Whole New World

Read This Passage: Revelation 21:22-27
I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary.
—Revelation 21:22

MOST PEOPLE HAVE ideas about all the things that will be in heaven, but have you ever considered what will NOT be in heaven?

Two obvious things that will not be in heaven are sin and sickness. There will be no infirmary and no nurses station needed.  Evil and illness will not exist in such a perfect place.  Another thing will be missing in heaven, though it may surprise you. According to these verses, there will not be any church buildings in heaven. When we go to heaven, we will be living with God. Since we will be living with God, we won’t need to go to any specific building or location to gather together as the body of Christ and take part in corporate worship. His presence will fill all of heaven, 24/7. The sinful nature that separates all humanity from God during our earthly lives will be gone. Our relationships with God will be restored and purified into the perfect relationships He intended them to be. We will be with Him, in constant communion, for all eternity. We won’t need a sanctuary in this whole new world, because He’ll be the sanctuary. But as a Christian, God’s presence and power are available to you now. Do you live like it?

Pray
Thank God that you don’t have to wait until heaven to live in His presence 24/7.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Revelation, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Weekly Devotion | Leave a reply

See the New Camp Ridgecrest Infirmary

It almost looks like this building was meant to be there! The new Camp Ridgecrest Infirmary went up fast! Although there is still some work to be done, the framing, windows, doors, showers and roof are all close to be completed! The first picture below was taken on a Friday, the first day the framing crew began. The following picture was taken on a Wednesday afternoon. That’s pretty fast…Not too shabby!

For you Frisbee Golf fans, notice the Tee Box can still be in the same place. The hole won’t be changed! We’ve gotten a lot of questions about this…a big issue for some of us Frisbee Golf regulars…

We felt like it was fitting to place the new Camp Ridgecrest Infirmary in the place of the first home ever built in Ridgecrest, right near Rogers Retreat. We’ll update these picture soon with some shots of the inside, some of the green metal roof, and some of the view from the front porch. Enjoy!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, construction, Frisbee Golf, New Cabins, New Infirmary, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Dwelling Place

Read This Passage: Revelation 21:1-5
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. —Revelation 21:3

HAVE YOU EVER met a celebrity? Perhaps you’ve attended a concert or had a professional athlete visit your school. It’s exciting to be near someone famous. So think about this: if your favorite celebrity turned to you and said, “I want you to come live with me,” how would you feel? Or what if we told you that your favorite musician or actor would be at camp with you next summer for 2 weeks?

Most of us would be overwhelmed by such an announcement. But in today’s key verse God states that very thing. Today’s Scripture passage speaks a lot of comfort into the lives of believers because it tells of a time when we will be in the very presence of God. The very God who created the entire universe by just speaking will return to live with all those who believe. We will no longer have to rely on just reading His Word or hearing about God because we will live in His very presence. His dwelling place will be with us.
As Christians, we should live each day looking forward to a time when our relationships with Him will be made truly complete. Pain, grief, and sorrow will pass away, and we will be with Him forever.

Pray
God, thank You for inviting me to live with You. Help me to live like You are returning today.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Revelation, Weekly Devotion | Leave a reply

A Winter Wonderland

For the past few days, camp has been experiencing very cold temeratures; cold enough for the lake to freeze over! Then yesterday it started to snow, and kept snowing off-and-on all night. This morning camp looked gorgeous with a nice layer of the white stuff.

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Shawnee Cabin Almost Complete

The new Shawnee cabin is coming along nicely! The electrician got it wired up, so now it only lacks rails for the deck, paint, beds and campers!

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Ready and Waiting

Read This Passage: John 14:1-6

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. —John 14:2

MOVING DAY! Those are two words that bring a rush of mixed emotions to just about anyone. If you haven’t personally experienced the adventure and trauma of moving, then maybe you have had the experience of waving good-bye as a friend moved away.  Anyone who moves usually has a sense of loss over what is being left behind. Many times, though, this sense of loss is off-set by the anticipation of what new opportunities may lay ahead.  Usually in moving, though, the greatest loss one experiences is that of leaving friends. Because each relationship is unique, when a friend leaves, you experience a deep loss. Friends are irreplaceable. But what if you knew that in the future you were moving to the same town as your friend? It would be so much easier to be apart if you knew that it was only for a short time. There would also be an added sense of eagerness about the future.

Is this how you feel about heaven? Many people look forward to heaven so they may once again see a friend or family member who died. While this can be a very valid hope, it should not be our primary reason to want to go to heaven.

