CATEGORY ARCHIVES: Boys

Spell It Out

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

Think of a time in your life when you knew God was at work, but you didn’t grasp what He was doing at the time. Thank Him for taking care of you.

Review last week’s devotion titled, “Message of Hope.” Examine Jesus’ use of the word sleep over the next few weeks.

“So Jesus then told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died. I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.’” —John 11:14

Read John 11:11-16 in your Bible. Answer the following:
• Highlight each occurrence of the word “asleep” or “sleep” by Jesus and the disciples. Then write down in your journal what Jesus meant, and compare it to what the disciples thought when he said these words.
• Circle the phrase “so then Jesus told them plainly” (v. 14). What does that mean? Write the statement in your own words.
• Check out Jesus’ words in verse 15. Why would Jesus be glad he wasn’t there when Lazarus died? How would Jesus’ absence at the time of Lazarus death later help the disciples to believe in Him? Explain.

RESPOND

It’s difficult to understand how God works, but you can know His ways are perfect. Jesus had to spell this out for His disciples when they didn’t understand, and He will do the same for you as you walk with Him.
• Has God ever used a difficult situation in your life to help you believe in Him, trust Him, or understand more about Him? Journal about that experience.
• Thank God for revealing to you what you need to know to trust and believe in Him. Ask Him to continue to strengthen your faith.
• For further study on trusting Jesus even when you don’t understand, read John 14:1 and Isaiah 55:8-9.

MEMORY VERSE

Memorize John 11:25-26 this week. Write or recite it from memory three times in a row.

BEHIND THE STORY

In John 11:7-9 Jesus mentioned returning to Judea and His disciples balked at the idea. John 10:22-30 gives an account of Jesus at the Festival of Dedication, where He claimed to be one with God (v. 30). The religious leaders attempted to stone or arrest Jesus for blasphemy because of His claim (v. 33). Certainly, the disciples were relieved to be away from Judea and the threat of stoning, but Jesus wanted to go back to demonstrate God’s power through raising Lazarus from the dead. He had to tell His disciples plainly in order for them to understand the decision and its significance (John 11:14).

THE POINT

Jesus’ power is displayed for the benefit of all who see.


Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Gladiator Night

Posted by phil

Once a summer, Ridgecrest travels back in time to 200 AD. During this classic camp-wide activity, Maximus and Sparticus recruit and train the campers to overthrow their Roman oppressors. Check this preview of how the game is introduced…


Posted in Boys, News | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Message of Hope

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

Grab a your Bible, journal, and a pen. Find a quiet, comfy place where you won’t be disturbed. Pray, asking God to help you understand what you study in His Word today.

Over the next few weeks, you will read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Quickly read through the complete story in John 11:1-44.

“When Jesus heard it, He said, ‘This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” —John 11:4

Now, read John 11:1-6 in your Bible. Ask yourself:
• Jesus had a strong bond with Lazarus. As you focus your attention on verses 1-6, underline any words or phrases that help you better understand their relationship.

Despite Jesus’ relationship with Lazarus and his sisters, He waited to go to them. Jesus knew that God would demonstrate His power and authority by raising Lazarus from the dead. He even told His disciples that the outcome of Lazarus sickness would not be death, yet Lazarus was in the tomb when Jesus arrived.
• In your own words, explain Jesus’ statement in verse 4.
• Jesus timing assured that there would be no mistaking that Lazarus was dead when He arrived. How did Jesus’ timing bring glory to God? Explain.
• List a few ways Jesus showed His authority and power by waiting until Lazarus was dead to perform a miracle.

RESPOND

Before the story completely unfolded, Jesus told His disciples the outcome-Lazarus wouldn’t stay in the tomb. While we have access to the end of this story, Jesus’ disciples questioned His choice to remain where He was because they knew He could heal Lazarus. Jesus doesn’t always work in ways that we understand or provide healing when we think He should, but He has the power to do more than we can imagine.

• When have you questioned something God allowed in your life? Maybe a loved one died, but you prayed for healing. Talk honestly with God about any doubts or fears you had. Ask Him to help you see how He worked things for good in that situation.
• For further study on Jesus’ power and authority, read Colossians 1:17.

