Senior High Challenges...

Well, now is the time to say that... THE FIRST FULL WEEK OF CAMP IS COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an amazing week is was and seeing the campers leave was bittersweet. A lot happened this week that was truly a blessing and at the same time was a time to just pray with the people that were around. The leaders from Grace, Indiana Wesleyan, and around the Ohio area were an extreme help and were able to put together a blessed program. The staff that I am helping out with and myself kind of took a step back this week and mainly worked on the facilitation of program areas that needed various groups of people together. Pioneer Camp was a different kind of camp for it only had half the amount of campers that lasted for a 48 hour period (some of the campers even had their families with them). This camp on the other hand was a week long that provided more opportunities for worship, growth, spiritual maturity, and to connect with one another. I had the opportunity to meet with the volunteer leaders that came together to help with senior high camp and they were wonderful people to chat with, being used by the grace of Christ.

A verse that summarized the whole week came to my mind last night during a personal bible study...

"Where o' death is your victory, where o' death is your sting?" (Hosea 13:14)

This scripture struck out to me last night and after thinking about the context of the verse could truly put this verse and place it through the entire week. There are two points why I feel that this is true:

1. There were a lot of opportunities to connect with Christ, some of the people coming in also had never heard the Gospel message before.
2. There were many opportunities that "the enemy" did not want us at camp to do the ministry that we were striving to do.

What does all of this mean though (that the enemy did not want us to do what we were doing)? There were a few occurrences through the week that people needed serious medical attention but it was more often than usual. What got my attention about these occurrences though was that they happened at various time frames and they all ended up with people coming together and leaning on one another. This particular week showed not only the campers but the staff that we truly need to rely on Christ in everything that we set our minds to. What was truly bittersweet was to see the campers coming together to form prayer groups when something happened and even used the myself and the other leaders to get these groups together. Seeing the campers come together and form these types of groups was so amazing and a WOW factor that God was able to use. 

Throughout most churches in today's society there is not a lot of teaching about the enemy or any type of spiritual warfare. Even though that in scripture God teaches that there is no power that the devil can use there are times where the enemy can be used like a leach and effect the mindsets and attentions of people. Temptations can sink in and all kinds of false mindsets can begin to take over. What was mentioned this week was that the enemy has no foothold on any of us and we need to rely on Christ with one another and live in the areas that He desires for us. There is a verse in Isaiah that I just opened to when trying to find another verse that speaks truth about us as people in the mindset of Christ...

"They will be called mighty oaks, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." (Isaiah 61:3)

MIGHTY OAKS!!!!!! The God that created all of us sees us as a mighty oak. In North American forestry the oak tree is resembled as a tree of strength, longevity, and excellent wood sources and properties. Oak trees are the most common tree in North America and is even the national tree for America. We are called Mighty Oaks by Christ, a being of EXCELLENT STRENGTH, WONDERFUL PROPERTIES, and AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF LIFE! The campers this week realized the wonderfulness that is in Christ Jesus and that nothing can be done by our own power. Paul, in writing a letter to the church in Ephesus, talks about us as people being DEAD IN OUR TRESPASSES, but because of the grace and love of Christ Jesus, HE HAS BROUGHT US TO HIS NAME and if we rely on Him HE WILL RELY ON US. The phone is ringing for every person, it is up to each one of us to pick up the other line and follow along. Be blessed everyone!