Camp Life (#1) - Worship

It's Worship

We were created to worship. We always have and always will worship something or someone. We put that thing or that person in the place of glory. We dedicate ourselves and sacrifice our time, energy, and money for that thing or that person. It all comes down to WORSHIP.

Exodus 20

1 “Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” (NAS)

The Israelites are hearing these words on the heels of experiencing God’s goodness and grace in amazing ways. Remember, they had just been removed from generations of slavery. It was who they had become. All of a sudden the God that they heard so much about from the days of Abraham, Joseph and Jacob had delivered them. Fresh in their minds were the plagues, the angel of death passing over their homes and the red sea.

It is crucial not to breeze over verses one and two. God is not setting forth a condition for His people. He’s not saying, “You do this and then I will do that.” God is giving them a confirmation. A confirmation of His goodness and His grace. He proclaims, “I am the LORD your God.” Before they were obedient, before they followed Him, He initiated the relationship.

It is also crucial to recognize the first two commandments which are different from the others. “You shall have no other gods before Me” and “You shall not make for yourself an idol” are the foundation of WORSHIPPING God. If we obey the first two commandments… we will obey the rest.

“The opposite of Christianity is not Atheism, but Idolatry.”

- Peter Krefft

Romans 11-12

36 “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Through Jesus – God gives us that same confirmation. It was nothing we have done or ever could do. It is because of God’s goodness and grace that Jesus lived our life, died our death… and through His resurrection offers new life. Worship is still the foundation. It is because of Jesus (vs. 36) that we are called to present or dedicate ourselves to God AND sacrifice our all.

Worship at Camp

Because you are dedicating yourself to the ministry here at Arrowhead AND because you are sacrificing your time and energy to sing songs, play games, clean toilets, talk about Jesus, set tables, swim in the lake, give a hug and share meals together… you are worshipping God.

As you serve here at camp our ultimate goal, our mission and passion is to WORSHIP God. Anything short of worshipping God is sin… the root of which is Idolatry. First and foremost you are a kingdom builder. As for now, you find yourself building the kingdom in the context of camp. You will have great opportunities to serve and love others. Much of what you do will revolve around physically caring for individuals. Each day will be a great opportunity for WORSHIP.

The New Dock

A few years ago we purchased a brand new floating dock system. The new dock has the same shape as the old dock with a few additions - a massive sliding board (with water pump), two ladders and a bench. Two years ago we built a two-stage jump tower and last year we purchased a new fleet of paddle boats.

This year we have purchased another brand new section of the floating dock system. We replaced the old auxiliary floating dock which is used to create the deep end of our swimming area. The new section is a huge octagon with a ladder.

We are thrilled to see this new addition to the dock which really completes the safety and excitement of the waterfront. We are also excited because many of the James Project groups coming in this summer will be investing together to help fund this new dock section.

Worship - Morning Song

I spent last night at the Cabin... which has been a weekly routine for about two months now. After putting Natalie to bed and kissing Kelly goodnight I scooted out the door and down the road.

I took the evening hours to refine some thinking/writing that I have been doing in preparation for the summer. This morning I woke up (somewhat with the sun) around 5am. I stoked the fire and then stretched outside on the porch in the cool morning air. After little breakfast and some quiet, I spent a good hour in worship by singing.

I love the cabin! It provides me the freedom to sing loudly, triumphantly, with fist pumps and bellowing "Amens" and everything... without causing anyone else an ounce of discomfort or distraction.

Here's a song that I just could not stop singing. I encourage you to settle in, take a moment to relax - then hit play and close your eyes.

"

Camp Countdown & Update

Summer is almost here!

Countdown til Camp
30 days

For a few weeks now most of our summer programs have been closed. Four of the six weeks of Shepherds Camp and both weeks of Day Camp are closed... because they are full. There is no room for any more campers in the majority of our summer camps. It has been what I like to call a good problem. More registration forms are arriving daily for the remaining two weeks and we are very close to breaking last year's attendance for the summer.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the summer.
We are still in need of:
- A Nurse for one week of camp (June 28th - August 5th)
- A few more Counselors to serve for two weeks (or more)
- A few Night Watch Staff(staff who serve by working 3rd shift)
- We have one more open week for the James Project (June 14-26)

Give me a call or shoot me an email if you or someone you know would be available to meet these needs for the summer.

Thanks,
Ben Myers
Arrowhead Bible Camp
570.663.2419
abc@arrowheadministry.org

The Tree of Iniquity

Last week I was with Kelly, riding on the golf cart from the main building over to the house. As we passed by the camper cabins I looked at Kelly and said, "I'm gonna pull that tree out of the ground. That tree is crooked and ugly and it has to go!" Kelly quietly rebuttaled saying, "No it's not. It's fine. The tree looks fine." I protested declaring, "The tree is as ugly as sin!" (yeah I know... lame, but so is the tree). It was then that God reminded me of a sermon I heard earlier in the week. The pastor mentioned that the word iniquity which carries the idea of - something that grows crooked, not straight, out of line, in a disjointed and warped direction. Seeing this disfigured tree also jolted me back to when I was 17. I vividly remember taking trips out to the Susquehanna River (near Columbia) to hike out and sit on the remains of some old pillars where train tracks crossed over a creek running into the river. It was there that I would spend time reading and memorizing scripture. One of my favorites was Psalm 25 which mentions the iniquity of youth.

