It was an awesome week with all of you junior highers at Berea. I didn’t know so many of you knew the words to Billy Jean…

Don’t forget all we talked about this week! Remember, who you are isn’t determined by what you do. Who you are is determined by what God says about you. As we discussed, God says that you are a person of God-given identity, you are His mirror, and you are good! Don’t let Satan convince you otherwise! If God says it, it is the real deal.

Also, remember, all of God’s word is truth. You can’t take some without the other. Work to spend time each day applying the 1:1:1 Plan, and God will reveal more and more of Himself to you. I can’t wait to see you at Deep Freeze this winter!

All you Berea teens - you know we had a great week! Blobbing, dodge ball, the camp fire, and of course, the shooting range. Yes, this was my first time to put a 22 to my shoulder. And, yes, I am quite proud of my score of 32!

Many, many of you gave your heart to Christ this week. And, many more of you “laid down your Issac.” The key now that you are home is “one day at a time.” One day at a time committing to spend time with God reading your Bible. One day at a time scheduling moments, if even brief ones, to get away from all your noise and listen to Him speak to you. One day at a time taking “ownership” in your relationship with God by daily asking Him to guide your every move. Continue to look at your journal and be reminded of everything we discussed. And, remember, life back home won’t always be easy. For you, it might even be your worst nightmare. But you are NOT alone! Don’t forget that. No matter how your parents and friends may treat you, talk about you, ridicule you, and more, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Remember: GOD IS NOT A FEELING!

There will be days when it feels like he is a million miles away. (He isn’t, but it may feel that way.) On those days, don’t stop pursuing Him. He is not a feeling. He is not an emotion. Living for God isn’t about how you feel each day. Living for God is a choice. A choice each day to give Him more of you and to trust Him (even when you don’t feel like it. And, even when it doesn’t seem like He deserves your trust.) Begin each day by looking yourself in the mirror and saying, “Today I trust you God. No matter what the world throws at me, I TRUST YOU!”

What God started at camp, He wants to continue. You do your part to pursue Him, honor Him, and obey Him. He will lead you in all you do. And, He will prove to you that He, unlike anyone or anything else in your life, will always be trustworthy.

Just returned from camp in PA and we had another great week! All you crazy teens at CC of the Valley - you were a blast to hang with! I know Tuesday night was super intense for you, as we hit on a lot of heavy issues. I hope you have taken some time to really think about everything we discussed, and, more importantly all that God revealed to you. You know what God said to you this week and my challenge to you is to keep listening as He reveals more of Himself to you. Remember, you must take “ownership” in your relationship with Him. God wants to do more through you than you can imagine. He wants to unfold His richest blessings right before your eyes. But you must do your part and continually pursue Him by spending time in the Word and time in prayer.

I know this is a difficult time for your youth group now that Matt has left. But, don’t use that as an excuse to slack in your walk or commitment to community. God can do amazing things through your youth group to impact your church, school, family, and more with or without a youth pastor. So work to keep your community strong. Pastor Frank is there for you and MJ too. Both of these people are extremely wise. Rely on them. Rely on each other too. Encourage one another and take God at His word!

I look forward to next summer with you as we once again meet God, eat smores at the bonfire (and sacrifice a freshman boy,) hang out by the pool, and watch each other get water wedgies!

All you Star Wars crazed teens from Oregon - you rock! Aren’t you just amazed at what God did in all of our lives this week at camp! Once we hit Tuesday night, it was as if God settled on Mayfield Camp in Washington State and we never looked back. So many of you gave your heart to Jesus and it was incredible to watch as you allowed Him to remove everything previously holding you back and illuminate your heart. Many if not all of you surrendered something to Him Wednesday night. Don’t forget that - don’t forget your “Mr. Apple.” Don’t forget Ruth 3:11. Don’t forget what it means to kill the fear, and guard your eyes, and trust that He has it all figured out even when you don’t. Remember, God can be taken at His word. He has created you as someone who is good, who can live right, and can stand even when others do not. As you settle back into this week at home, take it one day at time. Apply the 1:1:1 Plan and wait on God. Let Him lead as He opens the “right doors” and closes the “wrong ones.”

While you were worshiping last night during the candle light service, I took this pic. Pretty cool, huh? It was a joy to be back with you again this summer. However, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at another can of Spam again in the same way.

It was an awesome week of camp with over 800 of you from Texas! I hope you have readjusted to life after camp. I also hope you’ve taken time to think about all God spoke to you while you were there. We talked about a lot. And, if you have questions about it all, email me at Jeffreydean.com and we will continue our conversation about what it means to live the renewed life and experience “the latest” from God.

If you were there then you probably remember seeing this guy while at camp. God completely changed his life this week. He told me, “Things will never be the same!” Cool tattoo of Philippians 4:13.

I want to tell you about a new project that I am really excited about. It is entitled Live Loud. This new four-session video series was recorded live in front of teens last year at an event where I spoke. I am doing something I have never done with any of our past teaching series by offering it for free. Yes, free!

All summer you can download for FREE this series at our Pause podcast. In Live Loud, I discuss the personal, moral, and spiritual “noise” in all of our lives and offer a remedy for unplugging from the rhetoric and living loud for what matters most in life. The first session is live now at iTunes.com. Check it out. And, if you haven’t already done so, subscribe to our Pause podcast and continue learning what it means to live life loud for Christ.

If you were at camp this past week in Michigan then you know how awesome it was. I had a great time getting to know all of the teens from Orchard Grove Community Church. I also loved hitting the trails on the ATV with many of you. (more…)