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To Churches:
Pocket Change and Leftovers
From Camp Director, Daniel
Osborne
For
those
of you who cook, imagine what kind of meal you would prepare if
someone who was prestigious and that you highly admired was to
join you for dinner next month. For those who do not cook,
imagine what kind of gift you would present to this guest who is
to come. Now, imagine how insulting it would be if you gave
this special guest leftovers from a meal that you have already
enjoyed or if you gave the pocket change that remained from a
purchase you had made for yourself earlier in the day. Do these
actions truly reveal that you highly admire the guest? I don’t
think so. In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain showed that he
had little respect for God by the offering that he gave, while
Abel showed his reverence for God by giving “of the firstlings
of his flock and of the fat thereof.”
Often times, we as Christians show God that we do not regard and
reverence Him as we should by giving Him pocket change and
leftovers. We are saying to God that He can have what is
remaining after we indulge ourselves. Not only do we do this in
our gifts and offerings to God and His Kingdom, but we also do
this in the time, effort, attention, and energy that is devoted
to Him. It’s almost as if we treat God as a mere acquaintance
and maybe even one of those people that you know but don’t wish
to be around much.
It’s not that there is anything wrong with pocket change or
leftovers. Pocket change is money just the same as bills, and
leftovers often taste as good or better than a freshly cooked
meal. The problem is in giving God seconds or second place. Is
this really how we wish to show our love, gratitude, and
reverence to the God of the universe who gave His best for us?
Oh how I long to see how much our families, churches, and
Christian ministries would flourish if we would give of our best
rather than our pocket change and leftovers.
God forgive us for our slackness toward You and Your Kingdom.
Help us to give You what You deserve. Help us to give You our
best.
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We Still Want Camp Ambassadors
Yes,
we still need Camp Ambassadors. What
is a Camp Ambassador? A representative from a local church that
supports the camp’s ministry by serving as a liaison between
Camp Jacob and their church. They should help keep their church
informed of the events and needs of the camp, and also make camp
staff aware of concerns or suggestions from their church.
If you are interested in being a Camp Ambassdor for your church,
please give us a call.
The Year 2009 Marks 25
Years!
In
1984 when Grady Baker offered the property of what was at the
time called Camp Zarahemla to the local churches for a price
that was about 20% of its fair value, there was much debate
about how the churches might benefit from its use.
 Thanks
be to God for moving on the hearts of individuals to follow
their vision of a Christian ministry using this property to
further God’s Kingdom. So, in 1984, the property was purchased,
renamed Camp Jacob, and the ministry began.
Now,
looking back over what will be 25 years in 2009, it is easy to
verify that it was certainly worth the effort. Over the years,
thousands of youth have attended and heard the Gospel, hundreds
have made professions of faith in Christ, and many have other
decisions for Christ. Some have made close friendships, and
other have even met their mate here at Camp Jacob.
Therefore, we would like to make our 25th year a special year.
We currently have a group of people who are planning the
activities and events that will be conducted as part of our
celebration. But, we also want you to begin praying and
planning how that you can do something special for Camp Jacob in
2009 to help us celebrate our Silver Anniversary and make it a
great year to remember.
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Jacob's Journal 
rather than from the
outside in. So, the outside surroundings from location or possessions
do not bring this joy. This joy comes