LCCS and Berean Bible Church

We have been on the road quite a bit over the past few weeks and would like to encourage you and update you all on our travels and what God has been teaching us!

Berean Bible Church

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Psalms 133

v.1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity

King David exclaimed how wonderful it was for believers to live in harmony with each other. The time setting was when the Israelites made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. The 12 tribes got together to praise God. During our weekend with Berean Bible Church we praised the Lord for his faithfulness to us despite our sins and despite the trials we face. It is amazing thing when believers truly love one another and bear one another's burdens (Gal 6:2). I believe this unity was strengthened throughout our week with Berean Bible Church at Arrowhead Bible Camp. During the week as a team we worshipped the Lord through the music and through the Word. And we went through the tough process of dropping our waterline. It is imperative that we continue to confess our sins to the Lord and literally run away from the temptations that come into our lives. Students came up to us after Walk the Line and said they never realized that so many people had issues and so many people struggle with the same thing that they did. It is truly crucial for authenticity to be displayed in Christian community. Vulnerability allows us to truly love one another and serve one another specifically to fulfill each other’s needs. The team building time to culminate the weekend was an amazing time to see each one lift each other up with words and hugs of affirmation. “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Pro 16:24). And with a our tongues we can continue to build one another up. As we reflect on this week our prayer is that you all realize that you never walk alone in this life your have a community of believers who will support you and a Father in heaven who will never leave you nor forsake you. And despite any more struggle we face, we know that there will be a day with no more pain, no more tears, no more fears; there will be a day when the burdens we face will be no more, because we will see JESUS face to face.

Lancaster County Christian School

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We had a early start at LCCS as we arrived at 7:15 to set up for the day. The programming for challenge days are usually 6.5 hours and we had to cram it into a 4 hour time slot in one day. It was a little difficult to do, but we manage to fit everything we thought we needed. Our time @ LCCS was short and showed us the importance of having multiple days with students and faculty. We realized that as we ask people to drop their waterline and become vulnerable it is difficult when the people preaching, teaching,and exhorting you just met you that very same day. With all that said, we were grateful the students and faculty displayed humility and authenticity in our brief time with them. We can sense that some people were able to relieve themselves of the stress and strain at having the waterline. It is great to know that Our God has overcome all are trials, fears, struggles, and challenges.

I want to leave you all with a short devotional about our God.

There is a story in our Old Testaments in the book of I Samuel about a woman who had not been able to have children. She cried out to God, and He heard her cry and gave her a son. She would return that son to God to be used by Him in whatever way He saw fit. That boy became the great prophet we call, Samuel. After Samuel was born, his mother, Hannah, sang out in praise to God. She was praying and thanking God for giving her the son she had desired for so long.

Part of what she said really touched my heart today. She said,

“No one is holy like the Lord,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

3 “Talk no more so very proudly;

Let no arrogance come from your mouth,

For the Lord is the God of knowledge;

And by Him actions are weighed.

” (I Samuel 2:2-3).

There is no Rock we can hold on to who will compare with our God! As you look around you today you quickly realize that there is no person, or institution that can take the place of God. There is not a person on the earth, or a group that can match the power of our God. I think you see where I am headed with this today. Hannah experienced God placing a life within her body. That was a miracle! Just as God performed that miracle, He can take care of all the challenges and problems you might be facing today. The key to this verse is that we make the God-head most important, and we least important (John 3:30) I don’t know what impossible situation you are facing today, but I know we have a Rock for all the ages in our God.

Community Chapel Youth Retreat

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We had a great time with the youth leaders and students during the youth retreat. We had a lot of fun attempting Minute-to-Win-it challenges, making crafts, beating up on the students in dodgeball, having a talent show, and watching Guy on a Buffalo clips. However, more importantly than the fun we had was the healing God began to do in the lives of students that weekend. Through some vulnerability and confession, God was able to strengthen the community of the youth group that weekend in pretty special way. As you students continue to walk deeply together, let this be an encouragement to you:

One of the great things sports teach us is that you cannot live in the past. A quarterback’s memory has to be short. Even if a quarterback is having a terrible day with a low completion percentage and maybe a few interceptions, he still might have an opportunity to lead a game winning drive. He has to forget about every throw he has made that game and focus on that drive. Often when a team wins a championship, the coaches and players will spend the next few days celebrating before starting to prepare for the next season. They recognize that their championship is in the past and if they want to win another one, they must prepare and train for next year! Even teams who fire their coaches immediately begin the process of searching for a new coach. In the world of sports you can learn and build on the past, but if you focus on the past, you set yourself up for failure.

