June 11, 2001
What good does it do to go to camp?
___It's time for our youth group to go to camp, and even though I really look forward to camp every year, there's one thing that really bothers me. Every year, people cry and make all kinds of promises to God and to their friends, but when we get back home, everything goes back to the way it was. What good is going to camp and making a decision if it never lasts?
___Summer youth camp never changes!
___If your parents went to camp when they were teenagers, they could have said the same thing about their camp experiences. Standing around the campfire under a blanket of stars and singing "It Only Takes a Spark" can make anyone feel like she or he is ready to promise anything.
___There are probably several different reasons why so many decisions are made at camp and then forgotten.
___During camp, you're spending more time thinking about God than you do during a normal week. Although you do spend a lot of time trying to collect phone numbers and e-mail addresses from as many boys/girls as you can meet, you're also having daily quiet times, sitting in Bible study groups and worshipping every night.
DEBBIE CHISOLM
Minister to Students
Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas
___It is only natural that in that type of environment you find it easy to hear and respond to the voice of God.
___Needless to say, when you return home, God's voice is buried under the television, telephone, movies and the Internet.
___Unless we learn how to live in the world and somehow filter the noise to stay connected to the quiet stillness of God, then living out our promises is almost impossible. That's not only true for youth, but adults struggle with the same scenario.
___So, why go to camp? Well, perhaps for the same reason we shower every day. Why shower when you know you're just going to get dirty again? Although it's impossible to stay clean, it sure feels nice to wash away the dust of the day.
___Maybe that's what camp is like--a spiritual shower that washes away the dust of the everyday world.
___So, go to camp, sing, sit under the stars, talk to God. And when everything goes back to normal, don't forget how nice it felt to spend time with God!
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