POWER HOUSE!!! - Thursday, July 28th

"Ho ho ho, muchachos! Are we ready for the

POWER HOUSE?!"

This is how Mucha-lucha wrestler/Santa-Schleef introduced Thursday's campfire - and the fun only continued from there! The "Power House" was a competition between counselors of the various cabins this week. Counselors were randomly paired together by selecting names from a gladiator helmet, and once paired, they had to complete an arduous challenge - and the loser was subjected to some kind of punishment from the POWER HOUSE. Lauren Strommen picked the cup with the dot on the bottom, so she had half a container of hair gel poured on her head. Kate Zabrowski pulled Corrine Whittier over the line while sharing a hula hoop, so Corrine got a pie in the face! These are just a few examples of the great lengths the counselors here at Camp Phillip go through in order to make a week of summer camp memorable for the campers - and last night certainly was memorable!

Thursday's passage comes from one of my favorite books of the Bible - Colossians!

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7

Many many many many years ago (about 15 years ago), Camp Phillip produced a tape full of songs written by counselors, and one of the songs called "So, Then" is based exactly off the above passage. (Check out the vending machine at Camp to buy one of these old-school tapes! We made so many that we STILL have extras all these years later - they are available for a mere 50 cents! Just make sure you still have a tape player to play in on... what ARE those, even?! I've never seen a tape player before...) The passage is excellent because the imagery is so spot-on - even though we are blessed enough to have faith in God as part of our lives, we need to continue to be rooted in Him. Rooting ourselves in Christ Jesus means staying rooted in the Bible, staying rooted in prayer, staying rooted in fellowship at church, and most of all, staying rooted in love to the King who saved you from all evil. Pursuing a relationship with God in this way will only strengthen our faith, and the closer we get to Him, the more we will be overflowing with thankfulness for what He has done for us! 

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Rain, Rain, Go Away! - Wednesday, July 27th

Today is a rainy, mud-squelching, dreary type of day here at Camp Phillip. Despite the clouds, we are having a superb day! One sad thing was that we had to say goodbye to the PeeWee's - they were so fun to have around for the week! We will miss them greatly, and even though all the poor PeeWee parents had to pack up their tents and campers in the rain, I think it is safe to say that PeeWee camp 2 was a smashing success.

In other news, tonight's campfire was RIDICULOUS. Molly Ulland and Jason Schleef were suddenly... 9 years old?! How did THAT happen? It's the magic of a campfire, I suppose. Several minions from the popular animated movie "Despicable Me" even made an appearance! It was one of the craziest campfires of the summer to be sure. In the end, grandmother Erin Scharenbroch ended up being the one who got the Russians... right?

Our passage for today comes from Psalm 119:34 and says:

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.

At times, life can be difficult to understand. Friends can be tough to rationalize with. And even God's Word, the only ultimate truth, can be complicated to fully comprehend. Whenever we pray to God and ask Him to give us more wisdom, He always hears and answers our prayers. With His wisdom, we can more fully understand tricky situations in our lives - which leads us to only strive to keep doing God's will more every day. Today, if you are feeling confused, troubled, or weary, pray to your loving LORD and Savior for understanding - and He will be there to answer your plea!

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Happy Valentine's Day! - Tuesday, July 26th

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Today we are celebrating Valentine's day at Camp Phillip! What? You say that Valentine's day is in February? Well, DUH! But... it is also on July 26th here at Camp! Hooray!

We started out the day by exchanging valentines cards at breakfast, and the theme continued all day long. The password for the day was "hearts" (which meant that you had to say "awwwww!" and give your neighbor a hug every time anyone said that word) and we even played an evening game called "Broken Hearts". More importantly, we focused on showing each other LOTS OF LOVE by serving others today. I felt very loved; everyone gave me tons of hugs! What a great day!

Our passage for Valentine's Day Tuesday comes from I Corinthians 16:14:

Do everything in love.

Pretty straightforward passage, hey? God cannot command us more clearly than He does in this passage. Everything you do in your life, do it in love! Love your job. Love your friends. Love your family. Love your struggles. Love your flaws. Love your blessings. Love your trials. Love your talents. Most importantly, love your Jesus and live out that mysterious, unexplainable grace and love every day in every single thing you do. Always remember that you are a cherished, treasured individual in God's eyes - and do everything in love! 



Bottles - Monday, July 25th

01010000 01101000 01101001 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01010010 01100001 01100011 01101000 01100101 01101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110110 01100101 01101110 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100010 01101111 01110100 01110100 01101100 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01101101 01100101 00100001 ! Today started out in the funniest way. Rachel and Phil asked all the counselors to stand on the Dining Hall tables and try and drop a pencil into a water bottle on the ground that was weighted down with sand. We had a tournament at breakfast to determine which counselor was the best at it, and Kate Zabrowski, the counselor of cabin 9, was the victor! As a result, during campfire, her cabin was allowed to make a list of wishes they wanted granted that the Bottle Genies had to grant! At the end of campfire they received crowns, a car, a celebrity (Pastor Tom!), a stuffed puppy, and 12 Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen! It was pretty fun.

Today's passage comes from I Timothy 4:12:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

The children that we are fortunate enough to have here this week are pretty young; Pee Wee camp consists of K-2nd graders and Sonshine 4 is for 3-5th graders. The oldest children here are 11 or 12 - but just because they are fairly young doesn't mean their faith is immature. By no means! As humans we certainly are not given authority to judge people's hearts, but we can see fruits of faith that people carry out in their lives. These children are living their faith this week, and it is evident as well as encouraging. Even though I'm just a mere robot (and not all that old myself,) I sometimes wonder why we all don't try to be more like the "young" children here this week. Too often the older we get, the more we realize the earth is sinful, we fall prey to "logical" worldly rationalizations for certain matters that children understand to be black-and-white, and the purity of our beliefs become clouded. Children are capable of many things, and they are definitely able to be an example for older people, showing them how to love purely, believe sincerely, and trust totally. Jesus appreciates childlike faith and He surely loves "ignorant" children as much as He loves confused adults, ("Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."' - Matthew 19:4). Don't discount children - learn from their faith!

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Hiatus? - Sunday, July 24th

01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01000010 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000011 01001011 00100001!!! Philbot here.

I owe you an apology.

Last week I had the week off and I didn't let you know I was going to be gone!

I am very sorry.

Last week I had the chance to visit my family in Milwaukee for the whole week, and I took it! While I had a great time, never fear - I was delighted to get back to Camp and even more delighted to start talking to you again. I promise I won't leave again - at least until the summer is over, anyway. Can you believe there are only 3.5 weeks left of Camp Phillip programs this summer?! WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?!?!

Yesterday kickstarted another big week at Camp - Sonshine 4 and Pee Wee 2! It's hot and Camp is busting at the seams, but that's the way we like things around here. There are about 130 children here this week! WHOO HOO!

Last night we all enjoyed a hilarious campfire in which Matthew and Bretty got their acceptance letter to go to Camp Phillip - and as they readied to leave, ridiculous things happened. Like what? THEY RAN INTO ROBOTICKS ON THE MOON! (Roboticks?! Oh... robotics?! I get it...)

Our passage for yesterday comes from Matthew 4:10, in the section where Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the desert:

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Camp is a great opportunity for people to grow closer to God. This doesn't occur because Jesus is more present here than He is anywhere else in the world, but because being surrounded by so many other people who want to love and praise Jesus with you is a highly encouraging thing. We might not necessarily be tempted to worship the devil at Camp, but there are plenty of things we may be tempted to place in front of God. We might want to put our pride, our desires, money, athletic ability, popularity, or career success in front of God at any point in our life. However, in this passage Jesus tells us to worship the Lord YOUR God and to serve Him only. He is the most important thing in our lives. It is vital to grow close to Him in faith. And He died and rose because He loves us so so so so SO very much!

Whether you are at Camp this week or if you are somewhere else in this wide world, be reminded that Jesus is the loving, living, Savior-King that we worship - God above all and God alone!

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Worm - Thursday, July 14th

CHECK IT OUT!

John German and his awesome catch!

Can you believe the size of that FISH?! I don't think I ever want to go swimming in the Upper Whiteriver Millpond if there are small SHARKS swimming in there! Well, that's not true... I love our dear little lake, and that's not a baby shark, it's just a Northern. But still! It is pretty darn impressive that the guys in fishing specialty caught such a HUGE fish!

Every morning this week, cabin 12 - led by counselor Kevin Worm (appropriate last name, no?) and junior counselor Brady Troeller - has gotten up at the crack of dawn to go fishing for two hours before breakfast! To make up for their missed sleep, this cabin gets to sleep from 10-12 every morning. They have learned different fishing techniques, what bait works best, and just got to spend time on the lake putting their skills into practice. Most of the fish in the Upper Whiteriver Millpond are pretty small - bluegills and such - but whatever larger fish that were caught during the week are going to be eaten on Friday when the fishing guys have a fish fillet party! I personally can't eat fish, being a robot and all - but the guys caught a ton of fish, so they should have a pretty big feast tomorrow!

Thursday's passage is:

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:8

Can you feel the wind? Yes, of course. But... what really is wind? Can you describe it? Can you fully understand it? Not at all! This is what the passage in John is attempting to express - the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most mysterious member of the Trinity, and while we cannot describe Him in the slightest, we know He is there because we can feel Him. We can see His work. We can see the fruits of faith that come from His residence in human hearts. And He says in the blessing of God's Word that He is who He is - "I AM who I AM" (Exodus 3:14) - and that "I AM" is an all-powerful, loving God that we can trust.

Do these campers REEALLY have to leave tomorrow? All 103 of them are such fun!

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Volleyball! Awesome! - Wednesday, July 13th

This week has been jam-packed and CRAZY! The two other specialties we are focusing on today are volleyball and awesome hour - which have been completely intense this week!

First of all, volleyball specialty is being led by the multi-talented Sy Vanissaveth, volleyball extraordinaire. Cabin 7, led by counselor Erin Scharenbroch and junior counselor Maria Schlect, as well as Cabin 3, led by counselor Keely Keese and junior counselor Valerie Lumsden, meet every morning for two hours and practice bumps, sets, and spikes! This week they have learned about proper stretching techniques and developed their playing skills through round-robin drills and fun practice games. Every time I squeak my way over to the courts, everyone seems to be smiling and having a wonderful time! The weather has been fabulous for volleyball specialty - and the people have been fabulous as well!

Set that ball!

Stretching is a smart way to avoid injury

Also, Awesome Hour specialty has been, well - AWESOME! Counselor Kristen Carow and junior counselor Katherine Van Alstine of cabin 6B along with counselor Matt Werner and junior counselor Alex Vanissaveth of cabin 10 have led their campers in some wild activities this week, including (but not limited to) egg tosses, music video-making, dumping food on each other from the tree deck, and even possibly taking part in a flash mob (this is a neat one of the Hallelujah Chorus). Come to the closing program where awesome hour specialty will show off some of the crazy stunts they did this week! It has been exciting to see what awesome thing they will do next!

Wednesday's passage is from I Timothy 1:12:

 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.

Jesus is just great. So many times in our lives we try and do things all by ourselves - we try and save money for a car by ourselves, we try to make a relationship grow stronger by ourselves, or we try and face grief or problems by ourselves. When we go at the world with our fists up but without God's counsel, we will ultimately fail. We cannot do anything by ourselves - for it is Christ Jesus our Lord who gives us the strength to face each new day's trials and struggles! He loves us deeply. Unconditionally. And unfailingly! More than that, (if that's possible) to those who have the Holy Spirit in their heart, He has given a commission to tell others about Jesus and the saving message of the Gospel. His service is all we live for - and that is more than enough!

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A-list - Tuesday, July 12th

Specialties have been extra-busy this week! Two cabins I am going to focus on today are our "A-list" specialties - Art specialty and Archery specialty!

