Fire

Is there anything greater than sitting around a camp fire? If you're reading this blog, chances are you were either a camper or a staff member at CDR. And if that's the case, chances are you enjoy a good cookout. There are so many great things about cookouts...the games, the songs, the stories, the hot dogs, and the devos. One thing is a necessity to make a cookout a true success. FIRE!!

The fire is the center of the cookout, both literally and figuratively. First things done at the cookout is sending the campers out to find wood while the fire gets started. Once the fire is built up enough to provide plenty of light, the games begin. Whether its Sunnyside, Honey if You Love Me Smile, or Encore games are always a highlight of the cookout. Then come the hot dogs. Is there a better way to cook a hot dog than over an open flame? After the dogs are cooked and seconds are called, its time for some good stories. Most of us can remember the very first time we heard the stories about Hatchet Man or the White Lady. By the time the stories have been told and everyone scared, the fire is all but out. Now its time for one of the best times at Camp...night devo.
If you have spent much time at Camp, chances are that you have seen the typical cookout night devo where the group leader talks about how dark the fire is. Then he starts to throw some fuel onto the fire, and slowly the fire comes back to life. No matter how many times you see this it is still a powerful experience. From just a small coal, a large fire is born. Its amazing how many people can say that this application applies to their experience at CDR. Thousands of kids have come through the gates at the beginning of a session with a little spark in their hearts, and by the end of their week or two weeks at Camp they are on fire for Christ!

When you're at Camp, your day starts and ends with a devotional, and every single activity in between is focused on being like Christ. So much time during the day is spent in study, prayer, and singing that it is impossible to not develop a glowing fire in your heart. Even in activities like swimming and ball games, campers are encouraged to interact in a way that glorifies God. It's so wonderful to be a staff member at Camp when you are able to spend time with campers and watch them grow throughout the session. You get to spend great quality time with them in study, and sometimes you are able to help them make the choice to take on Christ! What an amazing experience to be able to help those campers grow that fire deep inside themselves.

There are two special nights at Camp where fire helps to bring campers and staff together. On the second Sunday night of 2 week sessions All Night Prayer takes place. On this night the cabins take turns and spend the night in prayer. There is always a cabin praying at some point throughout the night, sometimes going into Monday morning. Cabins go down and sit around a fire, and each camper and staff member spends time praying about anything they want to take to God. Sitting around that fire in prayer with your friends is such a surreal experience. It is so very obvious that God is there listening to the prayers.

The last thing that is seen on Thursday night before the campers are sent home is Cross Devo. Although the staff members portraying the last days of before Christ's death are not professional actors, and the props are all homemade, the re-enactment is the perfect ending to Camp. The last image that the campers are left with is an empty cross silhouetted by a large bonfire. Hopefully this image parallels the feeling that the campers and the staff have inside them as they are preparing to head out into the real world.

For most of us, our years of spending a week or two at CDR are over. We are now challenged to find ways to keep that fire burning bright inside of us. Hopefully through this blog you are reminded about things that helped aid your walk with God. Its always great to be reminded about fun times at Camp, but its so important that the good memories we all hold about Camp are directly tied to the relationship we developed with God while at Camp.