Love Is A Command

Believe it or not, Jesus’ commands are pretty easy to summarize: Love God and love others. These are not separate things. Loving God means obeying Him. It means living as He created us to live. A necessary part of this is showing love toward others, because that’s exactly what God does! He loves people. But while the Christian message is easy to summarize, it is far harder to live out in the real world.

Read 1 John 3:21-24. Ponder verse 23.

Does verse 22 mean that God will just give me anything I want? What might “because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight” have to do with our receiving what we ask?

Why is it important that Jesus commands us to love others?

What are the major roadblocks you face in loving and trusting God?

What are the roadblocks you face in loving those around you?

We know that God lives in us by His Spirit. How do we know the Spirit lives in us? (See Gal. 5:22-23.)

How much of your life is a reflection of the fruit of the spirit? Are you loving, joyful, kind, and so forth?

It is difficult to take people seriously when they pretend that it is easy to love God and love others. It is far easier to talk about it than to do it. This does not give us an excuse though. Loving God and loving others is the absolute heart of the Christian life; it’s not just a nice idea or a pretty thought. It is a command of Christ to those who follow Him.

The closer we are to God, though, the easier it gets to see the world—and the people in it—the way that He does and begin to love them as we’re commanded. Getting close to God means spending time with Him. It means digging into Scripture. It means praying and listening and waiting. Draw close to God and ask Him to give you His eyes and open your heart. You may just be surprised at the love you begin to feel for others in this world!

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged 1 John 3, Camp Ridgecrest, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

Love Others

Even when you’re very excited, it’s not uncommon to lose that excitement after awhile. As time progresses, we can get fidgety and bored.

Unfortunately, far too many of us experience this in our relationship with God. After the “newness” wears off, it’s hard to maintain the same level of excitement.

Today’s passage is an important reminder and warning: do not lose sight of the magnitude of God’s gift to you.

Read 1 John 3:13-15, thinking carefully about verse 14.

Why, according to John, should we expect the world to hate us?

When have you experienced the world’s hatred? Explain.

According to these verses, how do we know “we have passed from death to life”?

What does John say about those who do not love?

Has your love toward others grown cold? Why or why not?

Many Christians think of salvation in terms of a one-time experience. We pray a prayer, say the magic words, and God gives us salvation. Then, we think we just stick that insurance policy in our back pocket and live however we want to.

Unfortunately for such people, the Bible presents a very different message. Christians are continually reminded and warned of their need to be attentive to the gift of salvation that we have through Jesus. Today’s passage says that we who have a relationship with Christ have passed from death to life—and a good indicator of our salvation is the love we have for others. It’s time to take a hard look at yourself. What does the way you love others say about your relationship with Christ?

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged 1 John 3, Camp Ridgecrest, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

Returning Staff for Summer 2012!

Campers and staff are often very curious about which staffers are returning for this coming summer. Are your counselors coming back? What about your TL? Or your favorite skill instructor? Well, this is the place to find out!  We are excited to announce that over HALF of our staff are returners who have worked here before!

Below is the list of all the returners this year.

Matt Stapp
Steven Fuller
Sam Pineda
Brian Hartsfield
Vince Sapp
Eli White
Nathan Burkett
Cade Sherman
EP Keller
Tory Singer
Mike Norris
Kevin Smith
Will Belue
Katlin Barkley
Rebecca Davis
David Leuschke
Anna Johnston
Christine Pineda
Lydia Marsh
Rustin Hamann
Brandon Davis
John Mark Oliver
Andrew Glynn
Dean Helton
Ryan Lewis
Josh Wren
Thomas Taylo
Zack Ayers
Tyler Valentine
Cameron Barnhardt
Patrick Streeter
Tyler Kimbrough
Drew Boggess
Mike Payne
Harrison Collins
Asa de Armas
Garrett Robinson
Raleigh Cothran
Chris Yenney
Andy Strong
Ben Brockman
Seth Ladd
Caleb McClain

Posted in Boys, News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Returners, Returning Staff 2012, Summer 2012 | Leave a reply

Do You Love Other Believers

There is no single verse in the whole Bible that troubles me more than when Jesus says that if we love Him, we will obey what He commands (John 14:15). It presents a stark and troubling reality: it does not matter one bit what I say about how much I love God. What really matters is my obedience.

Today’s passage makes one very important element of obedience clear: we are to love other believers.

Read 1 John 3:7-12. Go back and focus on verse 10.

What principle is at work in verse 9? If you had to summarize that verse for another person, what would you say?

According to this passage, it should be as plain as day who is a child of God and who is not a child of God. What are some examples of things that are “right” in God’s eyes?

What are the two “sides” that John presents in this passage?

If you had to take a long hard look at your actions, whose side are you on? What do your actions show?

If you had to list the loving things you have done for your fellow Christians recently, what would those be?

Anyone who claims to be a Christian—a follower of Jesus—must walk in the way that He did. That means that our lives look like His. That we care about the things He cares about and do the things He thinks are important. That’s what being a follower is.