In our sinfulness we must also learn from our past mistakes, but not continue to focus on them or live in them. If we do, we too are setting ourselves up for failure. If we confess and repent of our sins, God forgives us those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). In God’s eyes that sin has been erased. We are free from any shame, guilt, hurt, or pain associated with that sin. However, sometimes we lose sight of that in our lives.

Read Romans 6

Does this passage give you confidence that you no longer have to live in your past (your old self)? Explain why or why not?

 

Are you encouraged by the fact that in the death and resurrection of Christ, that we can walk in the newness of life? Explain why or why not?

 

We not only have victory over our past and our old self, but we have victory over things to come. We do not have to continue to wrestle with sin and continue to fall into sin. We have great power and victory in those former things if we truly believe what God’s Word says here!

CSY and LBC's Missions Conference

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, we had the privilege on traveling to Christian School of York to take part in their chapel program. At first some students were a little hesitant about having two days of three hour chapels. However, after a few introductions, one of which involved Lawrence jumping over 5-6 chairs, the students quickly realized that these chapels would be different from any they had ever experienced. It was not difficult to get the students excited for the day after that. If there was any student that was not excited for the day, it was quickly remedied when Principal Smith did a split to earn points for her team during a guy’s vs. girl’s challenge. The first day was highlighted by some mixers, some games, a lot of hugs and high fives, a message from Lawrence to drop the waterline and confess our sins to God and one another,   and a message from T.J. challenging us all to put God on the throne of our hearts. Students and faculty were able to dive deeper into these topics and share what was/is really going on their own lives during family group time. We ended our first day at CSY cheering on the Middle School Girl’s Basketball team battle in a close game. After that we were invited back to one of the student’s house for dinner.

 

 

On Wednesday, we were excited to see what God had in store for CSY. After some mixers, the students and faculty were able to share their own stories through a unique community builder called Walk-the-Line. After a few minutes spent giving out hugs and making some relationships right, the students and faculty debriefed what they had just experienced. This time in family groups opened the school up to some authentic and transparent conversations. After that the students had time to spend in prayer, spend in God’s Word, write notes to friends and loved ones, write prayer requests, sign commitments, and verbalize their testimonies. After a skit and a short message to trust God and give over to him all the baggage in our lives instead of trying to please Him, we had time for open mic. It was amazing to see students and faculty open up and confess some things that had been on their hearts for a long time. It was also awesome to see the entire school rally around those students and teachers; truly having one another’s backs! We ended our time at CSY in celebration of one another which culminated in everyone cheering CSY! CSY! CSY! We continue to pray for the community of CSY and are grateful to have been a part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left CSY, we headed back to Lancaster Bible College to lead students in Walk-the-Line for the Missions Conference. It was awesome to see God continue to grow the community that has been established at LBC. Flick and T.J. challenged students to look for opportunities to be real with one another and meet needs on the campus. That is God’s mission for their lives during their time at LBC.

 

 

 

ACCA!

Adam's County Christian Academy

 

 

When we met the students at ACCA (Adams County Christian Academy), we knew it was going to be a great time. We fell in love with the students and faculty, and the rest of the week was a memorable experience. We started the day with some fun cheers and a game of, “Never Have I Ever.” It was fun to see the students already start to relax and get comfortable with the setting. Lawrence shared the first, “Be4Real” about dropping our water lines and being authentic with God and with one another. T.J followed up with a challenge to the students to clear the couch from their hearts and place God on the throne of their hearts. The rest of the day we got to hang out with the students in their classes. In English class;T.J. and Lawrence were able to drop their own waterlines and share their life experiences with the students.

 

 

Our team was hosted by the Hart family, and we were so blessed to see a godly family in action. All us guys can admit the three boys are servants and hard workers, but sadly they lack in dodgeball skills :). We enjoyed our time at their house and look forward to seeing them again.

 

The next day at ACCA, Walk -the-Line was again a powerful ministry tool that the Lord has provided. The school was transformed by the transparency displayed.

 

 

 

During the open mic time, the following day, students and faculty confessed to harboring bitterness and were able to forgive. The students realized that they never walk alone in life. Not only is God always with them, but they now realize that they have a Christian body of community. A community that faces the same trials and can join with them on their journey in life.

 

 

Another highlight was Friday morning worship through music. We were told students didn’t like to sing out loud, and we challenged the leaders of the worship team to share how their hearts were touched by the songs we prepared to sing. It was amazing to see the change in students as they realized that they were offering praise to God. As a team we continue to be in awe of the work God is doing through us. ACCA is a Christian school set ablaze for God’s glory, so watch out, because they are going to impact the world for Jesus Christ!

