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Camp Day 4 – Messy

It’s the same thing now. 

Boring.  Repetitive.

Wake up at 7:00. Get dressed.  March to breakfast.
Eat. Small Group.  Skill.  Same people, same concepts.  But wait….

What’s that I hear? 

Screams of fright and delight from the far field?  A counselor rambling obscure directions of a megaphone that no one is listening to?  That’s right, the day has arrived

Messy Games day!

Messy games are really just a reason for the counselors at camp to unleash a firehose at the kids and provide the kids an outlet for their energy.  Elementary had a slip-n-slide obstacle course, while the upper grades had more of free for all.  There was some sort of game they were supposed to be playing, but you can guess what happens when you give teenagers balls to throw at each other: chaos.  However, it all ended with lots of fun and, most importantly, no injuries!

But life is messy, isn’t it?  Nothing is as clear and concise as it should be, especially for these kids who are just starting to navigate the waters of faith.  We try to make it easy for them, but they live in a world that casts doubt on what they learn.  That’s part of the reason why continual affirmation of their faith is so important, and something that camps such as Warren Willis can reinforce.

In fact, the high school kids were afforded an hour of Q and A with the three teaching pastors of the week: Rev. Dr. Audrey Warren from First UMC of Miami, Erica Allen from Horizons Church in Tampa, and Michelle Schrader from Good Samaritan in Tallahassee. The kids were allowed to submit questions, and the pastors were gracious enough to answer as many as they could.  Plus they were left with an open invitation to come and talk to the pastors any time they would like.

The takeaway from this is that life is messy, possibly messier now than it ever has been.  Build space in your relationship with your kids for them to be able to come to you to ask you questions.  And not just the “how was your day” questions, but the questions that really matter, and could make a difference in their lives.

It’s almost Friday!

Many Blessings,
Jon

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