Excellence
Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, gave this very memorable instruction for living: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:13 We take these words very literally at Greystone (serving amazing food, running amazing activities, in amazing facilities, with amazing people all for the glory of God).
At todays Breakfast Club we encouraged the girls to strive for excellence… and to decide what their motivation is going to be for this never ending goal. Some will work for personal glory, some for their family, some for their friends, some for their race, and some for their profession. There are many reasons to strive for excellence… but we suggest the best one is for the Glory of God.
If what the Bible says is true, then the whole point of life (indeed the point of creation) is the Glory of God. To make God’s Glory our motivation for all things makes life very satisfying, for God accepts our efforts and increases them in ways the world does not understand. This motivation allows us to avoid the pitfalls of pride for what we do has little to do with us… it is all about God. We live lives marked by gratitude and satisfaction (ironic since we never achieve the moving goal of excellence). It is a great way of living… and makes even the most boring job an inspiration!
Think about it in terms of Greystone. Camp is a very simple thing… marked by tradition (the same thing done year after year) and by continuity (same family for 99 years… directors tend to work a lifetime). How come we are not bored? How can we wake up every morning with deep excitement about the new day?
Because every year and every day is new and challenging as we consider it under the bright light of excellence. Each meal, each EP, each class, each photo, each tuck-in present an opportunity. Thus we find ourselves deeply engaged in life, and resting in the certain knowledge that God will accept our efforts and use them for an excellent outcome. The combined effect is what we call “The Bubble”.
I don’t know if the girls listen all the time (there are a thousand distractions), and that is fine! Just putting bread on the water.
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs and cornbeef hash
- Lunch: fish tacos
- Dinner: sausage macaroni casserole (a camper recipe we are featuring in our menu this summer).
Tonight the various age groups will do various special activities… for many, it will be a highlight evening of the summer. Margaret and I are hosting the rising 10th graders at our house, providing a catered dinner and enjoying a relaxed “civilized” evening with the girls. They will arrive all dressed up and ready to party! If you think having 120 beautiful girls over to dinner sounds fun, let me assure you it is! We will take a lot of pictures and cherish the time. Many of these girls are treating this summer as their last camper summer (the high school years make camp an impossibility in some situations), so we take this opportunity to thank them all for choosing Greystone so many years ago.
Temperatures are falling from the upper 80’s to the low 80’s. It is a very comfortable day for all activities and there is almost no chance of rain this afternoon. It should be the perfect setting for a perfect day!
Thanks for checking in.