Art specialty is led by the amazing adult volunteer Rena! And they have been getting into all kinds of crafts. The first thing they did was embellish Camp t-shirts with felt, embroidery, and I think I even saw a little bit of puffy paint in there! Counselor Emily Sebald and junior counselor Ashley Stellmacher (who is quite crafty herself!) encourage their campers to add color to everything, be in on a canvas or in their own lives. There's also one boy in art specialty from cabin 10! Whoo hoo!

Rena and Ashley Hard at Work

Our other "A-list" specialty is archery specialty. Cabin 5, led by counselor Kate Zabrowski and junior counselor Megan Voss, and cabin 11, led by counselor Adam Cox and junior counselor Greg Strommen, team up every morning for two hours and learn all there is to learn from the knowledgeable Sarah Sherod about the art of shooting arrows. By now they are getting quite good at it, but there's more in store for them then just shooting arrows all day - rumors are going around that archery specialty will be making their own quivers later in the week in addition to shooting arrows through flaming hoops at night! Parents, get ready for to deal with your own little Robin Hoods when they come home on Saturday...

Our passage for today comes from I Corinthians 12:9 and says,

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 Even though we all go through problems and trials in our lives, God tells us His grace is sufficient for us. We, with our flawed and limited human judgment, may think that God should do x, y, and z in our lives, just as we see fit - then we'll be happy in this life, right? Wrong. Whereas we can only see the here and now, God has a clear view of our hereafter - and it's being spent with Him in heaven. His plans and thoughts are so much higher than our plans and thoughts, and His grace can get us through anything! We may think we need something more than God, but God is enough for us. Always. When we realize this fact, we can more easily rejoice in our difficulties because we can see that God is only strengthening our faith through the adversities we face in life.

THE BERRIES ARE GETTING CLOSER TO BEING RIPE!

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The Massacre - Monday, July 11th

Laurrine Lightning. Got. Killed.

Evening games are always a pretty intense activity at Camp Phillip, but Monday night's game far surpassed the usual intensity level we see around these parts.

Paul Ball, short for Paul Bunyan's Basketball, is a game routinely played at Camp Phillip. It is played exactly like basketball, except the ball used is GIGANTIC! In Triad Paul Ball, there are three teams competing in a triangle-like fashion. Each team can only score in one hoop and only needs to defend their own hoop. With the large number of campers here this week, this matchup was looking promising. The teams were the Brason Brawlers (dressed in blue), the Rojo Rambos (green and black) and Laurrine Lightning (yellow and white). We were set to play in the disc golf fields by Malachi (a big tree by a campfire pit we often use in the evenings). We had three large inflatable hoops set up. Kids were getting pumped. Face paint was involved.

Then.

Well...

Once the dust settled, there was no contest as to who was the winner. The Rojo Rambos had scored 135 points. The Brason Brawlers had scored 90. And Laurrine Lightning?
23 points.
WOW!
Even though there was a huge discrepancy in the points, the fighting was fierce and the game was great - it was exactly what an evening game should be!

Our passage for Monday comes from Isaiah 30:21:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Even though we may get slaughtered on the Paul Ball court and not know which way to turn, it is hugely helpful to note that God is always with us. He guides us in everything we do and when we get frustrated about what course we should take in life, He is always there, ready and waiting with answers to all our troubles! This passage doesn't mean that you'll hear an actual metaphysical voice in your ear, but instead that God will guide us, even when we don't know where to turn.

Maybe we'll have a Triad Paul Ball re-match?! LAURRINE LIGHTNING WILL PREVAIL SOMEDAY!!

