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I recently ready The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons. The book takes a fresh look at the emergence of a church which is not seeking to separate from the world or blend in with the world, but seeking to restore the world to what it ought to be according to God’s original design. It offers tremendous hope that the gospel is being reclaimed by people planting themselves deeply into culture rather than parachuting out of it – proclaiming the good news as they use their gifts and talents to show God’s restorative power in all aspects of life – not just in what is traditionally thought of as “vocational ministry.” I highly recommend this book!

I’m NOT Going to Camp as a Chaperone.

Even if you don’t personally go to camp, you can play a significant role in helping students when they return. Here are 3 simple things you can do:

A – Ask them to share their stories. Here are some good questions to ask:

• What was the most fun thing about camp?
• Who did you get to know for the first time?
• Who did you get to know better?
• Who was your leader?
• What was one tough thing that you had to deal with?
• What’s made you laugh the hardest?
• What was the theme?
• What’s something you discovered about God for the first time?
• What was the most significant thing learned?
• What big decision(s) did you make at camp?

B – Be affirming.

• Laugh with them.
• Cry with them.
• Thank them for sharing their experiences with you.
• If they have something that they complain about, refocus them on the positives.
• Say things like …
• I’m proud of you!
• It sounds like God was doing some good things in you.
• I’m glad you were able to make some friends/deepen your relationships.

C – Challenge them to keep growing.

• Camp is a great experience. It’s fun to get away from our parents, our every-day lives, and be together with our friends to experience God in a unique way.
• But, remember, camp is meant to move us forward in our relationship with God. How are you going to live out the decisions you made at camp now that you’re home?
• Say things like …
• Make sure you tell your parents about what God did in your life at camp.
• Who are some of your friends that can ask you questions and help keep you accountable for living out your decisions?
• When will you tell them and invite them to hold you accountable?
• I’ll be praying for you and checking up on you to see how you’re doing.

I AM Going to Camp as Chaperone.

3 Weeks = 3 Personal Touches

We believe Camp is a tremendous time for students to encounter God in a special way. We also know that it’s easy to go home and for the passion to dwindle and to forget what we learned. During the first 3 weeks after camp, here are 3 simple things we would ask you to do to follow-up with the kids in your group:

1. A Note of Affirmation – Write each of your kids a note highlighting something you saw/enjoyed/learned about them at camp.
2. A Conversation – This can be a phone call or a chat with them after service. Ask them how they’re doing, how they’re living out decisions/things they learned at camp, and how you can pray for them. (Oh yeah, and maybe even go ahead and pray for them right there!)
3. A text or Facebook Message – Drop them a line letting them know you’re thinking about them and praying for them, and encouraging them to continue living out what they learned at camp.

There are 3 big reasons we include certain items on Do Not Bring lists for various trips we take. The first one is sheerly practical. The second two go deeper to our values.

1. Many of the items are electronics such as iPod’s, cell phones, laptops, and other electronics which are usually expensive in nature, and we don’t want students to lose them, have them broken, or stolen. 
2. Many of those items are (ironically) anti-social in nature, and they work against our values of true, face-to-face communication and genuine relationship building. We want kids to have the ear buds out, the cell phones away so they can focus on getting to know each other beyond just “Hey” and “What’s up?”.
3. Finally, the concept of retreat is a spiritual activity that dates all the way back to the Bible. We believe that short-term, intentional disconnect from our day-to-day lives and activities so we can more intensely focus on and hear from God is a super important practice to embrace in our fast-paced, noisy culture. The temporary sacrifice of some of our “noise toys” is worth it to experience deep connection with God.

On Monday the girls didn’t have any school, and Ady and I didn’t have to work, so we decided to have an all-out family day. We started with brunch at IHOP followed by a visit to Indian Canyons in Palm Springs where we hiked 5 miles of trails. The scenery was gorgeous! We followed a stream along the canyon with palm trees lining the water. After our hike we went to the movie theater and watched Journey to the Center of the Earth 2, then went out for dinner at a local pizza place. A very fun time as a family! Click here to see all the photos.

Notice the rainbow in the sky!