When thinking of summer camp, what comes to mind?  I am certain whether you are trying to remember back to your last camp experience or if your memory is fresh because you just returned from summer camp that a few things come to mind.  Most likely the thoughts of going to bed late, getting up early, several action packed days or even meeting new people!   Rarely do we spend time thinking about the return process, having to pack up and head home back to reality.  Having to say goodbye to old friends, new friends and even leaders that you might miss.  Probably similar to you, I rarely think past the action packed fun camps are seemingly all about.  Maybe only because camp is fresh in my mind am I thinking more about the finer points that we normally forget so quickly, yet yield lasting godly fruit.  One of those “finer points” I wanted to focus on is our individual call to live according to the knowledge we know and will one day be accountable for. 

Pastor Bill Clem came with us and talked a great deal about what our identity, worship, fellowship and even what our personal mission should look like, on an individual level.  All too often we have the mind set, “I attend church, the church is doing something good, thus guilty by association, I believe that I am doing something good by simply attending on Sunday!”  We have no sense of urgency.  No sense that our days our numbered, that we were put on this planet for a specific purpose, that we deserve nothing and yet God in His infinite grace and mercy has allowed us to come into existence, serve Him and experience Him from the human viewpoint.  We not only have the right, but the responsibility to steward ourselves well.  We must be in relentless pursuit of Jesus Christ and His purpose for us, because if we are not moving forward in that, we are certainly moving backwards.

As I recall, most of the students, student leaders and adult leaders felt a since of urgency concerning what our lives should look like now that Jesus has redeemed them.  And how unselfish we must attempt to be with this precious, short life.  That being said, as adults we must help engage and motivate our youth, neighbors, co-workers, family and friends toward the so appealing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Simply put we must be conductors or springboards for whoever God might allow to cross our path that we are to somehow, by God’s grace, contribute to their life on God’s behalf.  My challenge to us (myself most definitely included), in your next allotted time alone with God, ask Him to give you a new passion, a new heart for what He has already called you to, but maybe we are not on the same page as Him yet.  See if He wont give you that “camp” high solely for Him, we know His Word will not return void, we simply have responsibility in that process, to do our part in making that come to fruition.