The season after the camp has arrived.

The games and sessions are all over. You have said your goodbye to the new friends you made during camp, and you’ve promised to continue to hang out sometime and to keep in touch.

You have left the campground and you are back to facing your ordinary life. You’re missing the mountaintop moments you felt with God during camp.

You might even look back at the camp recap video and wonder:

  • What do I do from here?
  • I am so on fire once again… how do I keep my fire burning for a long time to come even after the camp?
  • Why do I not feel God at home like I do at camp?
  • When can I experience God like what I did during camp again?

If any of these describes you, then read on because here’s what you need to do after camp season.

1. Share your story

The last thing someone says before they leave is usually most important and impactful. For Jesus, the last thing He said was to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).

If you have a story (you do!) to share on how Jesus changed your life during camp, share it with others and there will be people out there who will feel touched or inspired by it.

Sharing your story to pre-believers is a great way to evangelise and to make disciples.

Whatever it is you are struggling with, others around you might be struggling with the same thing as well.

Who knows, they might receive Christ into their lives seeing how much Jesus has changed you.

 
 

The truth is, most of the time, you are the only Bible people would ever read.

You might be thinking that God didn’t move and change you so drastically compared to others during camp.

But I want you to know that God can use small stories to impact people’s lives in a powerful way.

Don’t belittle the story you have and underestimate what God can do with your story, no matter how small or insignificant you think it might be.

2. Experience God daily

You might be constantly looking back at camp and wishing you can relieve the moments when you experienced God in a such a powerful way and felt so close to Him.

You might even be looking forward to camp again next year to experience Him like never before and be so ever close to Him again.

Don’t anticipate the next camp — anticipate waking up and meeting God daily.

God can still move as powerfully or even better still — more powerfully in your day-to-day life and not only during camp season!

I can testify to that, as there have been multiple and even countless number of times when I God moved in my life as strongly as he did during camp.

If you change your perspective to want to meet and experience God every day like you did during camp, God will not fail you and will move in your life in ways that you will least expect.

You can experience God anywhere — it is not limited to only the campgrounds.

The truth is that you can experience God and be just as close to God at school, at work, at home or wherever as you were at camp.

3. Keep the fire burning

Think of a normal fire. When you leave it unattended and fail to feed it, it will go out eventually. All you are left with then are the ashes.

If you want the fire that God has restarted in your heart to keep burning strongly, you must continue to feed the fire.

You can’t expect your fire to stay burning if you are not feeding it, and you can’t expect ashes to keep a fire going.

 

So you might be thinking, “How do I continue to feed the fire inside my heart?”

I want to encourage you to keep chasing after God by reading His Word and praying. Those are good ways to keep your fire for God burning strong.

Not only that, it will help you to stay connected with God and draw closer to Him.

You can’t expect your fire to stay burning if you are not feeding it, and you can’t expect ashes to keep a fire going.

If you find it hard to be consistent with reading your Bible or praying daily as you are swamped with tons of assignments, work or exams — start small.

Carve out just five minutes a day to talk to God. Read the Bible at least 2-3 times a week.

Then, whenever you are ready, you can increase the amount of time you spend with God or the amount of Bible reading you do.

If your life is merely filled with streaming videos, social media and other activities, it leaves little time to hear from God like how you did at camp.

“Feeling” God in your life goes beyond meaningful worship songs and powerful preaching during camp.

It happens in everyday moments, but you have to be intentionally looking for it and ready to respond!

THINK + TALK
  1. How did church camp practically change the way you live your life?
  2. Is there something you need to do (like restarting a spiritual discipline for instance) to stoke the embers?
  3. Think of a friend in church camp. Send this article to them as a way of keeping in touch!