VLOG: Camp-wide Clue

You may remember the classic game of Clue. Sometimes it’s a board game, sometimes it’s an event held at a bed and breakfast, but this time it’s a huge game with all 325 campers and staff at Camp Ridgecrest for Boys! There were 11 suspects, 8 weapons, 8 possible dates, 8 rooms where the crime could have taken place, and 8 motives that the campers had to decide between. The camp was broken into teams that had to run around the property completing small challenges in order to learn facts about the crime. If you completed the challenge, then you received a clue. The first team to solve the mystery was declared the winner!

Perhaps the funniest part of the game is the end when the mystery unfolds before their very eyes. Our “characters” act out the hilarious crime as answers to the questions are revealed one at a time. It was fun to play, and hysterical to watch. This game is a camper and staff favorite. Here is a sneak peak…

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Campwide Activity, Clue, Ridgcecrest Summer Camps, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, VLOG | Leave a reply

VLOG: A Country Breakfast

An average meal at Camp Ridgecrest is exciting. It’s loud, tons of energy, lots of food, laughter, cheering, singing, stomping and clapping… it’s just a good time. But there is one morning, twice a summer, where breakfast is a little bit rowdier than a typical day at camp. The best part of this breakfast is that it’s only the beginning of the best day of the session. This breakfast was followed by skills, SockWar, and then Organized Crime. It’s the day that never ends…and they love it. Check out this short clip from breakfast!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Diamond Smuggling, Organized Crime, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, sockwar, VLOG | Leave a reply

VLOG – Bedlam Ball

Have you ever been to Wal-Mart or Target and seen those cages full of the large inflatable balls? I feel like every kid wants to grab one of those balls and play with it. That’s what inspired this Camp Ridgecrest game! We took 120 over-sized balls and placed them in a huge pile in the middle of a field. The entire camp, broken up into 10 teams, each guarding their own goal… we call it Bedlam Ball. It’s one of the campers’ favorites! Watch this short clip!

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It’s Not About Rules

New Heights

Few people have reached the heights Sergey Bubka did. The Ukranian Olympian broke the world record for men’s pole vaulting 35 times in his career.

As a 19-year-old, Bubka was already a notable athlete after an upset victory at the World Championship of Athletics.

The Ukranian pole vaulter would go on to win six consecutive world championships from 1983-1999. He became an Olympic gold medalist in 1988. And in 1991, Bubka became the first person to clear 20 feet—a height that has not been matched since. To this day he remains the current world record holder.

His athletic career is one of unprecedented heights, earning him nicknames like “The Tsar” and being called the “Hero of Ukraine” by the Ukrainian president. He even has a stadium named after him in his home country.

Bubka reached higher levels than anyone ever expected. As a believer, Jesus calls you to the same thing.

Read Matthew 5:20-22. Consider these questions:

– How would you summarize this passage in your
own words?
– What higher standard did Jesus call His followers to?
– What impact do these verses have on the way you live your daily life? Explain.

The Point

Clearly, to Jesus, living obediently isn’t just about following all the rules. It’s about the condition of your heart. If your heart is pure, then your actions will be, too. And Jesus values purity.

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”

—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Matthew 5, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission., Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Retro Friday: 1986 Brochure

Retro Friday’s are usually spent looking back 60, 70 and 80 years ago. But have you ever wondered what camp was like in the 1980’s? All of our campers and the majority of our staff were not even born yet in the 80’s. Take a look at the 1986 brochure for camp. Do you notice anything different from camp now? Comment below and let us know what you like most about the brochure. Tell us your stories of camp in the 1980’s – we’d love to hear them!

Click here to see the brochure!

Posted in Boys, News | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Retro Friday, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

The Authority

Think about the last few days. What are some laws or codes of conduct you’ve chosen to obey? List as many as you can think of in your journal, or in the comment field below.

 
When you choose to obey a law, rule, or a person, you give them authority in your life. You allow them to determine how you will live. As believers, Scripture is supposed to have authority in our lives. Did it make your list?

authority—noun
• The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience • [often with infinitive ] the right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another

Fulfill—verb
• To meet the requirements of (a business order) • bring to completion or reality; achieve or realize (something desired, promised, or predicted)

Read Matthew 5:17-19 in your Bible.

What do you think it means that Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets?
What do these verses teach you about the authority Scripture should have in your life?
Does Scripture have authority in your life? Why or why not?

Behind the Story

In today’s passage, “the Law” refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and “the Prophets” is a reference to the Old Testament history books and those by the major and minor prophets. Jesus knew that His audience made the Law into a checklist of do’s and don’ts. He wanted to free them from the burden of being tied to the checklist, but He didn’t come to get rid of the Law. Jesus came to fulfill it and to make right what we couldn’t do on our own. But until it’s all said and done, the words of the Bible are ours to live by.
Take Action

Scripture is full of promises from God. But it’s also full of expectations for your Christian life. These expectations aren’t rules for the sake of rules, but rules that bring joy because of how Christ has transformed you. In your journal, list three verses from Scripture that challenge the way you live. How will you live in obedience to them this week?

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Matthew 5, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission., Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply