We had a rough weekend leading into Middle School Camp 1. Good friends stayed at camp as they set up a memorial cross for their daughter by the campfire where she spent so many summer evenings.

She had been a camper, counselor, and camp intern and when she lost her battle with depression it broke us in ways we can’t fully express or understand.

Scruff had also asked one of our former staff if he would help us fall some trees around the camp to make the area safer. With the pine beetles sweeping through our local forest, dead trees are increasing.

As the grieving family of this dear young woman put up a handcrafted cross in a grove of aspen near the meadow, this young man cut down pine trees. He had just heard about the death of a close friend, once again a young person who lost their battle with depression. All three were in the same graduating class from the same high school and now two were gone.

I was one of that young man’s AWANA leaders and remembered him as a pesky and vibrant kid who was so fun and bright-eyed and made sure there was always a lot of action in the room so the leaders wouldn’t get lazy!

It was a lot. Missing a staff member who had been one of our camp daughters, hearing about this second death, watching others in their grief, grieving again ourselves.

It begins to feel hopeless. When you have answered the call to ministry and poured out yourself to the best of your ability and walked forward knowing that your heart would break, but despite it all, to lose the precious young ones you tried to love. These are dark moments.

What do you do when you point the way to Jesus again and again, and some are still lost? What do you do when your loved one finds Jesus, but then they are lost to you in a different and terrible way?

I know the answer just like you do. You keep pressing on. God is still there. The darkness won’t win. Oh, I know it’s all true. But it doesn’t feel like enough when the one you loved is gone.

Then Spiro, our speaker for Middle School 1, told her story.

The campers listened closely, because this was a story from way back when she was the same age as the wonderful children whose photos you’ve been enjoying.

But when your work is full-time ministry, there is always so much going on behind the scenes. Broken hearts, hard conversations, tough times that lead to growth, joyful moments you cannot properly express. Spiro’s story was so much deeper for those of us who lived it, because it was an incredible reminder that God is still at work, even when the darkness seems awfully big and the light so very small.

When Spiro was thirteen years old she planned to kill herself. She had it all worked out but someone she didn’t even know very well paid to send her to camp. So she decided to delay her plan until after she got home from Camas Meadows Bible Camp where a younger Scruffy and Boo Boo were both running camp and running after three rowdy boys of their own.

Spiro’s counselor was named Rhyme and she greeted her at the door with a smile, told her that she was so glad Spiro (as you may have guessed, her name was not yet Spiro) was there, and at some point that week said in the confident way that she has “God wanted you to be here.”

And we know that He did because Spiro decided to follow Jesus that week and our Lord is a God who rescues and wants salvation for every single lost sheep and lost son and lost daughter.

When you haven’t been in ministry for twenty-five years, it is easy to flippantly tell the story of the little boy tossing starfish back into the sea in moments of loss and grief and being overwhelmed. When asked why he was working so hard at something that didn’t matter, because he couldn’t save them all, the boy replied that it mattered to this starfish as he held up the one in his hand before launching it back into the waves.

That story certainly illustrates a truth, keep pressing on, it matters. But what if the starfish that was lost held your heart? What if you spent sleepless nights over that starfish? What if the loss of that starfish leaves you broken and forever changed? And then what about all the others? What if they do, too?

And yet, hearing Spiro’s testimony held an incredible amount of power for all of the staff who have been grieving those we have lost. Seeing Spiro win her battle with depression, grown up, a wife, a mom, laughing, teaching, leading campers toward Jesus, singing worship songs, giving hugs. It brought so much joy!

The joy is not any less victorious just because there is also pain. God’s work at Camas Meadows Bible Camp is not less powerful because of the losses we have faced. While starfish stories may fall short, God’s glory is so good to see. He has used camp and will continue to use camp. He has even used us and will continue to do that, too.

So, besides sharing her story, which was fascinating to the campers and new staff and totally slayed the older staff who may or may not have been feeling just a wee bit discouraged . . . what did Spiro talk about?

Luke 15–The Father’s Heart!

On Tuesday, Spiro talked about how the younger son wasted all the money he had and then was left hurting and empty. What do you do when you’ve lived a wasted life? Is there any hope? How can you come back to God after doing something terrible?

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” –Luke 15:13

On Wednesday she talked about sin, consequences, how that younger son ended up in the pig pen. Then the powerful moment when “he came to his senses” and realized that the lowest servant in his father’s house was better off. What if he went back?

“I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” –Luke 15:18-19

On Thursday, Spiro spoke on the Father’s response to this son who dragged himself back home, expecting to live the rest of his days as a servant. On Friday, she spoke on what life looks like after we’ve been forgiven. As you can see from the cabin skits, there was a particular part of this story that resonated with the campers.

“So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” — Luke 15:20

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” — Luke 15:21

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.” — Luke 15:22

“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.” — Luke 15:23

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” — Luke 15:24

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.” — Luke 15:28

“?‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” –Luke 15:31

“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’?” –Luke 15:32

The Father’s words resonate with me today. Perhaps they are not just for the jealous older sons of this world who are distracted by people’s sin, offended by God’s audacious love, and wishing that their efforts to earn God’s regard had gone just a bit better. What if the Father’s words are also for the discouraged sons and daughters? What if they are for the ones who have stood alone in the road, tears running down their cheeks, watching one more prodigal march away toward the pig pen? What if the Father’s words are for the ones who keep watching that empty road, longing for the one who hasn’t returned? What if the Father’s words are for those who are realizing there are so many different ways you can lose someone?

We have lost people. Some, we will see in Heaven, some may yet come down that road. But our Father calls us to rejoice with Him because there are beloved sons and daughters even now walking the road back to Him. Do not let sorrow blind you to the sight of a prodigal on his way home, Dear One. Run for the robe and the ring and the sandals! Kill the fattened calf! Cook the feast!

” . . . because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’?” — Luke 15:32b

Boo Boo

Our first camp of the summer was for children ages nine to twelve. Soleil (a former camp counselor from many years ago) was our speaker and the theme for the week was Journey With Jesus: A Road Trip of Faith!

On the first day, Soleil read Genesis 12:1-4 and told this new group of campers all about God calling Abram to go on a road trip with Him! Monday’s Road Sign: Invite Jesus! He’s the Guide!

