Parent Devo - Camp Day 6

What was your most discouraging disappointment? Can you think of a time when you were so excited to share news with someone only to receive disregard? Maybe you can think of a specific example, or you might have a person in your life who always knew how to kill your momentum.

Please don’t be a source of discouragement for your child when he or she returns home from camp.

Your child is wrapping up a long week of camp today. Preparing for the ride back home, your child has great memories but is probably also experiencing some level of exhaustion. Prayerfully, he or she has been radically changed at camp. God has done incredible work in his or her life.

One of the constant expressions heard at camp is a fear of going home. Even in situations where a family is supportive and encouraging, students often fall back into old patterns that don’t focus on Christ once camp is over. For some, it seems easier to follow Jesus at camp than at home. At camp, every single element is crafted
to help point students to Jesus and to relationships that encourage one’s spiritual growth. Going back home is a fearful trek of reemerging to environments more prone to temptation and conflict.

“Your job is to help prepare the landing pad so that what began at camp can continue once home.”

Your student is going to bring back extra responsibility for you but arrayed with a renewed spirit. Your job is to help prepare the landing pad so that what began at camp can continue once home.

When your child comes home, you still have the right to expect honor, but consider how you interact with him or her in the coming hours. If your child has learned to be like Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, the last thing you want to do is to transform into Martha and criticize how he or she isn’t initially meeting your expectations.

Hopefully, your child is pondering spiritual matters at a new level, so don’t greet them with trivial frustrations.

Sure, your son or daughter may still have the same aversion to chores they did before. But don’t let that overshadow the encouragement your child gets from you in the decisions she has made or the support you want her to feel from you in that decision. Your child will need to help unpack and assist in chores, but can you make the main thing the main thing? Discover what Jesus did in your child’s life before focusing on temporal issues. In their excitement of what God did, you want to fan that flame (2 Tim. 1:6) and encourage that growth.

• Celebrate — What are some ways you can be intentional to celebrate what God did at camp? What open-ended questions will you ask that can get beneath the surface?

• Contribute — What are some ways that you can contribute to the continual work in your child’s life? How do you think you can show that you prioritize the most important thing?

Jesus changed your child’s life at camp this week. The good thing is that He comes back with your child on the van home. You want to encourage His work as your child comes home. Maybe he or she doesn’t need to fear reentry because you have created such a warm, inviting atmosphere to talk about the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

PRAY

As you pray for physical safety for the journey home, also pray for spiritual stability once you are reunited. Ask God to show you how to avoid stirring up anger in your child. Pray that He would show you how you could continue the growth at camp once your child comes home.

Hopefully, your child has learned how to dwell closer to Jesus this week. Maybe you have too. Let’s be diligent in creating a home environment that continually fosters that connection.

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.

Parent Devo - Camp Day 5

How distracted are you? How preoccupied is your child? We live in a time when we are barraged with constant distractions. The pace of our lives and the setup of our technology have our minds in frantic disarray. Even as you read this short devotion, most likely, your mind will wander to your device (or another app if you are reading this article on your device).

As we grow increasingly more accessible to the entire world all at once, we also grow decreasingly connected to the Lord and those physically around us. We are often more present for people on our device than we are for people in the room.

• How have you seen technology change in your lifetime?

• What are your greatest concerns for your child’s digital attachments right now

• What do you think is on the cultural horizon for technology going forward?

“...we must learn how to fight for rest in our lives.”

While our devices keep us distracted, our schedules keep us hectic, and our responsibilities keep us stressed, we must learn how to fight for rest in our lives. Amidst all the striving, are you able to be still and seek Jesus? He is our rest.

Maybe you have never thought of what it would look like to actually have a relationship with Christ. If that’s you, you can turn from serving your own desires and place your faith in Christ instead. Pray to Him right now and turn your life over to Him.

 If you are a Christ follower, do you have an adequate margin to meet with Jesus regularly? Years ago, someone coined the phrase “quiet time.” Many people rightfully highlighted the need for this daily encounter in the Word and prayer. In addition to considering a quiet time, you also need to ensure that it is quality time. Your soul needs unhurried, uninhibited, and unyielding time with Jesus.

• What are the most significant distractions to your meeting with Jesus?

• What are your child’s most constant distractions to meeting with Jesus?

To strengthen your ability to rest in Jesus, you have to ensure that this time becomes a priority. You might have to decide to start some things and stop others.

What tangible steps could you take to prioritize a home environment that encourages and facilitates spiritual growth?

Your list might include some simple adjustments or some dramatic overhauls. You might concern yourself in your home about several things, but are you concerned about the most important thing? Your tasks can wait, but if you fail to meet with Jesus, none of them can be done well.

