Summer Camp Again
I enjoyed reading Richard's assessment of the camp from which he has just returned. I leave tomorrow for a senior high camp at Glen Lake Camp in the Central Texas Conference. I have been volunteering at this camp for about a decade, and enjoy immensely the contact and ministry I am able to have with the youth, the college-age staff, and with other adults.
After a hiatus at last year's camp, I am preaching one of the evening worship services this year. My topic? The existence of God.
I look forward to the entire week, but I must admit I am especially excited about getting to preach. I don't recall ever having preached on the topic of God's existence.
Reminds me of a discussion I had with a grad student a couple of days ago. I described myself to him as a postmodern Christian. I could tell from his reaction that he was concerned about me. Having once been very near the place he is now, I decided to try to explain myself in terms he might understand and accept.
(I admit some of my motivation for describing myself as postmodern was to get a reaction similar to the one I got; sometimes I like to say things more provocatively than I might otherwise to get a conversation going)
For the purposes of this piece, the main point of difference between he and I was that he thinks the most important thing Christians can do is rationally and philosophically prove God's existence. I, on the other hand, think the most effective evidence we can offer to those who don't believe is changed lives. For lives to be so changed we need the church.
What will I offer the youth and other adults at camp this week when I preach on God's existence? The evidence of changed lives. Hopefully someone there will want his or her life touched and changed by God.
After a hiatus at last year's camp, I am preaching one of the evening worship services this year. My topic? The existence of God.
I look forward to the entire week, but I must admit I am especially excited about getting to preach. I don't recall ever having preached on the topic of God's existence.
Reminds me of a discussion I had with a grad student a couple of days ago. I described myself to him as a postmodern Christian. I could tell from his reaction that he was concerned about me. Having once been very near the place he is now, I decided to try to explain myself in terms he might understand and accept.
(I admit some of my motivation for describing myself as postmodern was to get a reaction similar to the one I got; sometimes I like to say things more provocatively than I might otherwise to get a conversation going)
For the purposes of this piece, the main point of difference between he and I was that he thinks the most important thing Christians can do is rationally and philosophically prove God's existence. I, on the other hand, think the most effective evidence we can offer to those who don't believe is changed lives. For lives to be so changed we need the church.
What will I offer the youth and other adults at camp this week when I preach on God's existence? The evidence of changed lives. Hopefully someone there will want his or her life touched and changed by God.
posted by Steve Heyduck at 7:05 PM
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