Children have so many new experiences at camp. From giving a 20lb puppy gentle pats to playing paintball for the very first time, each experience is an adventure.

Our camp nurse, Trauma Tropper, keeps track one aspect of camp adventure whenever she joins us. You guessed it, the injury statistics!

First Nuse Visit: Sasquatch.

Most Visits: Sasquatch with 30 total visits to the nurse!

Cook/Support Staff only had 12 visits, but what was remarkable was that most of these visits were from a single support staff member!

Fewest Visits: Mountain Panther with only 3!

Most Cuts/Scrapes/Splinters/Burns: Owl’s Perch with 13!

Most Insect Bites/Stings: Robin’s Roost with 7!

Most Sprains/Strains: Sasquatch with 3.

Most Head/Nose Injuries: Chipmunk with 4.

Most Serious: Owls.

Weirdest: Bear’s Abode with the back of an earring embedded in an earlobe!

Well, Trauma Trooper is even able to make camp injuries sound fun! Who knew a single cabin could obtain seven nurse-worthy stings and bites or that a single cabin would manage to both participate in camp activities and visit the nurse thirty times? Amazing!

Well, now that we have experienced Trauma Trooper’s Adventures in Camp Nursing . . . let’s jump back into Soleil’s Journey With Jesus!

Tuesday’s Roadsign: Hazard Ahead! Trust Jesus

Philippians 4:13–“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

During Tuesday’s chapel, Soleil spoke on what to do when you get stuck.

Wednesday’s Sign: Rest Stop! Recharge With Jesus!

Psalm 62:1–“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

On Wednesday, Soleil spoke on what to do when you’ve used up all your energy and are completely spent.

She looked at how Jesus would go off by himself to pray and at his call to come to him when we are weary and burdened in order to find rest.

Thursday’s Sign: Stop and Help! Show Mercy like Jesus!

This camper very carefully washed his shoes before coming to camp. But the waterfight brought an unexpected bubble attack! Thankfully, he did not need assistance and was still able to run, even with soapy shoes!

Luke 6:31–“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

On Thursday, Soleil talked about Jesus story of the Good Samaritan and the teaching on giving from 2 Corinthians 9:7

Friday’s Road Sign: Jesus’ Love is for Everyone!

Matthew 5:16–“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

There was so so much packed into one week of camp! Thank you for the honor of being able to be in your children’s lives for that time. It was an incredible delight. May your light glow brighter as well, as you hear their stories from their time up here on this mountain meadow.

Boo Boo

At the Camas Meadows Ladies Retreat, women of all ages come together to eat great food, enjoy the beauty of nature, laugh at the crazy skits, and pause to learn more about their Savior.

This year, our speaker was Rebecca Small and she spoke out of her experiences with ministry and terrible loss to lead the ladies in considering how to have an Undivided Heart for the Lord. Her story was so very real and gave those listening just a bit more courage as they too were bound to face the joys and losses of life.

The theme verse for the weekend was Psalm 86:11.

Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. NIV

Ladies form lifelong friendships during this camp and it is so delightful to see them talking and laughing together.

Here, our speaker and some of the Ladies Retreat campers take a moment to do some Bible study outside on the back porch.

Rebecca provided a special devotional packet so that each woman could read along and study God’s word together.

Of course, sitting in the spring sunshine made the time all the sweeter.

Now, camp is not complete without a skit and talent night!

In this fun skit, the campers played telephone charades.

One person reads the clue and then acts it out for the next person.

Who acts it out for the person after that and so on and so forth. It gets pretty crazy before they come to the end and the final person in line tries to express what they think the clue was, ha!

Here, Cindy Cram reads a poem about God’s blessings and illustrates it by actually drinking her tea from her saucer. Don’t worry, no one was burned during the reading of this poem!

A stoic joke-telling contest. Who will break and laugh at the other person’s joke first?

Drawing names for the winners! Who won the lovely quilt that Judy Baker made just for the Ladies Retreat Raffle?

Judy poses with Diane the winner!!!

Of course, the ladies also have a final campfire sharing time on the last night of their retreat.

Then pictures and finally farewells on Sunday morning. What started as a small retreat for the wives of the Camas Meadows Bible Camp board members in 1980 has grown to be a highlight of the year. These women gather to laugh together, play games, sing worship songs, hike in God’s beautiful creation, and hold each other up before the Lord in prayer. They are stronger together than they are alone and we are so blessed to be a part of this faithful group of women!

The CamasCon retreat was a wonderful weekend of playing games, connecting with friends, and being encouraged to walk close to Jesus during the chapel sessions.

Clearly, there were plenty of games available to play.

These enthusiastic campers agreed to heft this large game box for a photo after I complained about the limited photographic opportunities (people sitting in a circle staring at a game board) that CamasCon offers.

From Terraforming Mars to Terra Mystica, a wide variety of games were played with a wide variety of strategic difficulties.

Whether a camper wanted the complexity of Battle Star Galactica or the fun simplicity of Spots, there was something for everyone.

All of that to say, there were so many gaming opportunities available, both for the strategist who wanted an epic and lengthy play and for the casual gamer who was looking for conversation and laughter around the table.

Here, our cook got in a couple of games played before his kitchen duties demanded his full attention.

So, why a boardgaming camp?

There is nothing like sitting around a table with friends IRL (in real life) and having real human interactions. Games bring people together.

Quick games that play out in just a few minutes.

Strategic masterpieces that fill the table and six hours (or even 12) of playtime.

They bring brothers together. Friends. Even total strangers can connect across the table.

They bring people together for light conversation and laughter.

They bring people together for deep talks and moments of silence.

Whether it is just passing the time with a friend or the most important conversation of the day, each of these conversational moments are facilitated by playing a game together.

Our speaker for the weekend was Sam Healey who chats about games over at the Flipside of Boardgames and The Dice Tower.

He shared from his testimony, about the ups and downs of working in ministry and the boardgame industry, and about God’s faithfulness when we fail. His testimony was a powerful reminder to each of us that God is powerful in His work in the world around us and in and through our very lives, despite our mistakes. Important words to hear, for those walking through a dark place.

