Thanksgiving Encounters

Thanksgiving is known for its festive cuisine and the time spent with family, but unfortunately Thanksgiving around camp this year has been know for other reasons. Check out our new video and see what we mean!

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The First Secret Assignment of the New Year!

So we were thinking about what the secret assignment should be for this month and realized that the parts of camp we miss the most right now are the cheers and songs! With that in mind, we want you to go out into the world and share your camp spirit. This month, the winners will be the people who can send us pictures and videos of themselves doing a song or cheer in a public place. We chose the Biltmore Estate, where will you go? Submissions are due on Friday, January 28th. As usual, all submissions can be sent to Hunter Barnhardt at rhbarnhardt@gmail.com. Good luck and have fun!

The First Secret Assignment of the New Year! from Ridgecrest Summer Camps on Vimeo.

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Merry Christmas from the Camps

We know that every family has their own set of traditions, so we wanted to share some camp Christmas traditions. Most of you know all about our summer traditions, but what if camp had traditions in the off-season? You are being shown a never-before-seen look into our reading of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. We would enjoy hearing what some of your family traditions are. You can share them by commenting here, or you can write on our facebook wall (http://www.facebook.com/CampRidgecrest ). From all of us here at camp, have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Merry Christmas from the Camps from Ridgecrest Summer Camps on Vimeo.

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Surprise Contest Winners!

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Change Your Point of View

YOU’RE WALKING DOWN THE HALL AT SCHOOL between classes and pass by two students laughing and speaking to each other in a language you don’t understand. What is the first thing that goes through your mind? Do you quickly assume they’re talking about you? Do you become angry? Do you smile and treat them with respect?

Read Deuteronomy 32:1-4 and check out the word picture of God in verse 4.
What words are used to describe God?
What does this say about God’s character?

What does it mean to say God is without prejudice?
What does that tell you about God’s view of prejudice in our lives?

What is your view of prejudice? Does it need to change? If so, how?

Do the words used to describe God’s character also describe your life? Explain. What needs to change so your attitude lines up with God’s?

In these verses, Moses was describing the character of God. He calls God “The Rock” and said His work is perfect, that God is just, righteous, and true. He even said that God is without prejudice. The point is that prejudice isn’t a part of God’s character. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a part of yours.

We live in a world that says racism and prejudice are wrong. And that’s true, they are. But you know why they are: because God is without prejudice. God loves all people, and the salvation He offers is for every last one of us. It’s easy to be uncomfortable or even dislike someone because he or she isn’t like you, but that’s not the kind of people believers are called to be. Our God loves all people and doesn’t judge us based on skin color, language, age, or disability. He just loves. Ask Him to help you see others with His eyes today. Then, let His point of view change yours.

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Lessons Learned

IT’S NOT JUST about you. When was the last time you said those words? Maybe it was to a friend, a character in a movie, or to yourself. Think about that situation. What prompted you to remind yourself (or someone else) that it wasn’t just about them?

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. What stands out to you about verse 4?

According to these verses, why might times of trial not just be about you?

How can your trials and hard times help other people?

How have you seen this truth play out in your life or someone else’s life?

During your trials, do you look for ways to use them to help others?

Is it selfish to keep what you have learned from trials to yourself? Explain.

Are you willing to suffer so others will not have to? Why or why not?

If the goal of the Christian life is to become more like Christ (which it is), then we must also face trials. Jesus did. He endured various trials, temptations, and hard times, even the cross. Yet, it was for the benefit of others. Because of His willingness to endure those trials, we have salvation and forgiveness. We also have the assurance that because Jesus was here and faced tough times, He knows how we feel. He understands us.

A key point of Paul’s words in today’s passage is that the trials we face aren’t necessarily just about us. Instead, the things we learn can help us reach out to others and minister to them—all because of what we’ve learned during the tough times.

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God is Good. All The Time.

THINK ABOUT A TIME when you were wrong about someone. You thought that girl was shallow and stuck-up. Maybe you thought that guy was very mean because he kept getting you out in four-square. Whoever it was, at some later point you discovered that your assumption was wrong. That the idea you had about that person wasn’t actually built on truth.

Have you ever realized you’ve done the same thing to God? That you’ve chosen to believe things about Him or His character that in time proved to be false?
 
Read James 1:16-18 and contemplate verse 17.
 
Why do you think James wrote, “Don’t be deceived”?
 
What does verse 17 tell you about God’s character?

