It's Not What You Think....

Anything for the kids, you know what I'm sayin'? Okay, so our theme at camp last week was "Restless" and we used the scripture from Isaiah 62:6-7 that talks about the "watchmen on the walls". So for our 11th and 12th grade students, we chose a Police Academy theme. So, of course.....mug shots were a must. I wouldn't show such an unflattering pic of myself if there wasn't a true spiritual meaning behind it. Don't I look like Ms. Hilton? The police academy motto is "The more you sweat when you train, the less you bleed on the street." All kinds of spiritual application there!

We had such an incredible week. It was definitely not what I expected! I really expected to be uplifted and personally challenged at camp, but it turns out, God used me to uplift and challenge others. I had several chances this week to work with students who had been through more in their sixteen years than I have in my thirty-three. I now understand why God allowed me to go through some of my difficulties in life, however. I like to call it fellowship of sharing in sufferings. Not that I have suffered greatly in my time here on earth, but I have hurt deeply and been healed with even greater depth. Only God has that kind of power. Madison Street Baptist Church brought about 75 students with them to camp and on Monday, the first night, got a phone call that a 12th grade student and his mother had been killed that afternoon in a terrible car accident. Like I said earlier, God did not do what I expected. Fortunately, Ben and his mom, Lisa, were both saved before exiting this life. What a testimony they left behind. An even greater testimony was that of the husband and father, Don. This man talked to the students at camp over speaker phone and basically quoted Job, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." Strength like that can only come from God.

We really have no idea just how short this life really is for us. For example, take 1000 years and cut it in half. Did you come up with 500? I hope so. Okay, now cut that in half. 250? And again...1/2 that. 125??? Did you know we are still not even at the normal life expectancy of any person living and breathing today? Crazy, huh? Our life here is but a vapor in comparison to eternity. Where are you going to spend forever and ever? It's one of two places. Heaven or hell. There is no in between. Because of our sin, which we chose, we are separated from God by death. We cannot be in fellowship with Him because of our disobedience. So, God sent Jesus to come and live a perfect life on earth and take our punishment in death on the cross. It wasn't the crucifixion that killed Him, it was taking our sin's punishment that sent Him to the grave. However, to conquer death Christ rose again. At that point, death had been swallowed up in VICTORY! The choice is ours, though. Do we die in our sin or accept Christ's death for our sin? Please don't make His death for your sin a waste.