Why a boardgame camp? Folks will take the time to travel out of their normal space, step out of their regular friend group, and explore something beyond their everyday activities in order to play a boardgame together. Scruffy and I saw our regular group of boardgame friends, people we only see at CamasCon, people we hadn’t seen in years, and people who became brand new friends. I know that this occurred for many others as well.

This is the value of a boardgame camp. Community. Relationship. Taking a moment to seek God together as part of Christ’s church. Laughing, even crying together. Boardgames build relationship and that is something near and dear to the heart of our Lord.

1 Peter 3:8–Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. NLT

 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24

When I’ve read the story of the prodigal son or listened to it preached, I usually identify with one of the sons. But Scruffy (my husband) mentioned something on Easter Sunday that has stayed with me.

We’re in full-time ministry. We have been for a long time (24 years, give or take) and Scruff and I have been at this long enough to see kids come and go and then come back again.

This young woman worked at camp years ago. We did our best to encourage her walk with the Lord and be people who brought God’s light into her world rather than darkness. But she wandered and we lost track of her and for a time it seemed as though God would not be a part of her journey.

This happens with so many kids.

I have seen pastors and youth leaders grow truly discouraged with this occurs. Scruff and I have grown truly discouraged when this occurs. But we kept on doing what God called us to do, even with all our inadequacies, and something amazing started to happen.

Kids grew up, spent years on a journey away from God, and then their hearts began to yearn for Him once more.

We see them at the grocery store. “Hi, Boo Boo. Say hello to Scruff for me. You know, I haven’t been following God . . . but I’ve been thinking about Him lately.”

Sometimes they call to share exciting news or when the world is crashing down around them. Sometimes they look us up when their own children grow old enough for camp and the memories spring to mind.

Sometimes they just show up at camp out of the blue, to walk the trails, visit Inspiration Point, or to stand in the forest alone and risk trying to pray again.

“We are the servants,” Scruff said.

Remember the story of the prodigal son? How the loving Father rushed down the road to interrupt his son’s apology and pull him into His arms. And who is He talking to as he interrupts? His servants. “Quick! The best robe, some fancy jewelry, sturdy sandals! Clothe my son and then prepare a feast. Rejoice with me!”

And so on Easter Sunday, we were honored to play the part of the servants.

No, we didn’t butcher any cows, but we stood cheering in the balcony while this young woman was baptized, again. I did my classic Boo Boo football game cheer that always embarrasses our sons and Scruff took a video with his phone and rushed to give her and her boyfriend huge hugs.

Sometimes it is discouraging to be a servant. To watch the Father grieve as His son walks away, to see him glancing down the road one more time, to see the older son growing bitter. But then there are days like Easter Sunday. A day when your Master shouts for you, “Bring the best robe!” The day you scramble for the ring and the sandals and rush to your Lord’s side.

It was so good to celebrate with our Lord on just that kind of day.

 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24

Boo Boo

The Junior High Winter Blast is one of our very favorite camps!

But so many times when I talk with people about this amazing thing called camp, this crazy life God has called us to, folks want to simplify the camp experience and break it down to the bare numbers.

“How many kids chose to follow Christ?” they ask. “How many rededications and baptisms?”

As someone who has sat with teens on the day they chose not to give up, chose to trust God with something impossible, chose to open the Bible again after a dry stretch, chose to forgive, pray, change, grow, or just get up in the morning one more time . . . this hurts so much to hear.

God is at work in a myriad of ways during a weekend of camp.

His transforming power is so much more glorious than what a handful of numbers can express.

What about the weekends where we water those tender seeds, planted in the hearts of children by their parents and Sunday school teachers? What about the weeks where campers simply get the joy of being children in the forest with new friends in a place where they feel safe? What about the kids who are already Christians, already following their Lord with everything they have, but they are discouraged and tired and sad? What about that camp that brings them a moment of joy, a taste of courage, and new forever friends for the hard times when they go back home? All the work that God does here is Holy. Please, don’t forget this truth.

That being said, this was a weekend of joy, of children making tough decisions with big smiles on their faces, a time of beautiful and glorious harvest. But please don’t forget, God is bigger than numbers, my friends. His work is so much more.

Faramir returned as our speaker to talk with kids about how Jesus is our example.

Ephesians 4:32 -”Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Here, one of our hard-working kitchen helpers demonstrates the expression on her face as she (and many others) were falling on the ice in the camp parking lot! It was pretty exciting!

This year we were thrilled to have a whole passel of middle schoolers who were brand new to ideas like church, faith, and Jesus. Faramir is such a great choice for a group like this. He is a substitute teacher and soccer referee as well as a youth pastor. In the first session he assured campers that they didn’t need to know it all, that just learning one new thing was awesome, and that God is so patient and understanding with us as we grow!

Then Faramir taught about how Jesus encountered a leper and touched him. Because Jesus was willing to become “unclean” by reaching out to a leper, Jesus spread healing and life and the leper was no longer unclean and ostracized from society. Even more than his physical healing though, God met him and showed him He cared.

What a picture of God’s love for us!

Just like the leper was separated from society by the ravages of disease, each of us is separated from God by the festering of sin in our lives. But Jesus reaches out, takes what is unclean in us upon himself, and gives us his healing and His life!

Now, Junior High Winter Blast also has some amazing activities to go along with the amazing chapel sessions!

Campers enjoyed some fabulous trips down Camas Meadows Bible Camp’s famous tube hill!

Fresh snow, a sunny day, and time with new friends flying down the mountain side brought kids together in ways that a day inside in front of the computer just can’t!

On Saturday, Faramir spoke about how following Jesus has a cost.

How it often means having less in this life or even suffering for living like Jesus did. Even so, those who follow Christ are called to trust God anyway because of His great love and kindness.

On Saturday, Scruffy led a hike up to Inspiration Point.

It was such a gorgeous day to soak up the beauty of the things God has made.

Part of our mission at Camas Meadows is to make sure that children get the chance to be outside in the beauty of God’s creation.

Scruffy leads the campers in a moment of silence so that they can truly enjoy the landscape.

And then he leads them in a moment of snowball warfare!

Which is also an important part of nature appreciation!