When have you doubted this truth about God? Why?
 Why is it important to understand that all good things come from God?
 What does it mean that there is no variation in God?
 Does God provide us what we want or what He wills? Explain.
 What do these verses teach you about God’s character?

James’ point is clear: God is good. It is His very nature, and God does not change. He has been good, is good, and will always be good. There is no variation or change in His goodness. Therefore, anything that is good begins with God and comes from God.

We also have to remember that life can hurt. And in the middle of that hurting, it’s easy to get some ideas about God that aren’t quite right, like the idea that He likes watching us suffer through life’s trials. The point is that trials aren’t necessarily good, but they can be used for good by a good God.

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It’s Not Him. It’s You.

THINK ABOUT YOUR LAST bad day. Maybe it started when you got to school and one of your friends said something hurtful. Maybe someone you respected embarrassed you in front of everyone. Maybe everything that could go wrong did. And then, finally, tired of it all, you smarted off to your parents. When confronted about it, you said, “I just had a bad day.”

Does a bad day justify bad behavior? No. But, when we go through trials, it is easy to blame God, get mad at Him, or even justify sinful behavior simply because we’re going through a hard time.

Read James 1:12-15, focusing on verse 13.

What did James mean when he said, “Blessed is a man who endures trials”?

Why do we tend to blame God for bad things that happen?

According to these verses, does God ever tempt us to sin? Explain.

What is the promise in these verses for those who endure trials?

You’ve heard it a bunch over the past few week’s devotions: tough times will come your way. But today’s Scripture passage makes it clear that hard times never justify sinful behavior. In fact, trials never produce sinful behavior. It is our reaction to the trials that can lead us to sin. By blaming God, we are simply trying to justify our sinful actions.

God doesn’t tempt us. And while He doesn’t cause every trial that comes our way, He can use them as an opportunity for our growth.

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Trust His Heart

THERE IS ONE QUALITY many people lack that keeps them from living life to the fullest: trust. We have lost trust in each other. Politicians are caught in lies. Athletes are cheating. Churches are full of hypocrites. Friends betray us. Parents disappoint us. Whom can you trust anymore?

Most of us will give the church answer: “You can always trust God!” But do you? When your life is crashing down around you, do you trust God?

Read Ephesians 1:15-19 and think hard about verse 17.
What did Paul say he was praying for in the Ephesians’ lives?
What does it mean to have a spirit of wisdom?
What does it mean to grow in knowledge of God?

Would you describe yourself as having a spirit of wisdom or growing in knowledge of God? Why or why not?
How easy is it to trust God when everything is going well?
How easy is it to trust God when everything is falling apart?
Why can you trust God even when you don’t understand what is happening?

Trust in God comes from having a relationship with Him. That was what Paul said he was praying for in today’s Scripture passage. He wanted the Ephesians to grow in their knowledge of and relationship with God. He wanted them to know the overwhelming power and wisdom that only God can give.

The more you know God and His character, the more you can trust Him. If you know God is good, then you can trust that He is going to do what is good for you. If you know God is sovereign, then you can trust that He is in complete control. Theologian Charles Spurgeon once said, “When you cannot trace God’s hand, trust His heart.”

Whom are you trusting today?

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Ask and You Shall Receive

THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN LIFE that can only be learned through experience. For example, sailing. You can read books or watch videos on sailing. You can even practice tying the different types of nautical knots, but until you get on a boat and take it out on the water, you haven’t really learned how to sail.

Wisdom is like sailing; it can only be learned through experience. In other words, to pray for wisdom is to pray for a situation that will teach you wisdom. Which is exactly what trials are, according to James.

Read James 1:5-8, stopping to read verse 5 out loud.

What do these verses have to say about wisdom?

In what areas of your life do you need wisdom?
What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
How can wisdom help you through various trials?
Why is it important to make good decisions in the middle of a trial?
What does it mean to ask in faith without doubting?

How have you seen God’s work in your life stunted by your doubt that He could do anything about the problem?

Is wisdom all you need to face the trials that will come your way? No! In today’s passage, James said that if you need wisdom to ask God for it. Yet, there is one condition: when you ask for that wisdom, you must ask “in faith without doubting.” You need wisdom to manage the trials that come your way, but you must also have faith!

You must have faith that God will give you the wisdom you need, that He can help you in the midst of the trials, and that He will use the trial to help you grow spiritually. Though it is tough at times, you must have faith that you can endure any trial.

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