Not Just Fun and Games

I have been thinking about my ES a lot today. He is at a Salvation Army Music Camp. I can't begin to explain how wonderful that makes me feel. I grew up going to these types of camps and having such a good time. I made lots of great friends. I grew musically and spiritually. That is my hope for my son. I want him to experience the fun and games, but I also want him to soak in the spiritual instruction as well.

I don't know how it would feel to arrive at music camp and have the second day be the day of worship. In my memories, the Sunday services seemed to fall after we had already established friendships and a sense of place at the camp. I know when I was growing up, it sometimes felt like the Sunday services were a bit manipulative. It felt like the underlying goal was to get as many kids up to the mercy seat (what The Salvation Army calls the altar) as possible. But, having sat through many a music camp Sunday service, I can also admit that there were plenty of times when I barely paid attention during the service, but somehow at the end, felt the Lord tugging on my heart about some spiritual issue and found myself going up to the altar.

Like the music camp, where I sat huddled around a group of my closest Salvation Army friends up at the altar and confessed to them that I had come very close to lighting a joint with friends (upon a dare) on my way home from school. Moments later, one girl pointed behind me. I followed her finger to see my dad, a Salvation Army officer on staff at the camp, praying with another teen. And to think, at the time I was flipping out because I thought he might have overheard that I ALMOST lit a joint. This is comical now. Those who know me, know that I loathe the very smell of smoke and could never have possibly took it up as a habit (although I wasn't quite as outspoken as my sister who used to launch spasms of coughing fits when someone would light up near us in a restaurant).

I know that my ES is not as well versed in these Sunday services, but he has been to a few S.A. camps before, and has noticed that these services always end up with a lot of kids ("especially girls," he says), up at the altar CRYING. In the past, his description has indicated that he wasn't quite sure what they were going on about. However, this year, when he returned from Jr. High Camp, he seemed eager to talk about the religious service they held the last night of camp.

I was dumping his suitcase to begin his laundry and he immediately apologized for possibly ruining his nice pants. I asked him how he ruined them and he began to explain that at the final night's service, the program was something called "The Stations of the Cross," and at several points they were asked to kneel in the grass. I didn't really say, "Tell me more." In fact, there was no need, because I had experienced a "Stations of the Cross" service when I was at Wheaton College. I'm sure they are fairly similar.

But, ES went on to tell me more about it. He told of things they had to do at each stop. He told of what Christ went through. At some station, they were given cotton balls (I think he said it was the point where Mary poured perfume on Jesus' feet) which he explained when he saw me pulling them from the pants pockets. I was really impressed. Impressed that the camp leaders gave such an in-depth portrayal of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf . Impressed that my son paid attention and obviously absorbed some of the message. Impressed that ES didn't try to distance himself from the spiritual aspect of what the camp had to offer.

I'm really praying that today was another day of proclamation of the gospel. ES accepted Christ as his Savior back when he was five (and begged a few years in a row for us to allow him to be baptized in the baptismal ceremony our old Evangelical Free Church used to hold at our annual family camp - at the time we wanted to wait until we knew that he fully understood what he was doing - if I had it to do over, I would have let him). I've heard him tell his friends that he is a Christian. But, still, he's hasn't been very verbal about his faith or spiritual things. Typical kid, he usually doesn't want to go to church.

If his experience this week is anything like last week's Jr. High Camp, then he will have another great week. He'll make new friends, play lots of paintball, go fishing (he said he caught two good-sized ones last week), and enjoy playing his drums and guitar (that was a new thing for me, loading his instruments for camp, since I only had to take my mid-sized Alto horn). But, I'm really praying that it is not just fun and games. I'm praying that the Lord will draw ES closer to Himself during this time of fun and frolic. If it is just a week of fun and games, it will produce many happy memories. If it bears spiritual fruit, it will affect ES on earth and for all eternity. So what, if he comes home with grass stains on a nice pair of pants - who cares!