Every year, amidst steadily warming temperatures and a forest blanketed in wildflowers, we welcome women to come up the mountain to Camas Meadows for the Camas Ladies Retreat.
This year, Judy Baker was our wonderful speaker.
Judy spoke from the books of Genesis and Psalms.
Her chapel sessions followed the story of Joseph.
Family drama, betrayal, tragedy, more betrayal, oppression, neglect, and finally victory. Joseph’s story has it all.
The true power of Joseph’s tale comes when you pause and consider that this epic story happened to a real person who didn’t know the ending and had to live the tragedies and triumphs with all the same emotions that we fight through on our own journey with God.
To begin the ladies’ journey with Joseph on the first night, Judy told her testimony.
Judy was the wife of a pastor and camp director. They had two children who were twelve and fourteen when she was widowed through a tragic accident.
She married a machinist and became a stepmother and then was widowed again due to cancer.
Judy is no stranger to heartbreak.
After hearing her testimony, the ladies at the retreat knew that their speaker was not one to spout platitudes.
There is beauty on the painful path, but it is sometimes easier to accept direction towards that beauty from someone who understands how hard it is to look beyond the pain.
Joseph’s story begins with priviledge.
The favored son of a weathy father and the firstborn of that father’s favorite wife, Joseph’s position (and fancy clothes) were the envy of the rest of the family.
Add to that, Joseph gave his father a bad report about his brothers and so he faced a pack of angry brothers who were growning more bitter by the day.
Seemingly oblivious to this, Joseph then waxes eloquent about the prophetic dreams he was having where the family bowed down to him . . . the rest is history.
Attacked, robbed, thrown into a pit, and then sold into slavery by his own family, Joseph’s journey takes a sharp and dark turn.
Joseph chooses trust in God and is tough and resilient enough to thrive in his new position. He works hard where he finds himself until Joseph is in charge of his master’s household. Betrayed and disbelieved, he is sent to prison. Once again, Joseph trusts God and excels. In the end, God uses him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, provide for the people during a famine, and save his family from starvation.
Judy spoke from the scriptures that tell us Joseph’s story because we often find ourselves on a path that has taken a sharp and dark turn in a direction that seems hopeless.
But despite the horror of his circumstances, Joseph trusted that God was still capable of a mighty work, in Joseph’s life, in the lives of those around him, even in the hearts of the brothers who had sold him into slavery.
Joseph’s confrontation with his brothers when they come to Egypt to beg him for food is such an incredible tale of inner strength, redemption, and grace.
Genesis 45:5–“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Imagine the power of such a trust as Joseph’s. The wisdom to see God at work in the darkest of circumstances. The strength to refuse bitterness and let go of hate. The grace to forgive and dare to show compassion to his tormentors.
It boggles the mind and stirs the heart.
As Judy shared in conclusion, from Psalm 31:15, “My times are in your hands . . .” God is at work, even in the dark, and there is hope for the broken and strength can be ours as we learn from Joseph’s terrible, beautiful life that trusting God is always worth the cost.
Genesis 50:20–“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
P.S. Since some ladies have asked for a copy of the essay on courage that I shared during the retreat and it speaks to some of the hard times that Judy shared during her testimony, I’m including a link to that here. Scraped Off the Bone by Kristen Joy Wilks.
Scruffy and Chiquita tag teamed as our speakers for the Senior High Winter Snow Camp!
Both our camp director and program director are constantly looking for opportunities for further education. In a lecture (Kara Powell) that challenged youth workers to stop asking the questions kids are not asking themselves and to look at what teens are actually wondering, Scruff and Chiquita delved into a Biblical look at the top three things that are troubling teens today.
The first question . . .
Who Am I?
Thankfully, the Bible has a lot to say about this!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
“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 NIV
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
The main passage that Scruffy and Chiquita looked at when considering the question, “Who am I?” was John chapter six and the feeding of the five thousand.
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:9
Imagine being that boy with the small lunch. It’s clearly not enough. He isn’t enough . . . but when he places that simple gift into the hands of Jesus, suddenly it is. His lunch is enough. His gift is enough. He is enough to be part of one of the most mind-boggling miracles in the Bible!
