New Favorite Song

I love how country songs relate so much to life. This song has been on repeat all day, even though it is Christmas! ;)

Hospitality

Some people have the wonderful gift of hospitality. Then there are those of us who do not have that gift. However does that mean those that are not gifted in this department need to forget about it, leave it to waste, lock it up and sink it to the bottom of the ocean? No, the Bible commands us to be hospitable. In 1 Peter 4:8-10 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Now that we know God wants us to show hospitality. How do we go about doing that? Well here are some different ideas on how to become a great hostess. A few ideas for having guest would be to have some level of privacy, Bathrobe, slipper socks, Extra quilt, blanket, pillows, Nightlights, flashlights, Sample toiletries, paper cups, and Reading material. Some of these are not very necessary but it is always a good idea to have these on hand, just in case. Now having family as guest adds a new twist to it, you got to please your relatives. To add to the list previously mentioned would be to plan every meal-prepare ahead of time, don’t do it all, have a plan, and plan for down time. You want to spend time with your guest. So make sure you plan ahead and clean. Your guest don’t want to think you live in a pig pen or live in it themselves when they are visiting. Most importantly encourage them in the Lord and show them His love through your life. Happy Hostessing.

Reading Takes You On An Adventure

"If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are. Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads."
-Robert Pattinson

I am not a big fan of Robert Pattinson by any means. But I found this quote on Pinterest and thought it was cute.

The Importance of Godly-Role Models in Camp Counselors

Many kids these days, predominantly in the Christian realm, spend their summers going to camp. I know I did, I was at one or two every summer. It was the highlight of the year for me! I remember when I was in junior camp at Rapidan Baptist Camp in Rochelle, Virginia and getting on the bus with all my friends bouncing around with energy about what the week is going to bring. All the way there Mr. Curtis, our ever faithful bus driver, hears laughter, a little snoring, and the main thing “Are we there yet?” I was also thinking along the lines of what your counselor looks like. Is she tall, skinny, with brown hair, and green eyes? Or does she have blue eyes with blonde hair? What her personality is like always went through my mind. Then we would finally pull into the drive with the big sign on it with the camp name splashed across and hear a big cheer that probably could be heard for miles. We were off the bus before Mr. Curtis even put it in park. Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to describe our excitement. Then we would finally meet the person in charge of us for the rest of the week. In this paper we will look at what it takes to be an impact on camper’s life as a counselor. This could make the experience for the camper great or make it terrible. The counselors have that big of an impact.

More goes in to counseling then you would think. At least for me it did. When I was that little girl bouncing off the bus walls, I didn’t think much went into being one. How wrong I was about that. Many different elements go into training summer staff. General Orientation would be the best place to start. Take them around the camp, teaching them about the basic operating procedures, and a general welcoming spirit always makes the counselors feel better. To increase the chance of success, talk with your staff members about the purpose of the camp, the general outcome you want to achieve, how to achieve these goals, and how the counselors can help. Also just go through regular stuff to make sure you are all on the same page, such as authority, responsibility, communication, job description, policies, and procedures. If there is an emergency would your counselors know what to do? Training your staff in CPR and First Aid is a wise idea for safety, legal, and accreditation standards. Training them to work together in team-building activities will help counselors be able to facilitate their cabin group on different undertakings. Before the campers arrive it is also a good idea to schedule a time for group worship, personal devotions, and prayer. Goals are always important to set for the summer and even share with each other. These days child abuse prevention, recognition, and reporting are a common thing. It is a good idea to train your staff on how to go about preventing it, recognizing it, or reporting it. Don’t forget to also train your counselors on how to relate to kids, working with the campers, and planning and leading activities.

The camper’s spiritual life is the most important thing. Yet how can we, as effective staff members, best influence them? Share God’s joy with them. Open yourself up to them. Show them you’re not some big old person that just wants to run their lives for the duration of camp. There is nothing more real than basically being real with someone. Many kids these days come from a background of hurt, the last thing they want to do is open up to a stranger. Yet, you have the hope they need in this hurting world. Lead them to the Creator of the Universe. They matter so much to God; show the campers His love for them through you. You have the chance to make a huge impact!

