Wondrous
I grew up going to camp every summer at Alpine Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead, CA. I grew up in the Covenant Denomination and this camp is where I spent many winter and summer camps. If you have ever ventured into my office you will see years of my camp pictures posted on my walls. The pictures might be a little embarrassing, but not what took place there. This camp is where I accepted Christ in elementary school, but it was my junior high years at this summer camp that I really started realizing what it meant to daily surrender my life to Christ (something I am still learning). It was those junior high years that things began to change.
I believe that is why I am passionate about The Peak. I have had the proviledge of being at 11 junior high summer camps through RHCC and every year it gets better. I witness lives being changed by God and I would not trade that for the world.
Something wondrous takes place at The Peak and it is hard to even begin to describe with words. Maybe it is the fact that we are hours away from home and enjoying nature. Maybe it is the amazing accommodations we have at Cascades. Maybe it is all the fun activities we are able to do. Maybe it is the community we share as we live life together. Maybe it is the messages we hear from Mark as the Spirit moves through him in a mighty way as he teaches. Maybe it is the small group discussions where students realize they can be transparent. Maybe it is the unity we feel as the Body of Christ. I don’t think the answer is “maybe” I think that the answer is that IT IS. Camp is powerful because we have an All Powerful God who is directing it all. He is in control of the fun, the laughter, the community that is felt, and the lives that are being impacted to live for Him. God moves each year, and we do not take that lightly.
My prayer is that this summer every one of our students will be able to experience God while at The Peak. Not because I want to sell them anything. I want them to realize that God has a plan for their lives, and God wants to use them each day. And something about being away from the busyness of life helps you realize these things.
I know I did. That week each summer at Alpine Camp made me stop and think about my life. It caused me to get out of my routine to evaluate if I was going to surrender my life to Christ, or to allow “life” to overrule my obedience to Him. It made me think about choices I was making and if they were honoring to God.
Maybe the word wondrous is the wrong word. But, if you have ever been to The Peak, when the Spirit of God moves it is beyond words. And I cannot describe fully what takes place.
My hope is that our week at camp is a time every student will experience God in a wondrous new way.
Jen
End Of An Era
Yesterday when I heard about Pastor Dale’s transition as our Senior Pastor, I had a chance to take time to reflect. When Dale and the team of families stepped out in faith and started the church in 1978 who would have thought it would have grown into the far-reaching, impactful ministry that it has become today. Because he stepped out and followed the lead of the Lord, I have had the privilege of seeing my kids and wife serve and follow God together for the last 15 years of my life. Those have been really special, special years.
When we first came in October of 1994, I was a 29 and the father of a couple of newborns. Trying to balance the family situation I was in and working through a rough transition from my previous church, I found myself trying to hide at the church office, leaving my wife alone and isolated. I’m not proud of those days. I was just trying to survive for myself and retreating into thinking about my needs alone. Then Pastor Dale shared a message series on marriage. As he opened up about his marriage it really caught my attention. As he shared his failings and his victories I related to what he was sharing. Although I didn’t know him well at that point, I had heard from everyone I talked to that family was first to Dale and it should be for all of us. That lesson stuck in my life.
I will always point back to those hard times and that series in particular as a time when God rescued me and my family. I am so grateful that Pastor Dale listened to God’s heart and shared so authentically to our body, even if my family was the only one saved. It made a huge difference that has multiplied exponentially into mine and countless other family’s lives. For that we will always praise God and be thankful.
As Dale turns his attention to new opportunities for impact, I am assured that he will always be putting his family first as he reaches out to person after person with the love of Jesus. In a way, the end of his era as the Senior Pastor at Rolling Hills is the beginning of this next chapter in his life story of influence for Jesus. Thanks, Dale, for your investment into thousands of lives and families. The Lord used you to fill us with passion and vision and we will forever be full of gratitude and appreciation!
Pastor Mark
What Would You Sacrifice?
If you knew your son would be a speaker who led 1,000,000 people to Christ in the next 25 years, what would you sacrifice to make that happen?
If you knew your daughter would one day be a reknown author and counselor who helped thousands of anorexic girls find healing in their spiritual lives, what would you sacrifice to make that happen?
If you knew your son’s passion for God would lead to him becoming a pastor to youth and result in scores of young people turning to Jesus throughout his lifetime, what would you sacrifice to make that happen?
If you knew the noise that pounds from inside your son’s bedroom from practicing the drums would lead to him being part of an internationally known band that made a priority of getting clean water to every person in Africa, what would you sacrifice to make that happen?