Today’s key verse tells us Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us: heaven. We have a lot of ideas about heaven, gold streets included. The most important thing you need to know about heaven is that you’ll be with God. You’ll meet Jesus face-to-face. You’ll live in the presence of perfect holiness. Since Jesus has already gone before us, “Moving Day” should take on an entirely new meaning—a meaning of hope. Are you ready?

Real Choices
How are you preparing for your eternal move? Are you putting a lot of things in earthly storage, rather than gaining treasures that will transfer to heaven? Take an inventory of your possessions and decide if they serve an eternal purpose or are weighing you down on this earth.

Digging Deeper
A lot of people claim there are many roads to God. Read John 14:6 again. How many ways are there to heaven?

Pray
Thank You, God, for the promise of heaven. Thank You for preparing a place for me. I can’t wait to be in Your presence!

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Spilman Deck Ready for a Roof

The addition to Spilman is really starting to take shape now! Next to go up will be the metal roof, with the railing soon to follow. The workers have looked pretty cold while working, but they still manage to get alot done!

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The New Infirmary

We have broken ground on the New Infirmary at Ridgecrest! This will be a great addition with lots of improvements. First of all, it will be the new home for the camp nurses. Both their living quarters as well as the Nurses Station will be located in this building. The new Infirmary will help the foot traffic in and out of the Lake lodge as well as enable us to take better care of our sick campers and staff. We have received great feedback from the nurses so far, using their suggestions in our design! Not only will the new infirmary help with the flow of camp, but it will be a really cool building too. With a covered porch, and metal roof, the Infirmary will face the lake offering a great place for nurses, campers and staff to rock and relax.

You may wonder what will happen to the old Infirmary. Well, with the addition of 4 more camper cabins this summer, we will be converting 2 staff cabins into new camper cabins. So, we need a place to house these central staff. The Old Infirmary was an obvious choice. It offers a large flexible space that more than accommodates our central staff. (Have a suggestion for what to Name the Old Infirmary? Comment below…)

Another bonus: We are adding heat to the Nurses Rooms in the new Infirmary. This will enable us to offer a few rooms in the off season for alumni and staff to use when they visit. Sometimes a weekend at camp does a lot of good in the off season…we want to serve our staff and alumni, offering the chance to come, relax, and spend some time with the Lord in this place that means so much to so many people.

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“Best of” Video Clips: Installment #3

You’ve seen the best blobs, now it’s time for some slide action.  Some guys were more coordinated on the slide than others were…as you’ll see.  As for the second clip, some of the best memories from the summer for certain staff is always messy games.  It’s a great time for campers to cover their counselors (and vice versa) in ranch dressing, ketchup, relish, syrup, well, you get the idea.  MMMMM…messy games!

Posted in News | Tagged Cmap Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest funny videos, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Live Like It

Read This Passage: 2 Peter 3:10-13
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness. —2 Peter 3:11

When you were little, you probably blew bubbles. Remember how they floated around for a few seconds and then disappeared? Compared to eternity, our lives are like bubbles. We are here for a moment, and then we’re gone. Our earth has been around for a long time, but one day it will be gone. It will be replaced with a new earth and a new heaven where things will be as God had always planned. Scripture says that -righteousness will dwell there.

In today’s Scripture passage, Peter gave us a clear picture of how this earth will end. The point is clear: this world and the things in it will not last. So the things we value the most probably shouldn’t be things that are fading away. Instead of putting our hopes in things of the world, we should be motivated to live for Christ. When it comes to spiritual things, we should definitely think long-term. We shouldn’t take any spiritual detours.

When it comes to prophecy, some Christians get confused. Some want to rush and get on with their lives before the end comes. Others shrug and think, “Why bother? The world is going to end and nothing will matter then anyway.” But God hasn’t called us to adopt these attitudes. Instead, He clearly tells us in today’s key verse that our lives are supposed to be characterized by “holy conduct and godliness.”

Keep your life focused on Christ and the things that matter to Him. Let the way you handle the everyday frustrations of your life testify to God. Live like someone who has hope, because you do. This world may fade, but you were made for eternity.

Real Choices
A thousand years from now, what will last from your life? Things of this world don’t last; only God will last for all eternity. Does that make any difference in the way you live your daily life?

Digging Deeper
Read the conclusion of today’s Scripture passage in 2 Peter 3:14-18. What do these verses teach you about how you should live?

Pray
Tell God why you look forward to the time when all things will be new. Ask Him to help you live your life in ways that bring glory to Him.

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