Ignite Recap

WOW!!!!!!!! That is the first thing I say when I'm asked about Ignite Camp. The next thing I say is that it was UNBELIEVABLE. I expected God to move, I expected Him to change lives, I expected Him to do miracles, but what happened was exceedingly, abundantly, above all I could ask or think. It was unbelievable. Here are some highlights from each day:

Monday

• Arrived safely to camp around 1pm and got into teams.
• Each team did a little team building exercises, getting to know you games and came up with a team name.
• Team names were: D4 (the devo divas and disco dudes), Team ID, Team Magma, G's for Jesus and R2D2 (radically devoted times 2).
• Dinner was the best ravioli I'd had in a long, long time. It just so happened I was really hungry, so maybe that had something to do with it.
• At 7 we opened the doors with a crazy 60 second countdown right into the youth worship teams first worship set in front of anyone. Thank you to Quinn Richter, Danny Morales and Daniel Bender for working so hard to get ready for camp.
• There was a huge buzz and expectation as the students entered and during worship.
• I preached on the road blocks to devotion out of the parable of the sower. Here is a blog post on that.
• Tons of people responded to the alter call that night to get the little bitty thing off to the side that can grow and choke the word out of your life out of their life.
• We had small groups later that night and a leader morning after everyone went to bed.

Tuesday

• Up bright and early at 7am.
• Breakfast and morning worship.
• During worship the different team leaders prayed up a storm. You should have heard them. Anna, Tiffany, Justin, Terryl, Jenny, Tristan and Tina all lead the students in praying to God for more. It was incredible to see the leaders step up and lay it down in prayer.
  
• After this we had small group time and personal quiet times then lunch. Then the fun began.
• After lunch we began with a huge game of wizard, elf, giant (rock, paper, scissors combined with tagging the loser). It was epic! I think the best was the game where one of the teams got low on players, so the massive team did cross because the cross beats all and won the game!
• Then we played a little toilet tag and extreme soccer.
• After we all got hot and sweaty we had the best water fight I've ever seen. The leaders took all of the water balloons and squirt guns from the students and were set to ambush them. I found out and told the students to charge them. 2 hours later we were all soaked and had huge smiles on our faces.
• I was dry for most of it until all the leaders and students tricked me into thinking a student was hurt (Tessa), so I ran to the circle was grabbed and drenched with several buckets of water. Good one all! I will not forget who you all are so watch your backs! Just kidding.
• Dinner that night then service. This is where something broke in the Spirit at camp. Normally by the last night everybody is dancing in worship and dealing with the serious junk. It's always my heart that by the last night that students really "get it." In fact I was expecting God to move the last night and for them to be free and leave camp changed.
• We did our first two songs and when we finished Break Free I was switching to acoustic guitar for worship and a student yells ONE MORE TIME, then a chant began with all the students yelling ONE MORE TIME began. Terryl looked at me like well? and I gave him the nod, so he told them we'd do it again and all of the students ran to the front without any prompting. We played it again and the whole time they jumped and praised God because He was breaking them free. It was incredible. Worship was incredible and God was doing something.
• What I had hoped to happen by the last day was happening on the second. It was unbelievable.
• I spoke that night on the fire of devotion. You can read about it here. The alter call was good, the small groups better and the leaders were going crazy with stories until late in the morning. Kids that didn't want to be there were dancing in God's presence, reading their bibles because they wanted to in their room and anticipating what God had for them.

Wednesday

• Woke up at 7am.
• Breakfast and morning worship and prayer. This time with the whole band. As we got ready I was wondering if the students would still worship and praise like they did the night before. As soon as we started they began to worship and praise like they did before.
• As we worshiped we prayed with them, teaching them how to pray every morning.
• Next was small group time and personal quiet times then lunch.
• That afternoon we had paintball, climbing wall, games, and the gym was open.
• Dinner then Accelerate worship. The youth worship team played for the Accelerate camp which was a lot of fun.
• We performed our team cheers for the Accelerate kids and Team ID was voted the winners! Congrats!
  
• Service was at 7pm with Pastor Mel.
• All the kids were so excited for her to be there, worship was incredible with the kids once again chanting ONE MORE TIME for Break free (we sang it 11 times at camp for the students and we all still love it!)
• Pastor Melinda preached an incredible message from Psalm 34:8 and 1 Thessalonians 1:18. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
• One young lady heard God speak in worship that she need to stop letting boys use her for their gratification and then Pastor Mel spoke on something similar and she was floored.
• I was so honored to have Pastor Mel there and it was an incredible night.
• We had small groups and a leader meeting then off to bed for one more full day of camp.

Thursday

• Wake up? You guessed it 7am.
• Breakfast then morning worship and prayer. Again we all got crazy for Jesus.
• Team ID went to the lake early because they won the cheer comp and had their quiet time in the van over to the lake. The rest of us had small groups and quiet time then off to the lake.
• Volleyball, swimming, toss-toss, Tubing behind the boat, water fights and sun burns (even though sunscreen was required several times that day) galore!
• We headed back and made it just in time for dinner.
• Accelerate Kids Camp's service was right after dinner. We did worship again and I spoke. I shared about David and how he was R.A.D. and therefore was unshakable. Reading and Asking (praying) equals Devotion or R.A.D. We must be R.A.D. to be unshakable.
• Youth service was right after that beginning with judging the Accelerate cheer comp. The 4th graders won! Congrats to them!
• That night worship was off the hook again! We did three fast songs and still they wanted more Break Free! After Tuesday I was praying and wondering what more could happen. I mean what you expect for the last night already happened. I'd never been to a camp where it happened so fast, so I didn't know what more there was for us. We already had tons of God moments what more was there, but God had a Word for everybody.
• About fifteen minutes before service He gave me two scriptures, an illustration and a title. When I spoke the anointing fell in that place. That night people all over wrote down the old life they were leaving on paper and took it to the cross. There were tears, prophecy and baptism in the Holy Spirit. Here is the message.
  
• The Spirit of God fell in a way I haven't seen in a long time. The service lasted three hours and ended with people all around the room on their face before God crying out for more. We dismissed them to get snacks or stay until their small groups and probably half stayed because they didn't want to leave God's presence. It was unbelievable!!! You can read the message here.
  
• Many groups that night were speechless when asked to sum up the night. It was something God did that was amazing.
• That night was Junior/Senior night, so they all hung out with us leaders, made lunches for the trip home, played games, ran around for a couple of hours playing with mice and got to bed really late.

Friday

• Woke up at 7, cleaned and packed and went to breakfast.
• Worship was crazy again and I spoke the final message of the camp on I.G.N.I.T.E. you can check it out here.
• We cleaned up and headed home.
• About a block from the church the bus taking the students home ran out of gas! It was hilarious. We used the other bus and picked them up. What a way to end camp :-).
• By 3:30 all the students were gone and the leaders talked until 5 about the experience and what to do next year.

It was unbelievable and this is only the beginning of what God is going to do. See you Sunday at 10 and 11:30 for worship and small groups. The 10 o'clock service will be open to Jr. High and Sr. High, so everybody be there!