Life, Post-Church Camp

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them…As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.- Mark 9:2-10

In the process of writing this post I decided to go digging through some of the stuff  I still have from church camps past. I found a couple recap videos from Big Stuf Camps. As I watched one of them I teared  up a little; hearing parts of messags that forever changed the trajectory of my life when I was 18 years old; fresh out of high school. Literally! It was the week after graduation that I was in PCB with my church at camp!

I feel very blessed that I grew in a student ministry that exposed me to a lot of different camps and retreats and even weekend events (D-Now, Challenge Weekend). Loved those weeks/weekends.

Like Peter, James, and John, Jesus leads us up mountains for a time. We get to leave our realities and are alone with Him. No distractions of school, family demands, friend drama, work…etc. I think thats why Beach Church Camps are even harder (at least for me) to come home because for a week I get an ocean view and all I do is worship, study my Bible, fellowship with other believers, eat and lay out! Seriously, who wants to leave that?

No demands! No Responsibilities (not really, other than to be on time for sessions), all I have to focus on is Jesus! That’s it! I have nothing really pulling at me to distract me from doing just that! But, then at some point what happens?

You have to go home. You come down the mountain!

Peter, James and John had to COME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!!!

But notice this, Jesus led them up the mountain, but he was with them as they came down the mountain! He never left! I just have this picture of them not dreading the walk down, but rather just chatting with each other and Jesus. Granted, they talked about what just happened on top of the mountain as they came down, but they did have to come down. Jesus, Peter, James and John had work to do. There was life that had to be lived, and it wasn't going to happen on that mountain.

I LOVE making memories and reminiscing. When my friends and I that I grew up w/ in youth get together w/ our old youth pastors what do we do? We tell stories and laugh until we are in stitches!!!

Jesus, Peter, James and John talked about what just happened on the mountain. That was an amazing moment and one I'm sure they talked about (amongst themselves) for years. Like those guys, all those years in the youth group were some good times. Some of my favorite! They are still fun memories to talk about and relive, but we are not meant to stay there to the point that it get us down and we are no good where we are.

The mountain tops are nice, but they were not meant to be where we stay! Again, You know they probably talked about that moment, on the mountain, for years the three of them. Not everyone was there, just those three. But it wasn’t something that seemed to cause them to get into some kind of funk. You know, post-camp depression or post-camp withdrawal. Nothing wrong with missing people, but you know what I mean. haha 

We are hit with reality and simply live in the past and want to relive those moments over and over again. I find it interested that in Matthew, after Peter, James and John come down from their “mountain top” experience immediately a father brings him his demon possessed son and they can’t heal him, later Jesus says “because they have little faith…” Well, that is not exactly the reality I would want to be hit with after having just been on the mountain top!

Jesus took Peter, James and John on the high mountain apart. They “literally” had a mountain top experience. But, they were not meant to stay there. They had to come down. Moses couldn’t stay in the tent or stay on the mountain either, he had to come down and come out and lead the Israelites

I found this written in a Journal of mine from 2008

“As a student ministry we always talk about how great Big Stuf and how awesome it was, or D-Now, Challenge weekend, Foundation week, mission tour, world changers, you name it. But then we come home and mope around like life has no meaning. Why do we seem to experience God in such amazing ways at camps, retreats, and on mission trips? What we would call “mountain tops” experiences?”

The reason those things “events” are so much fun is because we go into them w/ an expectant heart. We expect God to show up in big ways. We go in with an attitude that this week or weekend is going to be amazing. When we expect God to show up and do something…What happens? He does! Why? Because you were expecting it and looking for it! But why do we seem to have expect hearts for events? God is the same yesterday, today and forever, right? Why can’t we seek God at Church on Sunday Morning, Sunday Night. Wednesday Night, during the week, in our cars, in our bedrooms, at school, during our quit times the same way we do at church camp, conference or retreats? Why do we only worship God whole-heartily, no holding back, when the lights are off and the band is playing our favorite songs? We can have a “big stuf” wherever we are!”