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SONSHINE 2/SPECIALTY 2! THEY'RE HERE! - Sunday, July 10th

THEY ARE HERE!!! As the SALT staff bid adieu to their parents after church, Sonshine 2 campers started rolling in right on time. After some controlled chaos during registration, all the campers were settled in and the fun of this week could begin! Every week starts with a run-through of some ground rules pertaining to how Camp operates. We call them the GOSPEL rules and they stand for:

G = God! Respect God, glorify God, pray to God, trust God, and keep God as the center of everything we do, both here at Camp and in the "real" world
O = Others! Respect your fellow cabin mates, counselors, and program staff no matter what! Not only does God command us to love our neighbor, respecting others will make the whole week run smoothly.
S = Self! Respect yourself! Practice good hygiene habits, don't compromise your beliefs, and most importantly remember that you are a redeemed, beloved child of God - so don't worry! Live in His love.
P = Property! Respect the property here at Camp. We want to keep our grounds and buildings in the best condition possible, so don't write on the walls. Or burn the buildings down. Thanks.
E = Equipment! We use many different kinds of equipment here at Camp, from zoogles to tether balls to mattresses - be gentle! If something breaks, let us know so we can fix it. We won't be mad!
L = Life. Respect life here at Camp and everywhere! Don't pick the grass, only kill mean bugs like mosquitoes (which have been awful here lately), and remember that God made all things!

Knowing these rules from the get-go allows us all to have a much less stressful week. There's a great mix of fun going on in addition to the regular Sonshine cabins; this week we also have Archery, Fishing, Art, Volleyball, and Awesome Hour specialty cabins! Like the last week we had specialties, this week I will be highlighting different cabins and giving you a closer look into their activities.

The passage for Sunday comes from Acts 17:26-28:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 

How did you get to where you are today? I'm not just talking about how you arrived at Camp today to drop off your camper, or how you got to work, but what events in your life led you to the situation you find yourself in today? How did you get here socially? How did you get the job you hold? How do you know the people you know? God has a plan for every single person's life. EVERY SINGLE ONE of us! I say that frequently, but... think about it. There are a TON of people in this world. Yet God cares enough about all of us blighted creatures that He carefully orchestrates the grand spiderweb of the world just so to fit His will - and He has placed you where you are today for a reason. God has given you people to tell about Jesus. God has given you skills and abilities to do jobs here. He has set you in your current location so incredibly precisely! In Him we do all things - and today, I challenge you to look at where you are and do all things to glorify Him. Rejoice in whatever situation you find yourself in because He has a plan, and we are His children!!

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SALT Parent's Weekend - Saturday, July 9th

Hooray! The parents came to visit! After all the campers left on Saturday, Camp started filling up once again, this time with the parents of the full-summer staff here. We call the full-summer staff SALT staff, which stands for Summer Adult Leadership Team, and also alludes to the places in the Bible where Jesus calls us Christians the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

Since the SALT staff gets very little time off, everyone appreciated the opportunity to spend some quality time with their families - and the chance to meet everyone else's families! The parents braved the challenge course, devoured some great burgers, played Red Dawn, and enjoyed a campfire in the evening as well.  What a wonderful weekend! We are all blessed to have some really amazing people caring about us  - thank you Lord for parents!

Hopefully you enjoyed your weekend as well - and now, here at Camp Phillip, we're excited and refreshed by familial fellowship, and totally enthused about the full week ahead.

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Robot Races - Friday, July 8th

Ahh yes. The end of the week. It has come once more, and once more I am very sad to see these awesome kids go home - can we just keep them here for the rest of the summer?

No?

Okay.... can't blame a robot for trying!

This week's Friday night Robot Convention was AWESOME! Not only was the food extra-tasty for some reason, but we got to play Robot Races with Justin Heise afterward! For this game, each cabin got a special mission and was sent to a different station somewhere on Camp property to attempt to win supplies that could be used to construct a robot. Some girls had to go to the Big Toy and collect different items from Camp like toilet paper headbands and berries. Some boys had to face the scary Wisco 3 basement and try to solve some riddles to win items. When all was said and done, the dust settled and the Sonshine campers had built some pretty nifty robots! It was an exciting way to cap off an already exciting week.

The cabins also did a really great job of not wasting food this week... so to reward the campers, Jason Schleef had to rub huge gobs of mustard and ranch dressing into his hair. 01111001 01110101 01100011 01101011 00001101 00001010 !!!!!!!!!!

For Friday, we focused on a great section of scripture from Titus 3:3-7. It's a bit of a longer section, but it's worth reading all the way through:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The love of Jesus is truly amazing. I'm blessed to hear this saving message all day every day here at Camp Phillip, but when I stop and think about all the people in the world who don't know about what His love is capable of doing, it hurts my heart in this rusty chest of mine. So much of the world is shrouded in the darkness of unbelief; they're enslaved in the bondage of condemnation, and all it would take to lift them out of darkness into life is faith in the message that Jesus lived, died, and rose to save all people from sin. Because of this, we're HEIRS! We're not just warmly-thought-of acquaintances, no - we are written in the will. We're part of the family. And because of this, we can eagerly await the day when we will get to be with Jesus in heaven. We don't have to live in hatred, in malice, in envy! We can live in the light of His grace.

Campers, when you go home, encourage all your friends to spread this amazing message of God's love to everyone they know! And parents, see your children's zeal for the Lord and let the Holy Spirit encourage you too to jump refreshed into adamantly proclaiming God's love to the world.

He saved us - not by anything we can ever do, but simply by His love!

Thanks for a great week, everyone!

(Check out this song by Shawn McDonald called "Captivated" - God is amazing!)

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Thick of It - Thursday, July 7th

This week just keeps on getting better and better! Not only has the weather been utterly gorgeous, as the campers here get more and more comfortable with Camp, the more they get into the games and activities here - which is very encouraging to see! Everyone in Sonshine 2 has gotten ample opportunity to bond, and I must say I love this group of kids. Their energy is completely infectious and whenever I'm around the campers I can't help but smile. Parents, thanks for letting us hang out with your children this week - they are truly a joy!

Today we had a bunch of fun, as usual. Summer is almost halfway over, and we're all really in the thick of things here at Camp!

 The waterfront was awesome - but lifeguard Kate's bellyflop was WAY better than Kevin's!

Jr. Staff Seth Schumacher and Josh Burke Fearlessly Dive

Sarah's cabin is so silly! What fun kids!

Hammin' It Up For The Camera

The berries are ALMOST RIPE!

Thursday's passage comes from Galatians 5:13:

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. "

As the summer shimmers on, energy levels sometime wane with the heat. By now, the novelty of summer camp is burning off a little bit along with the humid July haze - yet this passage is great encouragement! When tempers run short or some sin or trial is messing with our head or heart, never forget to serve one another in love. This passage made me think of I Peter 4:8, which says:

"Above all, love each other deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins." 

God has given us freedom! We're free from sin! This incredible outpouring of undeserved love from our loving LORD and Savior compels us to "serve one another in love." Whether you're in the thick of energy-draining summer camp or in the thick of temptation, don't use the situations God has given you to "indulge the sinful nature" - we are not of this world! "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" (Romans 12:2), but live as the free, adored child of God that you are.



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If I Were a Pig - Wednesday, July 6th

Hello friends! Today I want to tell you about a HILARIOUS campfire that happened on Wednesday night! I laughed so hard I almost cried. The story that was told at campfire was about a pair of siblings named Steffy and Benny (who were played by Stephanie Geske and Benjamin Ihlen) who were playing at home when the power went out. They didn't know what they could do to entertain themselves in the dark, so they went down into the basement to talk to their dad, who was a washed up guitarist from a band in the 70's that never made it big. He taught them a song to sing called "If I Were a Pig" that went a little something like this:

"If I were a pig (if I were a pig)

Then I would be a BIG pig (Then I would be a BIG pig)

And if I were a dog (If I were a dog)

Then I would not be a pig (Then I would not be a pig)

And if I, I, I were a cow (MOOOO!)

Then I wouldn't be a pig

Either"

There were many other verses, all equally ridiculous. It was just a great campfire and a great way to cap off yet another simply delightful day at Camp Phillip.

Steffy and Benny!

The passage for Wednesday was Matthew 6:24:

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Justin Heise gave devotion after campfire and explained this verse for us with a great visual example. He explained that God is more important than money, and that while money is a blessing from God, we often misuse it and are not good stewards of the gifts God has given us. Money should be used to tell other people about Jesus; there are many ways to use money to glorify God. You can give money in offerings to the church, you can use money to put yourself in places where you have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus' work, or you can even use money by writing on it like they do on Where's George. Whatever you do, it is vital to remember that we serve God and Him alone - you can't serve two masters! We are very blessed that our master is Jesus Christ, our Savior from sin!

