“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14 What a gift it is to gather young people together, look them in their eyes and say to them “You, child of God, were wonderfully Created To Be - exactly as you are.”
Created to Be Love:
All that we are stems from being saved by grace, through faith (or perhaps♪ Sa-a-a-a-a-ved by Grace, Throu-ou-ou-ou-ou-gh our faith - our faith - our faith♪). What an incredible gift of love we have received from our God, to be set free from our sin and burdens. Together, our campers considered questions like Where have you experienced God’s love in your life? And how can you share God’s love with others?
Created to Be Authentic:
We desire to welcome and celebrate each of our campers for who they are, just as God does. Campers were introduced to theme through a silly improv game where the host of a house party has to identify each guest’s individual need. Then, as we relate to the story of sisters Mary & Martha, we see that the spectrum of authenticity is wide. We discussed what it looks like to worship authentically - even if that means it’s different than the person next to us.
Created to Be Brave:
God calls a young shepherd boy, David to fight the mighty soldier, Goliath, with just a small stone and a slingshot. We know that David didn’t have just a small stone and slingshot though, he also had his faith in God to lead him through. Our campers face a variety of Goliaths in their lives and it was a privilege to hold space for campers as they named them. We are filled with the Spirit of God to go out into the world to be Brave.
Created to Be Disciples:
Jesus invites us—all who are weary—to be his disciples by taking his yoke, which is easy and good. Our campers demonstrated what it’s like to carry a weight and what a burden it becomes, but when we are yoked with Jesus, our burdens become lighter and we can be the disciples we are Created to Be!
Created to Be Disruptive:
Campers were sent into the world with a charge to be disruptive in the world. Our faith is not silent, passive, or solitary. Our actions and advocacy are guided by the Spirit and love for
our neighbor in the church, society, and the world. It is our joy at Crossways to send empowered, faith-filled, leaders into the world to act with love.