“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” John 6:11-13 NIV
Now, Scruffy’s favorite answer to the question “Who am I” comes from the life of Moses.
In fact, when Moses kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, he is asked something very similar.
“The man said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” Exodus 2:14 NIV
Forty years later, God speaks to Moses from the burning bush and asks him to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses response, the very question the campers were considering.
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” Exodus 3:11 NIV
Now, Moses has a variety of excuses. But what is God’s answer to Moses’ question, “Who am I?”
“And God said, ‘I will be with you.'” Exodus 3:12a NIV
The second question Scruffy and Chiquita looked at with the campers was, “Do I belong?”
God addresses this question within Christ’s very name.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” Matthew 1:23 NIV
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 NIV
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,” Ephesians 2:19 NIV
The third and final question that Scruffy and Chiquita delved into with the Senior High Snow Camp campers was, “What is my purpose?”
“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
I Corinthians 3:9
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV
After an amazing weekend full of crazy games and fellowship together, they finished up with this thought: “Our purpose comes from knowing we’re invited into God’s greater story!”
From Moses and his doubts to Jesus last words to his disciples, God has so much to say about the questions that trouble us. Just like this group of amazing teens, may you leap into God’s word today and discover all of the ways that the Lord is pursuing a relationship with you!
The shouts and laughter of forty campers and their accompanying counselors filled the air. They even made the lodge tremble with their energetic singing and hand motions.
This year, our speaker was the one and only Wiggin!
Wiggin was a camper here at Camas Meadows back when Scruffy and I were . . . much younger. Then he became a camp counselor and finally a youth pastor and camp speaker!
Wiggin spoke about the gospel being good news.
He mentioned how sometimes the gospel doesn’t seem like good news, even though that is what the word gospel means.
Sometimes kids are dealing with some serious church hurt. Maybe their family had a dispute with a local church, fell through the cracks and had real needs ignored, experienced the horror of a church leader who betrayed their trust, or watched the Christians around them treat others in ways that Christ would never have praised.
But while Wiggin was honest and serious about the hard things kids have lived and seen, he assured them that the gospel really is good news.
Wiggin shared about the origin of the word gospel. How it came from ancient military clashes where the townsfolk were waiting for the messenger who would run back from the battle to let them know if their army won the day or had been defeated. Gospel, good news, was a message of victory for the worried people who waited.
The very first good news Wiggin shared was that we don’t have to have it all together.
They read in Genesis chapter two about how Adam and Eve, “were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
Wiggin quickly reassured the campers that there was no need to join a nudist colony. But that this scripture illustrated an important facet of the good news of the gospel. God designed us for real and vulnerable fellowship with each other and with him. Not for pretending that we are perfect but for honesty and vulnerability.
They looked at Brene Brown’s research about authentic connection requiring vulnerability. Investigated Genesis chapter two in a new way and saw that one of the things that made Eden ideal, was that mankind was completely honest and open with God. Then they talked about how God has designed us in such a way that to actually connect with God and others, we must be our vulnerable, authentic selves.
Just take a peek at Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman as they stood and talked beside the well for a glimpse of the kind of authenticity that Christ urges his followers to risk.
On Saturday morning, the part of Jesus’ good news that Wiggin spoke on was that God cares about the broken.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
“God came to earth to be on the side of the outcasts, and the hurting, and the broken—the people who don’t have it all together. That’s Good News, especially with how hard middle school can be.” –Wiggin
“If life is great and we’re happy, it means that God’s inviting us to also be on the side of the broken.” –Wiggin
The good news on Saturday night was that God wants to be in relationship with us. Not just in Heaven someday, but right now!
“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.'” John 17:1-3
On Sunday morning, the good news was that God wants to live normal, everyday life with us.
“… normal life with God means denying ourselves, that we don’t get to live for us, we don’t get to be selfish anymore—we live for God and for others; and normal life with God means choosing relationship with God every day, engaging with him, and, really importantly, putting ourselves around people who help us choose God every day.” –Wiggin
Christ’s invitation is good news indeed! This good news isn’t just for the amazing middle school students in our lives. Pause with me a moment, my friend. Truly consider the depth and beauty of what our God and Savior offers us each day.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Come one, come all! It is time for senior high teen camp! This year’s theme: Monster Hunter! These brave campers are giving gentle pats to Scruffy and Boo Boo’s Newfoundland puppy, Nessie Karu–the puddle monster. While she is of course adorable, Nessie has very sharp teeth and seems to grow bigger every day. But there are monsters even more formidable than Nessie with her puppy teeth and whirling destructo-tail!
