Camp in Four Questions

I have just returned from my sabbatical (taking the youth group to camp), and as I write this posting I am pondering the impact that it will have on the youth. There is one thing that is for certain as a group we grew closer together. We shared in many memorable moments, not the least of which was a 12 hour van ride.

But there are other things that are not so certain:

• How many more kids are going to get sick (we have two down already)? I am starting to wonder about the food.

• What is the lasting impact of this week going to be on the people who went? Sure everyone felt the impact of a week of intense time in God's Word, but can a consistent Life pattern develop from this week?

• The theme of our camp this week was examine yourself. As we studied through Matthew chapter seven we had the opportunity to take a look at ourselves. As one of the guys said "it gave me the chance to look at me." We talked a lot about pretenders (those who play the church game but have never had any true change in their lives). There were four questions that were given to help us examine ourselves. Is your love for Christ increasing? Is your hatred for sin increasing? Is your desire to know Christ in His word increasing? Is your love for the Church increasing? These are the marks of a true believer. These are things that a pretender, if truly examining his life, will have to answer no to.

• Are you a pretender?