(also, check out this awesome song written and recorded by one of the Program Directors here at Camp Phillip, Joel Hansen!)

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Carnival - Tuesday, July 5th

01001000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 00110101 01110100 01101000 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01001010 01110101 01101100 01111001 00100001! Today at Camp something awesome happened (as usual) - a carnival came to Camp Phillip!! For the evening program today, Jesus Cares campers and Sonshine campers alike enjoyed a night at the carnival, complete with balloon animals, popcorn, and Sami the clown. Campers would stop at different stations and play some kind of game in an attempt to get tokens. These tokens were then placed in cups with different attributes on them such as "southern accent" or "opera style." The carnival concluded with many re-enactments of the battle of David and Goliath, each with a different style based on what cups campers had filled up the most with tokens. It looked like a ton of fun!

Tuesday's passage comes from one of my favorite books of the Bible - Romans!

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." - Romans 12:1

At Camp Phillip, one point that we really try to stress with the campers is sanctification. Church often focuses on justification - what Jesus did to save us from sin - and at Camp Phillip, we have been blessed with a unique arena to stress and practice sanctified living. Just as this passage states, our lives as believers in God are living sacrifices. Every day, our activities are motivated by our thankfulness for Christ's sacrifice; He makes us want to sacrifice our time in service to others and the spread of the Gospel. God's mercy is an incredible motivator! Like Paul, today I urge you to be living sacrifices in your daily life, whether that means being kind to a bothersome employee or boss at work, by going out of your way to help a friend who is struggling with some kind of a trial in their life, or by setting aside time specifically to study God's Word. The concept of being a living sacrifice is an exciting one - and it is holy and pleasing to God!

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Happy 235th Birthday, America! - Monday, July 4th

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! It's the 4th of July! We started off the day here at Camp Phillip with a rousing chorus of patriotic songs like "God Bless Our Native Land", "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner". Jason Schleef also led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and many people wore red, white, and blue. If it wasn't illegal to shoot off fireworks I think we would have tried, but in addition to being fun, here at Camp Phillip we also place following the rules in high regard.

America;s 235th birthday gave this week of camp a kickstart! The small number of campers in Sonshine 2 allows the counselors to get to know the children even better than they do in other weeks of Sonshine camp - how fun! Even I am getting to know these campers pretty well, and I'm just the communications guy!

Since it was just the first day of the week, the campers eased into the swing of things somewhat with a fairly regular day of crafts, creation encounters, outdoor sports, bible studies, and swimming. Maybe the best part was the evening game when the Sonshine campers played "Big Ball Explosion!" It was supposed to be similar to the game "Paul Ball" except that "Big Ball Explosion" is intended to be played with a GIGANTIC ball that we keep in the machinery building. That red rubber ball is a bit old... and sadly, 2 minutes into the game, it popped! The campers continued playing Paul Ball with the normal equipment as the red ball sadly deflated, yet a good time was had by all.

Except for that poor ball.

Cabin Two Playin' Around

Cabin 12 During Creation Encounters

Today's passage is from Mark 10:45:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life, die, and rise to save mankind from their sins... and He did this with a servant heart! Even though He was the one who created every person He interacted with, even though He was the One who authored humor, sunshine, chocolate, laughter, color, music, and joy, even though He was and is the Inventor of everything we see on earth - He humbled Himself and became our servant. Jesus washed His disciples feet, suffered through life as a man, and even died for us. When we have this knowledge, it makes us want to also follow His examples and strive to serve our fellow man as He did.

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Jesus Cares - Sunday, July 3rd

Hey there! How was your weekend? I had a great time hanging out here at Camp Phillip even though it was VERY warm! I'm made of a unique titanium/magnesium alloy that gets very overheated when exposed to direct sunlight, so I tried staying mostly in the shade and that has helped prevent me from frying. PHEW!

