Camp Vibes

I have been reminded multiple times this summer of the joy and peace that comes from being submerged in the word of God and surrounding yourself with a community of like minded believers. Do you remember what that feels like? When we “grow up” we get so caught up in doing grown up things that we lose sight of what we should be busy doing most, loving and praising God and loving people. My daughter went to church camp last week and came home renewed and full of confidence for what’s to come. She even made a post on her Instagram urging her friends to “come to Jesus if you have something bothering you.” She reminded her friends of the verse in Matthew 11:28 about being burdened and weary and how the Father gives you rest. Likewise, one of my boys is working at a Christian camp this summer and he too has be reaping the benefits of being poured into on a daily basis and sharing his faith with the kiddos. He has talked a lot about the verse in Hebrews 10: 24-25 that says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The thing is, life gets so busy. Our schedules fill up and our bodies get tired, and we slowly begin to lose touch with those whom we were meeting with and growing with. That “camp feeling” gets overshadowed by those grown up responsibilities feeling. I know for myself personally, as our children started getting older, it became easy to not attend church regularly because they had a game or an event, or we were out of town, or we were tired from a busy week, etc. and we gradually stopped going to church. At first, it was just missing Bible study before “big church”, but eventually we started only going to “big church”, and then we eventually stopped going all together. We still pray together and talk about God and our faith regularly in our home and daily lives, but this summer it has become clear that we are missing something. It’s community. You see, we need relationships with like minded people to encourage us and challenge us to be better, stronger, bolder. We have to be poured into on a regular basis in order to keep us full of faith and perseverance. Life gets hard, our time and relationships with people become more restricted (especially now with the pandemic), but we still need each other. The Bible tells us often that there is strength and power when we gather together. More specifically, in Matthew 18:20 it says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I (God) with them.” Worshiping, praying, serving all become more effective when we are doing it together. We were designed for community. We were created to love God, love others, and to be loved ourselves.

It is no surprise that when my children spend time fully immersed in the word at camp and surrounded by friends with the same intentions, that they are filled with a fire to tell others about Christ, and that they want to serve, and grow, and praise God with their whole self. When we fill ourselves up with the living water we become so full of God’s love that He spills out of us onto the people around us and into every area our lives.

Let’s be reminded of that excitement we felt at church camp when we were younger. Let that feeling stir up some enthusiasm inside of us again! Maybe we do that by looking for a church home if you don’t have one, or maybe going back to the church you’ve been missing. Reconnect with your old small group, or start a new small group. Do whatever it takes to find time with other believers and fill your cup so you can then pour into someone else’s. Let’s get those just back from church camp vibes flowing and then let’s keep them. All day. Everyday!

And while we are talking about church camp… Do you remember all those silly songs we used to sing to get pumped up? What was your favorite silly song? Mine was Spring Up Oh Well. I loved the splish splash and the yee-haw! It’s so funny how I can still remember all the words like it was just yesterday. I LOVE that camp feeling! Share one of your favorite camp songs in the comments section, and let’s get pumped up! ~ Blessings, TDB