In the third chapel session, Faramir spoke about how Jesus gave His life so we can truly live.

Ephesians 2:8–For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

How God works and shows His love through each person’s uniqueness.

Well, as I was taking photos of snowball fights and other Inspiration Point fun, these unique girls gave me a very unique photo, ha!

Wet and cold and laughing, the campers were nonetheless full of smiles by the time they hiked back to camp.

For the final chapel session, Faramir spoke on how each one of us can make a difference wherever God has put us.

And these children wanted to do just that! Ten campers chose to follow Jesus this weekend and fifteen rededicated their lives to Christ.

But Junior High Winter Blast cannot be boiled down to a few simple numbers, my friend.

God works with power amoung us, in His own way, and in His own time.

His work is beautiful to behold.

From friends working together to make a snow bear, to snowball fight extravaganzas and tube hill adventures, children raising their hands to follow Jesus, or folks pausing a moment to soak in the beauty of God’s handiwork. God is at work. He is kind. He forgives. He changes His children and does mighty works both big and small. Rest in Him and rejoice!

Ephesians 4:32 -Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Boo Boo

This year, we enjoyed our biggest snow camp for high school teens yet!

It was so fun to watch the campers run to the door every time someone new arrived in order to greet them.

And yes, of course true friendship involves mashed potato art! In this case, another mashed potato duck.

After witnessing a variety of enthusiastic greetings, one of the leaders jumped on the band wagon and flung himself into Van Helsing’s arms when he arrived to lead chapel.

After a quick get-to-know-you game that involved a great deal of running, shouting, and some danger of broken chairs, it was time for the first chapel session!

Choco and Partake joined us to lead the worship, starting with some fun fast songs to get everyone’s hearts pumping!

It is so lovely to listen to teens sing together. Many of them have trained voices at this age and those who don’t sing with such vibrant enthusiasm. It is a joy to gather with these amazing campers to lift our songs before the Lord.

Van Helsing’s topic for the weekend was Your Brain on Faith!

Using the fascinating book The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendricks, he addressed the tendency that we have to only connect with God in more left-brained logic types of ways like study and scheduled prayer times. However, if we ignore the part of our brain that thrives on making connections through emotions and shared experiences, we will miss out on so much of what God wants for us and how He relates to us as a loving rescuer not only a just master. Van Helsing took us through some right brained exercises to not just know who Jesus is but to draw closer to Him through a deeper connection to our Lord.

On the first night, we looked at John 14:23 and the joy we can have from following Jesus as our Lord. A Lord who loves us and makes His home with us.

During the next chapel, Van Helsing taught on the Hebrew word Hesed, or attachment. As followers of Christ, we don’t want to simply know a bunch of things about Him, we also want to form a deep attachment to our Lord. An attachment that changes who we are and directs the path our life takes in giant ways.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV

Next, we learned about making choices like Jesus as a group of believers and encouraging one another as we try to follow Him.

“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.” Matthew 10:24-25a NIV

Through all of these chapels, Van Helsing used Mega Mind’s journey from super villain to hero to illustrate how stretching our right-brain muscles can help us form the vital connections that give the strength for real change.

Just like that cartoon character, our life-changing moments are often sparked by vital connections with friends, family, and our sweet Jesus and His great love for us.

Campers got the chance to form lasting friendships as they played hockey, hiked to Inspiration Point to take in the views, and sang karaoke together!

Soaking up the beauty of nature is refreshing for sure, but it also gave each teen a glimpse in the heart of the Lord, Creator of all the beautiful majesty that surrounds us here at Camas Meadows Bible Camp.

The friendships these campers began earlier at home or at previous camps grew stronger through adding more shared experiences. Brand new friendships also began to form.

These boys went on an adventure hike with Scruffy after taking in the beauty of Inspiration Point.

Up and over the ridge, through the brush and rocky terrain, then down to the pond.

When was the last time you went on an adventure with Jesus?

Have you dared to put your Bible knowledge to good use by inviting Him into each tough situation knowing that your Lord listens, loves you, and can handle hearing about all the hard things you are facing.

Have you let Him be a part of your passion as well as your logic?

Have you let your Lord transform your creativity as well as who you are at work and in the church pew?

From charming crochet pineapples to lovely piano music, God made us to be complex and inspired by so many things.

It was amazing to learn about new ways to involve Jesus in our everyday lives. To give both our ability to analyze and decide and also our passions and love of connecting with others through stories and experiences to the Lord for His kingdom work.

God gave us both halves of our brains.

One is not “better” than the other, they are just better at doing different things.

Watching these teens grow friendships with one another was such a great reminder that I need to grow my friendship with Christ.

Use my whole head and whole heart in the effort and seek Him with knowledge, truth, and the companionship of a child running into the arms of her beloved Father.

If your passion for Christ has begun to face, pause and consider, are you only using a part of yourself to seek Him? Connect with Jesus, my friend. With all that you have. He wants each part of us and does beautiful things with our meager faith.

“And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:5-7

The Lord who seeks us when we are lost, who understands our weakness when we stray, who rejoices over us when we are found, and gives us the strength to be more like Him each day is our master. Rejoice in Him with all that you have, you are His beloved!

Boo Boo

At Camas Medows Bible Camp, the day after Christmas isn’t for finding all the stuff you lost underneath that pile of Christmas wrapping or eating leftover pie all day long.

Nope. Here on this mountain meadow, the day after Christmas is when we welcome a group of rowdy teenagers (and older staff, too) to come into our winter wonderland and take a moment to consider if they are being called to serve God at camp this summer.

It’s time for the Summer Staff Winter Retreat!

For those who have already been on staff with us, it is time to hang out with the friends they made over the summer and be refreshed with Biblical encouragement.

For staff during our busy summer season, there is little to no down time.

Hard physical work if they are on the support staff team or the constant weight of being both spiritual mentor and 24/7 childcare for a cabin of campers if they are counsel staff take up almost every hour of their week of service at Camas Meadows.

And some staff members come for multiple weeks! They make it possible for campers ages 9-18 to rest, play, and grow closer to God in this beautiful setting.

However, some campers at the Summer Staff Winter Retreat have not been staff yet.

They are only considering what it might mean to spend their summer in service at an off-grid Bible camp.

