Riverstone Camp Summary

I've finally had a chance to relax some after camp week, so now I'm ready to reflect on the experience. Although I didn't partake in so many camper activities as I did with the Vineyard's regional camp, I was still able to connect with some of the campers either through my class or through the apparent outrageousness of building a duct tape dress, definitely a conversation piece. I enjoyed getting to know some of the other staff members and band members as well.

I found that I really had no reason to be nervous about teaching. I was glad that feeling had pretty much gone away just before the weekend prior to camp. It's kind of amazing to think back a year ago when Jon first told me about Riverstone camp and encouraged me to come teach a class whether I'd been able to make the move from Missouri or not. I think my teaching this time around has encouraged him to want to teach something next year, too. It has also given me the confidence to want to teach more. Perhaps a practical course of some kind at the Vineyard, maybe something for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to learn something I know a thing or two about.

I enjoyed watching the kids get so crazy about camp and about building their relationships with others and with God. I was especially impressed with the messages the speaker, Kevin Queen, had as well. His illustrations were such that I think the kids were really able to get a grasp on what they need to do. (Doing, and action being the key). One of my favorite illustrations he gave used a slice of key lime pie (mmmm!) to illustrate an individual. As he took each bite of the pie, he would say areas of a teenage life each bite might represent: shopping, watching tv, doing homework or what have you, none of which included expending oneself for God. By the time he got through the list, the piece of pie was gone. He put the plate down and portrayed the angels and God looking down exclaiming "look guys! crumbs!" I think a lot of kids connected with that, and how we need to give God more than just our leftover crumbs. I was also glad that Kevin discussed how "Christian paraphenalia" isn't what makes us Christian. Bumper stickers, Christian stores, loading your Facebook up with Bible-verse applications and such. That's not what God wants us to do. We have to act, sacrifice our pride, exemplify the love of Christ in all that we do. I would hear Jon going "yes!" upon Kevin's revealing these topics. Very good.

I was also very thankful to get more time for relaxation here than was possible at the Vineyard's regional youth camp. Jon and I had a chance to sit by the lake and for me to flick weedbuds at him, and to rock on the porch swing in front of Pulliam Cottage and talk with the other band guys or anyone else who'd happen by. We went to a few of the camper events and came up with a game to locate the camper that embodied ourselves at that age. I never really found my counterpart, I guess because when I was in 6th-8th grade I wouldn't have decided to go to a summer camp. I was antisocial like that. But Jon found his counterpart, ha, some lanky, curly-headed kid just awkwarding around on the sidelines, who talked with the adults when he returned from the sidelines, hehe. God has a sweet way of making the little things we share between each other enable me to fall more deeply in love with Jonathan. Increasingly, the depth of falling seems to measure the distance from here to space.

During the drive back to Chattanooga we stopped in Cartersville, GA for dinner. There were three separate displays of firework shows going off at the same time on the Cartersville horizon. We stood streetside to watch them.