FIVE REASONS WHY WORKING AT CAMP WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Being a camp counselor is one of the greatest summer jobs you could ever have! Don’t believe me, let me give you five reasons why working at South Mountain Baptist Camp will change your life.

1. YOU GET PAID TO HAVE FUN!

Well, we use the term “paid” loosely, because you will work hard, really hard. But, when it is something that you absolutely enjoy, is it really work? Your days are filled with laughter, fun, games, fishing, swimming, worship and being surrounded by strange people that will become your life long friends. I cannot think of a better scenario where you get paid to have fun with some of the people you care the most about.

2. YOU WILL GROW AS A PERSON

Camp is hard, no doubt about it, but working at camp will stretch you. It will stretch you beyond your limitations, it will help you to gain an appreciation of work and how you can honor God through your work. You will learn time management and responsibility. You will learn life skills that you will use the rest of your life. You will learn how to function and operate on little sleep… okay, that may not be the best selling point! You will learn how to multi-task and do multiple jobs at once. You will find your breaking point and then learn how to push through to the end of the day or the week. Yes, camp is hard, it’s fun and it is challenging, but you will be a better person afterwards. Plus, you see first hand that it is God working in you, empowering you to do the things you will do every single day.

3. YOU DEVELOP FRIENDSHIPS THAT WILL LAST THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

The friends that you make at camp are amongst the closest friends you will ever have. You are in the trenches with these people every day, every night for 10 weeks. Will they get on your nerves? Probably! But, the memories you will make and share with these people will last you the rest of your life. You will not only make memories that happened at summer camp, but you will do life with these people. You will experience weddings, funerals and the blessing of seeing each others children play together. In fact, the friends you make at camp will become more like family in the end.

4. YOU WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY

One of the best things about working at a Christian camp is the opportunity to not just strengthen your beliefs, but to put them into action every day. You will learn what it means to “Trust in the LORD” every day as you spend time with Him. You will grow in “wisdom and stature”, you will grow in your knowledge of who God is as you experience Him in every moment. You will see first hand that God is with you wherever you may go as you walk around camp. You will understand that every morning His mercies are new and that He has a plan and a purpose for you as you prepare to face the day. As you draw closer to God, you cannot help but want to share Him with others and tell how He has changed your life.

5. YOU IMPACT LIVES FOR ETERNITY

This is quite possibly the best reason to work at a Christian summer camp! You have the opportunity to be a part of God’s plan and see lives changed for eternity. What a blessing it is to have a front seat to what God is doing! You will never know the impact that you had on a child whether they came to camp one summer or five summers. But you can rest assure that God used you to be a small part in that child’s life for a moment and that makes working at camp worth it.

Let me encourage you today, that it’s worth it to be exhausted for Jesus for a summer. I could share countless stories of how camp has impacted my life both spiritually and physically (maybe I will one day). If you are a teenager and you are looking for a summer job, let me encourage you to come and work at camp for a summer. It will be one of the best decisions you will ever make! If you are interested in learning more about applying at South Mountain Baptist Camp contact me at rob@smbc.camp.

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.

FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

Hello Friday and welcome back to another edition of FIVE THINGS FRIDAY. If this is your first time with us, welcome. I am so thankful to see Friday because this has been one crazy and hectic week. One reason for the crazy week is that it is the last week of school and in our house, that is always a hectic week. With this being the last week of school, it got me thinking about summer and all that it brings. So, in today’s edition of FIVE THINGS FRIDAY we are going to discuss all things summer. Let’s go…

SCHOOL’S OUT!

Photo Courtesy of Pelicans Snowballs in Hickory, NC

Today is the last day of school for our house! I know some students have already finished school for the year and summer break has already started for you. I know some of you may find this hard to believe, but there was a small part of me that always hated the last day of school. I never liked going to school for the work and study. I did however enjoy going to school to see my friends and participate in the extracurricular activities with them. I absolutely loved being a part of marching band, chorus and sports teams! I spent over 100 days with these people and then all of a sudden, I’m stuck at home all day with no friends and nothing to do. When I was growing up, if I wanted to hang out with my friends, I had to ask and beg my older sister to take to meet up with them to play basketball, tennis, or whatever else we would get into. More times than not, she was always willing. If I wanted to talk to them, I had to pick up a phone, dial their number and talk to them over the phone. It’s not like today where we can just text someone or FaceTime someone if we want to talk with them. But, I am grateful for those summers and still have some great memories of me and the boys.

So, with today being the last day of school, here is what I was wondering. Did you ever have an end of the year tradition as a kid or with your kids now? For example, once I pick up Gracie and Jana gets home, we will head over to Pelican’s for our end of the school year tradition that we started with Gracie. It’s not anything big, but it’s a fun little tradition. It actually makes me happy that our little pre-teen is still excited to go to Pelican’s after school! It’s the little victories in life that we will remember the most, right? What about you? Was there a tradition that you had for the last day of school?

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE

Ok, I probably lost some of you at this point, but stay with me. I know that you have doing a ton of school work and the last thing you want to do is pick up another book. I get that! However, I want to challenge you to keep your mind focused this summer. Sure, take a few days and do nothing but veg out on junk food, catch up on TV shows, sleep in, whatever you need to do to unwind from a grueling year. But don’t stay there! Challenge yourself this summer to read a book that you typically would not pick up. I will put out a more extensive list of books for you to read next week. So, for the moment, enjoy your start to summer, get rested up and congrats on a great year. Also, congratulations to all the graduates of 2022!

