Cascades Camp Blog

The summer is now in full swing as we are about to finish up our first full week of campers.  The photograph above is Dynasty (far left) and his cabin as they take their cabin photo before heading off to “adventure quest”!

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Hello from camp on this beautiful June morning! Mount Rainier is in full view, the sun is shining, and the excited sounds of campers always seem to be echoing in the air. We are blessed to be here.

I guess I should introduce myself!  My name is Kelsey Holloway and this summer it is my privilege to serve as the Camp Pastor, focusing my time and attention on the spiritual care, support, and growth of the approximately 75 young adults serving on summer staff. I’ve been here for just over three weeks now, and have loved every minute of the opportunity to serve in this capacity. In “real life” I’m 1/3 of my way through my studies at North Park Theological Seminary, and for as much as I have enjoyed studying God’s word in Chicago, there is something so special about serving alongside the amazing men and women here at Cascades. God is up to something exciting here, and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

As a part of my duties this summer, I have been asked to share a quick word with all of you faithful blog readers on Wednesdays. For this entry, I share the passage that is our focus as a staff this summer, Romans 15:5-6. It reads as such—

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What an amazing word of exhortation to us as the church! Rooted in God first and foremost as the source of all endurance and encouragement, we are to live in unity as a body, glorifying God with every aspect of our lives. These three callings on our life (to faith, to community, and to the mission of God) are the things we’ve chosen to define ourselves as a Cascades summer staff over the next few months, but I believe the weight of these words carries far beyond the work and ministry at camp. So often we complicate what it means to live as Christians, but what if we were to boil everything down to these three simple things? My prayer for all of you this morning is that you would know and love God deeply, pour into the community around you, and glorify God in all that you say and do in this week. May we be defined by these simple exhortations, and thus serve as ambassadors for the Kingdom of God!

Be blessed this day!

Kelsey aka Beasley

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  Current Prayer Requests Include:

• We are in the midst of our first week of campers, please pray that our staff would find the rythm of their work and be able to minister to the campers that are here right now.
• Independence Day Family Camp is just around the corner and safety is always on our mind as we plan for such a large number of guests to come to Cascades.  Please pray that this camp would be safe, fun,  and exciting as well as a time of spiritual growth.
• Continue to pray for the hearts and lives of all the campers and S.A.L.T.s that come to spend time at Cascades.  We ask that God would move in their lives and help them build a strong foundation of faith rooted in Jesus Christ.
• Praise God for the beautiful sunny weather!

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Well here you have it folks, Cascades Camp is proud to present our 2008 Summer Staff.  The photograph above was taken after the entire staff went to the local Covenant church, Crossroads Community Covenant, to be commissioned for their service this summer. We can only thank God for bringing such an amazing group of young men and women to minister to all the campers and guests that will visit Cascades throughout the summer.

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I am going to go ahead and make the assumption that most people have, at one point or another, had difficulty committing to reading their Bible on a regular basis.  For some it just seems like one more homework assignment, for others they may think they have a pretty good idea of what all is in the Bible and don’ need to read it, and still others may just struggle to find the time in their day to read the Bible.  There are a plethora of reasons behind why we choose not to spend time in the Word.

I think the reason behind why so many struggle in this area of their walk with God is not necessarily because they lack the drive to read their Bible.  On the contrary, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of us just haven’t fully grasped what it means to spend time in God’s Word, the purpose behind why we are called to do so, and the benefits that come from taking the Word of God to heart.

Proverbs chapter four consists of a Father’s wise instructions for His children and in verses 20-22 it says:

My child, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

 for they are life to those who find them
and health to your whole body.

God is not trying to give us something to be guilty about when He asks us to know His Word.  Rather, the Bible and all it’s lessons are there to bring us life.   For when we pay close attention to the words of our Father, listening intently and not letting those lessons escape from our sight and when we keep His message within our heart, God’s words will transform us and bring a newness to our lives beyond anything we could do on our own.

The fact of the matter is that we should never read our Bible out of obligation or so we can be the “smartest” Christian around.  Instead we should all rejoice in the gift of God’s Word as it is written for us so that we may be given life.

So, go, read, and LIVE.