River of Life Camp

This weekend, Team Charger Challenge had the privilege of traveling to Irasburg, Vermont to help serve at River of Life Camp. On this journey two new faces joined the team, Kylee Bennett and Amanda Bracelin. Our team was so grateful to have these ladies give up a weekend to travel with us as we journeyed up North. We had a pretty uneventful ride until we were about an hour away from the camp and could see the snow and the mountain ranges. Creation truly reveals God’s majesty, and we really enjoyed scenery of the beautiful camp. When we arrived, Kylee, Amanda, and Eric enjoyed a sleigh ride to travel to their cabins, as they served as counselors for the weekend. T.J. and Lawrence helped out with programming during the weekend. The weather was about 9 degrees upon our arrival, and it took Lawrence a little while to get used to bitter cold
 

The first night we joined in worship with Justin and his team, followed by a strong challenge and testimony from T.J. about allowing God’s life transforming Word. He presented our need to destroy the other “thrones” we place on our heart. God needs to be on the throne, and his Word needs to shape our lives. We followed this us with pizza, playing knockout, basketball games, and genuine fellowship with the students.

 

 

 

 

Saturday’s highlights:
We had the opportunity to go snow tubing. Campers and counselors had the joy of going down a huge hill and racing on top of the frozen pond with the tubes. The best rides were when we had all the tubes linked together racing down the hill.

 

 

 

 

T.J. brought back the German band and the counselors did a pretty good job with it.


The B-Rob concert was a good time to see someone taking music and redeeming it for God’s glory. B-Rob lyrics were solid, and we could tell the students loved every bit of the concert. B-Rob sang about casting our sins to God and allowing his blood to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That was certainly a message we as team needed. We need to daily confess our sins and allow Christ to cleanse us from our unrighteousness.

Sunday morning:
The weekend was capped off with a challenge by Lawrence from 1:Timothy 4:12. This passage challenged us to truly be an example to beleivers as we leave the camp. Are your words, actions, love, faith, spirit, and purity an example to fellow christians? Or are you a follower of the world instead of an imitation of Christ? T.J. filled the pulpit for the Sunday morning service and challenged us from the book of James. Our faith without works are dead, and we need to live lives committed to meeting the needs of others around us. Our works show that Christ sacrifice on the Cross truly transforms our lives.

 

 

Sunday Afternoon: We ran into some car toubles on the way home, but we are blessed that we are alive and back in Lancaster. We learned that Moses prayer,“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12) is applicable to our lives. We don’t know when our lives will be over on earth, but we want to make it count impacting lives for Christ. Are you doing that today?

Camp Sankanac

Camp Sankanac

 

This past weekend Team Charger Challenge was honored to be invited back to Camp Sankanac. Camp Sankanac holds a special place in the hearts of our team. In previous years, all three members of Team Charger Challenge had the privilege of serving alongside of the Camp Sankanac staff during their summer camps as a part of the Team Charger camp ministry. Each one of us holds in our hearts fond memories of Mr. Jan Coudriet, who served God faithfully as Camp Sankanac’s Director for 29 years. This past year Mr. Jan passed away. Although Mr. Jan was such an important part of Camp Sankanac, we knew the impact he had on the lives of his Sankanac family would mean that they would not miss a beat in continuing the tradition of Camp Sankanac, which has been founded on the Word of God. Team Charger Challenge looked forward to continuing in the friendships and relationships that we have formed with the staff and campers of Camp Sankanac, as well as forming new relationships with campers during their ALL BOYS Winter Retreat!

 

As we arrived at the camp on Friday night, we were able to catch up on life with some old friends as well as begin to form new relationships. It didn’t take long until we got sucked into games of Battleship, Chess, card games, etc. After some fun and fellowship, Mr. T.J. lead the campers and staff in some mixers and icebreakers. After a few rounds of Birdie-on-a-Perch, Mr.  T.J. split the group into two teams, 1) Peanut Butter and 2) Jelly. Peanut Butter had to compete against Jelly in a game of extreme tic-tac-toe. Teams had to race against one another to bring T.J. a random item. For example, the first team to bring Mr. T.J. a chewed piece of gum got to place and “x” or “o” on the board. In order to win the round of tic-tac-toe though, the team had to finish a food challenge. Some food challenges were not too bad, such as first person to eat an entire apple. But the peanut butter cookies marinated in buffalo sauce was too much for one camper to handle.

