Still More Construction

Did you think all the construction for the summer was finished?  Well, not quite yet. We still have a few minor things left to build before the summer gets underway.  One of those projects is a NEW ZIPLINE TOWER!  The blob tower is new (2007 anyway) and we thought it only fair to rebuild the zipline tower.  Check out the progress so far:

     Keep checking back because you never know what will get built next!

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2009 Clothing Line

Every summer as we get ready for you to come to camp, we design a bunch of unique clothing just for you.  We have T-shirts, Cheer Shorts, Sweatshirts, Sweatpants, Micro fleece Jackets, Blankets, Nalgene Bottles, Crazy Creek Camping Chairs, and a ton more!  This stuff is designed just for you to use here at camp, but is perfect for back home as well.  To wet your appetite, we’ve started to put pictures of the clothing up on our site as it arrives here at camp.  Click here for the 2009 Clothing or visit  www.ridgecrestcamps.com/store.  You can pre-order all of this stuff or just pick it up when you get to camp on Opening Day!  We’re excited to see you!                                                                  It won’t be long until you’re headed to camp!

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The Quiet Life

The Quiet Life
Read This Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, as we commanded you. —1 Thessalonians 4:10b-11

RECENTLY, my friend was dating a guy who was afraid of commitment. So I took matters into my own hands. I told him that if he wasn’t serious about her, he needed to leave her alone. So he broke up with her.
My friend’s heart was crushed. She couldn’t understand why the relationship had unexpectedly ended. Finally, I realized I was wrong. I went to both of them and explained. My interference nearly destroyed our friendship. I thought I was helping my friend; but looking back, I realize I was just butting into her business. Today, they are happily married.

We all have moments in our lives when we make this kind of mistake, and it is often with good intentions. But it can be destructive to the relationships in our lives. That’s why Paul warned the Thessalonians to mind their own business, live quietly, and work diligently. He wanted non-Christians to notice a difference between their lives and those of Christians. He wanted love to be obvious.

Have you ever thought about that? Even when you think no one is watching, I guarantee, someone is keeping a close eye on you. You live in a society that wants to know if what you say you believe is real and authentic. If you profess to be a Christian but are always causing heartache by getting involved in other people’s business, the world will take notice.  The younger tribes and villages are always looking up to the older ones at camp.  Strive to live a quiet life that points to Him in every way, your relationships included.

Real Choices
Do you always mind your business, or do you find yourself intruding in other people’s lives? Explain. What changes might you need to make in the way you treat others?

Digging Deeper
Read Matthew 7:3-5. Are you pointing fingers at others just to keep people from noticing your mistakes?

Pray
Ask God to help you to be a better example of His love to the world around you.

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Video Tours of New Buildings

Hopefully you’ve been keeping up with the posts on the new cabins, Bear Trap and dining hall.  You’ve seen the latest pictures and are up to date on the news.  Well, now we wanted to give you a 360 video tour of the buildings.  The first clip is one of the new camper cabins.  Everything is done, now it’s just waiting to be used by campers and staff.

The next couple clips are of the Bear Trap.  The first one shows the downstairs offices.  There’s a lot more organizing that’ll be done (both downstairs and upstairs) before everyone arrives, but you’ll get a feel for the place from the videos.  During the summer, campers and staff can go in and out as needed on the this floor.

This shows the upstairs on the Bear Trap.  It’ll house the staff lounge and VD office and because of that, only staff will be allowed upstairs during the summer.

And finally, a short clip of the dining hall with its new floor.  It’ll look much different in a few short weeks.  All of the tables and chairs will be moved back inside ready for mealtimes.

For those of you new to Crestridge, hopefully this will help you feel more familiar with the place on opening day.  For you returning campers, I hope this makes you even more excited to be at Crestridge this summer!

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Did You Get the Email?

Yes, by popular demand we have added the Email Subscription feature to this blog! If you want an email with the latest Crestridge News to come right to your inbox, then click the Subscribe via Email button that’s on the right hand column at the bottom! You don’t have to keep checking back here! We’ll let you know when we post something new… Summer is almost here and a lot of cool stuff is happening around camp. You don’t want to miss any of it! So Subscribe today!

