artykins

At least 'Deadwood' is the name of Jeff's next camp.  

My brother has taken a keen interest in writing the curriculum for the summer camps our church produces.  Problem is camps have sucked for the last eight years or so.  In part it was due to lack of vision, but I think another part of it was a slump in service.  People just wanted to put on a camp for the sake of doing it, because it's what we'd always done.  Sadly, though, no one wanted to put in the work needed to create somthing truly spectacular.

To be fair, Jeff and I live in a world where we vividly remember what camps used to be like at church when we were growing up.  They were something definitely worth while and we looked forward to the time when we would get to go to camp.  We relished our time there.  But I think most importantly, we learned what it meant to defy mediocrity.

All three of us have risen through the ranks.  We were campers, then we were camp counselors, then we were lead counselors and now Jeff is camp intern.  We remember the good old days and we've watched as the camp has declined throughout the years and we've been saddened by it because it's nowhere near where it once was.  It's not able to hold a candle to its brilliance.

I know...perhaps I just remember it better than it really was.  Well, you never went to camps with me.  They were nothing short of amazing.

I tried about five years back to petition to be intern, but the powers that be shot me down as being 'too young' with not enough experience to equal my zealous and ambitious plans to return camp to where it was.  As such, I tipped my hat to the whole matter and exited the arena with a shadow to mark my defeat.

Well, five years have passed and now my brother has petitioned to be intern.  The difference is that he was accepted.  The powers that be are tired of using inferior camp curriculum and having to beg people to run it.  Thing is, I don't think the powers that be realize that if you start with dynamite material, you eventually have to turn people away because all needs are fulfilled.  People get excited about working camps that have good material to work with.  

So Jeff has written camp this year and he's experimenting with it all to see if it works.  If it does, he has another camp waiting to go and a third in the works.  Thing is, he wants me to help him co-write and run camp.  And after hearing him talk about it and after seeing this second camp he's written, I'm thinking about it.  Seriously thinking about it.

This is made even more feasible since I found out yesterday that I won't be going to grad school.  Yeah.  I know.  I'm disappointed too.  My application for admission was rejected by the school because there's no state funding coming through, which means no open position in the program I applied for.  I was telling Jeremy last night that although I'm disappointed, I've been praying all along that if God means for me not to go to grad school that He place a bar in my path.  And this is the bar.  I'm not meant to go this year.

Not going to school gives me some extra time that I didn't know whether or not I'd have.  I'm considering going to Gus and Esther and asking them if I can work part time during the summers so that I can work camp as well.  I'm not sure how well it'll go over, but it's worth a try.  It'll keep me away from Pat more than I was last summer.  And we all know how last summer went.

I dunno how it'll work.  I haven't really considered everything.  This is just an idea.

Anyway, Jeff and I spent a little time today putting together parts of the third camp today, which was a lot of fun.  All I'm going to say is that it involves wild west antics, heroes, outlaws and several forts that are sure to be attacked.

And now, if you'll pardon me, I have a lentil soup that needs some attention as well as some roasting eggplant.

- Arty