A Long Update

Some Breakfast Clubs really connect with my heart. Today was one of them.

In Psalm 139, David says

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. “ (NIV)

As we open the “Physical” chapter of the 4 fold growth book, we considered how important it is to rightfully cosider ourselves as children of the Most High.

For an entire week Breakfast Club has focused on “Social Skills”, giving little hints and suggestions for growing socially while at camp. We challenge the girls to meet a new friend every day. We challenge the girls to be genuinely interested in what other people have to say. We practice giving sincere compliments to each other. We smile, and have DMC’s. Social skills are honed at camp in a very intense way. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for multiple weeks… HUGE VALUE of the camp experience.

Today we start about 5 talks (remember they are short… I limit myself to 5 minutes MAX) on “Physical” growth. I pasted in some of the paragraphs from my June camp news update in todays update, so if you had a camper at June you will recognize the language. It is a long update because I care so deeply about the subject.

Campers, counselors, and parents alike struggle with eating disorders and obsess over physical perfection. Sometimes we find ourselves angry with God. Why am I shaped this way? Why am I not thin like that girl? Why did He make me this way? Psalm 139 tells us that God DID NOT make a mistake when He made us JUST THE WAY WE ARE. The Apostle Paul had health issues and was short and fat. Jesus Himself was discribed as “not comely to behold”. God does not put value in physical beauty, it is described as fleeting and illusary. His focus is on the Heart which is eternal. In Heaven, we will get new “perfect” bodies… but in this life we will never achieve that goal. Don’t worry about the outward.

Maybe at camp, surrounded by loving friends and mentors, this message can be heard. As much as we say it at home, I fear the words are lost to the deluge of outside forces.

This culture is brutal on young women. The pressure to be attractive has never been so unbalanced; so unhealthy. How can anyone live up to the standard (and who sets this standard anyhow?)?

Margaret literally shudders whenever we walk past the Abercrombie and Fitch doors at the mall. It isn’t just that awful cologne smell (do they have huge perfume machines spritzing the air conditioning?); it’s that HUGE 10 foot close-up poster of the bare-chested teen-age Adonis getting close to his perfect Aphrodite teen-age babe (almost bare-chested). This is wrong. We see the impact and at camp try to provide a refuge from the storm.

The 1 piece bathing suit rule comes out of this effort. There was a time not so long ago (before these counselors were born… there’s a thought) when Greystone had no rule for bathing suits, why would we? The old video’s playing in the Hostess Cabin show most of the campers in two piece suits; we have always been a stylish camp. The problem is the style is now rated R. Counselors were having to become the “modesty police”, and you know how awful that battle is. If your school has a uniform rule, you know the rich blessing it is to have standards… battle gone. 1 piece bathing suits are not “cool” but everyone at camp wears them so nobody cares. We set the standard of “cool” and the community is better for it.

Girls are being told (who is telling us these things?) that it is “cool” or “stylish” to wear almost nothing almost all of the time. This is NOT a good thing for our culture. It has become a contest of provocative “envelope pushing” and has produced an avalanche of negative self image attitudes. Only 1 in a 100 pull it off… the other 99 feel like they aren’t “good enough”. So they start a cycle that is sometimes never overcome.

I have three daughters. Each is beautiful and delightful in so many ways… a lifetime is not enough time to spend with them… literally. I don’t want them to focus on externals, I want them to have a firm grasp of who they are in Christ. The fact is, God has control over every detail in this universe, He knows the number of hairs on my head and He (with a Perfect Plan) made me just the way I am… this fact instills confidence that is a Light to the world. We have a beauty and nobility that far surpasses the fleeting beauty of youth. Get a sense of perspective. Please.

This week we will be talking about taking care of our bodies: Eating right, exercising right. Simple decisions to eat and exercise in an appropriate way will lead to feeling physically great. It works (I lose weight every summer because I am exercising and eating right); but it is not the end of the story. Our girls need the whole picture. I know you agree.

Thank you for reading; Dads especially… ThankYou. Be engaged with your girls.

Back to the update…

Today is Challenge Day, no classes all morning as we have good natured Odd/Even competition. Lots of games and cheering, but also lots of sitting around. It is a very relaxing day that really acts as a community sigh of relief. We are a tight knit community and are about to really start the camp experience.

It is overcast, a comfortable 79 degrees. Rain showers will hit about 3:00 again (it did this yesterday) and this weather pattern will continue for another week or so. Until something changes, this is our life! Rain comes in scattered bursts of 20 to 80 minutes, leaving mist rising from the surrounding mountains (thus the origin of the “Smokey Mountains”). It is really quite lovely and wonderful.

Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast, crispy thick cut bacon, fruit, cereal. Lunch features light and tasty “Drew Salad” sandwiches (fresh bread with hummus and lots of veggies) and chips. Dinner is a knock out: “Wild Caught” King Salmon lightly poached with lemon and capers, Fresh pasta tossed with roasted cherry tomatoes, spinach, Spanish Parmesian cheese, and Spanish Olive Oil. The fish might stretch the girls… but it is so good almost everyone will leave the meal a newly minted fan of salmon.

EP is incredible. Game Show Night… should be a night to remember. I can’t say much other than it is going to really be fun. A huge amount of effort has gone into this program, we have even made a series of “short films” to play during “commercials”. No cost has been spared, it is a blow out… the perfect ending to the perfect day.

Once again… my apologies for the length of this update. Not usually this deep.

Hang in there. ESPECIALLY you dads. Moms, do ask dads to read it… as a favor to me.

With Deep Appreciation,

Jimboy

JB