In this passage, we’re called to holiness in the form of love. That’s a key theme in Scripture: God is looking for followers who will obey Him. The Scripture makes it clear: the person who really belongs to God does what is right. And according to Scripture, loving your fellow Christian is the right thing to do.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged 1 John 3, Camp Ridgecrest, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

Kids of Ridgecrest Music Video

Camp is right around the corner! Man we are excited! Camp is beginning to look like summer, and we already have some staff here beginning to set up for you. As our excitement builds, we thought that this was a fitting video to remember your great times here at Camp and prepare for many more memories. See you in a few weeks!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Kids of Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

What Does Your Life Say

What identifies Christians? What adjective would most people use to describe Christians? Good? Disagreeable? Are we known as hypocrites? How would most people describe our churches?

Let’s flip the question a bit. How did Jesus want His followers to be identified? According to John 13:33-35, Jesus wanted His followers to be identified by their—wait for it—love.

After that last meal with His disciples, He gave them a new command: love one another. Easy enough, right? The next sentence, however, raises the bar: “Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” That is a far more specific definition of love than we are used to. The kind of love Jesus calls His followers to is self-sacrificing and considers the other person first. Does that describe how you love others?

This week’s devotions are focused on love. We live in an incredibly self-centered, decadent, and arrogant society. Self-sacrificing love is not a virtue that often makes its way into the news. What is worse is that the kind of love Jesus has called His followers to is often not clearly apparent in our churches—or the lives of those who call themselves believers.

Jesus wants us to love the way that He does. It’s how the world will know we belong to Him. Is that kind of love apparent in your life?

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, John, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

Brag A Little

I had been practicing and thought my ping-pong skills were pretty impressive. So, when my friend challenged me to a game, I asked, “Do you really think you can handle it?” That day, I learned not to brag about my ping-pong skills. My friend never told me he was a ping-pong master!

As you read Galatians 6:11-16, notice what Paul said of himself in verse 14.

God gave the Jews the sign of circumcision as an outward sign of their covenant with Him. Why do you think the Jews would boast in that outward sign? What was the problem with their boasting?

What did Paul mean when he said that “circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing” (v. 15)?

Why do you think Paul was so emphatic about only boasting in the cross of Christ (v. 14)?

What do you think boasting in the cross of Christ sounds like? What would it look like if you did it?

Do you know anyone who always boasts in Christ rather than him or herself?

How quick are you to talk about Christ? Where are you when you are likely to talk about Christ?

Where are you when you tend to shut up about Christ?

What do you brag about most often? Some of us are always ready to brag about ourselves, to push ourselves forward, to make ourselves sound important. Not Paul. Instead, he wanted to brag about the cross of Christ. So should we. As believers, we should always be ready to brag on the One who is the Creator of the world, the Savior of all humanity. Today, ask God to fill your heart with His wonder and cause you to think and talk of Him in your conversations.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Galatians, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

I Am With You

This past summer our theme was I Am With You. All of our devotions and morning watches focused on this theme. We want you to remember that no matter what is going on in your life, your God is with you. Check out this very short must see video we made for Summer 2011. We’ll see you in just over a month!

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Sow and Reap

When a farmer plants corn, he doesn’t harvest wheat. You can only harvest what you’ve actually planted. And believe it or not, that principle holds true for our spiritual lives as well.

Read Galatians 6:6-10, paying particular attention to verse 7.

Sowing refers to planting seeds. Reaping refers to harvesting the resulting food. What are some good seeds you are planting with how you live your life? What harvest do you think you will reap from those seeds?

What are some bad seeds you’re planting? What harvest do you see yourself reaping from those?

Why do you think Christians sometimes “get tired of doing good” (v. 9)?

What are some seeds you should be planting that you are not?

What are some seeds you need to quit planting?

We like to think of God as a loving Father who wants us to be happy, healthy, and wealthy, but that’s not the total picture of God. He gives us freedom to act, but our actions always have consequences. We may not suffer immediately for breaking one of God’s commandments. However, in the long run, every one of us will experience the consequences of the choices we’ve made.

You can choose to sin—even as a believer—and think it doesn’t matter or that you’re getting away with it. But your sinful choices have consequences. Spend some time today talking with God about the choices you’re making. If you need to, ask for His forgiveness. Ask Him what good seed you need to be planting. Determine to do all He shows you.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Galatians 6, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission. | Leave a reply

Online Scavenger Hunt Winner!

Well done J-M Collard! You were the first person to turn in the correct answers for the online scavenger hunt. You win a $50 gift certificate to the Camp Ridgecrest Store! Enjoy!

Below are the correct answers…

The first thing I want to hear in the morning is the sound of  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­  Reveille    and Ron’s voice ringing loudly over the speaker. All morning when I am at skills I think about ­     Chicken Tender Tuesday . That is just what I need to give me the energy I need for my favorite activity – sock war! The only problem is that I have a sweet tooth, but that will be  satisfied  by going to the   canteen to get some Reese’s Cups. After working up a sweat during sock war, it feels great to  dive   into the nice cool lake. After free swim, a few friends and I go find  dry wood and start building the campfire  so we can cook  packet meals . But we can’t hang around for too long because we get to go sing campfire songs with Singing Sequoia. There is no better way to end the day than to sit the fire and watch the embers  float into the starry sky.

See you soon!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Online Scavenger Hunt, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply