Coming Home and Walking in Obedience

I am back in the 225, the BR, or that dirty red stick. Whichever you prefer, I am here and will be back here for at least the next four months. I am not saying that I am up and out after that time, but I know that I will for sure be here for that long. I graduate in December and then grown up life will surely kick in as I job hunt and do all those types of things. 

I had a blast at camp this summer and learned so much from my time there. The transition back home is always strange and full of processing of what the Lord has done at camp. This time is no different. After many days of thinking on some stuff, I think I am starting to get some of the things the Lord taught me. 

When you are at camp, obedience to the Lord's calling in our life to make disciples is almost automatic. We are at camp to make disciples and share the gospel, so we do. College students that are passionate about the Lord come to share Jesus with others day after day, regardless of how unbelievably tired they are. I got the cool opportunity to focus on pouring into college staff rather than campers this summer. I still spoke to many campers about Christ, but my main mission field this summer was college students. Like I said earlier, this process of discipleship really was not optional in a camp setting. I led a group time every morning, counselors came to me when they needed me, and it was my job to hold them accountable to a standard of excellence. This is one of the things that makes the Pine Cove camp environment so unique. I did life with these people, and all we were focused on was sharing the Gospel. 

Now that I am home I have school, friends, job stuff, a phone, sports and a million other things that have my attention. So the question is, how do I come home and actively obey Christ through disciple-making when I am not in an environment that fosters it?

I really do believe that making disciples is something that all Christians are called to do. Regardless of circumstance or difficulty, we were told to, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19 ESV)  I think that it is critical for us to understand the difference between disciples and coverts. We are not called to show people Christ, get them to accept Him and leave them. We are called to make them disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is someone that is a student of the person that they are following. They learn how to make themselves replicas of Jesus through the Jesus they see in another person. 

It is also important for us to know that as Christians, obedience to the word of God is vital. The Bible says to make disciples, so we must do it. Jesus asked God to take the cup of His wrath away from Him, but God chose not to. Jesus, being God, humbled himself and became OBEDIENT to death, even to death on a cross (Phillipians 2). Jesus was God, and had the power of God,  but chose to hang on a cross for us. He chose not to save himself. That is a perfect picture of obedience and how we should live our lives. We should consider ourselves nothing and obey. 

While I have been in youth ministry for four years and working at Pine Cove for three summers, I can honestly say I have not consciously made an effort to disciple others. I do believe that I have shared Christ with many people and helped them grow in their walk with the Lord, but with not as much intentionality as I might have liked. God has made the picture much bigger this summer and made me realize I need to get on board. 

A Quick Trip Home

I am currently in DFW airport about to board a plane headed to Baton Rouge. No, camp is not already over, but one of my best friends is getting married this weekend. I am so excited to go home and see Garrett Ellison and Sarah Babin get married. I am his best man and I am so honored to be a part of the ceremony. 

While I am looking forward to going home to see family and friends, I am also going to miss my Pine Cove team. I have been doing life with some of these people for nine weeks and they are now my crazy nomad family. I am returning to Dallas on Sunday to finish out the final four weeks of camp. 

It is week seven, which means it has been second half for two weeks. With this change in halves comes a change in staff. It was so hard to see first half staff go, but I was excited that they were going home to share with others what God has done this summer. I know that they are in their cities creating disciples and taking part  in Biblical community. While we lost the first half staff, we also gained an awesome group of staff for second half. We are almost through two weeks of second half and they have learned so much already. Camp is going so well, and I can't wait to keep raising the bar and watch them really take off. 

I am off to home to experience friends, family, food, a haircut, a wedding and some serious humidity. I am pumped!

Never Stop Jumping (Ever)

We are coming upon week 4 and I cannot believe how fast time has flown. The madness of camp has become easier to handle. I am not sure if it's because I have grown accustomed to it, or because it has become less crazy. I would like to think that it is a combination of both. I have had a blast hanging out with our staff, and God is been teaching me so much more than I thought He would.

