Christmas Time is Here

Greetings from Ridgecrest Summer Camps!  I hope you were able to read our last blog about the Snow Storm here at camp.  By the time the snow ended, we had over a foot of snow!  It was absolutely beautiful!  Not much has melted so we are still enjoying the remnants.

Well, it’s Christmas time and we’d like to bring you another Norman Rockwell Christmas card.  Thank you Wayne for your talent and inspiration.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Touring Colorado Springs, CO

This past week, Ron, Phil and Sharon attended the Christian Camp and Conference Association’s National Conference in Colorado Springs, CO.  We had the opportunity to attend seminars/sessions and also worship with other camping people.  It was a fun and restful time!  We thought it would be a good idea to give you an idea of what we got to do while we were out there.  Take a look!

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Give Him Everything

WHAT ARE YOU passionate about? What gets you going? What motivates you?
Each of us has a passion for something. For some it may be sports. For others it may be friends at school or friends at camp. But as believers, where does Jesus fit? Are you passionate about your relationship with Him? It is easy to get sidetracked by things that in the end will not matter. Everything has its place, but Christ must be first. Our relationship with Him needs to be important. With our focus on Christ, all of our other passions will fall into their proper place.

Read Philippians 3:7-11 and contemplate what was written in verse 8.
 
What was Paul passionate about?
 
Why did he consider everything he had gained as filth?
 
Ultimately, whom did Paul want to glorify in his life?
 
Ultimately, whom do you want to glorify with your life? Why?

Paul loved Jesus. He realized that the most important relationship in his life was the one with his Savior. Paul wanted to glorify Christ in all things. He realized that everything he did paled in comparison to the greatness of Christ. It was because of God’s love and mercy towards him that he was pulled from the depths of sin. His life was completely changed because of the compassion of the Savior, and he wanted everyone to know that. Paul totally submitted to serving Christ, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. He willingly and sacrificially gave up his life to serve the One who had done the same thing for him.

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Jesus Is A Tough Guy

FRIENDSHIPS ARE TOUGH, ESPECIALLY AS A TEEN. You’re discovering what it means to move past childlike friendships into more mature relationships with others. As believers, we have a different standard than the world. We are to show justice, love, and faith in the way we treat others. In the world, we see a different standard. The perversion of love is manipulation, and the opposite of faith is inconsistency. For example, inconsistency would mean one day I will follow Christ, the next I will live my own way and do my own thing. Manipulation and inconsistency tend to make up the kinds of relationships we see displayed in the media or society. As Christians, these qualities have no place in our behavior toward others.

Read Matthew 23:23-26. Would Jesus have any reason to speak to you like He did the Pharisees in verse 23?
 What is a hypocrite?
 
Why was Jesus calling the Pharisees hypocrites?
 
How do you display justice, love, and faithfulness in your relationships?

What do you need to clean out your life so that you shine with the light of Christ? Explain.

In today’s passage, Jesus was pretty harsh to the Pharisees for their arrogant behavior toward others. We like to think of Jesus as gentle and soft-spoken, but Jesus was fearless. He went before the religious leaders and called them out publicly. He said they put on a good act, but on the inside they were dirty and full of sin. They were greedy and self-indulgent. They were more concerned with their needs rather than the needs of those to whom they were supposed to be ministering. How important it is that we examine our own hearts before we judge the heart of another! It is our responsibility to confess our own sins to God and allow Him to cleanse us. From there we can minister to and love on those around us with an attitude of mercy and grace.

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Happy Thanksgiving

It’s that time again; time to eat turkey, stuffing, and all the fixin’s!  We hope you enjoy your time this weekend with your friends and family while you are away from school and work.  Get some rest and take time to thank God for all the ways He has provided for you.  Here’s our way of wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

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It’s Not About Rules

GOD CREATED us for relationships. We were created with a need to interact with other people.  Why do you come back to camp year after year?  One reason is probably because of the relationships you built in your cabin. We were also created with a need to interact with God Himself. God desires to spend time with us and develop a relationship with us. In order for us to know Him, we must spend time with Him. When we feel the desire to pray or read the Bible, we need to realize it is God pursuing us. It is our choice to respond.

Read Mark 2:23-28. What does verse 27 mean to you?
 
Why were the Pharisees (religious leaders) so upset with Jesus?
 
What was Jesus’ response to their criticism?
 