PRAY

Pray for your child today. Pray for focus and clarity. Pray that he or she can fight through the distractions in order to get a better glimpse of Jesus. Use Psalm 46:10-11 as a guide.

“ ‘Stop your fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.’ The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold” (Ps. 46:10-11).

Use each of those phrases to pray over you and your child. Don’t rush through this prayer time either. Take your time. What could possibly be more necessary on your schedule than an appointment with Jesus?

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.

Parent Devo - Camp Day 4

We have got to let God off the hook for everyone else’s mistakes. Let’s face it: each of us has been let down by people too often to count. So many people live in a constant state of disappointment. With each disillusionment, we grow ever more hesitant to trust another again.

From family members to friends, we have been hurt numerous times. Whether it was an individual or an institution, we know the pain of getting close enough to something and becoming discouraged by what we discovered behind the veil. For so many people, their letdowns became almost too expected and normative. Each of us can struggle with thinking that the only sure thing in this life is that people will disappoint you.

“We confuse God’s reliability with our expectations of how and when He should act.”

Along the way, we make God pay for the mistakes of others. For all the people who have proven to be unreliable, we associate their nature with God’s nature. We confuse God’s reliability with our expectations of how and when He should act.

• What would be the leading reasons that your child would distrust authority figures?

• Do you think anything in your child’s past distorts his or her perception of God?

In today’s focus, we will look at the faithfulness of Jesus. Not only is this topic a critical point for your child, but you might need to be reminded of it as well.

In John chapter 11, Jesus called outside the tomb, and Lazarus’s dead heart began to beat again. He walked out of the grave not because he discovered a way to cheat death but because of the Lord over all defeated death for him. Jesus had repeatedly shown what He could do. If they believed in Him, they would see the unbelievable come true. Belief in the faithfulness of Jesus is the step to beholding the glory of God (John 11:40).

Just as Lazarus’s physical body came back to life due to the voice of Jesus, our spiritual souls can only come back to life by that same voice. Since the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), every person in this world committed spiritual suicide when we transgressed against God (Eph. 2:1). We cannot make ourselves come back to life; someone outside the tomb will have to do that for us.

• How confident are you of your salvation?

• How confident are you of your child’s salvation?

The gospel is the message that Jesus was willing to take your place on the cross to bring you back to God.

Have you ever trusted in that message? Has your child? Just as Lazarus came out of that tomb, we are called to walk out of the grave and cast away those graveclothes (John 11:44). If you have been resurrected, don’t go back to your former dead way of living.

PRAY

At camp today, your child is going to hear the gospel. Pray that your child will clearly understand the call of Jesus or clearly hear the affirmation of Jesus. Use Psalm 46 as a prayer guide.

“Come, seek the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth. He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze” (Ps. 46:8-9).

Pray that your child would see the works of the Lord this very day. Maybe he or she will see it personally or in the life of someone else at camp. Pray that God causes them to surrender their arms and forfeit the wars they have been fighting. Pray that He discards their weapons and eliminates their vehicles of escape. Pray that today is the day of salvation. Pray that your child understands that, in an unreliable world, God is still faithful.

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.

Parent Devo - Camp Day 3

In every arena of culture, we have grown more accustomed to connecting with people over screens. Preachers preach, teachers teach, trainers train, comedians entertain, doctors prescribe, and musicians inspire all from the convenience of a video screen. From the comfortable safety of our devices and the detached nature of their mediums, we have grown accustomed to receiving information without experiencing connection.

As an adult, you have experienced this pull and noticed this shift. This reality is all your child has ever known. This generation has always held that physical distance may limit a connection but not completely prohibit it. You probably struggle as a parent encouraging everyone to interact with family in the same room because they are all pseudo-connected to other people on a device.

We have grown accustomed to being connected without ever experiencing communion.

• How do you think your child’s digital connections hinder his or her relationship with God?

• What hinders you from believing that God is truly near to you?

God is not detached from us. He is not on one side of the video screen where we can see Him, but He cannot see us. He is closer to us than we can imagine. Every moment of every day, God is with us. In today’s focus, your child will be learning about this glorious truth.

“Jesus doesn’t define us by our past but works with us to create a different future.”

Jesus doesn’t define us by our past but works with us to create a different future.

Jesus never waited for the woman in John chapter 4 to get her life in order before He talked with her. Instead, He approached amid her drama and dysfunction. While others were afraid to be seen talking to her (John 4:27), Jesus wasn’t. Jesus was committed to initiating a relationship with her before she had ever given a thought to Him.

As you think about your child today, what are the greatest hindrances blocking his or her connection to Jesus?