At Base Camps we have a gauntlet every morning. The word gauntlet might be misleading, so let me explain. Our staff spreads out on both sides of the road that cars come into camp on. For at least the next 25 minutes we are jumping, yelling, and cheering for the kids that come to camp. This might not sound that difficult, but when I say jumping I mean both feet leaving the ground with intensity. No weak sauce toe bouncing up in here. The gauntlet is such a cool opportunity for us to show the campers how pumped we are that they are at camp. We are joyful in this physically taxing process, because we know that the kids entering our camp will hear the gospel that day. While it is an amazing opportunity to show our excitement and joy, it is not easy.  I can recall many instances of me asking God to give me strength to jump for just five more minutes. I am still alive, and can say that He has given me what I need every morning. He is truly strong when I am weak.

Week 2 in Brentwood, TN was a blast. I had already done camp at that church last summer, and it was cool to see old campers and to be familiar with my surroundings. I noticed a few things about Brentwood while I was there. It is the Beverly Hills of the East coast, everyone plays an instrument, and hipsters are EVERYWHERE.  The family I stayed with was amazing. A classic artsy couple, he was a musician and she was a graphic designer. They were so generous and a huge blessing to us.

Week 3 in Newnan, GA just ended. I also came to this church last year with camp. We had twice as many campers this year than last year, which was such an encouragement to our mission. Newnan is right outside Atlanta and the church that we were partnering with has a heart for spreading the gospel to the huge city of Atlanta. It is really great to see such mission minded churches on this trip.

During both week s we have hade numerous kids accept Christ and it is so humbling to be a part of that process. God is good! This blog has been more serious, but I am just trying to write some of this down so I can process it. Eight more weeks of this, and I could not be more pumped to keep going.

My bro Austin Burch and me just being ridiculous. 

My view from the cheap seats at the Braves game in Hotlanta. 

Such a cool thing to do on time off. 

The Braves game. I actually loved Turner field. 

I may or may not have bought a Chipper Jones shirt. 

Johnson City, Tennessee (yes that place from that song)

Week 1 of camp is over and we are already here in Nashville for our second week of camp. I really can't believe how fast it went by. The days are long and the week is short is what we always say and it really is true. It sounds ridiculous, but it is a very real phenomena.

The drive from Tyler to Johnson City was approximately 18 hours. The first day we drove 13.5 hours from Tyler to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the second day we had a 4 hour drive to reach our destination. Did I mention it POURED for around 9 hours of that drive? I am not complaining when I mention the rain, I am telling you that the Lord wasted no time in stretching me. I am one of the most cautious people that has ever lived, and carrying camp staff and equipment makes me decently nervous. When doing this in the rain I have to lean on the Lord even more. Thankfully we all reached our destination safe. God is good for that!

This week of camp was truly controlled chaos. I had a job that I have never done before, and our staff is majority new people. Despite being all new, our staff went hard this week and did a great job. When this happens, my job is much easier and I can focus on serving them and their campers. This week has encouraged me greatly, and my expectations for the rest of the summer are very high.

My life on stage has been rekindled this week. I got to play a bad character in our lunch skit called, "Nishma." Nishma is an evil guy from far away that wants to take over camp. Where he comes from, camp was not supposed to be fun and he tried to conform Base Camps into the no-fun place that he knows so well. Nishma's accomplice was Ishma who felt the exact same way. I am assuming that I played the part decently well, because a 6 year old girl told me, "You are a great actress." Only 10 more weeks to perfect my evil guy laugh.

God has taught me so much this week. I have more responsibility this year, and I don't know what I thought it would feel like, but I didn't think it would feel like this. I look around at the counselors on our team and the other leadership staff and I am so humbled. It is fair to say that humility is something that I struggle with, and is not something I thought I would have on my radar this early in this summer. Expected or not, humility is here and I have to deal with that. I am constantly reminded of one of my favorite passages in the Bible when I think I struggle with humility.

Phillipians 2:1-11

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, by becoming obedient to death- even to death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God is good, I am well, and 10 more weeks of camp!!

