Gospel 101

Alrighty, so this week at camp is what we like to call gospel 101. Basically we as counselors and our fearless leader Tyson go over the main ideas of our Christian faith discussing them in depth, and practice how to talk to kids about them. Its amazing how much time this can take up. At least 8 hours of each day is devoted to this talk, plus meals and a few hours of staff bonding. This makes for tiring days, but good nonetheless. 

So, to get you all into the mood that I'm experiencing, here is a song we listened to that I really liked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otx49Ko3fxw

(lyrics)

His father was a drinker

And his mother cried in bed

Folding John Wayne's T-shirts

When the swingset hit his head

The neighbors they adored him

For his humor and his conversation

Look underneath the house there

Find the few living things

Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead

Twenty-seven people, even more

They were boys with their cars, summer jobs

Oh my God

Are you one of them?

He dressed up like a clown for them

With his face paint white and red

And on his best behavior

In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all

He'd kill ten thousand people

With a sleight of his hand

Running far, running fast to the dead

He took of all their clothes for them

He put a cloth on their lips

Quiet hands, quiet kiss

On the mouth

And in my best behavior

I am really just like him

Look beneath the floorboards

For the secrets I have hid

Any thoughts about it?

The main thought for us at camp was....if we don't consider our sins (and us on our best behavior) as wretched and as horrible as John Wayne Gasey Jr.'s sin, then we don't understand the depth and the weight of our sin. 

Crazay thoughts. But good ones.

Here are a few other big ideas that struck me, just for funsies. 
*The most important thought you think is the thought you think about God; because it determines what you think about everything else. 
*The trinity. One God, three persons. Crazy but beautiful. 
*People learn more about God by how we pray and sing than how we preach and teach. 
*He is jealous for me. Meaning: when His love meets my love for something that isn't Him. 
*Something I got backwards, and you might have too: The picture of Christ and the church as bride and bridegroom is reality. What we experience as earthly marriage is just a watered down imitation and representation of Christ and his church. 
*The significance of Jesus being completely human and completely God. He couldn't have taken our punishment as humans and for us as humans without himself being a human. However, he could not have given us the new nature we need unless he was fully God. 
*The fall of satan was his action of tempting and causing Adam and Eve to sin. 
*Hard question: Could I praise God for my condemnation? He is glorified when my sin is punished. Yikes.
*Praying out loud....alone. Try it. It's weird, but good. 
*Faith requires emotion, knowledge, and action. All three are necessary. 
*Where doctrine is least wanted, it is most needed. 

Those are some of the many thoughts challenging me and helping me grow this week.

However....

It's not all theology and seriousness. We're having fun too. I'll post some more pictures when I attain them, but here are a few from our afternoon activities today!

80's work out gear my friends. :)

We filmed a video and later after dinner we're headed to the roller rink.

Stay tuned for more theology and fun from training week!! :)