• Doubt — Maybe your child has intellectual blockades that oppose the idea that God is with him or her.

• Guilt — Your child may have a sense of regret from sinful decisions that invokes an idea that God doesn’t want him or her.

• Experience — Maybe your child struggles in this technological age to understand that a connection with God isn’t initiated through a device.

• Desire — Your child may be aware of God’s willingness but lacks a desire of his or her own.

Which one is blocking the signal more than the others? Why do you think it is that way?

Just as the woman at the well shared her story with others, have you ever shared your story with your child? Do your children know how Jesus initiated contact with you? Your testimony can be an excellent tool in God’s hands for your child’s growth. Think about how you can share with your family regarding how God reached out to you at first and how He still reaches out to you today.

PRAY

As you think through that greatest hindrance in your child’s life, pray that God would break through it today. In today’s focal passage, the psalmist speaks of how God connects with us like a river gladdening a city. Pray these words over your child by taking a phrase and expanding upon it.

“There is a river— its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold” (Ps. 46:4-7).

Today is going to be a good day. Jesus has set up a time to meet with your child. Pray that those moments with Him are life-changing.

Personal circumstances never exceed God’s power and faithfulness. Remembering how God has provided in the past gives courage for the future. He is faithful.

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.

Parent Devo - Camp Day 2

Your child is walking through the first full day of camp! So much prayer and thought have gone into every element of the day. The level of intentionality that has gone into creating every facet of camp is mind-boggling.

While the FUGE office staff has been working for years to plan this week, the camp staff has been training for months to invest in your child, the Echo church volunteers have been preparing for weeks to chaperone, God has been eternally preparing for what He wants to do in the life of you and your child. His preparation for this week is hard to compute.

Reflect on how God has been present in your family’s life. What are some milestones that you can remember for which He has accomplished in your life? As you remember God’s faithfulness in the past, it should encourage you to believe that He will continue to be faithful in the present. He has work to do today.

“In the middle of difficult and overwhelming times, we can trust God to carry us through even the darkest of days and to guide our future. He is our Refuge.”

The theme for camp today is “Refuge.” In the middle of difficult and overwhelming times, we can trust God to carry us through even the darkest of days and to guide our future. He is our Refuge.

What are the challenging circumstances working against your child right now?

Where does your child typically go for refuge?

If you are unsure if your child’s refuge is God, begin by praying that today would reveal your child’s desperate need for God.

In Mark chapter 4, Jesus intentionally led his disciples through a storm that only He could control. The result of the near-death experience was a growing sense of faith for the disciples. His ability to control this storm should instill confidence with Him as they approach the next set of obstacles.

The most caring thing Jesus could do was to lead them through a storm He could control.

• What are the circumstances in your life beyond your control?

• What is causing your child to fear right now?

• How can you increase faith in both of your lives?

PRAY

As you pray for your child today, use some of the focal verses to direct your prayers.

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil” (Ps. 46:1-3).

Pray these verses over your child today. Take each phrase and expand upon it as you think about your child. Pray that today is a day when he or she learns how God can be their needed Refuge.

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.

Parent Devo - Camp Day 1

As your student leaves home for camp, you don’t have to unplug from involvement in his or her spiritual condition. Pray for a life-changing week, but prepare for a life- changing home when your child returns in a few days.

By the sheer fact that you sent your child to summer camp, that reveals your concern over your child’s spiritual formation. Pray that this week is life-changing in your child’s life, but don’t shortchange yourself either. God has called, equipped, and positioned you to make the most spiritually transformational impact on your child. More than anyone else, you have the opportunity to display a daily example that will change your child’s life forever. The most critical spiritual environment for your child is the one in which he or she lives.

“The most critical spiritual environment for your child is the one in which he or she lives.”

Psalm 127 reminds us that our children are “indeed a heritage from the Lord, offspring, a reward” (Ps. 127:3). Your child is a gift. Even on days when parenting may feel like a burden, your child is always a blessing! A parent is like an archer, shaping and sharpening the arrow that is your child (Ps. 127:4).

• How are you sharpening your child?

• To which target are you aiming?

Every parent is sharpening a child for some purpose. Every parent is aiming a child toward some target. Are your efforts aligned with God’s? If not, you might be working in vain.

As you think about your child’s return home in a few days, what are some things that you could prepare to do differently to sharpen your child?

PRAY

An archer understands that the arrow can go further and faster than he or she ever could. If you want your child to be launched out into this world to go to battle for a King and His Kingdom, how will you do your part in this preparation phase?

Take some time to pray for your child to have a life-changing week, but also pray that you can help provide a life-changing home for their return.

This devotional is adapted from FUGE’s Parent Devotions. You can find the complete resource here.