We pause this blog for a vital announcement! An important addition to this year’s retreat, the goat trophy! Yes, this is based on a Bible verse. Do you know which one?

Obviously, this valuable commodity was greatly sought after and campers endured a variety of strange competitions in the hopes of making a tiny blond or brunette wig for the goat to wear for an entire year.

Yes, it was blonds against brunettes this year due to a random comment earlier in the year that sparked a fierce competition!

OK, back to our blog, folks!

For campers just considering coming to staff training for the first time in June, this retreat is a great time to get to know the current staff, soak up some great Bible teaching, and build an igloo or acquire a frozen nose while zooming down the camp’s terrifying tube hill at night!

Yes, runs down the terrifying tube hill are cushioned with calmer activities. Like this game played inside by a warm fire with cocoa and friends.

Scruff was the speaker this year and he focused on the questions Jesus asked.

He gathered them all into a document and printed them off. Then posted them on the big log pillars at the center of the lodge.

There was only time to cover a few, but simply reading over every question was an amazing experience.

Scruff’s plan was to “Enter into the encounters people had with Jesus and the questions He asked them and to wrestle with those questions ourselves.”

So, which ones did he cover?

Do you want to be well?

Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?

What do you want me to do for you?

Will you also leave?

In between moments of thoughtful Bible study and beautiful worship, were opportunities to sing karaoke, play Grog, and see if the brunettes or the blonds could do the selfie scavenger hunt the fastest!

Yes, even Boo Boo; Bomber; Ragnar; and Partake did their fair share of karaoke singing!

Choco came back to the mountain to lead us in worship and it was so delightful to sing together with him again!

Something new this year, Scruffy didn’t have to run program, speak, host the camp, and do his camp director tasks all at the same time! Chiquita (former counselor and mom of one of our current counselors) took over program and did a fabulous job! Although, she did fall asleep during chapel one time!

Don’t worry, she made up for this by giving each camper a banana trophy that commemorated some element that they brought to the team during camp!

Whether it was a banana trophy or a goat trophy (yes, the blonds won . . . this year) or a spur of the moment snowball fight, this time spent forging friendships, growing closer to the Lord through teaching and shared worship, and just taking time to play was vital for our staff as they considered a summer of service a few months from now.

We would love for you to join us in praying for our staff. Young staff just considering training and older staff coming back. Tired staff who have done camp work for many years and every single worker who gives of their time and heart each summer.

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” Mark 8:27

“What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Luke 18:41

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. John 6:67

Not the war on drugs, not the war on terror, not the war on furbies … this is the war on you.

Van Helsing was our speaker for senior high camp and this year’s theme was Battleground!

During Monday’s chapel, Van Helsing spoke on The Battlefield of Faith.

What exactly is faith?

Faith is a belief that leads to doing something.

Monday Night’s Tactic: Join Up!

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

On Monday night, the campers went on a Star Trek to Inspiration Point. Choco brought his guitar and they sang worship sons under the stars. Then Scruffy had them sit in silence for four minutes as they look at God’s wonderous creation spread out above them. A youth pastor took this photo near Inspiration Point with his really good camera years ago, but it continues to inspire.

One of the campers shared about her experience at Inspiration Point during the Friday night campfire at the end of the week.

She had come to camp with many worries and concerns weighing her down. Then she and her cabin walked up to Inspiration Point in the dark. She gazed up at that ocean of stars and felt so small. Beneath that giant sky, all her problems felt suddenly small, too. Knowing that the God of all those huge and brilliant things had made her and loved her brought an unexpected peace.

During Tuesday’s chapel, Van Helsing spoke on The Battlefield of the Heart.

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly parted.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

Are emotions good or bad? Why are relationships so hard? What is the secret to a good relationship with your boss, friends, coaches, or romantic interest? What is the secret to a good relationship with God?

Tuesday Night’s Tactic: Battle Buddies!

What is a Battle Buddy?

When Boo Boo wanders around trying to get things done but starts to get confused because she is dehydrated, Bomber stops her and asks if she needs a drink of water.

When Boo Boo needs to talk over a sticky problem, she goes to her good friend Daizy who was a camp counselor with her way back when they were young and foolish.

When she needs prayer, to share the burdens of life, or to converse about an interesting piece of Scripture she goes to Scruffy.

These are her Battle Buddies.

Now sometimes Bomber might pray with her or Grandma Smurf might remind her to get a drink of water, but the point is that she is not fighting the battle alone.

Do you have Battle Buddies? Pray that the Lord will provide encouraging people in your life for the journey and learn how to encourage them, treat them with grace and respect, and work together as you navigate the sometimes rocky path of life.

Another fun thing that Van Helsing did this week (with the help of Mina) were the vs. verses. What are vs. verses, you ask?

Well, the speaker always has a daily memory verse. In order to encourage the campers to memorize these verses, Mina helped Van Helsing set up a variety of battles that the campers could vote on. However, they could not vote unless they had said the memory verse to Van Helsing!

Thor vs. Wonder Woman

Puss in Boots vs. Jack Sparrow

Perry the Platypus vs. James Bond

Miles Morales vs. Tom Holland

Chuck Norris vs. Scruffy

Who won? Well, it all depended on who said their daily memory verse and got to vote!

In case you are curious the winners were: Thor, Puss in Boots, Perry the Platypus, Miles Morales, and Scruffy!

Puss in Boots won the grand championship over everyone else at the very end!

On Wednesday, Van Helsing spoke about The Battlefield of the Flesh.

The physical world causes many struggles, weather it is a battle over unchecked desire or the physical struggles of pain and illness, there is much to fight on this front.

Tonight’s Tactic: Prepare to Fight!

One of our camp counselors, Boromir, faced an unexpected battle of the flesh this week.

He was walking on the trail from his cabin with his campers and had a seizure. His campers rallied around him. Running to get the nurse, guarding him until the seizure passed, and helping him to Scruff’s car.

Scruffy drove him down to the ER and while Chat Noir stepped up to be with them in Boromir’s absence the campers waited to hear Scruffy’s report on how he was doing. After a day at home recovering, Boromir returned amidst the cheers of the boys in his cabin. It is such a difficult thing to ask for help, but after this tough battle, Boromir said that he came away realizing that he should. Have you faced a battle of the flesh today? I bet you have. There are many battles on this field, but one way to victory.