The theme verse for this week of camp was 1 John 3:8b–“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
Yes, my friends, monsters are real.
During Monday’s chapel, Van Helsing spoke about the deadly and dangerous monster of pride!
There are a whole lot of stories in the Bible about pride. A plethora of cautionary tales. One that stands out for me comes from the reign of Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most godly kings.
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; . . .” 2 Chronicles 32:24-25a
For almost his entire life, Hezikiah served the Lord fearlessly. He stood up to the mighty king of Assyria, even when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies. He repaired the temple, destroyed idols that had been set up to other gods, and celebrated Passover for the first time in many many years. He watched God do the impossible to save Jerusalem from Sennacherib’s invading army. And yet . . . pride was the monster that put a stain on his bright and shiny reign as King.
When God informed Hezekiah that he was about to die, he wept bitterly and asked for a miracle. God relented and the king was healed. In Isaiah 38 Hezekiah even writes a praise song to the Lord about how “Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.” Well, Hezikiah’s healing caught the interest of the Babylonian king who sent an envoy to Hezikiah with “best wishes and a gift.”
Then the King who had followed God all his days, who saw miracles, who had just written in poetic form that he would now be extra humble . . . didn’t notice when the monster of pride raised its ugly head.
As part of the Babylonian envoy’s grand visit to Jerusalem, Hezekiah showed them every single one of his treasures.
When the prophet Isaiah asked about the visitors traipsing about the palace and exactly what Hezekiah had shown them, he answered honestly enough.
“They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.” Isaiah 39:4b
“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” Isaiah 39:5-7
After a lifetime of victory, one moment of pride tainted this mighty king’s legacy.
This is why in Psalm 141 David considers the rebuke of a friend so valuable. Even as he prays against the deeds of evildoers, David acknowledges that just a moment of pride can send him on a path to doing evil himself.
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.” Psalm 141:3-5
During Tuesday’s chapel, Van Helsing spoke about the quiet and sinister monster of depression!
Tuesday’s memory verse: “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21
It is so very easy to lose sight of who God is and who we are in Christ.
It is easy to let evil conquer you. It is hard to do good amidst the darkness. But there is One who gives us strength for every good thing and amazingly, He also knows that even as we witness His mighty works, we can still feel incredibly alone. Our God is indeed “A God who sees me” as Hagar put it.
One of the clearest depictions in scripture of how the monster of depression can darken our eyes to God’s love and power and make us forget who we truly are is in 1 Kings chapter 19.
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” I Kings 19:3-5
Of course, this dark time of depression came immediately after the incredible victory at Mt. Carmel where Elijah, standing alone as the single public follower of God, defeated the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah that were regular guests at the queen of Israel’s table.
Just like with the monster of pride, seeing God at work doesn’t make us immune to the monster of depression. I am so very glad that God chose to have Elijah’s struggle recorded in Scripture as well as his encounter with God on the mountain of the Lord afterwards.
“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?'” 1 Kings 19: 11b-13
“He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.'” I Kings 19:14
“The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.’”
As a time of truly horrifying warfare approached, God sent Elijah the names of others who were called. Elijah did not have to make the decisions of a king, his job, to annoint two kings. Elijah was not the only prophet of God, but was given an apprentice. Then God answered Elijah’s heart cry with the final sentence.
“Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Elijah was not alone.
During Wednesday’s chapel, Van Helsing spoke about the love-quenching monster of lust.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5
In John 8:1-11 Jesus is teaching in the temple courts and the Pharisees and teachers of the law drag a woman before Him.
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
Not only did the teachers fail to bring the man she was committing adultery with, they decided to parade her through the temple in her time of shame in order to trap Jesus. But the passage below shows that God Himself doesn’t just see our sin, He also sees our pain as we are trapped in our sin and offers us the sweet freedom of a new life in Him.
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.”
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.’”
