Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to camp we go.....

Yes, the nephew left for camp today. He was so excited, and nervous, all at the same time. One minute he wanted to hurry up and leave, and the very next he wanted to go home. :-) After encouraging him, telling him how much we loved him, and how much fun he was going to have I have to admit that I had to fight the urge to follow the bus as it pulled out onto the highway. :-) I know, I'm silly. I tried to post a picture of him getting on the bus for ya'll, but blogger wouldn't let me for some reason. When I can I will try again. :-)

One great thing about "modern day" camps, at least this one is that they have a website! :-) They post updates throughout the day letting you know your kids arrived, what they are up to, their daily schedule, and you can even e-mail them! How cool is that?! :-)

After reading about their theme for this week I wish I was there! :-)

For many students, both Christian and not, nearly their entire life is presented as preparation for something else to come. When they’re kids, they can’t really do anything because they’re “just a kid.” They can really do stuff once they get to junior high and in the youth group. But then they’re just in junior high and should wait ‘til high school. But once in high school, they’re not really anything until they’re Seniors. But once they’re Seniors, they should just wait to college, then until they graduate and go to grad school and eventually get a job and then have to find someone to marry and then start a family and plan for retirement and everything else. Everything is about what’s to come. They’re in school to get trained to go until college to get trained for a job. They’re in relationships to realize who it is they want to marry. They’re getting jobs to train them to have a good work ethic. They’re in church so they can learn to do things right so that they might be good Christians one day.This constant preparation for the future exists in tension with the guilt and shame that they also feel about their past. Mistakes made some time ago can still hold a firm grip on a student’s life so that they feel trapped, unworthy and unable to live in the freedom that God has promised them through Jesus Christ. Both the trappings of the past and the pressures of the future often render our students paralyzed.In actuality, once they gain a proper understanding of their identity in Christ, they realize that God is at work right now and is calling them to live a life in relationship and on mission with Him right here and right now. This isn’t practice. This isn’t rehearsal. This is it.This is something that people have always needed to be reminded of. Moses and Joshua called the children of Israel to make decisions “today” about whether or not they would follow God. The prophets called people to repentance and action “today.” Mordecai challenged Esther about who knew whether or not she had come to be queen “for such a time as this.” It is perhaps not evidenced any greater than in the response of the disciples to Jesus’ call to “Come. Follow me.” They immediately left their nets, boats, tables and families to follow the Christ. God is calling us, all of us - young and old, child, youth and adult to life in and with Him. We have to choose whether or not we are going to live that life… here and now.

Love,
Wendy Darling

2 comments:

Princess LadyBug said...

Well if I hadn't just used up a week of my vacation, I'd say we could hope in the car and go. :P

BTW, I'm going to send him an email tonight. :)

WendyDarling said...

He'll love that. :-) Thank you.

Yeah, that would have been great. :-) Maybe I can be a chaperone next year. :-)