Thursday, April 28, 2011

SMT 2011 Shout Out

Kim and Natalie are excited to meet the incoming summer staff:

Sunday, April 24, 2011

"Then they remembered Jesus’ words."

Easter bunnies and egg hunts are the main stream ideas of Easter. I don't remember when I came to the realization these "extra" things added to such a holy day were part of the worldly smoke screen to shift focus away from Christ. I am glad to know this day still has more meaning than bunnies and eggs for many, many, people.

"The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?"

Then they remembered Jesus' words." Luke 24:5-8

Will you remember what Christ has done for you and I today? Will you bow down to worship Him today? What power and freedom we find in Christ and anyone can come to Him!

May each of you have a blessed Easter or Resurrection Day.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Artistry at Work

Virgil Taylor with My Fathers House(a church he and his wife started in Granite Shoals) is an incredible artist. His medium is tile.
Yes that's right tile. He is a tile setter by profession installing all kinds of custom tile work in homes and businesses throughout the Hill Country. He installed the new tile floor, showers and baths in Lampasas dorm, which was long overdue.
Danny had an idea of putting the camp logo in the dining hall on the new wall that some of our SOWER volunteers had just rebuilt, how to do that was the question. Would we have a painting commissioned or a vinyl sign made up or something else? Most ideas could be costly and just not practical for us at this time. But as we know perfectly well here at HLCCC God has a way making those dreams come true. While Virgil was here completing the work in the Lampasas dorm he said he could put a very large tile logo on the dining hall wall. This tile mural would be 7' tall and be cut out of tile to match our current logo for Highland Lakes Camp. He would offer to volunteer his labor if we covered the material. Danny was excited for Virgil to begin. As we gathered in the dining hall for three weeks each day, we watched this beautiful mosaic tile and custom cut tile logo come to life. Virgil has invested 3 weeks of his time to date and still has more to go. That's over 135 hours to complete the logo. He painstakingly cut each tile to exacting detail to resemble our camp logo. Virgil is an outstanding artist and a servant of the Living God! He has given his talents to glorify our Lord and he has done an amazing job doing just that! We are so thankful for having people like Virgil who the Lord has brought along side of us to reach so many for Christ. This is a display of Gods handiwork at it's best. Virgil also volunteers as a sponsor for many youth activities with his church.
Thank You Lord for your provision and enjoyment of people like Virgil Taylor. May God bless him and his family for giving up his time and talents for His glory!

Does God care about Basketball?

Well apparently He does!
Here is another amazing story about God's faithfulness here at HLCCC.
As many of you know we have a basketball court (or you may not because is was in such bad shape) behind Miles Auditorium. It has been in disrepair for some time which made it hard to play a good game of basketball or tennis. When the ball would hit a crack you wouldn't know where it would come down. It wasn't safe because of the large cracks that were a trip hazard.
Gary posted on a web site looking for a Court Re finisher and the person who answered the ad almost immediately was Weston Ready. He owns Courtex Construction Inc.and said he would love to take a look at our project.
He mentioned he and his sister were saved at camp several years ago and he would love to help out. It was quickly apparent we didn't have enough in our budget to refinish the whole court or for that matter even one quarter of the court. Weston and Gary made some calls and after much prayer God put on the hearts of a couple of donors to make up the difference in our budget. With the help of Weston and his father we were able to refinish the basketball court and the tennis court! WOW! God is good.
Another part of the project involved a group from Harp's Crossing in Georgia. They brought 18 students and adults to work on projects here at the camp during their spring break. Gary's team and the team from Harp's Crossing are installing a new sand volleyball court where the old half court was located inside the fenced area. Our courts area has now been transformed into a safe and beautiful area for a little friendly competition. We also don't have to chase those loose balls too far.
We want to thank Weston, his dad, The team form Harp's Crossing, Gary and Bruce for their help. I didn't mention one of our own staff members (Bruce)  donated a large portion of the balance we needed to complete the courts. It doesn't surprise me when God raises up one of our staff to participate in the finances of the camp. They are the ones closest to see what God is doing here. God uses each of us no matter what our job or business is. He uses EVERYTHING to glorify His name!
Thanks be to Our Lord for providing a safe place to have a good time with each other as we play a little bball or tennis. Not to mention it is good for our bodies and our soul to be outdoors in Gods beautiful creation together.
Stop by and see the beautiful new courts!
See You at Camp!