After the Warriors had some Quiet Time/Battle Plan time in their cabins, we heard a great Green Gladiator devotional, then headed in for morning chow ops.
The memory verse for Day 3 was Joel 3:9. While the boys were cleaning their cabins vying for the coveted Golden Scepter, I mean, plunger, they learned Joel 3:9.
We gathered at the Rally Point to discuss two more pieces of the armor: The “Gospel Shoes” and the Helmet of Salvation.
We learned that not only we need “the shoes” on to stand firm (Paul says to stand firm in this Eph. 6 passage numerous times – and he was referring to the Roman military sandals that had 1″ to 3″ spikes on them!! Woof!), we are also messengers too…carrying the Gospel of Peace to a dark world needing His light and Life. The helmet protects us — specifically protects the head and the brain in it! We used counselor Brad “Cornfed” Johnson to illustrate how having the helmet on can give a buffer between his head and the messages the enemy is trying to get in his head. Good stuff!
We traveled to our Training Time for more high ropes, low ropes, mini golf and woodburning. Most all of our boys at least tried if not conquering the high ropes and zip line! We were proud of them all! Also the creativity that we saw with all the groups in woodburning was really neat. If some of them made a “mistake” on burning the simple sheild template, they would turn that into creative opportunity to make something cool out of it. This is problem solving at it’s best! We didn’t intend for this project to have so many deeper levels, but I guess the Lord did. Very cool.
Had some chow, followed by FOB and snack shack time. Many sugary substances had by all….
Back to the pool for our daily dose of water basketball (getting past the Two Towers of Power – Jay Volk and Brett Femrite – proved a formitable task), chicken fights and water slides. By this time in the week, we had a few guys who’s feet were a little torn up from all of the swimming and planting off the pool bottom, so we opened up mini-golf as an option during this time too.
Back for some Good ol’ Camp Copass chow, then we offered “dessert” (or in your printed books DESERT…much less tasty 
) for the boys back in the Rally Point meeting room.
If you’ll check out an earlier post (The Gospel of Pushups) you’ll get the idea. We reenacted this by offering the boys Snickers that our counselor Eric Burns then “paid for” by doing 5 pushups for each person in the room. When asked, “___________, would you like a Snickers?”, whether he answered, “Yes” or “No”, Eric paid for the Snickers. I lost count, but in all, Eric ended up doing between 300 to 310 pushups. After about the first 10 boys were asked, then the questions started to come:
“How come HE has to do all the pushups?”/”Can I do my own pushups?” Answer: No. When we were planning camp, I had a standard of perfection. Eric made every meeting, turned in all of his paperwork on time, never grumbled, got all of his project work done in a timely fashion. No one else met my standards. You didn’t make any of my meetings…it doesn’t matter whether you knew about the meetings or not — I had them, expected perfect attendence, etc, and you didn’t measure up. So, you cannot do your own pushups.
Eric was the only one worthy to do the pushups. He and I made a deal before you all got here, that he would do 5 pushups for each person who walked in the door in order for them to have the opportunity to have the gift of a Snickers. The Snickers HAVE to be paid for, and Eric is the only one who can pay for them.
(Troy Prestenberg’s boys actually HAD come to one of the meetings, and so they tried to help by saying…”Well, we went to one of the meetings, doesn’t that count?” To which I answered, “Yes, that’s true and I’m glad you go to come to that meeting, but you didn’t come to all of them – which was my standard – so, no it doesn’t count”)
“What’s in it for him?” Answer: These Snickers are REALLY good and Eric loves you all enough to give you the opportunity have one for yourself. But, they have to be paid for, and since he’s the only one who can pay for them, he is willing to do just that. Because of his love for you. It’s not about him, it’s about you.
…you get the picture. This was AWESOME. Such a wonderful reminder of the price that Jesus paid in order to give us the free (already paid for) gift of salvation, so that we can enjoy and eternal relationship with God the Father. However, just like some of the boys who didn’t want a Snickers – either they didn’t like them, or they didn’t want to see Eric suffer anymore – there are some people who don’t and won’t accept this free (already paid for) gift that Jesus gives us.
God’s standard is perfection. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we have all been born spiritually dead (all of us are decendants of theirs!)…falling short of God’s standard. However, because God loves us so much, He “made a deal” with Jesus. Jesus willingly paid the price (He came to earth, lived a perfect and sinless life and met God’s standard. Therefore, He was the only one worthy to pay for the gift) so that we could have access to this gift of eternal LIFE. This gift of eternal life with God was paid for by Jesus over 2000 years ago. The gift awaits you, with your name on it. Will you open the gift and take possession of it? Or will you leave it under the tree, unopened?
But we digress…
Eight boys (that we know of) made the decision this night to accept the gift of salvation that Jesus Christ paid for. They chose to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!! PRAISE THE LORD! We were REALLY jazzed about that!
Eric Burns, thank you so much again for making the physical sacrifice of pushups to illustrate this eternal truth. Thank you for allowing the Lord to utilize you in this way! It will not be forgotten.
We left the Rally Point to do our team competition: Land Wars. Three games: Water Balloon Launch, Sponge Pass, Tug O War. Much fun had by all!
Clean up, Story Time, Lights out!
End of Day Three. Thank you Lord for how you revealed Yourself to us this day!
