Ah… summer camp.  How does one describe it?

Faith–building lessons about the heroism of the Lord Jesus.  Silly games.  Camp food.  Silly songs.  Hayride.  Swimming.  Canoeing.  Serpent slaying.  Capture the flag.  Sports.  Bonfire.  Smores.  A cabin full of third & fourth grade boys.  The toilet in said cabin overflowing. 

And, oh yes… shaving cream fights.

In the year 354 A.D. a young Christian lady in Africa gave birth to a son.  Her heart’s desire was to see her son become a faithful Christian man, so she diligently taught him the story of creation, fall, and redemption—as it is recorded in the Bible.  She taught him to worship, love, and serve the Lord Christ, the Redeemer of the world. 

But… her husband was a pagan.  The boy would have a choice to make.

As the boy grew, it became obvious to everyone that he had a brilliant mind.  So, at the age of sixteen, he was sent away to study under the best of tutors, in the hopes that he would go on to do great things. 

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One of the most obvious but most difficult lessons for the growing Christian to keep in mind in a moment of temptation is the unpleasant aftertaste of sin.  The Apostle Paul, speaking about sins that were once “enjoyed” asks a telling question:  “But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?  The end of those things is death.” The aftertaste of sin is shame and death.  Yuck.  The book of Proverbs also describes sin’s aftertaste.

In Proverbs 9.17 the temptress seduces the simple young man with the promise that “stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But read the next verse, Proverbs 9.18.  Quite a contrast between the enticement of the temptation and the pathetic reality of the story’s conclusion, huh?

But the aftertaste of “stolen water” and “secret bread” (which are evocative pictures of sin on many different levels) is perhaps more vividly portrayed in Proverbs 20.17.

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Ask yourself the following questions.  I dare you.

What words of condolence do you offer the grieving widow at the graveside?  How would you respond to a mandatory military conscription of your son?  Your daughter?  If you’re simply not prepared for parenthood, is it morally acceptable to abort your child?  If there’s a chance that a cure for Parkinson’s Disease might be found by harvesting tissues from a developing human being, do you?

If you’re absolutely positive that this is the man (or woman) for you, is it really necessary to wait for marriage before engaging in physical intimacy?  If your employee has given you 32 years of loyal service to the company, but last Tuesday it became economically advantageous to fire him, do you immediately do so?  Is corporal punishment an acceptable form of discipline in child-rearing, or is it always abusive?  When your marriage gets rough, and you’re sure that both you and your spouse would be happier with other people, is divorce an option?

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Children’s Bible Camp 2007 was a fantastic success!  Nineteen of the church’s children (and one adult in his unforgettable acting debut as Goliath of Gath) treated us to a very impressive presentation of “A Man After God’s Own Heart”—an original three–act play based on the early life of David. 

Excellent work, children!  And thank you again to all the adults who worked so hard to help the children get themselves prepared for this service to the church.  It was both delightfully fun and richly edifying.

“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
—Jesus