Jude: Defending the Faith

When is the last time you read the book of Jude?  You know, that really short one just before Revelation.  This is a seldom taught and thus seldom read book of the Bible but it is so important to us in this day and age.  Jude writes this very urgent letter to instruct his readers on how to identify false teachers.  Jude does not hold any punches in his short letter when it comes to the character and judgment of these misleading leaders.  He compares them to Sodom and Gomorrah, fruitless tress and fallen angels.  Jude implores his readers to “contend vigorously” for the one true faith and gospel. He warns them to beware of self-seekers who wish to detract from Christ’s gospel.

So, what does false doctrine look like?  False doctrine is anything that places its focus outside of faith in Jesus Christ.  So, I have two questions for you.

Do you know your faith well enough to know when it is being attacked?

Are you actively involved in defending the faith?

There is no shortage of critics and false teachers of Christ.  I wonder what our families, schools, cities and countries would be like if we all began to stand up for our faith?

 

Here Comes the Party [Barge]

As I promised last week, today I will be giving you a glimpse of the work being done on the Party Barge.  Thanks to donors and volunteers we have been able to overhaul one of our greatest assets. Some of the new highlights include: lighting (for night-time fun), a sound system, all new zip-line tower, new composite decking, easy to use staircase, new paint and other eye pleasing additions.

This has been no small undertaking for the site team.  They have been working on grinding, welding, sanding, painting and building since the fall.  I am so grateful for all the hard work that has been going into this project and am so excited to see the finished product in use this summer.

The pictures only show our current progress, you’ll have to come this summer to see it in its full glory.  Campers are going to have a blast on this year, parents, sign up for a family camp so you can experience it first hand as well!

As we say goodbye to the Party Barge as it once was, I would love for anyone to share fond memories they have at the Party Barge. For me its all the time I’ve spent out there training our lifeguards.

As we look forward to using the new Party Barge, I must ask; what are you most looking forward to this year at SpringHill?

Meet the Staff [Part 1]

Over the next several weeks I will be taking one day a week to introduce you to a couple of our staff.  The staff members that will be included in these introductions are our Resident Staff and our Leadership staff.  Resident staff is the staff here at camp that leads the summer camp experience and would include Camp Center directors. (ie the TST Director) Typically the resident staff team is made up of individuals who have been around camp a while and have graduated college.  Leadership staff report directly to Resident staff and are the direct leads for counselors.  Leadership staff would include Area Directors.

I am excited to introduce you to our 2012 Summer Staff and as you will see in their short bios, they can’t wait for summer!

 Hello, my name is Chad Tribbett and I am from Westfield, Indiana. I am currently finishing my last semester at Indiana Wesleyan University as a Criminal Justice major and writing minor. This summer will be my third summer on staff and I will be serving as the Target Sports Lead.  As the target sports lead I will be in charge of archery, rifles, trap shooting, slingshots and of course, paintball.

I went to SpringHill a lot as a camper and loved every experience, and working there the last two years has really shown me how great of a ministry it is and how rewarding it is for everyone involved. It’s an incredible opportunity to serve Christ and kids while having an awesome time.

I am looking forward to getting connected with staff and campers and seeing how God is going to use the camp to further His kingdom this summer.

My name is Amy Kappel.  I am a sophomore at Indiana University studying nursing.  I am so excited to be the kitchen lead for SpringHill this summer! I started coming to SpringHill when I was in high school, and they haven’t been able to keep me away since.

This will be my third year working in the kitchen and my second year as kitchen lead.  I am so excited to see all the remarkable ways God is going to work this summer at SpringHill.  It is truly humbling to see so many campers come to Christ as well as see the staff around you grow in His presence.   I can’t wait for summer 2012!

The Learning Leader

I have heard many times that all leaders must be lifetime learners. Which to me always translated to reading all the time. Now, I go through seasons of reading a lot and I would say in general that I enjoy it. However, what does it mean when I just don’t have the time or desire to read another Maxwell, Stanley or Blanchard book? Does this mean I am failing as a leader?