SUMMER SERVE

Summer is a great time to get out and serve others. Hold on, before you check out. Too many times we think of summer break as “me” time. I completely understand that. We all need a little “me/down” time, but don’t stay there! Don’t be so inward focused that you miss the people and opportunities right in front of you. Find a few ways this summer to go and serve. This isn’t just for students either! Maybe you want to find a way for you and your family to go and serve together, that would be such a blessing. Psalms 100:2 says, “Serve the LORD with gladness” (NASB). Believers should never look at serving God as a burden, but as a delight and privilege. Look for opportunities to serve within your church. Maybe your church has a monthly food bank or clothes bank that you could get involved with. Maybe you could go and help out one of the senior adults in your church. There are multiple ways for you to go and serve this summer. Don’t waste your summer by thinking only of yourself, if you do you will miss out on so many great opportunities.

SUMMER SCAVENGER HUNT

Yes, you read that right. I am going to create a summer scavenger hunt for you and your family to do this summer. It will be published next week along with the Summer Reading Challenge. This is just one way that you and your family can enjoy summer together. You can participate as an individual, a family, a Sunday school class or youth group. The possibilities are endless. This will be a weekly challenge and I look forward to participating with you!

EVERY SUMMER HAS A STORY

As I look back at past summers, I see a trail of wonderful and bittersweet memories. There have been summers that overflowed with joy and summers filled with deep sadness and pain. The common thread is that every summer was unique and had its own tale to tell.

Just as every physical summer has a story, so does every spiritual summer. We each walk through different spiritual seasons at different times. Fall is a time of change. Winter is a time of barrenness and preparation. Spring is a time of rebirth. And summer is a time for bearing fruit and embracing the abundant life that God has called us to.

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NASB)

This may sound strange but there is nothing quite like a sweet, sun-ripened summer strawberry! My wife absolutely loves them. In fact, she is already telling me that it’s time to go back to the beach so she can get her favorite strawberries from one of the farmers. Just like sun-ripened strawberries have to be cultivated and cared for while they are on the branches, so do we. We must stay connected to Christ, who is our vine if we are to grow in the image and person of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will stay connected to Jesus (the vine) this summer and seek to serve Him, to bring Him glory in all that you do. If you do, this summer will be one of the most exciting stories you will experience.

Thank you for joining me today and I pray that you have a blessed Friday. Until next week my friends!

FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

Hello, Friday! There is something special about waking up and realizing that it’s Friday, especially after testing week. I cannot believe that another school year has come and gone! It literally feels like yesterday when the school year started. I pray that everyone had a wonderful school year and congratulations to all the graduates! Whether high school or college, you deserve a round of applause for your accomplishment! I know that I am extremely proud of all my graduates this year! Well, in this edition of FIVE THINGS FRIDAY, I am going to need your participation and feedback. As the school year comes to an end and we are preparing for summer, I want to have some fun in this post with THIS or THAT Summer Edition questions. I look forward to hearing your responses! So, without further ado, here we go…

THIS OR THAT SUMMER EDITION

THIS OR THAT QUESTION 1: Sunrise or Sunset?

This is a really tough one, but I probably prefer sunset because I am not a morning person. However, there is something about a sunrise and having that morning sun hit your face. I think a sunrise is easier to photograph too, but the colors in a sunset are absolutely beautiful. But, I’m still sticking with my sunset! How about you?

THIS OR THAT QUESTION 2: Pool or Beach?

I enjoy pools as long as it’s not crowded and the same is true about the beach. Not sure why I chose this question because I am more of a mountains and camping person. But I will say pool! I am sure that many of you are beach people and would probably live at the beach if you had the chance… my wife being one of those people! If she could find a way to do it, her dream job would be the beach “librarian” where she would take her little book cart up and down the beach handing out books for anyone interested. I do enjoy the beach for the simple fact that I reminds me of how amazing God’s creation is. But, I am sticking with the pool for now.

THIS OR THAT QUESTION 3: Baseball Game or Summer Concert?

Hands down I will always go with a baseball game. There is something special about being at a ballpark in summer. The sounds, smells and over all atmosphere just screams summer. However, we are going to our first summer concert this year, so I may change my answer after that experience, we will have to wait and see. (I don’t really see that happening, but I’m keeping an open mind!)

THIS OR THAT QUESTION 4: Theme Park or Water Park?

THEME PARK ALL THE WAY! Water parks scare me because there are so many people swimming and floating in the water. I would rather spend an entire day walking around a theme park than swimming with a bunch of strangers who are bumping up against you. Even though there are probably more rides that I would ride at a water park, I will still choose to be in a theme park. I like the atmosphere and the smell of popcorn and food floating through the air is unbeatable. Now, I know some of you will try to say both, because you can go to theme parks that have water parks in them… that doesn’t count. You can only choose one!

THIS OR THAT QUESTION 5: Summer Reading or Summer Movies?

This one is actually quite hard for me. Now, I would say summer reading. When I was younger I did not like to read. I would much rather go and watch the movie, because the movie was better, right? My wife has greatly influenced this side of me since we have been married. I have stated before that I am not a fast reader, but I at least enjoy reading. Also, reading is a bit more relaxing than watching movies now a days. I cannot go to the movies just to watch a movie. It really has to be something that I want to watch. However, there are two summer movies that I will be going to watch this summer, but that may be it. But, which one are you choosing? What books do you enjoy reading and do you have a “favorite” spot that you like to sit and read during the summer?

Well, that’s it for this week. Have a blessed weekend and I look forward to reading your responses. Thanks for reading and see you next Friday!