Our Projects guy Jaden and I ate at the sketchiest chinese place ever in Johnson City and it was awesome. 

Catching up with my great friend Brandon Taylor in downtown Franklin, TN

The famous Frothy Monkey in Franklin, TN

We Leave Tomorrow?

The realization that I am about to leave on an eleven-week road trip is pretty overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited, but where there is excitement there is also anxiety. God has been teaching me a lot this week, and I am so ready to see what else he has in store for this summer. 

We just finished up orientation week at camp. I got to meet all of our staff, and try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. To be honest, anyone who comes into camp for the first time is overwhelmed. This feeling intensifies when a person has never seen what Pine Cove is like before. This was the case with most of our team's new staff. They must have been thinking, "Who are all of these insane people, and why are they always yelling?" Regardless of how they initially felt, they all came around and appear to be buying in. It is great when you work hard to break down walls and finally see them fall. There were an abnormal amount of new staff this year, and they had the chance to come together over the fact that none of them knew what was going on. 

As far as the name game goes, I finished strong. I would estimate that I named close to 20 people in the last two weeks. This is largely due to the fact that we had so many people that needed names, and that all the new staff had never seen the name game before. Some more name highlights are: Slapioca Pudding, Kentucky Cried Kicken', Sweet Tea Pie, and I Believe I can Spy. 

I always have health issues at camp. They are never very serious, but they always come in droves. This year is no exception. I really hope my mom does not read this and worry big time. The first ailment of the year is a mysterious bug bite on my arm. At first it was like a regular bite, but then my whole arm had an allergic reaction. I went to the doctor and she had no idea what it was, but gave me something for the reaction. It is never a great feeling when the doctor is clueless. The redness and swelling went away, but then two days later the area around the bite that was red expanded greatly and hurt. I am headed to the doctor today to get that fixed. Hopefully my status as a medical mystery will not continue. 

Despite all the craziness, God has been so good to me this past week. I have been dog tired every day, and He has given me the strength and joy that I need. I had some great conversations with staff about everything from deep biblical theology to confession of sin. I love getting the opportunity to speak truth into staff that need it. There are multiple ways that people can react to camp, and the best is seeking help from their community and from the Lord. One thing that God is teaching me this week is that even though I do have some authority and responsibility, I am absolutely not in control. This is an issue that I struggle with, but I know that it is so good for me. 

I read through Ephesians one morning this week and have been thinking a lot about a few verses I read.  

Ephesians 4: 1-7
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Ephesians 6:7-8

 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

This is what we call the Think Tank. Think Tank + Stank Face= Stink Tank.

One of our many seminars in the Cowan Center at UT Tyler. 

Trailblazing Week

Trailblazing is an odd week of camp. There are not any campers, very few staff, and a whole lot of preparation for the summer to come. This past week I have spent the week with the rest of the “Base Camps A” leadership team and a returning counselor. We have done everything from load flatbed trucks with inflatables to plan out our skits. It is great to be back at camp. I got to see many long lost friends from summers past, and meet many new staffers that are full of excitement.

Every counselor at Pine Cove has a camp name. My camp name is Piggly Wiggly. In order to get this name, a staffer must endure the Name Game. This involves a staffer being called on stage, and they are asked questions by other staffers sitting in the crowd. Based on the answers to the questions and embarrassing stories that are told, a counselor is named. If a staffer in the crowd has a name they raise their hand and try to sell their name to the whole room. Based on the rooms support, communicated by standing up and cheering, the name is accepted or rejected. The Name Game may sound lame, but it really is a blast. I have named eight counselors so far, and I am in the naming zone! Some of my names include: “Sweet Potato Tries” “Road Spill” “Songitary Combfinement” and “Rangers are Red, Bananas are Yellow, No One is Looking For This Poor Fellow.” I know right? Where did this creativity come from?

I am enjoying this week, but there is also a lot of work getting done. We are fixing all the equipment that needs to be repaired, loading trailers, planning out daily program, going through driver and audiovisual training, and a lot of other miscellaneous work.

