Fear Not

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN freaked out? Ever walked up to your cabin after dark?  Ever been outside at night when it was stormy? Can you imagine being in a boat during that same storm? Imagine: it’s windy, so the boat is moving around, and it’s dark so you can’t see well. Suddenly, you see a figure coming toward you . . . walking on the water. This is what happened to the disciples at 3 a.m. one day, according to the Bible. They were tired, it was dark and stormy, and there came Jesus. They thought it was a ghost, since they had never seen anyone walk on water. Frightening!

Read Mark 6:45-52. Carefully consider verse 50b.
 
What do these verses teach you about Jesus’ power?
 
When things got out of control out on the sea, what was the disciples’ first reaction?
 
What is your first reaction when life whirls out of control?

 Of what are you afraid?

 Why does it scare you?
 
How do you think God can use that fear to help you grow?

 Will you trust God in that situation?

Sometimes we get scared. We can be afraid about the future or the things in our lives. Life is uncertain. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re never going to be scared or frightened or feel faithless. The Bible tells us that when we mourn, we mourn with hope. I would also say that when we are afraid, we are afraid with hope. We have hope and comfort in the fact that God is for us and working in us. We experience things that make us afraid, but we can use those situations. Have courage and trust that God will bring you through the dark times.

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Snow Storm at Camp!

We woke up this morning to snow and it hasn’t stopped coming down! We probably have about 4 inches on the ground right now. Here are some pictures we took at about 10:30am.

We wish you guys were here to go sledding! Have a great Christmas break!

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It’s All Under Control

PEOPLE IN THE WORLD often seem to want to get rid of Christians. It seems like the rules limit when we can pray and read the Bible. We know that Jesus has conquered the evil forces at work in the world. So what does this mean for you and me? It’s important for us to remember that we are in a battle. Ephesians 6:12 tells us we battle against spiritual forces, not physical forces. We must fight the battle in prayer, worship, and Bible study.

Today we are looking at John 16:29-33. How does verse 33 encourage you?

 Do you find yourself turning from God in hard times? Why?

 When things are difficult, how do you respond? Prayer? Complaints? Anger?

 Does it make it easier or more difficult to trust God? Explain.

 How does God provide for you during difficult times?
 
Why is it important that Jesus says He told His disciples these things so they could have peace?
 
In what areas of your life do you need the peace of a Savior who has overcome the world? What steps will you take to let Him have control of those things?

Do you ever feel like you are being singled out because of your faith? Like it would just be easier to throw in the towel and give up the faith? Jesus told us this would happen. Every day is a battle, and some days we fight harder than others. We study the Bible and learn God’s truths so we can hold fast in hard times. We study passages like the one we have today because it’s a good reminder that Jesus knows what has happened and what will happen—and He’s still in control. He wants us to have peace. The best ways to have peace are to trust Jesus, pray, read your Bible, and spend time with other Christians. It may not be easy when hard times come, but we can make it through because we know that Jesus has overcome.

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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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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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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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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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He is The Savior

HAVE YOU EVER felt trapped by something? A situation, a lie, an invitation, a mess, a sin?
At one time or another, most of us have felt trapped by something in our lives. We know that as hard as we try, there’s no way we can get out of it ourselves. We know that as bad as it hurts, there’s nothing we can do. We know that we’re powerless, broken, and tired. That’s when we need to turn to the One who has the power and authority to handle the problem.

Read through Luke 5:17-26 and think about how you’d have reacted if you’d been present in verse 25.
 
What do verses 20 and 24 say about the authority of Christ?
 
What did the paralyzed man do after being healed?
 
Why is it important that Luke recorded Jesus forgiving the man’s sins and healing him?
 
What was Jesus’ response to the scribes and Pharisees’ reaction to His miracle?

When Jesus saw the paralyzed man and simply said “Your sins are forgiven,” He undoubtedly shocked the scribes and Pharisees. They would have quickly realized that Jesus was claiming He could do things only God had the authority to do. How could He forgive the sins of someone if He was merely a man?

Jesus wanted everyone to understand that He was no mere man. He was the Son of God with the power to rescue people from the bondage of sin and heal them. He still has the power to do that today. We just have to let Him have authority in our lives and trust Him for salvation. And that’s something to celebrate!

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Largest Session in History vlog

We had another incredible Opening Day yesterday! The rain held off until later in the evening. There was a ton of energy in camp, and the kids seemed to be having the time of their life. We only expect folks to have more fun as they get more confortable over the next few days… See you soon….

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