Every once in a while my boss at The King's Academy asks me to write an article for the local paper about my trips and experiences. I thought I'd share with you my latest draft...

After spending 8 weeks working at a summer camp in New Orleans, I've returned to East Tennessee with some amazing memories. It was a challenging summer of demolition, construction, Vacation Bible Schools, serious yard cleanup efforts, and beyond. But as I reflect on the many things I experienced, perhaps the most treasured moments were found in the lessons I learned from others.

The first comes from my own boss, Linda Jackson. Linda and her husband Bob were missionaries in Africa for 10 years. They moved back to New Orleans one month before Hurricane Katrina. Like most New Orleanians, they tried to weather through the storm only to find themselves trapped by the flood and literally had to swim from their house to the seminary campus. Not only are they managing the ministry, but during their downtime they are rebuilding their home with their own four hands. After living as missionaries in Africa and now through the trials of life in New Orleans, Linda taught me about sacrifice and faith. From her experiences she shared with us, "I don't think we ever sacrifice as Christians until we are willing to say that we are going to step out in obedience to the unknown. It only becomes a sacrifice when we say, 'You know, I'm going to step out in faith and I don't know what the future is going to hold.' And everyone thinks that being in the will of the Father means that everything's going to be great. I disagree with that. I think being in the will of the Father means that you are just going to have peace when the storms arise. It's not how you shine Jesus when everything is okay that matters, it's how you shine Jesus when everything is not okay."

The last lesson came from Robert "Commander" Clavier, a retiree from the New Orleans Sheriffs Department. Sleeping in a trailer outside his house, Commander spends each day not just rebuilding his own home, but trying to help his entire neighborhood get back up and running. If you drive down Verbena Street, you would see this as no easy task. Many homeowners have not returned since the storm. Yards have grown into jungles of weeds and debris with giant trees that have fallen on sheds and cars. Commander showed us what we could do to help, but it was his own initiative that left an impression on me above any of the work that we did. He could choose to concentrate solely on his own home and family, and yet he is going above and beyond to take care of everyone else even before himself. He even blessed us with delicious treats such as smoothies, red beans and rice, and stuffed bell peppers. And in all he does, he points up to Jesus and is thankful for his life in Christ. I wonder how many of us can even list three of our neighbors by name? I think its time for each of us to be the Commander of our own neighborhood and like Mrs. Jackson told us, "Shine Jesus like never before."