FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

Welcome back (FINALLY) to another edition of FIVE THINGS FRIDAY. It has been a hot minute since our last post! We finally made it through summer and a busy schedule that kept me away from writing and sharing with you. So, in today’s blog I want to share with you about our summer, summer camps and everything else in between. Without further ado…

SUMMER CAMP IS JUST THE BEST

It does not matter if you are attending children’s camp or youth camp, there is nothing quite like having the opportunity to experience camp. Summer camp is a special place that will have an impact on children, youth and adults for years to come. In fact, I say the experiences they get at camp will last them a lifetime. It is a week away from technology and all the distractions at home where they get to focus in on God’s Word daily, experience new and unique games, make friends, grow closer to the friends they already have and best of all the opportunity to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

We do children’s camp at South Mountain Baptist Camp in Connelly Springs, NC. To me and many of our leaders, youth and children this place is special. In fact my wife and I have experienced SMBC for pretty much our whole lives (38 and 46 years). Some how our daughter has become a 12 year camp pro already at SMBC. It truly would not be summer without spending a week up on the mountain! This year was such a blessing because the speaker was a blessing to our kids. He, his wife and their two sons did a phenomenal job of sharing the gospel and relating it to kids. They quickly got added to the top of my list as one of my all-time speakers! Everyday is special as we see the joy on our kids faces. They experience Bible study, recreation, swimming, archery, gaga ball, playing in the creek and fishing throughout the week. On Thursday night we end the week with a bonfire, camp songs and testimonies of how God worked and moved in their hearts and lives that week. One of my favorite parts of camp is at the end of the day when we are in cabins doing our nightly devotions. I always give them a chance to share a couple of things about their day and it’s just a good way to end the day. It makes it worth it to be exhausted for Jesus at the end of each and every day!

Children’s Camp at South Mountain Baptist Camp 2023

Youth camp is a completely different beast! It is just as fun and engaging, but the energy level is a little more. We do youth camp at Garden City Chapel and Retreat in Garden City, SC. This is a little different setting because we do our own camp and programming. Also the dorms we stay in and eat in is really just South Mountain Baptist Camp at the beach, maybe that’s why we enjoy it so much! I know one of the reasons our students enjoy it is because we get to be at the beach for a week. Personally, I am not a fan of the beach and the sand, but I love watching our students experience the camp setting. Throughout the week we experience Bible study, crazy (and sometimes nasty) games, worship, themed night life’s and end the day with group devotions. Again, this is my favorite part of camp. My heart if full of joy as our students share about God and all the things they experienced throughout the day. This year was different as our “little” girl who isn’t so little got to experience her first youth camp! Lord willing, she will get to experience many more throughout the years.

Youth Camp at Garden City Chapel and Retreat 2023

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

This summer I had the privilege to be able to go to Alabama and speak at youth camp and believe it or not, this was my first time getting to do that. One of my buddies had asked if I would be willing to come and be the speaker for his camp this year and after much prayer I decided to accept his invitation. It was such blessing to be able to share God’s Word with about 40 students and spend a week with them. They had rented a lake house and it was so beautiful there. We go to spend our days with Bible study, games and relaxing in the lake. In the evenings after Bible study we participated in late night activities like karaoke, a game called Under Ground Church and one evening of a silent worship service experience. Since I was traveling to Alabama, my daughter traveled with me to keep me company on the long trip. Needless to say she may have lost her “DJ” responsibilities! But I am glad that she got to go with me and be a part of their camp experience. Kyle, thank you again for entrusting me to come and share with your students from God’s Word for the week. It was an experience that I am very thankful for!

