The Blog

This year for Impact we tried out a new idea, camp magazines. In our magazines we included lots of articles from our youth church staff. Here is one of those articles...

In Christian circles around this time of year there is a phrase that gets tossed around a lot, “camp high”. It sounds really odd when you think about it, almost like saying that everyone does drugs at church camp, but that’s not what we’re talking about. The “camp high” refers to that incredible closeness that you feel with God, that incredible passion that begins to burn in you while you’re at church camp. My only question is this why does the camp high end? What is it that causes people that were so passionate in August become the same person they were in July by December?

Think for a moment about camp. What comes to mind? Food? Basketball? Music? God? When you get down to it most of the things we experience at camp are things you can do, or experience, in everyday life. So what’s the difference? What is it that makes it so easy to be passionate around camp that isn’t there the rest of the year, and can we change that difference?

YES! We can! And I’ll tell you how. The difference between camp, and the rest of life is the emphasis. Camp focuses on God, we start the day with God, we end the day with God, we talk about God, we think about God throughout the day. At camp the emphasis of our lives is on God. What about outside of camp? What is your life’s emphasis then? Girls? Boys? Sports? Video Games?

When you make God the emphasis of your life it becomes easy to remain passionate for Him. Discipleship (making God your life’s emphasis) happens when you do what Jesus said to do in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” This means letting go of the things in your life that don’t honor God, and sacrificing yourself to live for God. When you do that the “camp high” becomes your new standard for life.

... Even if the camp high part of this article doesn't apply to your current situation, it is our prayer at Crossfire MC that you grab hold of the part about discipleship and apply it to your life. Regardless of whether you haven't been to a camp in years or you just got home yesterday you can always make the decision to make Jesus your life's emphasis.