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Take the time to GET REAL!

1/14/2015

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     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.




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What do y'all do the rest of the year?

11/21/2013

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Picture
 This is a question that I have heard hundreds of times over the years.  "So what do you do the rest of the year".  It seems that most people have the idea that we spend our "off season" on the beach in the Bahamas.  Truth be told a summer camp business operates no differently than any other business.  Yes, the days have gotten shorter, the pace of life around camp has slowed, and our families are getting used to us being around for dinner. but, what do we do on a daily basis?  

After the summer dust has settled, the camp is quiet and we have located every last missing item of clothing in a 12 mile radius, we start. Thats right we start. We start repairing vehicles, walls, saddles, swimming pool, golf carts, etc. We start crunching numbers for the summer to see if we met our goals.  We start reflecting on the successes of the summer. We start preparing for the next one. We start the busy fall retreat season.  We start.  

The pace of life is a little slower when there aren't 150 kids running around(as you might imagine). but for the most part everything else stays the same.  We still have 16 horses to care for, 20 buildings to clean, weekly retreat groups, 50 summer staff to hire, conferences to attend, phones to answer, campers to enroll, fundraisers, building projects, grass to mow, emails to return, meals to cook, etc.

The end of the summer camp season allows us to start our favorite thing of all. The thing that we work toward every second of our lives as camp employees, The thing that makes all of those long days worth it. We start to count all of the lives that have been touched by God.  We start to thank Him for the 119 decisions to follow Christ that have been made by his precious children this summer. But for all the things we start there are a few things that we get to continue.


 We get to continue a ministry that for almost 50 years has strived to show Christ to all who come through the front gate.  We continue improving the way we do that. We continue to thank him for the incredible opportunity he has given us to serve him in one of the most rewarding and fun ways possible.  


So what do we do the rest of the year?  We do just what you do.  We start some things and we continue some things. Every now and then we may actually get to finish a project before the next one starts. But in all of it we work to make this the best ministry we can.  


Ephesians 3:20&21 
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  
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    Author

    Jered Meeks has served at HFR in different capacities over the last 10 years. He is currently one of the Assistant Directors. 

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