FROM THE OUTER BANKS TO CAMPING

Our family vacations this summer consisted of a week in the Outer Banks with my wife’s family and then we concluded summer with a camping trip to Lake Greenwood in Ninety-Six, SC. Being able to spend a week in the Outer Banks was truly amazing as we spent it with family. If you have never been to the Outer Banks, it’s a long trip there, but worth it to see just how amazing God’s creation truly is. Even for someone who doesn’t like sand, being in the Outer Banks is a sight to see. While there I found this awesome little coffee shop (Front Porch Cafe)that I was able to go and spend sometime at while reading over my sermons for camp in Alabama. We also go to experience the dunes at Kill Devils Hill and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It was neat seeing the place where Duck Doughnuts was founded as well! After the Outer Banks and all of our summer camp adventures, me and my girls spent a few days at Lake Greenwood State Park. Of all the State Parks in South Carolina we have visited so far, this one may be at the top of my list. There was absolutely nothing to do except sit around and relax and play in the lake. One evening, it was a little creepy as we were the only ones in the lake. There were no other people, no boats, no jet skis, nothing. But it was so much fun for us and the sunsets each evening were absolutely gorgeous. If you like exploring State Parks then I highly recommend checking out Lake Greenwood.

GOOD-BYE SUMMER

Well, finally another summer has come and gone. This summer by far seemed to be one of the busiest ones yet, but it was still a great summer filled with memories, laughter and God’s working. It is always a little sad to see summer come and go, after all, it is my favorite season. And even though summer doesn’t officially end until September 22nd, as of this coming Monday another school year is upon us. My wife will be starting her seventeenth year teaching and Gracie will be starting her seventh grade year and second year of middle school! All of us hate to see summer go but we look forward to new adventures, another season of fall soccer, cross-country and anything else in between. Thanks for taking a few moments to read FIVE THINGS FRIDAY even though it was more like THREE THINGS FRIDAY today. I look forward to being able to write and blog more regularly now that summer has wind down. Have a great Friday and we will see you next week.

MOTIVATION MONDAY: THE WHOLE BIBLE IN 16 VERSES Part 4

HAPPY MONDAY, folks!!!!! After a crazy July, it feels good to be back with you. Before we dive into today’s post, how has your summer been? Anything exciting happened or any fun trips? I have a whole tow months to share with you on our FIVE THINGS FRIDAY starting this week, so be sure to check back to hear about all our crazy summer adventures. Well, I am excited to dive back into our Bible study on The Whole Bible in 16 Verses, so without further ado, here we go.

“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15, CSB

WOW! With the possible exception of John 3:16, no other verses int he Bible is more crucial and definitive than Genesis 3:15. This is good news considering the worst possible turn of events just happened in Genes 3:5-6. God clothed Adam and Eve after their treasonous act and in the pain and misery of their decisions, He still provided hope for them, their family and all humanity. Yes, the consequence of sin would be serious – pain in childbirth, relational conflict, hard labor, expulsion form the garden, and, most terrible, death and separation from God. However, God would not let sin have the last word!

As God finished condemning the Serpent, He also gave a plan for the human race. He would not leave us without hope. It is in these words we find hope, but also the pattern for the conflict that will continue until the new creation comes. God told the Serpent that there would be enmity or hatred between the “Seed” of the Serpent and the seed of the woman. But this enmity or hatred is not as simple as a rivalry between two sports teams. I am a huge Boston Red Sox fan and I absolutely loathe the New York Yankees. However, God has taught me that He can overcome even the biggest rivals in sports by continually putting Yankee fans in my life. I have learned to love them in spite of this glaring weakness in their life. And, the “hatred” between these two teams is nothing like the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, which was a bloody affair that led to deaths of a dozen men from these families. But in spite of this feud, it eventually died off after a few decades.

The enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman would not die out after a few generations or two. Unfortunately, it would continue for many generations. If you keep reading through Genesis you will see that as Adam and Eve were being fruitful and multiplying the earth, most of their descendants were defecting from the line of the Serpent. In Genesis 4-11 and really the rest of the Bible, is really just the outworking of Genesis 3:15. While the enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman was a real and lasting battle, the promise is there is hope, one who is to come who will crush the Serpent and His name is Jesus Christ.

Thanks for joining me today and have a blessed week. Next week we will meet a man through whom God continue this promise as we look at his covenant commitment. Until next time.