You and I can have our own “Church Camp” in our car! Personally, there have been times when I have been in my car or at home by myself and had my own personal revival! Haha

Approaching each day with and expectant heart has made all the difference in my walk with the Lord Jesus!

Webster defines Expectant as: Having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, esp. something pleasant and interesting. I’ve heard it said this way: Waiting in hope! Love that!

This whole thing about how to handle the post-camp withdrawal was after something my pastor preached on this past Sunday! We were studying (1 John 2:12-14). Learning how to identify were each of us is in our walk with Christ.

Some of us are:

A)    Fathers- Making Disciples (reproducing yourself)”

B)    Young Men- Growing Spiritually. You know you’re in a battle, you know where your strength comes from and you know how to grow

C)    Children: spiritually immature, dependent, their unskilled (in the use of Scripture), lack discernment

We all, as believers, fall under one of these! But there was something he said in talking about a mature believer, how you can  know if you are a mature believer or  a child.

“Children operate on feelings. They operate by feelings. They are completely dependent! But, as a mature believer you understand that you can’t live in the cradle forever. You become responsible, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings but you don’t operate by feelings. Many Christians are trying to stay in the cradle (you can’t operate on camps, retreats, and revivals) those things are great but you and I were never meant to stay there. We have to come to a place of obedience not because of feelings. 

Remember that amazing rush when you first became a Christian? After about a year you don’t get that rush everyday do you? What happens is we start chasing that feeling or rush instead of taking what God did and what you learned and allow it so spur you on be obedient everyday.

We are called to walk by faith not feelings. Not saying feelings are bad, but when allow them dictate EVERYTHING we have a problem! There are days I don’t feel like doing certain things but I am called and you are called, we as believers are called to obedience!

Worship Jesus like that everyday, love like that everyday, look for ways to serve like that in your own community, study the word with that much diligence. It’s easy when it’s all your day consist of, but then reality sets in and I’ve learned from personal experience that the real test of what God did in your life, whether is was REAL or just another “camp high” is what happens when you get home, when you go back to school, when you go back to your church, your job, has there really been a change? That’s when you know if it was just another fun week with a lot of memories or if real life changed happened! It’s the the day-in and day-out stuff.

I LOVE church camp, retreats, conference, worship nights, you name it…I am ALL about them! Been to many and hope to go to many more but, it shouldn’t be the only time we’ve really eatin’ all year!

Allow it spur you on.

The image of a bear just came to mind. A bear stores up food for the winter. He eats and eats and eats, so he can do what? SLEEP! He sleeps through winter and after winter is over he does it again. Many Christians treat camps that way, It takes one to know one, just saying. Been there! Not pointing a figure. But, that’s what we do. We store up all this stuff from camps, retreats and conference and it’s all we live off of for MONTHS at a time! That is not what we are called to do, nor how we as believers were designed to function and be of any good to the Kingdom of God.  We need Him, Jesus, DAILY!

I use to LIVE for Big Stuf!! I mean LIVE for that week where I knew the preaching was going to be off the charts and music was going to be LOUD and everyone felt free to worship however they felt lead! But then I would come home…

What changed? God didn’t! He is still the same! His heartbeat is still the same!

Just tonight I went and pulled out some old recap video from Big Stuf 2005 (a summer that changed my life forever!!!) and a few others! It was so amazing to look back at a summer that changed my life, but what would have happened if everything I heard that week I didn’t allow to take root in my life? There would have been no fruit. It may have been a great fun week with my youth group but if it didn’t produce any fruit (nothing) than all that week was nothing more than a vacation.

In Luke 8, Jesus tells the parable of “The Sower.” Take time and go read the whole thing, but basically Jesus gives us three examples of how people respond to the Word of God

1)   Seed that fell on rock- “Those on the rock are the ones who received the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they will fall away (vs.13)

2)   Seed that fell among the thorns- “The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature (vs. 14)

3)   Seed that fell on good soil- “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop (vs. 15)

Which one are you?