Spilman Timbers

Look at the size of these logs! These are the timbers that will support the new addition to Spilman! Using Chainsaws, nails, and hammers, the men muscled these hefty supports into place. They look impressive already…only making us more excited to see the finished product! More pictures soon…

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Taking a Stand

Read This Passage: Ephesians 6:10-17
This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. —Ephesians 6:13

I’ve gone to London a few times. Every time I go, I visit the Tower of London. It’s a fascinating place full of history and stories. It houses the crown -jewels and is known for the “beefeaters” who guard it every day of the year.

The Tower also houses an incredible armor display that dates back over a thousand years. The museum is full of armor for horses and warriors. I am always fascinated that those warriors (and horses!) were even able to walk around wearing that much armor, much less fight on the battlefield.

Wearing that armor must have been constraining, but those warriors knew the armor was designed to protect them from their enemies. Failure to wear every piece could leave them vulnerable to attack. The armor gave the warrior confidence to stand strong against his enemy.

All this armor talk has a purpose; today’s key verse commands believers to put on the full armor of God. Paul wasn’t talking about the kind of armor that’s on display at the Tower of London. He was talking about spiritual armor, designed specifically for us to wear every day as we walk into the battles life throws at us. It is an armor that God Himself designed so that we could stand strong against the Devil.

The point is God has given us the tools to deal with the persecution and hard times that come our way. But like those warriors of old, we have to choose to put on each piece. Take a stand for Christ today, but dress yourself with the armor He’s already supplied. Don’t go it alone!

Real Choices
How is fighting the battle going for you? God has given you resources to face persecution and rough times. Are you choosing to use those resources? Why or why not?

Digging Deeper
Look in a concordance for the word armor and battle. Read through Scripture to see just how important the armor is and what battles people faced. How did their armor protect them each time? How could God’s armor protect you in similar situations?

Pray
Ask God to give you the ability to wear His armor every day and to be able to stand strong against the attacks of the Devil.

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Bear Trap Update

It’s been just over a week since we last posted pictures of the Bear Trap…well, brace yourself for what’s coming next!  Everyday something new has been added.  As it stands now, there are not only walls, but also doors and windows; the rooms have been defined (giving us lots of space I might add!!!); the steps for both levels are done and the railings have been added.  Take a look below to see the progress that’s been made so far.

As you can tell from the pictures, there will be several access points to the bottom floor.  There is a ramp and set of stairs on the chipp/chick side and stair access all around in the front.  The second floor is only accessed from the stairs on the right.  The left side door offers entrance to the staff lounge and the right side gives entrance to the village director’s office. 

None of us here at camp can believe how fast it was constructed and how good it looks!  Personally, I’m looking forward to May when it is completely finished and I can sit on the wrap around porch in a new rocking chair.  Hopefully many of you reading this will be able to fulfill that dream right alongside me.

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Crestridge’s Funniest Videos: Part Deux

All right, as promised here is the second installment of video clips.  Some of the sockwar skit did make it onto the session video, but this is a short raw and uncut director’s version, as I like to call it.  The staff never know what we’ll have them do during the skit so it’s always funny to see how it all plays out.  And needless to say, they didn’t disappoint during this session!  As for the other clip, there was a long line waiting to begin play at Shadowbrook so I asked various cabins to sing a little something something for me and this was one result.  Tune is next week for more clips…enjoy!!

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Oh the Progress Being Made…

Well, there has been so much progress, I don’t even know where to begin.  Let’s start with the bath house.  Marty is amazing!  As I recall, Phil mentioned that Marty is sometimes mistaken for Jack Bauer and I believe it!  He cleared out the second part of the old Cheyenne bath house and has started putting up petitions.  Here’s some pictures to show you the progress:

You can tell Marty has been working hard.  All three pictures were taken of the same place.  The door in this picture is the back of the bath house.  When you walk in, there will be a small closet straight ahead and a public bathroom on the left.  It may not make sense at the moment, but you just wait!