If you knew your daughter would be the first female President of the United States and she was dedicated to influencing the world nations to feed the hungry world-wide and make the end of world hunger possible, what would you sacrifice to make that happen?
What if each of these sons and daughters were so impacted by Christ that they made a late night commitment to follow one of these dreams at the Peak and they would point back to camp as the time they started down that road, what would you sacrifice to help make that happen?
I can assure you of this, I would sacrifice my vacation, my gifts, new clothes, eating out, a new car, a bigger house and pretty much anything else so my kids could one day be impacting the world for Christ. I have seen 15 years of big decisions happen at camp so I know I will sacrifice for them to go, believing that God will use that experience for lasting lifechange.
Will you?
New Series Kicks Off This Weekend
Every morning you wake up and go to work. Why? You go because you want something. Maybe you want to please your boss. Maybe you want to make a difference in the world. Maybe you just want a paycheck. No matter what your motivation, it is driven by some kind of desire. Desire is what makes the world go around. So often we come to church and feel guilty about our desire. We try to make up for having desire or find ways to set our desires aside. But what if we looked at faith in a whole new way? What if desire was actually the beginning of a much better life in Christ?
We are kicking off our new series titled “WANTED” tomorrow and it will last the month of April with the exception of Easter weekend.
WANTED: Week One – April 5, 2009
Every day, each one of us is driven by our desires. It’s the filter by which we process every choice. It’s how we decide what we will eat. It’s how we decide what we will watch. It’s how we decide how we will spend our time. Desire is a part of who we are. But doesn’t it seem like so much of Christianity is about ignoring our desires? Doesn’t it seem like if we follow Christ we have to consistently set aside our “wants”? Or could it be our desires are not something we have to ignore, but simply follow to the true fulfillment of what we want, the true longing of each of our hearts?
WANTED: Week Two – April 19, 2009
What you think you want isn’t what you really want. Have you heard that before? It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? After all, our desires can be really strong. They can even bring a few moments of satisfaction. But there is truth in that statement because beneath the desire is a question we rarely ask ourselves, “Why?” Why do I want what I want? What do I think this desire will give me? And perhaps, more importantly—will this desire lead me to where I really want to go?
WANTED: Week Three – April 26, 2009
Our wants seem so big, don’t they? We desire a lot of things—the latest gadgets, things that will make us feel more valued and loved. But the problem isn’t that our desires are so big—in fact, they aren’t big enough. Many times we are willing to settle for something less, something that only sort of satisfies us, instead of desiring something bigger and more fulfilling.
EXPERIENCE:
If you’re a kid, summer is filled with days of endless possibilities. But for us adults, summer is just another season. We still have to go to work. We still have to go to the grocery store. We still have to do laundry. Life doesn’t take a break, especially when you have a family.
But if you’re like many families, you want to find a way to connect with your kids this summer by taking a vacation. (And the option of walking away from work for a few days is attractive as well.) Whether it’s camping out at the lake, driving to the beach or just spending a day at an amusement park, there are times when each one of us needs to take a step back to recharge. There are times when we need to know that life is about more than the e-mails filling up our inbox or the voice mails on our cell phone.
Recently, I ran across the following article from a pastor in Canada on why unplugging ourselves from our overly connected world is so needed.
UNPLUGGING TO RECHARGE
By Carey Nieuwhof
Earlier today, I realized I am totally living in 2008. I was answering text messages, e-mail, Facebook messages, being instant messaged on Facebook, checking blog comments and twittering all at the same time. And the weird part is, I don’t mind it. It’s just how we communicate right now. But tomorrow I start my vacation. We’ll drive Saturday to our favorite family vacation an hour away to a lodge we’ve gone to each summer for over ten years now. My youngest son, Sam, calls it his favorite place on earth next to home. We literally count down the days to this vacation on a whiteboard on our fridge. The whole family loves it.
One of the things that makes this “resort” we stay at so attractive is that it’s a throw back to an earlier time. No TV. No radio. No wireless routers. Cell service is okay, but not great. Twitter is a sound that chipmunks make. Facebook happens when you fall asleep reading and your head drops. They don’t even have regular mail there, let alone e-mail. We’re unplugging for a week together, and it’s fantastic.
I think we were wired both for rest and work, and over the years I’ve learned that to work best you have to play hard—that’s been a slow lesson for me. So what about you? What charges you? As the summer draws to a close, find some ways to not only recharge yourself, but also connect with your kids.
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