Student Life Camp 2012 Thursday

It's hard to believe we are already on our last full day at camp. This is my seventh time to be at a Student Life Camp, and I can say without reservation that every year is different and God is always at work in new ways. Last night was especially memorable. Sam talked about being strong and went into the crucifixion story, sharing details and after each one asking students if they could hear Jesus saying "I love you". It was a powerful time, and after he finished he gave an invitation for salvation and also for students to "get back into the game". A flood of students responded to this invitation, many from our group.  These students came to declare that they are done living for themselves and the things of this world and they are ready to be fully committed to their savior.

Now, having been to several camps, Disciple Nows, and other events I can honestly say I've seen tons of decisions made in moments like this based on emotion alone. Last night had a different feel, and as we all know only time will tell but I was moved by the movement of our young men and women.  Our worship time went an hour and a half over time, but nobody complained because I think they all knew God was up to something special. Hearing the stories our students shared during the church group time leads me to believe that many of our students were not just responding to the emotion that is evoked by the crucifixion story. Please pray for those who have made bold decisions to follow Christ with everything that they are. It has been a great week. This is a special group of kids, and I love every one of them. I'm not sure what I did to deserve them, but I am so thankful to be their youth pastor. We serve a God who is like none other, and we are His people.

The obvious question we must all ask is what's next? What do we do with this week? What do we do with these decisions and responses? How do we put feet to our faith? The days ahead will either be a time of great renewal and revival or complacency. I'm praying hard for revival and I believe these young men and women are the ones God will use to spark that.  Tonight is our last night and tomorrow we'll spend some time at Water World enjoying ourselves before returning home Saturday. Thanks for following these posts, and most importantly for praying.

Student Life Camp 2012 Wednesday

It's Wednesday morning and we are rocking and rolling here in Estes Park. Yesterday afternoon our students split into teams for a photo scavenger hunt around the campus.  Every group got just about every photo off of the list, and several were quite creative with their pictures. Last night at worship was a powerful time. Sam talked about idolatry and asked us what was holding us back from following Christ (our idols). Our students then had a chance to respond by finding a leader and asking them to pray for them. I was amazed at how many of our students responded to this challenge, and even more amazed by the boldness it took for some of them to come and share about their struggles.

This response continued into our church group time and we had some great conversation about what God is doing in the midst of our group. We had one young man, Ridge, place his trust in Christ yesterday afternoon, and it wasn't even during a bible study time. Praise God for Ridge's decision, and for His constant work among sinners such as us. Everyone seems to be much more tired this morning, but they are a little more alert now that we spent some time in worship. Sam talked about the demon possessed man in Mark 5 this morning and reminded us that Jesus can overcome any of our issues. I believe our students along with several hundred others are indeed dealing with some issues and needed to be encouraged and reminded. Sam Bhatt has done an outstanding job teaching us this week. He is real, honest, funny, and his love for God's Word is evident in the way he teaches it. Brett Younker and his band have also done a great job leading us to worship God. It's always refreshing to be led by those who are humble, down to earth, and most importantly true disciples.

Please continue to pray for us, and for our leaders. Amy Kimmel, Bobby Greene, and Alexander Garcia have been exceptional in leading the small group bible study times with our students. I'll echo what I said yesterday - I am blessed to work with all of these people and I'm so excited to see what God does next.

Student Life Camp 2012 Tuesday

Sunday evening around 11:30pm a charter bus pulled into the parking lot at FBC thus ending much anxiety of a repeat of last year's events. We traveled through the night, or morning as it were and arrived in Estes Park safely.