I’ve gone to many different camps, from Christian camps to sports camps to even Culinary Arts camp. Of all the counselors I have had the one that demonstrated the qualities from the above paragraph and so much more is Gabriele Cole (Pictured with me @ the top of the page). She was my Team Leader (our fancy word for counselor) at STEP (Skills Training for Emergency Preparation) Gabby, as we affectionately called her, led eight girls for four weeks through the thick, thin, and hot Texas heat. We went through those four weeks with only two girls not getting sick or hurt. She had so much patience with us, was extremely open, and real. God radiated through her! I had never seen joy like she had before. She showed us we mattered not only to her but to the King she served so joyfully! The devotions she gave were inspiring, like relying on God for your strength and not yourself. You hear that all the time in the typical “Christian circle” but she presented it in a whole new light. She was the image of a servant, from bringing food to her sick girls to piggy-back riding me down the long flight of stairs because I hurt my ankle. I will always remember her coming into our room right before lights out to pray with us and give us a good night hug. She was exhausted by the end of week three. Did she ever complain? No, she invested everything she had into us for those four weeks. This past summer we were both back at STEP working. Gabby was in a higher position and had more girls under her to minister too. She did a wonderful job. Those girls, like me, loved her. She became more than a Team Leader, Gabby became your friend. I know she is obviously not perfect. However, she went above and beyond what was asked of her. For me I believe she qualifies as a Godly-role model in a counselor.

Sadly, not all counselors demonstrate the godly qualities Gabby did. Some counselors have less than desirable things they do. For example getting mad if the kids got them wet when playing a water game. It is part of the fun, particularly on a hot muggy day! Kids are not going to come back if it is not fun. So if you’re a “party-pooper” the kids are going to have a bad experience and are not going to want to come back. How can camps go about making sure they hire enthusiastic godly counselors? First, make sure you, as a director, really examine the written application. Get in contact with the applicants references. If they are hesitant about the young person, that should be an automatic red flag. Second, check out their beliefs and where they stand on issues. If it doesn’t match up with your camps, then you might want to think twice about hiring them. Thirdly, it is pretty easy to make stuff sound good on paper. Observe them work for a few weeks. It will tell you a lot about their character, their relationship with God and their beliefs. However, prayer is more important than all of these. Lift in prayer each prospective staff member to God.

Investing in campers lives is extremely important but before we can do that we have to invest in our counselors lives. In Philippians 2:1-4 Paul says “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies. Fulfill ye my joy that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” ,Most camps are looking for humble, teachable, like minded college students (Train Them Up 34, East) In “A Firm Foundation” by Dave Wager, he says “Camps used to be places where we guided young adults and helped them develop into leaders. Today it seems we want these young people to come to us already developed. In, reality college-age staff members have limited knowledge and usually lack seminary degrees.” The ones in charge of the camp need to also disciple their counselors too. Just because they are going to be a counselor at a Christian camp doesn’t mean they know it all. That’s where the director needs to watch and mentor them.

It is also important that the leaders in the camp make sure they are serving for the right purposes. A leader that is focused on self is going to fail epically. Leaders are in a serving position to the kids that come through the camp. Jesus Christ was the greatest leader of all. In Philippians 2:7-8 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Bob Tissot in “Adventures in Leadership” explains this verse and how Jesus’ leadership style was. “First, Jesus made Himself nothing. Second, He became a servant. Third, He then humbled Himself. Forth, became obedient. Fifth, He obeyed at the point of death, even the death on the cross.” Bob Tissot called it a pattern for leadership. A good counselor is humble, has a servant’s heart, and is obedient to those above him/her. It requires a lot of patience, discipline, faith, trust, perseverance, and wisdom.

This is just a short glimpse into a godly counselor. We covered a godly-role model in a counselor, an example of a godly counselor, how to train the counselors, investing in the counselor’s life, and looking at Jesus as the ultimate Counselor and Leader. There is a lot that goes into a counselor. Being a one all summer long is not easy, let alone one that exemplifies Christ. It stretches and grows you alot. It’s a hard yet very rewarding job, one that you will remember for the rest of your life. Galatians 6:9 says “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”