3 Camps, More than 300 Kiddos, 1 Amazing Savior

These are the 70+ kiddos I got to teach the Bible to at Camp Living Waters. A lot of them come from homes that do not regularly go to Church. A number of kids said they trusted Jesus for the first time this week - hallelujah!

Want to hear the not-so-secret secret about our ministry at camp? Shelby works waaaaaay harder than I do. Shelby works with half-ton animals in the heat and humidity. She assists in running the horsemanship program. The horses attract a lot of kids to camp where they hear the Bible and learn about Jesus. And did I mention the scorching heat? Shelby rocks! Here she is pictured with Chiquita. Aren't they both beautiful???

We're very proud of Caleb for volunteering as a Staff Worker. He mowed lawns, retrieved garbage, moved heavy things (like fallen trees, bails of hay, etc.) and even helped to build this building! And he was very warn out every evening.

Juliana volunteered as a Counselor to NINE girls. 9! That's a lot of little people to keep safe when they're intent on doing naughty things that will hurt them! Juliana wanted to serve Jesus by loving these little girls (even when they were annoying.) They were enamored with her drawings, and she made them each bead jewelry after learning each girl's favorite colors. Such a fun Camp Counselor! Here she is standing with her little girls (and making a funny face at the camera.)

Juliana helped run the Arts and Crafts program. That's very her.

This is 7-year-old"B." After 3 days of listening to Bible Messages, "B" approached me with a bunch of questions about God. "Who is God?" "How is the Bible God's Word?" These were some of his questions - terrific for a 7-year-old. "B" said he didn't like that "the king tried to kill Jesus when he was a baby." He was referring to King Herod slaughtering the children in Matthew, chapter 2. We learned that Monday morning. "B" told me he heard that Jesus was "pinned" to a cross and asked if we were gonna learn that. I told him yes. He took me up on my offer to receive a Bible if any of the Campers don't have one. He was so excited! Get this: he gave up his playtime so he could sit and read his new Bible!!! Yeah, that's pretty awesome, and that's why we minister to kids.

This is Colby, the Program Director at Camp Living Waters. He and I both wore t-shirts from the show, The Chosen. (Have you seen that show? Amazing!) We wanted to get a photo of the two of us in our "Chosen" t-shirts.

For one of the games, the Counsellors all dress up in crazy outfits and the Campers have to find them and catch them. I love the outfits!!!

After each Bible lesson, I pin the painting to the wall so the kids can look at them during the day and be reminded of the Bible lesson. At the end of the week, all of them are up. Here's the "Early Ministry of Jesus" paintings.

Perhaps my favorite night is "Testimony Night" when kiddos are encouraged to stand and tell what Jesus did for them that week. Many give testimony of salvation! In this photo some of the Counsellors were leading everyone in worship songs.

Camp Fair Haven had sooooooo many campers that it took 3 photos to get them all in. (Over 150). A bunch of the Campers are from the State Foster System and were sent to camp by the State. It's horribly sad what some of these kiddos have experienced. Awful brokenness. Please pray for them. All the campers were AMAZING! They listened to the Bible lessons. They experienced the love of Jesus. And many of them repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus - woo hoo!

What is it with camps having this game? It's called "Gaga" and that octagon is called the "Gaga Pit." Want to be convinced of the sinful nature of humanity? Hang out by a Gaga Pit and pay attention. You'll see big kids gang up on smaller kids. You'll see kids lie about if they were hit with the ball or not. You'll see kids throw sand! It brings out the worst in humanity, yet every camp seems to have one of these dreadful evil Gaga Pits. Oh well.

These Counsellors spontaneously began singing worship songs during free time and it was BEAUTIFUL!

This is 10-year-old camper, "H," and she liked to hold up signs for me after I was done preaching. Soooooo adorable!!!

Here's another sign that 10-year-old "H, held up after one of my Bible messages. Yeah, that's worth more than a million dollars!

So I have this silly game I do every day. I choose one Counsellor that I think is wearing the coolest nerdiest t-shirt and give that Counsellor an "I AM COOL" award. It's just a sticker that says "I AM COOL." The Campers love it when their counsellor wins. And I tend to choose t-shirts that are either retro, or super colorful, or have something Star Wars on them. Apparently the Campers picked up on the trend because they MADE this t-shirt as a gift for me! It's a colorful retro t-shirt with a Star Wars reference, and even a "Mark Is Cool" message to bribe me. And on the back the Campers signed it. This was one of the sweetest gifts I'd ever received and it's hanging in my office.

