impact, or YI, was an organization that reached out to the underprivileged youth in the Bryan/College Station community. We met once a week to play and have a small group. While the ministry done to the students was impactful; it isn’t close to the impact that the other leaders within that group have had on my life.

I was apart of the 3^rd to 5^th grade, or Big Littles, age group and within the leaders of that age group are some of the men that have changed my life forever. I joined Big Littles because my buddy Matt Callender was there, but during that time I also became friends with Chance Gray and Jeff Selby. These 3 guys along with others during that time were instrumental in pushing me closer to Jesus. I was at a point in my life where I was staring at the fork in the road and had to decide what my life was really going to be about. Was I going to follow God and serve him with my life or was I going to do life my way and live apart from Him?

Each of these guys played a huge part of pushing me towards God. Matt and I grew up together in The Woodlands and it was encouraging to see someone who I knew my whole life to follow Jesus without shame and I really looked up to him for that. Chance was relentless in the way that he challenged me with my actions, thoughts and motivations in everyday life. He really showed me that living for Jesus was an everyday thing and not just when we went to church or served on Thursdays. Jeff and I were prayer partners within YI and it was Jeff that really showed me what intentional gospel centered friendship looks like. He always wanted to get together to talk about life and what God was doing within our lives. He really displayed for me how to be intentional with those around me.

These 3 guys and the rest of the YI community really started my hunger to know God more and my thirst to be apart of a community that loves, serves and gives the glory to Jesus. I am so thankful for their friendships and they continue to encourage me in life and my ministry here at the ESBS.

I love you guys! You are all good men who show what living for Jesus is really like.

The Boys and Whitney Jones

Big Littles Boys (From Left to Right: Chance, Matt, Jeff, Myself, Micah and Robert)

Eating Crow.

So you know there are those things in life that you say you will never do, but then someday you end up doing it and actually enjoy it? You declare to everyone that you will never go skydiving or on a boat and then when you do you secretly love it; but you hesitate to tell everyone because you remember how you stated with fierceness that you would never do that and then gave reasons why … Ya that’s where I’m living these days and I am writing this so that I can publicly confess and eat some crow.

So to start off small, in high school I stated that I would NEVER become a teacher because I didn’t want to go back to school if I didn’t have to … We all know how that one ended up. Also in high school I declared that Texas was the only place for me … I think I have mountain withdraws when I stay inside for a day.

But the big confession is … I have a Twitter account … and an iPhone (say those last two statements in a rough whisper because that’s what I did when I typed them). Two years ago I deleted my Facebook account because I just felt (1) like God had asked me to focus on him while I was studying the Bible and to really press into getting to know him and (2) that it was a distraction from real life. So for that past two years I have stated, not so quietly stated in fact, that I didn’t really like social media. And while I haven’t missed it at all, I thought that it would be fun and it is quite entertaining.

I also vowed to never get an iPhone, but I was due for an upgrade and it was 99 cents. So I caved.

So this is me eating some crow and declaring that I am enjoying some things I said I would never do. The End. 

Playing Catch Up.

This is me playing catch up with my updates.

Christmas was really good. It was great to spend time with my family and to see friends who I dearly miss. I loved having time to see my parents, brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law and nephew. Christmas for me was a really joyful and relaxing time. I got to play golf with my dad a couple of times and hang out with my 2-year-old nephew a whole bunch. (Sorry family but as everyone knows, the baby gets the most publicity.)

My family also went out to the hill country to see our really good friends. The occasion was a tailgating wedding shower (that’s how we do it in Texas) for a family friend and it was so good to see friends that I haven’t seen in a while. We ate good food and laughed a whole lot.

I got back to North Carolina in time to spend New Year’s with friends from camp in Charlotte. I love spending time with the camp family.

The holidays were a rush and it was a struggle to get back into the grove of school. We started on the 2^nd and are moving our way through the Old Testament. I love this part of the year because the students are reading the Old Testament like they never have before. They are seeing the Character of God painted all over the pages of the OT, even in books like Leviticus and Numbers. It is truly a blessing from God that he has given us this time to study and see who He really is.

I loved being back in Texas, but being back here in North Carolina I really feel like this is where I am supposed to be and I want to make the most of it.