Post-Camp Trama is hard to deal with sometimes.  BUT it’s possible to use that holy-discontent we feel with the world around us as an OPPORTUNITY to be a Kingdom Catalyst!

In this series I will  post some ways you can continue your journey without having the post-camp letdown that some feel.

1. Know that Camp is easiest following Christ will ever be.

• It’s a week of living amongst tons of people who all are trying to live  with the same values of loving God and loving others.
• Services are provided daily to teach you new fresh ways to live for Christ.
• You have committed leaders who’s hearts desire is to help you grow closer to Christ each and every moment of the day.
• From the time you wake up to the time you sleep every minute is planned and accounted for.  All you have to do is get up, get in the flow, and enjoy the ride.
• It’s crazy amounts of fun, we do adventure style Camp so all of the adventure elements not only challenge some of your limits but they are just tons of fun.  It’s not every day you can just go down a gadillion feet zipline over a lake or climb a giant light pole (solo-challenge) and then  just jump off with people to catch you, etc.)
• We help you know what parts of the Bible to read daily…and quiz you on it.

Do you see what I mean.  These are just a few ways this first point is true but I wanted to start this series off with saying that GSM Camp IS one of the easiest places to follow Christ, which also means that when you get home the work is more on your own!

As a ministry we help you on that journey but the cross is yours to carry!  Over the next 10-15 post I will help give you super practical ways you can keep your journey going strong.

But the point today is…”Yes, it’s tough when we come home….BECAUSE CAMP IS AMAZING!”

One of our Students Megan Stevens (Pictured above) wrote about her “Post-Camp Trama” Read an excerpt from her post below or go HERE to read the full post!

Ever had that experience that was just too good to be true? You go on a mission trip and realize God is calling you to be a missionary or work with the homeless. Or you go to camp and meet Jesus and realize your life has been incomplete up until that point and you suddenly have huge dreams for your life and you can’t wait to share them with the world. And then you get home… and suddenly you don’t know if you imagined the whole thing. You still feel whatever that goodness was inside of you, but it seems to lose its power as the environment around it changes.

It happens to me every time! I get in a mood where I am irritated at everything, and I try so hard to keep that camp-high but it so quickly becomes a post-camp-low. It’s like you’re at camp and it’s so easy to believe that everything is right with the world and then you leave and suddenly there’s pain and sin and evil again, and it can be seriously…

GO HERE TO READ THE REST OF HER AMAZING POST!

Been talking to a handful students (8 and counting) who are having a hard time adjusting back to “real life” post GSM Camp.  This is one of the blessings and curses of the way we do camp.  Things are SO great when we’re at camp that it’s hard to come back home and realize there is stuff still wrong with the world.

This is terrible and awesome.  Terrible because it’s culture shock, and awesome because we can instantly see how God needs His people to be Light into this world!

Camp is a glimpse of what could be and should be for this world so it’s hard sometimes to come back to the reality which we live in BUT (AND A BIG OLE BUT) I hope that the way we live at GSM Camp becomes the way that we live at home!

Here are a couple of things that make “GSM Camp Living” so great:

1. Everything is so awesome!

2. The values of how we live are so clear that it’s easy to jump on board. Everyone is clear on HOW we are to love, support, & encourage each other.  There isn’t any hidden code that people have to figure out.  At Camp, this is how we do it! (Easy way for everyone to know what’s expected)

3. The way we treat each other is unlike the world we live in. EVERYONE is uplifting and encouraging.  Very few places in a students life do they get CONSTANT encouragement…camp is one of those few places.

4. Everything that happens is the “greatest thing ever”! No matter what happens at camp we see it as the greatest thing ever.  At camp, the glass is half-full ALL THE TIME!

5. It’s fun! ‘nough said!

6. Students can be themselves. No strings attached.  We don’t try to make “mini-me’s” we try to help students discover who they are and then call them to live in that!

7. It’s like a week long party/sleep-over where all your friends are the best they will ever be! Ever want to get all your friends together and have the greatest time of your life while living in a way where at the end you have NO REGRETS?  Get to camp, that’s how we do it!

I’m taking some time today to pray for all the GSM camp students who are having trouble acclimating to being back at home in their normal environment.

Praying that God will be with them, that He will lead them, and help them to Kingdom Catalyst in this world!  CARRY YOUR CROSS!!!

We just spent a week at GSM Camp and some of our BIG dreams for Camp came true!  God moved in HUGE ways and lives were eternally changed!

Had the sickest week in the history of camp! God moved BIG …TIME! Campers responded BIG …TIME! Counselors responded BIG ….TIME!

…you get the picture!

We had the most amazing Help, Text, & Med staff as well!!! They were a blessing to us all!

If u gave above and beyond last year during the Christmas Offering to make it possible for some campers to go to Camp this year! Thank you and I pray that God blessing you in amazing ways!

Hands down the best photographer we brought to camp bar NONE the greatest Sr. Pastor on the planet doing what he does!

…YUP! that’s exactly what it means!

(Photo by Mark Beeson)

Everybody needs Tech Guys!!!  We need sound, lights, mics, videos, sound effects,band inputs, etc. and this crews makes sure that we have all of that and more.  Thanks guys, we had a great week at camp and you were a big part of that!!

(Photo by Mark Beeson)

Lot’s of people make Camp happen but this team right here plays a HUUUUUGE part in making camp flow smoothly!  This is the Help Staff Team led by the awesome Katie Liverett (who in her ‘spare‘ time doubles as my incredible Administrative Assistant).

They are the reason people get mail, eat, have chairs to sit in during services, know where to sit, have clean floors to bow their knee to Jesus on…etc.

They are all amazing and we were so blessed to have them at Camp!