Blessings,

Dirt

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  Current prayer requests include:

• Due to rising costs in gas, food, and electricity Cascades is working hard to become more and more energy efficient. We ask that you would pray for God’s blessing over these efforts.
• Our summer staff arrived last Friday and since then we have been training and preparing for service at camp this summer.  Pray that each staff member would KNOW that God intentionally brought them to this place and that He will do great things in and through them this summer.
• Please continue to pray for safety at camp.  Pray that God would send His angels to surround this place to keep any accidents from happening and that He would keep any persons with ill intentions away from Cascades.  Camp is a special place for kids and guests to have the opportunity to come and be care-free and we just ask that God would preserve that for many many years to come.
• Similarly, please pray for the campers and guests that are coming to camp this summer.  Pray that each person that God desires to reach through the ministry of Cascades would find their way to camp.  Pray that their hearts would be open to the work that He will do in their hearts and lives while they’re here.

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The photograph above was taken at the end of the Parents and ‘Lil Shavers weekend that finished up this past Sunday.  I think it is safe to say that kids and parents a like had a great time getting to play and bond together at Cascades!

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God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

My guess is that the majority of you reading this have probably heard the statement above recited at numerous Christian gatherings. Most of the time I say it out of habit. I know that when someone says, “God is good” I am supposed to respond by saying “all the time” and vice versa. Today I would like to take a moment to actually understand WHY we know our God to be good all the time.

We face challenges and hardships and losses and defeats-but God is good? Yes, all the time.

We are lost and confused and hurt and broken-but God is good? Yes, all the time.

We suffer and get sick and experience pain and don’t know why-but God is good? Yes, all the time.

Yes, indeed our God is good all the time because He is faithful. He is faithful to see us through and to grow and to prosper us. I always come back to the truth that although we may not see it at the time, God’s plan is far greater than anything we can imagine or create for ourselves. God is faithful to answer our prayers. His answers may not be exactly what we ask for. His answers may not be what we hope for. His answers may not even be anything we want. But they are His answers and they are good-all the time. It is when our lives do not necessarily appear to be perfectly crafted as we so desire that we must sit back and remember that God is good all the time because He is faithful to His own perfect plan for our lives.

My challenge to you in this day is that you would take the next fifteen minutes and be still before our Good God. Use the time to praise God for the things in your life that He has blessed you with. But also use the time to praise Him for the circumstances in life that are challenging as they can be blessings as well, if you use them to grow closer to your Maker.

So, we are blessed with peace and friendships and family and joy and God is good all the time.

We are blessed with life and shelter and sustenance and hope and God is good all the time.

And we are blessed with a maker who loves us beyond compare and that is why God is Good all the time and all the time God is good.

Blessings,

Dirt

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  Current prayer requests include:

• General Preparations-We are getting closer and closer to the beginning of summer and there are still plenty of things to get done around here.  Pray that all of the last minute details fall into place so that each guest at Cascades would experience a carefree and spiritually fulfilling visit to camp.
• The Father & Son Weekend-This spring weekend begins this Friday.  We ask that you would pray for more father/son pairs to sign-up as registrations are low for this fun weekend.  But more importantly we hope that you would pray for a powerful weekend for all those attending.
• Girls on Horses-The mother/daughter Girls on Horses Weekend at Sunrise Ranch is this weekend.  Pray that moms and their daughters would be able to come and experience God as well as grow closer to one another.
• Arrival of Leadership Staff-The first wave of summer staff is set to arrive this Friday with the majority of our leadership staff coming on to prepare for summer.  Pray that these leaders would cling to God this summer as they are being asked to help support their peers and the ministry of Cascades.
• Summer Safety-Cascades is a large camp with many activities running simultaneously throughout the summer.  Every year one of our biggest prayers is that God will bless us with an accident free summer.  Pray that God would send His angels to surround and protect every person that enters the gates of Cascades.
• Camp Pastor-Our Summer Camp Pastor, Kelsey Holloway began work today.  Kelsey just finished up her first year at North Park Theological Seminary where she is working on her Masters of Divinity.  Please pray for her strength and health (both physically and spiritually) as she pours into our summer staff.

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