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A Face Lift for the Dining Hall

That’s a nice front view of the new porch addition to the dining hall.  Since we’ve added more campers and staff we needed more space in the dining hall.  So during the off season we knocked out walls and added the porch area.  But that’s not all being done to the dining hall!  We figured this was a great year to refinish the floors. All the tables, chairs and other miscellaneous items have been moved into the kitchen so the job could get done.  So far, the workers have only sanded the floor, but it looks like new already!  Take a look for yourself:

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A Million Pieces

A Million Pieces
Read This Passage: Proverbs 6:12-15

“Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery.”
—Proverbs 6:15

IN 2003, author James Frey released his first memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Publicly praised and touted as a brutally honest portrayal of Frey’s experiences in rehab, the book was selected to be part of Oprah’s book club and topped the best seller list.

Eventually, though, it became clear that Frey had fabricated large portions of his memoir, all the while portraying them as true. While Frey has continued to write, this incident left his credibility shattered—in a million little pieces.

As today’s Scripture passages points out, there are people who deal in dishonesty. Deception and trickery are their strengths. The key verse tells us that they are constantly stirring up trouble; but when all is said and done, they will fall into calamity. There will be -consequences; they will be shattered.

When we sin, there are always consequences. God loves us and is a wonderfully forgiving God, but we still have to live with the fruit of our actions. Asking for God’s forgiveness and repenting are vital and necessary, but they don’t make the consequences of our sinful actions disappear.

If you are living in a way that you know is displeasing God, you need to turn your life around. No one is faultless, but it should be our goal to be more like Jesus since He is absolutely perfect.

We aren’t supposed to be like the wicked man described in these verses. That behavior will lead to disaster—in your relationships with others and with God. It is up to you to go to Him and ask forgiveness. Don’t let your life be shattered by deception.

Real Choices
Take a hard look at your life, then read over the descriptions in today’s Scripture passage. Be honest. Do any of these characteristics describe you? Why or why not?

Digging Deeper
Read 1 John 1:9. Confess to Him. He is listening.

Pray
Father, I am a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness. Help me to live in a way that brings glory to You.

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Moving Into the Bear Trap

During the work weekend furniture was moved from the dining hall to the Bear Trap. This is just one more thing telling us that summer is almost here!  I took some pictures (because now we take pictures of pretty much everything) of how the building looks with furniture in it.  Here’s a look at the downstairs offices:

                             Now the upstairs…here’s the staff lounge:

                                                  and the VD office:

                               Notice the nice counter top village directors?

Of course this isn’t how things will look when everyone arrives for the summer (everything will be much more organized), but it’s a great start!

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Work Weekend

As most of you know, there’s been a bunch of construction going on here at Crestridge (if you’re not familiar with all of it, then take some time and read some older blogs about the cabins and new Bear Trap).  And with all the construction comes many more little details that need to be done before any campers or staff arrive.  In order to get things done in time this year , we added another spring work weekend.  Around forty people showed up and we had a ton of fun!  It was a good mix of former staff, current staff, new staff, alumni and camp friends.

The main thing for the weekend was putting together bunk beds for the new cabins…which the above crew knocked out in no time!  Other things that got done were moving furniture into new buildings, clearing out the dining hall completely so the floors can be refinished, raking leaves (always plenty of that needed after the fall and winter), and a few other little things.  With the bunk beds assembled the cabins are definitely ready and just waiting to be used now!  Check out how the cabins look with beds in them:

Thank you to everyone who came and helped out!

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Slacker

Slacker
Read This Passage: Proverbs 6:6-11

“Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise.” —Proverbs 6:6

AESOP’S FABLE ABOUT the ant and the grasshopper is a classic. The ant works all summer long, stores his food, and prepares for the winter. Meanwhile, the grasshopper laughs at the ant and plays the entire time. Then, when winter arrives, the ant is warm and well fed while the grasshopper suffers and shivers in the cold. That tale has been used to help children understand the importance of hard work and to fight against laziness for centuries.

Though it was written much earlier, today’s Scripture passage reminds me of that fable. This portion of Proverbs takes the form of a father giving advice to his son. The key verse encourages the son to be like an ant, always diligently working and refraining from laziness.

We’re not supposed to be slackers, either. We’re not to be all talk and no action. And that truth applies to all areas of our lives, from jobs to school to camp to relationships to working for the kingdom of God.

As Christians, we shouldn’t be known for our laziness in any area—whether it’s living the gospel message or doing our homework to the best of our ability. Work diligently for God. Don’t be a slacker!

Pray
Father God, help me to work diligently for You in all areas of my life.

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