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2

And yes, if you are wondering, Boo Boo did indeed shoot this apple off of Scruffy’s head in one shot with an archery tag arrow! Don’t worry, they have a big foam tip to prevent skewering.

One of the campers’ favorite night games is Walkers!

This is a night game we don’t play at any other camps and campers look forward to finally being old enough to come to Senior High Camp so that they too can fight zombies in the forest.

Thankfully, Mina’s brother Mini Van works at a thrift store and acquired some amazing wedding dresses that the girls used in their transformation into monsters.

Combined with Lea’s amazing make-up talent, Walkers was a memorable time running through the woods battling evil and earning cabin points!

During Thursday’s chapel, Van Helsing talked about The Battlefield of the Mind!

“The deadliest enemy is the one you cannot see. But you can still fight back… with the right weapons.”

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4

Tonight’s Tactic: Weapon Up!

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

During the Walkers game, Partake was leading a group of girls through the “zombie infested” forest. One of them was concerned. “We can’t see anything,” she said.

“We’ll be fine,” Partake said before confidently striding into the dark forest, tripping over a log, and bashing her knees.

That was a lot like Partake’s week of camp, actually.

She was our program director this week and is an organized person who enjoys schedules, being on time, and orderly games and activities.

Through events outside of Partakes control, this week was not easy to wrangle!

However, in the midst of the unexpected, God was still clearly at work.

During Friday’s chapel, Van Helsing talked about The Battlefield of the Soul.

“I have given you power to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19

There wasn’t just a chapel session titled Battlefield of the Soul, there was also a night game!

This involved whacking people with sock flails, nylons full of color powder, and of course running through the woods. What was the enemy? Those dangerous influences that are not from God.

Those sock flails were actually more painful than expected and unfortunately, did dye light blond hair in bright colors.

We were short on girl counselors for this week, but we got a surprise addition to our staff at the last minute.

The mom (Chiquita) of one of our young counselors used to be on staff with us nineteen years ago.

She has been helping out with camp work behind the scenes and doing such an amazing job, but the lack of girl counselors for Senior High Teen camp started to weigh on her.

However, she was able to argue against such a drastic measure as coming back to camp as a counselor. She was a mom, what teen girls wanted to hang out with a mom all week? She was solidly in the adult part of her life, she liked sleep, and wasn’t fond of running around in the forest at night with people dressed as zombies. A week of camp simply did not sound … comfortable.

Then she ran across this quote: “The end of comfort is where life begins”

Hmmm … and so after a nineteen-year hiatus, Chiquita joined us on staff as a counselor!

What teenage girls wanted to hang out with a mom all week? As it turns out, her daughter and all of her daughter’s friends!

There was some mortal embarrassment when they failed at pranking the boys two times and Chiquita agreed to take the blame for their bad pranking and even got them breakfast in bed when they refused to show their faces ever again … which didn’t actually last very long, just long enough to get breakfast in bed. But then her campers gave her one of the greatest compliments ever.

“You have the most fourteen-year-old water bottle I’ve ever seen!”

Chiquita summed up her week like this: “It was a gift to be a part of these teens lives. An old person is not who they want. But each time they pulled me aside and shared their hearts with me was a gift.”

So there you have it, bring a youthful water bottle and you too can be a camp counselor even if you are beyond your teen years.

One of our counselors, Katara, described a moment playing Battle for Souls in the meadow that was an image of camp for her.

We were in the meadow, battling with sock flails, and in between screeching at groups of campers I got to stare at the stars and have a conversation with Jesus. I prayed and saw tons of shooting stars.

It was a perfect encapsulation of camp. The Lord takes a moment in the breaks and shows himself between all the craziness.

Our camp hike during senior high is to Weathertop.

This steep climb takes us to a rocky ridge where you can look down on the meadow from above.

One of Van Helsing’s favorite memories from the week was having a deep conversation with a camper standing right on that narrow ridge with people shuffling past as they sought a closer look at the view.

She wasn’t self-conscious at all about sharing her story right there with the whole camp milling about on the ridge.

Having a thoughtful talk about the Lord and what He was doing in the middle of all the tough things she had faced was more important.

One of Zoboomafoo’s favorite moments was definitely “planning” their crazy skit.

“On the final day of skit prep, his camper suggested a unique element. “We should shave my beard during the skit!” Another camper said, “Samson and Delilah!”

Thus, the Chipmunk cabin’s skit was born and Scruffy and Boo Boo had the dubious honor of watching their son play Delilah in front of the whole camp!

It is amazing how God uses you for His kingdom at camp, in so many ways that you don’t expect.

In line getting groceries at Costco, Scruffy had someone flag him down to talk because they knew him from camp.

Because he worked at camp, this man pulled him aside to share part of his family’s story and Scruff was able to tell him, “God’s not done with your child, give her the message that we love her.”

Because of what God does at camp, Scruffy and Boo Boo and Bomber have so many unexpected spiritual conversations in grocery stores and other random locations.

You never know what God will use for his kingdom work.

Boo Boo spends most of her time at camp either taking photos or telling the camp counselors what to do or not to do.

There are many many motherly moments where she must give a stern eyebrow and redirect some kind of craziness.

In fact, she is pretty sure that the counselors sigh with a deep weariness when they see her coming.

That is why the Friday night campfire was such a surprise.

She didn’t expect Scruffy to share. He never shares. She didn’t expect him to share about how they had lost their sweet Newfoundland, Princess Leia Freyja right before camp. She didn’t expect him to talk about that incredible sorrow of trying to face the summer camp season without her constant therapy dog presence to give them encouragement.

How they didn’t think they could survive the exhausting 100-hour work weeks and deep emotional cost of camp without her softly padding up to give kisses and a helping wag.

She didn’t expect to burst into tears right there, sitting in the grass at the outskirts of the campfire ring.

And she most certainly did not expect one of the staff members she had shushed and shooed and told what to do and what not to do more than once that summer to pull her into her arms and hold her while she wept.

In fact, two other staff girls came up and held her toe in an encouraging fashion while she cried.