Moving on to the next project, you’ll see there has been a lot of progress on the dining hall.

Ron shared a little history with me about our dining hall as we were looking at the renovations.  Apparently this is what the dining hall looked like for a while and then the offices were added.  It’s going to be nice having the extra space!

I know the campers will enjoy this next project.  The plumbing has started in the cabins.  They have started putting pipes in for the showers and sinks.  But the best thing about it is the new water heaters.  The new cabins will have instant hot water and it will last longer than one shower!  It will last for everyone’s shower!

The second picture is the new hot water heater.  It’s much smaller than our existing hot water heaters.

Well, that’s it for these projects.  The framing of the Bear Trap will be finished tomorrow!  Check back in the next day or two and we’ll show you pictures.

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Predictions

Read This Passage: John 15:18-22
“If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.”
—John 15:20b

People today are always making predictions about what’s going to happen in the future. They try to predict which way the stock market and the housing market will go. Meteorologists try to predict what weather patterns will emerge. Pundits make predictions about who will win political races, commentators try to pick the winners in the biggest sporting events, and entertainment reporters spend a lot of time trying to predict the year’s best movie, actor, and song. At camp, many of you try to make predictions about what the SockWar theme will be, or what activity you will play that evening.

But predictions aren’t really new. Today’s key verse involves a prediction Jesus made to His followers about the future. Unlike our present-day -predictions about movies, sports, weather, and markets, Jesus’ prediction had to do with how the world would treat those who chose to follow Him wholeheartedly.
Jesus knew that really living out our faith wasn’t going to be easy. He knew that people would take notice when they saw real live faith, and many of them wouldn’t like it. And the truth is, there are people all around the world facing persecution because they are choosing to follow Christ. The Bible says that we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens because, after all, they persecuted Jesus. Is there any reason to believe that we will have it better than the Son of God?

While most predictions don’t change the way we choose to live, this prediction helps us gain the necessary strength to keep pressing on. The real question is, what will you do as a result of Jesus’ prediction? What do you think your counselor would do? Would they stand up for Jesus? Will you choose to quit following Christ or will you choose to draw even closer to Him? Follow Christ and draw closer to Him every day.

Real Choices
Write down the ways you believe you have been persecuted for following Christ. Think back to those times and ask yourself if you walked away stronger or more defeated in your faith because of the way you handled the situation.

Digging Deeper
Check out www.imb.org or www.releaseinternational.org to gain a better understanding of how Christians are being persecuted. What can you do to help minister to those who are suffering today?

Pray
Praise God today for the times you face persecution. Thank Him for the opportunity to grow stronger in your faith. Pray for those around the globe that are facing persecution today.

Posted in Devotions | Tagged John, Weekly Devotions | Leave a reply

Hello New Bear Trap and Dining Hall

Well, as stated in a previous blog, the framing of the new bear trap did start this past Monday.  With that said though, the framing won’t be done by Christmas.  Instead, it’ll actually be done much, much sooner…as in by THIS FRIDAY!!!  So I guess technically, it will be done by Christmas.  The shell of the building has pretty much gone up overnight.  The crew is working so hard it’s unreal!  They work when it’s sunny, when it’s raining and would probably work even if it were snowing.  Check out the pictures below to see the progress.

No lie, all of the above was built in two days!!  As you can see it’s a two-story building which when finished will have a nice wrap around porch where we’ll have rocking chairs during the summer.  As for the dining hall, of course it’s not new, but with additional campers and staff it does need to be renovated.  Before any walls could be knocked down, the offices needed to be cleared out.  Below are pics of the empty offices and a short video clip showing the dining hall as it looks right now.

No walls have been knocked down yet, but they have started building the porch extension…take a look.

These days it’s pretty much impossible to visit camp without seeing some kind of construction happening.  Keep checking back for more updates!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge Crestridge Bear Trap, Crestridge construction, Crestridge dining hall, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Crestridge’s Funniest Videos

Okay, so these clips may not be the funniest, but they will make you laugh…or smirk a bit…or at the very least smile a little.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be adding various video clips from throughout the summer.  Some of them you may remember seeing parts of on session videos, but mostly these will be things that didn’t make it onto the summer videos for one reason or another. Check back each week for these hidden treasures.  These two are from session 1a and 2a…sit back and enjoy!!