BEHIND THE STORY

The first two verses of John 11 indicate that Jesus knew Mary, Martha, and Lazarus well. Verse five also shows a strong bond between them saying, “Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.” Despite Jesus’ bond with this family, He stayed for two more days across the Jordan where John was baptizing. By the time Jesus reached Lazarus, he had been in the grave four days (v. 17).

THE POINT

Jesus displayed His authority and power by raising Lazarus from the dead.


Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Sock War: Mad Max Edition

Posted by phil

Saturdays are a favorite day at Camp because Saturdays mean Sockwar. No matter who you ask, Sockwar is a highlight of Camp. Each one is unique because each one has a different theme! Check out this throwback to Summer 2015 Sockwar: Mad Max Edition…


Posted in Boys, News | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Obstacles to Opportunities

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

Find a quiet place to be alone with no distractions. Take some time to pray, asking God to reveal Himself to you.

Review last week’s devotion before you read today’s Scripture. As you continue reading about Jairus’ encounter with Jesus, consider how Jesus used a seemingly hopeless situation to show more of His power. Think of a time when Jesus gave you hope in a situation that seemed impossibly grim. Journal about that experience.

Now, read Matthew 9:23-26.

“When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly. ‘Leave,’ He said, ‘because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.’ And they started laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And this news spread throughout that whole area.” —Matthew 9:23-26

Read Mark 5:35-43 in your Bible. Answer these questions:
• In verses 35-36, Jairus received news that His daughter had died. How did Jesus respond? Why is this important?
• Jesus’ words “only believe” (v. 36) were meant to encourage Jairus’ to keep believing that Jesus could still save his daughter. What does this teach you about your own belief when circumstances seem beyond hope? Explain.
• Jesus used the word “sleeping” to describe the girl’s condition and the people in Jairus’ house laughed at Him. Why do you think they responded this way? How would you respond?

RESPOND

We don’t have the benefit of seeing the bigger picture, but God does. We sometimes find ourselves feeling completely hopeless, filled with anxiety and sadness, and wanting to give up the belief that God can change our situation. Today’s passage teaches us nothing and no one is beyond God’s power.
• What circumstances in your life seem hopeless right now? Journal a prayer to God, placing your fears and hope in His hands. Confess your need for His help and thank Him for using difficult circumstances to draw you into a deeper relationship with Him.
• Jesus brings hope even when life is tough. Think of a few people who need encouragement and hope in the midst of a difficult time. List their names in the margin.
• Ask God to show you how you help those people find hope in Jesus this week.

BEHIND THE STORY

The people in Jairus’ house laughed at Jesus when He said the girl was only sleeping. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Paul explained this concept further. Paul used the word “asleep” (v. 13) to describe the state of believers when they die. Just as people typically wake up from sleep in the morning, believers who have died will one day rise up to eternal life with Christ. When Jesus used the words “sleep” and “sleeping” in this passage, He was talking about a temporary condition.

THE POINT

Jesus brings hope and life, even when we believe our circumstances are beyond help.


Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Canteen Time

Posted by phil

Everybody knows one of the best parts of the day at Camp Ridgecrest begins after rest hour. Check out some of these canteen memories from Summer 2018. What is your go-to canteen order? Comment below..


Posted in Boys, News | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Faith That Gives Life

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

List all the ways God has shown His power in your life, then praise Him for being a mighty and powerful God.

Read Matthew 9:18-19 in your Bible. Many Jewish leaders didn’t follow Jesus because His teachings were radically different. Today’s reading focuses on one Jewish leader, Jairus, who came to Jesus for help when his daughter was sick.
• Read Jairus’ statement at the end of verse 18. What does this tell you about his faith?

“One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus he fell at His feet and kept begging Him, ‘My little daughter is at death’s door. Come and lay Your hands on her so she can get well and live.’”—Mark 5:22-23

Read Mark 5:22-24 in your Bible. Consider the following:
• As you read, underline any words that indicate Jairus’ feelings about his
daughter’s illness. What does his persistence reveal about the urgency of
his situation?
• Review both accounts of Jairus’ encounter with Jesus. List some things that revealed his faith in Jesus.
• Why is it important to believe that Jesus can overcome anything? Explain.

