the encounter

Today we finish up the last full day of scheduled activities - morning celebration time, Bible study for junior high and high school, rec team games, pump it up rally, wild and crazy games, free time at the lake with the blob, paddle boats, and water trampoline, free time in our cabin with games, free time at the ropes course - today the zip line, evening worship service, and finally our own church time in our cabin.  Lots of stuff huh?

Yesterday Phil, Heather, Jonathan, Josh, Corey, and Sarah learned just how high the ”pamper pole” is and the courage it takes to stand up on an 8″ wide pole 15′ in the air with no support.  A few were able to jump from that spot to the trapeze bar 6′ out in front of them.  Only Josh was able to reach it, grab it, and hold on.  Way to go Josh!

Many continue to learn that the greater the weight difference in the person blobbing you produces much higher flight.

We’ve seen our boys take up for others who were being made fun of.  We’ve seen our girls show compassion when another is hurting.  We’ve seen acceptance and frienships develop that before never existed. 

We all continue to learn what it takes to live together in true “community”.  There is a great spirit of patience, friendship, sharing, and love in the dorms.  It is something that has stood out to the students.  It has been a picture to me of the greatness of love for one another over the protection of our own space and demands that things go our own way. 

We also all continue to be excited about what we’ve called the God-moments of the day.  The last thing we do each night is ask people to tell their favorite great moment of the day.  Some are quite funny.  Afterwards we talk about our favorite God-moments of the day - where we saw God, what He said to us, what He’s doing in our lives.

Tomorrow morning we leave around 11am, stop for lunch, then return to our house around 3 or 3:30pm.  I wish so many others could be with us to see all that God is doing through this great group of students.  It is an incredible joy to be in the middle of it all.

Brian

One of our closing activites last night in our cabin was a review of some of the weird quotes of the day among momentum students.  I know they’ll seem extra weird outside of the context of camp, but here you go…

1. “I’m not happy.  Its my shirt that’s happy.”   - Lauren
2. “If you don’t get out of the shower, I’m coming in there with you.”  - Sarah
3. “This guy fell in the mud and the other team started pulling him.  Then his pants came off!  But I was behind him.”  - Katie
4. “Smell my finger!  Its mustard and fish steak!”  - Jackson
5. “I’m going to get the soapiest award.”  - Robbie
6. “Its really not that bad.  Just think of it as blended steak.”  - Phil
7. “I’m afraid of mashed potatoes.  When I was younger I got them stuck up my nose for a whole week.”  - Torrie
8. “Dude, I don’t want to see any extra melons in the pool.”  - Lifeguard to a boy whose pants were coming down while chasing a watermelon in the pool.
9. “Do you eat when you sleep?”  - Skylar
10. “I swam through a warm spot in the lake.  Josh was in front of me.”  - Briana

Wow.

Its hard to believe its already Wednesday!  Here are 10 more things we’ve seen and experienced so far…

1. 17 guys can live together in 1 room - at least for a week.  apparently so can 13 girls.
2. There are endless places in and on the body that mud can get.
3. A 50 lb. weight difference can jetison a person off the blob in the lake.  The blob is a very large inflated pillow - 15′x30′.  One person crawls out to the end of it near the water while another person jumps from a high platform on to the backside.  The resulting pressure launches the waiting person into the air and into the lake.  A 100 lb. weight difference in the 2 people makes them fly even higher!  (see: http://www.heartoftexascamp.com/hotbe/watersports_information)
4. Lindy Worley is a great hair stylist of girls and guys. 
5. Ryan Vanderburg really likes to fish and play ping pong.
6. So far we’ve seen God move in the heart of 3 of our own students to ask Christ into their heart and become followers of Him!
7. We’ve also seen God speak to many of our students about specific areas in their life.  They are excited to be set free, forgiven, and renewed in their passion.
8. Jr. High boys love to say “No Roshambo” - a camp-wide phrase equivalent to “no take backs” that makes the other person obligated to do what you’ve said.  example:  “Take my lunch tray to the trash - No Roshambo.”  The only way out - say “Roshambo” before the first person can say “No Roshambo”.
9. Students have an incredible amount of energy.  We start each day at 7 am and go non-stop with activities until 11:30 pm.
10. We have some awesome kids who are very respectful, caring, and sensitive to God. 

That’s it for today.  Watch for more!

Here’s the top 10 events we’ve experienced so far at youth camp!  We arrived Sunday afternoon around 7pm to a very busy schedule.  The students are having a great time!

1. the trailer had a flat about 10 miles from camp.
2. the car Jay Scivally was driving also had a flat in Stephenville.
3. We hit the ground running Sunday at 7pm with wild and crazy games, get-to-know-you activities, and a worship service - we got back to our cabin  at 11:30pm!
4. we got a great cabin with the guys’ room on one end and the girls’ on the other and a commons area in between!
5. we heard a message during the worship service about the theme for the week - to BE rather than to SEEM - what it means to be a genuine follower of Christ and not one in name only.
6. the cabins were completely quiet by 12:30 am.  we were beat.  what a day. 
7. we woke up for breakfast to be served at 7:30 am
8. we learned that at the camp if you are caught drinking with your cup in your right hand, someone can call “Bull Moose” on you and then you have to chug whatever’s left in your cup.
9. it rained all morning so the outdoor recreation team games were incredibly messy.  the kids loved it.  they were soaked and covered in mud.
10. we’re enjoying some free time to play games in our cabin, go swimming, or jump on the blob this afternoon.

With Brian, Phil and the rest of the Momentum group gone to camp this week, I can’t imagine much blogging happening around here - but who knows… maybe Scott will get in on the act this week :-).

So, in Brian’s absence I thought we’d try and have some fun with books.

As you may or may not have noticed, you’ll normally see a couple covers listed on the right hand side of this blog - that’s usually the books Brian and/or I are reading at the moment — but we never really get to hear about the books you read.

And… last week one of my daily reads, Lifehacker, asked their readers, “Which books have changed your life?” The Bible won out with 25 votes. There was somewhat of a modge podge the rest of the way down the list.

So with these thoughts in mind… I’m curious…. “What books have changed your life?” and/or “What books are you currently reading?”

Feel free to list as many books as you’d like in the comments below (just let us know which question you’re answering)… and yes, the Bible is an acceptable answer but not a required one either.

Ok… that’s it. Let’s see those comments!