 

 

After some mixers, Mr. T.J. shared a challenge for the night. He spoke out of Ephesians 2:10. So often we believe lies about ourselves like; “I will never be good enough”, or “God doesn’t really love all of me”, or “I don’t really matter”, or “I don’t have any or much worth”. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them.” This word “workmanship” literally translates to poetry. If you think about poetry it is an intimate expression. In other words, we are God’s masterpiece. God does not make junk! When we believe the lies mentioned before, it is almost like saying to God that He didn’t know what He was doing when He created us. The campers and counselors had a time in small groups and to discuss the truth that Mr. T.J. shared. Many of them shared about the lies they had believed in their own lives.

After small groups it was time for some dodge ball. After a few rounds of intense dodge ball, where the counselors whooped up on the campers (at least that’s how we remember it), it was time for a snack. We enjoyed some Smores before heading to our cabins for some much needed sleep.

In the morning we woke to a delicious pancake breakfast, thanks to the ladies who served us all weekend. We spent a little time fellowshipping in the morning before Mr. Lawrence brought the Word for the morning. Mr. Lawrence talked about how we like to hide things in our life and only show people the “good” or “attractive” things in our lives. He compared our lives to icebergs. Like icebergs we only show people the 10% of things in our lives that are above the waterline. These are things we want people to see about our lives. But we hide the other 90% below the waterline because we don’t want them or God to see them. He spoke from Genesis 3 using the example of Adam and Eve and how they tried to cover up and hide from God.

Campers and counselors again had a chance to discuss their thoughts in small groups. They shared some of the things they have been hiding from God below the waterline in their lives. For some it was sin that needed to be confessed. For others, it was fears or struggles that they were not surrendering to God. After small groups, we had some free time. Some stayed inside and played games. Others went outside for some knockout, street hockey, football, etc. After free time we enjoyed a nice lunch of hot dogs and warm chilli.

 

Once the food settled, the time had come for one of the most anticipated events of the winter retreat…MUD FOOTBALL! Because it had just rained, it was the perfect conditions for some mud football. Everyone had a great time playing football and getting dirty; although I am sure there were some mothers who weren’t so thrilled when they saw the dirty laundry and muddy shoes. We were also blessed to have no serious injuries, which is surprising considering the way Mr. Lawrence was running the football. After we got cleaned up, it was time for some more football; the playoff game between the Ravens and the Broncos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the first half of the game, and then had to pause for dinner. After a delicious meal, we turned the game back on. What we thought would only be a 3 hour game turned into a much longer game as the two teams battled into overtime. The Ravens fans were ecstatic that their team stole a win in overtime. After some short celebrations, it was time for Mr. T.J. to bring the Word for the night. Mr. T.J. talked about the importance of authenticity in community. He shared his own testimony of “if you really knew me…this is what you would know.” He talked about the need for God to be on the throne of our hearts. But what often is true of our lives is we replace God’s throne on our hearts with a couch to make room for other things in our lives. And often times God actually ends up not even getting a seat on that couch. Our God is a jealous God, and He will not share His throne with anyone or anything. Besides, a throne is only meant for one person; it is only meant for a King!

After his message, campers and counselors had time to share in their own small groups. They had a chance to share their stories of “if you really knew me….her is what you would know about me.” They shared about their struggle and fears, their likes and dislikes, their home life, their hearts and what is really on their “throne”, etc. After small groups we played some more dodge ball before heading to the cabins.

 

In the morning we were able to sleep in and fellowship in the morning. Mr. Flick brought God’s Word for the morning. He spoke out of 1 John 1:5-9, which talks about God as light, and in Him is no darkness. He referred to the story of Hosea to remind the campers of God’s love for them. He reminded them that no matter what we do or how many times we are unfaithful, God would pay ANYHING to have us in His family. In fact, He paid EVERYTHING so that we may forever be in communion with Him. With this in mind, we should want to walk in the light! We should not want to try to hide anything in darkness. it is the light that heals; it is the light that heals. In the light all things are made new, all things are made righteous.

 

Campers and counselors again had a time to share about the things they were hiding in the darkness. With a new found joy in just how great God’s love in for them, campers were able to share some deep issues that they had been keeping in the dark. We ended our time at Camp Sankanac with a huge breakfast buffet, cleaning up the camp, and playing some games until parents came to pick up the campers. We were blessed to be able to be a part of the winter retreat. We know that God will continue to bless Camp Sankanac as they journey into a new season under new leadership. We also pray for the campers and counselors as they continue to be transparent in their lives and surrender to what God can do in and through them.