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Warning

Read This Passage: 2 Timothy 3:1-5
“But know this: difficult times will come in the last days.” —2 Timothy 3:1

Think about all the warning signs you see every day. There are signs that warn you about railroad crossings, deer crossings, merging traffic, hazardous cargo, and poisonous products. Warnings go off if your house is on fire, if there’s a gas leak, or if large amounts of carbon monoxide are in your house.
There are also warnings on products we consume every day, like meat, canned foods, beverages, vitamins, and a host of other products that if not consumed or prepared correctly could be hazardous to our health.
So why all the warnings? Do we really take time to read all the warning signs that we come across every day? Chances are pretty good that you don’t read them or pay that much attention to them until there’s a crisis at hand. We seem to just skip over and ignore the warnings that could ultimately save our lives.

Today’s Scripture passage outlines a pretty harsh warning to believers about how people will act in the last days. It’s clear that they’ll live pretty much as they want to, with no form of godliness at all in their lives. Everything will be focused on themselves and fulfilling their own needs and desires at all costs. The characteristics of God won’t be all that apparent in many peoples’ lives.

Many already believe that these events are currently taking place, while still others believe the worst is yet to come. In either case, Scripture gives us the warning for a reason. God wants us to know what is going to happen so it won’t be a surprise, and we can hold fast to the truth we know. Warnings can save our lives, but only if we listen and adhere to them. What will you choose to do about this warning?

Real Choices
Today’s key verse says that difficult times will come for believers, meaning living out our faith won’t always be easy. Take a look at your life this week. When has it been difficult to live out your faith in your life? Why?

Digging Deeper
Take some time to read Galatians 5:22-23 and discover the characteristics that God desires us to live out daily in our lives. If you don’t have these verses memorized, take time to memorize it them week.

Pray
God, help me to live my life according to Your characteristics. Help me to notice the warning signs and avoid the danger that lies ahead.

Posted in Devotions | Tagged 2 Timothy, Weekly Devotions | Leave a reply

The Cabins+Bear Trap+Dining Hall+A Bath House=Construction Madness

Even though it’s only been a week and a half since the last blog, there has been a lot of progression.  The construction crew is now on their last cabin at Crestridge.  They have the walls up and are now working on the deck.  I’m assuming they’ll be finished with it by Tuesday.  That means all the “shells” of the cabins will be finished!  There’s still a lot to be done with each cabin, but they’ve gotten a great start.  Below you can see the Cherokee cabin finished on the left and the last Choctaw cabin in progress on the right.

On to the next item of discussion – the Bear Trap.  The land is cleared, the foundation has been poured, the block foundation is drying, and the building materials have been delivered.  Another crew is going to start putting the frame up this Monday.  They’re hoping to have the frame finished by Christmas.

Some of you may be thinking, “How are they going to fit 50 more campers into the dining hall?”  To answer your question, we have to renovate.  Starting next week, a crew is going to take down the existing wall that separates the offices, staff lounge, and wood porch (where the ping pong tables are) and extend it to the end of the wood porch.  Soon the dining hall will be one big rectangle.  Then they are going to build a small covered deck extending from the stone porch.  It may sound confusing but it will be a nice addition.

Well, last but certainly not least, Marty has started on the old Cheyenne bath house.  When finished, it will be the new Chey/Choc/Cher hut.  It is easily accessible from all three hills.  Marty has a big job ahead of him because that bath house has not been used in several years.  It’s pretty gross in there.  But Marty’s great and we can’t wait to see how it’s going to turn out!

As you can see, it’s kind of crazy around here!  We love watching the progression day to day and hope you are enjoying the pictures and updates.  We’ll have more posted next week, so check back soon!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge construction, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply