This Month’s Honorable Mentions

The Honor Band assignment was a definite hit, and many of you submitted awesome photos wearing your honor bands. Here are some pictures of you ladies looking good!

Catherine Green sports her honor band at the center of  the state of Alabama on her campus of the University of Montevallo. It’s just a coincidence she is wearing green and white.

Grace Valentine eats at Cafe do  Monde in her home of New Orleans while wearing her honor band.

Ragan Story and Kierston Haddock represent Crestridge and show off their honor bands while away at school.

Thank you to all who participated! We love to see your submissions. December’s assignment coming soon!

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November Assignment Winner!

This month, Ron wanted you to get creative and snap a picture wearing your honor band. A bunch of you submitted fabulous pictures of yourselves looking stylish with your honor bands on. However, we did choose a winner. This month’s assignment winner is Mary Massey. Mary snapped a picture of her other Crestridge gal pals wearing their honor band’s while riding on a carousel.

Allie Buchalski, Molly Speese, Cari Phillips, Kayla Gula and Ashley Gryska all sporting their honor bands at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, GA.

Winner will receive a free store item of her choice sent to her door! Enjoy, and everyone stay tune for next month’s assignment.

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Let Him Lead

Read Proverbs 16:1-4.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Things aren’t always as they seem?” Sometimes, the things we think are certain may only be a wish—or even worse, a scam. If only we could pull the curtain back and see things as they really are, we could avoid so much sin, confusion, and heartache.

Often, the problem may be our own pride or selfish motives. All too often, we fail to consider God’s will when we make our plans. We may think we have everything planned out, but only God knows the outcome.

Proverbs 16:1-4 is a reminder that we don’t ultimately determine our futures. Our plans don’t necessarily succeed; God’s plans, on the other hand, are sure to succeed. Even terrible circumstances cannot ultimately disrupt God’s purposes for His people, since He gives believers the strength to endure all situations.

It’s easy to come up with our own plans, then take them to God and ask for His blessing. But that isn’t what He’s asked us to do. Instead, as today’s passage says, He invites us to surrender our plans to Him and line them up with His purposes. When we give our plans to God and pursue His purposes, those plans will be achieved because He’s the One who is doing the leading.

Surrendering your plans to God isn’t easy. It doesn’t always feel good. But regardless of what you think or feel, will you trust God with your present and your future? Your Heavenly Father is worthy of trust, and His promises are sure. Don’t foolishly and arrogantly ignore God and live as if you are in control of your life. Depend on God—He’s the path to true freedom and joy.

Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved. —Proverbs 16:3

Posted in Devotions | Tagged Adapted from ec magazine. © 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources, Camp Crestridge, proverbs 16, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

The 2011 Crestridge Intern…Kayla Dulhagen

That’s right…Kayla is here, ready to work hard and prepare for the summer!  Kayla started working November 1st and has already been a huge help.  She will help recruit and hire staff, brainstorm some new activities, write devotionals and blogs, and more.  We are excited that she is here!  Check out the video to get to know her better.

Don’t forget, submissions for the November Assignment are due this Monday, November 15th!

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Praise!

What do you spend most of your time thinking about? As you sit in class at school, where do your thoughts go? Is it the game that’s coming up? Are you dreaming of next summer at Camp? The boy/girl you’re trying to get to notice you? The car you want? Whatever consumes your thoughts also consumes your heart.

Read Psalm 95:1-8. Chew on verse 6.

What reasons to praise the Lord does the psalmist give us in verses 3-5?

The psalmist speaks about the “depths of the earth . . . the mountain peaks . . . the sea . . . the dry land.” What does this signify?

What does bowing down to worship the Lord symbolize?

Have you ever hardened your heart to the things of God? Why? When? What happened?

What things of God is your heart hardened toward right now? Why?

This passage describes worshiping God in a variety of ways for many reasons. What are some reasons you can praise God today?

What steps will you take to praise and worship Him right now?

Today’s passage of Scripture is a call to worship. The psalmist reminds his readers that God is the Creator of all things, from the deepest valleys and seas to the highest mountains. The psalmist calls us to recognize God for who He is, the great God above all others who deserves all of our praise.

But God also wants our hearts to be obedient to Him. He wants us to have submissive attitudes and hearts completely surrendered to His will for our lives. Praise Him today. Ask Him to help you completely surrender your heart and your mind as you give Him all that you are out of your love and devotion for your King.

Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. —Psalm 95:6

Posted in Devotions | Tagged Adapted from ec magazine. © 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources, Camp Crestridge, Psalm 95, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Weekly Devotions | Leave a reply

Some Give All

He ran. Day after day, he ran. Before school. After school. On weekends. Everywhere he went people would say to him: “Is that all you do? Run?” He was used to the teasing. He was used to being asked why he ran all the time. But in his heart, he didn’t care. He remembered bitterly the pain of last year’s defeat. He’d lost the gold medal in the state cross country meet by just a few seconds, which kept him from his dream of standing on the highest place on the podium. So he ran. He would give it all he had.

Read 2 Samuel 6:12-15 and check out what David was doing in verse 14.

Why did God bless the house of Obed-Edom?

What did this signify to David?

When David went down and brought up the ark of God from Obed-Edom’s house, how did he and his men remove it this time?

After six steps, what did David do?

Verse 14 says David danced with all his might before the Lord. Why did David dance?

What have you given all your might to in the past?

Have you ever worshiped God with everything in you? If not, what is holding you back?

David knew God’s grace and forgiveness. He also knew His holiness. A right relationship with God helps us to recognize who God is, and only when we know that truth can we truly worship Him. He is the Maker of all things. He is the Lover of our souls. He is forgiveness, mercy, and love. He is holy. He deserves our worship and praise. With everything in us, we should worship God.

David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. —2 Samuel 6:14

Posted in Devotions | Tagged 2 Samuel 6, Adapted from ec magazine. © 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources, Camp Crestridge, Weekly Devotions | Leave a reply

Surprise Contest Winners!

We were blown away by how many of you submitted pictures during our week long pumpkin carving contest! It was tough to find just one winner for each camp, but after much deliberation we have selected two winners.  We want to thank everyone who participated, and we will be posting as many of the submissions as we can in the next few days. So, without any further ado, the winners are:

Mabry Craddock is the winner for Crestridge

The Krugman Brothers show off their council ring pumpkin

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Ron Wants You to Wear Your Honor Band…

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Surprise Assignment-Pumpkin Carving Contest

As most of you know, Halloween is right around the corner.  In fact, it’s this coming Sunday!  One way to celebrate Halloween and the fall season is to carve pumpkins.  So we decided, why not have a Pumpkin Carving Contest!  Come up with a design that has a camp theme, carve your pumpkin, then take a picture and send it to us.  All submissions are due by this Sunday, October 31. Winners will be posted Monday.  Please send your photos to rhbarnhardt@gmail.com.

Here is an example that was done this weekend:

When you’re done carving, you can even roast the pumpkin seeds for a delicious snack!  Have fun and be creative!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Blog Assignments, Camp Assignment, Camp Crestridge, Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Crestridge Assignment, Crestridge Pumpkin Carving Contest, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Carving, Pumpkin Carving Contest, Ridgecrest Assignment, Ridgecrest Pumpkin Carving Contest, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Enthusiasm ≠ Obedience

Earlier this year, American missionaries tried to take Haitian children out of Haiti and into the Dominican Republic where they were setting up an orphanage. The problem? The missionaries didn’t have the required documents to take the children from the country. No matter how good their intentions, they weren’t properly obeying the laws in Haiti, and it cost them greatly.

Read 2 Samuel 6:6-11. See what happened in verses 6 and 7.

Why did Uzzah reach out and grab the ark?

What happened to Uzzah when he reached out and took hold of the ark of God?

Why does the Bible say the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah?

What does it mean to be irreverent?

What did Uzzah’s disobedience cost him?

Think back to a time in your life when you were disobedient to God. What did it cost you?

The fact is, David didn’t properly follow the instructions found in Exodus about how to move the ark of the covenant. Instead, he followed the Philistine’s example and moved the ark on a cart. David’s reason for moving the ark was understandable; he simply wanted to bring the ark, a revered, holy object, to Jerusalem. He wanted to honor God and the ark by putting it in a place of prominence. But God had very specifically laid out how the ark was to be moved, and David didn’t follow God’s directions. Because of this, a man lost his life.

God is serious about His holiness. He calls us to respect that holiness and to live a certain way because of it. David was enthusiastic about moving the ark and wanted it to be in a place of importance and prominence, but he wasn’t obedient. We can do the same thing when we’re enthusiastic in our worship of God, but we don’t obey Him. Enthusiasm is never a substitute for obedience.

When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. —2 Samuel 6:6-7

Posted in Devotions | Tagged 2 Samuel 6, Adapted from ec magazine. © 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources, Camp Crestridgec, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Weekly Devotions | Leave a reply