While I totally agree that in order to be a great leader you must be a learner, I think we need to expand our vision of what it means to be a “learner”. Reading leadership greats is a must and should be a part of the learning process (listen to those who have gone before) however there are other very valuable avenues as well. Some of my greatest leadership insights have come in moments not hours. They have come when a mentor in my life has shared some special nugget, which from them almost seemed off hand, but later I would unwrap this piece of gold. Sometimes the mentor didn’t even say a single word to me, I was simply present to see something that was a part of their life and leadership. Having an intentional leadership mentor is so vital to anyone in leadership yet it is often overlooked or not pursued. Leaders tend to view mentors as training wheels or at best accountability partners. While they can serve in both of those capacities there is so much more wealth within this relationship to be unlocked. If you do not yet have a mentor and you are either in leadership or aspire to be I encourage you to find one. The easiest thing to do is to talk to the person you already respect as a leader in your life. Ask them if they would be willing to come alongside you as you lead.

Do you have a leadership mentor?

Share what this relationship has meant to your life.

Change is in the Air

While I know it is too early to declare the arrival of spring, it sure is hard not to get excited about warmer weather and sunshine.  At SpringHill spring means many things but most importantly it means getting ready.  Every year we try to step it up another notch over the previous year as well as take another step in the direction of our mission.  This year there are three main projects we are working on to improve the physical property and experience of our guests.

1. Dining Hall Upgrade
2. Electricity to all housing areas
3. Party Barge Update

Today I am going to share a little bit about the Dining Hall plan and why this project is important to SpringHill.  By the time we have our summer campers on camp in June we will have totally revamped our dining hall space and improved its ability to be used as a session space.  As you can imagine, a large area with a concrete floor and many hard surfaces did not make for an ideal space for large group sessions and loud bands.  So, we brought in an acoustical engineer and designed a plan to improve this space and control sound.  We are also looking at revamping the stage area to include two screens, a permanent stage and real professional stage curtains.  Another really cool addition is the GOBO.  Usually drummers are stuck in Plexiglas fish tanks in order to control sound levels.  With the GOBO we will be able to eliminate the tank and free up more stage space.

All of this work will add up to a well-purposed space not just a re-purposed space.  We have always used this space for duel roles, eating and entertaining, however the entertaining was always a secondary function.  With these upgrades guests will be able to have a truly professional audio-visual experience.  Better yet concerts will not turn into mere, cover your ears, noise.

I truly appreciate the vision, planning, time and hard work that our site team has put into this project.  When this project is complete we will have to ability to serve more campers and guests on our property, which means our capacity to reach others with the message of Christ increases!  If you would like to help with this project please contact myself or call the office at 812.497.0008.

The Church: Vitamin or Oxygen

I recently had the opportunity to speak at Terrace Lake Community Church in Columbus, Indiana.  I took this opportunity to do some study on the local church, the following is an abbreviated version of what I shared.

The church has many roles in the lives of believers, however most fit in the following categories; worship, teaching, discipline, fellowship.

• Corporate Worship is our opportunity to return praise and honor to God.  It is our chance to stand in awe and give God acceptable worship. (Hebrews 12:28, 10:2)
• We also benefit from the teaching of the church.  If we are willing to truly submit ourselves to the authority of this right teaching we will be transformed by it. (Col 3:16, Titus 2:7)
• The least desirable of the roles of the church in our life is discipline however it is the most necessary.  Too often the church prefers to sidestep this responsibility in favor of not making anyone uncomfortable.  It is, however, this very role that protects the church (Heb 12:5/11,  1 Cor 11:32) as well as followers of Christ. (Mat 18:15-18, Gal 6:1-2, 1 Cor 5:1-5.)
• Fellowship and encouragement within the body of Christ is an aspect of the church that is very unique.  Where else can you find people who share the same life changing experience of the gospel, are truly committed to the well being of each other and all, give time regularly to the advancement and betterment of others’ children and freely give of their time and money so that this body continues to grow and thrive? I understand that this is a picture of a healthy church, however it is this idea of community that we all to often selfishly keep to ourselves. (Hebrews 10)

If the above is what we get from the church as believers next we look at what our role is within the church.

