Reflection of Camp

I don't know why it's taken so long, but I did my first "camp pastor" thing with a sister church this week (and was very grateful for the opportunity). An added bonus was bringing our worship leader and some of his friends to lead a totally awesome worship experience with 3rd-5th Graders. Let me say how proud I was of these young folks who went above and beyond the call of duty. They did a fantastic job, and the kids loved them. They were dishing out autographs in the cafeteria at lunch time, because the children loved them so much. That was fun. The kids showed me exactly why Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." Their worship was unabashed, unashamed, and as loud as they could sing. The adult volunteers that gave of their time and money to come and serve tirelessly had the greatest attitudes. Not to be missed in all of this is the fact that a church loves their children enough to set a special time for them like this (and budget it!). The heart of the leader was mixed all up in this. My friend (he acts all tough) has the best for the children in mind. A few years ago, he switched from youth ministry to children's ministry, because he wanted to have more influence on the foundation of the faith for children.---So, I prepared well in advance, because I wanted to not only lead children to Christ, but also give them some stuff that would help their walk. It was a good experience for me to adjust with the flow and needs as I sensed them throughout the week. It was interesting that by the end of the week, God had me giving them three verses that would help them cope and flourish in the christian walk. I've labeled these verses and tell them to our church all the time: the Bad News Good News verse is Rom.6:23; the Hope So to Know So verse is 1Jn.5:13; and the We Ain't From Around Here verse is Eph.2:6. Try them on for size, you'll find hope and peace.