Our Favorite Part of Mulberry

I conducted a poll on facebook to find out what everyone's favorite part of Camp Mulberry is, and the results were unanimous. 
Everyone's favorite part of Camp Mulberry is the services. I mean, that was always my favorite part of camp... and still is. There's just something about 200 young people all worshiping the Lord together and all hungry for more of God. I think that is something I really picked up on this year from the young people: their hunger for God. On Monday night there wasn't even preaching. It was like the students had just been waiting for that service all year.

Let me back up just a little. Something that was started last year was splitting the young people into two age groups, 8-11 and 12-19. Each group has their own service. I mentioned in my last entry "Jumpin' Josh," who was the kids evangelist, and did an incredible job, but something that happened last year, happened this year as well. The kids in the junior service really usher in the presence of God, and it's there when the senior service starts. The combination of such a thick presence of God and the students' hunger for God was really great on Monday night and the senior students came right in to the junior altar call and pretty much stayed there... it was very powerful.

However, on Tuesday night, and for the rest of the week, we did get to some preaching, which was really good because Bro. Nathan Thornton really brought the word and we really needed to hear it. Tuesday night, Bro. Thornton addressed some real issues that are attacking our young people today: Lust, insecurity, and unpracticed truth. On Wednesday night, he preached about receiving a greater anointing. His messages were so powerful, and his testimony was great. But what stuck out to me every single night was the theme of consecration and dedication. I was really convicted about my own personal prayer life and about fasting and reading the Word of God. The theme of camp this year was Upside Down and the focus was that the students would go back home and turn their worlds upside down, but we cannot do that without turning our own lives upside down.

I am going to be teaching our youth class at church starting this Sunday and our focus for the month of July is to consecrate our lives to Christ through prayer, fasting, and the reading of scripture. I am so excited!!!