God can use you even if you are the one who has to tell people that duct tape is not allowed on the log buildings, girls are not allowed in the guy cabins, and hitting a wasp nest with a stick is foolish.

God can use you even if you are the one who needs to be shooed and shushed.

God can even use someone holding your big toe as you sit out under the stars and weep.

God even used Dauntless’ crazy skit.

It didn’t look good at first. They prepped for skit night. Had ideas, scrapped those ideas, came up with new ones but didn’t know the theme.

Finally, Dauntless asked Scruff to join the skit. Immediately the theme made itself known. The Chipmunk Cabin acted out every single one of the vs. verses battles. Yes, we got to see

Thor vs. Wonder Woman

Puss in Boots vs. Jack Sparrow

Perry the Platypus vs. James Bond

and finally …

Chuck Norris vs. Scruffy

The Squirrel House won skits and they won the week-long cabin competition, as well.

Everyone has a battle to fight. In the Old Testament, there were literal battles that God intervened in to save His children. But that doesn’t mean our battles are less terrifying, less overwhelming. It doesn’t mean that God will let us face them alone.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“But the LORD says,
“The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.
For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.” Isaiah 49:25

Boo Boo

Junior high campers are absolutely hilarious! They are fun and rowdy, sassy and bold, full of passion and capable of incredibly deep and meaningful conversations about God and just life in general.

This is the age group most likely to make a decision to follow Christ.

Why?

One, they are rowdy about absolutely everything. If they are not being rowdy about prayer, Bible learning, or the very idea that God exists, they are being rowdy about food, gaga ball, night games, or just the forest basics like pinecones and squirrels.

This rowdiness comes with an incredible capacity to grow and change and decide for themselves.

It is at approximately the age of twelve that the human brain matures sufficiently to grasp concepts like metaphor, abstract thought, and right and wrong outside of previously established boundaries. It is at this amazing age that children realize that they have the choice to follow Jesus or not. If their family has always followed God, they still have a choice. If their family has never followed God, they have a choice. Such an amazing revelation!

Speaking of families, it was incredibly exciting to be able to take a photo of three different generations of women who have been involved in camp ministry here at Camas Meadows. Grandma is the wife of one of our former board members and even worked as a camp counselor once when she dropped off campers only to realize that we did not have sufficient staff. So she stayed to counsel a cabin! Zinc (yes, that is her camp name) was a counselor way back when I (Boo Boo) was a counselor and also served during Scruffy’s very first summer leading camp! Zinc’s daughter was a camper this week and it was crazy fun to watch her jump into camp activities knowing that her mom and grandparents have been a part of Camas Meadows Bible Camp for so many years.

We had such a beautiful variety of middle schoolers tumble into camp this week with all their vivacity and obstreperous charm. There were children who had grown up steeped in every aspect of the Christian faith, who could zip their way through the books of the Bible blindfolded, and give a thoughtful answer to tricky theological queries with aplomb.

Among this raucous splash of humanity were also children who had no faith background at all. Sometimes they would giggle when a counselor prayed or shout out a wild and perhaps slightly sarcastic, “Amen, brother!” during chapel as they attempted to navigate a strange social situation that was completely foreign to them.

Oh how precious each young camper is. It is such an incredible honor to invite every one of them into the world of Bible camp. Weather they just came for the camp part or are happy to learn a bit of Bible, too, every child was an honor to serve.

Our speaker, Faramir, often works as a substitute teacher at our local public schools and is also a soccer referee. He was not in the least bit phased by the wide range of campers he was called upon to teach. In the very first chapel he acknowledged that prayer, the Bible, and God talk can be so very strange. But he encouraged each one to be willing to take just one step on their journey, weather that step was putting their faith in Christ or simply deciding to close their eyes in contemplation for the first time during a prayer.

That is one of the things that I absolutely adore about camp ministry!

Children who serve as missionaries with their family love camp and children who are self-proclaimed atheists also love camp!

Christian camping holds a fairly unique place in the body of Christ. Stepping into a church building can be so intimidating for someone who doesn’t know and follow Jesus. Even more so for a child.

I don’t know any young atheists who love to attend church.

However, I know multiple young atheists who ADORE coming to camp!

Camp is an exciting and growing experience for everyone. Weather a camper dares to play paintball for the first time or figures out how to find the book of Jonah in their Bible for the first time, children stretch out of their everyday experiences and realize that, yes, they have what it takes to do new things.

During chapel this week, Faramir spoke on the reluctant prophet.

Yes indeed, he spoke about Jonah, the “man of God” who ran away from the Lord.

Now, Jonah, he would have been one of those who knew his Bible verses off the top of his head and every right answer ta boot. In his case, it was the Torah but yes, he knew all the right answers and he knew God, deeply. That is why he ran, he knew that the God he served was merciful and there was a terrible chance that God just might be merciful to some people that Jonah felt absolutely justified in hating.

So, during Monday’s chapel, Faramir spoke about Jonah’s call.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.'”

Just in case you were wondering, the word for wickedness in verse two can also be translated “calamity” and is used multiple times in this small but punchy book of the Bible. It comes up again at the end of the story in a powerfully ironic way. Also repeated, “the Lord provided.” The Lord provides all sorts of things to help Jonah on his reluctant journey of faith. From a whale to a worm the Lord is constantly providing for Jonah’s growth as he comes face to face with his own lack of grace and compassion.

Can you tell that I love the book of Jonah? What a perfect chunk of Scripture to study with this delightfully pesky and sarcastic age group. There is a great deal of irony in this book of the Bible and more than one sarcastic sentence. Please, do yourself a favor and read it again. Then, when you read Jonah 4:2-3 imagine that the most snarky teenager you know and love is saying the words. It is my firm belief that this imagining will bring you closer to the reality of Jonah’s words than any monotone reading every could.

Faramir shared that while each of us may not have received detailed travel instructions from the Lord, each of us is unique and absolutely does have a call upon our lives that comes straight from Him!

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

While junior high campers are delightfully pesky and rambunctious, so many of them are also deeply hurting. They can be all of these things simultaneously of course, just to keep camp counselors on their toes.

