Triple digit heat, a new dress code, campers and staff getting by on very little sleep, and sharing cabin space in close quarters with people you see only once or twice a year.

Praise be to God that by the end of the week kids were begging to stay a few more days at church camp. Some of you probably had similar experiences at your camps.

My youth group goes to Burnt Cabin Christian Camp on Lake Tenkiller. By the time all the other invited teenagers and counselors arrive from area towns, there are about 200 of us.

The theme for the week was “Jars of Clay” from 2 Corinthians 4:7. Our studies on this topic were great reminders that in spite of adverse circumstances, God can work wonders in our lives.

He can do great things for us and through us even when we think we are unqualified, nothing but spiritual failures, broken pieces of pottery.

Even if we’ve been cracked or broken, God can put us back together. Even if pieces are still missing, and we still have cracks and scars, the light of Christ can still shine through us even brighter than before!  

God could have chosen a seemingly more reliable method of transporting the story of Jesus to a lost and dying world. He could have used an armored vehicle or a spaceship. But He chose us!

I must say that the thing I dreaded the most about camp this year was having to enforce our new dress code I came up with: 1) standard round neck T-shirts, 2) shorts that come to within two and one-half inches above the top of the knee cap when standing. That is the height of a dollar bill.

This dress code might sound easy enough to deal with (or not). But our culture has decided that the shorts our young ladies must wear to be popular should be much shorter, and have slits up each side.

This obviously poses a problem for young men who are trying to maintain purity of mind whether you’re at church camp or somewhere in public.

Thankfully, decent clothes have not disappeared altogether. My wife and our 17-year-old daughter found appropriate shorts at Old Navy, JC Penney, American Eagle, and GAP. Granted, there is a lot more to choose from at most stores if you’re willing to buy less material.

After all, most designers are not likely as concerned for our souls as they are with making a profit.

At camp, I was encouraged to find that some young people who were not thrilled about the new dress code, actually changed their minds by the end of the week. Of course, the challenge will be staying strong the other 51 weeks of the year!

Godly parenting can obviously be a huge help. Please pray for children and parents to take a strong stand in supporting and practicing purity of mind. Everything else will fall into place. Have a great week!

Reach Barrett Vanlandingham at the Fort Gibson Church of Christ at (918) 478-2222 or barrett@ftgcc.org.