This is "J" and she was a spitfire of a Counsellor. That silly game where I choose one Counsellor every day with the best t-shirt, "J" really really wanted to win bad! All week she tried so hard and begged and everything. When I finally awarded her with the "I AM COOL" sticker, she stuck it on her forehead.

I love this. It's from the song, "The Littlest Worm." I learned to sing this song when I was a kid, so when I saw this sign I got all nostalgic.

Here's "The Gospel Through Creation" paintings up on the wall.

Here are the AMAZING kiddos from Camp Spofford. They paid attention to the Bible lessons, asked great questions, and were a JOY to work with. Please be praying for salvations, and that they'd grow in their faith.

This is"N," a 10-year-old Camper. She and I traded hats. Whaddya think? Does I look good in Mickey Mouse ears???

Camp Spofford attracts a LOT of kids from Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the Campers is a New England Patriots fan - woo hoo!

It's wonderful being able to participate in worshipping the Lord through song with the kiddos.

I believe kids are smart and can understand Theology when explained to them. Today we started a 5-day series on "The Gospel in Creation." We learned God is "Eternal," meaning He always existed and always will. We learned that God does not have a body of flesh and bones, but is a Spirit. We learned that there is only 1 True God, and He exists in Three Persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We learned that God does not need anything. He is self-sufficient. He made us not because He's needy, but because He is loving. We learned that God is omni-present (everywhere at all times), and that God is more powerful than everything! Great Theology there, and the kids really "got it."

Part 2 in "The Gospel in Creation." We learned that God is soooo powerful, He made everything from NOTHING! He didn't need any ingredients to start with. And we learned how life began, and what God made on each of the six days of Creation. We also learned that out of all of creation, humans are the only ones made in God's image, which means, like God, we can reason and analyze and make decisions. At the end of the 6th day, God saw that it was "very good." But why aren't things good today? We'll learn that tomorrow.

Day 3 of "The Gospel Through Creation." We learned "How Death Came Into the World." Adam and Eve had only one rule, and they said "yes" to sin, and that lead to death. The whole human race died three ways: 1) We were cut off from God, our life source. Just like when a branch is cut off from its trunk, it begins dying. The same thing happened to us. Now God is not our friend, but we are enemies of God through rebellion. 2) We will all someday die physically. 3) We all deserve to live forever in the Lake of Fire. Our only way out is through a Savior. I told the kids that they'd learn about God's way out - The Savior - tomorrow!

Part 4 in "The Gospel Through Creation." We learned that as a result of breaking God's Law, Adam and Eve were now ashamed, and afraid of God. They had never experienced these negative emotions before. Then they started blaming one another, another new aspect of their relationship now that sin was in the world. But God was merciful! He made leather skins to cover them, and that requires the death of an animal. The very first death ever was a blood sacrifice by God Himself. God also promised to crush the head of the serpent (Satan). But there were consequences to Adam and Eve's rebellion. The worst is that Paradise was lost, and without a Savior, all humanity is doomed for the Lake of Fire. The greatest news ever is that God provided Jesus as a substitute to die in our place, paying for our sins with His blood! More on that tomorrow!

Part 5 of 5 in "The Gospel Through Creation." We learned that God demanded a blood sacrifice because sin must be paid for with death. Abel obeyed and offered a blood sacrifice in faith. In contrast, Cain did what seemed right in his eyes and gave a produce offering. God accepted Abel. Cain had the opportunity to admit what he did was wrong, but instead he tragically killed his brother. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the animal sacrificial system. We can be like Cain and do what is right in our own eyes, and get what we deserve - the Lake of Fire. Or we can be like Abel and believe God, and choose a blood sacrifice - Jesus Christ. Jesus' blood sacrifice covers us if we TURN from our sin and TRUST in the gospel! There was a very clear gospel presentation and everyone was exhorted to turn to Jesus. A number of Campers indicated that they trusted in Jesus. Praise God! Please pray for the kids who heard this vital message!!!

