As the new year begins, we find ourselves sifting through the enormous pile of staff and camper applications. We also find ourselves devoting more and more time to researching the seemingly endless and interesting social media personalities of our applicants. (Yes, we do that with every applicant, and yes, we saw that silly picture.) As an almost 31 year-old with a wife and 3 kids, I find myself yearning for the time when people were just people. A time when you had several real friends not 1000 Facebook "friends". A time when your joy was not based on the likes or re-tweets or the other billion things that prove to you that you matter on social media. A time when, dare I say, we were "real."
This is one of the reasons I am so attracted to camp and camp ministry. Despite the ever-changing world and the new technological twists and turns, camp is still camp. Camp is still a place where we can be just one person... the real one. Camp gives all who work and attend an opportunity that many people do not have anymore... the opportunity to un-plug and be the real you. Yes, technology is awesome and I use it all day every day, but there is nothing better than spending time at camp. Time outside in the sun with a group of awesome people who just want to hang out and have fun. Time to talk to each other face to face. Time to accomplish things together. Time to take on new and exciting challenges together. Time to see the sun rise and set, in the same day, with the same people, at the same place. Time to enjoy nature and all that God created for us. Time to make awesome pictures, not just scroll through them on Instagram.
As a camp director I will continue to fight the never ending battle against allowing electronics and access to social media at camp. I know it is a huge part of everyday life and some think we should embrace it and just move on, but I can't. I can't allow the one of a kind experience you have at camp to be corrupted by the everyday onslaught of social media and electronics. I want people to come here and feel free to just be real.
I encourage you to take time. Take time to enjoy being the real you. After all when God created you, He created a masterpiece. If we are awesome enough for God, then why do we have such a hard time being ourselves?
Ephesians 2:10
New Living Translation (NLT)
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
This is one of the reasons I am so attracted to camp and camp ministry. Despite the ever-changing world and the new technological twists and turns, camp is still camp. Camp is still a place where we can be just one person... the real one. Camp gives all who work and attend an opportunity that many people do not have anymore... the opportunity to un-plug and be the real you. Yes, technology is awesome and I use it all day every day, but there is nothing better than spending time at camp. Time outside in the sun with a group of awesome people who just want to hang out and have fun. Time to talk to each other face to face. Time to accomplish things together. Time to take on new and exciting challenges together. Time to see the sun rise and set, in the same day, with the same people, at the same place. Time to enjoy nature and all that God created for us. Time to make awesome pictures, not just scroll through them on Instagram.
As a camp director I will continue to fight the never ending battle against allowing electronics and access to social media at camp. I know it is a huge part of everyday life and some think we should embrace it and just move on, but I can't. I can't allow the one of a kind experience you have at camp to be corrupted by the everyday onslaught of social media and electronics. I want people to come here and feel free to just be real.
I encourage you to take time. Take time to enjoy being the real you. After all when God created you, He created a masterpiece. If we are awesome enough for God, then why do we have such a hard time being ourselves?
Ephesians 2:10
New Living Translation (NLT)
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.