On Thursday, the chapel session was about the crafty and consuming monster of addiction.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
God asks a lot of His children, we are supposed to be growing more and more like Him, after all. However, He has never expected us to do so in our own strength. His spirit within is powerful and gives the strength to make good and godly choices.
Friday’s chapel was about The Ultimate Monster.
The Ultimate Monster . . . is you!
The God who can help His people battle the monsters of Pride, Depression, Lust, Addiction, and every monster in between is not frightened by all that we have done and who we have become, even at our very worst.
“’Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'” Isaiah 1:18
For God does not fight monsters in the way of book heroes, movie stars, and conquering military powers. God is not a vampire hunter, zombie wrangler, or a battleship facing off against the might of Godzilla.
“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.'” Ezekiel 34:11-12
The world can do its worst to us and we can become someone we don’t even recognize anymore. As broken as humans can become, we bear the image of God. The Ultimate Monster Hunter looks upon us and He doesn’t pull out a wooden stake, baseball bat, and a nuclear warhead. No, the God of the universe sees us just as we are and even so, He opens up His arms.
Even when those around us are acting in monstrous ways, with our Lord Jesus’s help, we can fight monsters just like He does!
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
In the heat of late July and early August, amidst record numbers of yellow jackets for the state of Washington, a herd of wonderfully rambunctious junior high campers tumbled into camp.
It truly was a herd!
Between staff and campers, the kitchen fed 95 people this week!
And along with those rowdy kids, Pyro, tumbled into being our camp speaker.
You see, Scruffy thought he had the Middle School Camp 2 speaker all covered, but at the last minute, the plan fell through. Pyro, a long-time camp friend and one of our board members, heard that Scruff was madly scrambling for a new speaker and offered to help out.
This week, he spoke on the life of David.
How David, as the chosen king of united Israel and Judah, was supposed to point ahead toward the coming Messiah. Pyro also spoke of David’s incredible failures and a life filled with war and bloodshed, so much bloodshed that he was not allowed to build God’s temple. However, God still used David. Even with all of his flaws, David’s life and reign did indeed point forward to a completely different kind of King.
During cabin discussion, they talked about the many ways in which Jesus was like David and how He was also different. What would the coming of the Messiah have been like if Jesus was a mighty warrior king? Well, the counselors that I chatted with felt that there would have been a whole lot of bloodshed and much less time spent on talks of turning the other cheek, loving your neighbor, seeing a kind Samaritan as the hero of a parable, and stories about God as a father pulling His broken son into His arms.
What do you think? What kind of Messiah would David have made? Why do you think God chose to come to us gentle, and riding on a donkey, the colt of a donkey?
A week of summer camp provides such a unique chance for discussing God’s word, His love, and His coming to our rescue. Part of this is because of the kind of environment we strive to create at Camas Meadows. Children get to step out of their everyday worlds, form new friendships through shared experiences, and connect with God in a new and powerful way.
In this era of constant stimulation, in a time when tablets, phones, memes, and games dance constantly before our eyes, quiet can be hard to come by.
Those who study how children grow, thrive, and learn are realizing that open-ended play, silence, the great outdoors, and moments of pure simple frolicking are just as important to our learning and growth as classrooms, information, and organized sports.
Summer camp offers an incredible mash-up of organization and chaos, teaching and listening, silence and cacophony. Children escape the everyday world in so many ways. One of which, a mad race against their friends and new acquaintances to eat a banana blindfolded.
Another way campers step away from their everyday world . . . standing in silence in the middle of a mountain meadow, listening to the wind rustle the aspen leaves above them and send the tall grasses swaying against the legs of their jeans.
When Scruffy leads the “Star Trek” to Inspiration Point he sets a timer and the entire group waits in silence, listening to the forest sounds in the darkness and watching the vast expanse of stars that God scattered in all their glory above.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1
Giving children a chance to try new things is such a vital opportunity for their growth.
Braving the chilly waters of the dunk tank.
Pulling on that paintball mask and charging through the forest, dodging paintballs, making it to the log at the top of the hill with a pack of new friends.
Taking a chance and singing a worship song that has crazy hand motions.
Children who discover that they are capable of jumping into a new adventure at camp often realize that they are capable of a new adventure with God as well.