The first afternoon was spent getting familiar with what the week was going to look like. After supper we dove right into an incredible time of worship, drama, and a unique message from Camp Pastor Sam Bhatt. The theme for this week is Audacious, based on 1 Corinthians 16:13. Sam challenged us to "be on guard for our King, because He was on guard for us." He also challenged us with a question of how ready are we to defend our faith in Christ, and pointed to the example of Stephen when confronted about his beliefs.  After worship, we spent some time together as a church group to reflect on the day. This is one of my favorite times because I get to hear about what God is up to in the lives of our students and leaders. Our kids shared their excitement and remarked on how powerful the time of worship had been. Perhaps my favorite insight of the night was in reference to our location here. Estes Park is absolutely gorgeous. Ilan Tena said "Scripture says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. We are surrounded by the beauty of God's creation, and yet if we are a new creation we are even more beautiful than that."

These kids get it. They respond to a God who is worthy of their very best response. I'm proud to be their youth pastor and love watching them worship and talk about our great God. It wasn't hard convincing them to go to their rooms and go to bed after our meeting, and I think most of us slept rather well after  our long overnight trip. This morning has brought another beautiful day, and our students actually seem to be refreshed and ready to go. We spent some time together having quiet time before going to Celebration - a shorter time of worship, videos, skits, and a message. Sam introduced today's topic of standing firm in the faith by pointing to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abdnego. Our students are now in their small group bible studies and will go to lunch after they finish there. This afternoon we have planned a photo scavenger hunt. Our students had a blast doing this last year and are looking forward to it again.

We are having a great time and God has blessed us so much so far. Please continue to pray for us and trust that greater things are yet to come.  Be Audacious!

Student Life Camp 2011 Thursday

It's hard to believe we are already in our last full day of camp. Our days are so busy that they do indeed pass quickly. Yesterday afternoon we played ultimate frisbee and I discovered that I am in fantastic shape and this 8,000+ ft altitude doesn't affect me at all. Sorry, I slipped out of reality there for a second. We had fun though, and afterwards I schooled several of our students in the game of miniature golf.

Last night's worship was a powerful time. JR Vassar talked about how we live in a culture that is becoming increasingly post Christian. The true followers of Christ will be seen by their devotion to Him, and simply the traditions that they follow. JR talked about how Jesus is the chief cornerstone and all who set themselves against him will be crushed. He quoted Tim Keller saying "When it comes to Jesus, you'll either have to kill Him or crown Him." A powerful truth that needs to be preached and re-preached. He also said that the only way to be neutral toward Jesus is to edit or censor your own version of Him. We must take a stand on what we believe about Jesus Christ - He is Lord or He isn't. We had two young ladies profess that they wanted to recommit themselves to living for the one who died for them. Our young men and women had some great insight - they are wise beyond their years. I thoroughly enjoyed our church group time hearing their thoughts and stories about what God is teaching them this week.

We left our church group time to a nice steady rain that was falling. I forgot how loud thunder sounds in the mountains, and especially in Estes Park which basically sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains. This morning JR talked about how we live in a hyper reality. What that means is that the exaggerated is presented as normative. Images, media, tv shows, and even the dream lifestyle have created an ideal picture of something that does not truly exist, and yet we continually strive for it. He also talked about how social media has allowed us to compare our lives - but in reality your life on your facebook page is often an edited digital life. This hyper reality creates a constant state of "I'll be happy when...." and leaves us always chasing after a lifestyle, a product, or an idea. Our consumerist culture attests to this truth. Jesus in John 6 tells the crowd that he is the bread of life, and to not labor for the food that perishes. We've been blessed by both Jeff Johnson and JR Vassar this week. I'm looking forward to a great day today and finishing camp strong before we return to Rio Rancho tomorrow. God has done and is doing great things!

Student Life Camp 2011 Wednesday

Camp is in full swing and things are going great. Yesterday afternoon our students did a photo scavenger hunt throughout the entire campus. They took some funny and creative pictures and I think they all had a good time doing so. Afterwards, many of them used their free time to play putt putt, rest, and swim.

Last night was another solid time of worship and bible study. JR Vassar continued in Hosea talking about how Hosea went broke to buy back his wife Gomer who was now enslaved in prostitution. I've studied Hosea before but have never heard a pastor teach so in depth on that book, and JR preached two awesome messages from that book. The story paints a beautiful picture of redemption. After hearing him speak, I was reminded that I am Gomer. Jesus gave all that he had to bring me back from slavery to my sin, and not bring me back as a servant but as one of His own sons. That is such great news, and our students responded very well to that message as evidenced in some of the comments that were made during our church group time last night.