RESPOND

• Terminal illness and death are often difficult to address, so prayerfully think about a time in your life when you lost a loved one or knew someone with a terminal illness. How did you respond? Journal your about your experience.
• Jairus showed faith by going to Jesus with his dying daughter, believing His touch alone would heal. On a scale of 1-10, how strong is your faith during times of crisis?
• Do you believe that Jesus is strong enough today to work miracles like He did with Jairus’ daughter? Confess any doubts to God and ask Him to help you trust Him with the tough situations in your life.

BEHIND THE STORY

In each account of this healing, Jairus asked Jesus to lay His hands on his daughter. Jairus, as a synagogue leader, would have been familiar with the common practice of laying hands on someone to bestow blessing or for healing.

THE POINT

We don’t have to fear anything. Belief in Jesus overcomes all situations.


Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Willing & Able

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

Listen to “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe (Almost There, 2001) and consider how you would react if you were suddenly face-to-face with Jesus.

“He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged Him: ‘Lord, if You are
willing, You can make me clean.’”—Luke 5:12b

Read Luke 5:12-16 in your Bible and think through these questions:

• In today’s passage, Jesus and the man with the skin disease both took a risk. What risk did each one take? Explain.
• Looking at verse 12, what three things did the man do?
• Consider the man’s request to Jesus. Highlight or circle the word “willing.” Why is this word important? Explain.
• In this passage, the man with the skin disease showed humility. The opposite of humility is pride. In your journal, record some characteristics of a humble person and one who is prideful.

RESPOND

We all have a reason to follow Jesus, but we must be willing to let Him cleanse us and prepare our hearts for His kingdom.
• On a sticky note, complete the following statement: Lord, if You are willing, You can…
• Stick the note on your mirror or the back of your door, where you’ll see it often. Even if Jesus doesn’t take away that circumstance, heal that sickness, or change that situation, know that it isn’t because He wasn’t able.
• For further study, read Isaiah 55:8-11. Meditate on these verses, considering the faith it takes to believe that God’s ways are better, even though we can’t always comprehend them.

BEHIND THE STORY

The man in today’s passage was likely an outcast because of His skin disease, yet He didn’t hesitate to go to Jesus and ask for healing. The man fell on his face before Jesus, showing humility and respect. The man also called Him “Lord,” signifying a person in higher authority. In respect and honor, Jewish people also used the title Lord to refer to God to avoid calling Him by His personal name, Yahweh.

THE POINT

God is able to do anything. We can trust Him, even if we don’t understand His timing.



Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

When Words Are Enough

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

What does it take for you to be convinced something is true? Consider whether you trust God enough to take Him at His Word.

Read John 4:46,54. This was not Jesus first miracle in Galilee. During both miracles, the people who came to Jesus for help were required to trust Him at His word that He would provide.

“’Go,’ Jesus told him, ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus said to him and departed.” —John 4:50

Ask yourself:

• Jesus answered the royal official’s plea by accusing the crowd of only looking for signs and wonders. In this case, He didn’t give them a miracle to witness. What did He do instead? Why is that important?

Examine Jesus’ promise to the official in verse 50. The word “go” here is a command. Jesus didn’t just give the official permission to leave; He told him to go and promised healing for the man’s son.

• What kind of faith did Jesus require from the official? Explain.

• Imagine what you would do if you were the official: would you leave behind your one chance at healing with a promise? Why or why not?

RESPOND

Today, people love to rely on their own wisdom for answers to tough questions, but as believers we should rely on the truth of God’s Word. It can be difficult to obey His commands without assurance that the outcome will be what we want, but we have to trust in God and in the truth of His Word, knowing that His way is best.

• Think of a time when you had to choose to obey God based only on a promise in His Word. At the time, maybe it made more sense to go against God’s Word, maybe you were afraid of how others would react, or maybe you didn’t trust God to take care of your situation. What was the most difficult thing about that situation? Do you still struggle to trust in His Word no matter what? Journal your thoughts.

• God’s Word is full of trustworthy promises. Find a verse or passage that directly speaks to a situation in your life, like Psalm 27:13-14; Isaiah 40:31; John 16:33; or 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Memorize the verse and meditate on it every time you are tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness.

