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.

Posted in News | Tagged Bath House, construction, dining hall, New Cabins | Leave a reply

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!!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge funny videos, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

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

We Are the Champions

Read This Passage: Romans 8:36-39
“No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.” —Romans 8:37

Imagine yourself as a soldier. Not in Ridgecrest Sockwar from last summer, but in the middle east, in the middle of a war. The enemy lines are quickly approaching as you await your commander’s order from the depths of the trenches. Your heart races; your palms grow clammy; sweat begins to pour from your forehead. A fierce battle seems imminent. As the advancing army begins to get louder, you look toward your commander, still waiting on his lead. Just when you think they can’t get any closer, your commander stands above the trench, aims his rifle, and fires. You jump to your feet, but when you peek above the trench, what you see is astonishing. With just one shot, your commander has overtaken an entire army. The enemy lines have fallen.

As Scripture says, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31b). You see, this passage clearly shows us that we are on the winning team—we are more than victorious because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection! We are the champions.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing today or tomorrow, no difficulty, no sin, no terrorism, no natural disaster, no circumstance, no amount of money, not even death itself can separate us from our Father’s love. When God sent His only Son to die for you and me, He proved His immeasurable love for us.

Life is hard and often unfair. It’s pretty easy to watch the evening news or read the latest headlines and get depressed. You may not feel like a champion, even though you belong to Christ, when everything seems to be falling apart.

Know this: God loves you more than you will ever fully comprehend. Life is hard, but you don’t have to live in doubt with Him as your Commander.

Real Choices
All too often, we allow circumstances to alter our view of our relationship with God. Write out Romans 8:37-39 and place it where you will regularly see it this week. Make it your goal to memorize it to help you remember its truth even in difficult times.

Digging Deeper
Check out 1 John 2:12-14. What do these verses teach you about the victory you have in Christ?

Pray
Ask God to calm your heart and mind. Thank Him that we are more than conquerors because of His great love for us. Ask Him to help you rest under His command and let Him lead.

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

Here a Cabin, there a Cabin, Everywhere a Cabin

I know that I’ve said this before, but I can’t believe how fast the cabins are being built.  The last few posts about the cabins showed pictures of floors and walls, but now they look like the real deal!  Ron, Phil, Sharon and myself trekked over to Crestridge again this afternoon and were amazed by the progress of a few short days.  Not only are there floors and walls, but now there are roofs, covered porches and even showers in one of the choctaw cabins!  Below are some shots of the progress on the new Chickasaw camper cabin. 

Now here are some pictures on the construction over on Choctaw hill.  Take particular notice of the dual shower stalls…warm water for everyone…get excited

The Cherokee cabin only has the footers and floor finished right now.  But it shouldn’t be long before the framing, walls and roof is added to it also.  If you’re ever in the area, stop on by so we can show you in person.  Otherwise, keep enjoying the updates here online.

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestirdge, Crestridge construction, Crestridge new cabins, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, snow | Leave a reply

Demolition of Bear Trap

It’s time to step away from the cabin construction and inform you of more “groundbreaking news”.  This may be sad news to some of you, but it’s all going to look great in the end!  Around 10AM Thursday morning, a crew of workers started clearing land for the new Bear Trap.  We took several pictures and video footage to let you see what we experienced that morning.

There are 7 short video clips you can watch.  We suggest watching all starting at #1 because it is a progression.  Demolition #1 Demolition #2 Demolition #3 Demolition #4 Demolition #5 Demolition #6 Demolition #7

They almost have all of the dirt taken away so they can mark where the footers will be.  The construction crew is not wasting any time with this project either.  They are working hard in this cold weather!

Check back soon because we’re hoping to have another blog posted before Thanksgiving.  If not, have a happy Thanksgiving!

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

All-Encompassing

Read This Passage: Colossians 3:12-17
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. —Colossians 3:17

As Christians, we should be the most thankful people in the world. After all, we personally know the Creator of the universe and have received all of the benefits that come with knowing Christ. We have received forgiveness. Every sin that we have ever committed has been entirely forgiven. We should have an attitude of gratitude considering all God has done for us.

Unfortunately, most of us do not. I must confess that, far too often, I find myself complaining rather than expressing thanksgiving. Even when I’m here at camp, I find myself looking at the problems to fix, rather than the incredible life Jesus has given me… I mean after all, I basically live at camp!

Today’s Scripture passage shows three elements of our Christian walk: the peace of Christ, the words of Christ, and the name of Christ. Applying the truth about these three will result in a thankful heart.
First, the Lord’s peace guides us. The presence of His peace indicates that we are moving in the right direction. When we want to know His will, we wait for His peace.

Second, the Word of God must transform the way we act and think. Having a Bible beside your bed does not mean that you have any of it in your heart or mind. God’s Word should dwell in us and saturate every part of our lives. It becomes a part of who you are!

Third, the way we live our lives—what we “do, in word or in deed”—should point others to God. God’s call on our lives as Christians is all-encompassing. It isn’t just going to church or being active in a youth group, or coming to camp in the summer. It’s living out our faith every day, when it’s easy and when it’s not. We are called to do all things in the “name of the Lord,” even in the very grit of life. You belong to God. Live like it!

Real Choices
How has today’s devotion challenged your ideas about what it means to be a person of faith? Does your faith make any difference in your daily life? Why or why not?

Digging Deeper
Read Colossians 3:1-11, the prelude to the passage you just studied. Carefully observe the differences between living to please yourself versus living to please the Spirit.

Pray
Ask the Lord to help you avoid living a mediocre life. Pray that in everything you do and say, in every part of your life, you might honor His name.

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