All of those new camp adventures also equal shared experiences with cabin mates and camp counselors.
Folks tend to highly undervalue the role of shared experiences in ministry.
Have you ever sat at a table next to a group of good friends?
How do you know they are close?
They have inside jokes they all understand. They don’t have to explain a story because they were all there and just a phrase spoken by one can bring to mind the entire tale for the group.
I have tried to explain camp ministry before and watched people actually look down their noses at the fun camp activities as though they are not vital pieces of the ministry that God uses in such powerful ways. Fun activities are shared experiences.
Believe me folks, those crazy games are so so important as we seek to tell children about Jesus! Kids won’t listen to just anyone talk about God and shared experience is how we show that we are trustworthy voices in their lives. Trustworthy enough to share about Jesus.
The camp program (games, activities, time in nature) is not the ugly step-sister of camp life. Also, chapel time is not the Cinderella of the camp experience. Both are vital parts of camp ministry.
Think about that table full of friends we were imagining before. The people with shared stories that they all understood, shared vocabulary, shared experiences that they could immediately reference and recall how each person in the group changed during the living of those moments.
Who do you like to worship next to and read your Bible with?
Now, who do you go to with your questions about God?
Who do you go to when your heart is breaking and you need someone to lift you up in prayer?
Yeah, me to.
I reach out to the people that I have shared experiences with. People that I know I can trust because we have lived life together. They were trustworthy when I had a squirrel terrorize my cabin, so I figure they will also be trustworthy now.
Every game and hike, every crazy skit and hastily launched water balloon, every goofy hat and goofier dance is a share experience.
Those shared experiences form tight bonds of friendship.
Those tight bonds of friendship show campers that they can trust this group of camp counselors who dedicated their summer to give them a week they will never forget.
Campers who trust, are willing to ask the tough questions; seek real truths about God; risk getting to know Jesus in authentic ways that they were never willing to risk before.
There are no wasted moments at camp.
If just being in God’s great outdoors for a few priceless moments of unstructured play can help refresh our mental health and revitalize our tired bodies, how much more can God use this lovely forest setting to show us His peace, His power, and His love?
If simple shared experiences can form life-long friendships that stand the test of time, how much more can God use those experiences and those friendships to foster a deeper understanding of His son? If a flawed, warrior king can point us toward the King of Kings, how much more will God use the power of the Prince of Peace to do great works in our minds and hearts and everyday lives?
In the gospels, there are several times that Jesus uses parables to describe God as “harvesting where He did not plant and reaping where He did not sow seed.”
As I stare at those baffling words, I think of the terrible things life has thrown at me that still produced good, even though nothing about them was actually good at all.
The death of my father when he was only forty-four.
Watching someone I used to know well descend into a pit of addiction.
Standing by, helpless, as people I love lost their battles with depression.
There is nothing good there. Only pain, darkness, and grief.
Yet God is so very bold. He walks into the terrible and senseless situations around us and He reaps a harvest. He harvests where He did not sow seed and He reaps where He did not sow. God does not even waste the wretched things in this life, how much more will He use the simple beauties of childhood adventures lived well and a week of rambunctious fun boldly dedicated to His name.
An unlikely friendship, daring to reach for hope in a dark time, the ring of laughter in the forest as a group of friends tries to prank another cabin, everything is spiritual my friend because not only do we come together to sing and study God’s word and talk about His way of healing hearts and restoring souls, but we have dedicated each and every moment, big or small, over to our Lord for His use.
The God who can cause flowers to bloom from a heap of rocks can heal our hurts and give us peace in Him. Can you trust Him to do miracles, my friend? Can you trust Him with the tiny moments of fun and the giant moments of heartache? He reaps where He did not sow, how much more when every day is dedicated to Him? How much, indeed!
Junior B Camp started out bright and sunny with a game in the meadow as campers and counselors met, moved into their cabins, and began a week of summer adventures together.
One of the special elements of this week was the fact that our speaker (camp name Phoenix) had experienced this exact moment herself way back when she was a camper attending Camas Meadows for the first time.
Phoenix went on to become a camp counselor herself, where she got her awesome camp name. She now has a little one of her own and she and her husband work for the Moody Aviation School. So much life has happened since she was last here serving at Camas Meadows. It was so exciting to have Pheonix back in the role of camp speaker.