According to Jesus, who was the Sabbath made for (v. 27)?
 
What does this tell you about the purpose of Sundays?
 
Ask yourself, “Why do I go to church?”

The Pharisees were so caught up in the rules and regulations of religion that they had lost sight of God. They had become more concerned about the rules than they were about people. Jesus allowed the disciples to pick heads of grain because they were hungry. Jesus had compassion for those around Him and didn’t allow himself to get caught up in the do’s and don’ts of religion.

It is all about relationships. When you read about Jesus, you see that He spent time living out what love meant. He didn’t throw around a list of rules. Rather He showed them the mercy and grace of a loving Father by being a living example. Do you?

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Guinness World Record Speed Stacking Results

As some of you may have read, Ridgecrest Summer Camps was involved in breaking the Guinness World Record for “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day” this past Thursday, Nov. 12.  Last we saw, there were over 270,000 people signed up to participate.  Well as we were stacking here in the office, we decided to have a competition of our own.  For all of you thinking about what skills to take this summer, you should think about Speed Stacking (aka cup stacking).  Try to beat our times!

We do get work done here in the office as opposed to what some of you may think.  We hope you enjoy the entertainment we try to provide for you!

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Everyone Needs A Savior

WE ARE ALL SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE. Each one of us was created for a relationship with the Savior. At the very core of our sinfulness God gives us grace. He sees our need for cleansing and offers us the opportunity for forgiveness through the acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ. Before judging the person in our cabin, our tribe/village, or even next to us, we need to reflect on our lives before Christ. We were all searching for the missing piece that would make us whole. Through God’s mercy and grace, we found the missing piece—Jesus. We need to look at others through the eyes of Christ, realizing they are searching, too.

Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17 and look closely at verse 15.

 Who is the writer of this passage?

 For what is he thankful?
 
According to the writer, why did Jesus come? (v. 15)
 
For what purpose does he believe Jesus saved him? 

 To whom does he give the glory?

Paul considered himself the worst of sinners, a man who sought out and persecuted Christians. Paul even describes himself as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an “arrogant man.” He then thanked Jesus for loving him enough to save him from his life of sin. He acknowledged that it was because of the mercy and grace of Christ that his life was totally changed.

Paul knew the power Christ can have in a person’s life; he had experienced it. The reason Jesus came was to save sinners such as Paul (and me and you). Through the love of Jesus, Paul became a lover of lost souls. He saw people through the eyes of Christ and his heart of hatred was replaced with a heart of compassion. With God’s help, Paul made a huge impact on the world for Christ.

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2009 WSSA Stack UP!

Ridgecrest Summer Camps is about to be involved in breaking a Guinness World Record!  We are joining the WSSA Stack Up! team to beat the world record of “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day.”  The event is being held this Thursday, Nov. 12.  Ron has been pushing us hard to train and get ready for the event.  Check it out!

Speed Stacking for a World Record. from Ridgecrest Summer Camps on Vimeo.

Check back at the end of the week to see our involvement in breaking the world record!

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See the World Through HIS Eyes

HE SITS NEXT TO YOU IN CLASS, the weird kid with tattoos and a nose piercing. She is in your cabin, the introvert with no friends and thrift store clothes. Each day you are surrounded by people who are different from you and maybe even a little strange. Do you interact with them? Do you try to develop relationships with them? Or do you shut them out and focus only on those with whom you feel comfortable? God has placed you on a mission field—your school campus, your community, your tribe/village at camp. There is a reason you are surrounded by these people. Are you asking God why?

Read Mark 2:15-17. Zone in on verse 17.
 
According to verse 17, who is it that Jesus came to save?

 Whom did He classify as the sick?

 How does that affect you?
 
What do these verses tell you about Christ’s character?

 How does Jesus express love to these people?

 How can you follow His example toward those who are different?

Jesus loved sinners. He hung out with them on a regular basis. And He didn’t wait for them to come to Him; rather, He went to them. In today’s passage, we find Him hanging out with the tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders of the time, the Pharisees, were upset by the fact that Jesus was eating with these outcasts. They saw it as a repulsive act, but Jesus looked beyond the sin and society’s norms and saw the heart of the sinners. He saw their need and reached out to them. Jesus had compassion for their lostness.

We need to have compassion for those around us. Instead of only seeing the surface, we need to see them with the eyes of Christ, who gave His life to save us. All of us.

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