This morning JR spoke out of Matthew 12:38-42. He said that the love and wisdom of Jesus should warm our heart to the Lordship of Jesus. If Jesus is truly as wise and all knowing as He says He is, and if He loves us as much as He says He does, shouldn't our response be to trust Him? We obey because He has our best interests in mind. As I type this our students are in family group bible study time. Bobby Greene and my wife Chelsea are leading the groups and I am so thankful for all that they are doing to invest into our young men and women. This afternoon we're going to play ultimate frisbee and will again have some more free time after that. It thrills me to hear our students talk about how much fun they are having and how they believe God brought them here for a purpose. We are exactly where we are supposed to be and the week isn't over yet. Please continue to pray for us!

Student Life Camp 2011 Monday/Tuesday

On Sunday evening at 11:35pm I called the bus company to make sure they were going to be there to pick us up. The voice on the other end told me they didn't have us scheduled to leave until 8am Monday morning. After a panic filled conversation I had to break this news to a group of anxious students and parents. I was frustrated, disappointed, and flustered. I had our trip planned out - where we would stop, where we were going to eat lunch, what time we would get here. It was my plan, and if you know me I strive hard to stick to the plan. After a long day of travel and missing out on a few opening activities, my frustration resurfaced.

During the evening worship, Jeff Johnson was singing a song called "Ruin my life". I've seen him numerous times and sang this one several times before, but when we got to the line "Now the plans that I have made fail to compare, when I see your glory", my wife leaned over and reminded me that sometimes God ruins your plans. I should know this lesson, but it seems God is teaching me to hold on loosely to the things I arrange. Our students did amazing yesterday. They didn't complain. They were prompt at both of our stops so we could get back on the road quickly, and through it all they went with the flow. I am so proud of them and so thankful to be their youth pastor.

JR Vassar is the speaker for the week. Last night he spoke out of Hosea and shared about how God's love is a voluntary love and a vulnerable love. God chooses to love us knowing that we are going to be unfaithful, just as Gomer was to Hosea after she married him. I think we all slept well and today (Tuesday) has gotten off to a great start. This morning, JR talked about being reconciled to God in 2 Corinthians 5. One of my favorite things he said was "God treated Jesus like he lived your life, so that he could treat you like you lived Jesus' life." Our students are now in small group bible study time and this afternoon we have some fun activities planned for them. Parents, your kids are doing great - thank you for allowing them to be a part of this special week. Please continue to pray for great things. This place is beautiful and the weather is cool, and best of all the air is not filled with smoke like it is back home.

Student Life Camp 2010 Thursday

Today is the last day of camp for us and it has been a great week. Darren Whitehead talked about the world's perception of the Church and God's perception of the Church last night. We are the Bride of Christ, and we should proudly portray that beautiful image. This morning he spoke about the tongue being like a fire able to cause enormous destruction. We're all twinkies today wearing our blue "epic" shirts, and we took some pictures on the beach as you can see. There is a lot of oil on the shore today, much more than we've seen all week. It's also much fresher, for lack of a better word. It's not mixed with sand like it has been, but instead is thick and dark blobs. There are also noticably more boats out in the water with skimmers and boom, as well as several helicopters flying over. In the midst of an unforgettable week it's been crazy to see this disaster continuing to unfold. Pray for the gulf coast! God is alive and well in this place, and Student Life has a presence down here for several weeks out of the summer.

I've been so blessed by our adult leaders and students this week. Because of this trip at least seven students stepped into an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is soooo worth any inconvenience we might encounter, and far more beautiful than any beach setting in the world. We begin the long journey back home tomorrow afternoon, and I'm anxious to see these students continue to live out what God has done this week. We have one more afternoon and evening to go, and I hear some seafood calling my name. Be blessed!