BEHIND THE STORY

This healing is considered a part of the “Cana cycle,” which took place in John 2:1–4:54. This cycle consists of three signs: turning the water into wine at the wedding, the temple clearing, and Jesus’ healing the official’s son. All three occurrences were considered proofs of Jesus as the Messiah.¹

THE POINT

Christ-followers must trust His Word is true and live in obedience to it.

 

¹Holman Christian Standard Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010). Accessed via mystudybible.com.


Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

A Pearl of Great Price or Broken Glass? – by Jeremy Barnes

Posted by sam

Imagine having the winning lottery ticket. The jackpot is worth over $100 million. Most of us would be beyond excited; we would be filled with joy.

Imagine this: instead of immediately cashing in your prize, you are gripped by fear. You think to yourself, “This is going to change my life. This is too great of a responsibility for me. Everyone in my life will treat me differently from now on.” You are cannot decide what to do. You go on living life and forget about your winning ticket. Eventually, the time to cash in your prize has passed.

Jesus tells a similar story in Matthew 13:44, but with a different outcome: One day a laborer is working in a field. As he is plowing through the field, he discovers a hidden treasure. A treasure that would change the direction of his life. He is so overcome by joy, that he can barely finish working; he cannot keep his mind off his discovery. He then goes and sells everything that he has so that he can buy that field and lay claim to this treasure.

Jesus reemphasizes this in the following verses:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

What is this Pearl of Great Price that Jesus is talking about? What is this treasure that causes someone to sell everything in order to obtain it? What causes the apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament and had plenty of reason to be proud of his accomplishments, to say “I consider everything a loss… I consider them garbage”?

Paul says this “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) This is the Pearl of Great Price that Jesus is speaking of. Not just knowing about Him like you may know about Tom Brady or Lebron James. Paul knew plenty about God before he followed Christ. He now considers that all garbage in comparison to knowing the love that Jesus has for him. A love that he described as being beyond knowledge. In fact, Paul does not pray that we have the power to be better people, but instead prays that we have power to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ… that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Jesus says to you and me: You are my friend (John 15:14). You do not just know about your friends. You live life with them. You go through seasons of life with them, through the good times and the bad times. You learn more about them as you live life with them. Friendships grow overtime.

This is the invitation Jesus has for all of us. I love that way Preston Morris describes living life with Jesus as an adventure ( Adventure at Home, by Preston Morris ). It is new and exciting every day.

One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, describes the longing of Jesus to be your friend as “a furious love affair.” I believe we all have a desire deep within us that we try to satisfy. Instead of focusing our eyes on the Pearl of Great Price, we trade it for broken glass. We go through our life looking to fulfill this desire. Many things may give us temporary satisfaction and may even be good things, such as friends and sports. But Jesus did not come just so we can have a good life, but that we “may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Even pop culture resonates with this. In the movie The Greatest Showman, one of the songs echoes that the broken glass of this world cannot fulfill us: “Towers of gold are still too little, these hands could hold the world, but it’ll never be enough.”

Entering into the adventure of life with Jesus brings the good things of life to the fullness and can even transform the broken glass of our lives into silver and gold. Even with this knowledge, I know that I still so often trade the Pearl of Great Price for broken glass. One of my favorite parts about camp is when Phil Berry gives the charge to those who have achieved the rank of “Brave Pathfinder.” He explains that everyday we have the choice of two paths: to follow Jesus or to not.

This is not a just a charge to those who have reached this rank, but rather a reminder to both you and me that we make the choice each and every day to either sell everything for Jesus or to leave the treasure buried in the field.

Phil also reminds us about the gift that Jesus has given us. Even on the days when we decide to not live life with Jesus, there is Forgiveness and Grace. CS Lewis says it this way, “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”

I challenge both you and I everyday to chase after the Pearl of Great Price. And what about when we are gripped by fear, experience hardship or failure, or chase after broken glass? What do we do? I challenge us to run back to Jesus. He awaits us with open, loving arms (Luke 15:11-24).

The Pearl of Great Price or Broken Glass,

Jeremy Barnes
Equipped Equinox


Posted in Boys, Echoes From Final Fire | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a reply

Newer posts
Older posts