What I mentioned about a twelve-year-old’s brain development earlier is key here. It is at this age that children stop taking what others say as absolute truth and begin to weigh out right and wrong for themselves.

If they are part of an unhealthy friend group, they will begin to notice that something isn’t right. If they are in an abusive environment, they will suddenly realize the injustice of their situation. If someone they trust has been lying to them, they often figure this out in junior high.

Oh, the painful power of a maturing mind.

Some of these hurting children know how to treat others well … and some of them do not.

This week, the camp counselors spent so much of their time gently teaching campers how to be good friends and to resolve conflict with friends and cabin buddies with grace and respect.

On Tuesday morning, Faramir taught the campers the S.O.A.P. method of studying scripture!

1. Scripture – Read a short Bible passage out loud and/or write it out.
2. Observation – What do you notice about the verses? What do you think the main message is? What words or ideas jump out to you?
3. Application – Ask God how He wants you to apply the verse to your own life.
4. Prayer – Pray for yourself and/or for others.

On Tuesday evening, Faramir talked about Jonah running away. If we all have a call from God, then we all have a choice whether to answer that call or not. Our choice matters. Just like Psalm 1:1-3 says, connection to God matters.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.” Jonah 1:3a

On Wednesday night, Faramir spoke about Jonah on the ship!

God showed Himself to Jonah and everyone else who rode out that terrible storm. Sure, it wasn’t the most peaceful encounter with God shown in Scripture but even in the middle of the howling wind and smashing waves, God’s grace is clear in this passage.

Oh, the incredible irony of Jonah 1:4-16! Who is it who urges God’s prophet to call on his God? The pagan sailors who have never even heard of Yahweh! We know this because when Jonah oh so casually mentions that he serves God who created both the dry ground and the sea, these sailors are absolutely terrified. Who could run from a God like that?

The answer … you guessed it, Jonah!

Who was it who sought out God, attempting to get information about the terrible storm and what could be done to improve the situations. Yep, that would be the pagan sailors once more.

Go sailors!

What was God’s prophet doing … running, hiding, and sleeping! That’s what. Plus, we have another use of that fascinating word “calamity” in verse seven.

“Then the sailors said to each other, ‘Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.’ They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.” Jonah 1:7

On Thursday night, Faramir talked about the Great Fish. Sometimes God knows it will take a little bit extra to get our attention … or in Jonah’s case, a lot!

On Friday night, Faramir talked about The Turn. Interestingly, when Jonah turns, repents, and decides to go to Nineveh … well, all of this happens at the hinge of the book of Jonah, right in the middle! So “The Turn” for Jonah spiritually is the hinge of the book, which I find absolutely delightful.

So, just like God wanted the Ninevites to turn from their calamity and for Jonah to turn from his calamity, God calls us to repent from the things we have done wrong. Turn away from the old and follow Jesus to a new life that brings God’s light to others instead of darkness and pain.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 4:17

It was such a great joy to see so many of these awesome young people turn to God that night and choose to follow Jesus.

Teenagers can spot something fake in a split second and there is a brutal honesty to the book of Jonah that speaks to those longing for something true.

Jonah is angry. Truly and deeply angry with God. Not because he thinks that God isn’t loving. Oh, no! God is loving to the wrong people. The irony of Jonah’s journey, saved from the depths of the sea by a monster that God provided, and still Jonah wavers when it looks like God will give mercy instead of judgement to the Ninevites.

God provides a lot of things in the book of Jonah: a great fish, a plant to shade Jonah, a worm to snork down that plant, and a scorching east wind.

Not everything God provides is comfortable, however, each item helped Jonah along on his journey of discovering the value of God’s incredible mercy.

Finally, on Saturday morning, Faramir spoke about The Aftermath. Yep, in Jonah chapter four not only do we have God’s own prophet grieving over the life of a plant but Jonah is bold enough to chastise God Himself for valuing the lives of actual people. Here, we finally come to that delicious and ironic use of the word calamity concerning Jonah himself.

Well, the whole reason that God sent Jonah on this trip in the first place was because of Nineveh’s calamity, translated in Jonah 1:2 as wickedness.

Well, in chapter four there is a whole lot of calamity going on! I’ve put the words that are the same Hebrew word as “calamity” in bold below.

“But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshis. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:1-3

“Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.” Jonah 4:6

Oh, that terrible moment when reading the book of Jonah and you realize that God’s own prophet values a plant that he did not tend or water over a city full of people who did not know God.

Perhaps the plant eased Jonah’s calamity for a moment, but the calamity ran deep and at the end of the book God holds the life of that plant up to Jonah and compares it to the lives of every man, woman, and child (and their animals, too) in the city of Nineveh and asks Jonah that fateful question: “Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

Oh the cutting satire of the book of Jonah. That painful truth that sometimes those who should honor God the most are the slowest to hear His voice. May we catch our breath at the beautiful honesty in Jonah’s story and walk away different than we were before.

The power of Jonah’s story was not lost on the wonderful young teens we served this week.

One of our guy counselors had encountered much frustration attempting to facilitate a discussion time with his group of rowdy boys. On that last night, everything finally came together for them to truly talk in an honest way about God, His Word, and what Jonah’s strange journey might mean for people wondering about God’s judgement and mercy today. There were so many great questions and the campers were engaged as they honesty explored the depths of God’s Word. It was such a beautiful moment together after a long hard week with some especially precocious teens!

At the Friday night campfire, one of our campers put it so well. He said that before camp he used to think that there was no God at all, but that now he thought he could see Him in the kindness and love people show to each other.

There is a reason that Jesus Himself said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Perhaps that particular camper didn’t choose to follow Christ on that particular night. But he saw Jesus. We each have a choice and junior high kids feel that reality and that weight keenly. Multiple children did choose Jesus during this week and so many more learned about both His great power and His baffling love as Faramir taught them about God’s reluctant prophet, Jonah.

Finally, let me share with you my favorite verse in the Bible. Think about it for a moment. Think about all that Jonah did to escape God and God’s call. Think about how every single character in the story behaved better than God’s own prophet, including a sea monster, some cows, and a worm. This verse is deceptively simple, but gives me such hope every time I read it.

Jonah 3:1–“Then the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.”

Boo Boo