God taught me so much at Camp Icthus, but I'll try to explain it to the best of my ability.
First off, there were only 20 campers 1st session, so it was easy to get upset. "Why, God, would you bring only 20 when we have a great speaker like Richard Sharp?". I could just hear God chuckling and saying, "Look what I did with Eleven!" Numbers mean nothing. It only takes one willing heart to change the world. There is a verse in Chronicles that says God is searching for just one willing heart. I want to be that willing heart, even in all of my weakness.
Our theme was "Journey to Glory". It means that Jesus invites us on a journey in this life where He shows us bits and pieces of His glory until we reach our final destination, which is Himself in Heaven. Think of it like a hike. The guide shows you plants, animals, and scenic views that make you go "wow". When you get to the top of the mountain, you can see for miles. The same is true with Jesus. We see bits and pieces along the trail of life, but when we reach Heaven we can see the entire view. We focused on Esther (book of Esther), Joseph (book of Genesis) and Daniel (book of Daniel) mostly. All three characters reached points in their journey where their lives were threatened, and things happened unjustly to them, but God worked everything for good. This journey isn't all roses and rainbows. There will be storms and rocky places too, but we have the blessed assurance that Jesus is right there with us and won't let us go if we are in Him.
Richard Sharp spoke about how to make the private time you spend with God each day better. Start by saying "God, You are..." and give an adjective. Start by praising Him. Then, say "God, You did..." and write down what He did for you the day before. "Think it, Ink it" as Richard Sharp said. Then say "God, you say..." where you read a passage of Scripture and write down what it means in your life. Then say "God, will You..." and pray for something specific that you need (not want) from Him. Then say "God, will You guide me to..." and pray for your future plans. Keep your plans in an open hand though because if God chooses to take them away it won't hurt as much as it would if you had them in a closed fist. I learned that the hard way... If God takes something from you, it's only to give you something better.
I read Psalm 10, which is about times where the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous seem to fail. There are times where God seems far away. However, He promises that if we remain in Him, the wicked will fall into the traps they prepared for the righteous. Psalm 11:4 says God is still on His throne. That is a comforting truth. Nobody can unseat Him or raise a higher throne. Psalm 11:5 says "He tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked." This is far from the lovey-dovey God that modern religion tries to push. Understand that Man declared war on God just as fully as Satan did. The only difference is that Man has a chance to be redeemed. Those who choose not to be redeemed are still under God's wrath. God does nothing halfway. He will either bless fully or destroy fully, and both will give Him maximum glory. Which side are you on?
We sang a song by Caedmon's Call where the chorus says "You created nothing that gives me more pleasure than You. You won't give me something that gives me more pleasure than You." I learned that the hard way :( As I've mentioned before, God seems sadistic at times because He controls our circumstances to where He is the most important thing in our lives. It doesn't seem fair at first glance. But, when you realize that the Creator of the Universe cares about little, insignificant you, it becomes pretty amazing. You can have a one-on-one relationship with Him, and He promises to bless you and treat you like His adopted child. Romans 8:17 says we are His heirs. That floors me. Matthew 6:33 says we should seek Him first before He grants us everything else. It does not say to follow Him "so that" we can get stuff. He is God...He is the only One who is worthy of our worship. Richard Sharp gave us the saying "No Bible, no breakfast". Seriously, the days I spent this past year where I spent time with God before I started my day turned out better than the ones where I didn't. I really need to develop that habit more.
Psalm 13:6 says, "I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." I echo that from King David. The Lord has blessed me greatly. Psalm 18:2 is the verse burned into the back of my shield: "The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God, my Rock, in Whom I take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold." Psalm 18:30 says He is a Shield for all who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:35 says His salvation is a shield. I love shield references :)
At every camp we have a final campfire. This isn't your marshmallow, "Kum By Yah" campfire. This is a campfire where the kids lead worship and simply tell God who He is to them. They can also share their testimonies. When you see 8-12 yr olds 'get it' it totally floors you. Satan hates children. He knows they're easy to discredit, but in reality they are the purest and most credible sources because they really aren't jaded yet. At the second session campfire, I literally felt like something was trying to attack the campfire. I wasn't the only one, another male counselor felt it too, so we retreated from the fire and set up a "prayer perimeter" around it. It was intense. This stuff is real, and nobody can convince me otherwise.
At second session, it was a bit easier because there were so many veteran campers and staff. Still, God moved in great ways. He moved through the speakers and through David Stroup, the worship leader. Nobody has led me into the presence of God quite like David Stroup has, and he's just one man w/ a guitar. I've had amazing experiences w/ worship bands, but nothing like the worship I have with David Stroup at Camp Icthus. On Tuesday of second session I had a small conversation with a dear friend of mine, who was also one of the girls' counselors, about how Creation fell when Man did. She asked me if I thought the color Orange fell when Man fell. Now, I hate Orange because of specific sports teams, but the camp shirt this year was Orange (God has a sense of humor). Truth be told, when Man fell, all of Creation fell. Colors grew dim and died. Even the tranquil beauty of Willow Falls is fallen. I believe that Heaven will be absolute perfection in the presence of God Himself. The colors will be alive as our souls will be alive forever. I can't really explain it further than that, but that's how I perceive it. I don't think we'll be lined up in pews for eternity just singing to God. I believe He wants to show off for us, and even in this fallen creation there is still beauty for our eyes. But, there is so much more waiting for us :) Romans 8:19-22 talks about how God subjected creation to futility, and that it eagerly awaits for the sons of God to be revealed so that it too can be redeemed. I am glad I memorized Romans 8. I highly recommend it :)
Wednesday night of second week, David Stroup led worship before Caleb Lachmann's 'chalk talk' drawing. The Spirit moved, and kids were given an 'invitation' to talk to us counselors about accepting Christ, or to ask any questions. One of the campers came up to me. I had had him when he was 8-yrs old in 2009, and I've seen this kid grow over the past 2 years. He won the Eagle Award at age 9, which is the camp's highest award. He won it again this year. He had some doubts about God he wanted answered, and he got the answer he was looking for. He's a sharp kid, and I hope to see what God does through him. I missed the chalk talk, but I had seen it the week before. Wednesday night worship always gets to me, especially w/ David Stroup, as I mentioned. In session 1 with Andy Craddock I got drenched because it started pouring while I was worshiping on the basketball court. God told me, "you will dry off. Stay here and worship me." and I did. It was awesome!
The more I think about it, the more I realize that this world has nothing to offer me. I don't care about money, cars, status, girls, etc. I just want to serve Him while I'm here. Now, that's not to say that I don't believe He will bless me. He promises that as I remain in Him, He will bless me. I will have everything I need, not everything I want. That's great because I don't really want anything. Another cool thing is that He will give me things I didn't even know I wanted! I was reluctant to come home because I'm re-entering the battles of life. However, I have my hope in Him, so whatever happens will happen because it is supposed to happen. I am like a tree planted by a river. I will bear fruit in my season. (Psalm 1).
I could write more, but this is long already LoL.
For the Kingdom,
Stuart
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