That is some pretty heavy stuff coming from a pine tree at camp.

During the Soul Thirst retreat this past weekend that tree... the tree of iniquity as I have declared it to be was on my mind, especially as we approached the topic of being aware of God's presence. On one hand I was intrigued to discuss, practice and wrestle with being present in the presence of Jesus. On the other hand I had this stereotypical image plaguing my mind. My thought was that the person who is aware of God moment by moment, each day, every day is disconnected from reality, distracted by everything, pausing every few minutes to comment on how blue the blue sky is or how that cloud looks like a cross and that cloud just looks pretty.

I discussed this predisposition with the group and our facilitator Doug. He smiled and said, "We'll get to that. Don't worry, tomorrow we're going to go outside and look at stuff." We all laughed a little even though I was serious and I think a few others in the room had the same mindset. As the weekend continued we spent time in scripture and putting more words around being in the presence of God. We also spent time in stillness and practicing awareness/attentiveness. Throughout each day all of those things mingled together with meals, rest, singing, prayer and whatever random topic we were discussing.

On Saturday while we were discussing Mary's responses to being in Jesus' presence this question was asked, "Do you ever go from one task to another all the while thinking about that next task, envisioning yourself working on or completing that task and/or deciding on the details of that task?"

I immediately thought about times when I am walking or riding from my house over to the main building office. I am always thinking about what's next. I see my list of things to do and the computer screen in front of me. I begin prioritizing my list and strategizing ways to get more work done.

Then the comment was made, "When we do just that we are anything but aware and attentive... especially to God's presence. We blow by opportunities to serve others, meet needs, be a blessing, encounter creation, or even to simply rest when we are already somewhere else doing something else."

So there it was... staring me right in the face. I do not live moment by moment and it causes me to miss the presence of God. I want to be seen by Jesus instead of wanting to see Jesus. I miss things like that crooked tree or the wind on my back as I walk through green grass that was brown only last week. Unfortunately, I also pass by people... people who have needs. People who are more important, more valuable than the tasks of my job.

That is even heavier stuff coming from a pine tree at camp.

I am thankful for all that God showed me and convicted me of on the retreat... and at camp by way of the Tree of Iniquity. My hope and prayer is that God will continue to give me a greater awareness of His presence moment by moment.

Shepherds Spring Retreat

We just finished up our Shepherds Camp Spring Retreat. In the blink of an eye... just as quick as everyone arrived, all the hustle and bustle is over and the camp is quiet again.

It was a GREAT weekend with over 40 campers in attendance. Altogether we had just over 30 staff members including counselors, co-counselors, program staff, kitchen CREW, volunteers, returning staff and new staff. The weather was almost unbearably summer like reaching 70 degrees on Saturday. The best part of the retreat was reuniting as a staff and reconnecting with our campers. It was great to see some of our new staff that will be serving with us this summer make the trip to be a part of the retreat. Alongside our classic camp activities - crafts, Bible & Music, Chapel, and games we also got to go on Hayrides on Saturday. Overall the retreat was rather uneventful. Nothing crazy happened with the campers and our staff seemed far from overloaded.

Another exciting part of the weekend was a small Serve Crew from Hanover (where Kelly and I grew up). Kevin, Jim, Jill, Lois and Howard came up to camp for the weekend to serve in a variety of ways. Lois was our camp nurse for the weekend. Without her we would not have been able to have the retreat. "Thank you so much Lois!" Jill took care of some much needed landscaping around the camp and served in the dining room. "Thanks Jill. The grounds look sharp and you were an encouragement & blessing to the kitchen CREW." The guys were able to build a shelter for lake in just one day. From the ground up they grabbed all the lumber, made a design from my simple explanation and hand gestures, constructed flooring, walls and roofing. Then they transported the shelter to the lake front, assembled the pieces and doctored some old barn boards into siding with great character. The SHELTER is an intentional space for our staff. It will be utilized year round (mostly in the warmer months) as a place at camp where our staff can "escape" the sights and sounds of camp to intentionally carve out space and time to be with God. Whether it is watching the run rise, sitting quietly to mediate on scripture, taking a much needed nap or praying with a small group - the guys intentionally created "the space" that will help our staff as we disciple them to intentionally create "the time". "Thanks guys. The SHELTER is going to be a great place of worship for our staff."

James Project - weekend

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of partnering with Crossings Community Church from southern PA. They came up to camp over a weekend to serve as a James Project Group. The James Project continues to have a huge IMPACT on Arrowhead and each of the James Project groups that come to serve. For camp, it was a refreshing opportunity to partner with like-minded ministry leaders who desire to make disciples. It was also an exciting opportunity for us to come alongside them to equip, encourage and disciple their group. And of course, it provided leaders and students with the opportunity to serve one of our guest groups that was on retreat for the weekend.

For each James Project group, serving for a weekend or a week presents them with the opportunity to serve God by serving others AND to complete their own objectives as a group. James Project groups come to WORSHIP - to dedicate themselves and sacrifice their time, energy and money as the serve. James Project group leaders utilize their time as a group to grow, build unity, study the Bible, work hard, have fun and find time & space with God. As they leave camp their experience as a James Project group follows them back home as they continue to make disciples. Crossings had a great weekend - building unity, challenging their students and serving the guest group. We are grateful for their sacrifice and dedication as they served diligently here at camp.