message from camp

I thought I'd update my blog for the first time in a little under a year. I earlier explained why I don't much care for blogs -- people who keep blogs constantly updated have either perfected their time management skills or time to waste (I know the parallelism isn't quite there, but this grammar and spelling on this blog should still rank in the 99th percentile of internet blogs).

So I've been at camp. Three Saturdays ago, I packed up and sped off to the Wilds Christian Camp near Brevard, North Carolina. One of the largest Christian summer camps in the world, the Wilds (accurately penned "WILDS" [an acronym of which I've long since forgotten the meaning]) attracts approximately 800-1000 kids, graded anywhere from elementary school to senior high school, each week during the summer.

I began staff training week that very Saturday I arrived, and I wasn't ready. I thought counseling would be fun. I thought I'd be able to use my persuasion and intellect to the glory of God. I had no clue that God had other plans. God revealed my self-centeredness more than anything else that first week of camp. At this point, I should interject to mention that I'm describing all the gory details neither to make my reader revere me nor to draw a sympathetic vote. I hope you'll examine your heart all summer long, determined to root out anything that makes you think you've got it down (Rev. 3 -- referring to the Laodiceans).

Almost everyone who knows evangelist Tom Farrell has an opinion about him. I can't see how criticism does any good. It's cliche, but nobody has it down perfect; God's not preaching to us. At times, I disagree, but at most others, I couldn't be more satisfied that God's put him in the pulpit. He preached to us staffers a few times during staff training week and every night during the first week of camp. When you realize your complete dependence on God, you tend to take more notes during services and absorb more of the biblical references. I've taken in so much Scripture and studied so much more that I can, from the Bible, lead somebody to the Lord, assure someone of his salvation, or help him root out and replace the sin in his life. I couldn't do any of that before. SURE I knew what Scripture said, but I couldn't place the references. It was as though I had a debate case with a lot of evidence, but I didn't know what the sources were for the evidence. Now I can truly say that I have both a logical and a biblical defense for the blessed hope inside me.

The very nature of a large university, divided into many different colleges, makes it impossible for any one student to know, either nominally (correct usage?) or personally, more than half of the other students attending the same university. When I chose to counsel at camp, I placed myself among Bible, Camp Ministries, Missions, Women's Ministries, and Music majors -- VERY FEW of whom I had every met. The counselors come from a number of Christian colleges and universities: BJU, Maranatha, Crown, Tennesse Temple, Clearwater, PCC, etc. With over 120 counselors, the Wilds is a place where I've not only met a ton of new people, but also made a ton of new friends -- close friends. The religious aspect ultimately forces counselors to be closer friends, constantly discussing the most-asked questions (Who am I? What am I doing here? Where am I going?) and most controversial subjects (Music, Suffering, Addictions, etc.).

I finished my first week of camp this past week, and thank God for his strength in my weakness! I had junior high-aged teens (12-15), and, once again, a hearty THANK GOD that my campers didn't destroy me! During the week, I heard horror stories. One counselor had his mattress, pillow, and bed sheets thrown on top of the bath house. Another counselor had to deal with campers flashing cameras after lights out . . . for hours each night! I think all of us counselors had to deal with lazy campers, but that's the essence of a junior high boy, so no surprise there :) I had some great kids who made even greater decisions. If I can remember how, I'll place pictures on this blog. The camp divides into three teams: red, blue, and GREEN! I'm on the GREEN team, and we're the Calhoun Crazies. The theme this year is "Friendly Feudin,'" so red=McCoys, blue=Hatfields, and GREEN=CALHOUNS! With more Peggy passion (don't worry about it), more games won, and more voices lost, we CALHOUN CRAZIES won the first week of camp.

So 9 more weeks. I can't promise an update every week, but I'll do my best. If you happen to think about it, pray for us. I thought the majority of campers would be Christian kids from good homes who wanted to have a fun week at camp. Boy was I surprised! From so many different backgrounds with so many different stories, these kids need Christ badly! Pray that each counselor can continue to be used of God for his perfect work. Pray that we'll remain (or get) healthy. Finally, pray that the kids will be tender to the amazing love of our God.

"All glory, laud, and honor, all majesty and praise,
to Creator and Redeemer, to the Ancient of Days!"