Part 1 in a 5-Part series on "The Gospel Through the Patriarchs." These 5 lessons cover Noah through Abraham. Today we learned that people did very sinful things during Noah's day, and that's still true today. People all over the world were guilty of sin, and God saw it. God hates sin so much that He decided to flood the world. Because God is so good and patient and kind, He waited and gave people 120 years to repent. There was only one way to be saved... to go through the door of the Ark. God is kind, but He's also just, and because of his justice he must punish sin. God saved Noah and his family and they offered a sacrifice as a picture of the final sacrifice to come, Jesus Christ. The rainbow is a reminder of God's promise that He will never again flood the world. In Noah's day, God warned the people that He would flood the world, gave them time to repent, and offered one way of salvation. It's the exact same today. Now God warns us that, because of our sins, He will burn the world will fire. He gives us time now to repent, and offers one way of salvation: the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't want to be like the people in Noah's day who didn't believe God and paid for it eternally. More on that in tomorrow's lesson...

Part 2 of 5 on "The Gospel Through the Patriarchs." In the account of the Tower of Babel, we learn that God is sovereign and powerful and WILL get His way, and we can obey and have "the easy way" or disobey and have "the hard way." After God preserved the human race through Noah, He commanded everyone to spread out through the world. People refused to obey God (sin), and instead built a large tower to try to be like God (sin.) Interestingly, God referred to Himself in the plural (God said, "Let US," a reference to the Trinity.) To make the people do what they were told, (spread out throughout the earth,) God confused their language and made many many languages. The people who spoke the same language grouped together and spread out throughout the earth, the very thing God commanded them to do from the start, but that they refused to do. In the end, God got His way (of course!) but people received the consequences for disobedience. This has great application for us today and is a great part of this 5-part series.

I love that kids can truly understand and internalize solid Theology! Today was Part 3 of 5 on "The Gospel Through the Patriarchs." People all over the world were refusing to follow the True God, making up their own religions. In His kindness, God saw Abram and promised to make a great nation from him. But for that to happen, he needed a son. There was a problem, he was 75, and his wife, 65. But Abram believed God! In fact, from his descendants would come the final and ultimate Deliverer who was first promised in Genesis 3, Jesus Christ! God also told Abram to leave everything he knew, and Abram proved his faith was genuine because he did as God said. God blessed him so much, and his flocks increased so much, that there was strife between his people and his nephew, Lot's people. So Abram gave Lot the choice which way to go, and Lot went toward Sodom and Gomorrah. That location lead to death, while going away from there was life. God told Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abram believed God, and God counted it to Abram as if he were righteousness. Belief, or faith, is what makes us right with God. More on this critical concept tomorrow!

Part 4 of 5 in "The Gospel Through the Patriarchs." What would you think of a Judge who let criminals go free? That would be a terrible Judge! God is not a terrible Judge. He will punish sin. But He gives people a chance to repent. God told Abraham that He would make an example of Sodom and destroy it. If there were only 10 people in the whole city who followed God, then God would spare the city. Instead of finding 10 people following God, the opposite was true. When some newcomers came to town to stay with Lot, the men of the town demanded that Lot let them have the men to do things to them too horrible to mention. Because the men were really angels in disguise, they were able to escape, and warned Lot to leave and not look back. Lot and his family escaped, except Lot's wife, who looked back longingly and paid for it with her life. Sin has deadly consequences. Our sin has deadly consequences too, but we'll find out the cure... tomorrow!

Part 5 of 5 in "The Gospel Through the Patriarchs." God promised a nation through Abraham when he was 75 years old. 25 years later, at age 100, he miraculously had a son, Isaac. No Isaac - no nation. So imagine Abraham's emotions when God called him to sacrifice his only son! But Abraham believed God and passed the test of faith. God provided a lamb to save the life of Isaac, and this lamb is a picture, or a preview, of what God's final Lamb, Jesus, would do. Jesus died and rose from the dead to take the place of those who repent of their sins and trust in His work on the cross! In Noah's time, God saw sin and warned that he would flood the earth, and there was one way to escape. Most people mocked, but a few took the escape. With Sodom and Gomorrah, God saw sin, and there was one way to escape. Most mocked, but a few took the escape. The exact same thing is happening today. God sees our sin, promises punishment, and most people mock. Still, some people take the only way to escape. The only way to escape is through Jesus Christ!