Monday’s chapel was titled “Who Am I?–Knowing Our Identity”, and Pheonix spoke on knowing our identity.
“Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
The little people in our lives face so much pressure. Everyone wants them to achieve great things: in sports, at math competitions, getting a solo in band, being a drama star, knowing exactly who they are right now and striving for their goals with gusto . . .
Both grownups and children alike, often forget something vital about our identity.
We can rest in an awesome knowledge that is mind-boggling and beautiful. We were made in the image of God and He longs for us to choose Him and to be His very own.
For the morning devotion on Tuesday, each cabin read Psalm 139:1-18 and discussed what it says about who God Himself is.
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1
Tuesday’s chapel was titled, “Who Am I?–God’s Masterpiece”.
“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
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
Something I love about camp is watching kids step out of their comfort zones in a rush of bravery and try something completely new.
For many children, going to camp is the first time they’ve braved a new activity away from home. A night hike to Inspiration Point to look at the stars, a game of capture the flag in the meadow, or putting on a paintball mask and rushing into the woods with friends for a mighty paintball battle.
As children grow and stretch, it was so amazing to see the way Phoenix paired teaching about who they are in Christ with all their new adventures.
During morning devos on Wednesday, the campers looked at Romans 8:31-39 and discussed what these verses say about who God is.
“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34
Wednesday’s chapel was called “Who Am I?–Sin’s Distortion” and one of the key verses was Luke 15:11-24.
“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
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 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 15:17-19
So often we get distracted by all that we ourselves have done. Our sin, our pain, finding ourselves in a dark and terrible place and not knowing how to get out. How to come home.
But when Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, His emphasis was not on the son’s terrible choices (although they were numerous and shocking) the story’s crowning moment was the Father’s inexplicable and reckless forgiveness.
The crescendo of the tale was the moment that a man who had every right to never look his son in the face again swept that broken young man into his arms and rejoiced.
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10
And just in case His audience was so hardened that they missed His point, Jesus starts this shocking story with the verse above.
While our mistakes may be scandalous, nothing is more scandalous than God’s capacity to love.
For Thursday’s devo time, the campers studied Ephesians 1:3-14 and discussed what it says about the character of God.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—” Ephesians 1:4-5
Thursday’s chapel was “Who Am I?–Confident in Christ”.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Life feels very big, especially when you are a little person. But knowing that God has made us “thoroughly equipped” for the tasks He asks of us can bring so much peace, even in uncertain times.
For morning devotions on Friday, the campers and their counselors studied Psalm 51:1-12 and asked the question, what does this passage tell us about God?
“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
What strikes me about this passage is how David trusted that God could cleanse him, even after all that he had done against God’s name and so many innocent people.
It is God’s power and love working within the human heart that accomplishes His good works among us. He is our righteousness, indeed.
The Friday chapel was titled “Who Am I?–Made for a Purpose”.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
We love because he first loved us.” I John 4:19
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18
In the photo below, Phoenix poses with three campers and our new pup Nessie Karu. I want to finish this blog with an encouraging testimony that Phoenix sent to Scruffy and gave us permission to use.
Camas Meadows Bible Camp is such a unique place. It’s a place of belonging for so many people, including myself. As a camper, I came up to camp and learned how important a relationship with Jesus was. I had a lot of head knowledge, but learning about how Jesus wants a relationship with me, was a turning point in my walk with Him. As a counselor, I learned what servant leadership looked like. Jesus is the ultimate example of this – putting others above himself as he died a brutal death on the cross for us. I have taken the idea of servant leadership into my adult life with me. No matter how far up the leadership chain you are, you’re not too good to serve in the dish pit, clean up messes, shovel snow, etc. I had the wonderful opportunity to come back to camp 15 years later as a camp speaker. I walked into the lodge on Monday morning, and it felt like home, even though there were so many new faces. Once you are a part of the Camas Family. you are always a part of the camp family, and this is a beautiful image of what unity in Christ looks like – true Christian community. I am forever grateful for Camas Meadows Bible Camp and the role it has played in teaching and encouraging me to love Jesus, love others and love myself well.
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
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.
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.
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