I am so excited for staff to get here next week and to get to know them. Counselors are the heart of what we do here at camp, and they get to be my focus this summer. I am looking forward to serving and teaching them. Please pray that I will always put them first and that patience, wisdom, and gentleness would always be on my heart.  

(This post was written on May 22, 2013 and posted nine days later due to lack of internet)

Pine Cove, Round...... I Lost Count

I am off once again to my summer home, Pine Cove in Tyler, Texas. I will be posting to this blog periodically throughout the summer to keep you updated on all of my camp adventures. 

Pine Cove Christian Camps has been a huge part of my life, both as a camper and a staffer. I started going to The Woods family camp in third grade. My family and I spent seven summers there. I began youth camping at The Ranch as a seventh grader. I spent two summers there. The Shores was my final camping destination, I camped there all four years of high school. In 2011, I was hired by The Timbers youth camp and worked the second half of that summer as a counselor. Last summer I worked first half as a traveling base camps counselor, and then second half as a Timbers counselor.  I figured that one more summer at Pine Cove wouldn't kill me. I am working 13 weeks for Base Camps this summer. My first half experience last year convinced me that if I was going to come back, it would have to be on base camps. 

I am a Pine Cove person, but don't worry I won't use 100 exclamation points or tell you that Pine Cove is the only camp that does it right.  While my lack of punctuation and persuasive language might not show it, I love everything about camp. Pine Cove is a place where you (staffers) are always tired, a little sick, and have muscle pain, but it is all worth it. We get payed to hang out and share the gospel with kids! I am constantly surrounded by amazing Christian men and women that are on a mission to share Christ. Having the opportunity to watch others overcome struggles and put themselves last is a great encouragement to me. Hanging out with first through fifth graders may not sound like fun to you, but I love it. Young kids are unpredictable, and I never can predict what they will say or do next. Sharing Christ with them, and realizing that they can understand it at such a young age, is truly a testament to how universal the Gospel really is. 

I will miss my family and friends here, but I am so excited for what God has in store for me. I will be on Base Camps Team A. Base Camps is a newer addition to the Pine Cove camping world. Each Base Camp team travels from city to city partnering with churches. We pile 30 staffers into vans, trucks, and  busses to travel to churches that we have partnered with. We travel to cities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and of course Texas.  Riding eleven hours in a fifteen-passenger van with people you just met can cause accelerated bonding experiences. Once we get to our destinations, we set up camp and get the week started. Base Camps seeks campers that do not attend services at the church we partner with. Usually these campers don't attend church at all. We spend all week sharing Christ with campers and their families, but that's not where the mission ends. After we are gone, the church seeks out the people that we brought in to camp. The church wants to begin shepherding these people and making them part of their flock. We travel the country to help churches reach the lost people in their communities. We are a short-term missions group that hopes for long-term effects. 

Again, I am waiting anxiously to see how God will move this summer. Please keep my team and me in your prayers as we travel. Below is a list of the cities and churches we are traveling to this summer. Please let me know if you will be in any of these places the same time as me. 

Week 1 - Grace Fellowship - Johnson City, TN
Week 2 - Fellowship Bible - Brentwood, TN
Week 3 - Southcrest Church - Newnan, GA
Week 4 - CrossPointe Church - Columbus, GA
Week 5 - Fellowship Bible - Longview, TX
Week 6 - First Methodist Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
Week 7 - Grace Bible - Dallas, TX
Week 8 - FBC Midlothian - Midlothian, TX (My Hometown)
Week 9 - Crown of Life Lutheran - Colleyville, TX
Week 10 - Frisco Bible Church - Frisco, TX
Week 11 - Crosspoint Church - Bellaire, TX (Houston)

All of the pictures below are from my Base Camps travels last year.

Slip n' Slide with my cabin.

Teaching bible study with one of my favorite co-counselors, Robyn Dumas.  

My skit character Fames Jarris made an appearance week 4 last summer. 

First Graders need a noodle to hold on to so I don't lose one along the way.