Some weeks I found myself stressed out about what to share at a Sunday service, but God always had planned something to happen that week for a certain message to be on my heart. Being obedient in what God had laid on my heart and speaking from that, caused visitors to approach me after services telling me that the message was what they really needed to hear. As a team when we felt like we weren’t reaching out enough in ministry in our respective workplaces, our coworkers would say, “There’s something different about you. A light.”

Even when we thought nothing was there, God was working. Just choosing to be joyful and following a different path than what the world laid out made a difference when others saw us.

I am to live my life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Just because I say that I believe something isn’t enough; I want my actions and every interaction with other people to reflect my relationship with Christ.

I frequently found myself complaining at work because everyone else was, but I realized I am to be set apart, and I challenged myself not to complain, and to hold my tongue when I didn’t have anything necessary to say. That is something ACMNP taught me that I always want to remember!

Michelle R., Custer State Park, 2016