It's that time of year again. School is out for the summer and Camp Joy is getting revved up and ready to go. The first group gathers on July 8, the second on July 15 and the third on July 21. The age groups are 7-9, 10-12, and 13-19.
Van Kelly, who is the director of Camp Joy, visits our church and reports on how things are going there. It's always a pleasure to see him again and interesting to hear what he has to say. Van has a heart for this ministry and it shows through all that he does.
We saw a slide presentation of the camp from last year. But, before he did the slide presentation, he talked to us about scars and used I Corinthians 6:20 as the verse for his talk. But even before he began that, he told us a little story about Noah's Ark. Some of you probably already know it but it was new to some of us and it may be to you, too. Below is what Van told us about the Noah's Ark lesson.
"There's some things I learned from Noah's Ark and as I was driving over here this morning I thought it might be appropriate with all the rain we've been getting. First of all, don't miss the boat and don't forget that we're all in the same boat. Amen.
And plan ahead because it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. And, also, stay fit because when you're 650-some years old someone might ask you to do something really big. You never know. Don't listen to critics. Just get on with what has to be done. Think about that. If Noah had listened to the critics, all those people making fun of him. If he had listened to them, he might have never finished the boat.
For safety's sake travel in pairs and two heads are better than one. Right? Also, build your future on high ground. Speed isn't always an advantage. After all, the snails were on there the same time the cheetahs were. When you're stressed, float awhile.
Remember that the Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals and we all know how that worked. Last of all, remember that the woodpeckers were a larger threat inside than the storm was on the outside."
Van Kelly, who is the director of Camp Joy, visits our church and reports on how things are going there. It's always a pleasure to see him again and interesting to hear what he has to say. Van has a heart for this ministry and it shows through all that he does.
We saw a slide presentation of the camp from last year. But, before he did the slide presentation, he talked to us about scars and used I Corinthians 6:20 as the verse for his talk. But even before he began that, he told us a little story about Noah's Ark. Some of you probably already know it but it was new to some of us and it may be to you, too. Below is what Van told us about the Noah's Ark lesson.
"There's some things I learned from Noah's Ark and as I was driving over here this morning I thought it might be appropriate with all the rain we've been getting. First of all, don't miss the boat and don't forget that we're all in the same boat. Amen.
And plan ahead because it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. And, also, stay fit because when you're 650-some years old someone might ask you to do something really big. You never know. Don't listen to critics. Just get on with what has to be done. Think about that. If Noah had listened to the critics, all those people making fun of him. If he had listened to them, he might have never finished the boat.
For safety's sake travel in pairs and two heads are better than one. Right? Also, build your future on high ground. Speed isn't always an advantage. After all, the snails were on there the same time the cheetahs were. When you're stressed, float awhile.
Remember that the Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals and we all know how that worked. Last of all, remember that the woodpeckers were a larger threat inside than the storm was on the outside."