• Praying and working within the church. (1 Cor 12, Acts 2:42-47) I once heard that the fastest way to see if a church is a healthy, Christ-centered church is to look at the length of the list of volunteers in the Children’s department and nursery.
• Giving to the ministry of the Church. (Acts 4:32-37) Do I give what is possible and when “I can” or do I truly sacrifice?
• The church is to be a Family.  You will never feel like a part of this family until you give yourself fully to it.  Are you open to correction? Are you vulnerable?  Are you an attender (come when able), participant (come regularly, even some non-Sunday events), Involved (regular attender, help within church and give when able) or Invested: I tell others about the Church, I see myself as a teacher/ leader, I am constantly involved in at least one ministry of the church, I give until it hurts, I am committed to the success of the church (even if it means staying when leaving would be easier) The success of this community truly matters to me, when it hurts I hurt, when it rejoices I rejoice.

The church is Christ’s bride and chosen presence to the world.  Christ died for the church and will redeem her to be His bride.  Do you think He cares about how we view and treat the church?  Do you act like He cares about how we view and treat the church?

Do you treat the church like a vitamin (beneficial) or like oxygen (vital)?

Fleeing the Scene of an Accident

One day, when I was a sophomore in high school, as I was leaving school I got into an accident.  I was sitting at a red light when I noticed a person approaching behind be at an alarming speed.  I realized that they would not be stopping so I braced for impact, which occurred and pretty violently to be honest.  My trunk was now in my back seat! I was fine, so I shut off the car and got out to see if the other driver was alright.   He also exited his car, which was completely totaled, I got his name and before I knew it he had hopped into a friend’s car and was gone.  You read that correctly, he left his steaming pile of mashed up car and left.  I was there when the police arrived, the officer asked me where the other driver was, I had no answer, so at this point I am the only person present at this violent scene.

How many times have we seen this repeated in the world today amongst leadership?  How many businesses, churches, youth groups and other large or small, global or local organizations find themselves leaderless in a time of crisis?  Why is this?  Is it a lack of commitment? Things get hard and they find an easier path and promised greener pastures. Is it pride? Do leaders see the trouble coming and bail before they can be connected to it?  While it is hard to judge all cases and we cannot make blanket statements here, I do feel that in general this “fleeing” is mostly detrimental.  A leader is a leader in good times and bad, victory and defeat, success and failure.  When you read about David or Joshua, these guys knew victory as well as defeat, however their leadership was never in question.  Maybe the bigger problem is not that our leaders aren’t leading but that we have made the term “boss” synonymous with “leader”.  Bosses are promoted; leaders can lead from any position. Bosses leave when things get hard, true leaders see this as an opportunity.  Bosses review employees; leaders develop followers to achieve their potential. Bosses demand respect; leaders earn it.

Anyone can do the right things and become a boss of people.  In most places you need only stay long enough.  True leaders will lead for a lifetime.  You can always distinguish between a boss and a leader when crisis comes.  Who are you?  Have you ever been truly led?  Let me know your thoughts.

As a side note, the other driver did eventually come back.  Needless to say the police were less than happy.

The [2nd] Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Families

The image above shows the product of weeks of fun, work and occasional frustration.  This was my daughter’s first birthday present.  I took an old piece of furniture, found on the side of the road, added some good old-fashioned time, paint and imagination and came out with something she will (hopefully) enjoy for a long time.  So imagine for a second the anticipation I was feeling as this was being given to her.  I was thinking of all the time I put into design, rebuilding, painting, making the oven have a light that turns on when the door opens and another that glows red to cook.  I thought of the late nights, splinters and freezing temperatures I endured to produce this piece of art.  So, I was excited to experience her reaction when this was presented.  Now, you can imagine the crushing defeat when she was more interested in the IKEA felt cucumber than the blood, sweat and tears kitchen.

I soon learned my lesson.  Later that night as I sat near the outcast kitchen along came my daughter who pulled herself up to her sink and began playing, not by herself but with ME.  She could care less about the time I spent on the kitchen (someday I’ll make sure she does) what she cared about was time spent with her.

How often do we replace time spent with our kids with time spent for our kids? It seems like such a small difference but in reality it IS the difference. How often do we convince ourselves that working the extra hour will benefit them?  I say this is the 2nd greatest gift we can give our children because the first is a Spiritual Legacy, however I consider them linked.  You cannot create a spiritual legacy without spending time.

What have you done today to create a Spiritual Legacy?

What have you done today to spend time with your kids instead of spending time for them?

By the way, here is my little cook now.