Journal Entry – September 5, 1999

Well. Let’s see. It has been a long time since my last entry because I have been on the road almost all summer and the last thing I want to do, when I am only home for 2 days a week, is to spend anytime at all updating my website. It was an awesome summer and God did some amazing things. I did 7 camps and students were saved every week except one. The most encouraging thing for me about the summer was that none of my camps turned into the usual mushy, gushy, emotional mess that they usually turn into especially on the last night. I have been very concerned lately that so much of what happens at camp is an emotional experience and not a genuine encounter with Christ so this summer I did everything I could to make sure that things did not get out of hand and become a big pile of emotion. At some of my camps that meant having the students deal with God right where they were sitting rather than coming to the front. I challenged them to learn to deal with God on their own and not depend on whoever was next to them for their experience with Christ. My fear is that students and adults as well don’t know how to deal with God on their own. When ever we have a problem or a question, rather than going to God about it we go to every one else. As followers of Christ we must learn to depend on Jesus above all else. There is nothing wrong with seeking the advice of others but it must never come before seeking the counsel of Almighty God!! He knows our situation, our needs, our problems, our hurts, our doubts, our questions and He has all the answers. We must learn not only to trust God with our lives but to also include Him in it as well. He must be the center of every aspect of our lives. So next time you have a problem, hit your knees before you pick up the phone. Learn to deal with God on your own. Learn to really trust Him with your life whether you can “feel” anything or not.

God bless ya, 
Runks