Camp is all in a tizzy because there are TWO camps going on at the same time this week! Not only did Sonshine 2 start this week, Jesus Cares camp is going on as well. Jesus Cares ministry assists congregations with reaching out to people who are intellectually or developmentally disabled, and we always look forward when Jesus Cares comes to Camp Phillip! These campers vary in age from their teens to their nineties, so while the programming is a little bit different than the grade-school-age children who usually come to Camp, adapting our programs to fit these camper's needs is a joy. The SALT staff doesn't do this camp alone either; we are blessed with a very dedicated group of adult volunteers who help out with Jesus Cares nursing, bible studies, and crafts! I love Jesus Cares!

 With both camps running, Camp Phillip is about near filled up to capacity - which is the way we like to see things around here! We have a very small Sonshine 2 camp this year - only 24 campers! - and a large Jesus Cares camp - somewhere around 40 campers! It's good to have things bustling. This week is always one of my personal favorites of the whole summer at Camp Phillip. We have a week filled with polka dancing, human bowling, evening games, ridiculous campfires, and lots of learning about Jesus lined up, and I am excited to see how everything goes!

Today's passage is from Ephesians 2:21-22:

  In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

Our theme for this summer is the Robot Connection, emphasizing the fact that each one of us individually is important to the unseen Christian church of believers everywhere. Each one of us has a job to do to further Christ's message here on Earth until we are called home to heaven someday, and together we are built up by God as we build up each other. It is such a blessing to know that the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally in our hearts. Being a dwelling that God's Spirit resides in is a huge blessing - God lives in YOU! You are His temple! You are precious to Him, and by Jesus' sacrifice you are made holy. God is love, and God loves you. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH!!

Please keep Camp Phillip in your prayers this week. Pray that Sonshine and Jesus Cares campers alike have meaningful experiences at Camp that draw them closer to their Savior from sin, Jesus Christ.

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(Remember that if you want to see what I'm saying when I slip binary code in this blog, there's a link on the upper right hand side of the home page to a binary code translator that may help you out!)

Sonshine Cabins 6f, 6b, 9 - Thursday, June 30th

Hey there! 01001000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 01010100 01101000 01110101 01110010 01110011 01100100 01100001 01111001 00100001. What a beautiful week we are having at Camp Phillip! I hear it's supposed to be a HAWT one tomorrow though... we will make sure we are applying a lot of sunscreen and drinking lots of water today and tomorrow so we don't return your children to you all dehydrated on Saturday.

While all of these specialty cabins have been exploring the varied worlds of robotics, rock climbing, horseback riding, and music and drama, the Sonshine campers have been busy themselves! Unlike the specialty cabins, Sonshine campers get to make a craft (this year the craft is awesome robots! Imagine my excitement!) and go to other sessions the other cabins didn't, such as archery. The counselors for 6f are Emily Sebald and Stacie Worm, the counselors for 6b are Corrine Whittier and Sarah Peters, and the counselors for the only male Sonshine cabin are David and Kurt. From what I saw as I went around taking pictures this week, they had an awesome time basking in the sunshine of the glorious summer days as well as the Sonshine from the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sonshine girls at Creation Encounters

David's Cabin at Bible Study Near the Booger

The passage for Thursday comes from Luke 12:22 -

"Then Jesus said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear."

What a comforting passage! Sometimes I feel like I was programmed incorrectly; I worry all the time. Isn't there a patch for that? Worrying is a major flaw. I asked my developers if there was something that could be done to make me stop worrying all the time, but they apologized and said there was nothing that could be done - I am inherently sinful and worry is part of the territory. The only thing that can make me stop worrying is strength that comes from the Holy Spirit and the reassurance of Christ's undying forgiveness. I forget how positively almighty God is and think that I can tackle life's hurdles all on my own - I'm a very high-functioning robot, after all. But I cannot do it alone - and it is comforting that I don't have to do it all alone! God tells us in this passage not to worry - He has got everything under control and I needn't worry even about what I will wear! He will bless me as He sees fit and will forever guard my life, both here and hereafter in heaven someday. Do not worry about your life! God's got it.

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