Part 1 of a 5-part series on "The Early Ministry of Jesus." So we started with His birth. Jesus' birth is unlike anybody else. Jesus is God, and took on human form through a virgin named Mary. This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy written 800 years before Jesus (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was called Immanuel, which means "God With Us." Instead of being born in a luxurious palace, He was born in a simple wooden troth in a dirty stable. Jesus came to earth humble. He left the earth humbly on a simple wooden cross. Magi from Babylon met Jesus when He was about 2 years old and knew about the King of the Jews most likely from the Prophet Daniel. When Herod found out there was another "king" born, he was so angry he tried to kill Jesus, and slaughtered all the boys under 2-years-old in order to accomplish this. But God protected! Being warned in a dream by an angel, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt. Not the wonderful introduction to the world one would expect from the King of kings, but Jesus did many things that were unexpected.

Part 2 in a 5-part series on "The Early Ministry of Jesus." Here are the "BEFORE" and "AFTER" paintings. We learned that "In the Beginning" Satan successfully tempted Adam to sin, with disastrous consequences. Adam was humanity's representative, so all of us are under sin. After Jesus' baptism, Satan tried to temp Jesus to sin. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and, in His humanity, was hungry and tired. Still, Jesus, being perfect, successfully defeated Satan's temptations, each time using Scripture to thwart the enemy. What Adam couldn't do, and what you and I can't do, Jesus did! JESUS DEFEATED TEMPTATION! Jesus is God, and greater than Satan. Satan is destined for the Lake of Fire, and so is anyone who belongs to Adam's family. Jesus will be our Deliverer if we are adopted into His family. How do we get sorted into Jesus' family? We'll find out in upcoming lessons.

Part 3 of 5 in the "Early Ministry of Jesus." This lesson showed over and over again that "Jesus is the "Christ." "Christ" isn't Jesus' last name. It's His title. It means "King." It means He's "in charge" of us and everybody and everything. Jesus gained fame through His teachings and His power. Thousands came to hear Him. He taught the same things we teach from the Bible today. He showed amazing power. One day a home where he was teaching was so packed with people, that some people opened up the roof to let down a man who needed healing. Jesus saw their faith by their actions, and healed the man, and forgave his sins. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus is God. Jesus picked special disciples. He even chose despicable people like tax collectors. God can use and change anyone! But there was a traitor within the disciples. Judas was a hypocrite. He looked like he was following Jesus on the outside, but not on the inside. We must never be hypocrites ourselves. The religious leaders were jealous of Jesus and wanted to kill him.

This morning was a very powerful message from "The Early Ministry of Jesus." It was part 4 of 5. The Religious leaders at the time of Jesus thought there were two things you needed in order to be "right" with God: you had to have the right birth (be Jewish) and you had to do good deeds. Jesus met with a religious leader named Nicodemus and told him that "You Must Be Born Again." Jesus pointed out that our first birth is actually sending us to death because we all come from Adam. And Jesus used an allusion to Numbers 21 to point out that our "good deeds" aren't as good as we think they are. We NEED a second birth. Our first birth puts us into the family of Adam. Adam was a sinner, and so all his children inherit his sin, leading to the Lake of Fire. We must be ADOPTED into a second family, the family of Jesus. Jesus was sinless, so those in His family are seen as righteous, and that leads to Eternal Life. How are you adopted into the family of Jesus? I told the kids that I'd share that tomorrow, or they could ask me or a Counselor.

Part 5 in a 5-part series on the "Early Ministry of Jesus." And FYI, after the message a number of kiddos testified that they repented of their sin and have trusted Jesus this week - woo hoo! This message teaches about Jesus feeding 5,000 and walking on water, proving that He is the Lord God. When Peter came out into the water and started to drown, he cried out to Jesus, "Lord, Save Me!" That is what we must all do! We are all drowning in sin and only Jesus can save us. Jesus gave His life on the cross and rose again, defeating death, the grave, and sin! He was seen after His resurrection by over 500 witnesses for 40 days. If we turn from our sin and trust the Great News, we will have eternal life! Hallelujah and Thank You Jesus!